Resolution
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All recognisable characters, content or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter Eleven: The Hogwarts Express
September 1st
The day before had ended with dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. It had started with Harry smothered in a hug by mrs Weasley, but otherwise, it had been fun, and pleasant. The Weasleys were always a riot, after all.
When he'd not been interrogated on the absence of his glasses by Hermione, Harry had wound up in conversation with Percy about the Saturday classes. Apparently the older boy had taken them since his own third year, and he had a lot to say regarding the matter.
Harry had also engaged in conversation with the twins, and Ron, and even Ginny briefly. It had focused predominantly on quidditch, with a side of bemoaning summer's end, but All in all, Harry had enjoyed himself, and he thought it had been a pleasant way to end his holidays.
Eventually though, mrs Weasley had begun to usher them all to bed, and Harry made his escape before the woman could smother him into staying at the leaky Cauldron too. She wasn't his mother, and bless her heart, he didn't need, nor want, a substitute.
Lily Potter, who'd given up her life for him, had been more than mother enough.
When he woke the next morning, it was to a grey sky, to the promise of a torrential downpour in the near future, and to Totsy nearly in tears. She had packed his trunk meticulously, had laid out a wizard and muggle acceptable outfit of charcoal trousers, lofers, and a button down shirt, had packed Athena in her cage, and had sent Hedwig on her way. It was only eight o'clock, and all that was left for Harry to do was to eat some breakfast, to check out, and to make his way to Kings Cross Station before the Hogwarts Express departed - preferably before he ran the risk of missing it.
That ritual had gotten old fast.
"Are you sure you don't want to keep Athena with you?" Harry asked, and Totsy nodded.
"Pets is being companions for witches and wizards," she insisted, "Not for house elves."
"Then please visit Redridge Hall. I don't want you to be all alone at the Mayfair House."
Totsy conceded, Harry smiled, and he focused on the breakfast she had prepared him. Afterwards though, when it came time for harry to leave, he bent to give his small companion a hug, promised that he'd see her during the winter holidays, and descended the stairs into the common area with his trunk trotting along behind him and his satchel slung across his chest.
The old bartender, who's name he still didn't know, grunted at him as Harry approached, but he paid the man's sour expression no heed. Instead, he handed over his key, and the fee he'd accrued during his stay, thanked the man for his generous hospitality, and exited onto the muggle street he'd arrived on two weeks earlier.
Beside him, his trunk morphed into a muggle suitcase, Harry took hold of the handle with his free hand, and made his way to the underground. He boarded the appropriate train that would take him to Kings Cross, and from there, he navigated his way through the throngs of businessmen, school children, church goers and other such Londoners until he reached the appropriate platform, crossed through the magical barrier, and smiled to himself at the sight of the Hogwarts Express, and the bustling platform as well.
unsurprisingly, the scarlet steam engine was a sight to behold, an aspect of history he couldn't get over for the life of him, and he wondered idly how old it was. Had they procured it during the industrial revolution, or had it been acquired later?
Hermione would probably know, actually, and for a brief, wild moment, Harry considered asking her.
Then he remembered what Hermione was like with regards to knowledge, and he thought better of it. He didn't want to be stuck reading 'Hogwarts, A History', after all.
Next to him his trunk morphed to it's original form, and Athena yowled to be released from her temporary prison. Thus, without delay, Harry boarded the train and sought out an empty compartment near the back. Once the door was securely closed, he released her, and was entirely unsurprised when she settled herself in the space beside him, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
As Harry scratched behind Athena's ears, Harry cast his gaze outside his compartment window, and took sight of the families there, gathered to see their loved ones off to school. He was struck by a pang of loneliness, but the feeling faded, and Harry withdrew his family's history book to distract himself.
It was as he read about Elric Potter, an 18th century explorer, that Harry was disturbed by a knock at his compartment door. He closed his book and glanced up to see who'd disturbed his solitude, and Harry smiled, pleased to catch sight of Neville on the other side of the sliding glass. He nodded for his housemate to enter, the timid boy did so, and Neville settled across from him, awkwardly shuffling with his satchel and Trevor, the toad.
The pair exchanged idle small talk for a time, the platform grew more and more crowded, and Harry's book was carefully stowed away in his satchel, exchanged for more childish pursuits, like a game of exploding snap, and braving the bag of Berty Bott's that Neville had provided.
"I wonder what the new Defence Professor will be like," Neville mused.
"Anything's better than Lockehart," Harry answered, and Neville grimaced his agreement.
