I'm sorry I took a bit longer than usual to get this chapter out. I've been having some personal problems that meant I wasn't in any state to write anything on Saturday. Between that, and my beta having to take a leave of absence for this one, due to completely understandable reasons, this chapter might be a bit rougher than usual. Thanks to everyone who left a review as well. As usual, a few replies follow below.
Asmodeus Stahl: He hadn't got them yet. They were going to be owled to him when they were ready.
Hank1967: While I haven't decided on a final pairing yet, I very much doubt it will ever be H/Hr. Glad you liked the chapter.
AJ Granger: I'm glad you like him. The character development is always what makes or breaks a fic for me, so I'm glad my own is coming out well. Agreed with you about the relationship ages.
Moon Pix: I'd assumed Dobby wouldn't even know how muggle post worked. Yes, this was a bit of an easy out on my part, but I really needed them to be able to correspond!
ThingsCanBeTwoThings: Glad someone noticed the train thing! Don't read too much into that exclamation. It's a fairly common interjection in England, especially around those parts.
Which Brew: I'm glad you think I'm getting the tone right. And yes, while Harry will probably not see eye to eye with Dumbledore on a lot of things, the manipulative!Dumbledore cliche is so annoying it's unbelievable.
ACI100: Hope you keep reading, and nice to know that my fic is being talked about!
"This is the spot:—how mildly does the sun
Shine in between the fading leaves! the air
In the habitual silence of this wood
Is more than silent: and this bed of heath,
Where shall we find so sweet a resting-place?
Come!—let me see thee sink into a dream
Of quiet thoughts,—protracted till thine eye
Be calm as water when the winds are gone
And no one can tell whither.—my sweet friend!
We two have had such happy hours together
That my heart melts in me to think of it."
William Wordsworth
They found a quiet cafe to grab a quick meal. Finding a quiet table on a corner, removed from the other patrons, Harry quickly filled Ted in on the events since the birthday party.
"Wow, you actually managed to get the Stunning Spell to work? I've been trying to do it at home, but I can't really tell whether it's working or not." He frowned. "You're going to teach me that on the first day."
"Of course," Harry replied soothingly. "We'll also be asking Flitwick if he'd help start a Duelling Club. It'd be really cool if they had a school wide competition," Harry added. He was finding a competitive edge he didn't know he had.
"Well, hopefully one with year divisions. I can't see us lasting that long against any of the older students," Daphne added with a grin.
"I'd fancy my chances with the third years," Harry replied, before realizing how conceited he sounded and looking back onto his food. "I'm starting to sound like Malfoy, aren't I?" he added with a self-conscious grin.
They all laughed, before Harry lowered his voice and showed them the ring.
"I found this in my vault," he explained. "It's got the Peverell crest on it," he pointed out, to Daphne and Ted's surprised acknowledgement.
"People who don't know any better might think it's Grindelwald's symbol," Ted warned him. "You might want to wear that with the crest turned inward." Harry shook his head.
"I'm wearing this as a reminder." Ted nodded in comprehension, but Daphne looked at him in confusion.
"A reminder? Of what?" she asked.
"I can't explain here. Someone might overhear. I'll tell you later," Harry replied solemnly. Daphne nodded, knowing she wouldn't get anything out of him when he was being secretive.
They finished eating and went for a walk afterwards. Daphne was quick to stop them to ogle the new Nimbus 2001 broom, up for view on a broom shop front.
"It's only an incremental difference from the 2000, but damn if I don't want it," she commented wistfully.
"How's the Quidditch training going? Daphne not giving up trying to draft you into the team yet, Harry?" Ted asked, to Daphne's grin and Harry's sigh.
"I don't know who she'll be up against, but even knowing as little as I do about Quidditch I reckon she'll make it. She's getting better every day, especially at chasing," Harry replied, before adding. "But unfortunately she's not letting go of trying to get me to turn out. I'll be too busy with the Duelling Club," he added with a teasing smile.
"But you don't even know whether that's going ahead or not," Daphne replied petulantly.
"I'm sure we'll get it to work. If Flickwick doesn't play along, we can start our own bootleg tournament," he replied with a wink, getting both Daphne and Ted to smirk. Harry wasn't sure whether he was joking or not, though. It would definitely be a lot more fun if there were no teachers around to watch.
They'd got back to walking around, and presently Ted bade them follow him down a side street named Knockturn Alley. Daphne looked at him somewhat dubiously, but followed along, as did Harry, who was trying not to look as curious as he felt. This place looked a bit less polished than Diagon Alley. There were hags roaming around, trying to peddle their dubious wares. Ted scowled at any who tried to draw near, though, which seemed enough to get them to leave them alone.
They walked past a shop called Borgin and Burkes, which had a display of very gory items on the window, almost like they were designed to scare away customers rather than invite them in. In fact, most of the shops in the area had that air about them. Ted led them to a bookshop which had the same look about it. When they entered, the rough looking witch manning the place gave them a glare, but otherwise remained seated at her place, while Ted led them along.
