~Chapter 8~

The boys continued to mess around, currently going through a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. As this went on, the world outside became wilder with woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills. The boys would take turns guessing what the flavor is, making appropriate faces whenever they were wrong. Ron would tell them little facts he knew about certain candies and what they did.

"Hey, since you guys like reading so much, did you try any spells?" Ron asked.

"We did," Harry grinned. "Tom found a loophole that we could practice without getting into trouble in one of his law books."

"You got law books? Why?"

"What better way to learn about wizarding society than by learning about their laws?" Tom grinned impishly.

"Okay, you got me there," Ron laughed. "So what did you practice?"

"Alohomora, Lumos, Nox, Wingardium Leviosa, and Colloportus," he answered.

"Wingardium Leviosa though is our favorite so far," Harry laughed.

"How come?"

"We made games using it. We'd have races using our toys or Eliana's collection of bottle caps. If not that, we'll be doing tricks to see how far we can push ourselves before the spell breaks."

"That sounds like a lot of fun. Think you can show me?"

"Sure."

Taking his wand out, Harry, Tom already began to explain to Ron how the spell worked while Ron took his out. They noted its battered look, the redhead a little ashamed but the moment he started practicing, it was quickly forgotten.

"That's it!" Tom laughed, grinning as the boy managed to get an empty box to fly up.

"This is so cool!" Ron beamed.

"Hey, want to see who can make their object fly fastest?" Harry grinned.

"You're on."

Choosing what to race with, they each had it raised and began darting it around the cart, laughing and whooping as things zipped around. Their fun was interrupted by a knock. Immediately, Harry and Tom cut their spells out of habit, a flash of fear visible before mentally reminding themselves they weren't home. Ron noticed their tense looks, having him cut his spell as well. The door opened, revealing a round-faced boy, tears in his eyes.

"Sorry," the boy started with a sniff, "but have you seen a toad at all?"

As they shook their heads, the boy let out a pitiful wail.

"I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"I'm sure he'll turn up. He was on the train, right? He couldn't have gotten far then," Tom reassured.

He sort of remembered this boy, crying about his toad going missing when they arrived at the platform. He hoped his pet was on the train and hadn't been left behind. He wouldn't know what he would do if he somehow forgot Eliana or Harry forgot Hedwig.

"I suppose," the boy sniffed, wiping his eyes. "Well, if you see him…"

He shut the door sadly and left.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," Ron commented. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."

"Maybe he was a gift? Like how Hedwig and Eliana are?" Harry suggested. Tom had to agree.

"Oh, right, I suppose there's that…" Ron said softly, face turning red.

He glanced down at his lap where his pet laid, still snoozing without a single care in the world.

Ron let out a small huff. "I bet if he died, you wouldn't know the difference. You know, I was thinking of turning him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting. It was a spell George told me about."

They were interrupted again when the compartment opened up, revealing the toadless boy and a bushy-haired girl. She was already wearing her new robes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," the girl announced.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," Ron said. The girl, however, didn't seem to hear as she took notice of his wand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

She sat down, the boy reluctantly joining as well. Ron looked taken aback by this but cleared his throat:

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,

Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

Ron waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers continued to be grey and still fast asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" the girl asked suspiciously. "Well, it's not very good, is it?"

"Maybe it takes more practice?" Tom defended.

"Or it was another one of George's pranks," Ron grumbled, face turning red again.

"That wasn't nice if that's the case," the girl stated.

"Yeah, but he's like that. Fred too, they like joking around."

"Oh, are they friends of yours?"

"My brothers."

"Oh, it must be interesting living with them then. I'm an only child," the girl said. A small smile formed. "Sometimes though, I think about what it'd be like to have a brother or sister."

"I can always loan you one of mine," Ron joked. "But not my sister, my mum would kill me." At this, the girl couldn't help but giggle.

"Hey Ron, if you want to freak your brothers out, how about we see if we can find a spell that will change Scabbers' colour?" Tom offered with a mischievous smirk. He was holding up his Charms book.

