Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling wrote some really good books called Harry Potter. Heard of them? Good. You should have. This story's based upon them and does not take credit for the characters, environment, etc. Now go read all of them if you haven't already!
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"Only
your real friends tell you when your face is dirty."
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Sicilian Proverb
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Chapter 2: Friends
"You'll write, won't you?" implored Beth, tears staining her face.
"Of course, mum, we've been over this, haven't we? I'll be writing you constantly. If something, rather anything, happens to me, I'll write you a letter. That's our deal, and I do plan to stand by it, contrary to anything you think," replied Hermione calmly, smiling at her mom.
"You promise? I know most kids your age could care less about their mum…"
"I'm not like most kids my age," replied Hermione.
"That is quite true, you've always been a bit different…"
"If I didn't take pride in being different than the average, superficial person, I might find that offensive," replied Hermione. Her mother smiled.
"Oh Hermione, I love you so much, you will write, promise me?"
"I've already promised. I think this will make the fifth time." Hermione took a second to count her fingers up. "Actually, the sixth…"
"Please, Hermione, promise me that you'll write? My little girl, all grown up and going off to school… I'll want you hear from you…" said Beth Granger, rubbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "We won't be seeing you for so long!"
"Fine. I promise. Again. And don't worry, I'll be fine!" reassured Hermione.
"I wish I could trust an eleven year-old girl, even if it is you," muttered Beth doubtfully.
"You know I really am different. Unlike all the other kids I know, I can take care of myself like a responsible individual," Hermione argued. "I really will be fine. I just know it."
"Sure, dear, you think that, but things can happen when you're away, and I won't be there to protect you…"
"Like you said, I'm not a little girl anymore. I know things happen. I know what can happen. I'm well aware, and I'll be careful. Don't worry!"
"But Hermione…"
"Let her go, Beth. I can tell that she's eager to get going. She got us here a good half-hour early, after all!" said Hermione's father warmly, putting his arm around his wife.
"Thank you!" said Hermione huffily.
"We'll miss you a lot, and we really do love you. You're our world…" replied Saul Granger softly.
"I love you guys too!" said Hermione whole heartedly. "Goodbye?"
"Goodbye," said her parents in unison, their voices soft. They watched their daughter slowly roll her trolley away and descend to the lower platforms, away and out of sight.
Hermione heart dropped. She felt like she had taken a giant step away from her parents by heading to the magical realm of Hogwarts. But no matter her love for her parents, Hermione knew she needed to live her life, and fulfill a destiny that awaited her. Certainly, her desire to stay with her parents and give them a full teary farewell was large, but her need to be at platform 9 ¾ was larger. Her heart picked up its pace, skipping a beat: she would soon see her friends, and that meant she'd see Harry! It was just all too much to handle. She looked down and smiled at the tawny, ginger, squashed nose cat that regally sat on her trolley, peering at the passersby.
"I still can't believe you've been in that Magical Menagerie for so long, Crookshanks! Magical Menagerie my arse, it's more like the Petrifying Prison where they kept you, isn't it?" Crookshanks purred loudly, apparently happy Hermione felt that way too.
"Well, the good thing is that place all behind you now, boy," said Hermione optimistically, petting Crookshanks's ears. He lay down on top of the trunks and basked in the moment, purring loudly. "Now, you'll have to remember not to attack Ron's rat when you first see him. That'll only scare that murderer away. You're going to have to lie in wait, I'm afraid. We'll take care of him eventually—we must, I can't let a murderer being free weigh on my conscience much longer—just you wait and see! I'll trust you to keep watch over him while I'm at school, though. Okay?" Crookshanks didn't move. Hermione assumed it meant he understood her.
"Good, now where are platforms nine and ten?" she asked, feeling lost at King's Cross. "I'm certain I was close a minute ago…" But before Hermione could get anything close to a bearing on direction, she was pushed aside by a flood of businessmen slowly meandering through the station. Stuck in the masses and unable to see over anyone's head, Hermione struggled through the crowd, moving in what she thought was general direction towards the platform. She garnered a variety of curious looks, from interested glances at her cat's unusual disposotion, to distressed stares at a little girl walking around unaccompanied by an adult. Ignoring all of them, Hermione patiently strode through the crowd, waiting for them to move through the station. It took a few minutes, but the sea of people gradually dried up, leaving Hermione and Crookshanks alone with a few stragglers. Finally, Hermione could actually see where she was again.
"Oh! I didn't realize I had been walking around the platform the whole time," muttered Hermione embarrassedly, her cheeks flushing pink. A big, black plastic nine stared down from the sign in front of her. "The pillar should be over just a ways… ah, there it is!" Crookshanks watched curiously as a scrawny little boy walked through the bricks and disappeared, as though nothing were there. Hermione watched her cat's eyes widen with curiosity and smiled.
"Ah, I see you've noticed that everything isn't always what it seems!" remarked Hermione. Crookshanks purred. "It's a good lesson, I think, one that you should take time to internalize.
"Now—where were we—ah yes, I guess we'll just wait until I see someone I know, right? It'll be nice to see them again" Crookshanks lowered his head and lay down, breathing loudly.
"I can't believe Harry didn't write me, though," Hermione began muttering. She knew he should have written her back by now, especially since he recently received his Hogwarts letter. And he should have been ecstatic when he realized that they were going to the same "gifted" school. Recalling the first time she had received her Hogwarts letter—back when she hadn't known anything about magic—Hermione culdn't imagine not talking to someone who would go to the same school.
"Crookshanks?"
The cat looked up at her lazily.
"You don't suppose that Harry never got his letter, do you? " But no, that simply couldn't be. There was simply no way. But Hermione began to doubt her conviction, remembering just how awful the Dursleys were to Harry. Many possibilities of what happened to Harry flew through her head, each worse than the last. Hermione began to bite her nails nervously, sneaking glances around the crowd to see if anyone was coming. For all she knew, Harry might not be coming to Hogwarts at all.
Hermione was about to faint from worry when she saw it.
"The lightning shaped scar! It's him Crookshanks! It's Harry!"
The scar gave away the young boy's identity, but his other traits hid it well. Apparently, Hermione's transfiguration spell had worked better than she could have hoped. The first thing she noticed was his hair (well, it was about the only thing she could see from a distance); the color had not accomplished a complete shift, but it was undeniable that it had changed shade. Instead of deep brown hair, Harry had rich, colorful brown that looked highlighted with brownish orange. Hermione had to admit that this auburn color looked quite fitting on him. What's more, his hair was no longer sat quite as messily; instead, the thick locks were neat and straight, framing his face quite nicely at a length of a few inches.
As Harry weaved his way through the crowd in front of her, more of him came into view. It became quite clear that he was not the scrawny, short boy Hermione had known in her past life, but instead, looked as though he was moderately well-fed (albeit wiry) and of normal height. His clothing had not improved in the slightest, but that could easily be changed later this year sometime with something as simple as a clothing catalogue… Then he came within a few feet of Hermione and stopped, staring at her. His eyes were a brilliant green that contrasted wonderfully with his auburn hair, and gone was the barrier of glasses, his eyes were out in the open, finally able to be seen by the world…
"Hullo? Hermione? I thought you might be here, after your letter," rushed Harry, finally breaking out of his stare. He smiled, and Hermione ran out and hugged him.
"You're here early, Harry!"
"Were you expecting me?" asked Harry bemusedly. "I can't remember writing you back to tell you that I was going to Hogwarts with you."
"Well—erm—I was just so excited to see you, you see, my mind rushed forward, and I thought that if you're here, that meant that you're going to Hogwarts—with me—I mean, why else would you be here? You've never mentioned taking the train anywhere before, have you? From there, I gathered that would mean that you're here to catch the Hogwarts Express, which doesn't leave until eleven, and it's—"Hermione looked down to check her small silver wrist-watch "ten thirty-five! That means you're early, and that's why I said you were early," Hermione rushed, trying to make an alibi. "And wait a second, why did you never write me?" Hermione asked, changing the tables on Harry.
