Chapter Ten: Beans

The Hogwarts Express, somewhere in England

1st September 1991

"Er… I… couldn't pass through the barrier…" Harry admitted.

Whispers spread through the crowd. Harry could make out a little of what they were whispering about.

"Do you think it's… you know…"

"Probably… after all, he's the first…"

"It's a shame that he…"

Harry stood there, confused at what they were whispering about. George, upon seeing Harry's confusion, said, "Harry, have you still not seen the thing that I gave you?"

Harry looked down at the slightly crumpled page of newspaper in his hand, where the giant headlines automatically caught his attention.

BOY WHO LIVED IS SQUIB WHO LIVED

BY RITA SKEETER

We all know the story of the Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived. He was the savior that ended the tyranny of You Know Who at only a mere age of one. Like the wind, our infant hero had disappeared. It was rumored that he had been hidden away in a secret location to contain his immense magical powers, in training to be the next Light Lord. Supposed sightings of him surfaced, battling demons and dragons, saving princesses, spreading peace throughout the world.

Unfortunately, the truth is harsher than anyone had imagined. The defeat of the Dark Lord had come at a great price. A price that only our young hero will shoulder. A price that cost him his magic. That's right, in order for the sake of our peace, he had sacrificed his magic to become a squib.

Yesterday, as I walked down Diagon Alley, I came across a young boy resembling Harry Potter. With messy black hair (like all Potters) and brilliant emerald eyes like his mother, the boy walked into Thomson's Gadgets, a shop dedicated to squibs and muggle relatives of muggleborns. From there, he bought a wand and just a wand – the SQUIBS Wand.

I had pondered if he was the real Boy Who Lived. After all, a young wizard with enough power to defeat He Who Must Not Be Names would have no need to purchase a wand for the magicless. But as he left the shop, a gust of wind blew up his hair, revealing his famous lightning shaped scar. The photo above was taken there and then. There's no denying it. He was the Boy Who Lived, and he was a squib.

Let us have a moment for our hero, who, for the sake of magical Britain, had willingly gave away his magic. Thank you, Harry Potter.

The clipping ended there. A giant, moving black and white photo of Harry, holding the SQUIBS Wand, outside Thomson's Gadgets, was below the headline. The angle was taken from a crouched position, with the sun shining overhead, making Harry seem taller and more majestic than he actually is. His hair flapping in the wind, hiding and revealing his famed scar, as he gazed out towards the sky.

The heck! Why do I get the feeling that I'm some martyr that's sacrificed his life to save the world? With the thankful words, the backstory, and glorious photo, the only thing that's missing is 'we will remember you'! And what did she mean 'willingly gave away his magic'? I was a baby! And… Wait…

Harry looked up. The numerous spectators had started to disperse. But Harry clearly saw the sympathetic looks on their faces as they turned away.

"Wait, I'm not a squib!" Harry blurted out.

Nobody believed him.

Many signed. A few girls had tears in their eyes. A boy patted his shoulder as he walked past.

"Thank you for your sacrifice," he whispered.

A few others muttered their thanks as well, deepening his despair.

I'm really not a squib! I have magic! Harry internally cried.

Initially, when they heard the news, they had their doubts. After all, they grew up listening to stories of him. But after seeing his inability to pass through the barrier, their doubts cleared away. The barrier had let everyone through for hundreds of years, why would it have not worked for him? They concluded that it was because it was magicless. It probably stops anyone without magic passing through. The gateway was in the middle of a busy muggle train station. If Harry had crashed once, they would have believed that he was just nervous, but his numerous bruises indicated he must have tried a few times.

Since it was useless to convince them otherwise, Harry thought he'd just roll with it. The truth will reveal itself when he starts to do magic.

Turning to the Weasley twins, Harry thanked them for pulling him into the train and fixing his glasses.

"No worries. Oh, I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves. Name's Fred."

"And I'm George. You can tell because I'm the better looking one."

Harry looked at their grinning faces. They looked exactly the same to him.

"Pleasure to meet you both, " politely greeted Harry.

"C'mon. Your stuff's with Ron."

"He's our little brother. A first year, too."

Harry followed them down the aisle, passing many compartments full of students catching up with their friends, until he reached one that's empty but the youngest redhead he'd met back at the station.

"Here, we are," said George… or Fred… well one of them said it.

Harry could see his trunk and owl, whom he had named Hedwig, tucked away neatly in the corner of the compartment.

"Right, we're off then. Got friends waiting for us, you see. Our friend Lee Jordan said he's bringing a giant tarantula. We can't miss this. See you later, Harry, Ron."

"Bye," said Harry and Ron. Harry settled down comfortably on the leather seat as the twins closed the door and ran off.

The duo sat in silence, not sure how to break the ice.

