Harry Potter and the Phantom Thief
Chapter 3
The train continued on through the wet, green valleys of England, and Daisuke, although excited about his new adventure, was getting tired. The girl had failed to reappear, and Wiz had fallen asleep long ago. Occasionally, boys and girls would rush by the door, but no one gave Daisuke more than a passing glance.
Daisuke leaned back against his seat. Perhaps he might as well sneak in a nap before he arrived at his new school. Maybe he would be up late, meeting his new friends.
Or maybe not.
Either way, the train was becoming decidedly boring. He shifted his legs and exhaled. He looked out the window. He ate the sandwich his mother packed for him. Another tree raced past. And Daisuke decided to get up and walk around the train.
"Stay here, Wiz," he cautioned the rabbit, although there was really nothing to worry about because he was sleeping soundly, "and don't get into any trouble." Daisuke was also fairly sure Wiz would behave himself even if he woke up, because the fluffy white animal was still securely in a cat carrier.
Daisuke stepped out into the aisle, lurching a little due to the train's movement. He took a few hesitant steps towards the front, and then continued more steadily. He paused by a doorway and then knocked. He might as well introduce himself.
He heard an affirmative noise from within, and the door opened.
"Oh," said a round-faced boy, looking gloomy. "I was hoping to buy Chocolate Frogs."
Daisuke blinked. In the compartment were four students, two boys and two girls. The girls, who seemed to be twins, had apparently been looking through a magazine, and boys had a book sitting between the two of them as well as two pieces of wood that looked suspiciously like wands.
"Just ignore him," the other boy said cheerily. He gave Daisuke an appraising look. "Blimey, you're tall for a first year!"
Blimey? Daisuke wondered what the word meant. But he remembered to correct the boy anyway. "I'm not a first year student. I'm really a fourth year student." He smiled warmly as the four gave him a strange look.
"I've never seen you before," said one girl. "Or at least, not that I can remember." She tossed her hair and gave Daisuke a look that meant, "and I would remember you."
Daisuke laughed a little. "I'm a transfer student, so this is my first year at Hogwarts. My name is Daisuke Niwa. It's nice to meet you." The redhead held out his hand, and the twins promptly shook it in turn.
"Parvati Patil."
"Padma Patil."
"You are twins, right?" Daisuke asked.
"Yes," they replied in unison.
"Everyone asks us that," said Parvati.
"We look like twins," said Padma, "but we're actually in different houses."
"Really?" asked Daisuke, completely misunderstanding them. "You don't live at the same house?"
There was a pause and then the twins burst into giggles and one of the boys laughed. "She meant house as in one of the houses at school. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Parvati's in Gryffindor, but Padma's in Ravenclaw," the boy explained.
"Oh," Daisuke said, beginning to laugh with them, though still confused.
Someone suddenly wrenched the door open behind the Daisuke, and a disapproving tone floated inside.
"My God, Weasley, you know that you don't have to pay to sit down here, right? Isn't that why you're still standing?"
A face appeared, apparently belonging to the voice, and Daisuke perceived a blond, smug-looking boy roughly his own age. The face, upon seeing Daisuke's face, looked startled. The boy's eyes flickered to Daisuke's hair, then back to his face.
"Never mind," the blond continued haughtily, shaking off his confusion, "you looked like someone else." He paused before moving down the hallway. "But if you know who you look like, you'll take better care of your appearance, won't you." Two larger students followed him, chuckling at the joke, which Daisuke didn't understand.
He turned back to the four in the compartment, who were glowering at the retreating boys' backs.
"Well, it was nice meeting you," Daisuke told the four sincerely. They smiled at him, said short goodbyes, and then waved as he exited the compartment.
When the door closed, Daisuke heard the tinkling of breaking glass and a sharp, feminine voice. The three boys he had just encountered were laughing and walking towards the end of the train. Broken shards of glass lay in the aisle, but then magically lifted themselves into the air and returned to the window on one of the doorways. Daisuke wondered if he should check it out, but since no one else seemed to notice or care, he continued up the aisle.
When Daisuke finally returned to his own compartment, he was surprised to find the girl from before sitting on the floor. She jumped up and smiled at Daisuke, brushing a strand of red hair behind her ear.
"I was just getting to know your rabbit," she explained. Daisuke realized that, sitting on the floor, she had been eye-to-eye with Wiz. "He's really cute. Or is it a she?"
"He's a boy," Daisuke explained.
"Well, I've never heard of anyone having a rabbit as their pet. My brothers have owls, and my friends have cats and toads, but no one else has a rabbit..." she said, more rambling and listening to her own voice than paying attention to Daisuke's reaction.
Daisuke, however, didn't mind. It felt good to have a friend, however loosely that term might apply. Her name was Ginny Weasley, and she was about to start her third year at Hogwarts. She had just been to an apparently amazing Quidditch World Cup, and was surprised that Daisuke hadn't already heard about the mysterious circumstances the following night. Ginny spoke rapidly, and usually forgot mid-sentence that Daisuke was not a native English speaker. After some time, Daisuke realized he did not understand her latest story at all, but was still content to listen to the dips and highs and dropped consonants of her language.
"Oh, we're getting there soon, so I should get going," she said suddenly with a glance out the window. Daisuke paid attention to the actual words only because her tone had suddenly changed. "We'd better get changed into our school robes! See you around, Daisuke!" Without another word, she flitted out the door and disappeared.
Daisuke looked outside the window as well, and noticed that it had become very dark. Wiz made a sound from his cage, and Daisuke went over to check on him.
"Don't worry, Wiz," he reassured his pet, "I'll be able to let you out soon enough." Wiz looked fine, and Daisuke was sure he had enjoyed his nap. The fourteen-year-old began rummaging around in his bag, looking for the robe his mother made him bring. He hadn't been sure that it wouldn't stand out, but since Ginny had said they'd better get changed, he decided that he'd wear it after all. Finding the black material, he shoved it on over his regular clothes, and then straightened it out.
It still felt silly, but he'd just have to bear it.
The train then lurched to a halt, and Daisuke picked up his suitcase and Wiz's carrier. He followed the other children off the train into a tiny station. Thunder boomed ominously from the night sky, and a very large man appeared before Daisuke.
"Yeh're Daisuke Niwa?" the man boomed, his voice nearly as loud as the thunder.
"Yes?" he responded, swallowing nervously.
"Good. Yer comin' wi' me, then."
Yay! Finally up! This one's for Aliina!
And thanks to everyone who's reviewed! And kudos to Emily for her super ideas!