"I'm so sorry, but Hedwig was locked up—but I was so excited—we're going to the same school—I can do magic, I'm not just abnormal, after all—"Hermione cut him off.
"Oh, no, Hedwig was locked up! That explains why you never wrote back!"
"Yeah… I still just can't believe we're going to school together. It's such a coincidence!" Harry exclaimed excitedly.
"It's wonderful, isn't it? I had no idea that I'd be able to finally see you," Hermione lied, trying to cover up her tracks. "And we'll be together the whole year, I suspect. We'll be learning magic, oh it'll be so much fun! You'll be free from Dudley and your aunt and uncle, and I'll be free of those dreadful girls…"
"You don't think there'll be people like them at Hogwarts, do you?" asked Harry nervously.
"Oh, there's always bad eggs in every group, but I think it'll be a drastic improvement from before. And besides, we have each other. That'll make any grim situation one hundred percent better" Hermione answered.
"True…" grinned Harry. "Finally we can just talk!"
"There's only so much you can put in letters," Hermione added. Harry nodded. "You miss that necessary human interaction that helps you get to know the person."
"Erm… yeah," Harry said.
"That is to see you don't really get to know the person."
"Oh, yeah, of course!" replied Harry. Hermione smiled and looked down at the birdcage sitting on top of Harry's cart and met an angry pair of eyes.
"Oh my! Poor Hedwig looks really cross," said Hermione. "Has she gotten out at all over the past few weeks?"
"No, not at all! You see, one night, Hedwig came a little too close to the house and Aunt Petunia got suspicious. She watched me go out and see Hedwig, then demanded that Hedwig be locked away in a cage so that none of the neighbors knew that I was a freak."
"No!" Hermione gasped, still shocked at his relative's cruelty. How they were even related to Harry was beyond Hermione's comprehension.
"Yeah, Hedwig was really angry. She was ready to peck out Aunt Petunia's eyes, I think." Hermione heard a ruffle of feathers. "But I convinced her not to do anything rash and told her she had to get into the cage if she wanted to stay with me. Now she's mad at me too. Whenever I try to talk to her, she doesn't say anything. And you know she's the only friend I have at Privet Drive."
"Oh Hedwig, you mustn't be mad at Harry! It's his Aunt Petunia's fault, you know that. Don't blame him for his nasty relatives!" Hedwig's head turned away from Hermione. The snowy owl was ignoring her.
"Yep, she's been in a right state," said Harry, petting Hedwig's feathers. She nipped him and he had to pull his fingers out of her cage. "I think a nice round of flying would cool her down though."
"Oh, definitely!" said Hermione, nodding her head vigorously. "You know, I'm sure she'll be able to fly all the time once we're to school." Harry smiled at that, and Hermione watched as Hedwig turned her head back around and her burning brown eyes lost their angry fire. After Hermione's comment, Hedwig's mood had improved greatly.
The snowy owl began to be quite amiable (albeit haughty). Accepting her plight and becoming hopeful of imminent flight, Hedwig began to look around, her eyes lingering on Crookshanks. Soon enough, Hedwig began hooting to Crookshanks, who began purring and meowing back. Hermione, who had had the oddest experiences with animal communication recently, had the strangest sensation that the two pets were actually conversing, but since when did animals converse? Hermione, however, let curiosity get the best of her, and she listened in.
Hoot?
Meow!
Hoot hoot.
Purrrrr?
Coo!
Purrr!
It sounded like they were just getting the hang of talking to each other, introducing themselves, when…
"Hermione?" asked Harry. She stopped listening in.
"Yes," she answered, a bit vexed at not being able to track her pet's social life.
"Do you think that we should make our way to the platform?" Harry asked.
"Probably," agreed Hermione.
"I've been trying to find my way to it, but I couldn't figure it out. Asked the policeman over a ways, but he was no help at all. He laughed at me, said there was no such thing as platform nine and three quarters, and I felt stupid."
"Don't worry about him, he's probably not magic or something. You know, maybe we should just wait and watch," suggested Hermione
"That—that sounds like a great idea. We might be able to pick out someone by the way they dress, or if they have an owl…" added Harry.
"Exactly! Let's just see if someone comes, and they'll lead us right to the platform I bet… Ah, look at that, here comes someone that doesn't look that normal at all!" said Hermione excitedly. From this distance, she could already see the stuffed vulture perched on top of a hat. Soon, the woman's stern face came into sight, her neck wrapped a fox scarf. Her green robes slowly emerged from the shield of people, soon to be followed by the red handbag hanging from her shoulder. Every aspect of the outfit clashed horribly. But all of these signs meant one thing.
It's Neville! thought Hermione gleefully. Okay, act normal, don't screw things up, just be nice, not bossy, and don't dominate conversation… It took Hermione a while to realize it, but Neville was walking towards them right beside his Gran. Her dominating presence easily overshadowed Neville, leaving him almost as an afterthought, easily passed over by onlookers. His clothing did nothing to distinguish him either: he wore worn blue trousers and matching tattered trainers, as well as a comfortable-looking green long sleeved tee. His pudgy cheeks, light brown hair, and round, brown eyes made him look like a young child. Behind him trailed a large, rickety cart, laden with suitcases and luggage. Hermione took a deep breath.
"Hello?" Hermione said nervously, looking up at the intimidating woman passing her by. Mrs. Longbottom took no notice of her and continued walking. "Hello?" Augusta reluctantly turned around to face the young girl.
"Yes?" answered the elderly woman irritably. "Is there something I can do for you? I'm sort of in a hurry, getting my grandson off to school…"
"We're going to Hogwarts," Hermione interrupted, her voice shaking noticeably. She glanced at Harry and saw him nod, giving her support, "and we don't know how to get to platform nine and three quarters. You see, we're first years and we haven't been here before."
"Who are you?" she asked, looking down menacingly at Harry and Hermione. Hermione's words had finally failed her.
"I'm Harry. Harry Potter," replied Harry politely. Mrs. Longbottom's demeanor instantly softened, and Hermione snapped back into consciousness.
"And I'm Hermione Granger," she added.
"Ah, it's good to see you out and about, Mr. Potter. Didn't think you died after all those years gone, but I can't lie that seeing you is a sight for these sore old eyes," she said warmly, although she retained an air about her demanding respect. "Glad to see you starting your first year… my grandson, Neville, is as well."
"Really?" asked Hermione, inserting herself back into the conversation. "That's great!"
"Why don't you introduce yourself, Neville, instead of cowering behind me like that?" Neville's gran admonished. Sure enough, he had slid behind his gran during the conversation, and now, embarrassedly poked his red, chubby face out from behind her.
"Hi," Neville said feebly, walking out in the open to greet Harry and Hermione. "Gr-gran already told you, bu-but I-I guess I can t-tell you ag-gain. I'm N-Neville." Harry didn't say anything, so Hermione sighed and spoke up.
"I'm Hermione Granger and this is my friend Harry Potter," she said, eagerly shaking Neville's hand. His jaw dropped just a little over hearing Harry's name and seeing his scar, but he didn't say anything.
"Pleased to meet you," said Harry shyly, taking Neville's hand himself.
"P-pleasure's all m-mine!" said Neville, beaming. He had just shook Harry Potter's hand, after all. Neville's gran coughed.
"Now then," gran said. "You three better get on through the barrier. You just have to believe something's on the other side and walk through. I'll go first, and I expect you all to follow right after me." With that, she turned on her heel and walked right into the stone wall, disappearing right before their eyes.
"Well that's easy for her to say, believing something's on the other side!"