"The colour changing one?"

"Yeah and whatever else that looks safe to try."

"All right then!"

Tom and the girl traded seats, allowing the boys to flip through the pages, searching for spells.

As they did this, the girl turned to Harry, "I'm Hermione Granger."

"I'm Harry, that's Tom and that's Ron."

"I'm Neville," the boy introduced.

"Harry Potter, right? I've read quite a bit about you."

"Read? You mean there are books about me?"

This pulled the two from the book, the older boy looking surprised as well.

"Goodness, didn't you know?"

Harry shook his head.

"There are quite a few books about you. It talks about how you survived You-Know-Who, his death, or in some books, disappearance. There's even a good section that talks about your parents."

"I never knew. Was there any mention of Tom?"

"Not that I can recall, why?"

"He was with me that night."

"He was? That's strange he wasn't mentioned then."

"Yeah, it is."

Hermione shifted, feeling a little uncomfortable about the tension, "So…um…how did you two stay in contact?"

"We were sent to live with my relatives. It was apparently in my parents' will or something. We don't know all of the details."

"Nor do we care," Tom chimed in. "I'm glad I was able to live with Harry though."

"Same."

"That must mean you're really close then?"

"I would like to think so," Harry laughed, Tom smiling as he and Ron returned to their search.

***0***

After a few minutes, they found an interesting spell. Taking his wand, Tom held it out towards the sleeping rat. Saying the incantation and cutting it off as it says, the rat's fur suddenly grew and thickened. He now looked very fluffy, Ron already beaming.

"Oh and here's the colour changing charm! It was a fake!" the redhead exclaimed when they flipped through a few more pages.

"Want to try it then?" Tom asked.

Ron nodded excitedly, completely ignoring the girl as they talked about what colour to make Scabbers, who was still snoozing, completely oblivious. With a few tries, the rat now sported lovely honey-gold fur, albeit it did nothing to improve his sleeping habits.

"You're quite good," Hermione complimented.

"Thank you," Tom smiled.

"How long have you been practicing?" she asked.

"About a week," Harry answered.

"I found there's a loophole so students can practice before school so long as the spells aren't dangerous and not performed in front of Muggles. Well, except for the parents for Muggle-borns and Half-bloods I think is the other term," Tom added, thinking about the last part carefully.

"Where did you read that from?"

"Harry and I bought some law books that looked interesting."

"I wanted to buy some, but there's so many to choose from."

"I suggest getting Ancient Law, Law and Literature, and Laws of Conduct When Dealing with Muggles as a start. They're really interesting and have a lot of useful information."

"I'll have to owl my parents to see if we can get them the next time. Are there any other books you can recommend?"

They nodded, sharing other books they had gotten or ones that caught their eye but didn't buy right now. Tom also showed Hermione the creature and dragon books he got from his vault, mentioning other old books that were left to him. The girl's eyes widened with delight that he inherited such valuable sounding tomes.

"They sound so fascinating. I wonder if the library will have copies?"

"I'm sure they do if not you can ask. Maybe the librarian or the headmaster could special order them like Muggle libraries do," Harry suggested.

"That would be nice."

"You guys really like to read, don't you?" Neville spoke up, having been mostly quiet.

"Harry and I liked spending a lot of time at the library," Tom explained.

"Do you think you'll be sorted into Ravenclaw then? I heard a lot of intelligent students get sorted there," Hermione asked. "I wouldn't mind being sorted there, but I heard Gryffindor is really good too. I heard Professor Dumbledore was in Gryffindor himself when he was a student."

"We're not sure really. I'm not really that bothered where I am so long as Tom and I are together," Harry answered, his friend agreeing.

"I think that's a good way to look at it," Neville said. "My gran and relatives are hoping I'll be in Gryffindor like my parents…" He ended that quietly, appearing uncomfortable.

"Are you okay, Neville?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit worried about what would happen if I don't."

"Well, if your family loves you, then they really won't care where you get sorted," Hermione reassured.

