As the whistle blew again, the red steam train moved along the tracks, slowly departing from King's Cross Station.

  The carriage was filled with excited whispers and ughter.

  The sery outside gradually shifted from the tall buildings of the city to the green fields and rolling hills of the English tryside.

  "Why is everything full?" After b the train, Hoare sed to Henry William's head and walked through the arain with his suitcase.

  He had just boarded wherain's whistle blew agaiing promptly at eleven o'clock.

  Hoare searched for ay partment, wanting some peace to t his money. All thirty books in his suitcase had sold out, and he wao see how much he had earned.

  "Have you seen Trevor?" A girl with messy brown curls blocked Hoare's path, her raised. "Trevor, Neville's toad, have you seen it?"

  "No." Hoare immediately reized her as Hermione Grahe know-it-all from Gryffindor.

  The Granger family were dentists, a lucrative profession in Engnd, and surely they wouldn't skimp on pocket money for their only child away from home.

  Hoare's mind fshed with information about Granger; he remembered she was a Gryffindor obsessed with learning, stantly shuttliween s, and the paths at Hogwarts were not friendly.

  Hoare smiled kindly, fiving Granger's rudeness at the moment, grateful for the inspiration she sparked in him.

  He thought of the Marauder's Map he had secretly taken from Gee and Fred's drawer.

  Hopefully, Granger would pay him a satisfactory reward wheime came.

  "Alright, if you see it, please let me know." Granger, raised, pulled Neville along and tio kno the door.

  Hoare shook his head, ready to move forward, then saw a familiar face through the dranger had opened. Hoare raised an eyebrow, deg not to look for a separate partment.

  Granger had finished her inquiry and ulling Neville along to tinue searg for Trevor.

  I'm witnessing the trio's first meeting, Hoare thought to himself.

  The Potter family's iance is quite substantial.

  Hoare's mind fshed back to when he first saw Harry Potter, the pile of glittering Galleons iter family vault at Gringotts, and his eyes sparkled with excitement.

  Hoare stepped forward to ster from closing the door, "Hello, I'm Henry William. I haven't found ay seat yet. May I sit here?"

  "Of course, please sit. I'm Ron Weasley."

  "I'm Harry Potter."

  Hearing the name Harry Potter, Hoare couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "The Potter?" he asked.

  "Yes, that Potter," Harry replied helplessly, having answered this question many times today.

  Hoare thought to himself, The big spender has appeared. If I don't take advantage, I won't be at ease!

  The newly arrived Harry Potter was filled with fear of everything, terrified of bei back to 4 Privet Drive. Let me guide him a bit and earn some pocket money.

  "This is your first time ing here, right?" Hoare lowered his voice, speaking with certainty.

  Harry nodded.

  "Do you know how many houses there are at Hogwarts?

  Do you know who the head of each house is?

  Do you know which house is closest to the kit and which is best for adventures?

  Do you know which dy shop often has dists?

  Do you know which fish in the Great Lake tastes best when grilled?"

  Harry shook his head.

  What is this person talking about?

  Is it a nguage only uood in the wizarding world?

  Harry g Ron, who also seemed bewildered, thinking that if Ron didn't uaher, it wasn't his problem.

  He sehat this perso no harm.

  Hoare ehe partment, closed the door, and sat o Harry.

  "None of that is important," Hoare said, waving his hand dismissively.

  "Then what's important?" Harry and Ron exged puzzled looks, and Harry asked.

  "The important thing is, the fish in the Great Lake is truly delicious!" Hoare decred emphatically.

  "What?"

  "What!? You want to eat the fish from Hogwarts?" Harry and Ron looked at Hoare in disbelief.

  Ron knew where the Great Lake was and thought, Goodness, he hasn't even started school yet and is already thinking about the school's fish!

  And if he remembered correctly, there were mermaids in the Great Lake!

  Harry was utterly fused. What was the Great Lake? But si was a ke, wasn't it normal for there to be fish? Why did Ron look so shocked?

  He hesitantly asked, "Excuse me..."

  "'t you eat the fish from the Great Lake?"

  "Of course not!" Ron replied urgently, afraid Harry would be led astray by this strange person. "The Great Lake is Hogwarts' ke, and mermaids live there!"

  "Mermaids eat fish too; that's what the mermaid told me," Hoare said. Before school started, he had used Polyjuice Potion to visit Knockturn Alley and chatted with a mermaid on dispy there.

  Hoare looked at Harry with a calm, reassuring gaze. "Harry, you ask me anything you don't uand about the wizarding world."

  "Then, how many houses are there at Hogwarts, and how do we get in?" Harry asked cautiously, not really ied iher the fish in the Great Lake tasted good.

  Harry had been w that if he couldn't get into a house, he'd be sent back to Privet Drive to wear that stinky school uniform.

  "There are four houses at Hogwarts," Ron answered quickly. "Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravencw, and Hufflepuff."

  Ron answered quickly, displeased that Hoare had captured Harry's attention.

  "Our whole family is in Gryffindor, and I will be too."

  "Gryffindor, brave, kind, and just. Dumbledraduated from Gryffindor; it's the best house," Ron said proudly.

  "Really?" Harry's eyes were filled with longing. Brave, kind, and just—wouldn't that mean no one would bully him? Could he really get in?

  "Of course, you're Harry Potter," Ron said, head held high, already imagining the glory of being in the same house as Harry. That was Harry Potter!

  "What about the other houses? What if I'm sorted into another house?" Harry asked anxiously.

  Hoare raised an eyebrow, analyzing internally. The current Harry Potter was just a poor kid bullied by his cousiant and insecure, used to denying all good things.

  Hoare thought for two seds; only the heartwarming Patronus Charm could dispel such worries.

  [Host: Hoare Weasley]

  [Avaible Galleons: 400 Galleons, 21 Knuts]

  "Purchase spell talent, learronus Charm," Hoare said in his mind.

  [Ding]

  [Panel Updated]

  [C-Level Ability: Spells (Patronus Charm)]

  [Avaible Galleons: 290 Galleons, 21 Knuts]

  "That's no big deal. As far as I know, the Potter family also had aors in Slytherin," Hoare's words sparked Ron's anger.

  Hehought it was no big deal; the era of the Dark Lord had long passed.

  "Harry could never go to Slytherin!" Ron excimed angrily, his fiery red hair matg his temper.

  "What's wrong with Slytherin?" Harry asked, seeing Ron's anger and quickly inquiring.

  "Slytherin, they like ing, ambitious students and only pure-blood wizards," Ron lowered his voice. "You-Know-Who and many of his follraduated from there."

  Mentioning You-Know-Who, Ron shivered involuntarily; that was a terrifyience.

  "The Weasley family almost never gets sorted into Slytherin; we lean tryffindor."

  Ron's description made Harry feel repelled; it sounded like the kind of pce Dudley would fit into.

  "I want to go to Gryffindor too," Harry said anxiously. "But how do we get sorted?"

  Roated, "Gee and Fred said you have to fight a troll to get into Gryffindor."

  Seeing Harry and Ron's troubled faces, Hoare k was time for him to step in.

  He lowered his voice, leaned close to Harry's ear, and spoke in a tone only they could hear, "I have a way to help you, to ensure you get into Gryffindor."

  "Really?" Harry's emerald eyes sparkled with hope.

  "But..." Hoare smiled slightly, "it'll cost extra."