Ron felt as if his punch had landed on cotton. Left with no other option, he turned to Harry to complain.
"Hey, why is your friend so weird? Is now really the time to study?" Ron shook his head as he sat back down. "Once we get to school, there'll be plenty of time to study."
"Yang likes reading. There's nothing wrong with that," Harry said as he tossed a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean into his mouth—only for his face to immediately twist.
Ron, curious, popped a bean of the same color into his mouth and grimaced. "Bogey-flavored. Disgusting!"
The two of them munched on snacks while chatting about their future school life.
"I finally found you!"A girl pointed excitedly at Chu Yang, as if she'd uncovered a long-lost treasure.
Ron and Harry both turned to Chu Yang in confusion.
The girl's loud voice jolted Chu Yang out of his reading. He pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Yes, you!" The girl plopped down beside him and asked impatiently, "What kind of magic did you use in the wand shop?"
Chu Yang sighed helplessly. "That wasn't magic. I just waved the wand the way Mr. Ollivander told me to."
She shook her head in disbelief. "Impossible. Pure magic power couldn't cause such a terrifying effect!"
"I wouldn't know. I'm just a first-year student like you," Chu Yang replied casually, lowering his head to keep reading.
"Hey! Can someone explain what actually happened?" Ron asked eagerly, his curiosity burning like a gossip-loving auntie.
Harry looked just as interested.
So the girl recounted everything that had happened earlier in the wand shop.
After hearing her story, Ron and Harry wore expressions identical to hers, staring at Chu Yang in amazement.
"Oh, right! I haven't introduced myself yet." The girl straightened up and said confidently, "My name is Hermione Granger. Just call me Hermione."
Ron and Harry introduced themselves as well. But when it came to Chu Yang, there was no response. Hermione turned her head and realized he was once again buried in a book.
"Not again!" Ron rolled his eyes. "Mate, seriously—putting on an act like this in front of us is pointless. We're all classmates."
Harry tugged on Ron's sleeve and whispered, "Ron, don't say that…"
Ron scoffed. "Look at the way he flips pages. Does that really look like proper reading to you?"
Harry hesitated.He honestly had never seen anyone read the way Chu Yang did.
Hermione leaned closer, tilting her head to read the book cover. "Practical Defensive Magic?"
"That doesn't look like a first-year textbook," she said, frowning slightly. She remembered clearly that the only book related to dark magic for first-years was Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Defense.
She'd already memorized that book cover to cover—and it was clearly not the same one Chu Yang was holding.
A thought flashed through Hermione's mind.
This wasn't a first-year textbook.It was for upper years!
Hermione snatched the book from Chu Yang's hands and started reading it carefully.
"That behavior is really quite unpleasant, Miss Granger," Chu Yang said with a frown. "Whether as a witch or an ordinary person, basic manners are the minimum."
Hermione stiffly handed the book back, unconvinced. "This book is far more complex than Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Defense. You can actually understand it?"
Chu Yang replied calmly, "As long as you finish Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Defense, understanding this book isn't particularly difficult."
Hermione froze, her face flushing from the tips of her ears all the way down her neck.
To someone who had memorized Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Defense, that sounded exactly like Chu Yang was calling her stupid!
She burst out, "Specializing too narrowly is terrible for a witch! Reading only about dark magic is useless! What's really important is Magical Theory—that's the foundation!"
Her shrill voice gave Chu Yang a headache. Annoyed, he began reciting the first page of Magical Theory from memory, intending to shut her up.
It worked.
Hermione fell silent, staring at him in disbelief. "I won't believe it unless you can recite the entire book."
So Chu Yang did exactly that—he recited the whole book.
Seeing that Hermione still looked unconvinced, he calmly opened the other textbooks and recited the opening chapters of each one in turn.
With every chapter Chu Yang recited, Hermione's expression grew more agitated.
"Your parents must have taught you in advance," she said indignantly. "They wanted you to learn early so you could perform better at school!"
Chu Yang closed his book and said slowly, "I did read these books in advance—but only after receiving my acceptance letter. I studied on my own at the Leaky Cauldron for a month. No one taught me."
"Only a month, and you reached this level?" Hermione shook her head firmly. "I don't believe it. Your parents must have taught you!"
Harry couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and shouted, "That's enough! Yang and I are both orphans! We don't have parents—and no one taught us any of this!"
"Orphans?" Hermione stared blankly at Harry. Then realization hit, and she clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes filled with regret.
For someone who grew up as an orphan, nothing hurt more than having their parents brought up.
"I—I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I didn't know you were…" Hermione stammered an apology to Chu Yang, her voice trembling with genuine remorse.
This was the last thing Chu Yang wanted to see.
Couldn't they just sit quietly all the way to Hogwarts?
He sighed and forced a small smile. "Miss Granger, I don't mind being an orphan. The orphanage I grew up in was small and old, but everyone there was kind."
"Headmistress Anna celebrated every child's birthday every year. She told us that even if our parents weren't around, someone would love us properly in their place."
"I grew up in a good environment. I'm not ashamed or inferior because of where I come from."
"Y-yes, I know," Hermione nodded repeatedly, still full of guilt. She thought Chu Yang was just pretending to be calm—the more composed he seemed, the sadder she believed he must be inside.
Even Ron stood up and began apologizing for his earlier attitude. All the snacks in his hands suddenly tasted bland.
The two kind-hearted kids stood in front of Chu Yang apologizing nonstop, and the atmosphere in the compartment grew heavier by the second.
Good grief!
What are you two doing?!
I just wanted you to quiet down so I could read!
Was all this really necessary?!
Left with no choice, Chu Yang grabbed a handful of snacks and stuffed them into Hermione's and Ron's mouths, snapping, "Eat! Both of you! Finish these and I'll forgive you—consider it your punishment."
Neither of them hesitated. They immediately started chewing.
The compartment finally fell silent.
Chu Yang smiled in satisfaction and lowered his head to continue reading.
Harry sat there, completely bewildered.
Since when did punishing people work like this?
(End of Chapter)