"Fred! George! Are you alright? What happened? What was that explosion? Are you alright?"

A female redhead quickly joined their group, followed by a few more redheads. There were three, maybe five—no, even more—people who had gathered, all casting concerned looks at the twins.

The eldest among them—Kouchi assumed he was the father—turned toward him with a polite, yet stern, expression.

"You," the man began, his tone somewhat measured, "that was dangerous. You could have seriously hurt someone with that stunt. You should apologize for what happened."

Though his words were polite, they lacked any real courtesy. It was a clear case of a parent defending their children without knowing the full story.

"I'm not at fault here," Kouchi replied, his face innocent but firm. "They shoved something into my hands, and I simply returned it. I don't see why I should apologize for something I didn't do."

His calm response made the man's face shift from frustration to a slightly sickened look. Instead of addressing Kouchi's question, he shook his head, visibly frustrated, and turned his attention back to his children.

Kouchi was about to let the matter slide when he suddenly felt someone charging toward him. Without a second thought, his reflexes kicked in, and he dodged the incoming attack, grabbing the assailant's arm in one swift motion.

"Ouch! Bloody hell! Let me go before I hurt you! You have no idea who you're messing with," the red-haired boy spat, struggling in Kouchi's grip.

The boy looked slightly older than Kouchi, with greasy hair and a face contorted with anger. Despite his apparent fury, he was relatively weak, especially given the state of the brewing conflict. Kouchi could easily break his arm with little effort.

"Ron, are you alright? Let go of my brother, you—!"

The second-oldest boy, now standing with a wand (though Kouchi had little care for such things), raised it threateningly.

'I see,' Kouchi thought, sizing up the situation. 'The real threat is the older guy, not this one. How should I handle him?'

Before he could decide, the older redhead female intervened.

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"Stop! All of you, stop! Will, put your wand down! He's just a child, and Ron started this fight first. And you," she turned to Kouchi, her voice softer, "could you let go of Ron? I know he charged at you, but he's my son. I don't want to see him harmed."

Her voice held an honesty and desperation that Kouchi found genuine. With a small sigh, he released the boy's arm, though he kept his distance.

"Fine," Kouchi said, "I'll let go of your son, but in exchange, I need you to do me a favor."

The family hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances, but eventually, they agreed.

After a brief discussion, Kouchi found himself walking with the Weasleys, heading toward a shop.

"Are you sure this is all you want from us?" Mrs. Weasley asked, sounding slightly strained. "We can pay you for your trouble—"

"Mom, we don't have any money," one of the boys muttered.

Kouchi waved them off with a cheery smile. "It's alright, I've got plenty of money, and I'm meeting someone soon who's going to show me around."

The Weasley family bid him farewell, though their faces were filled with uncertainty and discomfort. Kouchi, for his part, didn't mind. His first encounter with them had been rocky, and his overly sunny personality only seemed to alienate them more.

As he walked away, he mused to himself, "Well, I'm not here to make friends. If things get worse, I'll just wipe their memories with my ninjutsu and be done with it."

Kouchi had refrained from using his skills earlier because too many people were watching, but if he had to, he could erase everyone's memory with a large-scale genjutsu.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a massive hand land on his back with surprising force.

Instinctively, Kouchi grabbed the hand, but he was startled to realize the person was enormous. His senses told him that the individual in front of him was inhuman in some way, though Kouchi couldn't pinpoint exactly how.

"Ah, sorry, kid! Didn't mean to startle ya!" the giant figure said with a booming voice. "Name's Hagrid, a professor at Hogwarts. You Kouchi Uchiha?"

The man's size was overwhelming, his body stocky and covered in a wild mass of hair. Still, he didn't seem dangerous—just large and imposing. Kouchi, ever the one to gauge situations quickly, relaxed his stance and responded cheerfully.

"Yup, that's me! So, you're my caretaker? Nice to meet you! Are we going shopping now? What are we buying? Can I send something back to be tested? Are there limits on what we can have—"

Hagrid patiently listened to Kouchi's barrage of questions before turning towards a nearby inn, signaling for them to walk.

As they made their way to the inn, Kouchi kept his curiosity in check. He didn't reveal much of his thoughts, maintaining his usual composed expression. In a battle of wits, the one who drops their guard first is the one who loses. And Kouchi wasn't about to be the first to break.

Finally, Hagrid spoke, breaking the silence. "You know, kid, you're real friendly. So, don't be too shocked when you meet the person I'm about to introduce you to."

Kouchi's curiosity was piqued. "Who's that?"

"Well," Hagrid smiled, "meet Harry Potter. He's a special kid. Harry, this is Kouchi, a new first-year transfer student. Hope you two get along."

Kouchi looked at the boy sitting across from him. Harry Potter was nothing remarkable to Kouchi—just another child. His excitement faded. There was no power or presence about him that would make Kouchi pay special attention.