Author's Note: Thanks for all of your positive responses on this story, I really do appreciate it! I want to reiterate that this story is an AU story, taking place in the Harry Potter timeline. As such, there will be a few modern references in this chapter. Thanks!
Chapter Five: A Journey Into the Unknown
In the month following the emotional reunion of the two Arendelle children, it would appear to an outsider as if there has been no rift between the two sisters whatsoever. Elsa and Anna did practically everything together, both feeling as if a large hole in their hearts had suddenly been filled. Elsa immediately moved back into the room the once shared with Anna, turning her former bedroom-prison into a playroom for the two girls so that they would not be stampeding throughout the palace (Though that they did anyway.). True to her word, Elsa did indeed build a snowman with Anna as soon as her old bedroom was cleared of all her things. Now mostly unafraid of using her ice and snow powers for fun, Elsa conjured up endless amounts of un-melting snow for herself and her sister to play in. What Elsa and Anna didn't think of, however, was that special magical snow has special magical properties; and as soon as the to had their backs turned, the magic revealed itself in shocking, yet amusing, ways.
"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" came a sudden, childish voice.
Startled, the two girls froze in their tracks; jaws dropping at the sudden, unexpected sound as they turned to face each other.
"Elsa, did you…" Anna asked, slightly scared.
"No, I thought that was you…" Elsa replied, with an equal amount of nervousness in her voice.
"No, sillies, it was me!" came the voice again. Finally turning around, the two girls slightly jumped backwards when they saw that the snowman they had created together was alive!
Taking a tentative step towards the live, yet seemingly harmless snowman; Elsa questioned, "W-Who are you?"
"I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" the snowman known as Olaf repeated, still with a joyous smile on his face. Elsa continued with her questioning.
"You're a snowman…"
"Yeah, why?" Olaf replied, staring at Elsa and Anna with a smile still on his face.
"But you can talk…"
"Yeah, why?"
"And you're alive?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Elsa, you must have made him by using your powers!" Anna realized, nearly jumping for joy at the thought of having an actual, live snowman as a friend. Elsa surveyed Olaf, unbelieving at the thought of creating such a being…
"I…I created you?"
"Yeah, why?"
If Elsa had any more questions for the snowman, the opportunity to ask was lost when Anna rushed past and tackled the snowman in a huge hug.
"You're even better now that you can talk and stuff! Oh, I love you Olaf!" the young redhead squealed in delight.
"Aww…I love you too Anna!" the snowman replied as he wrapped his small branch arms around the little girl as best he could. Elsa looked down on the scene with fascination, wondering just how on Earth she could have created something—no, someone so beautiful, lifelike, and amazing.
"Is this why I was given these powers? To help make the world more beautiful? Is this actually a gift instead of a curse?" the young Snow Princess asked herself.
Anna and Olaf, meanwhile, noticed Elsa simply standing back as they hugged and immediately opened up to invite her in.
"There's room for one more, Elsa!" the snowman smiled, unable to get enough warm hugs from people. Elsa happily joined in, making it a group hug.
"I love both of you. Welcome to the family, Olaf," the eleven year-old smiled. "I promise I'll find a way to keep you with us."
Elsa never went back on her promise. Shortly after, the crown princess approached her mother and father, explaining what had happened and how great she had felt at creating something so vibrant and lifelike. It took only one meeting with Olaf for Elsa and Anna's parents to fall in love with him, as if he were the son they never had. Nobody could resist Olaf's childlike charm and energy, and soon the entire Royal Palace was quite taken with the little snowman that the children were never seen without. Of course with the summer heat becoming almost unbearable, Elsa had to give Olaf his own small flurry so that the snowman would not simply become a lifeless puddle. Olaf became even more thrilled at this news, as he revealed that it had always been one of his dreams to full experience summer as he performed a wonderfully corny song and dance routine about what a snowman would do during the hottest season. This had Elsa and Anna in stitches by the end, Elsa even more proud now that her creation also had wonderful musical talent.
But none of that was on Elsa's mind right now, as the month had passed and it was now the morning of August thirty-first, the day before Elsa was to leave for Hogwarts. Frantically running around her shared room, Elsa was doing some last-minute packing before the entire royal family would be shuttled out to the private plane that would fly them to London, where they would all stay the night before heading to Kings Cross Station for Elsa to catch the Hogwarts Express. Supposedly the best way to transport a number of students to school was by train. Elsa was giddy with excitement, ever since reading The Polar Express, she loved the idea of riding on a magical train. It seemed, however, that Elsa was the only excited child in the room.
"Anna, have you seen my copy of Quidditch Through the Ages?" Elsa asked the younger girl that was lying on her bed. Receiving no response, Elsa again called out to get her sister's attention, again receiving no response. Elsa grew scared. Was Anna trying to get her back for all the years she had ignored her little sister? No…Anna was not vindictive like that, Elsa reasoned. Moving over to the lump that was still lying in bed, Elsa pushed the covers aside to find her little sister's face buried in her pillow, soft sniffles making themselves heard.
"Anna, what's wrong?" the older girl asked, placing her hand on her little sister's shoulder, only to find the younger girl jerking away from her touch.
"Go away, Elsa!" the little redhead yelled, though muffled by the pillows.
