Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. That's all J.K.R. stuff.
AN: I am currently up to chapter 12 of this story. I will slowly be editing/loading this story in the following weeks. Reviews aren't required but much appreciated (I might even take comments into consideration as I write the story!)
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"I think it would be prudent to plan this trip!" Hermione argued once more with Headmistress McGonagall. The witch seemingly towered over here from her desk but she would not be thwarted.
"I believe it would be more then Hogwarts could handle right now." The elder witch snapped back clearly unamused. Hermione wanted to scream. It was one month before the new school term started, she had only bothered re-enrolling to properly graduate before she did… something. She tried not to think of her undetermined path in life.
"Nonsense, if we shipped off all the students to another school willing to house us it would make it easier. Without the students in the way the builders continue their work uninterrupted. The students would learn be immersed in another culture. Don't you see, it would behoove you to do this!" She insisted slamming her hands on the table. Her time away helping Harry last year had had an immense effect on how she presented herself. She didn't feel as bad defying the rules if in the end it improved them.
"When you say it like that," McGonagall said a twinkle in her eye leaving Hermione to wonder if it was a Hogwarts Headmaster trait. "I will see if it can be arranged. So close to semester letters would have to be mailed out and finding the proper school would be an issue. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will not house all our students which will be an issue."
"I understand that I think we should look elsewhere I know there are schools in America, Egypt, and South America. Not to mention all the other minor private schools we could look to." Hermione interrupted her mind flipping through the possibilities. She knew she was McGonagall's favorite for a long time. She was going to abuse that power now.
She wasn't going to admit that she was dragging all her friends along until McGonagall had agreed. She could then urge her to include extra chaperones like Longbottom, Potter, Weasley, and countless others who needed to get moving again. So many of her friends had fallen into a post war slump and she was determined to get them out of it. True she had been lethargic for a week or so then realizing life would go on had gone to find her parents and set her life to rights once more. She had remade herself in her sorrow and vowed to make the world better so a Dark Lord would never gain so much power again.
"I'll think on it. I still need to do finalizing of curriculum not to mention deal with the new professors." She said looking down to her desk. Hermione seeing that she became absorbed in the tasks at hand took it as her cue to leave.
She left the Headmistress's office and made quick work to go to her private wing of the castle. She couldn't wait for the term to start, though vaguely she wondered if the school they would go to would offer them the same courtesy. Would they have a wing to themselves or would they be restricted to sharing a wing with all the other students. Would she be stuck trying to fend off younger students who were in awe of her? Perhaps she would even have to run and hide much like Harry did. He was staying with the Weasleys until the hoards of fans stopped crowding his Godfather's old home.
She ran up the tower to her room and popped open her chest. Reaching into the endless depths of the enchanted box she pulled out a quill and parchment and began to write her letters.
Neville found Harry and Ron standing together on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. The two were standing lazily against a wall talking in hushed voices. "Harry! Ron!" Neville shouted over the noise. Approaching them he locked hands with Harry first then Ron. "I thought you two weren't going back to school?"
"We aren't." Ron rolled his eyes. "Hermione asked us to come chaperone for the trip to the United States."
"Apparently War Heroes are just as good Aurors." Harry said his face stoic. Neville wasn't quite sure what to say to that. He knew as just all the others who were at the Battle of Hogwarts how nasty an event it had been. So many lives had been lost, but no sacrifice greater than those of the Trio. Harry lost all his father's closet friends in the battle. There was no one left that could even be considered blood family to him. Hermione had been near insanity with all the stress leading up to the battle. Ron had lost a brother and the deep trust he had had with his friends.
Neville pushed the thoughts of Harry and Hermione's questionable trust in Ron before speaking again. "I see, well I've re-enrolled to finish my Herbology N.E.W.T.S. It's a requirement before I can enroll in Lord Edward's Herbology Academy."
"What brought on this sudden trip anyway? Hogwarts has been known for its insistence on sheltering and separating itself from, well, everything." Harry pondered waiting for all the children to clear out before they boarded.
"Too true, Tri-Wizard tournament was the first time some of the Muggle-Borns even knew there were other wizarding schools. I'm sure it has something to do with the state of Hogwarts." Neville let his words sink in, seeing Harry nod and Ron still thinking he giggled.
"You're probably right. The school was falling apart last time we saw it. I'm sure it would take just as long to put it back together properly with all the wards and charms in place." Seeing the crowd had thinned Harry pulled his things in the direction of the train. Ron and Neville were on his heels.
