Disclaimer: All IPs belong to their respective owners.

If I'd known the only thing making my life miserable was the Dursleys I'd have run off years ago.

Life is finally good for Harry Potter even if people keep staring at me. I'll be away from the Dursleys for the next few months and I could do magic. My mum and dad weren't drunks who died in a car crash; they were heroes who fought the bad guys! Today was turning out even better. I got to eat some candy and made a friend even if his pet rat is kind of gross. Life is good for Harry Potter.

"Have any of you seen a toad. Neville's lost Trevor."

It may have been how the light from the window behind her created a halo around her bushy brown hair, the shock at being disturbed when she slammed the door open or maybe all the candy he'd eaten but Harry thought the girl who broke into his and Ron's sanctuary looked kind of pretty in a way that was hard to describe. Harry turned to look to Ron who shook his head.

"Uh, haven't seen a toad lately."

"That's alright I'll just ask one of the prefects to help us find it. I'm sure their meeting is over by now. I'm Hermione Granger."

"This is my friend Ron Weasley and I'm…"

"Harry Potter, I know. Everyone's talking about it on the train. You're in a lot of books. Your mum wrote our first year Charms textbook and some of the Potion book you know. It wasn't easy to figure out but the pseudonym was kind of obvious. Could you sign them, I'm a big fan and not much of her work was published. When are you going to publish the rest of her research on the effects of Charms in treating cancer?"

"Uh"

"What about your dad's work on lasting transfiguration? I couldn't understand a lot of it but I'm sure it'll be easier to grasp after a few years of schooling. I'm a muggleborn you know so there's a lot I don't really understand yet."

"I'm a pureblood like Ron's family!"

At Neville's outburst Harry and Ron snapped out of their daze. Neville flushed from the attention he was receiving when Ron had a wicked idea.

"Hey, Neville why don't I help you look for your toad while Harry and Hermione stay here to talk about books."

Ron didn't look back or even give Neville a chance to answer as he was pulled out of the compartment, away from all things bookish, bushy haired and barmy.

"Ravenclaw for sure, that one. Boy who lived or not, I'm not going down with that ship. He's the boy who lived, I'm sure he'll be fine."

"So Neville, what do you think the Cannon's chances are this year?"

"They'll turn it around mid-season?"

"Good man, my dad always said you could trust a Longbottom. I learned this spell to turn my rat yellow…"

Back in the compartment.

"Did my mum really write our Charms book?"

Having found it easier to just go along with the pushy girl Harry had agreed to sign her books as long as she told him more about his parents.

"Yeah and a few others but this is the only one I know of in our curriculum. You really didn't know?"

"I lived with my aunt and uncle. They don't like magic much. Hagrid told me on my birthday I was a wizard. I thought it was a prank until I realized the Dursleys are too daft to make a good joke."

"I wouldn't have found out until this year either except my sister got her letter a few years ago."

Harry was sure he was having déjà vu when the door slammed open again to reveal Hermione's older clone.

"You badmouthing me to the new kids already squirt; I could feel my ears burn half a train away."

"As I was saying this is my sister Emma, fifth year Ravenclaw prefect."

"Sister."

"Blimey, you're Harry Potter aren't you?"

"Don't be rude Emma! Honestly, you're a prefect now you should at least try to live up to your responsibilities."

"Don't give me any lip or I'll give you detention. You still owe me for telling mum and dad I snuck out."

"You hid the books."

"They're my textbooks and it's not my fault you couldn't think of checking the locked trunk in the attic. We had company, remember?"

"How was I supposed to check a locked trunk?"

Emma smirked for a moment, "You weren't."

"Take that you bloody swot."

Harry just watched the back and forth banter and looked on as Hermione growled and looked as if she were about to lunge at her sister.

"Uh uh, respect the badge. You wouldn't want to have detention before you're even sorted would you?"

Hair frizzling, Hermione stood and walked out the compartment, "I'm going to look for a lost toad as apparently not all prefects live up to their positions, humph."

Harry thought Hermione looked resolute and inspiring as she held her head high as she walked down the train at least until her sister yelled out.

"See if you can find something to pull the stick out of your arse too."

Hermione's screech filtered through the compartment door even after the Ravenclaw prefect had closed it.

"Uh"

"You're an articulate bloke aren't ya? With the way Hermione goes on and on and on about your mum, "The Great Lily Potter," Brightest Witch of Her Generation and an example to muggleborn everywhere, proving that all that Pureblood bigotry is hogwash, I'd have expected you to be a little more, well you know. You've got your mum's eyes so that's something at least."

A little unnerved and confused Harry nonetheless brought up something that was bothering him a little.

"Is Hermione going to be ok?"

"Yeah, why?"

"She seemed really mad."

"No siblings, right. Don't worry about it she'll be in be in a snit for a while and cool then off. I love my sister dearly but she's such a pain in the ass sometimes, you know. Don't let her whole bookish thing fool you, that little minx always gets her way at home and she's not above breaking a few rules when it suits her. Regardless, nice to meet you Harry Potter. Sorry if my sister and I bothered you."

"No, it's… ok…"

Having finally come down from all the commotion Harry got a good look at Emma Granger and realized something he'd overlooked. She was so beautiful, wavy brown hair loosely coming down her shoulders soft eyes. He was having a hard time comparing the feeling to that one time he found one of Vernon's magazines buried among the Petunias. However during these self-thought he'd completely missed what her lips were asking.

"Yes, I mean yeah of course."

"Wow, you're a lot nicer than I thought. You'd really ask the hat to put you in the same house as Hermione to look out for her if I can't? Maybe pureblood chivalry isn't dead after all Mr. Potter, thanks. I'll see you later kid."

Harry was once again too stunned for words and missed Emma as she leaned in. He did however recover in time to feel her kiss his cheek. As Emma walked out of the compartment yelling after Hermione Harry wondered how she got her hips to sway like that and what she meant about a hat.