"Don't mind her, she's like that with everyone," he whispered. "There's usually some interesting stuff here," he explained, showing them a few books on curses. "Nothing that's actually illegal, understand. You wouldn't get that sold openly at a bookshop. But you get some things you can't get at Flourish and Blotts."
"Hmmm," Harry murmured, his eyes running over the spine of a volume titled The Best Defence: A Practical Guide to Curses. He flipped through it, realizing at once what Ted meant. While none of the spells described sounded particularly pleasant, at the same time they were not outright sadistic, and would certainly be of use in a duel.
Daphne was looking at him and the book skeptically, but Ted came to Harry's rescue.
"I doubt you'll find anything in there that can't be magically healed," Ted said. "That's usually where the line is drawn for… public exposure," he said vaguely, and Harry realized he probably had a fair few books in his house that were not for 'public exposure.' Still, he was very interested in the book's contents, so he paid for it after flattening his hair over his scar. The last thing he wanted was for it to become widely known that Harry Potter was buying books of curses.
"The last time I was here my dad was buying magical fertilizer," Daphne said as they were walking back towards Diagon Alley. "And then he got a cursed chimney grid from Borgin and Burke's. Meant to stop anyone coming through on the Floo when you don't want them to. Lets you block calls too, it's great. The shop owner was creepy as hell, though."
Harry laughed. He had been wondering about the Floo's security implications. He knew they could be turned on and off, but that didn't seem enough. Just because someone was waiting for their friend to visit didn't mean someone else couldn't try to barge in uninvited at the same time.
They were soon back in the main thoroughfare, and spent most of the day talking idly and window shopping. They did make a few purchases. Harry bought a year's supply of owl treats from Eeylops Owl Emporium. Daphne bought even more quidditch paraphernalia from Quality Quidditch Supplies, to add to her already vast collection, including the brand new version of the Harpies uniform robes.
They were walking past Ollivander's, where they were obviously not stopping, when they saw Longbottom and Granger again, coming out of the wand shop.
They all eyed each other awkwardly. As usual, Daphne was the first to break the silence. "Did you break your wand?" she asked, with a slight shudder. Harry hadn't had his wand for very long in the grand scheme of things, but already he had some sense of how dreadful that was. He never let his wand out of sight. Longbottom looked embarrassed, but Granger huffed and turned to the Gryffindor boy.
"Honestly, Neville, it's nothing to be ashamed of." When the boy nodded, Granger was about to begin, but Daphne raised her hand to shush her.
"If you're going to tell us a long story, let's hear it over a cup of tea," Daphne began, before glancing at Ted. "Or coffee."
Harry was surprised about this overture. He certainly wasn't that keen to spend more time with Granger. However, Longbottom was a bit different. Ever since Mr. Greengrass had told Harry what happened to the Gryffindor boy's parents, he had been feeling a bit guilty for how he'd thought of him before. So, he nodded discreetly as Ted glanced at him.
On the Gryffindors' side, Granger seemed a bit unsure, but Longbottom did his own bit at encouraging her to accept Daphne's offer. From this interplay, Harry gathered it was Longbottom's wand that needed replaced, and he probably preferred discussing that in a quiet tea room than in the middle of the street. Harry couldn't really blame him. He still didn't know why Daphne had made the offer, but he didn't really have any issue in going along with it if that's what she wanted. It's not like he had somewhere he needed to be.
So they awkwardly made their way to the same cafe they'd visited earlier. "We've managed not to curse each other so far. I'd say that's an achievement," Daphne said wryly as they sat down. They all had tea, other than Ted, who stuck with his coffee.
"So what's the story?" Daphne asked. "Did something happen to your wand, Longbottom?"
The boy shook his head. "I didn't really have one," he replied. He was obviously trying to overcome his embarrassment.
"I've definitely seen you use a wand…" Harry said, not wanting Daphne to be the only one talking. "I don't think they'd even let you into Hogwarts without one…"
"Well, I had a wand, but it wasn't really mine. It wasn't matched to me…" he began, before Granger cut him off.
"Neville had been using his father's wand. No wonder he couldn't get most spells to work properly. The wand chooses the wizard…" Granger continued ranting for a while. Apparently Mrs. Longbottom took quite a bit of convincing before she agreed to let him get his own wand. Harry didn't really understand why. It's not like the Longbottoms were poor. Even the Weasleys could afford wands for their horde of redheaded children.
"And so, it's really no surprise he was struggling so hard. If it was something like Herbology where he didn't need his own wand he's really quite good…" she finished.
"So did you get a wand now?" Ted asked, looking straight at Longbottom. Harry remembered they'd almost come to blows last year when Longbottom made a comment about Ted's family. Or his father, which amounted to the same thing.
Longbottom eyed Ted suspiciously for a second, but a glance at Harry seemed to put him at ease. He supposed he should thank his Boy-Who-Lived status for once, even if it was on his friend's behalf. After all, if Harry had defeated Voldemort, he couldn't be bad, could he? And if he wasn't bad, his friends couldn't be either.