"Been a while Harry, Ron, Neville." Hermione smiled at them as they reached the train. She waved an arm for them to join her in a different cabin then they were accustomed to. Entering the cabin they found it in better shape than the cabins they had ridden in as teens.
"Harry! Ron! Neville!" Luna Lovegood said breathlessly popping out of a compartment. All of them grinned and slipped in beside her. "I love what you have done with your lovely locks." Luna said looking at Hermione with a dreamy expression. Ron snickered at Luna's face. She was ever the distracted looking angel.
"Thank you Luna, it took a lot of courage to let them attack my hair." The intelligent brunette snickered absently stroking her braid. She had had her hair lightened and trimmed and kept it tame with a braid. She had pierced her ears as well. She enjoyed how much it the changes brightened her faced. Not that Hermione ever lacked confidence, but her new look definitely made people take her more seriously.
"I would imagine so. Thank you for getting me in here." She smiled before burying her face into a copy of The Quibbler.
"Getting into here?" Ron asked his eyes turning to the window as the Express started to move.
"Yes Ron, it's an exclusive cabin added this year for older returning students. We aren't exactly Seventh Years anymore. Not to mention the extra chaperones for the trip to America."
"I see, I was wondering about that. Never been in this cabin before." Harry stated flatly reaching into his pocket to pull out a chocolate frog.
Neville watched Harry mindlessly rip into the package. He struggled with the frog for less than a minute before catching it and chewing its head off. "Yes, this cabin has nothing but returning seventh year war veterans, the chaperones, and people like Luna who managed to get in by word of mouth." He watched as Hermione pulled a book from her bag and began to read. The conversation turned to what they had not been doing over the summer.
It occurred to Neville how out of touch to everyone he had become. Ron, Harry, and Hermione managed to keep up their conversations while they were wrapped up in their entertainment. Luna was lost in her copy of The Quibbler and he was just left sitting quietly to the side. He knew he had grown as a person in his seventh year, but now? Now that things were back to normal, no Dark Lord threatening to destroy life as they knew it, he felt completely useless.
"Well well." A voice ushered in as the door to the compartment opened. Draco sauntered in as though he was welcome. Neville felt the tension rise and in order to avert the fight he was certain would start he stood up. Pushing against Draco he grinned waving back at everyone else in the compartment.
"Malfoy what are you doing here?" Neville questioned shutting the door behind him.
Amused Draco stared back for a moment. Neville wanted to force him to talk, but he would not rise to the bait. "My father expects very good N.E.W.T.s. I've come back to get the marks required to get a job at the ministry." Neville didn't want to mention how little of a chance that would since his father was a convicted Death Eater.
He gave a half hearted smile, "Well looks like Gryffindors are the only ones coming back to finish their schooling."
Draco nodded sharply before entering into a vacant compartment. Neville followed in suit imagining he might have a decent conversation with Malfoy since the Trio had already left him out.
"Alright, Grab hold of your house port key." Professor Flitwick instructed his voice booming over the large field in front of the school. Harry stared at the looming figure of the castle and wondered if eventually he would regret not coming back to finish his N.E.W.T.s. Shaking his head he looked away from the castle trying not to let the memories of last year overwhelm him. The Flitwick was standing even now on a stack of books with the Sonorus spell in full cast.
"When I order the prefect, Professor, or Head of House is to utter the activation words." He stated. Absently Harry glanced down at the rope he was holding. Neville, Ron, Hermione, Draco Malfoy, Luna and oddly enough some man named Hamilton Hamnet were standing behind him.
"One." A group of first years fidgeting with excitement dropped their port key but only for a moment.
"Two." Harry rolled his eyes as the first years shook the hula-hoop. It rattled in response. He could see the jealous looks from the other first years holding onto a bed sheet portkey.
"Three!"
Before Harry could fully appreciate the timed chorus of, 'Draco dormiens nunquam titilllandus', he felt the annoying pull at his navel. The ground seemed to fall from beneath him, he could hear his group screaming behind him. He wanted to scream too, but he felt dazed and all together confused. Panic was seeping into his bones and he was almost certain he was going to scream, but his mind countered that they would land soon.
