Astoria Greengrass

Edmund, Hermione, and Cho soon found a compartment.

There were only three of them, but after many young wizards saw Edmund inside, none of them tried to enter. Over the past year, Edmund's reputation had spread through every House. Some students even felt a little afraid when they saw him.

That gave him a few invisible privileges.

Not long after, the train departed.

Hermione looked puzzled. She had not seen Harry or Ron on the way in.

"Edmund, did you see Harry and Ron earlier?"

"No."

Edmund stretched comfortably and answered in a lazy voice.

The sunlight outside the window was warm, spilling into the compartment and making him sleepy. He leaned against the window with the relaxed air of someone about to doze off.

Seeing him like that, Hermione could only sigh. She went out herself to check whether Harry and Ron had boarded.

Before long, she returned with a serious expression.

"I went through the train and did not see them. Fred and George do not know where they are either."

Seeing Hermione so worried, Edmund comforted her.

"It will be fine. If they missed the train, there are other ways to reach school. A car, for instance."

Hermione rolled her eyes and was about to tell him that the joke was not funny when the compartment door opened.

A young witch with blonde hair and blue eyes stepped in and asked timidly, "Hello. Is anyone sitting here? I have been looking for a seat for ages."

Edmund glanced at her and noticed at once that she was very pretty.

Her golden curls had been carefully combed and fell smoothly over her shoulders. Her blue eyes and long lashes gave her a polished, delicate look. Her face was somewhat pale, which only made her seem more refined.

"No one is sitting there. Sit wherever you like."

Edmund was surprised for only a moment before returning to normal. After being tempered by Fleur's overwhelming beauty, even a very pretty girl no longer stunned him so easily.

Since Edmund had agreed, Cho and Hermione naturally said nothing. They nodded to the girl in a friendly way.

Seeing her struggling with a large trunk, Edmund stood and helped her place it on the luggage rack.

"Thank you."

The girl smiled, showing two shallow dimples.

"I am Astoria Greengrass. It is very nice to meet you."

Edmund thought for a moment. He did not remember hearing that name in the films, so he simply nodded and introduced himself, Cho, and Hermione.

Astoria suddenly cried out in surprise.

Edmund had to steady his expression. Beside him, Cho and Hermione covered their mouths and laughed. Apparently his reputation had already reached even the new first-years.

Realising she had been a little rude, Astoria hurriedly apologised and explained.

"My sister mentioned you all summer. She said you were the most talented student in years, and that you broke the House Cup record."

Edmund nodded in understanding.

So she was from a pure-blood family.

"Your sister is?"

"Daphne Greengrass."

The name sounded familiar. Cho had mentioned it before. Daphne was one of the Slytherin girls who seemed to pay unusual attention to him.

When Edmund first heard he apparently had something like a fan circle in Slytherin, he had been speechless. Had that sort of thing already invaded Hogwarts?

After the introductions, the girls quickly began talking. The train moved steadily toward Hogwarts.

Suddenly, Edmund noticed something outside the window. Not quite certain, he took out his wand and tapped it lightly against his temple. His expression turned strange.

"What is it?" Cho asked when she saw his gaze fixed outside and his face looking odd.

Edmund thought it would be troublesome to explain, so he cast a far-sight charm on Cho and Hermione, then motioned for them to look outside.

Seeing Astoria's curious expression, he cast it on her as well.

The four of them could now see the sky outside the window clearly. A Muggle car was flying through the air.

With the far-sight charm, they could make out the two people inside.

"Harry! Ron?"

Hermione cried out. She could clearly see the panic on both boys' faces. The car rose and dipped unsteadily, swerving through the air.

She quickly shook Edmund's arm.

"Edmund, can you help them?"

Edmund shook his head. They were too far away. There was nothing he could do.

The four of them could only watch as the car flew farther and farther away.

Hermione kept muttering about lost points. Edmund found it amusing. Hermione truly was the kind of good student who valued House points almost more than her life.

"Is the Harry you mentioned the famous Harry Potter?" Astoria asked curiously.

"Yes," Edmund confirmed. "That is the famous Harry Potter."

Astoria's worldview seemed to crack a little.

The Boy Who Lived was that reckless?

Fortunately, Edmund explained that the car was one of Mr. Weasley's enchanted belongings, so Hermione did not need to worry too much about safety. He also reminded her that term had not officially begun yet, so there were no points for Harry and Ron to lose.

Only then did Hermione calm down.

Edmund bought some sweets to pass the time and invited Astoria to share them. The young witch was somewhat embarrassed, but with Cho and Hermione encouraging her, she accepted a few.

Over the journey, Astoria and Cho somehow became very close. Perhaps Cho had grown gentler over the past year, giving Astoria the feeling of a considerate older sister.

If the Greengrass family had not always gone to Slytherin, Astoria might have considered Ravenclaw for Cho's sake.

Gradually, the train reached its destination.

The three of them escorted Astoria to Hagrid, then went toward the area where older students took the carriages. Hermione also told Hagrid about Harry and Ron. Hagrid became very worried, but he had to lead the first-years to the Sorting Ceremony and could not immediately find Professor McGonagall.

In the end, he asked Hermione to find Professor McGonagall as soon as she reached the castle and tell her what had happened.

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