"Yeah, I've got a new wand. Hermione wouldn't let go until I talked to Gran about it…" he said sadly. Harry couldn't blame him. He wouldn't particularly like to contradict Mrs. Longbottom. Even Mr. Greengrass seemed to give her a lot of respect.
"I'm sure you'll do much better now, Neville," Granger said. To Harry's surprise, Daphne nodded.
"Sorry Longbottom, but it's really crazy that she sent you with an unmatched wand," she said. "It's no wonder you were so hopeless."
Longbottom cringed at this, and Granger looked torn between expressing disapproval of Daphne's delivery, and being happy that she was agreeing with her argument. This discussion of parents' wands was making the wheels turn in Harry's head, though. If Longbottom had been using his father's wand, presumably that wouldn't have had the Trace put on it. Obviously, Harry wasn't about to ask for that wand. He barely knew Longbottom. But that made him wonder just how many wands of dead or otherwise incapacitated people there were lying around, waiting for an underage wizard to pick them up. More to the point, what had happened to his parents' wands? That was definitely worth some consideration later.
While Harry was distracted in this contemplation, they'd moved on from the topic of Longbottom's wand, which the Gryffindor boy looked very grateful for.
"The clerk at Flourish and Blotts was telling Neville's grandmother that Weasley and Malfoy's families were there yesterday, and their fathers got into an actual fistfight. Two grown wizards, can you believe that?" she said. Harry hadn't ever imagined Granger to be a gossip. Not that he wasn't entertained by the image. He snorted loudly.
"Damn, I would have paid good money to see that," Harry said, to Daphne's laughter and Ted's chuckle. "Did Draco and Ron get into it as well? That's the only thing that'd make it better."
"Don't think Draco would last a second in a fistfight with anyone if Crabbe and Goyle weren't there," Daphne replied. "Not that there's any reason to be brawling like muggles."
Granger's face turned sour at that. Daphne realized too late that that wasn't such a clever thing to say in the present company.
"I think we're done here," Granger replied, pursing her lips as she got up.
"Come on Hermione, I'm sure she didn't mean..." Longbottom interceded, but Granger cut him off with a glare before stalking off to the counter to pay. Longbottom stayed behind for a second, turning to Daphne apologetically.
"I know you didn't mean anything by that," he whispered. "I could've easily said the same thing. I'll work on her. Bye all. It was. This… wasn't that bad after all," he said, as he ran off to follow Granger out of the cafe.
Daphne looked quite dejected. Harry wasn't sure why she was so concerned what Granger thought of her, but he remembered Daphne disliking the assumption of prejudice people held about Slytherins, especially if they were from old pureblood families. That wouldn't have done much to help her case, even if Harry thought she was overreacting.
"You were just stating the fact that wizards have magic, and muggles don't," he told her. "Granger is just being uptight. Even Longbottom thought so."
Ted nodded. "You know what she's like. I was surprised she even came with us here in the first place. Come on, let's pay. It's getting late, you guys should probably be heading back," he said as he got up and led them to the counter.
They all took the Knight Bus this time, and actually dropped Ted off in Devon before getting back to Norfolk. Harry wouldn't even pretend to understand how the route planning worked for the thing. Still, they were back at the Greengrasses in good time for dinner, which was what mattered.
After dinner, Harry suggested to Daphne they go for a walk around the grounds. It was a very nice summer evening. It would still be light outside for hours, and the cool breeze after the hot day made the temperature just right for a stroll.
"I haven't forgotten I have something to tell you," Harry said once they were safely away from the property, and any prying ears. He lifted the finger where he was wearing the Peverell ring, just in case Daphne had forgotten. "You might be wondering why I care so much about the Peverells."
"Is this one of those things you and Ted get up to?" she asked. Harry could tell that while she was trying not to show it, she felt a bit hurt at being left out.
"I'm sorry. I just never got around to filling you in. But I'm doing it now, and I'm happy to tell you," he began, giving her an earnest look. "It sounds a bit insane. You'll understand when I'm done. I'm sure you know the Tale of the Three Brothers, right?"
"From Beedle the Bard?" she asked, puzzled. "Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?"
So Harry told her how they'd worked out that there had been three Peverell brothers, and that he was related to one of them, Ignotus, whose grave he'd even seen in Godric's Hollow. Daphne sounded skeptical until he told her about the history of his invisibility cloak. Still, she wasn't quite convinced.
"Do you really think you can hide from Death in your cloak?" she asked, frowning. Harry shrugged.
"I have no idea. But what I do know is that it's worth looking into this. The Gaunt ring. If I'm right, it has the Resurrection Stone on it. We know where the Gaunts lived, so that's the lead I want to work on."
"That's what you really want, isn't it?" Daphne asked. Harry gave her a sad smile, before nodding.
