It had been nearly an hour since Maverick boarded the Hogwarts Express, which was scheduled to take the students to the school for the new academic year.

  Looking out the window from his , he saw the ptform crowded with families bidding their final farewells, while the train had steadily begun to fill up.

  Students, from first-years to seventh-years, were settling into s in groups, and his had been opened a few times as well. However, perhaps because he looked a bit older or because of the way he dressed—like an ht Muggle—no one seemed ied in joining him.

  Even the Muggle-born first-years opened and shut the door in a fsh, which felt even sillier, likely because they assumed he was a senior student, and their timidity got the better of them.

  Shaking his head with a small smile, his attentiouro the families and their children outside oform. He had already noted a few hy names b the train, though some key characters had yet to make an appearance.

  Just then, he spotted a group stepping through the ented wall. They all had reddish-brown hair, and it wasn't difficult to guess they were the Weasley family. But among the group of redheads, he noticed another boy he was all too familiar with.

  Mavericed between the Boy Who Lived and Ron, and it was immediately obvious how much smaller and frailer the protagonist actually was. It was clear he hadn't had a pleasant childhood, and Maverick couldn't help but briefly sider doing something about the situation.

  However, he decisively dismissed the thought. He wasn't ready to interfere with the plot just yet. Perhaps he would, once he felt more fident in his personal strength.

  Call me a coward if you want, but I'd rather know my hand tha blindly, he thought inwardly.

  He watched as the Weasley family gathered in a tight circle, exging hugs and promises of good behavior from the children.

  Mrs. Weasley's voice carried through the bustle, faintly audible even from ihe . Maverick couldn't help but chuckle, uanding—at least in part—why her children feared receiving a howler from her.

  He leaned ba his seat, a smile tugging at his lips as he thought about the troubles he might soon face from the pranking professionals.

  Then, his attention ged from the ptform to the door of his as his senses caught two people approag. They were young, likely freshmen. Maverick adjusted his posture, retrieving a book from his ring and beginning to read.

  Perhaps, he thought, pretending to be a nerd might vince a student to share the with him—or at least help whoever opehe door overe their timidity.

  A knock came from the other side, but before Maverick could respond, the door slid open, revealing two young witches staring at him curiously.

  He sat leaning fortably, one leg crossed over the other, with a book in his right haing casually on the knee of the raised leg.

  From the er of his eye, he first noticed the taller girl, her wide-eyed stare fixed on him without a hint of subtlety. Wheurned his head toward them, her mouth shaped into a small "o" of surprise.

  Beside her, the irl too seemed a little taken aback. Though she tried to hide it behind a bnk expression, his sharp eyes didn't miss the subtle flicker of emotion in her eyes.

  The first thought that crossed his mind was whether he looked too pretentious, pretending as he was. But the thought was quickly dismissed when he caught a barely audible squeak from one of the girls. "So handsome," she muttered, only to sp her hands over her mouth in mortified realization.

  "Ah... one of those who lets their mouth run before their brain," Maverick thought to himself.

  They both looked like first-years. The taller one had dark hair and an air of eagerness, while the other, shorter and more reserved, had ly arranged blonde hair and an observant gaze that spoke of caution.

  An awkward silence passed until Maverick arched a brow and gave them a friendly nod.

  "Looking for a ?" he asked, breaking the tension.

  Though one of them seemed like she might give him a few headaches, he still asked politely, notig they hadn't left immediately after opening the door, uhe previous students.

  He saw the taller girl blink and quickly turn to the blonde, as if seeking approval. However, her head bobbed like a pigeoire time, making the silent exge far from subtle, and making it clear what she was trying to say.

  Maverioticed the er of the blonde's mouth twitch, betraying her mild exasperation, before she gave a small, relut nod.

  Finally, they stepped inside aled into the seats across from him.

  "Thank you," the dark-haired girl said, her eyes fixed on Maverick with a fasated expression that made him inwardly sigh.

  He had prepared himself for the ce that some teeches might let their hormones override their on sense, but running into one so quickly—and a first-year, no less—already had him worried about the trouble and headaches he might have to deal with.

  Swallowing his thoughts, he kept his expressioral, and offered a polite nod. He wasn't going to go all edge lord on some little girls, not to mention they were going to be his students.

  "I'm Tracy," the dark-haired girl introduced herself as soon as she sat down, her voice full of enthusiasm. "And this is my best friend, Daphne Greengrass."

  Maverick had already guessed their names, reizing the family crest subtly engraved on the ring the blond wore.

  "My name is Maverick... are you both freshmen?" he asked, a kind smile.