Then Ron said apologetically, "sorry about… erm… back at the station, I shouldn't have asked…"

"It's okay. I didn't know what was going on until one of the twins showed me this," Harry showed him the newspaper clipping.

"Really? Do you not read the Prophet?"

"The what?"

"The Daily Prophet. It's a newspaper. That clipping's from it," Ron pointed the clipping in Harry's hand.

For the next hour, the two boys chatted merrily with each other. Having six older brothers, Ron enjoyed the company of someone his own age. Harry, having had no friends due to the deterrent named Dudley, was also enjoying Ron's company.

After an hour of so, the door was slid open by a kind looking old lady pushing a trolley full of delicious looking snacks.

"Anything off the c- Oh sweet Merlin, what happened to your face? Lemme get you some balm dear."

The dimpled woman pulled out a small red and white metal box from the bottom of the trolley, labeled with a giant plus sign and the words 'first aid kit'. Lifting the lid, she pulled out a small tube with familiar green ooze inside.

"Thanks," said Harry gratefully as she applied some to his face.

"Not a problem, dear."

Then, after a minute or so…

"All done."

"Erm… 'scuse me, do you know where I can get more of that healing balm?" asked Harry.

He figured that having need to heal himself twice when he had just entered the wizarding world and he haven't even reached the school yet, having his own supply of the balm might prove useful.

"One of those accident-prone types, are you? You can get it in any potions store, and I'm sure Hogwarts have a large supply of them in the infirmary. Here, why don't you keep this tube? We've got a large stock at the front of the train; we always end up using up a tube or two every year."

"Ah, thank you, Ms…?"

"Oh, what a gentleman. It's been… You know, I don't think anyone has ever asked for my name before… even I'm not sure what it is anymore. You can just call me the Trolley Witch."

"Well, thank you, Ms Trolley Witch."

Intrigued by her, Harry mentally issued a Scan to the System.

"You're welcome, dear. Now, dearies, anything off the cart? I'd recommend the Pumpkin Pastry™, always the most popular, that one."

"I'll take two Pumpkin Pasties," said Ron.

Harry couldn't decide on the array of sweets on the cart, so he decided to have at least one of everything. He can afford it, after all, so why not?

After paying up, the Trolley Witch left with a friendly wave, leaving the boys with the giant pile of sweets on the table.

[Scan interrupted: Target out of range.]

[Scan progress: 0.13%]

[Scan progression insufficient to display stats.]

Harry took a big bite into the pasty, the sweet aromatic pumpkin flavor bursting into his mouth.

He blinked twice.

Hang on.

He'd met and properly talked to the lady for a few minutes.

Yet the scan was only 0.13%.

How powerful was this lady!?

Isn't she just a pusher on a train?

"Uhm, Ron?"

"Whashup Hawy," Ron replied with a mouth completely stuffed with his pasty.

"Who is the Trolley Witch?"

"Hmm?"

"You know, the lady just then, with the cart."

Ron swallowed his mouthful.

"What do you mean? Doesn't she just sell food?"

Ron immediately took another bite.

"Ah, never mind…"

Harry took another bite. It really was delicious. The buttery pastry was flaky and not greasy at all. The filling was creamy and rich in flavor. Chunks of real pumpkin were soft and melts into a delicious sweet puddle on the tongue.

[Identified. Displaying stats…]

[Pumpkin Pastry (Magical)]

[Pastry 50% (Flour 70%; Butter 30%; Salt (trace)), Pumpkin Filling 50% (Pumpkin 70%, Dairy 20%, Sugar 10%).]

[Effect 1: Energy boost (Temp). This pasty is high in fat and sugar, providing much needed glucose for glycolysis.]

[Effect 2: Manaful. Mana +5. This pasty is not made from ordinary ingredients, perhaps the pumpkin it's made from are magical pumpkins, or the dairy products come from a magical cow. Who knows? However, the mana residing inside is detected and thus undeniable.]

[Effect 3: Magical (Minor). Consumption of large amount of magical foods could permanently increase Magic Power, with diminishing returns.]

[Effect 4: Hydration (Minor).]

[Effect 5: Nutritional (Minor).]

Harry's eyes lit up. Foods from the magical world was not only delicious, but also full of other benefits! The [Manaful] effect would help the System recover faster, but more importantly, the [Magical] effect could directly boost his Magic Power stat!

He jumped out of his seat, sliding open the door. He looked up and down the aisle, wanting to buy more Pumpkin Pastries from the Trolley Witch, but she was nowhere to be found. Harry signed, reluctantly returning to his seat.

"You alright, mate?" concerned Ron.

"Yeah… I was just… uh… hungry, so I wanted to see if the Trolley Witch was still there, so I can buy a few more of those pasties."

"Oh," Ron glanced down at his other pasty in his hand, then kindly offered "here, you can have mine."

