Harry Potter : This Wizard Wants To Improve Too Much

"Can we sit here?"

The door opened again, and Hermione reappeared with her thick, untidy brown hair and prominent front teeth, followed by a round-faced, chubby boy who looked a bit timid and uneasy.

Cassandra didn't bother to look up this time, appearing completely indifferent.

Ethan had no choice but to nod and invite them in. Even though the little witch had entered the compartment first, according to the rules, anyone was entitled to sit in the compartment—it didn't belong to any individual.

Hermione felt a bit embarrassed as she glanced at Ethan, given their earlier unpleasant encounter. But since the words were already spoken, she entered, put away her belongings, and took a seat next to the little witch. Neville, the boy, sat down beside Ethan.

Hermione's acquaintance with Neville had been purely coincidental. When she had asked station staff about Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, they had told her there was no such platform, leaving her completely lost. Luckily, Neville's grandmother had guided her in.

Once on the platform, Neville had been pulled aside by his grandmother for a conversation, while Hermione had been quietly fuming at Hogwarts' lack of guidance for Muggle-born students. After all, who would know how to find the entrance without help?

Before leaving, Hermione had bumped into Ethan from behind, further souring her mood. Now, carrying her luggage, she and Neville had found their way to this compartment. In hindsight, they both wished they had walked further to the back.

The atmosphere was awkward. Ethan, Hermione, and Cassandra were all absorbed in their respective magical books, while Neville sat quietly, trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. There was no conversation between any of them.

Neville already regretted following Hermione into this compartment. Even sitting on his suitcase in the corridor would have been better than this tense silence.

"Your scabby ran out!" Ethan suddenly broke the quiet.

"What?" Neville looked at him in confusion, unsure of what he meant.

Even the two girls looked up at Ethan, puzzled.

"Your toad. It's escaped," Ethan clarified.

Ah, dialect slip-up! Ethan took a deep breath, pointed under the table, and repeated his words more clearly.

A moment ago, Ethan had felt something brush against his shoe and, looking down, he spotted a toad. Immediately, a sense of dread filled him. His affinity for animals had once again attracted some unfortunate trouble.

The toad seemed determined to jump onto Ethan's leg. If he hadn't recognized it as Neville's pet, he would have kicked it away.

"Ah! Trevor!" Neville exclaimed, rushing to check under the table. When he saw his toad sitting on Ethan's shoe, he quickly grabbed it.

Trevor struggled in Neville's hand, desperately trying to escape. With no other option, Neville stuffed the toad into his pocket and held it tightly shut.

Ethan could see the curiosity in Hermione's eyes and the disdain in Cassandra's.

"Why do you have a toad?" Hermione finally asked. She was eager to learn more about the wizarding world and had only read about it in books so far. "Is that a common pet for wizards?"

"No, not really," Cassandra interjected, lowering her book. "He's just an exception." She was quick to defend the wizarding world's reputation. After all, it was usually wizards who looked down on Muggles, not the other way around.

Cassandra had already recognized Neville. Among the pure-blood families, he had quite a reputation, though not a particularly favorable one.

"Sorry," Neville mumbled. "Trevor was a gift from my uncle when I was eight..."

Neville recounted his magical awakening and the many close calls he had experienced before finally succeeding. Trevor had been a reward for his efforts, though perhaps not the most conventional one.

Hermione listened, wide-eyed. She hadn't expected the wizarding world to be quite so...wild.

"Are you sure your uncle gave you a toad because he was happy?" Ethan asked, a bit incredulous. "Not because of some other reason?"

After all, toads weren't exactly popular as pets. Though Hogwarts allowed students to bring owls, toads, and mice, toads were mostly used for potions, and mice were often test subjects. Few people kept them as pets, as they were generally regarded as unremarkable.

The Weasley family, for instance, kept a rat as a pet because they couldn't afford an owl. If they had the money, they certainly wouldn't have chosen a rat. Percy had been rewarded with an owl when he became a prefect, and he immediately passed the rat down to his younger brother Ron.

But the Longbottom family wasn't poor like the Weasleys. In fact, the Remembrall that Neville's grandmother had gifted him was an expensive alchemical artifact, possibly even custom-made for Neville.

"I think so," Neville said, a little uncertain. "I've always been a bit slow. Maybe Hogwarts will send me back home this year..."

Neville's mood sank into gloominess as he started doubting his abilities, fearing he had no talent and would be rejected by all four Hogwarts houses.

Hermione shot Ethan a disapproving look, as if to say, "Look what you've done!"

Even Cassandra seemed flustered, her pure-blood pride shaken by Neville's self-doubt.

"You won't be sent home," Ethan reassured him. "Once you've received your Hogwarts letter, you're in."

This was the truth. If not for the memory-altering curse, Neville would have been a remarkable wizard, possibly even the Chosen One himself, as the prophecy had mentioned two potential saviors, not just Harry.

Without Neville's bravery in the final battle, when he had destroyed Nagini with the sword of Gryffindor, Harry would never have won. Both of them had played essential roles in Voldemort's defeat.

"Really?" Neville brightened up a bit.

"Of course," Ethan said confidently. "Have you ever heard of anyone being sent back after receiving their Hogwarts letter?"

The only case Ethan knew of involved a Squib who had broken into Hogwarts on the first day of school, stealing a Sorting Hat. The hat had informed him that he had no magical ability and couldn't be a Hogwarts student.

"Neville Longbottom," Neville said solemnly, introducing himself to Ethan. For years, all his peers had mocked and looked down on him. Only a few had ever shown him any kindness.

"Ethan Adrian," Ethan replied, smiling.

"Hermione Granger," Hermione added with a grin.

"Cassandra Vole" the little witch declared proudly. "The future pride of Slytherin!"

Hermione hesitated. "Are you already a Slytherin?"

"No," Cassandra said confidently. "But I will be. I'm a first-year, just like you."

So that's who she is, Ethan thought. A future Slytherin, though the timeline felt a little off.