"Anna, I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong," Elsa said patiently, determined to get to the bottom of her little sister's sadness. She had since vowed to herself to fully carry out her duties as a big sister after the neglect she had shown towards Anna for three years. Suddenly realizing, Elsa asked, "This isn't about me leaving, is it?"
The younger child rose slightly, taking her face out of her pillow and looking Elsa straight in the eye, where Elsa could see her little sister's eyes red from all the crying. "M-Maybe…" the younger girl stammered, not wanting to spoil her big sister's excitement.
A wave of sadness rushing over her, Elsa climbed onto her little sister's bed and cradled the smaller girl, "Oh Anna, I'm sorry if I've been talking too much about Hogwarts…I'm gonna miss you too, you know," she said as she rubbed her sister's back in an attempt to comfort the younger girl.
"I-It's just…I only just got you back, and I feel like I'm losing you again…" the redhead choked out as a fresh wave of tears escaped from her eyes. "You and Olaf are going away and I'm just gonna be here all alone again…"
Elsa tightened her hold on her little sister, feeling bad for the younger girl who had for so long been alone in life. "Well, there's where you're wrong, sis," Elsa said with a mysterious smile. She figured now would be a good time to drop the surprise on Anna. "I already asked Olaf to stay here with you and he agreed. I figured you'd need someone other than Mama and Papa to play with while I'm at school."
Instantly the redhead piped up and she looked Elsa in the eye. "Really?" she asked, not believing what she was hearing. "Oh, thank you Elsa!" she screamed out as she tackle-hugged her big sister.
"And remember, Anna; I'll be back for Christmas, which is only four months away," Elsa continued to reassure as she returned her little sister's hug. "I promise I'll write you every day, okay? I'll tell you everything about Hogwarts." Anna only smiled and nodded in agreement, not yet ready to break the hug with her sister.
Eventually, Elsa was finally satisfied with how her trunk was packed and the two sisters made their way down to the dining hall where their mother and father were enjoying a late breakfast, waiting for their daughters to be ready. After a quick breakfast of none other than chocolate-chip pancakes, the royal family was soon aloft in the air, destined for a place largely unknown to the two children.
The flight from Arendelle to London only took approximately three hours, but it was three hours that Elsa and Anna would not soon forget. Despite their parent's status as the leaders of a sovereign nation, both children had never been on an airplane before and were quite giddy in excitement over the prospect of being able to go up into the sky. It seemed that as soon as it had started, it was all over and the royal family's private jet was landing at Heathrow Airport, where the two girls were jaw-dropped in fascination at how many airplanes were coming and going and just how large some of them were. Both could not believe their eyes when they saw a Boeing 747 bearing the logo of British Airways taxiing past them, seemingly dwarfing the comparably tiny Gulfstream that the royals were flying on. Shortly thereafter, the family de-planed, passed through Customs, and were whisked off to 45 Park Lane where they would be staying for the night, their royal status providing them with a small police escort. Even having grown up in a palace, the two girls fascination only grew with their first look at the posh five-star hotel, their bright young eyes breathing in every single detail. Everything was just so beautiful!
But of course, all good things must come to an end, and the royal family's small excursion to London was no exception. For it was now that our story truly begins. The following morning, the entire royal family was again whisked off in a small police-escorted motorcade from the hotel to Kings Cross Station, the very place that would set Elsa the most unforgettable journey of her life. Arriving at the station at half past ten, the family quickly shuffled inside, stopping briefly to place all of Elsa's things on a luggage trolley. Making their way inside, Elsa consulted the letter that she had received from Hogwarts approximately one week ago, explaining in great detail how to access the train to Hogwarts. Making sure she knew every detail exactly, Elsa silently reread the letter in its entirety.
Dear Miss Arendelle,
We are pleased and delighted to have you attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this upcoming term. Please find in this letter the instructions on how to access the train that will take you to school. The Hogwarts Express will depart from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at precisely eleven o'clock in the morning on 1 September. To access Platform Nine and Three-Quarters from the muggle world, simply walk at the wall between Platform Nine and Platform Ten. Please do make sure that you are inconspicuous at all times, and do not ask any of the muggle station staff for assistance, as they are unaware and are not permitted to have any knowledge of the platform or our world as a whole. Also, please be advised that any muggle family or friends will not be able to access the platform.
We look forward to seeing you at the opening feast.
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Elsa grinned as she read that letter, she simply loved the way magic seemed to be right in front of people's eyes all the time. Yet, unless you knew what to look for, you would likely pass it by without a second thought. Yes, Elsa was already giddy in anticipation of what was soon to be. Reaching the wall separating Platform Nine and Platform Ten, Elsa turned to her mother, father, and sister; the magnitude of today's events finally hitting her like the train she was sure to be riding on today. For the first time ever, Elsa was going to be separated from her family. This girl who up until one month ago had never seen outside of the royal palace walls was all of a sudden going to be studying at a boarding school that was hundreds of miles and an entire sea away from what she knew as home. Tears coming to her eyes, Elsa engulfed her mother and father in one last hug, savoring their last moment together until the Christmas holidays.
