MTS: Marvel and Beyond

"Hello, are you looking for Platform 9¾?"

Alex's voice caught the attention of three people, and they turned to see a handsome young boy standing nearby.

The boy appeared to be Hermione's age and was of mix descent. What was particularly striking was his extraordinary appearance—his refined, almost ethereal features were unlike anything they had ever seen.

Upon noticing the trolley Alex was pushing, Mr. Granger immediately realized that Alex must also be a student at Hogwarts, just like his daughter. He asked:

"Oh, yes! Young wizard, could you help us? We've been looking for Platform 9¾ but can't seem to find it."

Alex pointed to a nearby brick pillar and said: "This pillar here, sir—it's the entrance to Platform 9¾. Only wizards can pass through it."

Then, turning to Hermione, he gave a warm smile and said: "This lovely young lady must be the new student. Would you like to come with me? I can show you how to get through."

The Grangers were overjoyed and said gratefully: "Thank you so much, young wizard. We'll leave Hermione in your capable hands!"

Alex and Hermione walked up to the pillar. With a quick glance at Hermione, Alex dashed toward it and disappeared. Hermione hesitated for only a moment before steeling herself and following.

On the other side, they found themselves standing at Platform 9¾.

The platform was bustling with activity. Apart from a few staff members, most of the people present were Hogwarts students. On the tracks stood an old-fashioned train, its engine marked with the number 5972.

Seeing Hermione's momentary daze, Alex gently reminded her:

"We should get moving. It's getting late, and if we delay any longer, we might miss the train."

Snapped out of her trance, Hermione quickly nodded and followed Alex onto the train.

---

Since they were already together, the two of them chose the same compartment. After they stowed their luggage, Hermione turned to Alex and said gratefully:

"Thank you so much, senior. You've been a great help. If it weren't for you, I might have been late."

Alex smiled warmly and corrected her: "You're welcome, but I'm not a senior. I'm actually a first-year, just like you."

Hermione looked at him in surprise.

"You're a first-year too? But you seemed so familiar with Platform 9¾."

"That's because I love reading. I've read about Platform 9¾ in books, so I already knew what to expect."

Hearing that Alex enjoyed reading, Hermione lit up with excitement. The nervousness she'd been feeling in this unfamiliar environment melted away, and she began chattering animatedly. "That's wonderful! Reading is such a good habit. I love reading too.

During the holidays, I read all of the first-year textbooks for Hogwarts and even practiced some of the spells. By the way, do you know any spells?"

"I know a few," Alex replied modestly, though inwardly he could feel the immense chaos magic coursing through him.

Despite being restricted by the rules of this world and unable to bring external powers with him, Alex's knowledge and experience remained unaffected. In just two months, he had already gathered a substantial amount of chaos magic and mastered all the spells mentioned in the original story.

Still, he wasn't entirely sure if he could stand toe-to-toe with Dumbledore just yet.

Hermione, sitting across from Alex, had no idea that her new companion was already plotting how to surpass Dumbledore, the greatest white wizard of the past few centuries.

Upon learning that Alex also knew some spells, Hermione eagerly wanted to discuss magic with him. However, before she could begin, a slightly chubby boy appeared at the door of their compartment, looking distressed.

"Excuse me," he said hesitantly, "have you seen my toad?"

Hermione blinked in confusion.

"Toad? What's that?"

"It's my pet," the boy explained in a small voice, looking timid. "It's gone missing, and I'm looking for it. Have you seen it?"

Alex carefully studied the newcomer—a rather ordinary-looking, chubby boy.

As a fan of Harry Potter, Alex immediately recognized who this boy was.

Neville Longbottom. The forums often discussed how the prophecy of the Chosen One could have referred to either Harry Potter or this very boy standing in front of him.

Knowing the original storyline, Alex was well aware of what would happen next.

Kind-hearted Hermione would help Neville search for his toad, and during their search, she would meet Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

To disrupt the original plot, Alex spoke up before Hermione could:

"I'll help you find it… Accio Toad!"

As Alex cast the Summoning Charm, the sound of a croaking toad grew closer. Moments later, a toad flew into view and hovered in front of Alex.

Seeing his beloved toad, Neville quickly grabbed it and cradled it in his arms. He thanked Alex profusely:

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Just then, a commotion arose outside the compartment. Three people appeared, blocking the doorway.

Leading them was a blond boy, wiping slime off his forehead with a handkerchief while glaring angrily at Neville's toad.

Draco Malfoy sneered at Neville and spat: "So that's who it is—the disgrace of a pureblood family, cowardly Neville.

Hand over that disgusting toad of yours! It just had the audacity to crash into my forehead and leave this revolting slime. I'm going to kill it!"

Neville, terrified but protective, held his toad close and stammered:

"Malfoy, I-I'm sorry, but I can't give you Trevor. He's my friend."

Draco's anger flared at Neville's defiance. "How dare you, you pathetic coward! I'll kill it today!

Crabbe, Goyle, grab that filthy toad and bring it to me. I'll toss it out and let the train wheels crush it!"

At Draco's command, his two hulking companions began tugging at Neville.

Outnumbered, Neville stood no chance against them. Just as Trevor was about to be snatched away, Hermione intervened.

She raised her wand, pointing it at Malfoy and his lackeys, and shouted:

"Stop it right now!"

In the wizarding world, a wand was as threatening as a loaded gun. Startled, Crabbe and Goyle immediately froze.

Draco, however, was unimpressed. He tilted his chin arrogantly and looked Hermione up and down.

"And who are you? I've never seen you before," he sneered.

Hermione responded firmly:

"I'm Hermione Granger. Leave now. You're not welcome here."