"Thanks, I'm kind of hoping I'll get sorted into Hufflepuff. I heard it's really nice."

"I heard that too," Ron nodded. "My oldest brothers had some friends who were in Hufflepuff. They said most of the students in Hufflepuff are often the friendliest bunch."

"What about people in other houses? How are they usually viewed?"

"Well, like Hermione said, Ravenclaw has a lot of smart people, but that can be any house I suppose. My brother, Percy's really smart and he's in Gryffindor. I heard they're creative though, so you can imagine what they do in the common room. Gryffindor is known as the bravest house and it kind of makes sense. Bill's working as a curse breaker and it can be dangerous from what he told us and Charlie got a job at a dragon sanctuary in Romania. You have to be pretty brave and determined to handle working there."

"I also heard Professor Dumbledore is quite brave. Some of the older students I talked to told me how he defeated the Dark Lord, Gellert Grindelwald, in a duel years ago. Facing such a terrible man had to take some real courage," Hermione added.

"What about Slytherin?" Tom asked.

Ron grimaced a bit, "I heard they're really ambitious, but it's also got a really bad reputation."

"It does?"

"Yeah," he nodded, feeling a little bit of pity for them. "Out of all of the houses, Slytherin has had the most dark wizards graduate from there. It hasn't helped because of You-Know-Who."

"He went to Hogwarts?" Tom gasped.

"That's what I've been told."

"But it can't be that bad, can it? I mean, not everyone came out dark, right?"

"It wouldn't make sense if every student sorted into Slytherin came out bad. The school would have gotten in a lot of trouble," Hermione pointed out. "So there's probably been some who graduated and proved to be very nice. It's kind of like those awful stereotypes about certain groups of people because of the actions of a few."

"That makes sense."

Ron and Neville looked surprised hearing this, unsure how to take this, yet it did make sense. Slytherin probably would have been closed down if it really was an "evil" house. But the concept of decent Slytherins still sounded weird, giving them something to think about and maybe ask their families more about it.

"Oh dear, we should get going and look for Neville's toad some more," Hermione gasped when checking the time.

"Oh, right. I hope Trevor's okay."

"If we see him, we'll try and get you," Tom promised.

"Thank you," Neville smiled as he and Hermione left the compartment and resume their search.

After a couple of minutes, Ron chose to speak. "I almost didn't like her for a moment when she said that spell wasn't very good, not that she was wrong."

"Well, she probably could have been a little nicer about it, but she seems nice," Harry said.

"And she's really smart. She's learned more spells than Harry and I have."

"I think that's more because we didn't have the time to practice them all or a safe place for some of them."

"That's true."

"I bet you two and Hermione will be some of the smartest in our year," Ron grinned, making the boys flush.

"You think so?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, you're really smart. You already figured out some spells and you know so many things, I bet you'll get really good grades."

Tom's only response was to blush harder, causing Harry and Ron to laugh, not that Harry's face wasn't any better.

"Hey, by any chance do either of you have a favorite Quidditch team?" the redhead asked after calming down.

"We don't know much about it," Harry said with an embarrassed laugh.

"Oh, right… Well, just you wait. It's the best game in the world…"

Ron proceeded to tell them all about the sport in great detail, far more than what Hagrid could offer, drawing the pair in. He told them about each position, what the balls do, the importance everyone has in the team. He shared with them how Charlie was a Seeker in school and how his brothers, Fred and George, were Beaters. The redhead explained about the different professional teams and who his favorite team is and favorite players.

Just as he started to get into it, the compartment door opened again. However, neither Neville nor Hermione were there. Instead, it was the pale-faced boy, two larger boys behind him. He was looking at Harry with far greater interest than their first encounter.

"Is it true?" the boy started. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"And if I am?" Harry questioned warily. He instinctively pulled Tom closer who was already scooting closer, the older boy drawing his legs up to his chest.

"Draco Malfoy," the boy greeted, "and this is Crabbe and Goyle."