"Well, I guess this is goodbye," the girl said as she was released from her mother and father's embrace. "I'm going to miss you…I promise to write every day, okay?"
Her mother crying too much to speak, Elsa's father spoke for both of them. "We're going to miss you too, sweetheart. We are so proud of you," he said with a smile that Elsa couldn't help but return before turning to her little sister.
"Now, don't you and Olaf cause too much trouble while I'm gone. Save some for when I'm back, okay?" Elsa said as she engulfed her little sister in a warm hug that would make Olaf jealous. Anna simply nodded through her own tears as she returned the hug her big sister gave her. Once the two sisters broke apart, Elsa faced the rest of her family.
"I love you all," was all the oldest child had to say. Her response came in the form of a chorus from her mother, father, and sister.
"We love you too!"
Taking hold of her luggage trolley, Elsa pushed it until she was right in front of the wall itself. Looking backwards, Elsa offered one final wave to her family before pushing her trolley through the wall, half-expecting the trolley to bounce back towards her. Instead, the girl simply seemed to melt through the wall and was suddenly facing a gleaming scarlet steam engine with the words 'HOGWARTS EXPRESS' emblazoned on the tender. Elsa's tears disappeared as her smile grew a thousand fold, she was actually going off to Hogwarts! Suddenly, a wave of anxiety washed over Elsa as her fears and insecurities began to return to the surface. What if she made no friends here? Elsa hoped not, she had been alone for too long and was determined to change that as she began her new life in a whole new world. Doing her best to squash her fear and anxiety, Elsa worked her way past the multitude of people crowded on the platform in an attempt to find an open compartment. Finally finding one towards the end of the train, Elsa climbed into it and did her best to stow all of her things away. It was here where she realized just how heavy her trunk was, there was no way that a small eleven year-old such as herself could hoist that heavy thing onto the luggage rack by herself! Fortunately, it seemed as if the fates had favored her.
"Excuse me, is anyone else sitting here?" came a voice from the door of the compartment.
Temporarily abandoning her attempts at stowing her trunk, Elsa turned toward the source of the voice and saw somebody who she could only assume was to be a first year like herself. It was a boy with seemingly untamable raven-colored hair, circular eyeglasses that seemed to be held together with scotch tape, and a strange scar on his forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. The boy was wearing clothes that were many sizes far too large for his, as if he had just raided a particularly large person's closet and made off with whatever he could get his hands on. But what stood out the most to Elsa, despite the unique scar on the boy's forehead, were his green eyes that seemed to glisten in the light, reminding her of the Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz. Realizing she had not yet answered the boy's question, Elsa finally broke from her observations.
"Oh, no, not at all. I'm the only one in here right now. Just trying to get this thing up there," she replied to the boy as she gestured towards her trunk and the luggage rack far above their heads.
"Need a hand?" the boy asked. Elsa was surprised at how polite he was, most boys her age would probably not have even thought twice about that. She accepted the boy's offer gratefully and soon, after some heavy panting from both children, Elsa's trunk as well as the boy's were both stowed in the luggage rack above them. Both children were hoping it would be a while before they had to get the trunks down again.
"Thanks for you help, uhh…" Elsa said, just realizing she had not introduced herself or learned this boy's name.
"Harry." the boy said simply, catching Elsa's confusion as he brushed his bangs to cover the scar on his forehead. Briefly wondering why he did this, Elsa shrugged it off. She didn't want to seem too nosy.
"It's nice to meet you, Harry. I'm Elsa," the girl replied as she held out her hand, deliberately leaving out her last name so that nobody would suspect her true identity. Elsa noticed Harry flinch slightly as she extended her hand towards him, but said nothing as she added it to the growing number of questions she had about the boy. Finally, after a couple seconds, Harry returned the gesture, giving Elsa a surprisingly firm handshake.
"Nice meeting you too, Elsa. Excited?" he asked as the two sat down next to the train's window, opposite each other. Elsa couldn't believe it, someone her age actually wanted to talk with her!
Assuming the only thing he could be referring to was the impending journey to Hogwarts, Elsa replied. "Yeah, it sounds like so much fun! I only found out I was a witch about a month ago."
"Same with me," Harry said, "Except of course I'm a wizard. So you're not from a magical family?"
Elsa's smile slightly dimmed at that statement, not wanting to experience the same thing she did in Madam Malkin's one month ago. Elsa took a few seconds to answer that question, wondering if Harry was one of those people who believed that muggle-born witches and wizards were scum. But then again, Harry had only found out about magic a month ago as well. Tentatively, Elsa answered. "No, I'm not. You?" Elsa noticed Harry avert his eyes at that question, hoping she wasn't prying too far into his personal life.
"Well…yes and no. It's a long story…" Harry replied, looking as if he wanted to discuss anything other than this. Fortunately for him, the feeling of the train beginning to move startled the two first years from any further conversation about their parentage. Elsa looked out the window at the many families who were waving goodbye to their children for the last time until the Christmas holidays at the earliest. Elsa noticed a little redheaded girl, approximately ten years old, running alongside the train and waving until the train began moving too fast for the little girl to keep up. Elsa smiled, the little girl reminded her of Anna. Suddenly, Elsa and Harry's attention again turned to the compartment door as it opened and another child, presumably a first year, entered. It was another boy, this one tall with red hair and numerous freckles on his face, wearing clothes that looked like they had been handed down to him from many generations past.
