That day, with the new Hogwarts term approaching, I was at King's Cross Station.
By the time it was my second year, there was no longer any emotional farewell with my parents. We parted with a casual "Have a good trip!" and "Okay!" sort of exchange, and I leisurely pushed my trolley toward Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Just after slipping through the pillar, I immediately ran into some familiar faces. Lined up side by side on the platform was the Weasley family, also known as the red-haired alliance of the wizarding world.
"Molly, pass this on to Ron for me."
When Mr. Arthur Weasley handed a bag to his plump wife, Ron's luggage was promptly passed along like a bucket relay.
"Percy, give this to Ron."
"Fred, pass it to Ron."
"George, Ron's luggage."
"Ginny, give this to Ron."
"Here you go, Ron…?"
The person whose eyes met mine as I passed by was a small red-haired girl. She took a small gasp, blinked rapidly, and then handed the luggage back.
"George, Ron isn't here."
"Fred, I'm telling you, Ron's not here."
"Percy, Ron's not here."
"Mum, Ron's not here."
"Arthur, it seems Ron isn't here."
"Molly, what did you say?"
When Mr. Weasley asked seriously, Mrs. Weasley suddenly burst into laughter. In the very next moment, her face went pale as she screamed, "Ronnie!?" and collapsed.
Mr. Weasley hurriedly supported her, and the Weasley family descended into complete chaos.
(It's not like he'd get lost in his second year, but maybe Ron boarded the train early with Harry?)
While thinking that and watching the Weasley family from a distance, the incident happened.
＊＊
"Nooooooo!"
A shrill scream rang out from behind me. I stopped my trolley and turned toward the sound, only to see another trolley charging straight at me at meteor-like speed, scattering screams and tears everywhere.
"Ugh!"
"Gah!"
Letting out thoroughly ungraceful cries, the two of us tangled together and fell over. Thankfully, it was the trolleys that collided directly, and we were merely caught up in it, so neither of us suffered any serious injuries.
"Uggghhh…"
Groaning strangely and spinning in place was a girl who looked younger than me. Her black hair was cut short, her features androgynous, and her build looked healthy and athletic. Even her movements had a boyish air to them.
"…Um, are you all right?"
"Awaaaah…"
She seemed extremely flustered.
"W-what do I do? My luggage is a total mess…"
"Shouldn't you apologize first?"
"Ah! I'm sorry! I really didn't mean it! I got carried away when entering Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!"
That was a bit more than just getting carried away.
"By the way, um…"
"My name is Saya!"
"Saya, you charged in with incredible force. Are you hurt?"
"Ah, I'm fine! See, I'm perfectly okay!"
With red liquid streaming from her head, she sprang to her feet. The very next moment—
She swayed.
Was she trying to look tough?
"You're bleeding. From your head, no less."
"That's just sweat!"
"What kind of sweat smells like iron?"
I took a handkerchief out of my pocket.
"Here, please use this. Press it against your head."
"Ah, thanks… Ow! Th-that hurts…"
As she pressed the handkerchief to her forehead, she twisted her face in pain.
"Th-thank you very much!"
"You can keep the handkerchief, so there's no need to return it."
"But—"
"No, really."
Swallowing the words "At least wash it before returning it" that nearly escaped my throat, I said that and began loading the scattered textbooks and bags back onto the trolley.
"Um, excuse me!"
"If you want to thank me, that's not necessary. Next time, please push your trolley slowly and watch where you're going."
People were starting to gather around us, so I left while half-ignoring her.
＊＊
And so, although I managed to board the Hogwarts Express, perhaps because of that little commotion, every compartment was completely packed.
After opening several compartments and repeating exchanges like "Is there an empty seat?" "Sorry," and "No worries," I finally arrived at a battered door with cracked glass taped together. Surely no one would be in here.
But there was already someone inside.
"Excuse me. Is there an empty seat—"
When I opened the compartment door, our eyes met. In the next instant, both of us froze.
Short, neatly cut black hair and an androgynous, boyish face. There was no mistaking her. She was the girl who had crashed into me earlier.
"..."
"..."
The first to recover from the freeze was the girl.
"H-hiiiii! I-I-I-I'm s-s-s-so sorry! Is this revenge!? You've come to get back at me, right!? Please, just spare my life! Just my life!"
"No, um—"
"Waaah! I don't want to die!"
There was no need to be that terrified.
"Um, it's fine. I don't hold a grudge over what happened earlier. I just wanted to sit down if there's an empty seat."
"Nooooo— Wait, huh? Oh, that's all? There's a seat. Go ahead."
"…There are many things I'd like to say, but I'll hold back."
I did not want another scene.
With a sigh, I dropped into the seat. The girl trembled in the corner for a while, holding her bag up like a shield. Once she realized I had no intention of attacking her, she timidly opened her mouth.
"Um, you really don't hate me… right?"
"May I ask why your paranoia has progressed to such an extent?"
"B-but I heard that all Slytherins are obsessed with the Dark Arts…"
"Shall I boil you together with a toad in a cauldron?"
When I lowered my voice menacingly, she once again let out that pitiful scream and began babbling things like "Please spare my life." Rest assured, I show no mercy, but I do draw the line at killing.
I silently stepped closer and pinched her soft-looking cheeks with both hands.
"I-ith h-hurts! Iht hurts!"
"Hehehe. Learn the true terror of Slytherin…"
Squeeze, squeeze.
"Ih cahn't talk! My cheeks are gonna rip!"
"Hm? What was that? I can't hear you."
