Capítulo 12: Chapter 12: The Twenty-Eight Sacred Families
Malfoy tumbled out of Harry Potter's compartment.
Even though he knew Harry wasn't from a pure-blood family, he was still willing to be friends with him because of Harry's renowned status in the wizarding world. However, there was a condition: he must distance himself from certain people.
The problem was, Harry despised the metaphorical crown of thorns he bore. He hated being "The Boy Who Lived" and especially loathed Malfoy's superior attitude as soon as he entered.
To Harry, Malfoy wasn't much different from Dudley, the fat lump of a cousin he grew up with.
"Neville, can't you control that damn toad of yours?" Malfoy snarled, wiping chocolate and slime off himself with a napkin, his face dark with anger. "Oh right, you're just as much of a poor wretch as the Weasleys."
Hermione had felt a little sorry initially.
But seeing Malfoy's old-fashioned, aristocratic airs made her swallow back her apology.
The boy with the pale face and platinum blond hair was indeed Malfoy, as Neville had mentioned earlier. The two large, hulking boys standing beside him seemed to be his bodyguards.
Neville turned and saw Malfoy pushing at his toad.
Holding his pet tightly, he muttered, "Serves him right..."
Meanwhile, two more heads popped out from the compartment door, one with red hair—Ron Weasley—and the other, Harry, whom Malfoy had already met.
"If I were you, Potter, I wouldn't associate with riffraff like Weasley or Longbottom. You should learn some respect, or you'll end up just like your parents."
Malfoy turned his head, trying to maintain his condescending tone as he issued his warning.
Just as Malfoy and his two goons were about to leave, they were blocked by Neville's toad once again. A crowd had gathered, making it impossible for them to go anywhere.
At the same time, Harry spotted Nietzsche at the far end of the carriage.
And for some reason, Malfoy's "advice" ignited a fire inside Harry that he could no longer suppress.
*'Why do you let them push you around? No matter what, they're going to hit you, so you might as well fight back.'*
Harry instinctively remembered how Nietzsche had fought Dudley and his gang. He clenched his fists and charged at Malfoy, starting a brawl. The pain from every punch landing on Malfoy's body somehow made Harry feel a sense of satisfaction.
"They're fighting... on the first day back!" someone exclaimed.
"Enjoy the show, Hermione. This is a concentrated version of the wizarding world," Nietzsche said, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't you notice? This is a family feud. Looks like that Weasley redhead doesn't get along with Malfoy."
Well done~
Harry, dodging a punch from one of Malfoy's goons, landed a solid hit on Malfoy's gut!
Malfoy staggered and collapsed!
"I can't believe this is happening before school even starts! I give up!" Hermione, most of her attention still on Nietzsche, sighed. She had no interest in dealing with this mess.
But before Harry could follow up, Malfoy's two bodyguards grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him to the ground.
"Goyle, Crabbe, hold Potter and Weasley back!" Malfoy, looking like a wounded peacock, scurried to the end of the carriage. "Move, Longbottom!"
The train had two exits, but the other side was blocked by two tall redheads.
Neville, standing there frozen, was completely shocked by the sudden fight. As Malfoy, clutching his stomach, tried to push past him, he barely budged.
This was because Nietzsche, standing behind Neville, was steadying him with his hand.
"Didn't you hear me? I said—move! And that goes for you two Mudbloods, too!"
Nietzsche and Hermione were still dressed in their Muggle clothes, quite different from those of wizarding families like Neville's. It was easy to tell at a glance.
"Neville, don't let Malfoy get away!" Ron, struggling on the ground with Crabbe on top of him, yelled. "Bad luck for you, Malfoy. You're not getting out of this one like your dad did!"
"Hey! Stop him, George... we'll block Percy!" shouted one of the twins.
Not only was Malfoy shouting, but the two redheads were also yelling.
Everything had descended into chaos.
The star of the spectacle, Harry Potter, seemed to know the Muggle wizard standing behind Neville, and his furious shout echoed across the carriage.
"I'll make you pay, Malfoy! You'll learn that my parents didn't deserve their fate!"
"Don't get involved..." Hermione muttered, rubbing her temples as she tried to dissuade him in a low voice.
Nietzsche, watching Harry with an amused grin, looked quite pleased.
Finally, the once-beaten-down Harry had taken his first step. Nietzsche felt that the punishment that had led to his transfer here had been worth it.
People only show real promise when they decide to stand up for themselves.
