"Fancy some exciting snacks, dear?"
A round-faced Witch pushing a food trolley appeared at the compartment door, the trolley piled high with all sorts of oddly shaped snacks.
Harry's eyes lit up, and he immediately stood up: "Of course!"
Charlie also stood up, pulling out his money pouch. He hadn't eaten anything since leaving the Orphanage, and his stomach was rumbling.
The two of them each bought a large pile of snacks, and the trolley Witch couldn't stop smiling as she counted the silver Sickles in her hand.
Ron looked at the table full of snacks, swallowed, then somewhat awkwardly pulled out a sandwich wrapped in brown paper from his bag.
"My mum packed it for me," Ron mumbled softly.
"She always forgets I don't like corned beef."
He opened the wrapper, revealing a dry corned beef sandwich inside, which indeed didn't look very appetizing.
Harry noticed Ron's embarrassment and felt a pang of sympathy, which reminded him of the not-so-great food he used to eat at the Dursley's.
"Want to swap?" Harry offered proactively, "I get tired of too many sweets."
This was his first time sharing his things with a friend, and his eyes were full of anticipation.
Ron looked at the cake in Harry's hand, a flicker of longing in his eyes, but still shook his head.
"Never mind, this sandwich is cold and dry, not very tasty. You two eat yours."
Charlie spoke up then.
"How can it not be tasty? Food made by family is the most delicious."
He took out the biscuits Grandma White had given him from his bag. The packaging was simple but thoughtful, tied with a small bow.
"I grew up in an Orphanage," Charlie's voice was gentle.
"The Orphanage was poor, but Dean Grandma always found ways to make all sorts of delicious food for us."
"She said, even without delicacies, food made with care can fill the emptiness in one's heart."
Ron and Harry were both stunned, clearly touched by Charlie's words.
Harry thought of his experiences with the Dursley family, and his eyes became a little moist. He envied that feeling of being treated with care.
Charlie opened the biscuit package, and a sweet aroma immediately filled the air: "Here, try some, they're really good."
He proactively shared the biscuits with the two of them.
Ron was moved by Charlie's words and, no longer awkward, broke his sandwich in half to share with them: "Just don't mind it."
Harry took the biscuits and sandwich, feeling a warmth in his heart.
Ron and Harry both picked up the biscuits and sandwich, savoring them carefully.
"These biscuits are really good!"
Ron was very complimentary, and Harry nodded in agreement.
Soon, the large sandwich and the generously made biscuits made the two of them feel full.
"I'm full, I'm full, I can't eat anymore."
At this moment, Charlie put the biscuits and sandwich aside, picked up the last pumpkin pasty on the table, and took a delightful bite.
Harry was stunned.
"Charlie, didn't you say…"
"Oh, I'm just trying this pasty first to see what it tastes like. I'll eat the biscuits and sandwich later."
Harry and Ron:... Charlie narrowed his eyes contentedly.
Food made by family is indeed delicious, but on his first day in the magic world, shouldn't he try more of the magic world's specialty foods?
Although Great Britain is a culinary desert that gave birth to ancient god food like stargazy pie, the snacks in the magic world still taste quite good.
[Does His Majesty feel no guilt for tricking his companion? foolish monarch points +2]
Hey, an unexpected bonus.
Ron and Harry glumly unwrapped chocolate frogs. By now, they were both full and could only eat after-dinner sweets.
A moment later, there was a knock on the compartment door.
"Excuse me, have you seen a toad?"
The door opened, and a round-faced boy walked in, his eyes filled with tears.
His face was chubby and he looked very helpless.
"Its name is Trevor, my toad Trevor is missing."
The boy's voice was tearful.
Charlie shook his head.
"I haven't seen your toad."
"But there are quite a few frogs on the table."
Ron had just unwrapped one, and the chocolate frog immediately hopped onto the table, lively and jumping.
The round-faced boy's eyes instantly lit up, his gaze fixed on the chocolate frog.
Charlie smiled and invited: "Want to try one? They taste pretty good."
The round-faced boy immediately forgot about his toad, took the chocolate frog Charlie offered him, and said while eating:
"Thank you, I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom."
"I'm Charlie White."
"Ron Weasley."
When it was Harry's turn, he was a little nervous: "Harry Potter."
Neville bit into the chocolate frog, showing no particular reaction, just nodding: "Hello, Harry."
This made Harry very happy. It seemed that Hogwarts was indeed the place; everyone had no extreme reaction to his name.
Neville continued to eat the chocolate frog with relish, completely immersed in the joy of sweets.
Soon, there was another knock on the door.
"Neville!"
A small girl with thick brown hair walked in. She spotted Neville at once and said, wrinkling her nose:
"Neville, are you still looking for your toad or not?!"
Neville came to his senses, chocolate still in his mouth:
"Oh right, I still need to find my toad!"
This guy was eating chocolate frogs and actually forgot about his toad.
The little girl shook her head helplessly and turned to the others:
"I'm Hermione Granger. Have you seen Neville's toad?"
Before Charlie and the other two could answer, she suddenly noticed the faint scar on Harry's forehead, and her eyes instantly widened.
"Wait, are you Harry Potter?"
Neville was shocked when he heard this, nearly dropping the chocolate frog in his hand:
"Harry Potter?!"
Well, it turned out that while he was eating the chocolate frog, he hadn't fully registered Harry's introduction.
Harry nodded somewhat helplessly:
"Yes, I am."
Hermione was a little excited, rattling off like a string of beans:
"I've read about you in A History of Modern magic, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and Important Magical Events of the Twentieth Century. You must know a lot of magic, right? I tried a few spells at home and they all worked. No one in my family can do magic, so I really cherish this hard-won opportunity. I've memorized all the textbooks. Do you know which house you'll be sorted into?"
Charlie quickly interrupted.
"I say, stop, aren't you looking for a toad? Its name is Trevor, right?"
Goodness, this little girl looks cute, but when she starts rambling, it's truly terrifying.
Charlie took out his wand.
"Accio Trevor."
He had drawn Accio during the summer, and although it was only Level One and his proficiency wasn't high, it was enough for now.
A gasp came from outside the compartment.
"A giant flying toad!"
"Idiot, someone's casting a spell."
Amidst the commotion outside, a plump toad flew in through the window and landed steadily in Neville's arms.