Ron shook his head, clearly unsure.
"I don't know much about it. I don't get all the grown-up stuff, and Uncle Wilson's usually really busy. We only see him about once a year, and this time he just came over for dinner at our house."
As they chatted happily, a small cart filled with all kinds of snacks rolled in through the compartment door.
"Want to buy something, kids?" the vendor asked.
Ron casually pulled out some coins and said, "Two of each."
Then, turning to Harry with a grin, he added, "By the way, I still have some imported snacks that Uncle Wilson gave me. You have to try them."
He stood up, rummaging through his luggage to pull out a big package filled with colorful treats that looked much fancier than the ones on the cart.
"Look, this is moonlight toffee from France. They say if you eat it, your eyes glow blue - that's pretty cool. And this is German flame chocolate. It's always on fire, but it's not hot at all. Just eat it and you'll feel happy."
Ron seemed like a local kid showing off his prized collection to a guest, and Harry felt a little flattered to be on the receiving end.
"Do you usually have this many snacks?" Harry asked, nervously popping a flaming chocolate into his mouth and looking at Ron with curiosity.
"Of course. My mom doesn't let me snack much when I'm at home, but Uncle Wilson sends us treats every holiday and on everyone's birthdays, so we've ended up with quite a stash," Ron said.
Then, with a sudden sigh, he added, "It's a shame Scabbers is gone. We used to share those snacks with him."
"Who's Scabbers?" Harry asked.
"Scabbers was actually my brother Percy's pet mouse. It lived with us for almost eight years, but one day, two years ago, it just disappeared," Ron explained.
"I still remember when Uncle Wilson came to visit, and Dad talked with him for a long time. Then, the very next day, Scabbers was gone."
He shrugged helplessly.
"I really liked that little guy. By the way, did you bring a pet to Hogwarts?"
"I have an owl. Her name is Hedwig," Harry replied with a smile.
He found Ron quite interesting, not just because he liked to show off, but also because of stories like these.
Just then, as they were chatting, a girl in wizard robes appeared at the compartment door.
"Has anyone seen a toad?" she asked.
"A toad?" Ron looked puzzled.
"She's talking about Neville. He lost his toad," the girl explained, glancing around as if the toad might be hiding nearby.
"We haven't seen any toads," Ron said. "But you mean Neville Longbottom, right?"
"You know him?" Harry asked with interest.
"Yeah," Ron nodded. "He's our neighbor, and he's really close with Uncle Wilson. Ginny says he often visits Uncle Wilson's house."
"Wilson?" the girl at the door said suddenly. "You mean Alex Wilson? The most famous alchemist alive today, winner of the Order of Merlin First Class, international wizard dueling champion, and the legendary wizard who created 'Tactical Training'?"
"Huh?" Ron looked a bit confused after hearing the impressive list of titles. "Uncle Wilson has all those honors? I just thought he was a war hero and ran Wilson's Arcane Alchemica."
"Oh my gosh, you actually call him 'uncle'? I thought you guys knew each other really well," the girl said, clearly surprised.
The girl shot Ron a look of mild disgust as she stepped into the compartment.
Raising a finger for emphasis, she said, "Don't you know that Hogwarts is introducing a brand-new course this year called 'Tactical Training'? Alex Wilson is the one who created it, his name's even on the cover of the new textbook!
Haven't you heard anything about it?"
Ron gave her a puzzled look.
"Who actually flips through the new textbooks before school starts? And who even pays attention to the authors' names?"
The girl held her head high, clearly proud.
"I do. I've already gone through all the textbooks before the term began. I've even tried out some of the spells - they work really well!"
Then, her confident expression faltered a bit.
"Well, I can understand most of the other books fine, but Alex Wilson's 'Tactical Training' is pretty confusing. There are so many technical terms, and I can't figure out where they're all coming from."
She looked a little lost as she said this, clearly struggling to make sense of the unfamiliar material.
Ron stared at her with wide eyes, clearly incredulous.
"You've read all those books ahead of time? How do you even understand them?"
The girl smirked confidently and couldn't resist showing off a little.
She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Harry's glasses.
"Watch this. Reparo!"
As she said the spell, Harry's cracked glasses instantly returned to normal.
He took off his glasses, amazed.
"That fixed it right away, didn't it?"
The girl beamed with pride, then noticed the lightning-shaped scar on Harry's forehead.
"Wait a second! Are you Harry Potter?"
Harry, still impressed by the quick magic, replied casually, "So you know me too?"
"I'm Hermione Granger," she said excitedly.
Hermione hadn't expected to meet such a famous wizard just by wandering around, and she was thrilled.
"Your story is in all the important books, 'Modern History of Magic,' 'The Rise and Fall of Dark Magic,' and 'Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century.' I've read them all. Honestly, you're the most famous wizard of the last decade, except for Alex Wilson."
Ron's expression shifted when he heard that name.
"Has Uncle Wilson's name really made it into history books?"
Hermione nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course! He's one of the most influential wizards today. Not only has he pushed modern alchemy forward, but the training methods he developed are now taught in many magic schools, including ours this year. Our professor might even be an Auror who trained under him!"
Harry's interest piqued.
"Do you think Alex himself will be our training professor?"
"No way!" Ron interrupted before Hermione could answer. "Uncle Wilson runs Wilson's Arcane Alchemica, and he's super busy. With his status, why would he work at Hogwarts? Plus, the school probably couldn't afford him."
"That makes sense," Hermione agreed.
Hermione nodded and said, "I looked through the history textbooks and found that this Mr. Wilson often travels abroad and spends most of the year outside England."
She lowered her voice suddenly and added, "Apparently, Alex Wilson is connected to some major events in recent years, like the 'German Ministry of Magic Split Incident,' the 'American Bloodlines and Cleaners Fire Incident,' and the 'Mexico Ministry of Magic Rebellion.' The books are pretty vague about the details, though.
I think only he truly knows what really happened."
"Wow, that's impressive!" Harry said, still amazed by everything he'd learned since entering the wizarding world.
"But someone like him probably has nothing to do with us."
Hermione stood up and headed toward the door of the compartment.
Before she left, she reminded them, "By the way, the train will be arriving soon. Don't forget to change into your robes."
With that, she disappeared quickly, leaving Harry and Ron alone.
Ron scowled at Harry and muttered, "She's showing off again before even getting to school. She's way too much.
I don't like her. No matter which house she ends up in, I don't want her there."
Harry shrugged.
"But she's amazing, right? Casting spells before we even arrive at school."
Then he stood up and started packing and changing clothes with Ron.
Soon after, the train pulled into the station, and Hagrid was already there waiting on the platform, holding a new magical lantern.
"Alright, first-years, this way! Follow me!" Hagrid called out.
He pressed a button on the lantern, and a beam of white light shot out, forming a floating sign above his head that read 'First Year.'
The sign was enchanted so that no matter which angle you looked at it from, you could only see the front, making it stand out clearly in the dark.
The first-years quickly gathered around Hagrid, drawn by the bright sign.
Harry walked up to him with a smile.
"Hey, Hagrid! That lantern looks really cool."
Hagrid chuckled.
"Thanks! It's a special lamp I had made. It can turn whatever I write beforehand into subtitles. You could say it's a bit of a legendary item."
Hagrid smiled cheerfully as he held up the lantern Alex had given him.
"After all, it's the only one I've got," he said.
He really liked that lantern. It saved him a lot of trouble every year.
Just then, a sharp voice cut through their conversation.
Everyone turned to see a pale blond boy pushing his way to the front of the first-year crowd.