"Marius Cloud? Hmm… Marius…"
Hagrid muttered to himself, clearly recalling some unpleasant memory.
"You mean that sharp-tongued guy?" Ron huffed beside him. "It'd be great if he couldn't come to Hogwarts at all!"
"Ron! You can't say that," Harry frowned, looking awkwardly between his new friend and the boy who had helped him earlier. Stuck between the two, he felt genuinely conflicted.
"Oh, I actually agree with you on that point…"
Hagrid murmured under his breath—until he caught Harry's disapproving look. Then he cleared his throat and said more loudly, "But as the professor appointed by Dumbledore to lead the new students, I must do my duty. I can't leave behind even a single first-year!"
"Marius! Marius! Where are you? If you don't show up, we're leaving!"
Hagrid's calls grew increasingly fast and loud, practically screaming his hope to be rid of the boy entirely.
Inside the train compartment, Marius found the whole shouting routine extremely irritating. To be called out like this in public was simply obnoxious.
"Enough already. Mind your manners," Marius said with an annoyed look as he stepped off the train with Hermione. "Let's not forget you're the first Hogwarts staff member the new students are meeting. I doubt Dumbledore would want to regret sending you here."
That single sentence from Marius shut Hagrid up on the spot. His face turned sour with suppressed frustration.
"Whoa… Who is that student? He just talked down to a Hogwarts staff member?"
"He's not even afraid of a giant like that?"
"I think I've seen him before… in the Daily Prophet maybe? What was his name again…?"
Whispers quickly spread among the crowd of first-years. Until now, Hogwarts had always been cloaked in mystery to them, a place of wonder and magic. Naturally, the person sent to welcome them held an aura of prestige.
Add in Hagrid's half-giant frame and intimidating presence, and most students would be too scared to speak up.
Yet this boy—Marius—had shown up and immediately turned the tables, completely dominating the encounter.
Seeing the students murmuring in surprise and awe, Hagrid's face darkened even more. He forced himself to rally.
"There's no need for your reminders, Mr. Cloud. Professor Dumbledore has his reasons for everything. Right now, I'm the one in charge, and you'll do well to follow behind me like the others. Otherwise, I'll leave you behind."
Hagrid's words grew firmer the more he spoke. Yeah, he told himself, why should I back down? He's just a kid.
Sure, Marius had rattled him back at Gringotts—but he was just a child. One who still needed his parents, who should be nervous in a strange new place. Hagrid had simply been caught off guard, that's all.
"Really? Then go ahead," Marius replied, arms crossed, with a faint, knowing smile. "Why don't you try leaving me behind? See what happens."
"Marius, don't!" Hermione whispered nervously, clutching his hand tighter. "If we lose him, we'll miss our ride to Hogwarts!"
"I already told you on the train—it doesn't matter if they leave," Marius said gently, smiling down at her. "Do you trust me?"
Hermione opened her mouth, hesitated, then bit her lip like a stubborn bunny and looked him straight in the eyes. "I trust you!"
Seeing another first-year siding with Marius made Hagrid visibly flustered. And that smile on Marius's face… it gave him chills.
He suddenly remembered that day at Gringotts—how effortlessly Marius had cornered him with words, how powerless he'd felt. That air of calm wisdom and insight—it didn't belong to a child.
Maybe I underestimated him…
"Don't be like that, Marius," Harry said gently. "I think Hagrid just didn't mean it. Please don't argue anymore…"
But to Hagrid, that only fanned the flames.
Did Harry just say I don't think things through? That's what it sounded like.
"No, Harry. Hogwarts has rules, and I'm following them!" Hagrid grunted. "Let's see what happens if I do leave him behind!"
And with that, Hagrid led the group away.
The other students glanced curiously at Marius as they passed—many with admiration in their eyes. After all, standing up to a Hogwarts professor on the first day? That took guts.
"Hey, Marius," Draco Malfoy sneered as he walked by, voice dripping with mockery, "tomorrow's headlines will be fun: The Cloud Family's Only Heir Denied Entry to Hogwarts on Day One!"
Marius gave a low chuckle. "Draco, why are you still wearing clothes?"
Draco's face instantly turned beet red and he clamped his mouth shut.
"What a shame," Marius continued. "I bet dear old Lucius never imagined his son would bring disgrace to the Malfoy name by breaking a public oath on the first day of school."
"I-I didn't—! I…!"
Draco, flushed with shame and anger, instinctively reached for the hem of his robe like he might strip right then and there.
But his sense of shame won out over his pride. With trembling fingers, he lowered his hands and bit down on his lip. "You'll regret this, Marius!"
"Oh?" Marius raised his voice slightly, feigning surprise—clearing his throat with exaggerated emphasis. "You want me to remember that Draco Malfoy, who swore an oath in the name of the Malfoy family, made a naked run into Hogwarts bet… and then broke it in front of everyone?"
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T/N:
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