Chapter 21: There's Gold in Books

Chapter 21: There's Gold in Books

The smell of steam and coal filled the air. Leon moved past the crowd of new students pushing their trolleys and headed for the Hogwarts Express.

He spotted them all. The round-faced boy with his grandmother... Neville Longbottom. The large, red-haired wizarding family... the Weasleys. The arrogant, pale-haired boy... Draco Malfoy.

In his mind, Leon silently ticked off the names, matching the characters from the original story.

He didn't bother with introductions, walking straight onto the train. The first few carriages were already full, and he had no desire to be crammed in with other children, so he continued on to the last carriage.

Unlike the other new students, who were struggling with trunks and cages, Leon carried only a single leather suitcase, enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm.

He took a book from the case, lifted the case onto the luggage rack, and settled into a seat by the window. Pen in hand, he began to make notes in the margins, muttering quietly to himself.

"Interesting... If that's the case, this entire section can be bypassed..."

"Oh? They've added an amendment to patch the loophole... but it's still not airtight. There's still room to manoeuvre."

"Statutes concerning magical creatures... which means any industry related to them would be exceptionally profitable?"

"Hmm... and strict controls on Muggle items... This means fostering a relationship with the Weasleys is a priority. I recall Ron's father works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office."

"The tax code is also riddled with problems... must find a way to circumvent it. No, wait... this could be leveraged. This could be a channel for political donations..."

Leon's mind leaped from one opportunity to the next, identifying dozens of problems and their preliminary solutions.

Just as he was deep in thought, the compartment door slid open, and a familiar face appeared.

"Mr. Shelby! I finally found you!"

It was Harry Potter. He was still wearing the Peaky Blinders suit, but he was noticeably healthier and sturdier than when they first met. The suit, which had once been neat, now looked a bit snug.

"Mr. Potter," Leon smiled, looking up. "It's good to see you. Please, come in. I'm glad to see you're looking much stronger."

Harry beamed and entered, sitting down a bit shyly in the seat opposite Leon.

"It's all thanks to the chef you sent," Harry said, scratching his head. "I've... put on a bit of weight."

Leon reached over and gave his shoulder a squeeze. The arm was no longer bony and frail.

Just as they were about to talk more, there was another knock. A red-haired boy with bright, clear eyes poked his head in.

"Sorry!" he said. "Everywhere else is full. Do you mind if I sit here?"

Leon glanced at the trademark red hair and raised an eyebrow. He had just been thinking about the Weasleys, and here was Ron, right on cue.

"Please, come in. There's plenty of room."

Ron beamed and shuffled in, immediately trying to heave his heavy trunk onto the luggage rack. It was too high, the trunk was too heavy, and Ron was too short. He strained, his face turning as red as his hair, but it wouldn't budge.

Seeing the struggle, Leon drew his wand and performed a simple Levitation Charm. The trunk instantly became weightless and floated obediently into place.

"Blimey, you already know magic!" Ron's eyes were wide. "I mean, thanks! I'm Ron Weasley. Was that the Levitation Charm?"

"Leon Shelby," Leon replied, introducing himself. "It was. Just a simple charm."

"That's not simple! I can't even get Lumos to work properly," Ron said, his words tumbling out. "But it's probably just this old wand. It was my brother's."

Ron, who seemed to talk like a machine gun, didn't wait for a reply. His eyes fixed on the book in Leon's hand.

"A Compendium of British Ministry of Magic Laws, 1855? Is that a textbook? Bloody hell, I must have missed it on the list..."

"It wasn't on the list," Harry put in. "Mr. Shelby must have bought it for himself."

Ron let out a long sigh of relief, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead.

He looked at Harry. "You two are dressed exactly alike. Not like wizards. Are you brothers? I bet your name's Shelby, too, right?"

Harry pressed his lips together. I wish.

"Harry Potter," he said. "Nice to meet you."

Ron, who had been certain he was right, looked surprised. A second later, the name registered. His jaw dropped, and he let out a loud gasp.

"Harry Potter? You're Harry Potter? The Boy Who Lived!"

Leon smiled at Harry. "Remember what I told you when we first met?" he said quietly. "You have no idea what your name means in this world."

For some reason, Harry felt embarrassed to be the centre of attention in front of Mr. Shelby. If a boy who lived in a cupboard for ten years is the 'saviour,' he thought, then what does that make Mr. Shelby, who saved him from that cupboard?

Harry didn't know the answer, but he was glad he was wearing the suit Leon had given him.

Leon said nothing, watching with a small, detached smile as Ron animatedly asked Harry if he really had the scar. He had no interest in joining in. He simply lowered his head and returned to his thick, heavy law book, continuing his search for loopholes between the lines.

There's gold in books. Especially in law books.

At some point, the trolley with sweets came by. Ron went red and said he'd brought sandwiches from his mum. Harry, with a kindness Leon noted, bought a large pile of snacks, then traded them for one of Ron's sandwiches, claiming he just wanted to try his mum's cooking.

Leon was given his share. His luck, however, was poor. The first Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean he ate was bogey-flavoured.

He didn't let his expression change. Instead, he simply tricked the other two into trying one, and only after they had both eaten theirs did he spit his own out.

Amidst the sound of all three of them gagging in disgust, the Hogwarts Express slowly began to slow down, finally arriving at its destination.