"Well you've seen people walking through it," argued Hermione. "You just have to trust the magic will get you there."
"T-true," stammered Neville. "B-but I f-feel like even if I t-trust it, I'm just going to w-walk straight into the wall! I alw-ways f-fail at these th-things!"
"I don't think you will. None of us will," said Hermione. Harry stared at her for a moment.
"How about we all just go through at once, together. It'll be a tight squeeze with our luggage, but I think we'll make it," suggested Harry. Neville nodded enthusiastically. They walked over to the pillar and grabbed each other's hands. "Okay, on the count of three. One, two, THREE!" Eyes closed, they all nervously ran forward, and encountered nothing but a bright light and fresh breeze awaiting them. Hermione looked up and saw sparkling gold numbers.
"We're here! It's platform nine and three quarters!" she said joyfully. Neville, who appeared to be shaking, let out a sigh of relief. Harry smiled and pulled his cart along, his head turning in order to take in all of it. Everyone was moving around, some with children, others standing alone waving towards the train. Trolleys were scattered, a few wands were waved to clean up some fallen trunks… in one word, the scene was magical.
"There you three are! Took you lot long enough just to walk through onto the platform. Well, come on, get on the train. It'll be leaving in ten minutes!"
"Th-thanks Gran," said Neville. He muttered something Hermione couldn't hear and hugged his grandmother. His gran smiled for a moment before letting her face grow stone hard again.
"I'll be in touch, Neville. Be a good boy. Make your parents proud," she said, leaving the platform, her green robes billowing silently behind her.
"So, I guess we'll get on the train then?" said Hermione, sensing a bit of an uneasy spot for Neville. Harry and Neville nodded. "Oooo, look, I bet he's another first year, let's say hello to them first, okay?" She pointed towards the portal where a group of flaming red-heads rushed through, followed by a small boy, his plump mother and what appeared to be his little sister. The only face Hermione could make out with this small boy. It was Ron. Her heart fell, her mind raced, her eyes grew wide. Last Hermione knew, Ron was dead at the hands of the Xuan Wu, but here he stood in front of her, eleven years old… She still wasn't used to seeing those who she had accepted as dead back in the flesh. It was too otherworldly, too emotional…
"Okay. Let's go see them," said Harry, looking over at the group.
"Good," said Hermione, leading the way over. It would be a bit awkward starting conversation with Ron, but now better than never, right? She just would have to stay calm.
"Hello," said Hermione, tapping Ron on the shoulder from the side. He turned his head and looked at her, his blue eyes betraying his surprise.
"Do I know you…?" Ron asked her. Hermione rolled her eyes and bit her lip.
Such typical Ron, thought Hermione.
"I thought you were a first year… and we're first years too, might be nice I we introduced ourselves, I guess," said Hermione lamely.
Ron always makes the situation so much more awkward than it need be. Once a clueless prat, always a clueless prat.
"I'm Harry Potter," said Harry. Ron's mouth fell open and he began to say something, but then—
"I'm Neville Longbottom," Neville quickly said, cutting Ron off.
"And I'm Hermione Granger. Pleased to meet you—er—"
"Ronald Weasley. I go by Ron," he replied. "You're Harry Potter? Can I see your scar?" Harry sighed, but lifted his auburn hair to reveal the lightning bolt scar. Ron gasped.
"Wow, You-Know-Who did that?" asked Ron.
"I don't know," said Harry irritably. "All I remember is a green light, and I think it was from that night…"
"Wicked…"
"Harry's in books you know, I've seen him in The Rise and the Fall of the Dark Arts…" said Hermione, but she cut off. Harry glared at her.
"Sorry," she squeaked. "Just thought I would expand a bit. Got carried away."
"S-so," said Neville nervously. "Y-you have brothers who go here already?"
"Yes," answered Ron. "But that doesn't mean that I know a lot about the school. A load of rubbish they told me, I bet. A good deal of help that'll be…"
CHOO!
A whistle emanated from the train, a huge amount of steam erupting from the train's chimney.
"I th-think we should get onboard before the train l-leaves without us!" suggested Neville, clearly frightened about being left behind.
"Right," said Harry, leading the four of them onto the train. They meandered their way down the hall, past groups of huge, intimidating older students, searching for an empty compartment. It took a while, but they found an empty one near the end of the Hogwarts Express. They perched their luggage on the empty rack and settled in just as the train lurched forward. They were on their way to Hogwarts.
Hermione and Harry sat next to each other by the window; Hedwig's cage sat at the end of the seat with Crookshanks lying next to the proud owl. The two pets appeared to be getting along famously, and noises were constantly coming from their corner as a low steady murmur. Ron and Neville, on the other hand, opted for a more distant approach. They both sat across from Harry and Hermione, although they were both quite far apart from each other. Sitting down, all of them couldn't help but let their eyes wander around the room. They examined the red leather seats, the brilliantly designed carpet, the intricate carvings in the moldings, the polished wood, the tall window, the tidy shelves holding their luggage… It was a very nice compartment, to say the least. Although Hermione thought the compartment was very nice, cozy even, she found the quiet that encompassed the room to be quite unsatisfying.
Why is it always up to me to start conversation, to lead when no one else wants to? True, I'm probably the most mature one here, being a girl, and having memories of things this lot couldn't even dream of…Hermione grimaced.
"So, everyone looking forward to the sorting into houses?" asked Hermione, dangling this information in front of them. They all stared at her, not understanding what she meant.
"What s-sorting?" said Neville.
"And what are houses?" asked Harry.
"Oi, even I can answer that," said Ron.
"Sorry, but I grew up with non-magic folk, so I don't know everything there is to know," said Harry coolly.
"I didn't know," squeaked Ron.
"It's okay. Anyways, what are houses?" asked Harry.
"There are four. Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff. Slytherin's for slimy gits, Ravenclaw's for the clever ones, Gryffindor's for the bravest and the best, and Hufflepuff's for the rest," summed up Ron.
"Not the way I would have described it," Hermione chimed in.
"Well, go on then, if you're so clever, how would you've said it?" said Ron a bit angrily.
"I didn't mean it that way… just that we'd go about it differently, that's all," conceded Hermione. She did not want to get on Ron's bad side this early on, that would just lead to awful things. An image of a troll flashed in her mind's eye, and she shivered.
"I would like to know, though," said Harry.
"And p-please include the s-sorting," stammered Neville.
"Yeah, what's sorting?" asked Ron.
"Oh-alright," said Hermione, giving in. "I've read all about it! There are four houses at Hogwarts, each named after one of the four founders. Each of these founders sought something different in their students: Salazar Slytherin prized ambition, Helga Hufflepuff prized hard-work, Rowena Ravenclaw prized wit, and Godric Gryffindor prized bravery. Now, Gryffindor created a sorting hat in order to sort students into each of these houses, even when he wasn't there. I assume you just pop on the hat and get sorted, although I could be wrong…"
"No, th-that sounds right. N-now I remember my gran saying something about an h-hat," stammered Neville.
Your Gran has scared you into a right state. You can't even string a sentence together without questioning yourself! We'll have to work on that, thought Hermione.
"Lucky you, my brothers just told me we'd be dueling or what not."
"Well that's what you have friends for!" smiled Hermione. "To help protect yourself from your brother's jokes. Ron didn't know what to make of Hermione's comment, but Neville seemed quite happy about it.
"F-friends?" Neville asked.
"Yes Neville, I think we're getting along well enough to assume we're becoming friends," replied Hermione warmly. Ron gave a grunt and Harry smiled.
"Thank you. I've never had friends before," admitted Neville. As soon as he said it, he threw his hands over his mouth. "I c-can't b-believe I just th—I mean—sa-said that!"
"Don't worry about it!" said Harry honestly, walking over to sit next to Neville and put his arm around him reassuringly. "Hermione and I have had a bit of time making friends too."
