"Oh!"
"Sir, there's no room here."
Noticing the Black man still squeezing toward him, Harry couldn't help but cry out, trying to remind him.
"Oh, is that so?"
Looking at those innocent, deer-like eyes behind the glasses, the Black man spat disdainfully.
Passengers splattered with spit glared angrily at him.
The Black man's eyes widened. He patted his bulging waist. The vicious threat was obvious. Seeing the passengers hurry away, he turned smugly to Harry.
"This is public space. Everyone's turf. That means my turf, idiot!"
"If you don't want me to strip you naked and throw you out, you better stand up and cry your way off."
"Get off my turf..."
"Got it? Gypsy brat."
Yellowed, foul-smelling teeth nearly touched Harry's nose. Thick, greasy lips curved into a meaningful arc, as if he wanted to do more than just this.
"You..."
Harry clenched his jaw tightly. His cheeks bulged slightly from the force. Looking at the Black man's unrestrained gaze, he wanted nothing more than to teach this bastard a lesson immediately.
However, remembering last night's chaos, he had to forcibly suppress his anger. Lowered his head, no longer acknowledging the Black man.
Seeing Harry stay silent and lower his head, the Black man's arrogance intensified. He believed Harry, who hadn't gotten off the train, was challenging his authority.
"Gypsy brat."
"Are your ears stuck to your ass?"
"Now get off, or I'll make your ears really stick to that damn ass!"
The F-bomb-laden nagging in his ear grew closer.
Harry's face flushed red as he kept his head down. His fists on his knees clenched tighter unconsciously.
Just then, Neville stood up.
"No, Neville..."
Harry stood up in panic, wanting to give his seat to Neville. But Neville pressed down on his shoulder.
This made him feel even more ashamed.
Since the day they met, Neville wasn't just a new friend to Harry.
This honest, clumsy little fatty was someone Harry had always wanted to protect.
Perhaps because they'd both been caught in the rain...
Seeing Neville reminded Harry of his former self.
Facing mockery from their own house, facing bullying from other houses, he'd always stood up for Neville.
Yet now, Neville was giving way for Harry. This made Harry's heart increasingly unsettled.
He couldn't help but ask himself: What had turned him into this?
"Sir, I'm sorry..."
Neville's apologetic voice made Harry's head snap up. His eyes trembled violently.
This introverted, timid friend was using the only method he could to seek temporary peace for him.
Harry's fingertips gradually turned white.
He didn't need this kind of humiliating compromise. He'd rather stand in front of Neville and be beaten out of the car by this Black man!
"That's your apology?"
The Black man raised his head smugly. Seeing Neville step forward, he pointed at Neville's pocket, making a rubbing-fingers gesture. His eyes were contemptuous:
"You better know your place..."
In Harry's bewildered gaze, Neville suddenly threw a right hook. The heavy thud interrupted the Black man's nagging.
His greasy, filthy face instantly twisted and deformed.
The Black man's head involuntarily jerked back. A low, pained groan followed.
"I'm sorry! Really sorry!"
Before the Black man could steady himself, heavy, vicious fists struck again. The thuds of fist meeting flesh continued nonstop.
Neville's face flushed red. His eyes were full of guilt. But the deeper the guilt, the heavier his combination punches became.
The Black man covered his face, howling in pain.
However, the louder the howls, the more Neville seemed frightened. His fists swung even more frantically.
Until the Black man, covered in blood, passed out. His yellowed, broken teeth scattered across the floor...
Harry stared blankly at Neville.
Neville wiped tears from the corners of his eyes, letting the blood on his fists stain his cheeks. Still sobbing, he continued apologizing.
"I'm sorry, sir..."
The subway kept moving.
But everyone in the car had long since fled.
Hermione pretended to sit up straight nonchalantly. But her guilty eyes didn't dare look at Tiger again.
Everyone had been scared away.
She had no more excuse to lean against Tiger.
She hadn't realized this herself—Tiger reminded her. Gunpowder's fur plus Hermione's hair was really hot.
"Neville..."
Harry looked at the unconscious Black man, then at Neville still crying softly. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. The atmosphere was awkward.
"Neville, are you scared?"
Roughly guessing why Neville was crying, Harry patted his friend's shoulder, trying to comfort him.
"No, Harry..."
Neville sniffed. His eyes were slightly red. His voice choked:
"Hitting people is wrong. I'm a bad kid. Gran definitely won't like me like this."
"Uh..."
Harry was instantly speechless.
All the comfort he'd prepared was choked back. He pressed his lips together, his tone somewhat puzzled:
"But why did you think to hit him?"
Neville's former timidity was still vivid. At least in Harry's eyes, given Neville's personality, hitting someone would never be his first choice, even to protect friends.
Neville's head snapped up. His tone was firm:
"Good people shouldn't give way to bad people. Much less let bad people step on their heads."
"Marcus and the others said when we encounter this situation, we only need to consider one thing—unconditionally beat this person into the dirt..."
"Ah..." (◎_◎;)
"Huh?!" (???)
Harry's eyes grew increasingly confused.
He wasn't questioning Neville's words. But the people who told Neville this—they weren't good people!
What the hell!
Kent's amusement park was the largest in the surrounding counties and a famous tourist spot.
Colorful carousel horses rotated slowly to melodious music, as if carrying children through different fantasy scenes.
Not far away, a roller coaster roared past.
Tourists' screams and cheers became the most eye-catching presence in the park.
Clowns holding balloons wove through the crowd.
Children's laughter rose and fell, making those around them smile too.
Neville stared dazedly at everything.
As if in a fairytale kingdom from a dream. Fluffy mascots waved at him from afar.
The unpleasantness on the subway dissipated completely in this colorful, dreamlike realm.
In fact, Harry had never been to an amusement park either. But he'd seen similar scenes outside Surrey's amusement park. He didn't look as shocked as Neville.
He just gazed into the distance, watching many parents pulling their children around to play. His heart filled with longing and envy.
Tiger stood with hands in pockets in front of a hot dog stand. The crowd that had been squeezed in front somehow had long since scattered.
"S-sir..."
"What... what sauce would you like?"
The young female clerk looked at the fierce Tiger, nearly crying. The hot dog in her hands trembled.
"Got chocolate sauce?"
Tiger asked in an unfriendly tone.
"No... yes yes yes..."
"We do! Just a moment!"
The clerk, who'd instinctively wanted to shake her head, was suddenly pulled back by someone behind her. She hurriedly changed from shaking to nodding. She quickly disappeared from the window.
"Damn it, where does a hot dog get chocolate sauce!"
"Didn't Neville already help you..."
"What do you mean he's him and I'm me!"
"Are you still a kid?"
"What does the amusement park have to do with you..."
Tiger argued through gritted teeth with Venom.
Until Hermione ran happily to him holding two ice creams, raising one high.
"Tiger, vanilla mint flavor."
"I bet you'll love it!"
Looking at Hermione's slightly flushed, breathless face, Tiger's irritated thoughts somehow quietly improved.
But after finishing the ice cream, the hot dog stand clerk completely disappeared into the shop, never appearing again...
His mood worsened once more.
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