Billywigs were small insects that caused a funny little reaction when you got stung. "I wanna get stung and fly!" I chuckled a bit while petting Val's head.
"Well, it says here that it could last for days. You might not stop even when you want to. That means no baths."
Over the course of the time we spent together, I found that Val really enjoyed being in water. It surprised me. For a cold-blooded animal, he liked the chill of the water—a truly fascinating quirk.
Val then looked at the page solemnly, his tail down my shirt flicking back and forth in thought and sadness. "Maybe not…"
I turned the page with a smile. "Don't worry. I'll find a spell to make you fly."
Val's tail swished more excitedly while he yelled, "Really!?"
I chuckled softly, patting his scaly head. "Really. I'll just look through some of the spells we have in this book."
I placed the beast book aside for the moment and grabbed one of our first-year spellbooks, flipping through the pages in search of a spell that could make Val fly. Most spells had descriptive names, making it easier for wizards to recall them later.
I reached Chapter 7 and found a spell called Wingardium Leviosa.
"Says 'wing' in the title…" I muttered while reading the spell's description and the wand movement required. "I think I found one. You wanna try?" I asked Val as he slithered out of my shirt.
"Yea!! I wanna fly!"
I smiled, took out my wand, and pointed it at Val.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" I chanted, focusing on the power flowing through the wand. I directed that power toward Val—and then I felt something. I could sense Val's weight. His heft. I could feel the energy coursing through me, fueling the charm as I lifted him. I carefully fed more power into the spell, slowly raising Val up until he was hovering near the window, able to see the passing landscape.
"Wow! I like it! I like it!" he cheered, rolling in the air and eagerly asking me to fly him around the cabin.
I happily complied, carefully hovering him above the seats so he'd have a soft landing in case I lost control. Val kept yelling with glee at being so high, and I couldn't help but smile—a real, genuine smile. One I hadn't shown in so many years.
This was almost a dream come true.
That was, until I heard someone knocking on the door.
I quickly stopped the spell and caught Val in my hands. He knew to slither up my sleeve and hide. I had told him the only way he could come with me was if he stayed hidden from humans—and he really wanted to come with me.
The door opened, and I sighed with relief at the close call. Good thing I picked a room with curtained windows on the door.
I turned to glare at the intruder for ruining the moment.
"What do you want?" I sighed, plopping onto the seat.
It was a girl with frizzy brown hair that refused to be tamed. She seemed to ignore my hostile tone, pushing forward with her own agenda.
"Have you seen a toad?" she asked.
I looked at her with a confused and annoyed expression.
"Not since toads learned how to operate doors," I said with a slightly mocking tone, pointing at the door she was holding open.
She frowned and tried to explain herself.
"I was just trying to help him find his pet! Although, I suppose it's not as if I'd get much help from you any—"
Her voice was suddenly cut off by hissing—specifically, Val hissing in anger.
"I can find that stupid, boil-covered toad! Watch us find him better than you!!" Val yelled furiously.
The girl seemed confused by the sudden hissing, while the black-haired boy she pointed to kept looking around, seemingly unaware of the noises inside my cabin.
I sighed at Val's outburst, presumably from having his flying time cut short, but I couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for the lost pet. If Val were missing, I knew I'd tear everything apart to find him.
I stood up and whispered to Val in my left sleeve.
"Smell him out if you can and let me know if I'm close."
He gave a small chirp—the same note I first heard when I met him—as I walked through the door. The girl looked at me with confusion, while the boy gazed at me with hope.
I held my hand out toward one end of the hall for Val to sense the direction. He chirped again in approval.
With a quickened pace, I made my way down the corridor, the girl and boy following closely behind. When I reached the end of the train car, I paused. Crouching down, I hovered my hand over the floor, waiting for Val's signal.
A soft chirp sounded again.
I glanced where my hand was pointing and spotted the outline of a toad, cleverly camouflaged against the wall. I grinned at its intelligence—finding such a good hiding spot. Swiftly, I scooped it up in my hands.
I knew Val wouldn't eat the toad, as I had just fed him before the train ride, so I examined the little creature for a moment.
However, before I could properly inspect it, the boy snatched it from my hands with a relieved and joyful expression.
"Trevor!" he cried happily.
I sighed as the toad was taken from me so quickly, but I decided to return to my cabin. As I walked past the girl, I noticed she was frozen in shock, staring at the boy and his reclaimed toad.
"Hah! Don't look down on us, you stupid girl!" Val spat angrily, causing her to jump at the sudden hissing.
I felt a pit sink in my stomach, worried that Val's outburst would expose him before the train ride even ended. I needed to steer her away from the truth.
"Try not to assume yourself better than others, only to be proven wrong seconds later in the future," I murmured snidely, hoping to provoke her frustration enough to distract her from the hissing.
Without waiting for a reply, I quickly walked away, scolding Val in a hushed tone.
"You have to learn that words are just words. You can't get riled up by them."
Val whimpered slightly, explaining himself. "But she was being mean!"
"I know, but you can't attack every mean person. The point of a snake is to lay in wait—to strike back at the right time. Besides… I don't think she's a bad person. She did want to help find that boy's toad."
Val's tail swished slightly as he pondered my words.
I didn't want to let anyone know I was speaking Parseltongue. Soon, it would lead to the inevitable question of what I was speaking it to.
Meanwhile, in the Corridor
Hermione stared at the brown-haired boy's retreating figure, a storm of emotions swirling within her.
She felt a mixture of anger and intrigue. She didn't even know his name—nor did he know hers—but his behavior frustrated her.
Ever since she found out she was a witch, she had studied as much as she could in the short time she had the books in her possession. Yet, this boy, who was also a first-year, seemed to possess knowledge she couldn't explain.
'He must be some rich kid who had private tutors,' she reasoned bitterly.
Her anger toward his arrogant attitude grew, fueling her determination. She walked back to the cabin where she had met some friendlier students.
As she passed the door without a window, she knew the boy was inside. She pressed her ear to the wood.
'I bet he's mouthing off about me behind my back.'
Instead, all she heard was that strange hissing again—the same sound she had heard earlier. At first, she thought it was the train making an odd noise, but now she knew better.
'It's coming from him…'
Her curiosity deepened, fueling her resolve. She was going to figure out his secret—and prove she was better, even without whatever unfair advantage he had.
With newfound determination, Hermione returned to the cabin where she had met the red-haired boy and the famous one with the lightning-shaped scar.