Chapter 3
Jude lifted his luggage and slid it into the compartment above the seat. A smile lay on his lips, one that came to be since the early morning of the day. After Neville and Hannah saw his O.W.L. results, they congratulated him happily, smothering him with hugs and kisses, ones he was happy to take.
His parents made his favorite meals the next few days and bought him a few gifts from Diagon Alley. He had protested that he didn't need anything more than what was on the list in the Hogwarts letter, but they ignored his words and bought him whatever he expressed interest in. He thanked them and had wiped his tears discreetly.
He was happy, if only for a few days. He couldn't tell Neville and Hannah about what had happened with him and his mother; they didn't even know that he went to visit her. He didn't want to worry them or make them upset. He vented to Lily which helped him, so he didn't need to bother anyone else with this. Not his parents.
Not even James or Emma.
"Coming through," He heard James exclaim as the door slid open. Before he could turn around, he heard James grunted, "Hey, man, sorry to break it to you, but this is our compartment, so you need to leave."
Jude raised an eyebrow as he turned on his heel, "That's a little insensitive, mate. If anything, I've been in this compartment longer than you have."
He desperately tried to smother the grin that threatened to erupt on his lips when he saw James and Emma's eyes widen at the sight of him. He didn't understand everyone's shock whenever they saw him now but it was amusing to see his best friends react the same way.
"Jude!" The two in front of him shouted happily, rushing forward to wrap their arms around his broad shoulders.
James was the first to pull away. He grinned up at his friend, pressing his fingers into Jude's muscular arms, "Merlin, mate. You hit a growth spurt or something?" He scowled playfully at the height difference. It used to be 2 inches but now it was a whopping 5.
Jude grinned back shyly, scratching the back of his head, "I did a lot of heavy lifting these past few months, what with working on the house and all. I guess I finally hit the last ring of puberty."
"I doubt it," Emma shook her head with an amused smile. Feeling the train begin to move, she gestured for them to sit down. Her green eyes lit up excitedly as she moved them onto another topic. "What were your O.W.L. results? James and I were talking about ours before we got here."
"Oh," Jude blinked. He reached into the pocket of his pants and pulled out the paper. He handed it over to the red head, smiling when she squealed in anticipation.
James skimmed over the results and grinned, holding up his hand, "Nice job, mate." After Jude high fived him, he took out his own results from his jacket.
Both Jude and Emma huddled over the parchment, reading Ordinary Wizarding Level results for James S. Potter
Charms- O
Transfiguration- O
Herbology- E
Defense Against the Dark Arts- O
Potions- O
Care of Magical Creatures- O
Astronomy- A
History of Magic- A
Muggle Studies- E
"Brilliant, James," Jude grinned, high fiving him again. "Alright, Emma, your turn."
Emma exhaled shakily as she reached into her luggage. She took out the results and held them with a trembling hand, her eyes shining with what looked to be unshed tears. The boys raised a confused eyebrow as they brought their gaze down to the parchment in front of them.
Ordinary Wizarding Level results for Emma A. Thorne
Charms- O
Transfiguration- E
Herbology- O
Defense Against the Dark Arts- O
Potions- O
Astronomy- O
History of Magic- O
Muggle Studies- O
Arithmancy- O
Study of Ancient Runes- O
James pursued his lips and squinted his eyes, shaking his head slowly, "I'm not seeing what has you so shaken." She directed his attention to one of the results. He rolled his eyes, "Em, seriously? It's just one E. It's not bad."
"It is for me," Emma exclaimed miserably. "Not only did I not get perfect O's for every class, but I got an E for Transfiguration; the one class Gryffindors are supposed to excel in. How am I supposed to look at my professors now?"
"Oh, Emma. Come here," Jude said soothingly, gathering her in his arms. He rubbed her back, hoping to comfort her. "It's gonna be okay. No one's disappointed. You always go above and beyond so everyone knows you're gonna overcome any obstacle no matter what letter grade you get."
Emma sniffled, burying her face in his shoulder, "Thank you, Jude." Her eyelids drooped closed. "How is it that your hugs have gotten immensely better?"
"Must be the arms," James joked, gaining a chuckle from Jude.
No response came from Emma. The two glanced down and found her asleep on top of blue eyed boy. Said boy exchanged a look with James before shrugging. He held her throughout the rest of the ride, his chest warm with affection for his two favorite people.
The train pulled to a stop a few hours later. It took both Jude and James to wake Emma up. She reluctantly left Jude's arms and gathered her things. The trio made their way out of the compartment and got off the train.
"I can't believe you slept the entire train ride, Em," James snickered as they walked towards the carriages.
Emma huffed, her cheeks flushed, "It's not my fault. Jude was so comfortable. I couldn't help but fall asleep." She reached up, higher than she usually did, to pinch Jude's cheeks and cooed when he grinned bashfully.
James shook his head with a mock frown, "What if I wanted to cuddle with him? You deprived me of that."
"I'm so sorry, James," Emma replied, rolling her eyes good naturedly. "Next time I'll save some of Jude for you."
"Slag," A familiar voice sneered.
Jude and James glared at Leon who passed by them. James made a move to follow him but Emma's hand on his arm stopped him from approaching the other male. He glanced down at her, his brown eyes blazing with anger behind his glasses.
Emma shook her head, her throat tightening, "It's okay, James. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."