"Anyone sitting here?" the boy asked. "Everywhere else is full." Both Elsa and Harry shook their heads, the redheaded boy entering the compartment and stowing his trunk next to Harry's and Elsa's on the luggage rack. "I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley," the boy introduced himself.
"Elsa, nice to meet you," replied the princess, still wishing to keep her title a secret.
"Harry," was all that the raven-haired boy had to say.
Ron took one look at Harry, whose bangs had somehow parted again, and gasped in fascination. "Bloody hell, you're Harry Potter!" Elsa just became more confused. Harry who? Why was Harry supposedly such a big deal? Ron, meanwhile, continued on. "Do you really have, you know, the scar?"
"Asking to see someone's scar? Yeah, that's totally not weird at all," Elsa thought in confusion. Harry, meanwhile, simply pulled back his hair to show Ron the lightning bolt-shaped scar in full detail. Elsa had to admit, it was an odd thing for someone to have. She wondered how on earth Harry managed to get it, but decided it was a far too personal question to be asking someone less than an hour after meeting them.
"So that's where You-Know-Who…" Ron trailed off in sheer awe. Like many times before, Elsa was once again confused. Obviously, she did not know who. Harry seemed to understand what Ron was trying to say, as he confirmed it to the redheaded boy.
"Yeah, but I can't remember any of it," was all Harry had to say.
Curiosity overcoming her fear of alienating what could be her first two friends in the wizard world, Elsa finally decided to interject in an attempt to figure out just exactly what the two boys were talking about. "Excuse me, who is this 'You-Know-Who' guy?" she asked, prompting Ron to stare at her in disbelief while Harry simply responded, not making eye contact with the blonde princess.
"Voldemort," Harry said as Ron flinched and turned his disbelieved look towards Harry. "He's the man who killed my mum and dad and gave me this," he said as he pointed toward the scar on his forehead. "I somehow defeated him, though how I have no idea."
Elsa felt a sense of dread wash over her as Harry said this. So that's why Harry had been reluctant to talk about his family life earlier. Of all the things she could have asked about, it just had to be about Harry's mother and father, who just happened to have been dead. Oh, why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut? "Stupid Elsa, you just had to ask him, didn't you?" she scolded herself. Opening her mouth in an attempt to apologize, Elsa was cut off by Ron who's jaw was dropped in disbelief.
"You said his name!" the redhead said in awe. "I thought you of all people…"
"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," Harry replied as if he thought that it was stupid to not use Voldemort's name. "See? I still have a lot to learn. I bet…" Harry paused before continuing, "I bet I'm worst in the class."
Elsa felt a sense of empathy for Harry after he said this, for this was exactly how she felt sometimes when she was scared or nervous about what was to come. She knew nothing of magic, and it looked as if Harry was in the same boat as her. Reaching her hand out to comfort the raven-haired boy, Elsa placed it on Harry's knee and made eye contact with him, noticing Harry flinch at her touch slightly before relaxing again. "Don't worry, Harry," she smiled, "You can't be worse off than me." Elsa was relieved when she received a smile back from Harry, getting a little lost in his emerald-green eyes.
"Nah, you won't be, neither of you," Ron said to both the muggle-raised first years in the compartment. "Everyone starts about the same at Hogwarts." Elsa was relieved to hear this.
"Thanks, Ron," she said with a smile in the redhead's direction. "And Harry?" Elsa asked as she turned her attention back to him, "I'm sorry I asked about Voldemort…"
"It's okay, Elsa," Harry smiled, showing that it was indeed okay. Ignoring his own flinches at the sound of the taboo name in the wizard world, Ron steered the conversation toward what he thought was a more mundane topic.
"So you two were raised by muggles, right?" he asked. Receiving a nod from both Harry and Elsa, Ron continued. "What are they like?"
Elsa had no idea how to answer this question, as she had never known anything else but her life in the past. Growing up in a royal palace wasn't exactly the most normal childhood around, and Elsa had no idea how to explain to Ron what a normal muggle childhood would be like. Harry, meanwhile, had his own answer.
"Horrible, really. Well not all of them. My aunt, uncle, and cousin are though."
Elsa frowned slightly at this, surely it wasn't normal for someone to describe the family they lived with as 'horrible,' was it? Even with all of their mistakes, Elsa would not go so far as to say that her mother and father were horrible parents. Surely they had been neglectful of both herself and her sister up until recently, but that had not been deliberate. Elsa thought of the two times so far she had made physical contact with Harry, noticing that the boy flinched every time someone touched him. Had his aunt and uncle hit him or something? Elsa hoped not, nobody deserved that. Harry made it sound as if his aunt and uncle were horrible to him on-purpose, something that did not sit right with Elsa. Even from the very little contact she had with the boy, she had to admit that Harry had been nothing but nice and polite to her the entire time. Noticing Ron looking at her for an answer, Elsa decided that she might as well tell the two the truth. It was bound to become known later anyway.