This was surprisingly addictive. Thrilling, in a way.
"Awaaaah…"
After playing around by tugging at her squishy cheeks for a while, I eventually got bored and let her go. Seeing her cheeks faintly flushed red stirred up an indescribable hunger again, but I felt sorry for her, so I stopped there.
"I don't know what kind of prejudice you have against Slytherin, but not everyone is a dark wizard. Many outstanding witches and wizards have come from the house."
"I-is that so…"
"I, for one, also played a major role last year, working tirelessly to protect the school from dark forces."
As I said that, I went on to recount my heroic exploits: how I beat a troll senseless on Halloween last year, and how I slipped through numerous traps to protect an important treasure from a mysterious dark wizard, whose true identity I would rather not think too deeply about.
At first, the black-haired girl listened cautiously, but little by little her eyes began to sparkle, and she eagerly urged me to continue my story. Before I knew it, the pastoral scenery outside the train window had turned red with the setting sun, and I had been talking nonstop from around noon until evening.
Oh no, did I talk too much…?
I felt a bit ashamed that, at the tender age of twelve, I had gone full-on "out-of-touch elder" mode by endlessly regaling a junior with my past exploits.
"I'm sorry, I got carried away and talked too much."
"No, not at all! It was totally fine!"
After that, Saya stared at me intently for a moment, then suddenly got down from her seat, folded her legs on the floor, placed both hands on the ground, and rubbed her forehead against it.
"Please! I beg you, teach me magic!"
"…Um, putting that aside, what exactly is that posture?"
"It's a traditional custom from my homeland! A secret technique to show sincerity!"
It was a strange tradition, but I could certainly feel her sincerity.
Suppressing the urge to step on her head and say something like, "Oh yeah? Show me more sincerity," I told Saya to lift her head.
"You'll teach me!?"
"No, not quite yet. That depends on the circumstances."
After getting Saya to sit back down, she swayed her black hair and spoke hesitantly.
"I'm from the East, and there are magic schools there too, but if I'm going to study anyway, I wanted to attend Hogwarts, which everyone says is the best magic school."
"I see."
"So I came all the way to Hogwarts as an exchange student, but, well, studying abroad costs money, right? So I was thinking of using the scholarship system…"
"I see, I see."
I understood the situation now.
"In other words, unless your grades are excellent, you won't get a scholarship and won't be able to study abroad. So you thought you'd ask a seemingly amazing senior witch you happened to meet for help."
"Well, um… yes, that's about right."
Watching Saya fidget awkwardly, I cutely pressed my index finger to my cheek and hummed.
"Hmm…"
The exams were still far off, and if she was considering applying for a scholarship, she probably already had a decent grasp of the basics.
Besides, there was the guilt from pinching her cheeks too much earlier, and the guilt from boasting about exaggerated heroic deeds that she had listened to with sparkling eyes. Well, a lot of little things like that.
"If it's something like an intensive short-term lesson during the Christmas holidays, I don't mind."
And just like that, I found myself making a careless promise.
"Thank you so much! Um…"
"Elaina."
"Thank you very much! Professor Elaina!"
And so, I ended up becoming Saya's teacher.
(Professor… it actually sounds pretty nice.)
This Christmas, my parents would be busy with work and told me I could do whatever I liked. Draco and the others were also planning to stay at Hogwarts. Spending Christmas at school at least once might not be such a bad experience.
(And besides, maybe…)
As my expectations quietly swelled, my gaze fell upon a single book. On its cover was written:"By Gilderoy Lockhart: A Leisurely Year with the Yeti."
＊＊
Once we arrived at Hogwarts Castle, the welcome ceremony for new students began immediately.
Before long, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and the first-year students entered, led by Professor McGonagall. Just like we had been last year, they stared in awe at the enchanted ceiling, the floating candles, and the ghosts.
Then, just as last year, Professor McGonagall declared the start of the ceremony, and the entire hall fell silent. The Sorting Hat sang a slightly different song from last year, and the Sorting Ceremony began.
"By the way, which house will Saya be sorted into…?"
As I was thinking that, it became Saya's turn.
She nervously placed the Sorting Hat on her head.
"Gryffindor!"
"Ehh!?"
The moment the hat declared Gryffindor, Saya's face turned as if the world had ended. Just when she thought her plans to secure a scholarship were coming together, being confronted with this harsh reality would do that to anyone.
(Well, on weekends I can probably make some time. We can talk about the details later.)
Besides, if it really came down to it, introducing her to Hermione from the same house and asking for her help would honestly make studying much more efficient.
Thinking that, I looked around for Hermione.
"Hm? Harry and Ron aren't here…"
Those three were usually inseparable.
"Excuse me, Draco, can I ask you something?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"I don't see Harry or Ron anywhere."
When it comes to Harry and the others, Draco Malfoy is the one to ask.
"Did those three disband due to creative differences?"
When I asked, Draco predictably broke into a smug grin.
"Professor Snape told me quietly earlier. Apparently Potter and Weasley missed the train and came instead in the Weasley family's flying car."
Uh…
"On top of that, they were spotted by Muggles while flying and even crashed into the precious Whomping Willow! Right now, they're being questioned directly by Dumbledore in a separate room."
Yeah, there's absolutely nothing here that can be defended.
"If they missed the train, they could have just sent an owl. Didn't that occur to them?"
"Before that, they probably didn't think at all."
With a spiteful smile, Draco shrugged his shoulders and happily dug into his custard pie.
(End of chapter)
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