"Of course it is. But I might as well look into the wand. It'd be nice to complete the set," he added with a wry grin.
Daphne was pensieve. "You were right. It does sound crazy," she finally said. "I mean, there's enough in it that it's worth a look. Your cloak does sound special." She was still frowning. "Did you read the story, though? The Tale of the Three Brothers?"
"I did," Harry replied. He had a feeling he knew what was coming.
"The second brother…" she began.
"Cadmus," Harry corrected.
"Cadmus," Daphne temporized. "He wasn't happy. The stone couldn't give him what he wanted…"
His suspicions confirmed, Harry replied. "I know…" he sighed. He'd thought about this, and it did worry him. "I figure it's a story, and it might not get all the details right, or the author is trying to make a point. But even if that detail is true. Even if I can't have my parents back, for real… at least I get to see them. Talk to them." Harry felt his eyes tear up. "I get to say goodbye. Maybe to talk to them once in a while. I don't know," he said, fighting to hold back the tears.
Daphne's demeanour changed at this. She reached forward to bring him into a tight hug. "Oh, Harry," was all she said, and Harry was thankful for that, for he didn't know if he could have said anything in reply right then. "I… I understand. And I'll help. In any way I can. If that stone exists, we'll find it," she said, stepping back from the physical contact. "But I'm going to keep reminding you that it may not exist. Or not do what you'd like it to. You have to live for the future, not the past."
He nodded silently, still fighting to hold back his tears, and they walked back to the house in silence, but not without a whispered "Thanks."
The next gathering the Greengrasses hosted-just after Harry's new glasses arrived-had a more interesting list of guests. One of them was actually the aunt and guardian of one of Harry's classmates. Susan Bones' aunt Amelia was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She was reputed to be a very formidable witch, someone few dared to trifle with. Amos Diggory worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and he was also bringing along his son Cedric, another Hufflepuff, but one who was a bit older than Harry. He had heard the name-especially from the girls. The final guest was someone named Moshe Goldstein, who was an Unspeakable at the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry. As far as Harry could ascertain, this was some sort of research job. As the name indicated, the subjects of their research were closely guarded secrets. He was also the father of their Ravenclaw yearmate Anthony Goldstein.
Harry couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Cedric. That is if he showed up. Daphne thought he probably would convince his father to let him stay home. However, to her surprise, he did show up on the night, accompanying his father and mother and looking very handsome indeed in his well cut robes. As there were six children in total, they were set up at their own separate table, which on one hand was welcome as Harry didn't particularly want to sit through hours of ministry shop talk again. On the other hand, he barely knew these people, or in Cedric's case, hadn't ever exchanged one word with him. So he wasn't particularly looking forward to the inevitable awkwardness either.
He hadn't counted on Cedric Diggory's natural charisma, though. The older boy took his status as the eldest at the table as giving him responsibility for leading the conversation-together with Daphne, who was, after all, the hosts' oldest child.
It helped that as a Hufflepuff, he already knew Susan, so was easily able to get her to relax and begin to talk. Even Harry found himself warming up to the older boy soon enough. He seemed to be really good natured, and didn't fawn over Harry, which he appreciated.
Sitting between Anthony Goldstein and Daphne, Harry began to engage the former. He was curious about his father's work. He knew he wasn't going to be getting any secrets out of him, but he was trying to get a feel of what the job required. He wasn't going to be opening with that, of course. Fortunately, Goldstein had been looking at him like he was eager to talk, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, was happy to engage in conversation.
"How'd you become friends with Morag?" he asked, curiosity evident in his voice. "She was very excited about going to your birthday party. She even had a good time fraternising with Slytherins," he added, pretending to be scandalized.
Harry gave him a wry smile. "We both stayed over for Christmas," he replied, the reason for that being left unspoken. He was sure the bright Ravenclaw would be able to piece things together. "Just started talking then, and we kept talking throughout the year." He paused. He wasn't sure exactly what had gone down between her and Blaise. He felt far too awkward to ask either of them. Deciding against mentioning it, he changed tack. "Please tell me no one's given her any serious crap."
Goldstein shook his head. "Nah, mate. People have teased her about it, but it's not like she's friends with Draco bloody Malfoy or something. Everyone hates that ponce. But no one really has anything against you. We're not Gryffindors. If anything, I'd say people are jealous because she's friends with the Boy-Who-Lived. I mean, you kinda mostly keep to yourself, so people wonder what you're like."
Harry nodded. He knew that for better or worse, he was a celebrity, and people were going to be curious about him. There wasn't much he could do to change that.
"Malfoy's tolerable in small doses," he replied diplomatically. "But even then he's an acquired taste. We just live with him, so we don't get a choice," he added with a grin.
"Better you than me," Goldstein nodded.
Susan Bones, who was sat across from Harry, chose to join the conversation at this. "It's not like Slytherin's got the exclusive on stuck up bores. Zacharias Smith is just as bad." Cedric looked like he wanted to chastise her for this, but she shook her head. "Come on, Cedric, you know it's true. He's a complete prick."