Heaving a ragged sigh, James tried to relax as they continued walking towards the carriages. Emma grabbed his head, squeezing it reassuringly. She gazed up at Jude who gave a small smile and leaned down to give her head a kiss.
Hogwarts always looked the same whenever they approached it but to Jude it still had the same magical atmosphere that had him gazing in awe whenever he saw it.
The trio walked into the castle, just now realizing that this was their sixth year; the second to last year. Jude couldn't believe they made it this far. When he was living with Piers, he didn't believe he would even make it to 16. Now here he was, ready to take on what was more than likely going to be yet another eventful year.
Everyone took their seats and watched as the sorting ceremony for the first years. Jude resisted the urge to jiggle his leg as he waited for Professor Neal to list off the names. The welcoming feast was his favorite and his stomach was growling for it.
However Headmaster Flitwick had something else to announce after the sorting ceremony. Still on his stool, he addressed his students, "Students, welcome to a new year here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now this is usually the time we start the banquet, but I have two more announcements to make. This year, since Professor Riley retired, we will be having a new DADA professor. Students, please welcome Mr. Harry Potter."
The students cheered wildly while Jude felt the warmth leave his face at the sight of Harry walking into the Great Hall. He leaned over to James, hissing, "Did you know about this?"
James shook his head, his eyes wild, "If I'd known, I would've told you."
Once the students settled, Flitwick smiled, "Yes, yes, I know it's very exciting, but that's not all. This year we will be housing all the wizarding schools around the globe. We will also be hosting the first worldwide school quidditch tournament. Not to worry, we will be having other tournaments on other subjects for others. Please give a round of applause for Beauxbatons Academy of Magic!"
The doors of the Great Hall opened abruptly. Jude watched the witches and wizards wearing pale blue robes, made of a material his fingers longed to touch, prance on their toes around the house tables.
He glanced at James, finding his jaw dropped and his eyes glazed over. He moved his eyes to Emma and found the same expression. He gazed back to the foreign students. They gave an airy sigh as blue birds flew around them. He mentally shrugged; they were very pretty to look at but he'd seen prettier.
"Durmstrang Institute!"
Jude flinched at the pounding of boots. The students of Durmstrang wore blood red robes along with fur coats and hats lined with fur. They stomped their way through the Great Hall with grunts escaping their mouths. When he chanced a look at his friends again, James seemed disinterested while Emma had the same expression as before.
"Castelobruxo!"
He perked up when seeing the bright green robe wearing students from the school located in Brazil. He remembered when the visited the country when they watched the Quidditch World Cup. A grin formed on his lips at the thought.
"Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"
The students that came in next had no gimmick. They simply came in, each grinning and smiling as they made their way to their respective places next to the other schools. The uniforms were blue with some shade of red; he'd have to ask Emma for the correct word. Each robe was fastened by a golden brooch that held the sigil for the school. The crests were what caught his attention. From what he could see, there were four different sigils, most likely showing the different houses. But he knew little of the other wizarding schools. He had no clue what the sigils stood for.
The students then stood, facing the houses. They strangely cawed and purred before singing.
"We stand as one united,
Against the Puritan.
We draw our inspiration
From good witch Morrigan.
For she was persecuted
By common wandless men.
So she fled from distant Ireland,
and so our school began.
Oh! Ilvermorny-Massachusetts!
We choo-choose it!
We choo-choose it!
The wizard school supreme.
Your castle walls, they kept us safe.
The days with you, a dream
You taught us all our magic
And now one thing's quite clear.
Where'er we roam
Where'er we roam
Our one true home
Our one and own
Is Ilvermorny dear!"
Everyone clapped for them. Jude grinned widely, feeling especially giddy at learning a new song and some information for the school.
"Koldovstoretz!"
The students of the Russian school entered almost the same way as Durmstrang, each shouting boisterously in their native language. Jude furrowed his brow at the sight of the tree in one student's arms. What in the world was he carrying that inside for?
"Mahoutokoro School of Magic!"
The students of the Japanese school walked in with their heads held high and nodded respectfully to Flitwick before taking their place next to the other schools. Their robes were all of different colors, ranging from a pale pink to gold. Judging from Emma's excited gasp, he assumed there was a good story behind it. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to know as well.
"And last but not least, Uagadou School of Magic!"
There were many more students in this school. It took a bit longer for each and every one of them to get to their places. Either way, Jude was happy to watch all of them grin and eagerly shake the hands of the Hogwarts students.
He clapped with his fellow classmates, adding much more vigor despite his stomach still growling petulantly.
Flitwick waved his hands, settling the students. He smiled widely, "I thank you all for joining us at our humble school. We hope you enjoy your stay with us even when we beat you at quidditch." Everyone laughed at that. "Schools, we welcome you with a tune of our own. Students, if you will." He brought out his wand and gestured for everyone to stand. He waved it as they began to sing a very familiar tune.
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Wheather we be old and bald,
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling,
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains rot."
The other schools clapped for them, a bit of laughter escaping them. Jude felt the tip of his ears heat up. He quickly sat down with the rest of the students while Flitwick addressed the masses once more, "Now let us celebrate this fine year and our guests with our welcoming banquet!"
Jude tilted his head back, groaning in relief at the sight of the food. He wasted no time in piling as much as he could on his plate. He dug in, eager to fill his stomach.
