Chapter 13 Encounter, this must be a coincidence
A red and black train was stopped at the platform, its locomotive spewing hot white steam.
The sign at the very front read Hogwarts Express, and a passageway on one side was marked Platform 9 3/4.
The platform was quite crowded; after all, today was the start of term, and many Wizard parents had come to see their children off to school, almost every one of them pushing a trolley.
Cats and owls, the two pets allowed by the school, were everywhere, with only a very few people holding a toad in their arms.
After Aaron passed through the wall, he found that the boy was wide-eyed, curiously surveying everything around him, his gaze lingering longest on the train.
He couldn't help but feel a little more sympathy; this child wasn't just unfamiliar with the Magical World; judging by his reaction, he probably knew even less about the Muggleworld than the average person. His joyful demeanor showed that he had barely ridden a train a few times in his life.
"Ahem! I can tell you're very excited, but a friendly reminder: the train is leaving in about ten minutes. What you should be doing now is finding a compartment and putting away your luggage and owl."
The boy came to his senses and said gratefully, "Thank you. Can you tell me your name?"
"Just call me Aaron. No need for thanks, it was just a small favor."
"Oh." The boy nodded, wanting to say something but hesitating.
The two walked through the bustling crowd and found an empty compartment on the train.
Aaron was fine; after all, his luggage wasn't that heavy, and he could easily put his things away, but it was different for the boy; he had a lot of things, and they were exceptionally heavy.
He dragged and pulled for a long time but couldn't lift it at all.
"Sigh!" Aaron sighed, "You should really feel honored. This is the first time I've ever moved things for someone else."
"Sorry," the boy said, a little embarrassed.
Aaron was just about to show off his strength in front of his future classmate, but when he tried to move the trunk, he also found it incredibly strenuous.
"Ahem! It's quite heavy."
"Or should I go find someone else to help?"
"No, it's just a suitcase; there's no need to find anyone to help," Aaron said, then looked at the distance of more than ten meters from the compartment, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly that this would be the longest path he would walk today.
"Need help?"
A voice sounded behind the two of them. Although a bit frivolous, to Aaron, it was like the sound of heaven.
"No…"
The boy had barely uttered the word 'no' when Aaronimpatiently said, "That would be wonderful."
"Didn't you just say…?"
"Asking for help and someone offering help are two completely different things," Aaron said righteously, his voice carrying a composure not typical of his age. "Trust me, you'll understand this later."
The boy seemed to understand something. He looked at the red-haired boy and said shyly and hesitantly, "I think I do need help."
He immediately turned around and shouted, "Hey, Fred, come help!"
A moment later, a red-haired boy who looked exactly like the red-haired boy walked over.
They must be twins; not only did they look alike, but even the luggage they carried was the same.
With two more people helping, they finally managed to lift the trunk into the compartment.
"Thanks a lot; otherwise, it would have taken forever with just the two of us!" the boy said.
Aaron directly took out two lollipops from Abey's pocket and handed them over, which made the young dragon give a wronged little look.
"Although this trunk has nothing to do with me, necessary thanks are still in order. Please don't mind it and do accept them."
"This…" One of the red-haired boys hesitated. Although the lollipop was unopened, it was, after all, taken from a pet's pocket.
While they, the brothers, were usually mischievous, they had never actually snatched food from a pet's mouth.
"No need for that; it was just a small favor," the other red-haired boy said.
Hearing them say that, Abey's big eyes narrowed, and he proudly took his candy from Aaron's hand.
The first red-haired boy's eyes lit up, and his gaze towards Abey was full of eagerness, "Your cat is so cute! Can we hold him for a bit? Just for a moment."
"Uh… I'm afraid not. Abey never likes strangers."
"What a pity," the red-haired boy said regretfully.
Just then, a shout came from outside the compartment, "Fred, George, are you on the train?"
"Coming, Mum!"
The brothers immediately shouted and jumped out of the compartment.
From Aaron's and the other boy's perspective, they saw them walk up to a plump woman, with a red-haired boy and a red-haired girl in front of her. They seemed to be a family.
Aaron sincerely admired this mother, as raising four children was quite difficult.
However, a moment later, another taller red-haired boy walked over and joined them, talking about something.
"Good heavens, truly good heavens."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, just that I think that plump woman must be a great mother.
Five children! And she can manage family relations so harmoniously."
The boy turned his head and saw the twin brothers waving at him, which startled him and made him immediately pull his head back.
Soon, the Hogwarts Express began to move, slowly picking up speed with a 'chug-chug-chug' sound.
The boy was very excited; buildings flashed quickly past his eyes, and the forests, fields, and even the blue sky and white clouds outside, these ordinary things, were incredibly novel and beautiful in his eyes.
This was the happiest time in his life, because he was away from his aunt's family, away from his cousin's bullying, and he wouldn't be mediocre in a Muggle middle school.
At this moment, the boy noticed something unusual: Aaron, sitting opposite him, seemed even more excited than him, with a hint of brightness in his eyes as he looked out the window.
This completely baffled him. Could Aaron also be a child fostered in someone else's home, oppressed, just like him? He didn't look like it!
A few seconds later, the boy tentatively asked, "Aaron."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Nothing, it's just, don't you think you're overly excited?"
"Am I? Am I that obvious?" Aaron somewhat awkwardly hugged Abey, who was chewing on a lollipop, to his chest, using the act of stroking the dragon to ease his exaggerated expression.
The boy nodded quickly, "Extremely obvious."
"After all, I'm going to a magic school, so a little excitement is normal," Aaron said, then looked at the boy, "By the way, I still don't know your name?"
"My name is…"
Before the boy could finish his sentence, the compartment door was pulled open, and a red-haired boy looked at the two of them rather timidly and said, "Excuse me, may I sit here? All the other places are full."
The boy immediately recognized this boy as the younger brother of the twin brothers who had just helped him carry his trunk. He then patted the seat next to him, "Go ahead and sit!"
"Thank you!" The red-haired boy sat down and immediately introduced himself, "My name is Ron, Ron Weasley."
"My name is Harry, Harry Potter," the boy said, then pointed to Aaron opposite him and introduced him, "His name is Aaron."
"Pfft!"
Aaron instantly had a 'what the heck' feeling, almost throwing Abey, who was in his hand, out the window.
What was going on? All the outrageous things he hadn't encountered in the past eleven years, he was encountering in these few days of school starting.
He hadn't even reached school yet? He had already met the main characters in advance. What kind of heaven-defying luck was this?
Ron's eyes immediately widened, and his gaze towards Harry became more worshipful. He nervously pointed at his forehead, "So… is that true?
I mean, do you really have that… that…"
"That what?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"Scar."
"Oh!" Harry pushed back the hair from his forehead, revealing a lightning-shaped scar, looking a little smug.
"Amazing," Ron exclaimed.
"Sigh!" Aaron let out a deep sigh.
"What do you mean by sighing?" Ron asked, "He's a celebrity in the Magical World, the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter! Some books even record his legendary deeds!"
Aaron rolled his eyes at him, "So what? I'm not a fan, and that scar isn't a good thing for him.
But I really didn't expect that I would be sitting in the same compartment as the famous Harry Potter."
"Right! I think so too. Fate is just so wonderful and indescribable."
Aaron: …'I think so' indeed.