Harry grinned at that, as did Daphne.
"Where's the famous Hufflepuff loyalty, Bones?" she teased. "Good thing Sprout's not here to dock you points."
"I don't think Heads of Houses dock points for not living up to the house's character, otherwise Snape would have to take so many points off Crabbe and Goyle, Slytherin would be in the negative numbers." They all laughed at that.
Harry started asking Goldstein about his father's job, and what it took to get it.
"Of course it's a very academic job. Most Unspeakables tend to come from Ravenclaw, for obvious reasons," he said, somewhat smugly. That made enough sense to Harry, but he couldn't resist needling Anthony.
"Of course this year you Ravenclaws had a Gryffindor show all of you up," he said with a smirk, echoing a comment he heard Morag make at his birthday party. Goldstein's face turned sour.
"I don't know how she ended up in Gryffindor. To be honest I can't say I'm that unhappy about it. I think if I'd go crazy if I had to share a house with her. Well done for beating her in Transfiguration at least."
Harry laughed heartily at that, before nodding at Goldstein's compliment. "It's my favourite subject. Was my dad's best too," he said sadly. Goldstein looked awkwardly at Harry, unsure what to say to that. Susan, on the other hand, was looking at him in understanding. Putting two and two together, the fact that her aunt was Susan's guardian meant that she was likely an orphan too.
Harry tried to diffuse the awkwardness. "Have you bought the books for the new year yet?"
Goldstein nodded. "Can you believe all that rubbish from Lockhart? How is he going to teach us from that?"
There were vigorous nods all around the table. "Auntie says she's met him and doesn't know how half the things in those books can be true." They all glanced at Madam Bones, who was deep in conversation with Mrs. Greengrass.
"Was your aunt in Hufflepuff too?" Daphne asked. Susan raised an eyebrow at that.
"Are you surprised?" Susan asked. "Look at Cedric here. He's the best in his year. People always think we're duffers but that's not really fair at all."
Cedric modestly tried to downplay his achievements, but Harry gave him an appraising look. "So he's kind of like the Granger of his year?" he asked with a grin.
Susan laughed at that. "Oh, he's not nearly as annoying as Granger," she replied, returning Harry's grin. "You have Potions with the Gryffindors, don't you? Is she like that with Snape too."
Daphne and Harry laughed at that. "She tries, but Snape has no time for her. He usually just ignores her," Daphne replied.
"Don't think she's ever earned any points, but then again he never gives any points to Gryffindors. Or to me," Harry added with an eye roll.
"He's not so bad in the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff class," Goldstein replied. "I do know he favours Slytherins, though. He never gives you any points? What's up with that?"
Daphne was looking at Harry curiously. Obviously they now knew the real reason for that, but she was probably wondering how much Harry wanted to reveal. Harry only had to give it a brief thought, however.
"Apparently he went to Hogwarts at the same time as my father, and they hated each other," he explained, leaving out any mention of his mother. That was definitely something he did not want to even think about, much less have it more widely known than it presumably already was, among people who went to school with them at least. "And since apparently I look just like my father…" he shrugged.
"But that's really unfair," Susan Bones protested. "Especially when…" she stopped abruptly.
"Especially when I've never known him anyway," he finished bitterly. "It's true, but well, the world's unfair, Bones. That's just how it is. At least he's not actually taking any points. And let's face it, house points don't really matter, do they? I mean, the party was nice, but…" he shrugged. "There are more important things to worry about."
Other than Daphne, who was used to this kind of thing, everyone gave Harry odd looks. Cedric's in particular was of newfound respect, but all of them looked like they were seeing him for the first time, even Astoria. He felt the mood at the table growing somber, and tried to deflect attention from himself.
"Did you hear that Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley got into a fist fight at Flourish and Blotts?" he whispered. He was usually not a gossip, but he found this too funny to pass up, especially since it would certainly distract everyone. Apparently this wasn't news to all those present, though, since Susan Bones nodded with a giggle.
"Oh, I saw it!" she replied. "I was there to buy my books on the day it happened!" Harry was even more relieved that he wouldn't even have to carry the conversation from there on. Bones was only too happy to retell the scene, adding a few tidbits about Lockhart as well. Harry did his best to engage in conversation the rest of the evening, and felt relatively well about how it went after that. It wasn't long until the guests departed, but Harry felt they'd be upgraded to at least passing greetings in the hallways. He was glad when it was over, though, and he could relax in bed with his father's old third year Transfiguration text.
It was hard to practice much of the coming Transfiguration exercises, as they mostly involved animal to object changes. He tried as he could with insects, but most of his time was focused on reading, and practising the Stunning Spell and Shielding Charm, which he wanted to completely master. Between that and Quidditch practises, which Daphne kept pushing on him relentlessly, the days passed in a blur and the first of September was upon them.
