Harry Potter felt helpless.
His usually strict Uncle Vernon, out of the blue, drove him to King's Cross Station and even helped him push his heavy trunk into the station.
Harry had initially wondered why Vernon had become so kind, but when he saw that there was no Platform 9 3/4 here, he immediately understood.
No wonder Vernon ran off so quickly; he had intentionally abandoned him here!
Helpless, he could only pluck up the courage to ask a security guard.
Although he didn't mention Platform 9 3/4, he was still scolded for causing trouble.
This was mainly because Harry couldn't even clearly explain where Hogwarts was located.
When he learned that there wasn't even a single train departing at eleven o'clock, he felt utterly helpless.
The silver lining was that he met a kind Wizard family.
With their help, Harry finally successfully arrived at Platform 9 3/4.
However, as he arrived too late, the train was almost full.
Harry could only struggle to squeeze through the crowd and found an empty compartment near the rear of the train.
He tried to lift his trunk onto the step, but because he was thin and the trunk was too heavy, he tried twice, and the trunk landed heavily on his foot both times.
At this point, he couldn't care about the pain in his foot.
He took a deep breath and made a third attempt with all his might.
Undoubtedly, it failed again.
At the crucial moment, a strong hand firmly caught the trunk, preventing it from landing on Harry's foot for a third time.
Harry looked up, and an instantly impressive face appeared in his line of sight.
"You need help."
The person effortlessly lifted the trunk onto the step, while smiling at Harry.
Harry had grown up in an environment of bullying and oppression since he was little.
Both at home and at school.
At home, he didn't even have his own room; his aunt and uncle always made him live in a spider-filled cupboard under the stairs.
Once he caused any trouble, he would be punished by not being allowed to eat, and he would be bullied by his cousin, Dudley, from time to time.
At school, Harry didn't have a single friend either.
This was also because of Dudley.
As the school bully, Dudley was extremely overbearing.
He was the only one who dared to pull down his pants in public, and he was the only one who pulled up others' pants when they urinated.
With everyone knowing that Dudley hated Harry the most, no one was willing to go against Dudley's group.
In this environment, Harry naturally developed an introverted personality.
However.
At this very moment, Harry would bet that the smile of the little boy standing in front of him was the most charming smile he had ever seen in his life.
Whether it was his distinctive gray eyes, his long, hooked nose, or the ease with which he handled the trunk, everything made the other person seem exceptionally reliable.
The last time he felt this way was on his birthday.
The Giant Hagrid brought the recommendation letter for Hogwarts and also told Harry that he was a Wizard.
"I'm Sherlock Holmes, a first-year student, and you?"
While Harry was still in a daze, Sherlock had already extended his hand to him.
"H-hello, Holmes, I'm Harry Potter, also a first-year."
Harry was so nervous that he extended both hands when facing Sherlock.
But he quickly realized how silly that was and hastily withdrew one hand.
Mainly, he simply didn't have much social experience and was afraid the other person would mock him.
Sherlock naturally wouldn't do that.
Even for Sherlock, finding Harry Potter, whom he had never seen before, on an entire train was not an easy task.
Fortunately, Sherlock arrived early enough, giving him ample time to rule out those waiting on the platform in advance.
This way, he only needed to focus on those who had just entered the platform.
Even so, Sherlock was a bit surprised.
Because when he found Harry, he realized that he had come alone, and he didn't look to be in very good condition.
This fact made Sherlock briefly wonder if he had found the wrong person.
Even if Harry had lost his parents, given his status in the Magical World, it wouldn't be strange for ten or eight people to come and see him off, would it?
But he had come all by himself.
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
So Sherlock understood that this hero who had saved the Magical World had not grown up in the Wizarding world but had remained in the non-Wizarding world.
This also made Sherlock even more interested in Harry.
"Just call me Sherlock," Sherlock extended his hand and shook Harry's, "It's crowded up front, let's sit here, Potter—or can I call you Harry too?"
"Huh? O-okay."
Harry instinctively nodded.
By the time he reacted, he found himself already pressed by Sherlock into the window seat of this carriage.
Then Sherlock moved all his luggage inside, and also placed his pet owl, Hedwig, on top.
Being clearly arranged by Sherlock, whom he had just met, Harry didn't feel much aversion; instead, he felt much more at ease inside.
His heart was pounding as he stepped into the Magical World for the first time, and he desperately needed a brother-like figure.
He even had a bold idea deep down:
If only he could continue to follow Sherlock like this.
Compared to his cousin Dudley, this new classmate, who looked very reliable just by his appearance, was more like a true older brother.
If Sherlock hadn't said it himself, he would have thought the other person was an upper-year student.
After the two had settled down, Sherlock looked at Harry again:
"You don't seem to be doing very well."
Just one sentence made Harry feel a strong urge to confide.
Looking at Sherlock's encouraging gaze, he poured out all his experiences from over the years.
At this moment, Sherlock was a dutiful listener; he kept nodding and occasionally asked a few questions.
After their conversation, Sherlock had a more comprehensive understanding of Harry.
He was even more interesting than he had imagined.
"So, your uncle left after dropping you off at the station today, and fortunately, you got help from others and finally successfully arrived here?"
"Exactly! I was wondering why he suddenly became so kind—wait, how did you know?"
Harry was speaking when he suddenly felt something was off.
He looked at Sherlock in shock:
"I only said I've been living with relatives all these years, I didn't say it was my uncle!
And! How did you know I couldn't find the platform and got help from others?"
Sherlock was already accustomed to Harry's reaction.
Initially, he also enjoyed this feeling.
After thoroughly explaining his deduction process, seeing the astonished and admiring gazes of others, a sense of superiority would naturally arise within him.
But after many such instances, Sherlock had grown accustomed to this reaction, to the point of finding it boring.
By now, he simply felt this ability was commonplace and not worth praising.
Anyone could reach his current level with diligent practice.
But others clearly didn't think so.
Like Harry in front of him.
Looking at his expression, Sherlock knew that if he didn't explain these things clearly, their friendly conversation wouldn't be able to continue.