Ron warmed up to Harry and Julian almost immediately, chatting away as if they had known each other for ages. In no time he was bouncing from quidditch teams to famous matches, then on to preferred flavors of Every Flavour Beans. He spoke with such bafflement that anyone might be ignorant of these things that Julian finally had to cut in and explain that the non-magical world was nothing like wizarding Britain. Once Ron wrapped his head around the idea that muggles did not grow up surrounded by brooms and cauldrons, he was more than eager to launch into explanations of everything he could think of. Julian and Harry listened intently, only interrupting to ask for clarification or to nudge him into giving more detail when something caught their interest.
The bit that fascinated Julian the most was learning that there were wizarding societies scattered all over the world, yet hardly any information seemed to pass between them. It was not only a matter of different languages either, since the customs and beliefs in each place were wildly distinct. One example Ron gave was that in India, Parselmouths were held in high esteem and openly praised, while most English witches and wizards treated anyone who spoke to snakes as suspicious, dark, or outright evil. Ron, quite convinced of his own view, declared that the Indian magical community clearly had it wrong. Harry and Julian exchanged a glance but neither bothered to argue, recognizing that Ron's opinion on that subject would not be shifted easily.
About half an hour later, while they were in the middle of an animated debate about muggle inventions compared to wizarding products, the Hogwarts Express finally jolted into motion. The compartment felt almost like a tiny courtroom as Julian insisted, with stubborn confidence, that muggle items could be every bit as good as magical ones, while Ron refused to concede even an inch. The conversation was spirited rather than angry, each boy piling on examples and counterexamples in an attempt to win the other over. Harry decided he valued his peace of mind more than winning an argument and stayed sensibly neutral, watching them go back and forth. That uneasy truce did not last long, though, because the compartment door slid open to reveal Draco Malfoy and his two hulking shadows, who clearly had been searching the train. The way Draco's pale eyes locked onto Harry left no doubt whom he had come for.
"You must be Potter, Draco Malfoy, heir to House Malfoy. These are Crabbe and Goyle, future Slytherins." The blond boy announced this with polished arrogance, then caught sight of Ron and gave a contemptuous snort. "You ought to choose your company more carefully instead of sitting with blood traitors," he added with obvious disgust.
Ron looked ready to swing a fist in the next couple of seconds, his ears going red, when Harry cut in.
"I'm good, thanks," Harry said flatly.
Draco realized at once that he had been turned down. His expression twisted into an ugly scowl and, without another word, he spun on his heel and stormed off, Crabbe and Goyle lumbering along behind him.
"Slimy git," Ron muttered furiously once Draco was out of sight.
"Didn't seem like pleasant company at all. He did not even bother to greet me," Julian remarked lightly, as though personally offended by the lack of manners.
Ron snorted a laugh in spite of himself, his temper cooling at the joke.
"Want to see something interesting?" Julian asked a moment later, a mischievous glint lighting up his eyes.
Both Harry and Ron perked up immediately.
"What is it?" Ron asked, while Harry leaned forward, curious.
"Just watch," Julian said. He stood, slid the compartment door open, and leaned out into the corridor with his wand already in hand.
"LANGLOCK! LANGLOCK! LANGLOCK!"
Three streaks of green shot from his wand in quick succession, flying straight down the passage. Each spell struck Draco and his two tagalongs squarely in the back, making all three of them stumble in surprise. Before any of them could whirl around to see who had hexed them, Julian had darted back into the compartment and shut the door with practiced speed, settling into his seat as though nothing at all had happened.
"Bloody hell, what was that?" Ron demanded, awestruck by the display of magic and not remotely concerned that Julian had just attacked Malfoy and his friends.
"Langlock, the tongue-tying hex," Julian replied, grinning. "Draco seemed very fond of hearing himself speak, so unless someone undoes it for him, he will not be able to manage more than muffled nonsense for a few hours."
Harry burst out laughing, and Ron followed once the full implication of the prank sank in, both of them picturing Malfoy trying to be superior without being able to talk properly.
"Where did you pick that one up?" Ron asked excitedly, eyes bright.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook," Julian answered without hesitation. "It is harmless, easy enough to counter, but brilliant fun when used on someone who cannot keep quiet."
That was all the encouragement Ron needed. He dug frantically through his trunk for his own Defense Against the Dark Arts book and flipped it open to search for the spell.
Harry leaned over Ron's shoulder, wanting to memorize it as well. The idea of silencing an obnoxious person with a single spell was simply too enjoyable to ignore. Once they located the entry for Langlock, the two of them began practicing, following Julian's pointers about wand movement and pronunciation.
"Flick a bit sharper here, and do not rush the second syllable," Julian advised, correcting their form.
After about an hour of determined effort, both Harry and Ron were able to cast the hex, although they still needed a small wind up and a moment of focus before the magic took hold. Julian, by contrast, had it down to a smooth, quick motion that looked almost casual.
By then, all three boys were feeling rather hungry, and right on cue, as if their empty stomachs had summoned it, the trolley witch pushed her cart up to their compartment.
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she called.
Ron shifted awkwardly and shook his head. "I'm all right," he muttered, fishing a squashed sandwich out of his pocket.
Julian and Harry shared a look, then identical grins spread across their faces.
"We will take one of everything," they said together, speaking in perfect unison.
They pulled out seven Galleons each, money left over from not having to pay for their wands, and began piling sweets into their laps. Seeing the growing mountain of treats and having been invited to join in, Ron decisively lobbed his sad sandwich out the window and scooted closer, clearly abandoning any pretense of being fine.
Soon the compartment was filled with the rustle of wrappers and the smell of chocolate and sugar. Just as usual, the Chocolate Frog card Harry opened turned out to be Dumbledore, but this time Julian claimed it for himself, tucking it away, along with the card from his own frog, which featured Ignatia Wildsmith, the witch credited with creating the Floo Network.