"Yeah, all I've had are my brothers and my sister. Bill and Charlie have already done everything, Percy's a prefect, Fred and George are funny, and I'm-I'm just plain old Ron! But they're all I've got, along with Ginny. Otherwise, I'm a bit low on friends, too," added Ron glumly. Harry returned to Hermione's side as she spoke up.
"Hey, if we're already all friends, I think we're right on way to becoming the most popular people in school!" piped in Hermione, trying to cheer everyone up. Laughter ensued.
"I don't know about that, we've all never been very popular," said Ron.
"Hey, for your information, popularity is in the eye of the beholder, Mr. I-have-a-smudge-on-my-nose," retorted Hermione. Ron turned pink and tried to wipe off the dirt. "Sorry, didn't mean to be…"
"It's okay," Ron interrupted. "I'd rather you tell me than some slimy Slytherin git." He added a shiver in for effect
"What's so b-bad about Sl-slytherins?" asked Neville curiously.
"Everyone knows all the wizards that go bad are in Slytherin," replied Ron full-heartedly.
"Well, clearly not everyone," corrected Hermione, getting a glare from Ron. "Sorry, but you can 'go bad' if you're in another house. Certainly, there are dark wizards in Slytherin, but you can be dark in another house, too!"
"Right," said Ron. He winked a Neville.
"That kind of attitude will just cut you off from potential friends!" replied Hermione angrily.
"Like I would want to be friends…"
"Hermione's right," interrupted Harry. Ron's face displayed shock, Neville's mouth made an 'o' and Hermione looked vindicated. "We shouldn't judge people just on being in a house. We'll have to judge them ourselves."
"R-right!" agreed Neville. "My gr-gran always says that I have a head on m-m-my shoulders, m-might as well use it!"
"That's the spirit!" Hermione exclaimed, clasping her hands in glee. Ron grimaced.
"You all are against me, agreeing with that stupid know-it-all," he grumbled. Even though Hermione had expected it, it still hurt coming from Ron. She had erected an emotional shield, but this cruel knife slipped through, digging into her heart…
"That was uncalled for, calling her that! Apologize right now!" Neville said hotly, his face red.
"Neville-you didn't stutter!" said Hermione.
"I mean it! Apologize! She m-might be a bit smarter than the rest of us, but she's right!"
"Sorry… I didn't mean it… just think you all are ganging up on me, that's all," muttered Ron.
" We didn't mean to," admitted Harry. Silence bloomed, and Hermione built a bridge over the silent waters.
"So… everyone want to introduce their pets?" Hermione asked.
"Sounds good to me," added Harry. "Who wants to go first?" Ron pulled his grey, fat rat out of his pocket.
"I've got Scabbers. He's an old rat and a hand-me-down from Percy. Perce found him years ago in the garden getting chased by gnomes! He said that Scabbers was scared to death, bleeding and hungry and what not, and needed a home. My parents let him keep him, and now he's mine. He's rubbish, but…"
"That's very nice," Hermione said, smiling. Ron nodded. They all looked at Neville.
"M-me?" he asked. They all nodded. "Oh! Okay! I have a t-toad named Trevor! Oh no! He was supposed to be in m-my tr-trousers!"
"What do you mean, 'supposed to be?'" asked Hermione.
"I think the compartment escaped from me," Neville said, quite distressed.
"What'd you just say?" asked Ron.
"He must have escaped from me when I came into the compartment!" repeated Neville.
"Oh, sure, that make sense," replied Ron. "So, you lost him already?" Ron asked, struggling not to laugh.
"Don't laugh at him!" said Hermione looking sternly at Ron. He shut right up. "Toads are slippery and quite easy to lose, even for the best of us. It's not his fault his toad moves, unlike a rat I know…"
"Hey, Scabbers is just tired, that's all!" replied Ron.
"Fine, fine," said Hermione. "Still, toads are hard to keep track of, they can hop right off."
"Right," agreed Harry, nodding. Neville seemed to gain some composure back from this, but still appeared worried.
"Sh-should I go looking for him?" asked Neville. "I d-don't want anyth-thing to hurt him. Oh no, he co-co-could have be st-stepped on! He'd go sq-sq-squish, and I'd n-n-n-never see him again!"
"Don't think that way," said Hermione. "Let's just wait for him to come back. I'm sure he'll be fine"
"I don't know about that. It might be best for Neville to go out and look for Trevor," said Harry doubtfully.
"Really. He should stay," replied Hermione stoutly. Harry and Ron gave her questioning looks.
"Fine, he'll stay here and lose his ruddy toad," said Ron.
"N-no!" said Neville, looking petrified. "I don't want to lose Tr-Trevor! He's the only pet I have." As Neville, Harry, and Ron continued bickering, Hermione took a chance, hoping no one was looking at her. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm and focus herself and then…
Accio Trevor! she thought loudly, focusing hard on bringing the toad here. Nothing happened. Accio Trevor!
Bump.
Accio Trevor!
Bump!
Accio Trevor!
BUMP!
Accio Trevor! Accio Trevor! Accio Trevor!
BUMP! BUMP! CRASH!
"Wait," said Harry, breaking Hermione's conversation and the skirmish between the three boys. "It sounds like someone's at the door."
"Open it then," grunted Ron. Neville nodded. Harry stood up and pulled open the door.
"That's odd. No one's here…" Harry said, gazing around the hall. "Aha! It's… it's a toad." Harry pointed at his feet.
"Trevor!" yelled Neville merrily, jumping up from his seat and running to pick up his toad. "He looks a bit br-bruised. Someone must have stepped on him…"
Oh no! I summoned him, but I forgot to open the door. He must have been that infernal knocking on the door, and I bruised him. Well there's little chance I'll let him stay bruised, thought Hermione hurriedly.
"Looks like someone stepped on him out there, realized he was on their foot, then dropped him off at the door after knocking…" added in Ron.
"He really looks br-bruised!" said Neville.
"I'm sure it's just the light in here," Hermione expertly lied.
Episkey, she thought, her mind focusing on the toad. Aha! He looks much better.
"G-guess you were right!" commented Neville, pulling up Trevor to his face to examine him better. "C-can't believe it though. Sw-swore he was bruised, but he looks fine…" Trevor gave a half-hearted croak.
"Anything else you want to tell us about Trevor, now that we've seen him?" asked Hermione sweetly.
"Not re-really…"
"Oh come one! There must be something. Please tell us. It's only fair, we're all going to be giving a little bio," pleaded Hermione. Neville sighed.
"Tre-Trevor was my
gift for doing magic when I was eight. I won't go into it, b-but
let's just sa-say that m-my family th-thought I was a
sq-sq-sq?"
"Squirt?"
"Squid?"
"Squat!" corrected Neville, his face reddening.
"What's a squat?" asked Ron.
"I don't think that's what Neville meant to say," said Hermione. She looked at him and nodded for him to continue.
"They thought I was a Squib!" Neville blurted out.
"I'm not surprised. It's clear to me your family has been intimidating you, you can't even make a sentence without fearing it's wrong! No, I doubt you were ever close to a Squib. Never doubt that you're strong Neville," commented Hermione.
"I don't think my family meant anything, they love me."
"Yeah Hermione, that sounded a bit cruel," said Ron. Harry remained silent.
"Honestly though, they intimidated a child, pushing him to the edge of death."
"I never mentioned anything about falling out of the window," muttered Neville. Hermione looked shocked, but quickly covered up her surprise.
"I could have sworn you did," she murmured. Harry looked very intrigued, while Ron could honestly care less.
"H-how did you know?" asked Neville.
"Lucky guess from your demeanor," Hermione fudged. Neville, who seemed confused, appeared to buy it. Hermione uttered a sigh of relief.