"Well," Elsa began as she took a deep breath, "My childhood wasn't typical. Don't get me wrong, it's wasn't bad, far from it. The thing is…I kinda grew up in a palace…and I'm sort of a princess…" she trailed off, waiting for Harry and Ron's reaction. Both boys were staring at her in disbelief, likely thinking she was joking. When no punch line came, Ron was the first to break the silence.
"Really?" Receiving a nod from the girl, Ron continued. "Bloody hell…I've been talking with a princess this entire time and I didn't even know it…"
Harry, meanwhile had quite a different reaction. Knowing what its like to be stared and poked at like something in a zoo, Harry sympathized with the princess who looked to him like she just wanted to blend in and not be the center of attention simply because of her position. "Elsa," he began, "For what it's worth, I still don't see you any differently because of it," the boy said with a smile to the girl.
"Thanks, Harry," Elsa smiled back. She was grateful for this, for all she wanted to be was normal. Being a princess, a witch, and an elemental didn't exactly help with that desire, sure it was nice having servants and maids waiting on you all the time, but Elsa was sure she could live without that.
"So what's it like, growing up in a palace?" Ron asked, still seemingly in awe of the fact that he was sitting in the same compartment as a princess.
"Boring, really," Elsa replied, with a roll of her eyes. "It's so big that it seems like there's nobody ever there. You don't get to chat with other people your age too, since you almost never leave the palace. My little sister Anna is my best friend, I don't even know what I would have done if my mom and dad had decided to stop at one kid. In fact," she said with a pause before continuing, "You two are the first people my age I've ever really talked to." Elsa turned from the window, which she had been looking out at, to see Harry and Ron with surprised looks on their faces. Not really wanting to answer any more questions about her home life, Elsa steered the conversation in a slightly different direction. "What about you, Ron?"
Ron's ears seemed to go slightly pink, as if he were embarrassed to speak of his life at home. "Well," he started, "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. I have five older brothers and one younger sister, she's starting next year. Bill is my oldest brother, he's working for Gringotts in Egypt. Then there's Charlie, he works with dragons in Romania. Percy is my oldest brother here at Hogwarts, he's a fifth year and a prefect," Ron said with a large eye roll, as if he couldn't stand Percy. "Fred and George are third years, twins. Very funny and they get good marks. Then there's me, the youngest boy. Everyone's expecting me to do just as well, it's no big deal if I do because they did it first."
Elsa couldn't believe what Ron had just said. Five older brothers? How was Ron able to handle so many siblings? Anna was enough for her, she just couldn't imagine having to deal with so many people in her family. The last thing Ron had said also raised red flags, it seemed as if Ron did not get enough attention at home simply because of how many siblings he had. Ron, meanwhile, continued with his story.
"You never get anything new either, when you're the youngest of six boys. Like, I have Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat," he said as he pulled a shabby-looking old rat out of his pocket. "His name's Scabbers, he's pretty useless, really." All the children were interrupted when a slight hiss was heard from Elsa's things. Elsa, realizing who exactly was making that noise, jumped in fright.
"Oh Ron, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you! That's my cat, Adonis…I'll make sure to keep her inside her cage. I didn't know you had a rat…"
"It's alright, thanks Elsa," the redhead said with a smile, relieving Elsa's tensions at possibly alienating one of her two first friends in the wizard world. "Hey, want to see something? Fred gave me this spell, but I'm not sure if it'll work…"
Ron raised his wand and cleared his throat, but before he had a chance to perform it, the compartment door opened and a what looked like another first year girl with buck-teeth, and brown, frizzy hair entered. The girl held her nose quite high, as if she felt like she was better than everyone. This girl hadn't even spoken one word and was already rubbing Elsa the wrong way, her experiences with children from other royal families making her absolutely dislike anyone who felt as if they were better than others. If there was anything her mother and father were good at, it was making sure that despite the royal family's status and power, they were indeed humble and down-to-earth at heart.
"Have any of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," the girl asked, nose still high in the air. At her question, a chorus of no's from Elsa, Harry, and Ron left the girl with a somewhat defeated and exasperated expression, one that disappeared from her face when she saw Ron holding his wand up.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then," the girl demanded in a bossy tone. Yes, this was definitely someone Elsa knew she would not get along with. Looking over at Ron, she could see from his face that similar thoughts were running through his head, while Harry simply had an observant expression on his face that didn't really show anything.
"Uh…alright," Ron responded, still confused at why the girl wanted to see his perform a spell. Clearing his throat again, Ron pointed his wand at Scabbers the rat and said, "Sunshine daises, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!" Absolutely nothing happened. Elsa couldn't help it as she stifled a laugh behind one of her hands, that spell was obviously one that Ron's brother had made up, not that she would actually rub the fact in Ron's face. Unfortunately, she was the only girl in the compartment that felt that way.
"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well it's not very good, is it?" the frizzy-haired girl asked. Elsa's dislike for this girl just kept growing, she just couldn't believe how rude this girl was to simply barge into their compartment and then berate one of its occupants without reason. "I've only tried simple spells, myself. For example," the girl said as she pointed her wand at Harry's face, "Occulus reparo." Immediately, the piece of scotch tape that was holding Harry's eyeglasses together simply fluttered away, leaving the frame completely repaired with no visible cracks or lacerations at all. Elsa had to give the girl credit, she did know her spells.
