Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The suitcase
William took down his suitcase from the shelf, pressing a notch on it with the ring on his right hand.
"Click."
Then, like unlocking something, William turned his right hand and opened the lid of the suitcase.
"This is... stairs?" Hermione's eyes widened in amazement as she looked at the scene unfolding before her, unable to comprehend why a staircase appeared inside William's suitcase after he opened it.
Clearly, this young witch, new to the world of magic, couldn't grasp what she was seeing.
"Come on, Neville, and... um, Hermione,"
William said, almost calling Hermione by the nickname he had given her in his surprise.
William then led the way, stepping into the suitcase and walking down the stairs.
"My goodness, what is this? How is this possible? Why is there such a large space in your suitcase? Oh my, those are bookshelves, so many books! Ah, and there's a door over there,"
'Miss Amazed' was stunned by everything she saw.
From the top of the stairs, the entirety of the space below was visible:
an area of at least eighty square meters.
To the left, under the stairs, were four tall bookshelves filled with books.
Near the corner, there was a cozy reading nook.
To the right of the stairs was a four-poster bed with a canopy, and not far from it, a closed door.
"An Extension Charm,"
William interrupted Hermione's questions,
"But let's not talk about that now. Hermione, please don't mention my suitcase to anyone."
William led the two down the stairs to the bookshelf area on the left, as it was the only place with a table and chairs.
"Alright, take a seat,"
William invited them to sit.
"Don't be shy, enjoy some fine tea."
Three cups of tea were conveniently placed on the table in front of them.
A well-trained house-elf should always be prepared like this.
"Neville, I know your grandmother wants you to be in Gryffindor, but what do you think?" William looked at Neville.
"I... I also hope to be like my parents,"
Neville fidgeted with his hands — William had asked Neville to leave his toad in the compartment, since the door was locked by William and it couldn't escape.
"Neville, I hope this is what you truly want, not just a choice made under the pressure from your grandmother. Do you understand?"
"I know, but... but I, I mean... I'm afraid I won't get into Gryffindor. I know I'm timid, and I'm worried..."
Neville looked like he was about to cry.
Hermione alternated her gaze between William and Neville, not understanding what they were talking about.
"Just be sure you want to be in Gryffindor, and tell the Sorting Hat clearly that's where you want to go,"
William took a sip of tea.
"Don't worry, you'll get into Gryffindor. After all, you meet the requirements."
"Excuse me, William, what is this Sorting Hat you mentioned?"
Hermione felt she had to speak up, or Neville would suffocate from his own silence.
"The Sorting Hat? What else could it be for? It's used to assign young wizards to their houses,"
William explained matter-of-factly to Hermione.
"During the sorting ceremony, you wear it, and it tells you which house you will be assigned to."
"So, just by expressing a wish to it, one can be sorted into the house they desire?"
Hermione was a bit puzzled.
If sorting was based on personal preference, then what was the purpose of the Sorting Hat?
Wasn't that superfluous?
"It's not entirely like that. The Sorting Hat places young wizards in the house that suits them best," William started to explain to Hermione and Neville.
Neville, not very clever, timid, and somewhat weak, seemed destined for Hufflepuff.
But what's the reality?
The courage buried deep within Neville led the Sorting Hat to place him in Gryffindor.
But let's not forget, Neville is also a pure-blood, so Slytherin is also an option – after all, Goyle and Crabbe made it.
It's just that Neville never considered Slytherin.
So, the houses Neville could be sorted into are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin.
At this point, the personal preference of the young wizard becomes very important.
That's why William told Neville to proactively tell the Sorting Hat he wanted to be in Gryffindor.
"I see, so it means that if a young wizard has a choice, they can choose their house, right?"
"Yes, that's the fact. 'Hogwarts, A History' doesn't spell out these details," William said, glancing at an excited Hermione.
"Then which house will you go to? Ravenclaw?"
Hermione thought, based on William's behavior in the compartment, he must be a Ravenclaw.
"No, I will be in Slytherin."
William knew Hermione would react loudly, but he still said it.
"Slytherin? I heard that's where all the evil dark wizards come from.
Why would you want to go there?" Hermione's look changed when she heard William wanted to go to Slytherin.
"Seriously, Hermione, I really want to know where a Muggle-born little witch like you hears all these hodgepodge assessments,"
William couldn't help but roll his eyes, even though he knew Hermione would say this.
Indeed, Lord Voldemort was as infamous as Dumbledore.
Mention Gryffindor and the first thought is the renowned, universally known Head of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Headmaster of Hogwarts:
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
But what about Slytherin?
Which wizard comes to mind?
Lord Voldemort! The Dark Lord! The most terrifying dark wizard in history.
Of course, the phrase "in history" can be omitted, as well as "most terrifying."
As an illegitimate child of a special pure-blood family like the Whistlers, William knew much more about history and historical figures than the average wizard.
He was certain that Lord Voldemort was not the most terrifying dark wizard of all time.
William knew of many wizards far more formidable than Lord Voldemort, even much more so. These wizards were almost all killed – once they crossed a certain line or were about to cross it.
As for those who were not easily killed or couldn't be conveniently disposed of, they were sealed away, guarded by a special group of wizards.
This was one of the reasons for the establishment of the Mistfall school: to train and supply personnel for this wizarding organization.