"So, where were we—ah yes, Harry, if you would please—"
"Sure, this owl in the corner is Hedwig. Hermione gave her to me years ago, told me I could keep her, although I suspect Hedwig made her. Hedwig's a great owl and an even better friend. She's never been late for delivery of a letter and she's always known where it is. And she knows me… I couldn't ask for more," admitted Harry warmly.
"Blimey, she's pretty… and smart you said?" asked Ron interestedly.
"Wi-wish I ha-had a pet that nice! Tr-Trevor's just a constant re-reminder that I alm-most wasn't able to do ma-ma-magic," Neville stumbled. Trevor uttered a distraught croak.
"Me too. Everything I own is rubbish. Including Scabbers," Ron chimed in.
"Well then, I know what I'll be getting you two for Christmas!" Hermione said happily.
"Re-really? We'll be-be friends then?" asked Neville honestly.
"We've been down this road already, guys. I really think we will be when it all comes down to it. Dunno, but I have a feeling about it…" interjected Harry.
"Agreed. I think we'll be just fine," affirmed Hermione. "Now, as for my cat slash Kneazle, Crookshanks… He's very dear to me and is very clever. Sometimes I swear he's of human intelligence.. Let's just say he's a good judge of character. He'll probably end up slinking around wherever we stay," remarked Hermione. Crookshanks purred loudly for good measure.
"He's a one fat cat," said Ron. Crookshanks hissed, eying Ron's front pocket angrily. Hermione noticed this and slight right over to begin petting the tawny cat.
"See, he's smart, he knew you were insulting him," said Hermione.
"Guess that's true," mumbled Ron.
"I think he's fat. I mean, fantastic!" remarked Neville, realizing his mistake. Crookshanks appeared to get that it was a compliment, purring loudly in response.
"Well good then… it's nice to know something about each other now," admitted Harry.
"Most definitely. Now I don't feel like a complete stranger," Ron said. A quiet fell over the room, only punctuated by the sounds emitted by Hedwig and Crookshanks. It lasted for minutes, as Hermione was determined not to end it this time, until—
Growl.
"What was that?" Harry asked openly. Ron's face reddened.
"It so-sounded like a m-mon-monster!" Neville yelped, frightened.
"No monster I've read about," said Hermione.
Growl. Neville jumped. There it was again.
ROAR! Neville squeaked and moved away from Ron.
"I think it's coming from that corner," he whispered, pointing towards Ron.
"It's my stomach," Ron muttered, hoping no one heard him.
"Oh, only your st-stomach. What a relief!" laughed Neville.
"Suppose we should eat some lunch then… I think we've been talking for a good hour or so. Time does seem to fly when you're having fun," said Hermione gleefully.
"Too bad I only have this for lunch," Ron groaned, pulling out a heavily wrapped sandwich. "It's corn beef on crack wheat. If it wasn't dry and if the bread wasn't toasted to a crisp, it'd be edible. Sometimes my mum rushes with so many children, and I get rubbish for food…"
"Don't worry about it!" piped up Hermione. "I thought that it might be fun if I brought some extra food with me on the train today. I've always found food to be a bit of something people bond over. Let's see, I've got some sandwiches, crisps, some apples, and ooo! My mom baked me a farewell cake. My parents are dentists and they don't usually allow any sweets, and I do mean any. My childhood was sadly a sweet free environment, but I digress…my mum thought the occasion was special enough to warrant a sweet, namely this cake. And let me tell you, my mum is an amazing cook when she's up to the task. Look's like she's made her triple chocolate cake, and I think it'd be great if I could share if with you guys. It's really good," Hermione gabbed.
"What are dentists?" asked Ron.
"Yeah, what are th-they?" Neville added.
"Oh! That's right, it's a non-magical occupation, isn't it? They're the Muggle people who take care of everyone's teeth. You know, keep them clean, prevent cavities…"
"What are cavities?" asked Ron.
"Decay in the teeth, and don't you dare ask me about how teeth can decay," rushed Hermione, watching Ron's mouth open and quickly slam shut. "I think it's advisable that you consider taking Muggle Studies, since you seem a little ignorant of Muggles."
"Oh, thanks."
"No harm meant by it, but I have a feeling I could spend the whole afternoon telling you about things you've never heard of, like a telephone," said Hermione.
"You mean a felly-tone? My dad talks about them all the time…" said Ron. Hermione did of a bit of a double-take.
How on Earth did I not remember that Ron's dad was so into Muggle things. Ron knows some things of course from it, he's not completely ignorant. How forgetful of me! I mean the obsession was a bit of a phase Mr. Weasley went through, he admitted it himself, but still, I can't believe I forgot, thought Hermione.
"No I meant telephone. Let's save this conversation for another day. I think now it's time that we," Hermione paused, and Ron's stomach grumbled. "eat."
"Can I have some of your food too?" asked Harry shyly.
"Of course you can! I offered everybody some. And of course I figured—" Hermione stopped.
"Figured what?" asked Harry, back to his normal non-shy self.
"I just figured that I'd be meeting people today and that they'd be hungry," Hermione fibbed. Harry gave her a questioning glance, but shook it off. "And Neville, I expect you to have some of my food too. At least try the cake, it really is delicious."
Neville, who looked quite reluctant to do anything for a moment reached out his hand for a sandwich and grabbed it. He began chewing.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Tea trolley here, open up!" chirped a pleasant voice. Harry finished chewing and opened the door.
"I've got sweets here—Bertie Botts's beans, Chocolate Frogs, Scurrying Skittles…"
"I'll take the lot," Harry interrupted. Ron beamed.
"Well—erm—okay, that's quite unusual, that'll be… 12 galleons I think?" replied the witch.
"Great!" Harry said, rummaging around his bag and pulling out twelve large gold coins that glinted in the light. The witch pocketed the coins in her billowy apron and began to wave her wand, moving most of the sweets off the cart and onto a portion of open seat in the compartment. The candy began stacking itself up, piling high into a leaning hill of sweets. Despite the huge mound sitting beside him, Ron looked distressed that not all the sweets had come off of the cart, and the kind lady took notice.
"Oh! You're looking at the sweets I left behind? Well I couldn't give you lot all of them! I have to have some for the other children in this car, right?" said the witch. Ron nodded but didn't seem at all satiated.
"Thank you all and have a great year at Hogwarts. I'm sure you'll love it!" she said cheerily, sliding out the door and closing it behind her.
"Wow, we have all that candy and a cake… I'm sure my parents would definitely not approve," announced Hermione, a reproachful tone seeping into her voice.
"Lemme guess, it'd be something about decay, right?" asked Ron.
"Yes, wow, you're quite smart!" Hermione proclaimed. Ron's back straightened and he wore a grin.
"I don't care about decay," Harry remarked. "I am only eleven after all. But it's like Hermione said: food brings people together. What better thing to do than eat candy!"
"R-right!" agreed Neville amiably.
Sure enough, if the four had been getting along well before, it was nothing to what they were doing after eating. The barrier in between all of them began to fall down; Neville became less and less aware of his stutter, Ron cared less about being right or special, Harry began to have a lot more fun and talked freely, and Hermione let her know-it-all side take the back-seat as she laughed along with everyone else. Raucous laughter and interested conversation sounded from the car, as though the four were having a regular old hootenanny.
Sandwiches and cake behind them, the foursome played a game of taste the Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans. Harry started ate one, handed it over to Hermione, who gave it to Ron, who gave it to Neville who handed it back to Harry. They'd each announce the flavor they had just eaten and move on to the next person…
"Pepper!" Harry remarked, his mouth making an odd shape.
"Emmm, Chocolate. Didn't know they had those…" Hermione admitted.
"Mint!" Ron said, smacking his lips. Neville took a bean and froze, spitting it out.
"Tasted like vomit!" he said, his eyes wide.
"You can't be serious," laughed Ron.
