Chapter 12: Train Talk
On September 1st, Harry and the Weasleys went to Platform 9 ¾ to get on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione was waiting for them with her parents. Ginny was ecstatic that she finally got to board the train instead of just saying goodbye to her brothers. After hugs from Mrs Weasley, they all found a compartment, with the exceptions of Fred and George, who had gone to find Lee Jordan.
After introducing Hermione and Ginny to each other, the conversation quickly turned to Malfoy. "I didn't see Malfoy anywhere on the platform," said Hermione, "but I suppose he could have been on the train already." Ron, with an expression of hope on his face, suggested "Maybe he won't be here this year, what with his dad dying suddenly like that. Maybe he's being taught at home." Harry, Ginny and Hermione now had similar faces to Ron's. While Ginny had never met Draco Malfoy, she had seen him in Diagon Alley and had heard enough about him from Ron and Harry over the summer to know that he was not a pleasant person unless you were rich, a Slytherin, and from a family with no Muggleborns in it. What had made him worse was that Lucius Malfoy had been on the Hogwarts board of governors until his sudden demise, and Draco was often heard to say "My father will hear about this!" as a retort or threat toward something he didn't like.
The next topic was obvious – the new teacher. Hermione spent at least fifteen minutes firing questions at Harry and Ron. They answered them patiently. "Yes, Hermione, my scar's really gone. Doctor – no, wait, he's a teacher now – Professor Strange got rid of it. Somehow, because my mum sacrificed herself for me, when You-Know-Who tried to kill me, his spell backfired and, I don't know, he damaged his soul or something and he left part of it behind, in me, in my scar. So when Professor Strange got the bit of soul out, he got rid of the scar too."
"No, Hermione, we don't know how he has a ghost dog." "No Hermione, I don't know how he made that portal thing, except it was magic."
"Yes Hermione, of course we signed up for Dimensional Magic. We know you wouldn't let it go if we didn't."
By the time Hermione was satisfied with the answers to all her questions, they had been travelling for so long they were halfway to Hogwarts. They spent the rest of the journey playing Exploding Snap.
