Hogwarts Express sped along.
In the swaying train compartment, Harry sat atop his heavy trunk, watching houses blur past the window. His initial excitement was slowly fading, replaced by a sense of concern about how to apologize later.
Thanks to his cousin Dudley Dursley, Harry hadn't had a friend in his previous school. Finally freed from Dudley's grasp and in a brand-new environment, he desperately hoped to make friends. But now, it seemed the first step wasn't going as smoothly as he'd hoped.
Just as Harry was troubled, the sliding compartment door, closed until then, clattered open.
"Sorry, I didn't realize…"
Sensing movement behind him, Harry immediately stood up from his trunk, awkwardly trying to explain.
Perhaps due to living for years in a gloomy cupboard, he appeared smaller than his peers. Elena noticed this only when she got closer; the "Chosen One" student was shorter than she was.
"Ha, why so nervous? I'm not going to eat you."
Glancing at the flustered Harry, who was trying hard to mend relations with his classmates, Elena, pretending to be stern, couldn't hold back a chuckle.
In truth, apart from his learning attitude and abilities, Elena admired the original Harry Potter from the books.
As a child subjected to bullying and discrimination at school, receiving markedly different treatment at home, Harry Potter didn't become as gloomy and reclusive as a certain unnamed Mr. Snape or Mr. Riddle did. Instead, he consistently tried to express goodwill to those around him.
Though Elena didn't completely agree with this approach to interacting with others, it didn't stop her from respecting someone who upheld such innocent beliefs, even if the current one was just a little person shorter than her.
Elena peeked at the boy's luggage lying in the aisle, then walked over to his heavy trunk, rolled up her sleeves, and smiled.
"Alright, don't just stand there blocking the door. Come and give me a hand. Let's move this pile of stuff in together."
"Oh, um… alright."
Watching the delicate smile bloom on the girl's face, Harry hesitated for a moment, then regained his composure, nodding vigorously as they both pushed the luggage into the corner.
"Thanks. I'm Harry, Harry Potter."
Taking a deep breath, Harry pushed his sweaty hair away from his eyes.
"I'm Elena, Elena Kaslana."
Back in her seat, Elena blinked, curiously surveying the boy in front of her. Despite reading the books and watching the movies, this living, breathing Harry Potter was a first.
Under the girl's gaze, Harry felt a bit uneasy, touching his nose.
For some reason, he felt the silver-haired girl's eyes on him were quite special, not like any stranger's reaction but closer to—like the fond gaze Hagrid had for him?!
It made him feel as if he was facing a sister or aunt who had been watching him grow, rather than a fellow young wizard. Even though, in reality, he had no experience of facing a sister or aunt.
"Sorry, um, do you know me?"
Harry hesitated, feeling that wasn't quite right, and then stuttered, trying to clarify.
"I mean, since I entered the wizarding world, it seems like everyone knows my name. But actually, before Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about wizards or my parents or Voldemort. Uh, right, Hagrid is the one who took me to school, he's from Hogwarts…"
Facing the girl's azure eyes, little Harry became even more nervous. His already stuttering speech became more chaotic, his young face turning red, hands gesturing as if to perform magic and conjure everything up.
"The Hogwarts gamekeeper, the keeper of keys, I know."
Elena shook her head, leaning slightly forward like a little adult, reaching out to pat Harry's head, comforting him with a light laugh, "Okay, no need to rush, take your time."
"Wait, do you know Hagrid too? Did he take you as well?"
Harry's eyes brightened, finally finding a shared point of knowledge. His expression visibly relaxed, curious.
"No, strictly speaking, I've only seen him once. But I just happen to like reading, so I know quite a bit about you guys."
Elena shrugged, mentally adding, 'The Harry Potter Series 1-7' counts as books too.
"Wait, do the books mention me?"
Harry was surprised, pointing to his own nose.
"Of course, but I didn't buy those books. If you're interested, you can always check them out at the bookstore later."
The silver-haired girl waved her hand indifferently, not inclined to collect those books like a certain beaver with a severe reading addiction.
Moreover, even if she wanted to, she couldn't. Since the trip to Gringotts, Dumbledore had tightened security around her. Except for 'A History of Magic,' she couldn't access any magic-related books... Wait a minute...
Elena's gaze flickered between Harry Potter and his massive trunk, she pondered for a moment, then asked thoughtfully, "Speaking of which, Harry, did you bring all your textbooks?"
"Huh?" Harry nodded, not understanding.
"If you can, could you lend me a copy of 'Standard Spells, Beginner's Level' temporarily?"
Elena helplessly spread her hands, explaining sincerely, "For some reasons, my textbooks aren't complete for now. We still have half a day until we arrive at Hogwarts, and I want to do some early review."
"Oh my goodness! Yes, I didn't even realize I should've done that. Oh no, I bet I'll be the worst student in class."
Hearing Elena's words, Harry slapped his forehead, hastily standing up, opening his large trunk, pulling out all his textbooks, placing them on the seat in the compartment, expressing regret.
"But really, there's no need to be so nervous. I bet most first-year students haven't even opened their textbooks yet."
From that stack of books, Elena took out the one she had been eyeing, 'Standard Spells, Beginner's Level,' and comforted Harry with a smile. From her observations, even wizarding kids from families like Malfoy's or Ron's hadn't shown any signs of early study.
"But, surely some have already studied a lot, right?"
Elena's comfort didn't seem to have much effect.
Already anxious about it, Harry, realizing he had wasted a whole month playing around, contorted his face in worry, almost crying.
Unlike the purposeful silver-haired girl, Harry stood bewildered amidst the pile of textbooks, occasionally looking at this one, then that one, unsure what to do.
"If you're unsure what to review, I suggest you start with the Potions textbook."
Elena glanced at Harry, casually flipping open 'Standard Spells, Beginner's Level,' while casually saying, "I seem to recall somewhere in one of the books that your mother, Lily Evans Potter, was exceptionally talented in Potions."
"Really?! Did a book mention my mom? Do you remember the book's name?"
Harry perked up at Elena's words, having heard his Aunt Petunia mention his mother's name, etching it firmly in his memory. Hearing Elena talk about it naturally excited him.
Oops, accidentally went off-topic again. Got to rein that in for
the future.
The moment the silver-haired girl spoke, she knew it wasn't right, almost wanting to smack herself in the mouth. Looking at Harry, who had been full of hope just moments ago, she shook her head apologetically.
"Sorry, I only remember it was something about a half-blood."
Seeing Harry's bright eyes dim down so swiftly, Elena felt a bit guilty. She pondered for a moment before saying, a hint of mischief appearing in her brightening eyes, "However, I believe the professor who teaches Potions at school might know which book mentions your mother. Of course, provided you excel in Potions class."
After a pause, the silver-haired girl's eyes flickered, her gaze becoming more lively as if she thought of something interesting.
Elena closed the book in her hand, sitting up straight, raising her finger, and earnestly added.
"At least, I think you should understand some basic concepts. Let me give you a few examples, like—if you add powdered Asphodel to wormwood-infused water, what do you get..."
Unlock exclusive early access to 100s of Chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
As a cherished member of our Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For just $5, you'll receive:
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public. (You can find all the novels I'm translating HERE.)
- Your name will be prominently featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
If you decide to pledge $10, you'll get all the perks from the $5 tier, plus:
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
And if you're feeling generous with a $20 pledge, you'll unlock all the perks above:
- You get to recommend an abandoned Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