Hearing her surname, Draco's sneer grew even more disdainful.

"Granger? There's no Granger among the Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood families.

I thought you might be someone important, but you're just a filthy Mudblood!

How dare a Mudblood like you act so arrogantly? Step aside, or I'll have my father turn you into a toad and feed you to a snake!"

Although Hermione didn't know exactly what "Mudblood" meant, Malfoy's tone made it clear it wasn't anything good.

After being threatened by Malfoy, Hermione quickly realized that his father must hold considerable power in the wizarding world. Fear began to creep in—after all, she was just an eleven-year-old girl venturing into a mysterious magical world alone.

Even so, despite her fear, Hermione stood her ground. As a kind-hearted person, she bravely stood between Malfoy and Neville, determined to protect him.

This only made Malfoy more irritated. A "Mudblood" daring to defy him?

He barked another command at his two lackeys: "Teach them a lesson!"

The two exchanged glances, cracking their knuckles as they stepped toward Hermione and Neville.

Just as the situation was about to escalate, a calm but commanding voice rang out from inside the compartment: "That's enough. Leave. You're disturbing my reading."

The voice wasn't loud, but for some reason, it carried a weight that cut through the commotion, drawing everyone's attention.

The group turned to see a jetblack-haired, dark-eyed boy sitting in the corner, legs crossed, leaning casually against the wall with a book in hand.

Apparently annoyed by the noise, he snapped his book shut and glanced at the group with mild impatience.

Though he hadn't raised his voice or spoken harshly, the sheer authority in his presence silenced everyone in the room.

Even Malfoy felt an inexplicable sense of pressure, stronger than the one he felt from his father.

The boy's aura was so commanding that Malfoy instinctively assumed he must belong to one of the oldest pure-blood wizarding families. After all, how could a Muggle-born possess such presence?

Cautiously, Malfoy asked, "May I know your name?"

The boy—Alex—finally turned his attention to Malfoy, his lips curling into an amused smile. He said lightly, "No need to probe. I'm from the Muggle world, not one of your ancient families. Now, can you leave?"

"What?!" Malfoy was utterly shocked. Alex… was a Muggle-born?

As the realization sank in, Malfoy's disbelief quickly gave way to rage. How dare a lowly Mudblood intimidate him?

If word of this spread, he couldn't imagine the ridicule he'd face from his peers. His face twisted with anger, and he prepared to lash out. But just as he opened his mouth, he froze.

A wand was pointed directly at him.

Malfoy sneered, trying to mask his unease. "You're just a first-year, and a filthy Mudblood at that. What spells could you possibly know?

"Crabbe, Goyle—show them what happens when lowborns cross purebloods!"

As the words left his mouth, Malfoy suddenly found himself—and his two goons—floating in the air.

Before they could react, they were flung out of the compartment at breakneck speed.

Three beams of light shot out from the room, and the trio was left hanging upside down in the hallway, unable to move.

In his confusion, Malfoy replayed the scene in his mind and suddenly realized what had just happened.

Silent casting?

How is that possible? Isn't he also just a first-year?

—-—

Inside the train compartment, Hermione sat back down across from Alex, clearly excited after seeing him effortlessly defeat Malfoy with magic. She asked eagerly,

"Alex, what spell did you just use? I recognize the first one as the Levitation Charm, but I've never seen the second one before."

Alex reopened the magical novel in his hand and replied calmly,

"Everte Statum—Knockback Jinx. It's a spell you learn in higher years, so it's normal you don't know it yet."

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "You've already learned higher-year spells?"

She had thought that pre-studying all the first-year spells made her an exceptional student, but now she realized that someone she'd just randomly met had already mastered advanced magic. It seemed she still had much to improve.

Meanwhile, Neville, who had been sitting quietly, hesitated for a moment before gathering the courage to speak: "Thank you both for helping me get rid of Malfoy. We'll be at Hogwarts soon. Do you have a house in mind?"

Hermione was about to answer but suddenly turned to Alex and asked,

"Alex, which house do you want to join?"

Alex turned a page in his book and replied nonchalantly, "Probably Ravenclaw. Their common room is at the top of a tower with the best views. Plus, Ravenclaw students value knowledge, and their common room is quieter than the others, making it more conducive to studying."

Hermione's eyes lit up, and she turned to Neville, saying,

"I want to go to Ravenclaw too!"

---

While Hermione and Neville chatted, Alex continued reading, sparing part of his focus to monitor the changes in his body.

After stopping Hermione from searching for the toad and preventing the trio's first meeting, the world's constraints on Alex weakened slightly.

This confirmed Alex's hypothesis: as long as he kept altering the storyline, he could gradually modify the world's rules, eventually allowing him to consume the Harry Potter world entirely.

Earlier, when he encountered Malfoy, a thought had flashed through Alex's mind: what if he eliminated some of the story's key characters? Would it drastically rewrite the plot?

But just as that thought arose, Alex quickly dismissed it. His instincts warned him that if he acted on such an idea, his fragment of a soul would immediately be rejected by the world's rules. Worse still, his original body might be permanently barred from ever entering the Harry Potter world again.

That realization made Alex sigh softly. Indeed, the path must be taken step by step.

Meanwhile, outside the train, the three dangling figures of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle suddenly shivered as a strange chill ran through them.

---

The train soon arrived at its destination, and the students disembarked one by one.

As Alex stepped off the train, he noticed an 11.5-foot-tall giant standing at the platform. Moments later, a bespectacled boy and a red-haired boy approached the giant, engaging him in conversation.

Alex had no intention of greeting Hagrid or Harry Potter. This wasn't the right time to make changes to the story—there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

°°°

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