"B-but I am! You wanna try it?"
"No! Let's just keep going."
"Banana," said Harry.
"Lime," said Hermione.
"Chicken," said Ron.
"Lavender," said Neville.
"Irish crème!"
"Dirt."
"Ew… beetle…"
"Parchment, bleh."
"Blood!?" shouted Harry in disbelief. It was every flavor, though.
"Cilantro."
"Lemon."
"Chili pepper."
"Sugar cookie."
"Salsa?"
"Hair…"
"Ear wax…"
"Mold…"
"Hmmm, mine tastes like… sunshine… it's really sweet and warm."
"That's an odd flavor, sunshine. George and Fred thought they got a dirty sock flavored one once, but I have no idea if it's true," said Ron.
"Hmmm, one left. Do you think we should try giving one to one of our pets?" asked Harry, a sly look in his eye.
"I don't know… what color is it?" inquired Hermione. Somehow Neville had already gotten a hold of the box. He peered inside of it and picked out the last jelly bean.
"Dark green."
"That could mean anything, though. Hmmm, well Crookshanks does like his sweets and he doesn't get them much," thought Hermione aloud. "Okay then, how does that sound Crookshanks? You up to eating this? I know! You can have a chocolate frog afterwards, but only if you eat it, okay?"
"Hope it doesn't hurt him," admitted Neville.
"I don't think this is quite animal testing, I doubt it would be excruciating for him," said Hermione. She took the bean from Neville and held it out in front of Crookshanks, who looked at the sweet warily. He appeared to be aware that it could taste horrible, but also that he would be getting chocolate for trying it. He was clearly at odds, his eyes shifting around. Finally, he padded over to Hermione's and snatched up the green little bean.
HACK! WHEEZE! HACK!
Crookshanks instantly coughed out the half-chewed bean (along with a decent size hairball) and glared at Hermione. Clearly Crookshanks was furious, and he leapt over to Ron at scratched at him, right about where Scabbers was.
"Crookshanks, no! Come back here, now!" reprimanded Hermione, leaping into action before Crookshanks could do any harm. Hermione looked at Ron to see a cut on his arm seeping blood, but no other damage. Scabbers appeared intact, which was the important thing.
"I'm so sorry," apologized Hermione. "I don't know what got into him. Usually he's so well behaved."
"Don't worry about it. It's just a nick. And besides, I think it was that bean that messed him up," replied Ron quite maturely.
"You're right, I should probably taste it," said Hermione.
"You're not going to…" Neville softly chided, but it was too late.
"Ewwww…" said Ron, watching Hermione's face turn green. They all saw her spit the bean out, and it sailed right out the open upper window.
"That was absolutely horrid," admitted Hermione.
"Why do ya think Cr-Crookshanks attacked Ron?" asked Neville.
"It tasted like a confounding potion…"
"How would you know what a confounding potion tastes like?" asked Harry warily.
"I read about it, of course! It fit the book's specifications for taste, exactly. Tastes like pain," Hermione fibbed.
"Right," said Ron.
"But that does explain why Crookshanks attacked Ron, right? He was confounded, didn't care about what I thought. I guess the taste of the potion was so accurate, it actually made the effects occur…"
"Uhm, but how did you remember how it tasted from a book?" inquired Harry. But before Hermione could answer, the door slid open, saving Hermione and revealing two stocky red-heads.
Hermione's mind instantly flashed to their deaths. One of them had fallen prey to a crumbling wall, lying limp of the floor, his face pale. The other had committed suicide, unable to live in a world devoid of laughter without his twin. Hermione felt her heart wrench and her head lighten; she struggled to even comprehend they were there. For so long, she had accepted their tragic loss, but now, they were staring at her, grins on their faces, their infectious laughter spreading…
I just can't believe it. How long has it been? Sixty years, plus eleven in this life. I just put them all behind me when George hung himself that night. It was too tragic to remember, but now seeing them here, it's making it all come back, making it all too much to handle! Just be happy, Hermione. Be happy that you have been given the chance to save them, to save them from death, to save the world from a fate without their laughter, thought Hermione.
"Oi, here's ickle Ronniekins," said one.
"Yes, and he's already got little friends," chimed in the other.
"Shut it," muttered Ron.
"What did you say?" asked the first twin, raising his hand to his ear.
"Get bent!" shouted Ron.
"Oi, Ron's picked up a potty mouth from the village Muggles."
It's too much! It's one thing seeing them here, but it's another to have them talking, all of our fun times together, taken, they were gone and now they're back, oh no! Hermione uttered a muffled sob.
"What's wrong with her?" the first one asked Ron.
"Dunno."
"Sorry… just happy to see people…"
"Mental, that one," commented Ron.
"Ron," chided Neville.
"In a good way!" Ron corrected.
"Now, who are these two guys? Your brothers?" asked Harry.
"Yeah," said Neville. "Who are they?"
"I'm Fred," said the first.
"And I'm George!"
"It's our lot in life to—"
"Make our brothers' lives living hell!"
"It just happens that Ron's the youngest—"
"Which makes him a prime victim—"
"And he can't fight back like the others—"
"Right you are, Fred, o' brother of mine—"
"And because you three appear to be associated with him—"
"How unlucky of you to choose this car—"
"You'll be pranked too!"
The twin dynamic, their deaths, oh no, I can see them dead! I want to scream, thought Hermione distraughtly. She began to take deep breaths to settle herself down.
"Oh great, the only friends I have, you two have to barge in and chase them out. Thanks a lot. Lemme guess, this is the birthday gift you forgot to get me," replied Ron angrily.
"Right you are Ronniekins," replied Fred.
Hermione felt the stress of the situation leaving, she began to just feel overjoyed that she was given a second chance with them.
"No, you're not right!" piped up Neville. "I'm not le-leaving."
"Oh, we've got a brave one, better think outside of the cauldron on this one!" whispered George to Fred.
"No, no matter what you do, we won't leave Ron just because of his pesky older brothers," added Harry.
"Relax," said Fred.
"We meant nothing by it!" said George.
"There are better targets than Ron and his innocent little friends!" Fred added. "Are you going to introduce us to your little playmates, Ron?"
"I'm not so little! I'm nearly as big as you two!" replied Ron, standing up to face his older brothers.
"Not where it matters…" George whispered. Ron turned red.
"And anyways, they can introduce themselves!" replied Ron hotly.
"I'm Neville Longbottom!" piped up Neville.
"Hermione Granger," muttered Hermione, still in shock. She continued her deep breathing.
"And I'm Harry Potter." The twins looked surprised.
"The Harry Potter? There were rumors that you'd be coming to Hogwarts—" said Fred.
"But we never thought it'd be this year. There's been no news on the train—"
"And honestly, I can see why, you don't look like I'd expect—"
"But he's got the scar—"
"Right he does—"
"Does it hurt?"
"Stop badgering him. He's had enough of it, I can tell you two gits," admonished Ron, standing up to his brothers. Fred's cheeks turned a bit pink, but George's face remained pale with freckles.
"Didn't mean to badger, just nice to meet Harry Potter, that's all," said George.
"Yeah, sorry," added Fred lamely.
"It's all right," replied Harry, accepting their apology. Conversation stopped, Hermione was once more forced into the role of instigator.
"So, what houses are you two in?" asked Hermione, her composure finally back with her.
"We're Gryffindors and proud of it!" replied George.
"I think that's what we're all hoping for at this point. I reason that worse come to worse, we can argue with the Sorting Hat."
"Oi, you know about him. We've been hoping for years that Ron would think he would have to fight a troll just to be sorted," admitted Fred.
"But now you've gone and ruined it in one fell swoop."
"Years of preparation—gone!"
"You're welcome," said Hermione. "Are you two 'pesky' twins going to prank me for it? Am I not an innocent playmate of Ron's now?"
