Felix and Cho Chang's absorbed conversation, as if no one else was present, rather irked Hermione and Marietta, who felt decidedly ignored.
"What on earth are you two talking about?" Hermione protested. "Can't you speak a language everyone can understand?"
"Alright," Felix shrugged, switching to English. "So, would you like to come in and sit? There's still room."
"Of course," Marietta nodded brightly, pulling a hesitant Cho Chang in with her.
With the two girls joining them, everyone became a little reserved. No one spoke, and the atmosphere turned somewhat awkward.
Finally, Marietta broke the ice. She looked at Felix, then at Cho, and asked, a little enviously, "Are you two always so striking?"
"You don't usually call a boy 'striking' like that, do you?" Felix retorted internally, though he knew the term wasn't entirely off.
In truth, handsome as he was, he could almost be described that way. Mrs. Garreth had remarked more than once that if Felix were to wear girls' clothes, he'd surely be more adorable than any girl.
Hearing Marietta's comment, both Hermione and Cho Chang looked at Felix intently, then simultaneously averted their gazes, blushing.
The atmosphere thickened with even more awkwardness.
Helpless, Felix remembered his original goal: to get Hermione into Ravenclaw. So, he deliberately asked, "Excuse me, are you two first-years as well?"
"No, we started at Hogwarts last year. We're in our second year now," Cho Chang replied, shaking her head.
"So, you'll have to call me your senior," Marietta added with a playful tone.
"Alright, senior," Felix rolled his eyes. "So, which house are you in?"
"We're both in Ravenclaw," the two girls said in unison, sharing a knowing glance.
"Ah, Ravenclaw," Felix nodded, feigning contemplation. "I was rather hoping I'd be sorted into Ravenclaw this year. What about you, Hermione?"
"Gryffindor," Hermione answered. "I've heard it's the best."
"Gryffindor isn't the best, Ravenclaw is!" Cho Chang countered.
"Exactly!" Marietta agreed. "Those Gryffindor types love to sell their house to everyone. But really, they're just a bunch of foolish and reckless dolts."
"That's just prejudice," Hermione pointed out sharply.
"No, I also think Ravenclaw is the best," Felix said, supporting Cho and Marietta. He explained, "Wizards gain power through knowledge. Ravenclaw represents wisdom and learning, and that's precisely what wizards should pursue."
He concluded, "While courage, diligence, and cunning are all important for a wizard, wisdom and knowledge are their very essence."
Marietta and Cho Chang both clapped.
"Well said! You'll definitely make an excellent Ravenclaw."
"Professor Flitwick will be delighted to meet you."
After carefully considering Felix's words, the proud Hermione had to nod. "I must admit, you make a very good point. Now I'm hoping to be sorted into Ravenclaw too." As she said this, her cheeks turned a little pink.
"Unfortunately, the Sorting Hat decides which house you go to. If you're unlucky, you might end up in a different one," Marietta reminded them, a little regretfully.
However, Felix, who had read the original books, immediately had a solution. "I've heard that there are ways to influence the Sorting Hat's decision. If you keep firmly in mind which house you want to go to, the Hat will take your opinion into account. You could try it. If it works, we could all be in the same house."
He looked earnestly into Hermione's eyes as he spoke the last sentence.
Being gazed at so intently by such a handsome boy, Hermione's face turned an even deeper shade of red. She agreed in a small voice, "Alright, I'll do that."
Following this, the four of them launched into a lively discussion about Ravenclaw. Mostly, Cho and Marietta described the house, Felix and Hermione offered their opinions, Cho and Marietta would sometimes agree enthusiastically, sometimes vehemently disagree, and then continue their descriptions... and so the cycle went. All four of them were enjoying the conversation so much that they didn't even notice the train had started moving.
Around twelve-thirty, a smiling woman with dimples pushed a trolley laden with sweets past their compartment. All four bought some snacks from her and happily began to share them.
Felix declined Marietta's offer of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, as he didn't fancy risking a bogey-flavoured one or something equally bizarre. Hermione, however, was quite intrigued and bravely ate several, until a bean tasting strongly of a fiery chili pepper had her gulping down several large cups of water.
What truly interested Felix were the cards that came with the Chocolate Frogs. These cards, with their moving figures, sparked a bold idea in his mind—to use this technology to create a collectible card game, similar to Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Hearthstone. He knew the wizarding world had games like Wizard's Chess, and collecting Chocolate Frog cards was also very popular. Therefore, a collectible card game would definitely have a promising future in the wizarding world; he could even become rich through it.
He even thought of hiring Ravenclaw classmates to help develop and manufacture the cards. Such technology wasn't exceptionally advanced within the field of alchemy, and students would surely be happy to earn some Galleons in their spare time. During this process, he could identify truly capable young witches and wizards and formally hire them after they graduated.
I really am a genius, Felix thought, feeling a little smug for a moment.
Just then, an unexpected event interrupted his thoughts.