The evening before, the Greengrasses had their elf prepare a very lavish dinner to mark their leaving. It occurred to Harry that hardly any muggle children went to boarding school, Dudley excepted. Yet pretty much all wizarding kids did. That must be hard on some parents. He wouldn't know, of course. The Greengrasses at least had Astoria stay behind for another year, though she'd be accompanying them to Kings Cross.
Mr. Greengrass insisted they be all packed on the day before, so they made an early, quick, and uneventful journey from Norfolk to London. That they could all fit comfortably inside what looked like a single cab pickup showed that more than a little bit of magic had been applied to the insides as well. They made it to Kings Cross with time to spare, the truck's ability to pop in and out of traffic ensuring the chaotic London rush hour didn't do much to impede their transit. Just like with the Knight Bus, Harry wondered how muggles never caught sight of this, but he supposed that as with so many things, the answer was just 'magic.'
Despite having got there fairly early, they were clearly not the first wizarding family in attendance. Harry could tell this even when he did not recognize the people in question, because most did not have Mr. Greengrass dress sense and ended up wearing something completely ridiculous. Others were less conspicuous, but still stood out to the trained eye by the presence of owl cages or similar things. They walked into the platform just behind a family of a sixth year Slytherin whose name Harry didn't remember, but whom he recognized from the common room. He gave Harry and Daphne a nod as he went on, before they turned to say their goodbyes.
"It's really been great staying over with you, Mr. Greengrass. I really can't thank you enough," he said, shaking his host's hand as Daphne hugged Astoria goodbye.
"It was my pleasure, Harry. You're always welcome under my roof, any time. I hope you have a good year at Hogwarts" he replied, before turning to Daphne, leaving Harry face-to-face with Astoria.
"It's been nice getting to know you," he said, trying not to overwhelm her too much. Still, she had grown used to Harry's presence over the past month, and was no longer as tongue tied in his presence. "I know it feels like ages before you'll be going to Hogwarts, but you'll see how soon the year passes," he said, before feeling surprisingly charitable and giving her a spontaneous hug. She definitely wasn't ready for that, and when they separated, was blushing bright red.
"It was great… getting to know you too, yeah," she was able to reply. "Um, I hope you have fun at school. And that I can see you sometime, soon, yeah," she stammered, still more affected by Harry's touch than she wanted to let on. Daphne and Mr. Greengrass were looking on indulgently, before Harry waved goodbye at his hosts and, having had Mr. Greengrass put a featherweight charm on his trunk, dragged it effortlessly behind him.
As they walked along the platform, they saw several families saying their goodbyes, some with old students who looked close to graduation, some with firsties who had very little idea about what was in store for them. One of these was a girl with long blond hair and strangely protuberant eyes, who had a disconcertingly vague, blue-eyed stare. She was talking to a man who was obviously her father, for they looked fairly similar, the father being slightly cross-eyed instead. Harry was about to avert his gaze when his eyes came upon the necklace the man was wearing, a golden chain from which a familiar symbol dangled. Harry almost stopped dead in his tracks. He managed to avoid staring, and kept going, but he squeezed Daphne's arm tightly.
"Did you see that," he whispered.
"See what?" she replied.
"That man over there? With the shoulder length blonde hair," Harry described, stopping by a carriage door and trying to make their observation as inconspicuous as possible.
Daphne nodded. "I think that's Xenophilus Lovegood," she said. At Harry's questioning look, she explained.
"He edits a rag called The Quibbler. It's mostly full of nonsense and conspiracy theories." She paused to look at the pair. "I guess that must be his daughter? I don't recognize her so she must be starting this year." Harry nodded.
"Look at his necklace, though," he whispered.
Daphne looked, and her eyes soon darted back to Harry's ring. "That's…" Harry nodded again.
"It's the Peverell crest, isn't it?" he said. "Funny how it keeps popping up when I'm looking for it." Daphne raised her eyebrows in response.
"What are you going to do about it?" she asked.
"I think I'm going to wander into Miss Lovegood's compartment later," he replied with a grin.
"Good thing no one's hearing that out of context," Daphne said with a laugh. Harry shook his head.
"You don't have to come," he said, but she shook her head in turn.
"Oh, no, I'm curious now too. Besides, I said I'd help you, didn't I?" she replied. Harry nodded, and with a grin they climbed aboard the train, albeit slowly and keeping an eye on their target. As the departure time drew near, more and more students boarded. When the blonde first year finally hopped on, they moved through the train towards her carriage, dodging other students in the process.
When they finally located her, Harry was slightly annoyed to find that there was a second person in her compartment, a ginger haired girl who Harry found vaguely familiar. Still, as the two were in conversation, he doubted kicking her out would achieve anything. The two were probably friends. So Harry just knocked.
"Hello, is there room here?" he asked with attempted nonchalance as he opened the door. The blonde calmly turned towards him and nodded, but the redhead blushed as bright as her hair when she saw who Harry was. That made something click in Harry's mind, and he recognized her as the youngest Weasley sister, whom he'd seen on the platform a couple of months ago. The one who'd pointed him out. Great, so he had someone else with a crush to manage.