"What, no, that's yours! Besides, we've got plenty of sweets and chocolates on the table."

"I insist! Mum says you can't eat chocolates to fill you up. You can have the pasty. Mum's packed lunch for me anyways."

Placing the uneaten pasty on the table, Ron took out a misshaped lump of silvery foil and waxy paper. Unwrapping it reveals four slightly squashed and frankly not very appetizing sandwiches.

He lifted one of the slices of bread, peeking at the filling. A brief look of disgust appeared on his face before quickly disappearing again. After a brief moment of hesitation, he took a small bite off the corner.

"Hmm… Very delicious…" Ron lied, unconvincingly, "See, I've got my sandwiches. You can have the pasty."

Harry was warmed by Ron's kind intensions. They had just met, and although their friendship have kicked off with a bang, Harry doesn't feel like their level of friendship have reach that level where they can be completely unrestrained with each other yet.

"Actually, I was really wanting some savory food. Can I have one of your sandwiches instead?"

"You sure? It's kinda dry and not that great…"

"Yeah, it looks better than what I normally eat anyway," Harry wasn't going to point out Ron's lie.

Harry took a sandwich and gave it a quick nibble. The bread was a bit hard, and the corned beef filling was a little salty and dry, but it wasn't too bad.

However, Harry wasn't really interested in the taste or texture. He was wondering if it had any magical effects.

Soon, the System finished the identification.

[Identified. Displaying stats…]

[Corned Beef Sandwich (Magical)]

[Bread 65% (Flour 95%; Yeast 4%; Salt 1%, Sugar (trace)), Corned beef 25% (Beef 95%, Salt 5%), Salad 10% (Lettuce, Cucumber, Tomato)]

[Effect 1: Energy. This sandwich is high in carbohydrate, providing energy for the next six hours.]

[Effect 2: Manaful. Mana +9. This sandwich is not made from ordinary ingredients, perhaps the bread it's made from are from magical wheat, or the beef come from a magical cow. Maybe it's even a result of a mother's love? Who knows? However, the mana residing inside is detected and thus undeniable.]

[Effect 3: Magical (Minor). Consumption of large amount of magical foods could permanently increase Magic Power, with diminishing returns.]

[Effect 4: Nutritional. Contains your daily need of protein, not the mention the various vitamins and minerals from the vegetables.]

"Oh, this is really good," Harry happily exclaimed.

"Really?" Ron knows how awful the sandwich is. But then again, he doesn't like corned beef so he was a little bias.

"Yeah!" Harry ravenously stuffed the rest of the sandwich into his mouth, then helped himself to another.

Ron looked at the pasty in his hand, not understanding why Harry seem to prefer his mum's dry and horrible corned beef monstrosity rather than the scrumptious flaky sweet pasty.

"Are you finishing that?" Harry pointed at the unfinished sandwich that Ron had only taken a small bite out of. Having lived off the Dursley's scraps for so long, he naturally wasn't disgusted at eating another person's half eaten food.

"Erm… no… you can have it…"

Ron started to question his own judgement. Are his mum's sandwiches really that good? He took a bite out of the pastry. Somehow, the pumpkin doesn't seem as sweet anymore.

It was only half an hour later when he realized his judgement wasn't wrong. That was because Harry decided to try out, and share, the Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"What flavor did you get, Harry?"

"Hmm… I think it's soil."

"Oh erm…"

Ron saw Harry happily continue to chew on his jelly bean.

"You know, Harry, you can spit it out…"

"Nay it's fine… It's not that bad…"

As repulsive as the flavor was, Harry couldn't help but smile as he felt his Mana and Magic Power slowly rise. He felt like his Magic Power stat might increase soon. The jelly beans, it turns out, also had the [Manaful] and [Magical] effects, though they were very weak, with it only increasing 0.1 mana. However, after experimenting a bit, it turns out the more disgusting the flavor, the more powerful the effects are, probably because it takes more magic to manufacture it.

"I wouldn't eat that one if I were you, Harry, I think it's earw- nevermind."

…

"Ooo, I got a nice coffee flavor, what flavor did you get? … Did you say vomit? You really don't have to eat it Harry…"

…

"What fla- you know what, I'm not even going to ask anymore…"

The Hogwarts Express, somewhere in Scotland

1st September 1991

"… Upon entering the Great Hall, one cannot help but marvel at the grand and majestic aura, yet strangely feel cozy and homely. Four long rows of table with matching benches, made from the finest English Oak and enchanted by Founder Helga Hufflepuff herself around 1000AD, provide seating for students at mealtimes. A fifth table, perpendicular to the others and on a raised platform, is at the end of the hall for members of the Hogwarts staff. The ceiling is bewitched to look like the outside sky…"

A soft knock on the compartment door interrupted her reading.