Even if Harry, still frail, was fighting a Sisyphus-like battle, constantly pushing the boulder uphill, he was at least brave enough to challenge authority.
"You said you were just gathering information about the wizarding world... try not to get into trouble on your first day!" Hermione leaned against the window, her voice betraying her concern.
Just then, Ron managed to bite Goyle's hand like his pet rat, Scabbers.
Goyle yelped in pain and released Harry, giving him the chance to scramble to his feet. Frustrated, Malfoy swung his fist at Nietzsche, but Nietzsche made no move to dodge.
Instead, he stood there as if frozen with fear.
Sighing, Hermione couldn't help but shake her head. While lamenting Nietzsche's cunning, she pulled out her wand.
"Immobulus!"
Malfoy's punch stopped in midair, just two centimeters from Nietzsche's nose. Had it landed, it would have caused a nosebleed and created an opening for Malfoy to escape down the aisle.
But, of course, Hermione had frozen everything in place.
"You know spells?" Neville asked, astonished.
Who's the real Muggle here...?
"I'm not that good yet," Hermione said with an embarrassed smile. "After all, our parents aren't wizards."
That's right, this was all part of Nietzsche's plan. He had deliberately not dodged. Whether Neville or Hermione intervened, it would have been a win.
If by some remote chance they hadn't stepped in, he would've just taken the punch and struck back afterward.
"Thanks, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, for breaking the rules so conveniently."
"You did that on purpose. You've got your wand hidden up your sleeve!"
Nietzsche sniffed and didn't deny it, pretending not to hear. As long as things went according to his plan, that was all that mattered.
Meanwhile, Hermione nervously scraped her fingernails against the vinewood grip of her wand. Her darting eyes revealed she was actually thrilled by what had just happened.
The fact that she had been willing to stand up for Nietzsche in the past suggested that she had a bit of an adventurous spirit hidden inside her.
It was like a rebound effect. The more restrained Hermione had been, the more likely she was to let loose in certain situations.
"You two, get off Harry and his mysterious friend, right now," Nietzsche commanded calmly, leaning on his cane as he stepped forward. "What are you waiting for, Neville to haul you away?"
Goyle and Crabbe eyed Hermione's wand and backed off.
Dragging the immobile Malfoy, they spat out threats as they passed.
"We'll remember you!"
"So... do you even know who I am?"
Goyle and Crabbe blinked in confusion.
They shook their heads.
"You don't even know who I am, and you dare threaten me?" Nietzsche raised his metal cane as if to strike them. At the sight of this, the two boys hurriedly dragged Malfoy back to their compartment.
The ruckus ended just before the prefects arrived.
The two redheaded twins were ecstatic.
"All hail the King of the Train!"
"Cut it out, George... Help me up; I think Crabbe crushed my back."
"Ron, you may have gotten beaten up, but you've got that Gryffindor spirit... And I'm Fred, he's George."
"Get lost!"
Leaning against the window, Ron gasped for air, his face just as red as his hair.
Harry, meanwhile, was trembling with excitement, his legs shaking from the adrenaline. Though he looked beaten, landing that punch on Malfoy's stomach had been incredibly satisfying.
Served him right for bringing up his parents!
Nietzsche clapped his hands, grinning as he exclaimed, "Congratulations to our Train Queen—Hermione Granger, for putting an end to the Hogwarts Express Riot."
Now, more than half of the compartment knew the name of the brown-haired girl with chocolate-colored eyes. Her quick draw of her wand had been truly impressive.
She was, without a doubt, the "Queen of the Train."
Even Hermione couldn't help but hold her head a little higher amidst the admiration.
"Harry, how about treating the hero of this battle to a snack?"
Harry, still catching his breath, immediately responded to Nietzsche's nudge, excitement and gratitude filling his voice.
"Grab whatever you like, I'll pay!" Harry wiped the blood from his nose and, with a bold gesture, pulled two Galleons out of his pocket, placing them on the trolley. "Let's start with two pumpkin juices!"
Everything happened so naturally. That was the difference between Nietzsche and Hermione. Nietzsche acted simply because he wanted to, not because he had bad relationships with others. After all, his uncle was Mycroft!
A minor official managing warehouses for the British government...
Hermione puffed out her chest and walked forward proudly.
But as she passed by Nietzsche, she made sure to step on his foot—it was what he deserved!
"Enjoy your lunch, Lady Granger~"
Nietzsche tucked his wand back into his belt and squeezed into the compartment alongside Harry, Ron, and Neville, who was holding his toad.
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