"I've tried all of the simplest spells and learned all of our course books by heart. I was ever so pleased when I got my letter, nobody in my family is magic at all. I mean, Hogwarts is supposed to be the best school there is for magic, at least that's what everyone says. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way," the girl said in a very fast voice as she took a seat.
Elsa, Harry, and Ron eyed each other, all wondering the same exact thing: How did Hermione manage to do that. Shrugging it off, they all introduced themselves.
"Ron Weasley."
"Elsa Arendelle."
"Harry Potter."
Hermione's jaw dropped as she looked at Harry in disbelief. "Are you really Harry Potter?" she asked the raven-haired boy. Receiving a nod in response, Hermione continued. "I know all about you, of course! I got a few extra books for background reading and you're in Modern Magical History, The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century!"
"Am I?" Harry asked, sounding like he didn't particularly care for books that had his name in them.
"You didn't know?" Hermione asked, her jaw dropping. "If I were you, I'd have learned everything there is to know!"
"Oh yeah, lecture him because he doesn't know what books he's in. That's totally fine, he only lost his mom and dad in that incident, you insensitive jerk." Elsa thought, unable to believe someone would go so far. Elsa then noticed that Hermione had turned her attention to her.
"You said your last name was Arendelle…you wouldn't happen to be related to the Royal Family of the Kingdom of Arendelle, would you?" the frizzy-haired girl asked the princess.
"Umm…I don't think so…" Elsa lied. She didn't need Hermione fawning over her just because of her title. "Kingdom of what?" Elsa asked, attempting to make her lie more convincing. Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation, Elsa was sure Hermione now thought of her as stupid or uneducated.
"Never mind," Hermione said as she stood up to leave the compartment, holding her nose seemingly higher than earlier as she turned to Ron. "You've got dirt on your nose, right there." With that, the bossy buck-toothed girl was gone.
"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it!" Ron vented as soon as the door was closed. Again, Elsa got confused at a term she was unaware of.
"House?" she asked. Turning to Harry, she could see that he was just as confused.
"Oh sorry, I keep forgetting you two were raised by muggles. Hogwarts has four houses, sort of like teams, that you get sorted into on your first day. There's Gryffindor for the brave, Hufflepuff for the loyal, Ravenclaw for the smart, and Slytherin for the…well Slytherin is supposed to be for people with ambition but it seems more like the haven for pureblood supremacists these days," Ron explained. Elsa shuddered at the thought of Slytherin house, she was almost certain that Draco Malfoy would be sorted there.
"How are we sorted?" Harry asked.
"Dunno," came Ron's response, "Some sort of test, I think."
Elsa felt a slight panic. A test on her first day? How was she supposed to pass this, she knew no magic! Would this mean that she would have to go back home and isolate herself in her old bedroom all over again? Elsa couldn't do that, not with how far things had come in the past month. She wouldn't allow things to return to the way they had been for three long years, the way things had been when she was most unhappy. She was determined to pass whatever she had to pass or die trying. As if on cue, to help ease herself from all of her worries, the snack trolley arrived at their compartment.
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" asked the kind old lady who was pushing the trolley down the train's corridor.
"No thanks, I'm all set," Ron said with a sad face as he held up what looked to be a homemade sandwich. Elsa meanwhile, simply could not decide what to buy with the moderate amount of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts she had left over from Diagon Alley. All of the candy looked so colorful and delicious, even though she had never seen nor heard of any of it in her entire life. Nevertheless, Elsa couldn't help but stare at all of the items such as Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Licorice Wands, Sugar Quills, and—this definitely got Elsa's attention—Chocolate Frogs. Seeing Harry was again in the same boat as her, Elsa made a proposition to him.
"What do you say, Harry? Three of everything?" Elsa asked. Harry simply nodded, and the two eleven year-olds combined their money together and indeed purchased three of each type of sweet on the snack trolley with a total cost of sixteen silver sickles that was split evenly between the two children. Both carrying a portion of the snacks they had bought, Harry and Elsa dumped them onto an empty seat and began to snack away on the sweets, Elsa going straight for none other than the chocolate frogs. Before she had a chance to open the box however, she noticed Ron hadn't touched any of the candies they had bought.
"You know, Ron, we bought three of each for a reason," Elsa said with just a small hint of sarcasm. Ron's face brightened at this news as he tore into one of the chocolate frogs. Elsa again stifled a giggle as she saw how bright-eyed the redhead got about sweets, it was quite a funny sight. Turning her attention back to her chocolate frog, Elsa received quite a shock when she opened the box and found the chocolate frog inside to be alive! The frog immediately made a jump for the window in an attempt to free itself, but Elsa, being quite the chocolate addict, wasn't about to let chocolate jump out of her grasp, even literally. Elsa grabbed the chocolate frog from the train's window with a very firm grip, popping the frog whole into her mouth and swallowing, momentarily having a sugar high as she swallowed. Magical chocolate, for some reason, tasted even better than the ones she was used to. Looking over at Harry, she stifled a giggle as she saw him not having as much luck with his frog. Harry was unable to catch the wayward sweet as it climbed up the window to the opening and jumped clear off the train.
