Neither of them objected. Naturally, what followed was Harry showing off his scar. Ron stared in amazement. Then they began chatting about the magical world.
Harry expressed his concerns about his magical abilities. Ron's reassurances proved far more comforting than Dver's usual logical explanations. Thanks to that, Harry felt a bit more at ease.
Meanwhile, Dver had already checked Ron's entries.
Hmm.
Indeed, they were exactly the same as in the original timeline. Aside from a basic magical ability entry (Blue), Ron had nothing of real value.
As the male second lead in the original story, the stark contrast between Ron's entries and Harry's high-level ones made Ron appear rather lackluster.
Just then, the snack cart was pushed into the compartment.
Harry, generously waving his hand, treated everyone.
Dver and Ron—both from humble backgrounds—cheerfully joined in. Ron had rarely gotten to enjoy such snacks back home, and Dver? He had been treated harshly by Snape for as long as he could remember. He wouldn't even dare show interest in snacks, let alone ask for them.
If Snape ever caught him eyeing a treat, he'd double his Potions homework without a second thought.
Harry, unfortunately, popped a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean into his mouth—one that tasted like pepper. He choked instantly.
At that moment, the compartment door opened.
A girl with bushy hair stepped in, followed closely by a round-faced boy who was sniffling.
"I'm really sorry to interrupt. I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Neville Longbottom. We're looking for his lost toad. Has anyone seen it?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Harry and Ron turned their gazes to El, who was snoozing on Dver's shoulder.
Neville followed their gaze, but it was clear that Dver's toad wasn't the one they were looking for.
El was significantly bigger.
Dver raised his hands in a harmless gesture, indicating that this toad clearly wasn't Neville's.
Inwardly, he was puzzled.
Why was Hermione with Neville? Had he accidentally changed something in the timeline?
Out of instinct, he immediately checked Hermione's entries.
[Name: Hermione Granger]
[Age: 11 years old]
[Entries: Exam Expert (Purple), Magical Talent (Purple), Potions Perception (Blue)]
[Exam Expert (Purple)]: Extremely adept at textbook reading, possesses extraordinary memory, and handles various exams with ease.
Wow.
He had to admit, Hermione's talents were impressive.
Since arriving at the platform, she had the best set of entries after Harry, the protagonist.
What surprised Dver most, though, was that Hermione had an entry related to Potions.
But then again, thinking back to her successfully brewing Polyjuice Potion in her second year, it made sense. That kind of feat wasn't possible without some natural talent.
Still, the entry Dver coveted most was [Exam Expert].
Sure, he was a magical prodigy, but even prodigies struggled with theoretical-heavy subjects like History of Magic. With that entry, his life at Hogwarts would be so much easier.
So, without hesitation, he added it to his shopping cart.
"We probably haven't seen it, but…" Dver trailed off, thinking.
Then he tilted his head slightly and asked Hermione, "What's the toad's name? Maybe I can help find it."
"Really? It's called Trevor!" Hermione's eyes lit up, sparkling with hope.
Dver nodded, drew his wand, and whispered, "Accio Trevor!"
Whoosh!
The sound of something flying through the air echoed in the compartment.
In less than a second, a toad shot in from another carriage. Dver effortlessly caught it and handed it to Neville.
Neville, delighted, held the toad close, beaming.
"Wow! What spell is that? I've never seen it in any books!" Hermione leaned in, her eyes shining as she stared at Dver's wand.
"That's the Summoning Charm. It's part of the fourth-level Standard Spells, but it's very practical, so I learned it early."
"Ah! I've only memorized the first-level spells. I'm already falling behind, and school hasn't even started yet!" Hermione's face clouded with worry.
The others in the compartment were stunned.
Dver had already started learning fourth-year content?
Neville almost dropped Trevor in shock, nearly losing him all over again.
Harry, who'd just begun to relax, was tense again.
Dver smiled awkwardly, silently admiring Hermione's dedication. She had already memorized the entire first-year textbook—definitely ahead of the curve.
Still, even that reassurance didn't seem to calm her.
But when she turned and noticed Harry, her face brightened.
She quickly sat across from him and pulled out her wand.
"Hehe, I only know a few basic spells, but check this out!"
With a confident flick, she aimed her wand at the bridge of Harry's glasses.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A flash of green light streaked from her wand.
And so, on September 1st, 1991, the Boy Who Lived met his end once again—this time at the hands of the Death Eater Hermione Granger.
B—
(Just kidding. That was only Dver's overactive imagination.)
In reality, Hermione confidently cast, "Reparo!"
A warm glow emitted from her wand, instantly fixing the crack on Harry's glasses.
The other first-years were amazed. Neville even raised Trevor in celebration, though it wasn't clear if he was more impressed by Hermione's spellwork or just thrilled to have his toad back.
Harry, smiling gratefully, said, "Thank you, Hermione! That was amazing!"
Ron, clearly eager to keep up, gripped his wand tightly. "Hey, I know one too. It's not great, but…"
He trailed off, his confidence wavering slightly.
Hermione turned to Dver with a beaming smile, her eyes saying, See? I'm not bad, right?
Dver returned the smile and clapped gently in appreciation.
Just then, the compartment door opened again.
A pale-faced boy with platinum-blond hair stepped in, flanked by two tall, stocky boys.
His eyes swept across the group, his expression filled with disdain.
Clearly, the noise had drawn his attention.
Finally, his gaze landed on Harry.