Chapter 182 Malfoy has changed quite a bit.

Chapter 182 Malfoy has changed quite a bit.

They put their luggage away and sat down.

Ron plopped down in a window seat and pressed his face against the glass to look outside.

"Hey, look over there! George and Fred are playing pranks again!"

Everyone crowded around to look. In a corner of the platform, George and Fred were talking to a first-year student. The student's expression changed from curiosity to terror, then he shook his head repeatedly and ran away.

George and Fred exchanged a glance, laughed at the same time, and gave each other a high five.

"They're bullying the freshmen again." Ron shook his head. "I feel sorry for that kid."

"Were you bullied back then too?" Harry asked.

"————It happens all the time." Ron looked indifferent, seemingly having been deeply influenced by his two older brothers.

The train whistle blew again, and people on the platform began to wave goodbye.

"It's about to open," Harry said, looking out the window at the people saying goodbye.

His expression was somewhat complex, a mixture of anticipation, emotion, and a touch of inexplicable melancholy.

Henry noticed and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Harry remained silent for a moment, his gaze still fixed on the view outside the window.

"When I think back to last year, I had no idea I would be coming to Hogwarts. I was still living in the Dursleys' house, in the cupboard under the stairs, and I thought I was a freak."

"A year has passed, and so much has changed," he sighed. "I never imagined I could become a wizard."

"Yes," Henry agreed wholeheartedly. "A year can change a lot."

The train slowly started moving, and the platform outside the window began to move backward.

The waving figures grew farther and farther away, smaller and smaller, until they finally disappeared from sight.

At the end of the platform, the wall that led to the Muggle world turned back into an ordinary brick wall.

They leaned back in their seats, listening to the rhythmic rumble of the train, a sound like a lullaby that unconsciously made them relax.

The scenery outside the window began to change—from the grey buildings of London to green fields; from the crowded city to the open countryside. Occasionally, you could see a few cows grazing on the grass, looking up at the passing trains, then lowering their heads again to continue eating.

"What interesting things do you think will happen this year?" Ron suddenly spoke up.

"What kind of thing?" Harry asked.

"Something more exciting," Ron's expression turned excited. "Like that—exciting!"

"This time you're going to deal with the troll." Hermione glanced at him. "How's it going? All by yourself?"

"Me?" Ron pointed to himself. "Go fight the trolls? Alone?"

Hermione pulled a book out of her bag and opened it: "If you don't want to deal with the trolls, then read through the study notes I gave you."

Ron's expression turned green again when he saw the thick book in Hermione's hand.

"Hermione, can you please stop scaring me?"

Hermione didn't even look up.

"cannot."

About an hour after the train started moving, the compartment door was opened.

Draco stood in the doorway, with Crabbe and Goyle standing behind him, blocking the doorway like two small mountains, their expressions blank yet loyal.

He noticed the people in the cubicle, and his expression changed slightly—especially when he saw Henry.

"Malfoy," Ron said, his tone wary and slightly hostile, "what are you doing here?"

Draco glanced at him, his eyes showing a hint of disdain, but not as ostentatious as they had been the previous year.

Then he turned to Henry, his gaze softening.

"I've come to see Henry." His tone was much more polite than usual.

Henry nodded.

"Come in."

Draco went into the cubicle and sat down next to Henry.

Crabbe and Goyle wanted to come in too, but Draco stopped them with a look, so they had to stand at the door, blocking it like two gatekeepers.

They looked a little aggrieved, but dared not disobey.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked gently.

Draco hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering his words.

"My father asked me to tell you that he is making preparations for what we discussed last time," he said in a low voice. "If Your Highness needs anything, please tell him at any time."

"I understand," Henry said. "Please thank your father for me."

Draco nodded, then turned and left.

Crabbe and Gore followed behind him, accidentally bumping into the door frame with a dull thud, but they just scratched their heads and kept following.

Hermione put down her book and looked towards the door.

"Malfoy seems to have changed quite a bit."

“Yes,” Harry nodded. “He wouldn’t have done this at this time last year. He would have just barged in saying, ‘Potter, my dad said—’ or something like that.”

Henry leaned back in his seat and didn't say anything.

The train continued onward, and the group chatted and ate chocolate frogs and pumpkin pies they had bought from the snack cart. The snack cart was pushed by a chubby witch and piled high with all sorts of delicious treats—chocolate frogs, pumpkin pies, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, licorice wands, and sizzling honey candy—Ron's eyes lit up when he saw the cart.

He bought three pumpkin pies, two packs of chocolate frogs, and a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

He's already eaten three pies and is still eating.

Harry counted on the side, his expression growing increasingly surprised.

"Ron, you've eaten three pieces."

"I know." Ron's mouth was stuffed full, his cheeks bulging like a hamster hoarding food. "There are two more pieces, one for each of us, just right."

Not only him, but his mouse Banban also stuck its head into the box and feasted.

She has an enormous appetite.

"That's mine," Hermione said expressionlessly, her eyes still fixed on the book in her hands.

Ron's expression stiffened for a moment, then he chuckled twice, a laugh tinged with guilt.

"Just kidding, just kidding, I'm saving it for you."

Hermione ignored him and continued reading her book.

Harry pulled a book from his bag; it was "Breaking Up with the Ghost" from the set Lockhart had given him. The cover was flamboyant, depicting a man in a flowing robe and a menacing female ghost, the colors so vibrant they were almost blinding.

"Have you seen this?" he asked.

Ron shook his head, his mouth still stuffed with pie.

Hermione looked up, her eyes lighting up.

"I read it! It's so good!" she said excitedly, setting the book aside. "Mr. Lockhart's stories are amazing! The female ghost, the ghoul, and that one..."

"Hermione," Ron interrupted her, finally swallowing the pie in his mouth, "calm down, it's just a book."

Hermione glared at him.

"Not a book! It's Mr. Lockhart's book! He's a third-class Sergeant of the Order of Merlin, an honorary member of the Defense Against the Dark Arts, and a five-time winner of the Wizarding Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award!"

.