Putting these thoughts aside for the moment, he stepped and placed his trunk on the luggage rack, making enough room for Daphne to follow him inside.
"I'm Harry, by the way," he introduced himself. "Harry Potter. And this is Daphne Greengrass," he added, as Daphne lifted her own, magically lightweight trunk next to Harry's.
"I'm Luna Lovegood," the blonde replied with a smile. "This is Ginny Weasley."
Ginny, that was it. He now remembered he'd heard the Weasley mother call her that.
"Nice to meet you both," he replied, before turning to Ginny. "You probably didn't hear very nice things about me from your brother. I'll just say there's two sides to every story," he said, making her blush even redder, shaking her head violently.
Daphne was looking at this exchange in a bemused way, until her eyes wandered over to the two girls' trunks. Harry smiled when he saw what her eyes had been drawn to.
"Who's a Harpies fan?" Daphne asked, pointing at the logo covering the sides of one of the trunks.
"I am," Weasley replied, before turning to Daphne, somewhat less shyly now that she wasn't directly addressing Harry. "Are you…" That was all she could get out before Daphne began enthusing about this season's team.
'How convenient,' Harry thought as he turned to Lovegood, happy to be spared having to deal with the Weaslette. He gave the blonde a smile. He was very impressed with how nonplussed the girl was when he'd introduced himself. It was like she'd hardly heard his name before.
"Looking forward to Hogwarts?" he asked. "What house do you think you'll be in?" He unconsciously fingered his Slytherin scarf as he asked this. The girl tilted her head and fixed him with her vacant stare. Harry had begun to wonder if she'd heard him, before she did reply.
"Definitely not Slytherin. Or Gryffindor," she added. "Probably Ravenclaw, but I suppose I might end up in Hufflepuff."
"Fair enough. Sometimes sortings surprise you, though," Harry replied with a grin. He paused for a second before adding. "I think I saw you on the platform. You were with a wizard with long hair? Same colour as yours? Was that your dad?" he asked, beginning to lead the conversation to where he really wanted it to go. He felt the train begin to move, and hoped Ted was on board and would find them.
"Yeah, that's dad," she replied. "He's the editor of the Quibbler. Are you a subscriber?"
"Uh, no, I'm not," he replied. "What is it?" He already knew the answer from Daphne, but he figured the daughter of the editor would give him a different perspective.
"It's The Wizarding World's Alternative Voice," she replied. Harry could hear the capitals in those words. "It tells you about all the news the Daily Prophet won't print. Dad broke out the story about the Crumple-Horned Snorkack," she explained. Harry didn't know what a Crumple-Horned Snorkack was, but judging by Daphne's expression, Harry figured it was probably the wizarding equivalent of Big Foot. Weasley looked very embarrassed by this, but Harry shrugged it aside.
"That sounds very interesting. Could you send me a subscription form?" he asked, putting on his most angelic face, and pretending not to notice any of the awkwardness.
"Oh, of course," she said. "I don't have any right now, but I'm happy to owl you one." She sounded surprised he was asking.
"That'd be great. So does your dad write most of the articles? He must know a lot of obscure things about the wizarding world, right?" he wondered if he was laying the flattery on a bit too thick, but was distracted from that when Ted knocked on the compartment door.
"Hey, there you are," he said, bringing his luggage into the compartment. "Was everywhere else full?"
Before Daphne could say anything, Harry replied. "Ted, glad you found us, have a seat." He put his arm around Ted's shoulders, before introducing him to the two first years.
"And these are Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley," he introduced in turn. At the mention of Ted's family name, Weasley frowned a bit, but Harry really wasn't concerned about her. "Luna's dad is the editor of the Quibbler," Harry explained, squeezing Ted's shoulders in what he hoped would convey to his friend the need for discretion.
"Really?" Ted asked, sitting down between Harry and Daphne, after putting up his trunk.
"Yeah, isn't that interesting?" he asked. "I noticed your father was wearing a very cool looking pendant," Harry said, finally broaching the reason he was in that compartment in the first place.
Ted gave him an interested look, but he was starting to realize that Harry was on a fishing expedition with the blonde girl, so began to try to distract Weasley by dragging her into conversation with both himself and Daphne.
Weasley looked like she'd much rather be talking to Harry than to them, but she didn't have a lot of choice without being incredibly rude.
"Did you notice that? Dad always wears that pendant. Do you know what it's about?" she asked, in a more lively tone than she had used before.
"I've never seen it," Harry lied, belatedly covering the ring in his hand. As the girl went on, he tried to surreptitiously turn it around so the crest was facing his palm, rather than outward. "Do you know what it is?" The girl nodded slowly before giving her answer.
"Oh yes, Dad has told me about it. It's the sign of the Deathly Hallows," she revealed.