Minutes later the screaming had stopped and Harry was annoyed. Every time he had taken a portkey it had been a short ride. Now he was staring at his wrist wrapped in the rope because his hand had gotten tired. "So." He said turning to his portkey mates. "Who are you Mister Hamnet?"
The man grinned back at Harry his steely grey eyes secretive. "I'm the Head of the Gryffindor House and the new Transfiguration Teacher!"
"Rubbish!" Ron shot back looking around. They were surrounded by a mass of blue colors laced with flashes of night and day.
"Rubbish or not, I am so better get use to the idea." Hamnet snapped back in a rather Snape fashion.
"You were a Gryffindor Head Boy correct?" Hermione piped in curiously. The man nodded his short cropped hair gleaming in the flashes of sunlight.
"Who's the new potions-" Draco didn't get to finish his sentence as ground rushed up at them suddenly. They all stumbled for a moment gathering their barring. Harry noticed the group that had crowded around the sheet had tumbled into a mass on the floor, their Slytherin prefect grinning from ear to ear.
The group that had crowded around the hula-hoop lay in a dog pile apparently having taken their prefect down with them. "Whose hand is touching my bum!" One of the girls in the dog pile screamed. Harry bit back a laugh seeing that most of the students that were fifth-year and up were standing and all those who weren't were nursing bumps.
A tall willowy girl with bright blonde hair approached the hula-hoop group. She knelt down to pick up the hula-hoop and seemed to be ready to help the group. Feeling the need to join in Harry took a step forward. However, the girl ran off hula-hoop in hand to a group of young teens sitting on a picnic blanket. "Ah I see we're here." Professor Hamnet said dropping the now defunct portkey in favor of rounding up the first-years, or picking them off the floor. Not that there was a difference.
"Where are we exactly?" Harry chirped.
"Really Harry! Did you not read the pamphlet I sent you at all?" Hermione huffed with her hands on her waist.
Ron gave a weak smile in Harry's direction as he spoke. "Harry we're at the America wizarding school, General Smithson's School for Magic. It's located somewhere in the south."
Cheers broke out from the teens by the hula-hoop girl as she put it to use. All of them seemed uninterested in the sudden hoard of people in black robes that appeared from nowhere.
"Oh you guys got to be the exchange students or whatever." A male said from behind Harry. He turned to face the man behind him. Well he was almost certain the teen was still not a man, but he looked the part of one. His eyes were welcoming with a hint of mischief. A purple twinkle from deep in his blue eyes caused Harry to think fondly of Dumbledore. His dark auburn hair hung around his long, but elegant face framing his features.
"And you are?" Professor Hamnet said reaching and arm to shake hands. The boy grinned pulling his arm free from a girl it had been latched to. She looked lonely without her protector her striking red hair fading to an inky black as she pouted. "Oh my!" Professor Hamnet gasped his hand missing the boy's by mere inches as he turned to the girl.
"A metamorphmagus!" He said clapping his hands. The girl was startled by the attention she was getting. Harry stood by as the Professor visible was restraining himself from shaking the girl to see if she was real. Her protector dragged an arm over her shoulders again trying to get Professor Hamnet's attention with a hearty smile.
"Name's Alexander Lancaster and you are?" He said extending a hand hoping this time Hamnet would take it.
"Oh quite right, sorry. I haven't seen a metamorphmagus in, well never actually! The percentage of Metamorphmagus was last estimated to be sixteen percent versus the wizard population!" Taking Lancaster's hand the Professor found his focus once more, "I am Professor Hamnet, Head of Gryffindor House and Transfiguration Teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary."
Hermione seemed about ready to burst with question for the metamorphmagus. Neville had already wandered off to help the first-years that had become tangled with each other's robes. Draco had disappeared into Slytherin mass and Ron was still taking in the scenery. "Nice to meet you." Lancaster said shortly before striding away metamorphmagus in tow patting his messenger bag.
Harry heard Hermione go into an intimate conversation with Professor Hamnet about her encounters with the famous Nymphadora Tonks. Tuning her out before he could start thinking about Remus he found he was hot. Looking up he saw the blazing sun he determined he would owl back all his robes to The Burrow if the weather was going to be like this most of the term.
The chatter of students and the loud voice of the prefects demanding attention stirred Harry's heart. He really did miss this, the friends, the sight of school books poking out of bags, even the sight of the American wizards whining about their schedules. He felt alive for just a moment being in these new surroundings. The veil of depression and loss lifted just long enough for him to smile.