Placing her trusty bookmark on the page, she closed shut her favorite book in one smooth well practiced motion. She brushed her bushy brown hair away from her face and smiled kindly at the boy at the door, revealing two rather large front teeth.

"Excuse me," politely and timidly asked the round-faced boy, "have you by any chance seen a toad?"

"A toad?"

The girl quickly sorted through her memory, wonder why he would be looking for a toad. A memory of her opening her Hogwarts acceptance letter a few months ago when she was having breakfast in her own home formed in her mind, where on the second page lists objects required for school, the last line states "Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad." All of this happened in less than a millisecond.

"Ah, it must be your pet toad."

She quickly flashed through everything she knew about toads.

"Have you been touching, carrying or cuddling it too much? I don't know much about magical toads but toads in general are usually very calm and docile but they become stressed if you touch it too much. You can tell if it starts croaking. Anyway, my name's Hermione Granger, and you are?"

"Erm…" the boy was quite taken back by the girls fast paced talking, "I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom."

"Pleasure to meet you, Neville. Now, I don't think I've seen a toad hop past. But then again, I don't notice a lot of thing when I'm reading, especially such a fascinating book. Hogwarts: A History. I wholeheartedly recommend it. When's the last time you've seen it?"

Neville blinked twice, struggling to keep up to Hermione's string of words.

"Er… what?"

"Your toad. When and where did you see it last?"

"Oh, erm. It was like half an hour ago. In my carriage. About four compartments that way. I let it out for a bit, but I guess I must've forgotten to lock the cage. Next thing I know, Trevor jumped past and out the door."

Hermione placed down her book and got up.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go then."

"Hmm? Go? Oh… you don't-"

"Come on, two eyes are better than one."

This was a perfect opportunity to make friends, and there's no way Hermione is going to let this chance pass.

The duo left the compartment, searching everywhere as they walked down the train. They knocked on every door, asking their inhabitants for the slightest chance that they'd seen as much as the toad's shadow.

Reaching the end of the train, with no trace of the escaped amphibian, they doubled back past Hermione's compartment.

"I've already checked the front," dejectedly said the boy, "do you think he…"

"Hey, cheer up. He's probably a bit stressed and gone to hide in a dark place somewhere. We can check the front again, in case you missed something."

Taking Neville with her, she started questioning people towards the front of the train. After a dozen or so compartments with no avail, she reached one containing a group of snobbish looking people.

They look about my age, she thought,

"Excuse me," she said bossily, "you don't happen to see a toad around, do you?"

Four head turns to look at her.

"Who are you?" grunted a fat boy with a stupid but mean look on his face.

"Name's Hermione Granger. Pleasure to meet you."

Hermione held out a hand, wanting to make some friends with her fellow first years. (Their crestless and non-colored robes indicated that they're unsorted, and thus, first years.)

Upon hearing the word 'Granger', two frowns immediately appeared each on a blond boy and a pug faced girl, followed by a look of disgust. Meanwhile, the two ugly grunts had a blank look on their face.

Having her hand ignored, Hermione embarrassingly withdrew her hand.

"Anyway, has anyone seen a toad?" she continued, not forgetting her objective.

"No," replied the blond. "But I do see a beaver."

The mean-looking girl immediately shrieked in laughter, while the two gorilla-like boys looked at each other in confusion, before also laughing, despite having no idea what's going on.

The self-conscious Hermione puffed out in anger and slammed the door, marching down to the next compartment, dragging a timid looking Neville behind her.

Fifteen minutes later, having searched the train front to back with no avail, Hermione and Neville parted ways as Neville had still yet to change into his robes. Hermione, in her lonesome, sat down in her compartment and thought about a pair of boys she'd just met, Harry and Ron.

She was a bit nervous when she first saw them. Afterall, she had just had a failure with the compartment with the four rude snobs, so her confidence was a bit low. But she thought she made a brilliant first impression to Harry and Ron. They had a friendly chat about spells and magics, books and school houses, and gave helpful advice to the pair (when in reality, she talked at them and showed off her knowledge).

Hermione mentally sorted her knowledge of the boys. Ron was a bit slow and seem to be easily fazed. Maybe he's just nervous like her. Harry, however, was different from what she expected. Of course, she of all people should know not to judge a book by its cover, but seeing as he had no magical power but still managed to get in a magic school, she thought he'd either be some arrogant and rich person who relies on fame, or be completely dejected and unconfident person. But he was neither. In fact, Harry seemed just like any other person, apart from him happily shoving mouthfuls of candy beans in his mouth all the time.

She did try a bean, but it tasted… well, just completely disgusting. Apparently, they have different flavors. She was probably just unlucky then.

Before long, the train rolled into a stop. Outside, a deep voice could be heard bellowing.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Time to get off the train.