"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" Michael couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. "I thought you would just fight back directly!"
Vid didn't know when he left such a Gryffindor-like impression on him.
"Just look at how vengeful Slytherins can be with Malfoy and Potter," Vid shrugged, using a spell to isolate the sound in the compartment, then poured himself a glass of water and said, "I don't want to be harassed by them every day at school."
Theo nodded. "You're right—Yaxley is a vengeful person, and unlike Malfoy's petty antics, he likes to use some underhanded means, even professors haven't managed to catch him—Leian, you should control your temper."
Leian pouted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, then asked, "Vid, that Muggle thing... computer, can it really do that?"
He carefully recalled what Vid had said earlier and finally extracted a bit he could barely understand—
"They can buy everything from all over the world at home?"
Vid laughed, "In fact, online shopping started about ten years ago, and it will definitely become more convenient in the future—but I actually don't know much about it either."
Vid wasn't an expert in computers. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary university student, and most of what he learned in C programming was returned to the teacher after the exam.
Reborn in this world, because he knew the future development of computers, Vid considered diving into this technology to bring WeChat, TikTok, shopping websites, smartphones, and so on to the market early, maybe becoming the world's richest person before turning thirty. But Vid's study had just begun when he received Hogwarts' admission letter...
World's richest person or magic, Vid hesitated for just 0.1 seconds before choosing the latter.
Michael couldn't believe it, "But you were speaking so fluently just now—"
"I was just saying things I read in magazines—sounds impressive, right?" Vid leaned against the compartment, smiling as he said, "You guys don't understand, nor would Prewett and others, but I speak with confidence—they'll think I know a lot, but since they can't discuss it with me, they just keep their distance, or else just listening would feel unbearable."
"Merlin!" Theo exclaimed, "I thought you were a computer expert among Muggles! I've watched their TV shows, and even the experts there don't speak as—unintelligibly as you."
For a moment, Theo even doubted if what he had heard was English or if Muggles had invented a language specifically for their computers?
—Oh right, Vid did mention this concept earlier... something about computer languages... C, C++, Java, Python...
Theo fell into deep thought.
—So Muggles really did it? Invented a machine... and several complicated languages for it...
"You seemed a bit nervous earlier?" Vid asked Michael, "Who exactly are they?"
"They're a troublesome group among the pure-bloods—if the Mysterious Man makes a comeback, they might immediately follow him again."
Michael said, "Yom Prewett, you probably didn't notice him before, he's a sixth-year student in Ravenclaw, keen on hosting various gatherings in the common room. Even with self-study, he achieved Outstanding in the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.s, but he's even better at small evil curses. He's narrow-minded; best not to provoke him."
Leian sighed, "I used to—before coming to Hogwarts—I thought all Ravenclaws were bookworms! Have you seen how Prewett looks? Like he'd love to be Yaxley's pawn!"
"—Because Prewett isn't really a Prewett," Theo recalled. "I think someone mentioned his great-great-grandmother married a half-blood wizard named Dion or Dick, after which their family name was changed to 'Prewett' from one of the Divine Twenty-Eight Clans when the Pure-Blood Registry was published."
"So then?" Vid asked curiously, "Did the Prewett family acknowledge them?"
"No, they never got the Prewett family's recognition. But with the Prewett brothers in the war against the Mysterious Man and Death Eaters both dead, Prewett—I'm talking about Yom Prewett's dad and uncle now hold high positions in the Ministry of Magic. They claim to be pure-blood Prewetts, and nobody bothers to question it," Theo said with a grin as he noticed everyone's gossip-fueled expressions. "Actually, the ones related to the Prewetts by blood in school are probably the Weasleys in Gryffindor."
"Weasley?" They all seemed surprised.
"Right, Ron Weasley's mother was a Prewett. Those two brothers who died were her siblings," Theo explained.
"They're all dead?" Leian asked.
"Yes."
"How scary—I mean the war, thank goodness it's over."
Silently, Leian felt grateful again to Harry Potter—even though that boy hadn't shown any extraordinary excellence or power, he did save the world, and that alone was enough.
Many, including Leian's parents, were very grateful and respected that boy who survived.
"What about Yaxley and Fry?" Vid asked.
"Yaxley—" Theo's face turned slightly pale. "His father served the Mysterious Man like Malfoy. After the Mysterious Man vanished, they all claimed to be under the Imperio Curse and escaped punishment by money. Unlike Malfoy, his father still works at the Ministry of Magic reportedly as a brutal and cold-blooded person. I don't doubt—Yaxley must be proficient at using Dark Magic."
Michael was surprised, "Even if they were under the Imperio, they must've done a lot of bad things, right? Yet they're still officials at the Ministry of Magic?"
"Yeah, that's right," Theo said with a bitter smile, "Unbelievable, isn't it?"
Michael was silent. This bright boy suddenly felt the lofty image of the Ministry of Magic begin to crumble in his mind.
"As for the Fry family—" Theo continued, "They once followed Grindelwald, and after he was defeated by Dumbledore, the Witch Pure Party disappeared from sight. The Fry family has since kept a low profile. But in any case, the Witch Pure Party was once more terrifying than the Death Eaters, so be extra careful of him."
The compartment remained quiet for quite some time.
Michael and Leian, both half-blood wizards, knew little about the families, powers, and past wars in the wizarding world. Some things aren't recorded in "Magic History." Young wizards like them, born in peaceful times, mostly think wars are stories in textbooks and crazy test questions, yet oblivious that the shadows of war's wings hang over their classmates.
Thinking of Professor Quirrell, who got possessed by Voldemort at school, and classmates who might long to become Death Eaters, the young ones couldn't help but sigh deeply, feeling despondent.
The rest of the journey was very smooth, with occasional students coming to gawk at the "Friendship Book inventor," but Vid used "internet concepts" as a weapon, ending the conversations in minutes. By the time they needed to disembark, no one came to him with those overwhelming topics anymore.
The train gradually stopped at Hogsmeade Station, and students donned thick clothes and got off the train. In the distance, the illuminated Hogwarts awaited them.