  "Yes, senior," Tracy replied brightly. It was clear she was the outgoing type, while the blonde beside her seemed more introverted, or perhaps she was simply trying to maintain a mysterious air.

  "We just turned eleven, and we're so excited to start school! you tell us a little about it? Is it true that the potions professor doesn't wash his hair?"

  Her words came out so randomly, as if she hadn't even thought before speaking, and the st part left him momentarily frozen, his mouth slightly open, unsure of how to respond.

  After a beat, he shook his head, silently m Snape's reputation.

  "First of all, I'm pretty sure Professor Snape washes his hair, and I'd advise you not to spread that rumor around," he said, maintaining his polite expression. "As fwarts, do you really wao spoil everything, or would you rather discover its greatness for yourselves?" He gnced betweewo girls.

  This time, Tracy didn't respond immediately. Her brain caught up with her mouth, allowing her a moment to think. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, a polite knock came from the door.

  Tracy was about to shout, "e in!" but paused as she saw the "senior" across from her move his arm.

  Maverick extended his finger and flicked it to the right, making the door slide open smoothly.

  A wizard with ly bed hair stood in the doorway, looking a little shy. "Ah, sorry, I thought it was empty," he said, his voice soft.

  He appeared older, probably a third or fourth-year student, but Maverick couldn't reize him.

  Before the boy could close the door, Maverick quickly called out, "Please, e in. There's one spot here beside me."

  The boy hesitated, scratg his head, then shrugged aered, settling beside Maverick.

  "I'm Maverick," he introduced himself quickly, not wanting the boy to have sed thoughts and leave. He figured it might be better to share the potential headaches that the little witch across from him might cause during the journey.

  He flicked his finger again to the left, causing the door to slide shut.

  "They are Ms. Trad Heiress Greengrass," he added, gesturing to the two girls across from him.

  None of the three students responded immediately, all of them staring at him with surprised expressions.

  He raised an eyebrow in fusion, but before he could ask what was wrong, Tracy excimed, "That was wandless silent casting... so cool! Was that the unlog spell?"

  "Stupid. The unlog spell doesn't close doors," Daphne finally spoke, rolling her eyes at her friend's ent, before turning ba.

  All three stared at him, their expressions almost identical, as if they were waiting for him to expin himself.

  It seemed that his simple use of Magical-Energy was an impressive feat to these students. After giving it some thought, he realized it made sense, as the use of pure Magical-Energy wasn't something most wizards had seen. But he wasn't about to give them a lecture on that.

  "Ah... that... just a little trick I learned," he said, chug sheepishly and scratg his head before quickly ging the subject. "So, what's your name?" he asked, gng at the boy sittio him.

  The boy seemed a little lost at first, gathering his thoughts. "Uh... My name is Roger Davies. A third-year Ravencw." Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he tilted his head, studying Maverick's face.

  "Senior, I... don't remember seeing you before in the higher grades."

  Maverick let out a sigh, realizing that his hope of keeping his identity as a professor a secret until they arrived at Hogwarts might not be possible.

  Or so he thought.

  "Oh... are you the new assistant to the Alchemy professor? I heard from my father that Hogwarts was looking for a teag assistant from the ret graduates."

  Maverick swallowed back what he was about to say and decided to humor them. "I am indeed reted to it... yes, I'm ly a student. Just catg the train to experiehe journey since I graduated from another school."

  Maverick saw different expressions from the three of them. Daphne Greengrass looked at him with a doubtful gaze, while Roger Davies first showed fusion, then nodded in uanding. Tracy, however, seemed to believe his words at face value, believing every letter.

  "That is so cool! So should we call you professor or assistant professor? Where did you go to school—"

  Her words were cut short by the sudden whistle of the train, and all four of them turoward the window.

  As they watched, the ptform seemed to move as the train's wheels began to turn, and they felt the motion as the earted pushing the massive express forward.

  "It seems we've started moving," Maverick said, breaking the brief silence.

  The was once again filled with the hum of versation. Mostly, it was the three of them talking, while Daphne Greengrass listening ily and occasionally nodding along to their words.

  Two hours passed, and the grew quieter. Maverick was reading a book, as were Daphne and Roger, while Traow resting her head on Daphne's shoulder, had finally tired herself out and was nearly drifting to sleep.

  The peaceful, rhythmic sound of the train tinued, carrying them toward their destination, until—

  Bam!

  The door of the tly slid open with a loud thud.

  "Have you seen a toad?" a voice called out.

  —————————

  Author's Note:

  Just a quick update — up to Chapter 102 is already avaible on P AT r30n!

  PAT r30n [.] / RyanFic