The well-to-do... or, more accurately put, the generous Harry Potter didn't keep Elena waiting for long.
Glancing over at the two in the compartment exchanging food, the boy with a heart for the less fortunate, Harry, felt the Galleons in his pocket burning as though aflame.
"Lovely lady, what sorts of food do you have here?" Harry inquired.
"Oh, dear, we've got plenty, all right here."
After encountering resistance after resistance, Harry finally glimpsed hope in the last young wizard. The plump witch's attitude warmed notably as she hastily handed a shopping list to Harry.
(Hogwarts Express Snack List - Click to Expand)
Taking the shopping list, Harry quickly scanned it. It was mostly a collection of peculiar treats he had never encountered before. After a moment's thought, he handed the list back to the plump witch and fetched a handful of Galleons from his pocket, speaking decisively.
"Hello, I've made up my mind. Please give us a bit of everything."
Then, amidst Elena's, Ron's, and the attendant's admiring gazes at the extravagant spender, Harry returned to the compartment carrying an armful of food. He emptied it all onto the empty seat next to Elena (with Ron seated beside Harry) and smiled at the compartment's occupants, somewhat bashfully saying, "Let's all taste these together; I can't finish all of this alone."
Harry had never shared anything with anyone before, nor had anyone shared with him. Now, having the chance to sit with peers and enjoy the snacks and pastries he purchased made Harry feel incredibly good.
"Excuse me, I'm not hungry right now."
The silver-haired young girl burped, looking somewhat helpless, then delicately picked up "Standard Spells, Beginner" and resumed reading.
To attest to Mrs. Weasley's sandwiches being indeed delightful, Elena found herself forced to finish all the sandwiches she dug her own pit for, tearfully jumping in.
Although the taste wasn't worth praising, Mrs. Weasley certainly loaded them up generously. Having devoured four hefty sandwiches, Elena felt she could hold out until the evening's opening feast.
"Alright."
Harry nodded without further insistence, eagerly picking up a pot-shaped cake and shoving it into his mouth - he hadn't eaten anything all morning and was famished. Ron, on the other side, mimicked Harry, grabbing a slice of pumpkin pie and indulging alongside a box of Ferrero Rocher chocolate.
Can't see, can't see, can't see...
Elena concentrated on "Standard Spells, Beginner" in her hands, muttering softly, determinedly ignoring the pair across from her who were chomping away like starved souls, making incessant sounds.
"What's this?"
At that moment, Harry picked up a pentagonal box labeled "Chocolate Frogs" curiously, asking, "They're not actual frogs, are they?"
"Just magically enchanted."
Ron shook his head, unclearly replying as he struggled to swallow his food, adding, "Most people buy them for the collectible cards inside. Each pack comes with a card of a famous wizard or witch. I've got nearly five hundred; I'm only missing Agrippa and Ptolemy's cards now."
Enchanted chocolate?
Curiously, Harry shook the small box in his hand, eagerly tearing off the seal and opening it.
Creak, croak...
As the box opened, a chocolate frog wriggled a bit left and right. Before Harry could reach for it, the frog kicked its legs, leapt out of the box, and flew straight across to the opposite seat.
"Careful!"
Wide-eyed, Ron loudly warned Elena, hoping she'd dodge in time.
Crash!
Before Ron's voice even trailed off, there was a crisp collision mid-air.
Elena raised her head, calmly closed her book, and firmly slapped the spine, making the supposedly threatening chocolate frog thump onto the floor.
"Oh, what bad luck. I forgot to remind you that once you open it, the first jump can be quite energetic. Too bad."
Ron glanced at the clumsily moving chocolate on the ground, lamenting, seemingly it's no longer edible...
Before his thoughts fully processed, a tender, pale hand accurately seized the frog's body.
"It's fine, haven't you heard of the three-second rule?"
Elena lightly dusted off the chocolate frog, nonchalantly remarking.
"Three-second... rule? What's that?"
Furrowing his brow, Ron repeated Elena's words, perplexed.
Elena smiled slightly, about to respond.
At that moment, there came a knock on the compartment door. A girl with thick brown hair entered, just like Elena, already wearing the Hogwarts robe.
"Have any of you seen a toad? Neville lost his toad," she said, seeking help, but her tone carried a hint of arrogance, looking down on others.
Without a doubt, the final member of the original trio, the Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter world's library on legs, finally made her appearance. Although without the experience of the troll incident, her personality at this moment seemed a tad less well-behaved.
Elena perked up at the sound, eagerly looking towards the door, visibly relieved.
Good, not someone suspicious. Judging solely by appearance, she bore an uncanny resemblance of over ninety percent to the actress Emma Watson from the previous films. More precisely, whether it was an illusion or not, Elena felt that, in terms of appearance, this little otter seemed even cuter.
But, according to the original plot, at this point, Ron should be attempting a spell in front of Harry, trying to turn his rat, Scabbers, yellow. However, due to Elena's presence, Ron seemed to have no intention whatsoever of taking his shabby wand out of the box.
From Elena's perspective, there was no inclination to initiate magic or provoke that transfigured rat in front of Harry and Ron. After all, she was more audacious than reckless; she wasn't foolishly impulsive.
Peter Pettigrew, unlike Professor McGonagall, was the kind of villain who had no moral qualms when it came to saving his own skin. Elena had no doubt that if anything threatened his life, Pettigrew would revert and wreak havoc.
Therefore, without complete certainty, Elena had no intention of directly confronting Peter Pettigrew.
In any case, whether Ron succeeded in casting a spell or Hermione managed to flaunt her genius in front of Harry and Ron didn't matter to Elena; she just wanted to silently observe the spectacle.
The silver-haired little girl squinted her eyes, happily taking another bite of her chocolate frog.
Crack.
The crisp sound of chocolate echoed in the small compartment, causing all three to instinctively turn to Elena.
There, in the girl's hand, was a headless brown chocolate frog, its right leg twitching weakly before gradually ceasing movement.
"You!" Hermione's eyes widened subconsciously, her right hand covering her mouth in shock, her face alternating between pale and red.
Elena looked at the three bewildered people, blinked, and murmured, "Harry, Ron, she's asking you a question, why are you looking at me? Haven't you seen anyone eat a
chocolate frog before?"
While speaking, the girl continued calmly chewing - Neville lost a toad, what does it have to do with Elena eating a chocolate frog?
The compartment suddenly fell into an odd silence, only the faint sound of Elena nibbling on her chocolate frog remained.
Crackle, crackle.
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