Chapter 15: Journey
As the train continued its journey, a snack cart pushed by a woman made its way down the aisle. Artel's eyes lit up, and he quickly hailed the cart.
"Excuse me, ma'am. I'll take all of these snacks."
Artel wasn't concerned about emulating Harry Potter and Ron Weasley's friendship at this point; he just needed the snacks to keep Hermione occupied. He needed to keep this curious young girl entertained and quiet for a while.
Artel purchased all the snacks from the cart for less than seventeen silver sickles. Money wasn't an issue for him now. After he had thoroughly explored Knockturn Alley, he had seized all the money they had stored in the shop, along with their magical items and ingredients. His system space was now practically a mound of gold.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Bubble Gum, Licorice Wands, Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, Strawberry Milk Pudding..."
Artel spread all the snacks on the table and chairs in excitement.
"Hermione, Neville, I'm treating you both to snacks!"
The sun was high in the sky, and even Hermione had grown a bit hungry. She welcomed the offer and reached for a piece of pudding to eat.
Neville, slightly bashful, watched as Artel gathered an armful of snacks and offered them. His surprise quickly turned into gratitude, and he mumbled several thank-yous.
"Eat up. We'll be friends from now on. No need to thank me."
Artel grinned, and Neville, with a slight blush, thanked him once more before opening a bag of pumpkin pasties and tucking in.
"Wow! It's jumping!"
Hermione opened a box of chocolate frogs, and a chocolate frog leaped out, startling her.
As Hermione caught the frog, it continued to wriggle in her hand. She hesitated to eat it and then turned to Artel.
"Here, you can have it."
"No thanks." Artel replied sternly.
"Here's a card."
Hermione tried to change the topic, handing Artel a card from the box.
"Chocolate frogs come with collectible cards inside the box. Many people buy them to collect the wizard pictures. They're usually famous wizards."
Neville, a bit more at ease now, added his input.
Hermione pulled out a card featuring a brown-haired wizard with an air of knowledge about him.
"Newt Scamander, Magizoologist. Author of the best-selling 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.' Order of Merlin, Second Class. First wizard to capture Gellert Grindelwald..."
Surprise crossed Hermione's face.
"So, he's the author of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.' I read that book a few days ago; it's fascinating."
'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' was one of the required textbooks for young wizards, and Hermione had read it diligently.
"But I've heard the name Grindelwald somewhere before... Ah, yes! In the extra-curricular books I bought, like 'Modern Magical History,' 'The Rise and Fall of Dark Magic,' and 'Significant Magical Events of the Twentieth Century.' He was mentioned in those."
Hermione turned to Artel and inquired:
"Do you know who this person is?"
"I don't have all the details, but since he was captured by Newt, he's likely a dark wizard who engaged in malevolent activities."
Artel responded before swallowing the chocolate frog.
"That's correct. He's one of the most infamous dark wizards of all time, responsible for many terrible deeds. However, he was ultimately defeated by Dumbledore—Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts."
Hermione launched into another impromptu history lesson.
Artel smacked his lips; the chocolate frog had been a bit too sweet. He searched through the treats, tore open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and picked one to sample.
"You certainly know a lot. Your teachers will probably adore you."
Artel offered a piece of candy to Hermione.
"Really? I'll give it a try."
Hermione momentarily set aside her concern for her science career and took a bean from the bag Artel held.
"No, it's a blueberry flavor. Let me try again... Ugh, what's this flavor?"
"It's Every Flavor Beans; they come in a variety of flavors, including ones that taste like snot and earwax."
Neville, suppressing a laugh, decided to educate Hermione.
Hermione spat out the Every Flavor Bean and moved on to a piece of pumpkin pasty before recovering from the unexpected taste.
"I'm never eating that again."
She turned to Artel, who was chuckling at her reaction, and playfully rolled her eyes at him.
Thanks to Artel's warning and the assortment of snacks, Neville's toad, Ralph, remained unlost. Consequently, Hermione didn't encounter Harry and Ron during their ride.
The three continued enjoying their snacks in the compartment. Neville's hesitation waned, and the trio engaged in spirited conversation, discussing a multitude of topics. Artel, not well-versed in the basics of the wizarding world, gained valuable insights from Neville's anecdotes.
During their conversation, Artel learned something interesting: Hermione was actually a year older than him. She was twelve years old this year.
Due to her September birthday, Hermione hadn't received her acceptance letter to Hogwarts the previous year, as she had yet to celebrate her birthday. This realization resolved a minor confusion for Artel: the apparent discrepancy in age between Cedric Diggory and the Weasley twins. Although all of them were in the same year, Cedric had been eligible for the Triwizard Tournament while the Weasley twins relied on aging potions to trick the Goblet of Fire.
As time passed, the excitement among the young wizards gradually gave way to drowsiness.
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