"I still can't believe that the two of you are actually witches!" Lawrence howled.
"Well, who would have thought that the annoying boy next door I really detest happens to be a wizard?" Janice shot back.
At this point, a lady pushing a trolley opened their compartment door and asked
if they wanted anything. Curious, Janice walked towards the trolley, wanting
to buy as many Kit-Kats as possible. But the lady didn't sell any Kit-Kats.
In place were sweets that Janice had read in the Harry Potter books. There was
Bertie Botts Every-flavour beans, Chocolate frogs, Pumpkin pasties, Cauldron
cakes and Droobles best blowing gum. Fascinated, she bought a little of everything,
except the Mint Humbugs.
"Wow, you sure bought a lot of sweets," Lawrence replied, eyeing at the pile she had bought.
"Oh, I read about these sweets in the Harry Potter books. I just feel like trying them out." Janice replied casually.
Boon Kee dropped the one of the chocolate frogs upon hearing at what Janice
had said. "Harry.... Harry Potter? You heard of him before?" he squeaked.
"Yes. He's very famous in the muggle world too, you know, copies of his books are selling like hotcakes everywhere."
"Books?"
"I mean, books about his adventures, you know, with his friends like Ron and Hermione." Janice replied nonchantly.
"I can't believe it. He's so famous now, even the muggle world knows who
he is." Chee Hao replied dreamily.
"You mean he's real? Even Voldemort?" Landy whispered.
To Landy and Janice's surprise, the three boys flinched at the name of
Voldemort.
"Just call him you-know-who next time. Okay?" Boon Kee snapped.
"VOLDEMORT!" Landy and Janice bellowed. The boys looked at them in shock.
"Look, the three of you, there's nothing wrong with saying that name, okay? You guys are boys, are you aware of that? So why are you still flinching at a name?" Janice retorted.
"Besides, this is Singapore and Voldemort is in Britain. Can he hear you?" Landy added.
"You'll never know... he has supporters everywhere..." Lawrence whispered, as though Voldemort was just in the next compartment, listening to their conversation.
"Is Harry Potter really that famous in the wizarding world?" Janice asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Famous? He's more than famous! He's he's.... practically a legend! He's such a remarkable wizard, and to think that he's only a few years older than us!" Boon Kee chirped.
"He's not very remarkable, you know, actually, he's just like us, got tonnes of homework to do, has crushes, he's a human like us too! He also has to serve detentions when he does something wrong and also, he has a really intensive quidditch practice-"
"Quidditch! Hey have you heard of what happened to the match last night?
Chudley Cannons actually defeated Puddlemere United! I think the score is about
a hundred and ninety points to forty points." Lawrence said.
"What! Chudley Cannons actually defeated Puddlemere? Are you joking? They haven't defeat any other team for years!" Boon Kee said, amazed.
"Well. They just happen to win it by luck, Romulus had to duck a bludger thrown by Mathieu and he actually swallowed the snitch while ducking it..."
Bored by their conversation, Janice took out her copy of "Harry Potter
and the Goblet of Fire" and began to re-read it for the tenth time. Landy
too, took her her copy of an Idiot's-Proof guide to Standard spells and began
learning a levitating charm.
"Oh, that's a Harry Potter book? Looks interesting." Lawrence said.
"Huh? Oh yeah...want to read it? It's pretty good." Janice mumbled.
"Thanks." Lawrence replied, taking the book from Janice.
"So this is a Harry Potter book? Who would be so stupid to own one? Must be a mudblood" someone with a cold voice sneered.
Looking up sharply, she saw two boys about her age standing at the front of their compartment door, smirking. Both of them had greasy black shoulder-length hair, pockmarked faces and were wearing school robes.
"Hello to the two Snape-wannabes," Lawrence introduced. "The
j**k at the right is Yang Yi or known as Yang Ya* and the dork on the left is
Ivan Tan or known as Ai Ben Dan*"
*(Yang Ya means rearing ducks while Ai Ben Dan means short and stupid in Mandarin)
"Nice try, Lawrence, or should I say Laundry?" Ivan smirked.
"You-" Lawrence retorted. He sprang from his seat and was about to attack Ivan but was being stopped by Boon Kee and Chee Hao.
See you again then, oh, you two, I don't think that it would be wise if you mix around with them. Because you'll be sorry if you mix with the wrong crowd." Yang Yi replied, turning to Janice and Landy as he spoke.
Before Janice could retort, both of them left the compartment.
"Why did you stop me? You should have let me finish that #@%& person off!" Lawrence howled.
"You ought to know that, Lawrence, it's always wrong to fight violence with violence!" Janice reasoned.
"Oh why don't you just shut up, Miss goody two shoes?" Lawrence snapped.
Annoyed, she was about to tell Lawrence to shut his mouth up too when suddenly a voice boomed throughout the train. " We would be reaching Yap Ee Chian in an hour's time. Please change into your school robes and leave your trunks behind. It will be taken up to the castle."
"Now what? " Landy whispered. She was looking around like a lost child.
"I think it would be best if we change into our robes now." Janice
replied.