"Yeah, you have to watch out for those, tricky little blighters they are," Ron said through a mouth full of his own chocolate frog. "It's the card you want, though, it's got a famous witch or wizard on it."
Elsa looked back down at her chocolate frog box, noticing now that the box did indeed contain a special collector's card shaped like a pentagon. Elsa smiled when she saw who the famous witch or wizard was on her card.
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS
Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and ten-pin bowling.
(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, pages 102 and 103, USA first edition)
Elsa pocketed the card with the hopes of creating a collection in time, with the amount of chocolate she was bound to eat, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she would gain a considerable amount of chocolate frog cards in her future. Smiling, Elsa thought of exactly what the magical world had to offer, slightly afraid of where she was going but also determined to make something of herself in the wizard world, not simply content with throwing her status as a princess around. No, Elsa was always the type of person who wanted to go out and earn her reputation, and this was no exception. Her status as a princess, a witch, or an elemental be damned; she had faith in herself that she would earn her respect in the wizard world.
"After all," Elsa thought, "Dr. Martin Luther King did say 'Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.'" Dr. King was a man that Elsa admired greatly.
Like many times before, Elsa's personal thoughts and musings were again interrupted by outside forces, this time being forces that were not so welcome. Hearing the compartment door open yet again, Elsa looked to see none other than Draco Malfoy standing there with two large, brutish boys flanking him on either side. These two both had very short hair, round faces, and didn't look like the brightest bulbs in the drawer. Elsa immediately glared upon their arrival, but it seemed that Malfoy hadn't even noticed. The pale, blonde boy only had eyes for Harry, for some reason.
"So it's true, what they've been saying on the train," Malfoy said in a very cool and calculating tone. "Harry Potter is in this compartment. It's you, isn't it?"
"Yes," Harry responded in an equally cold tone.
Gesturing to the two brutish boys flanking him, Malfoy continued his introduction. "This is Crabbe and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."
Elsa slightly snickered at the way Malfoy introduced himself, it reminded her too much of when she watched those James Bond movies with Anna a couple weeks ago. Malfoy apparently noticed, as he turned his attention toward Elsa, his face breaking out in a large sneer.
"Oh, look at this, it seems the filthy mudblood has managed to already befriend the most famous wizard of our time," Malfoy said as a slight pink tinge came to his cheeks. "Trying to get in on fame and fortune, are you? You're just like every other mudblood whore I've met."
"Say that again, you rat-faced bastard!" yelled Ron as he, Harry, and Elsa rose out of their seats in anger, ready to take on the arrogant blonde. Malfoy simply looked at Ron, causing his sneer to grow a hundred-fold.
"Well what do we have here? Red hair and hand-me-down clothes? You must be a Weasley. My father says that the Weasleys all have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." Malfoy then turned his attention back to Harry. "You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others. You don't want to go messing around with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Malfoy held out his hand for Harry to shake. Harry meanwhile, simply looked Malfoy straight in the face with no emotion whatsoever.
"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks," Harry replied as he refused to take Malfoy's hand.
"I see," Malfoy continued. "I'd be a bit more careful if I were you, Potter. Keep on palling around with a filthy blood traitor and a mud blood whore like this, you'll find yourself going the same way as your foolish parents. They didn't know what was good for them either."
Elsa felt the anger welling up inside her, never before had she ever actually had the urge to smack someone across the face, but Malfoy was now the first person on that list. Before she had her chance, however, Ron stepped in and said what he thought would be the best thing to say to get Malfoy angrier.
"You know it's funny, Malfoy, that girl you just called a whore is actually a princess!" Ron said, hoping this would make Malfoy back off. Elsa inwardly face-palmed, while she knew Ron had good intentions, this was not something she needed Malfoy knowing. Malfoy, meanwhile, simply looked cold and calculating before he approached Elsa and offered his hand toward her.
"Is it true then, you are a princess of a foreign land?" Malfoy asked, a smile suddenly appearing on his face. Receiving no response, Malfoy continued, "Please accept my sincerest apologies, Princess, for I did not know who you truly are. I would hope to be on friendlier terms with you, if you would so accept?"
Elsa saw right through the blonde ponce's scheme. The boy lusted after those with power or fame, and treated those without either like the scum on his shoes. Elsa already hated his boy, he reminded her too much of the foreign royalty that would come to visit Arendelle in the past; always arrogant, rude, and thinking they were God's gift to the world. Elsa simply smiled back as she faced Malfoy down, before Elsa's knee made contact with Malfoy's crotch in a very un-princess-like manner. Malfoy fell to the floor, clutching at his crotch and howling at a high pitch in pain, his two 'bodyguards' grabbing him and pulling him out of the compartment as they glared at the three. Harry and Ron, meanwhile, stared at Elsa in awe.
"Wow, Elsa…that was bloody brilliant!" came Ron's response.
"Thanks," Elsa replied with an accomplished smile on her face, "My mom taught it to me. Sometimes foreign princes can be a bit too…touchy feely, you know?"
"What was it that Malfoy called you?" Harry asked in confusion as Ron's brow furrowed at the thought of the filthy word that even he would never say. But before Harry's question had been answered, the compartment door opened up again and two much older students appeared at the doorway. The two had hair just like Ron's and we're about the same height as the redheaded first year, though built a lot more stocky. The two were identical in every way.