"I don't deny that madman's influence on Slytherin, but we shouldn't generalize,"
William said, looking into Hermione's eyes and organizing his thoughts.
"Indeed, under his influence, Slytherin produced many bad wizards, but to call them dark wizards?
Hmph, you're giving them too much credit.
They were just ignorant and arrogant wizards." William glanced at Neville and continued, "Slytherin also produced quite a few Aurors.
In the most chaotic years, many died trying to thwart that madman. I guess no one has told you that.
Moreover, Gryffindor isn't without its dark wizards.
Hermione, you shouldn't just listen to hearsay and think all wizards from Slytherin are dark wizards.
Of course, I won't deny that many Slytherin wizards aren't exactly good people, but we shouldn't generalize."
William stood up and walked to a cabinet, paying no mind to a stunned Hermione and Neville, who was frozen at the mention of 'Auror.'
"Neville, this is for you,"
William took out a slender box from the cabinet and placed it in front of Neville.
"Open it. You'll use this from now on: cherry wood, unicorn hair core. It should suit you."
"I... I use my dad's Magic Wand," Neville looked at the box in front of him, then raised his head to look at William.
"My grandmother told me to use it."
"That one doesn't suit you. Trust me, use this one,"
William pointed at the box on the table containing the Magic Wand, continuing,
"Using a Magic Wand that doesn't suit you is just a waste of time.
I know what your grandmother means, hoping that using an unsuitable Magic Wand would train your abilities, but I think what you need now is not ability, but confidence."
Neville shakily opened the box, aware that he had hardly ever received any gifts in his life.
His toad was one, a gift from his uncle to celebrate his magical outburst.
The only other gifts were candy wrappers given by his mother each time he visited St Mungo's, which Neville kept every single one.
He had never received a valuable gift like a Magic Wand before.
He could genuinely feel the care from the person his uncles referred to as "the little monster" and his grandmother called a reliable, responsible cousin.
"Thank you, I will use it well," Neville's eyes brimmed with tears.
Hermione looked at Neville, then at William, unsure of what to say.
"After school starts, come to my place every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
I'll make sure you don't fall behind in your school lessons," William said, watching Neville accept the Magic Wand.
"On the condition that you can keep up with the school's curriculum, I'll teach you some 'extra' things."
Neville's passive nature made William shake his head.
Being an illegitimate child, his family didn't give him much pocket money each month.
To improve his life, William had to rely on himself.
Neville's grandmother, recognizing this, had privately given William a few Galleons, asking him to take good care of her grandson and guide him appropriately.
If Neville showed no change in the future, William would have a hard time explaining to Neville's grandmother.
Thinking this, William decided to give Neville a harsh reality check.
"Don't forget, Neville, the person who hurt your parents and caused your family's current situation is still comfortably in Azkaban. That madman is not dead yet.
Your enemies will eventually come out. Don't you want to avenge your parents personally?"
William thought hatred wasn't a good thing, but it certainly could awaken a person's potential.
Neville looked up, his eyes still red.
If he was moved before, now he was angry.
"Then it's settled. Remember, come to me every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday evening.
Since I've given you the gift, let's go back up,"
William stood up.
"By the way, Hermione, if you like, you can take a book from the first row of bookshelves on the left to pass the time. Of course, you have to return it to me after reading."
William's suitcase had four rows of bookshelves, but only the row he pointed out to Hermione contained books that didn't involve magic spells and were not protected by magic.
"Really? That's great!" Hermione, excited, stood up and prepared to run to the bookshelf.
"Alright, Hermione, hurry up, we should go back up," William finished his tea in one gulp.
After leading everyone back to the compartment and putting away the suitcase, William undid the locking spell. He watched Hermione, who immediately sat down to read, and then...
"Neville! What are you doing sticking your bum out like that?" William saw Neville sticking his bottom out, bending his head under the seat.
"Trevor... Trevor is gone!" Neville hit his head on the table.
"Your toad? Impossible, this door hasn't been opened," William glanced at the window again, "and the window is closed. Have a good look around."
Truthfully, William didn't understand why Neville's uncle gave him a toad.
Why not give him an owl?
Not willing to spend money, giving a few bags of candy was considered decent enough, but what was the meaning behind giving a toad?
"It's really... really gone!" Neville scrambled up from the floor, frantic.
"I've checked the shelf and the ground. William, can you help me?"
"Hmm? The door has been locked for a while, and when we went downstairs, you left your toad outside.
This window hasn't been opened.
How could your toad disappear?"
William was puzzled. Could the toad have the ability to pass through walls?
"Alright, Neville, I'll help you look for your toad,"
Hermione spoke up, realizing that if Neville didn't find his toad, she wouldn't be able to read her book in peace.
Besides, since they were all friends, helping out was no big deal.
"Thank you, Hermione," Neville said, his face flushed.
Watching the two leave the compartment, William shook his head and continued flipping through his hefty book.
"Speaking of which, the next part of the story is their first meeting, right?"
If William remembered correctly, Neville wouldn't find his toad on the train;
it would only be found after they arrived at the school.
Rather than being found, it seemed more like the toad appeared next to Neville.
Thinking about it, William was certain that the toad had been in the compartment when they entered the suitcase, but it was gone when they came out.
This sparked William's interest.
"Maybe I should catch it sometime for a study. To see if it's of special lineage, or..." William narrowed his eyes, "…like that rat."
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