A girl sat alone in a compartment, book up to her nose and not paying attention to the beautiful scenery outside her window. She only looked up when the door to the compartment opened, and three kids entered. The raven-haired one spotted her, breaking into a small smile.
"Hey, Gem." he said, sitting next to her. "Good summer?"
"As good as it can get." she replied, lowering her book onto her lap. "And I already know about yours, Harry. I hope you're all alright, with the Dark Mark appearing during the Cup and all."
"It was a scare." the brunette, Hermione, said as she rummaged through her trunk for that day's Daily Prophet. "But we're all fine."
The redhead, Ron, sat next to Hermione, across from her and Harry.
"The Cup was an amazing match, though." he said eagerly, leaning forwards. "Viktor Krum was spectacular."
"I think he's in love, Gemma." Harry teased, earning a smack on the leg.
Gemma laughed, smiling at Harry before opening her book back up.
She was a Gryffindor, and friends with the Trio since first year. She enjoyed hanging out with them, though most of the time she was off with her Ravenclaw friends instead.
"Best put away your dress robes before Malfoy comes along." Hermione said, pointing to the lacy outfit laying across Ron's lap.
"Right. Yeah." Ron flushed, trying to tuck them away into his trunk.
The weather outside was getting gloomier, and rain began to pour. The candy trolley came along soon enough, and Harry bought a stack of Cauldron Cakes for the four of them to share.
Harry and Ron soon started chatting about Quidditch, and Hermione rolled her eyes, hiding behind the Daily Prophet.
"We saw him right up close, as well," Ron said, talking to Gemma about Krum. "We were in the Top Box-"
"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley."
Draco Malfoy had finally made his appearance, flanked by his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle. They both looked like they had grown over the summer.
"Don't remember asking you to join us, Malfoy." Harry said coolly.
"Weasley, what is that?" Malfoy pointed at the sleeve of Ron's dress robes, which hung out of the side of his trunk.
Ron made to stuff the robes out of sight, but Malfoy was too quick for him; he seized the sleeve and pulled.
"Look at this!" Malfoy crowed, holding up Ron's robes and showing Crabbe and Goyle. "Weasley, you weren't thinking of wearing these, were you? I mean, they were very fashionable in about eighteen ninety..."
"Eat dung, Malfoy!" Ron said, the same color as the dress robes as he snatched them back out of Malfoy's grip.
Malfoy howled with laughter, while Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly.
"So...going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There's money involved as well, you know, you'd be able to afford some decent robes if you won..."
"What are you talking about?" snapped Ron.
"Are you going to enter?" Malfoy repeated. "I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?"
"Tell us what you're on about or leave, Malfoy." Gemma said annoyedly, looking up from her book.
A gleeful smile spread across Malfoy's pale face.
"Don't tell me you don't know?" he said delightedly. "You've got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don't even know? My God, my father told me about it ages ago, heard it from Cornelius Fudge. But then, Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry, maybe your father's too junior to know about it, Weasley. Yes, they probably don't talk about important stuff in front of him..."
Laughing once more, Malfoy beckoned to Crabbe and Goyle, and the three of them disappeared.
Ron got to his feet and slammed the sliding compartment door so hard behind them that the glass shattered.
"Ron!" Hermione scolded, taking out her wand. "Reparo."
The glass flew back into place, and Gemma shared a look with Harry, who shrugged.
"Well, making it look like he knows everything and we don't..." Ron snarled. "'Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry', Dad could've got a promotion any time, he just likes it where he is..."
"Of course he does," Hermione said quietly. "Don't let Malfoy get to you, Ron-"
"Him? Get to me?! As if!" Ron said, picking up one of the remaining Cauldron Cakes and squashing it into a pulp.
Ron's bad mood continued for the rest of the journey. He didn't talk much as they changed into their school robes, and was still glowering when the Hogwarts Express slowed down at last and finally stopped in the pitch-darkness of Hogsmeade station.
The rain was pouring down buckets as they disembarked, heads down and eyes narrowed against the icy downpour.
"I'd hate having to cross the lake in this weather." Gemma remarked. "I hope the first years don't drown before they get to Hogwarts."
A hundred horseless carriages stood waiting for them outside the station.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Gemma climbed gratefully into one of them, the door shut with a snap, and a few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track toward Hogwarts Castle.