No doubt, the brown haired Gryffindor could remember quite clearly their disastrous first lesson with the man, memorable as it happened to be, and Harry idly wondered how neville had made it down from the chandelier he'd been strung up on.
Conversation turned to other things, like the summer, and the things Harry had learned therein. It had been a hectic two weeks, and there were times Harry was uncertain of whether or not he could comprehend it all, but he'd made it to September 1st, and he had another three and a half months before his grandfather would teach him more.
"Your not wearing your heir's ring," Neville observed some time later, as the clock neared eleven, and as the train filled up with his fellow classmates.
"Taid said that he doesn't want me to until I'm ready to handle all of the responsibilities of the heir apparent," Harry answered, and a part of him still couldn't believe he was talking about nobility, and familial duties, when only a fortnight ago, he'd been an orphan with very little to his name. "Since there's no Lord Potter at the moment, and the Wizengamot seat remains empty, it would mean I'd take up all the political responsibilities, and honestly, I still feel like this is all just one weird dream."
"Have you started studying 'Nature's nobility'?" Neville queried, a sardonic smile on his face.
"No, but my Taid did make sure it was in my trunk. Why?"
"It's ridiculous, really, but it has a lot of worthwhile information about the pureblood families. For instance, even though Draco Malfoy acts all trumped up on his own superiority, he's descended from Norman peasants, and aside from the money he and his grandfather have acquired, they have no social standing in magical Britain whatsoever."
Harry snorted, and laughed, and wondered briefly why Slytherin House hadn't yet strung him up by his toenails. All the same, he made a mental note to start reading up on the families he'd been told about by his grandfather, and by Theo and Neville himself, because he thought it would do him well to know general information about his peers.
Before their conversation could continue though, their compartment door was slid open, and Hermione stood there, Ron by her side, and an affronted frown on her face.
"Harry, why didn't you travel with us to the station?"
"Because I left early," he answered simply, and Hermione frowned further.
"That was mighty irresponsible of you, Harry, going off on your own."
"If you think arriving in time to get a decent compartment is irresponsible, than sure."
Unable to think up a retort to that, Hermione sat down beside the door in a huff, Ron shuffled to the seat beside Neville, and Athena hissed, her gaze on Scabbers. Harry scratched behind her ears, she settled, and the silence between the four was palpable.
Overhead, the train whistled, smoke billowed onto the platform, and the train began to chug along slowly, it's speed picked up, and before long, King's Cross station was out of sight, London was passing them by, and another summer had been left behind.
It began to rain, and fat, heavy raindrops splashed against the windows. The rain fell as though all the heavens had been opened, a summer time downpour that turned the sky dark, and turned roads to rivers.
He was almost captivated.
"If this weather keeps up, we'll be swimming to Hogwarts." Neville grimaced at the thought, and Harry was inclined to agree.
"At least my trunk's water proof, then," Harry sighed, and Neville chuckled, but conversation fell flat shortly thereafter, and the quartet turned to their own devices to pass the time.
At least until the train began to slow, and eventually stop.
Harry glanced out his window to the Scottish countryside beyond, blanketed in a mass of heavy storm clouds, and a torrential downpour the likes of which he had never seen. The windows had fogged over some time ago, but as he watched, frost seemed to creep in around the edges, the temperature dropped, and he stupidly wondered if it was about to snow.
"What's going on?" Ron queried, and in the dim candlelight, Harry thought he could see the redhead shivering. As he watched, however, the candles spluttered out, the cold grew more pronounced, and Harry thought he heard someone scream.
"It's c-cold," Hermione murmured, and her teeth chattered.
Harry pulled his wand from the holster he'd bought, cast a 'lumos', and in the dim light of his wand, his three companions looked back at him, their eyes bright, uncertain and concerned - perhaps even scared.
Beside him, Athena yowled, burrowed against his side, and Harry felt her shiver.
Harry ended his spell, wiped a hand over the fog covered glass, and squinted into the gloom. The clouds smothered any sunlight brave enough to filter through them, but he could just barely make out the movements of tall strangers in the dark.
"There seem to be… people getting on?" He looked at his friends, bewildered. "Is there a new stop I didn't know about?"
"Don't be stupid, Harry," Hermione chastised, the effect dampened by the fact that her teeth still chattered, "We're in the middle of nowhere."
"Do you have any other ideas, Hermione?" harry retorted, "Because I'd love to hear them."
He raised his wand to the door, cast a locking spell at the glass, and watched as it glowed blue briefly. Then he turned his wand on himself, cast a warming charm, and settled back to wait.
And as he did so, he thought that, once again, he'd heard someone scream.