HP: Pure-Blood Glory

Booker looked at the four female bipedal creatures staring at him and quietly hid himself behind Luke. He felt that these four, just like the one from before, wanted to pin him down on their laps and pet him.

That's a privilege reserved only for Miss Luna! Even Luke was merely a litter box cleaner!

Luke had no idea what Booker was thinking. Smiling, he said to the four girls, "Sorry, he's a bit shy. Since there's nothing, we won't disturb you any further."

The girl with distinctly East Asian features smiled back, "Alright, but if you're really in a hurry, you can try the prefects' compartment for help. As long as they're not from Slytherin, they should be willing to assist you."

Luke kept his smile but inwardly felt helpless about the tarnished reputation of Slytherin House.

"Thank you for the reminder, senior."

After speaking, Luke prepared to close the door.

"My name is Cho Chang, second year, Ravenclaw."

Luke paused, then replied politely, "Hello, Senior Chang, I'm Luke Gaunt, first year."

Then he left.

Of course, Luke knew who Cho Chang was. She was a girl who later caught Harry's eye. Given her looks, Luke wasn't surprised by that at all. However, he himself had little desire to get to know her.

He didn't see many redeeming qualities in this girl.

Hermione witnessed the whole scene and naturally noticed Cho's warmth toward Luke. She understood; after all, one of her main reasons for striking up a conversation with Luke initially was because he stood out in the crowd.

He was breathtakingly handsome, elegantly and classically dressed, yet no one else seemed to pay attention to him. This was peculiar in itself.

"Let's go to the next compartment."

So Hermione followed Luke, going from one compartment to the next. Although everyone said they hadn't seen Neville's toad, regardless of gender, classmates or seniors, everyone wanted to chat a bit more with Luke. And surprisingly, Luke was able to engage in small talk with each of them, although it was mostly polite exchanges. Still, Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

Hermione knew she wasn't usually very likable. But if she had to choose between popularity and her own happiness, she would pick the latter without hesitation.

They soon arrived at a compartment from which loud sounds could be heard. Though the compartments had light but adequate soundproofing magic, the noise reached them even outside the door, hinting at how lively it must be inside.

Luke knocked gently on the door. Inside, it went quiet for a moment, then a red-haired boy with a bright smile opened the door, seeing Luke and smiling, "Hello, freshman! Can I help you?"

Luke found the boy's smile infectious, making his own even more genuine, though he had already been polite enough.

"I'm looking for a toad named Trevor."

The boy sized him up, then glanced at Hermione behind him, blinking as he said, "Listen, girls probably wouldn't like a boy who plays with toads. Why not get a cat, or maybe an owl?"

"Meow!"

Just as he finished, Booker's voice came from beside Luke's feet, sounding rather annoyed at being ignored.

Luke picked Booker up from the ground and smiled, "The toad belongs to Neville, Neville Longbottom. He asked for my help to find it."

The boy nodded in understanding. "You're a kind guy, but unfortunately, we haven't seen a toad. If you need help, you could try the compartment across the way. Trust me, if you call the red-haired guy there 'Prefect,' he'll search the whole train for you!"

His comment drew more laughter from within his compartment.

Naturally, Luke realized who he was talking to.

Luke looked the boy over and smiled, "Thank you, Mr. Weasley. If I really need help, I'll be sure to ask."

With that, Luke and Hermione moved on, heading toward the last compartment. If they couldn't find the toad there, then Trevor must have mastered the art of hiding.

The boy watched Luke's retreating figure with a look of confusion.

But he soon shrugged it off, returning to his seat.

"George, what did he say at the end? I missed it."

A boy identical to George asked from his seat.

"He called me 'Mr. Weasley.' Seriously, Fred, are we really that famous?"

George replied, sounding a bit resigned.

"Oh, I'm sure we are. We're poor, have lots of kids, and have red hair!" Fred joked in a mock-serious tone.

His words brought another burst of laughter from the two other students sitting opposite them.

Fred then continued, "But only other families care about that. Like how we know the Malfoys' trademark is their corn-colored hair. Do you remember anything specific about that guy?"

"He was really handsome!"

George blurted out without hesitation.

Fred rolled his eyes at his brother, "Is that a defining feature? George, have you lent Ron your brain?"

George gave Fred a look, then added, "It was my first impression! You'd say the same if you'd seen him. As for defining features…"

"His eyes were striking, like green emeralds. And he wore a crest, with a snake on it."

Fred's eyes widened as he shouted.

"Green eyes and a snake crest! George, what have you done?! We missed out on a potential big customer!"

George looked at Fred who was making a fuss, puzzled, "What are you talking about?"

"If I tell Mum, you'll definitely get dragged off to brush up on family lessons. Those are the marks of the Gaunt family and their crest. And according to Mum and Dad, the Gaunt heir just inherited a massive fortune!"

Fred exclaimed in awe, "With that kind of money, we could start making our little projects right now, instead of waiting another year to save up!"

"You let a golden goose slip away, George!"