"The Deathly Hallows?" Harry repeated. Ted and Daphne's ears perked up at this, though they still made an effort to engage Weasley. "What's that?" he asked, trying not to sound too excited.
"I'm not surprised you haven't heard about it," she said mysteriously. "Very few have. That is a sign that those in the know wear, to make themselves known to other believers," she explained.
"Believers?" Harry asked, slightly confused.
"Oh dear, I'm really not explaining myself very well, am I?" she said, still smiling. "Have you ever heard of the Tale of the Three Brothers?"
Harry tried very hard to contain his excitement. This was it, he was not being led astray.
"Yeah, I've heard it," he replied slowly.
"Good. That makes it much easier to explain. The Deathly Hallows are the gifts Death gave to the three brothers, the Elder Wand," she began, making a vertical line with her hand, "the Resurrection Stone," then a circle, "and The Cloak of Invisibility," she finished, making a triangle enclosing both. "If someone manages to unite the three Hallows, they will become the Master of Death."
Harry nodded slowly. Lovegood probably expected him to call her crazy. Certainly Weasley's embarrassed look told him it wouldn't be the first time. But Harry didn't think she was crazy. He wasn't about to sound too interested either, though.
"Are these Hallows real? Isn't the Tale of the Three Brothers just a story?" he asked nonchalantly.
"The Elder Wand is definitely real," she replied. "No one knows where it is now, but it's definitely been mentioned throughout wizarding history. That's why wands made of elder wood are thought to be unlucky. Because this wand has mostly changed hands through murder." At this, Weasley seemed to have had enough.
"Luna, stop boring Harry with your stories," she said, before turning to him, her face as red as her hair.
"He asked," Lovegood replied, and Harry nodded. "Oh, she's not boring me at all," he said. "I don't see how you'll end up anywhere else than Ravenclaw myself," he added. The girl seemed to like hearing this, for she looked embarrassed for the first time. Just as these words left Harry's mouth, the food trolley came by, and Harry happily bought some treats for everyone in the compartment.
Weasley looked like she didn't dare to eat any, but quickly managed to thank him. They'd settled into eating in silence and looking at the landscape. Anything important would have to wait until Harry was alone with Daphne and Ted, anyway. So Harry pulled out the third year transfiguration textbook and continued reading, until the door to the compartment suddenly opened again.
"Oh there you are Ginny!" It was Ron Weasley. Harry supposed this was inevitable, although he really didn't want to put up with the ginger boy, especially since he was only in the Weaselette's compartment incidentally. He tried to look inconspicuous, but the sheer volume of Slytherins in the compartment wasn't likely to escape the older Weasley's notice.
"What are you doing sitting with this lot?" he asked, frowning, as if their very presence might contaminate a young girl's mind.
"I was just here with Luna, and Ha… Potter asked if he could sit in," she said, obviously mortified by her brother's behaviour.
"It's true," Lovegood said, meeting Ron's eyes with her slightly vacant, blue gaze. "He's been very nice, even bought us sweets," she said, before offering one of the sweets Harry had got for her to the angry boy.
Daphne and Ted were eyeing Weasley warily, and their hands looked ready to fly to their wands, but Harry was not going to get into any unnecessary confrontations so soon in the year.
"I promise you it wasn't even poisoned," he said, trying to hold a smirk, but at the same time hoping to defuse the situation. He reached forward and grabbed one of Ginny's chocolate frogs, and quickly ate it before it jumped away. "See?"
Weasley obviously thought Harry was still making fun of him, but he could also see he was outnumbered, and that his sister wasn't exactly looking at him as a rescuer either. So, he tried to retreat with dignity. "Come on Ginny, I saved you a seat with the other Gryffindors… Luna can come too," he added belatedly.
Ginny didn't look particularly happy at that, but grudgingly went along, dragging her trunk out. Harry was going to offer to take it down, but a glare from Weasley told him that was going to be more trouble than it was worth. So he sat by while she left, Lovegood in tow, although the latter looked like she'd much prefer staying.
"Bye Luna, it was great talking to you," Harry added, giving the blonde a wave. For some reason, he had a feeling she would be worth holding on to as an acquaintance, at least.
When he was reasonably confident Weasley and Co. had gone, he cast a privacy charm, before turning excitedly to his friends.
"Sorry about that, but when I saw that necklace, I had to know what was behind it," he said, trying to contain his excitement.
"It was completely worth it," Daphne said. Ted nodded in agreement.
"Now we know the things have a name. It'll be much easier to look for information," he said. "I hope I don't have to buy the Quibbler to do it, though," he added with a grin. "Are you actually going to subscribe to it?" Harry shrugged.
"Maybe. Who knows, it might be worth it," he said. "We'll talk more later, though," he added, cancelling the privacy charms. They rode the rest of the way to Hogwarts eating the leftover sweets, and speculating about what the new school year held in store.
And we're almost at Hogwarts now. As always, I love reviews, so please leave some. I'm especially interested to hear what worked for you and what didn't. So please, review, review.