"She's asking for it, might as well give it to her," said Fred.
"She'll never know what hit her, but she'll be hit."
"Definitely."
"Oh you two don't scare me. It's you two who should be scared. There's four of us and two of you. If you prank us, we'll just prank you back," threatened Hermione.
"I never expected you to prank someone," whispered Harry into Hermione's ear.
"Well I do play by the rules. This time it just won't be the official set; it'll be their rules," replied Hermione quietly.
"Is that really a threat to us, the best pair of pranksters Hogwarts has ever seen?" asked George.
"I suppose it is a threat," replied Hermione.
"Do you really think you can do anything to us?" asked George.
"Yes. Yes I do. With all of our talents, we can do anything to you."
Fred and George looked at each other, as though wondering if they should take her seriously. They shrugged their shoulders and eyed the mound of candy sitting in the car.
"Are you going to take our candy?" asked Ron glumly.
"Might as well take some for the road," replied Fred with a large wink.
"We'll be seeing you, soon, I bet, but now it's time that we left."
"So long!"
"Farewell!" added George with a flourished wave. They picked up some candy and walked straight out the door. Harry closed it behind them.
"That was interesting," remarked Harry, sitting back down.
"They seemed like b-bullies!" muttered Neville.
"Oh, I don't think they're bullies," Hermione commented. "More like pranksters who fight for what needs to be fought for at the moment. At least, that's the impression I got."
"Yeah, that sounds like Fred and George. Sometimes though, the 'fight' is for a good laugh," Ron grumbled.
"I hope they're n-nice to us at school!" Neville said.
"They better be. My threat wasn't empty. If they come pranking us we'll most certainly prank them right back!" said Hermione earnestly.
"I guess," muttered Ron.
"Don't be so down," said Harry. "They seem like good enough guys… I sort of wish I lived with them, too. You know, my house is so quiet and neat, but they seem to be noisy and disorderly. It'd be great."
"Yeah, you're right," said Ron enthusiastically.
With the twins gone, conversation began to twist and turn in the compartment; Ron spent a good half hour introducing Quidditch to Harry and Hermione (Hermione still hadn't figured the sport out yet), which then rolled right into talking about flying. At that point, Neville and Ron split off from the conversation and began talking about their first flight on a broom, while Hermione and Harry talked about cleaning with a broom the Muggle way, and the feeling of flying their first time. Then Neville asked if they'd be learning to fly at Hogwarts, which spiraled into a full catalogue of courses description by Hermione…
"..And I think Transfiguration will be my favorite class," Hermione finished. "What about you Harry, any thoughts?"
"Hmmm, I thought Charms and Defense sounded nice, but History sounded awful," Harry remarked.
"Agreed," Ron said.
"I think Herbology and Portions sound best," muttered Neville.
"Portions? You can't be serious," replied Ron. "That's taught by Snape, and he's one slimy git…"
"I meant Charms," admitted Neville, his face turning red.
"Sounds like we all like different things. That's most wonderful…" said Hermione. But before she could continue on, the door to the compartment slid open.
"Ah… so the rumors are true, Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts…" a familiar voice drawled.
Malfoy.
"And you are…?" asked Harry.
"I'm Draco Malfoy, and these are Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, better known as just Crabbe and Goyle," introduced Draco. "I think you'll find us to be much better company than this lot."
"I don't know about that, I'm fine here," replied Harry coolly.
"This poor lot? You deserve better than this…" Draco said.
"I'm fine here," Harry stated hotly.
"Insulting me and making bad choices already? If you're not careful, something might just happen to you Potter, just like something happened to your parents," said Malfoy coldly. "Well, since you've already decided, I think I should leave you alone to realize what a huge mistake you have made…"
"You're welcome to sit down with us, Draco," invited Hermione politely, cutting Malfoy off. "We were just discussing classes, and I'm sure we all could use some more input." Draco seemed to ponder it, but turned around to leave.
"Going so soon? I see then, you're just going to follow your father and not think for yourself. I expected better of a Malfoy, but then I again I guess they just all get possessed by the Pure-blooded mania. Pity, I thought that the family name might actually mean something," Hermione drawled, uncharacteristically scathing. She had the upper hand in the conversation, and she wasn't about to lose it.
"Shut it, Mudblood," snapped Draco, turning back around. Ron jumped up.
"Sit. Ron. This is my battle, I'm fully aware of what he meant by it. I just thought that he would have been able to make a smarter comeback. Again, he fails to live up the greatness his title demands," said Hermione. Words failed Draco. "Really, if you're going to just stand there, you might as well sit down with us before you embarrass yourself further. You might even redeem yourself." Draco looked oddly defeated, and instead of following his goons out the door, he sat down on the edge of Ron's and Neville's seat by the door, all alone.
"First polite thing you've done all day. Want some candy?" offered Hermione. "We've got some left over from lunch. Someone ordered the whole trolley full…"
"Oi, Hermione, I was just trying to get us to bond," replied Harry.
"You're just going to let him sit there, after he called you a…"
"Yes, I am, because that is his father talking, not him," snapped Hermione. "And I've been called hurtful things before. Being muddy won't change me. I'll just take pride in it, that's all."
"I am too thinking for myself," defended Draco.
"Oh, you speak? Too bad your words are false, your poor mind misguided…"
"I am not misguided. And no Mudblood will take that tone with me!"
"Oh good, you've gained back you're fight. I was worried you wouldn't be able to even talk to me…"
"What do you mean by that, beaver-face?"
"Now moving onto my appearance, hmm? Well you'll have to try harder than that to get to me. But you, Draco, you're easier to get to. I know loads about your family. How they've dabbled in the Dark Arts, how your father served You-Know-Who. And I've even read about you, the latest addition to the Malfoy line."
"Being a snobby know-it-all won't get you far, Mudblood! Books won't get you anywhere in this world. Mark my words, you'll meet a sticky end."
"Ooo, death threats now, you've upped the ante. I suppose if you were serious though, you would have actually attacked me by now. Too bad. And still relying on using Mudblood, hmm? For all I care you could call me 'Muddy' as a nickname, that way it would at least make sense to use it so often…"
"You don't intimidate me!"
"Your face begs to differ! Really, Draco. I know more than you think I do. I know you've been trained to lead this dark route, but you have been deceived. Don't do it. There is still time to change, you haven't even started Hogwarts yet. Just be careful what you do, you may regret it one day…"
"You think you're so smart, Mudblood."
"I don't care if I'm smart," Hermione quipped irritably. "All I care about is getting it through your head that you have a choice in life!"
"How dare you!"
"Yes, I dare I try to give you advice, give us all advice. I assume I'm still meeting a sticky end. Regardless, I think I got it through your thick skull. Choose your friends wisely, Draco."
"You think you know me, but you don't, dumb Mudblood!"
"ENOUGH!" cried out Neville, who couldn't take anymore of it. "GET OUT OF HERE YOU EVIL, SNOT-NOSED FERRET!"
"Neville!" gasped Hermione.
"I mean it, get out of here. If you want to come back, to be friends with Harry, meaning all of us, you should reconsider using foul language and act polite!" bellowed Neville. No one in the car expected this out of the boy, but Draco took this as an exit card and instantly left the cabin. As everyone's attention focused on Draco, Hermione took a chance.
Accio Scabbers, she thought, focusing on the bulge in Ron's front pocket. Soon enough, a rat began floating out towards her—she would have him so soon—but then Harry's eyes flickered towards this side of the room—she dropped the spell, and Scabbers fell.
Rats! I almost had him. Now I'll have to wait to capture him. But why did Harry have to look over here? I really hope he didn't see anything. Probably didn't…
"Wow, I'm glad someone had the guts to stand up to him, besides Hermione that is," muttered Ron. Neville seemed proud enough. "I can't believe he just kept calling Hermione, well, you-know-what." Ron put his hand up to his pocket. "Where's Scabbers? I swear I put him back in here…"
"He's on the floor, mate," called out Harry.