"Well, well, well; Forge, it seems as if Ickle Ronniekins has made himself a couple friends," said the one on the left.
"What a great observation you have made, Gred. Might I wonder who these two are? They must be quite delusional if they wanted to be friends with our little brother here," said the one on the right.
"Oh piss off, you two," Ron replied with an annoyed tone before he turned to Harry and Elsa. "These two idiots here are Fred and George, my brothers. Third years.
"Idiots, you call us? Oh, you wound us, little brother!" the one on the right said as he clutched his right hand over his heart very overdramatically.
"Too right you do," said the one on the left as he copied his twin's expression. "Wound us right in the heart. Oh how could you be so heartless?" Elsa giggled behind her hand again at the twins' antics, their melodramatics reminding her very much of her own sister.
"So Ickle Ronniekins," the twin on the left, "We overheard some talk in here about somebody calling themselves a princess? You know, it's not healthy to engage in such fantasies at you age, Ronald. One might confuse which dorms you should be sleeping in!"
"Oi!" Ron yelled in protest, "I'm not the princess here!"
Deciding to bail Ron out of this situation, Elsa stepped in. "Actually, that's me. Hi…Princess Elsa of Arendelle," she said as she stuck her hand out in greeting to the comical twins. Fred and George looked at each other for a second before both dropping to the floor and offering the most exaggerated and ridiculous bows she had ever seen. It was almost as if the two were worshiping her.
"Oh please forgive us for our mistakes, our oh so royal friend. We are just humble pranksters in for a joke!" Fred proclaimed, seemingly increasing the melodramatics.
"Yes, we are not worthy to be in your holy presence, oh so hallowed one!" George said as he echoed his brother's actions. Elsa giggled again, if all wizards were as funny as these two, she'd have no problem with attending Hogwarts. Moving over to the twins, Elsa held herself in a mock-royal position and comically responded to the twins' antics.
"Please rise, oh so identical subjects, for there is no need for such formalities here," Elsa proclaimed in the most Queenly voice she could manage. Fred and George did so, smiling at each other as if to say, "We like this kid." Their antics were interrupted by an announcement that echoed throughout the train.
"We will be arriving Hogwarts in five minutes time! Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately!"
"Well ickle firsties," Fred said as the announcement wrapped up, "It looks like you three need to get into your school uniforms. Professor McGonagall doesn't really take kindly to those who aren't presentable at the opening feast. You don't want to be first up against that dragon…"
Elsa's expression darkened. "D-Dragon?"
"Oh yeah," George continued, "They have one for each first year! You have to slay it to get sorted. If you don't, well…" he concluded as he made quite a lethal gesture across his neck.
"Well, goodbye! It has been an honor meeting someone as regal and noble as you, Princess Elsa!" the twins said in unison as they repeatedly bowed comically out of the compartment.
"Don't listen to them," Ron said after the twins left. "Fred and George are always taking the mickey out of someone. I don't think you'll actually have to battle a dragon…Fred told me I had to battle a troll…" The expression on Ron's face showed that he wasn't so sure of his own advice himself, but Elsa appreciated the effort.
"Well…" Elsa said, trying to get her mind off of what Fred and George had told her, "Seeing as there's two of you and only one of me, I'll go ahead and change in the washroom while you two change here, sound good?" Receiving no objections, Elsa took her school uniform out of her trunk and left the compartment, making her way down the corridor to the small washroom at the end of the train car. Elsa slipped into her school uniform for the first time, noting just how well the clothes fit her. Madam Malkin was indeed a fantastic tailor! Her school uniform now fully on, Elsa took a quick look in the mirror.
"This uniform makes me look good!" thought Elsa as she exited the washroom and made her way back down to the compartment she shared with Harry and Ron. Knocking to make sure the two boys still weren't changing, Elsa entered when she received a chorus from the two telling her it was okay to come in. Elsa took a look at the boys now that they had changed, noticing that Ron's uniform looked a little small on the redhead. Elsa figured that it must have been one of his brothers' before. Harry's on the other hand, looked like it fit absolutely perfectly. Elsa found herself staring a little longer than she intended to, before realizing and looking away in embarrassment. She hoped Harry had not noticed.
Shortly after, the three first-years felt the train slowing down and eventually coming to a complete stop. Elsa took a deep breath, there was absolutely no turning back now. Getting her thoughts and fears together, Elsa followed the large crowd of students that were filing off the train. As she stepped off the train and onto the small station platform, Elsa couldn't help but give herself a small smile.
"Well Elsa, this is seriously the first day of the rest of your life." she thought as the followed a large, booming voice calling for all the first years.
Author's Note: Thanks again for all of your positive response to this story, I truly appreciate every good review, follow, and fave. It really lights up my day when I see those emails pouring in!
I wanted to let you all know right now that for the next couple weeks, there may be no updates to this story. I'm going on a family vacation Memorial Day weekend to Angels Camp, and the weekend after, I'm going with a few of my friends to none other than Disneyland! Sadly, my time will be very limited for the next couple weeks, but I'll do my best to post at least one more chapter in that time. Thanks for understanding, hope you enjoyed this chapter!