For Kael, who was used to traveling by airplane and high-speed train, riding the Hogwarts Express, an old-fashioned steam train, felt like torture.
Especially after sitting for a few hours, once the novelty and Hogwarts buff effects started to wear off, its shortcomings became glaring.
Firstly, it was slow, really slow. Kael felt it could barely reach eighty, not even as fast as some better-performing cars.
And the comfort level was poor, rocking back and forth; Kael was nearly shaking in disbelief and almost threw up his breakfast.
Reading to pass the time in this situation was basically impossible.
Fortunately, Cedric, who was in the same compartment, was very chatty, which made the journey not too unbearable.
After discussing professors, Kael asked about some other things, and Cedric was open and would also voluntarily share interesting spots or amusing portraits at Hogwarts.
Many of these were things Kael didn't know, which piqued his interest. In return, Kael generously took care of Cedric's snacks for the whole journey.
Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, all kinds were plentiful.
The only thing that left Kael speechless was that, as expected, Cedric continued the wizards' mischievous tradition during the Sorting, not telling the truth.
"You have to catch the Golden Snitch in the auditorium within ten minutes to get sorted?"
Kael politely pulled back his lips without responding.
Sure thing, Quidditch was at least more reliable than Fire Dragons, and that was so Cedric.
"By the way, Kael, have you thought about which House you might be sorted into?" Cedric popped a Multi-Flavor Bean into his mouth and said, "It would be great if you could get into Hufflepuff, but for a smart young wizard like you, you'd probably want to go to Ravenclaw."
Before he finished speaking, the corner of Cedric's mouth suddenly twitched hard, and his whole face scrunched up unintentionally, looking extremely funny.
"Oh damn, it's my most hated liver flavor."
Though he said that, Cedric still bravely swallowed it down.
"I've thought about it, but it's not necessary to want a specific House." Kael also picked up a Multi-Flavor Bean. "Besides, I'm not particularly skilled at finding balls. I may not catch the Golden Snitch within ten minutes, and it would be great if any House is willing to take me in."
Hmm... it's the new black pepper steak flavor, not bad.
"Don't worry, you'll definitely do it," Cedric laughed heartily and said, "It's not that hard."
As they were talking, the compartment door suddenly opened from the outside.
Kael and Cedric turned their heads simultaneously.
Familiar red hair, but it wasn't the twins, it was another Weasley.
Percy walked into the compartment and said, "Kael, Fred told me you're here... Oh, you must be Cedric Digory, right? I'm Percy Weasley, nice to meet you."
Previously curious, Cedric quickly nodded and responded after hearing his name: "Nice to meet you too, Percy Weasley."
The other's serious demeanor made Cedric feel like he was in some formal setting rather than on the Hogwarts Express.
All in all, he was utterly baffled but maintained politeness.
Kael held back his laughter and waited for the two to finish exchanging pleasantries before saying, "Percy, is there something you need from me?"
He was familiar with the seven children of the Weasley family; Percy was no exception, though they typically didn't interact much.
"Sorry to bother you, but I do have a matter to discuss." Percy reached into his pocket and took out a large rat.
"Scabbers hasn't been looking too good lately, so I thought I'd ask if you still have that rat tonic you gave him before.
If possible, I'd like to buy some."
"Rat tonic?"
Kael looked at the grayish rat in Percy's hand, missing a front paw, squinting with a smile: "Of course I have it, just hold on a moment."
After saying that, Kael found a bottle filled with red liquid from his suitcase and handed it to Percy.
"You know, once a week, three drops at a time, this quantity should last a long time."
"Thank you." Percy quickly accepted the red rat tonic, then hesitantly pulled out three Silver Sickles, blushing: "I know this might not be enough, but it's all I have right now; I'll repay the rest as soon as I can."
"It's not all necessary." Kael took only one Sickle, pushing the other two back: "It's just rat tonic, not anything valuable, certainly not that expensive, one Sickle is plenty."
Percy looked at the Sickle in his hand, his face turning red and white alternately, and after a long time, he sighed lightly and said, "Thank you, Kael."
Kael replied: "No need, I'm just doing business."
"No, I know everything,"
Percy also laughed, albeit bitterly: "If it were an ordinary rat tonic, it couldn't keep Scabbers alive for eleven years. This must have been made by Mr. Scamander. After all, only such a legendary figure would make an ordinary field mouse live this long.
This tonic on the market would probably fetch at least ten Galleons."
Uh...
Kael rubbed his teeth and actually wanted to tell Percy.
Scabbers surviving this long had nothing to do with rat tonic, not even by a Knut, and besides, this was indeed his own creation, worth nowhere near ten Galleons.
But the whole Peter Pettigrew matter was too complicated; he was only eleven years old and didn't want to draw Dumbledore's attention for now.
Yet he hadn't done nothing.
Besides the rat tonic, he also told Percy earlier that mice were different from other pets; if they got too contaminated with wizard smells, they would be shunned by their kind.
Initially, Percy was skeptical, but after Kael credited the statement to Scamander, Percy believed it and even revered it.
Percy did indeed take care of his only pet attentively.
Not only did he set up a personal nest for Scabbers in his room, but the physical contact also significantly decreased. Apart from situations like this where he had to carry it, Scabbers was mostly left on its own.
On the other hand, seeing Kael not responding much, Percy didn't intend to linger.
"Anyway, thank you, Kael. If you ever have academic questions, feel free to ask me, and after graduation, I'll repay the Galleons."
With that, Percy hurriedly left the compartment, leaving Kael and Cedric staring at each other.
Eventually, Cedric was the first to break the silence: "Um... can you actually get rat tonic from Mr. Scamander?"
"I should say that I can brew it, and it's not just for rats, I can make tonics for almost any pet." Kael shrugged, not bothering to explain much: "It's not that difficult, just a bit troublesome, so very few people bother to learn."
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