"That's odd, ya think I would have felt him crawl out," said Ron.
"Probably slipped away from you, just like Trevor did with Neville," suggested Hermione.
Buy it. Buy it, buy it, she hoped.
"Hmmm, maybe. Scabbers is sneaky when he wants to be, but most of the time he's asleep," said Ron sagely. "The important thing is he's safe, and Malfoy's gone. You were really great Hermione, talking to him like that. But you really didn't sound like yourself."
"Yeah, Hermione, you sounded so different, like you were older or something," admitted Harry. Neville nodded.
"You think so? I really feel like I channeled a particularly unctuous personality right there. It felt surreal, not like me…" admitted Hermione.
"Oh yeah, it didn't sound like you. Still, you mentioned books," said Ron.
"Yeah, but otherwise, she sounded like a mother, or some old lady" Harry said. Hermione blushed.
"Oh—well—erm—thank you—for the well—the compliment?" replied Hermione. Harry didn't say anything. "And I'm so happy you stood up to Malfoy, Neville!"
"Th-thanks. I just couldn't let him treat you like that, I couldn't."
"You chased him out a little earlier than I had hoped, but like I said, I got the message through. And I hope you all got the message too?"
"Yes we did," muttered Ron.
"What was it then?" asked Hermione. "All of you now!"
"We have a choice in life," they chorused.
"Good, you don't have to do what your parents, Aunt and Uncle, or Gran expect you to…"
"Okay, thanks Mother Hermione. Now can we please just leave behind this mess?" asked Ron.
"Sounds good to me," added Harry.
"Then it's settled. I guess we should get on our robes then, it's getting dark and I'm pretty sure I can see the castle in the distance," said Hermione. She stepped out of the room and waited for them to change and then returned to change into her robes herself. She called the boys back in from the hall where they were mulling.
"I can see the castle in the distance you guys, come look!" she rang out. Ron, Harry, and Neville hurried back in and ran over to the window, where they glued their faces. Nestled in rolling hills and hugged by forests appeared a giant castle with faint lights, soaring flying buttresses, steep towers, and giant stone walls.
"Amazing," Harry said.
"Isn't it?" Hermione added.
"My brothers told me about it, but wow, that's great," said Ron, squinting. "I think we're getting close to the platform now! There's a lake up ahead, and a path in the woods."
"Sounds like it," Hermione agreed.
"R-really? We'll be there that soon?" asked Neville. Before Hermione could answer, a voice rang over the intercom telling them that they would arrive at the station momentarily.
"Seems like it," replied Harry with a grin.
"It looks very pretty, and I think I see some plants I've read about in Rare Herbs and Shrubs of the Non-Muggle Variety," remarked Hermione.
"Where?" asked Neville excitedly.
"Right over there, see it?"
"Oh, those are boxing box bushes, looks like they just lost their purple flowers," said Neville.
"Don't remember reading about them," muttered Hermione.
"They bloom for one week in late summer… during that week anyone who comes close to the bus risks the flowers suddenly spurting out and hitting them," replied Neville. "They're in my backyard, I've always found them really interesting…"
"I never knew that! How intriguing," Hermione commented. Neville beamed. The train jerked to a halt.
"When you two are done with your little discussion, I think we should get out of the car and get up to the school," replied Ron.
"He's right, everyone's already leaving their cabins. We should go," added Harry.
"Okay then," said Hermione. Together, the four of them strode out of the hallway, through the excited students. After descending the steps near the head of the train, they found themselves on a warm stone platform and were greeted by the cool night air. Hermione took a deep breath.
It's good to be back, she thought.
"He, I know him," said Harry, pointed at an abnormally huge person. "That's Hagrid! He's the gamekeeper here. He gave me my letter."
"Oh isn't that wonderful," said Hermione. Ron gave her a confused look.
"Firs' years over here, the rest of ye take those carriages," Hagrid boomed. Walking down the stairs, Hermione heard the snort of a horse like creature. She peered over her shoulder and stopped.
Instead of seeing a corporeal creature, Hermione saw a faded version. She saw the creatures, but they seemed less vivid than if they were real. They edges weren't sharp at all, everything looked blurred.
Well, I guess since I haven't actually seen death this time around, I shouldn't be able to really see them. But I guess the fact that I remember seeing death means that I technically have seen it, in a way. The way I've seen it isn't clear though, so neither should my image of the thestrals. Very intriguing, thought Hermione. Entranced, she walked over to pet one.
"Hermione—where are you going?" yelled out Ron already far away. He ran towards her, followed by Harry and Neville. She had chosen a small one and was rubbing it softly. "What are you doing, we should be down by the lake!"
"Just give me a moment," replied Hermione. But Ron didn't, he ran in front of her. Instantly, the Thestral moved, distracted by him. The creature turned away from Hermione and reared its head at Ron.
"Ron—no!" cried out Hermione. The thestral's head threw Ron up into the air. For a moment, he stood still in the air, but his body plunged back to earth.
"URG!" he grunted, his arm buckling under his side. Hermione turned pale as she saw something white glint from the end of his arm.
"You've broken your arm! Someone help!" cried out Hermione. The Thestral, however, could care less. It had already licked off dried blood from Ron's one arm and now moved onto the broken arm, cleaning the fresh wound with his tongue."Something's attacking me! I can't see it! It threw me up and now I'm being eaten to death," sobbed Ron, rolling around holding his arm.
"Don't panic," said Harry calmly. "We just need help!"
"IT'S EATING ME! AND NOW IT'STEPPING ON ME!" cried out Ron. The Thestral had placed its foot on Ron's chest. Neville was first into action.
"Subsisto minima!" cried out Neville. His wand shook, but did nothing. The Thestral pressed down more and Ron let out a moan.
"Oh no, it could kill him!" said Hermione.
"I can't do anything," replied Harry nervously. "I don't know what's attacking him!"
I can't do anything, if I use any complicated spell it'll look disastrously wrong that I know advanced magic.. something simple… something simple…thought Hermione
"SOMEONE HELP ME!" Ron yelled.
"Conjunctivitis!" Hermione called out, her wand raised. The Thestral couldn't see anymore; immediately, it shrieked out in pain, stopped licking Ron and started stumbling away from them, unable to see where it was going.
"What just sh-shrieked?" asked Neville. Before Hermione could answer, Hagrid had bounded over to help them.
"Whas wrong?" Hagrid panted.
"I think it's gone," muttered Hermione. Ron moaned.
"Ron, calm down, " asked Harry.
"Calm down, calm down? I COULD HAVE DIED!" Ron bellowed.
"No, but you just got hurt. Mr. Hagrid, can you help him? He's broken his arm" asked Hermione, looking up at the hulking figure.
"Oi, I'll just 'ave yer get to the Hospital Wing, I'll have Filch take the firs' years across the lake. It looks like lil' Nexy got attracted to his blood…" said Hagrid, looking down at Ron and picking him up.
"Oh no, will we be late to the sorting?" cried out Neville.
"Ya might, bu' I thin' it's mo important to help yer friend, righ?" asked Hagrid. "Follow me."
"Right," said Hermione, jogging to keep up with Hagrid. Neville and Harry were in step right behind her.
From that moment on, the Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Neville would be the closest friends. There are some things you can't face together and come through without being friends, and a near death experience was one of them.
A/N: That was a lot of character development, and a ton of dialogue. Not as long as the last chapter, but this one did end up writing itself. I've already begun writing the next chapter, too! Hopefully it'll be out soon. (I think this story has officially become the longest Post-Death Hallows story. It's been less than a week and we're thirty thousand words in! Squeaked in some action at the end… and it's a total parallel to the Philosopher's Stone.