He gestured to the two boys who reminded them of bodyguards. He took notice of Ron, giving him a sneer.

"You could do better than hanging out with Weasleys. I can help you find a better sort. I can even help you drop your tag along."

Tom flushed angrily, Harry glaring.

"Tom's no tag along. He's my best friend," Harry said sharply. Now he was certain he didn't like this boy and knew Tom felt the same.

"Why would you even bother? Isn't he some Muggle-born?"

"Who cares what I am?" Tom growled, starting to shake when the larger boys moved in. He could feel Harry shaking as well. This was reminding them too much of Dudley and his gang cornering them after a round of "freak hunting."

Malfoy sneered, "I'd be careful what you say. And Potter, I think you should be especially careful. Unless you're a bit politer, you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys, the groundskeeper, and this Mudblood and it'll rub off on you."

Ron looked furious, standing up, fire in his eyes.

"What did you just call him?"

"Did I stutter? I called him a Mudblood because that's exactly what he is."

"Get the hell out of here!" Ron snarled.

"And if we don't feel like leaving?" Malfoy sneered as the other two stood up. He noticed Harry pushing Tom behind him, making himself a shield. He merely grinned, finding the attempt laughable.

Goyle suddenly let out a scream. He reared his hand back where he had tried to steal some chocolate frogs. Hanging off his finger was Scabbers, sharp little teeth sinking into the boy's knuckle as he tried to swing the rodent off. When he finally let go, he was thrown into the window, collapsing into a heap. The boys took off, either fearing there were more rats amongst the sweets or due to the sounds of footsteps coming their way. Seconds later, Hermione appeared with a surprised look.

"What happened?" she asked. She saw the scattered sweets on the floor, Ron stooping down to pick his rat up by the tail.

"I think he's been knocked out," Ron commented, examining his pet. "No…I don't believe it… He's gone back to sleep."

"Is he okay though?" Tom asked.

"I don't see blood."

As they briefly fussed over the rat, more at Tom's insistence, Harry informed Hermione what had transpired.

"Oh dear, that wasn't nice of them. But what's a Mudblood? I never heard of that before."

Ron looked up, his scowl returning, "It's a really bad word. It's something jerks like Malfoy say to people who are Muggle-born. They think their blood's dirty or something. It's a load of dragon dung is what it is."

"So it's basically a slur?" Tom said quietly, hands still shaking. Something about that word felt so familiar, bringing about different emotions.

"I hope that word's been banned, that's such an awful thing to say," Hermione said, seeing how upset Tom looked. "Is he okay?"

Harry looked over and seeing the other still shaking, he went over, stepping over the fallen sweets. He pulled the other boy into his arms, hugging him.

"You okay?" he whispered.

Tom nodded, already calming down as he leaned in.

"Well…um… I was coming by to let you know I heard we were getting close so you can get ready. I'll see you later."

They bid her goodbye as she left.

"We probably should get changed," Tom suggested. He didn't want to move but knew they would have to soon.

"It's a bit cramped though…" Ron said.

"We can take turns," Harry said. "You can change first if you want."

"You sure?"

He nodded, he and Tom stepping out to give Ron space and privacy. When he was done, they traded places so they can get changed.

"We're done," Harry called, Ron coming back inside.

***0***

An announcement could be heard throughout the train that it would be stopping in five minutes. Remembering their uneaten sweets, the boys began to pile as many as they could into their pockets and bags before joining the crowd thronging the corridor.

As the train slowed to a stop and people started pushing, Harry and Tom immediately grabbed each other's hands tightly. They kept close to Ron as they followed everyone out onto a tiny, dark platform. The boys shivered from the cold, huddling close for warmth. When a lamp came bobbing over the heads of students, they heard a familiar voice shouting happily.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry? Tom?"

"Hagrid!" Harry laughed, waving at him.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Tom greeted, waving as well.

The half-giant beamed as he guided and warned the students following him where to step. It was slick, many slipping and stumbling along, Harry and Tom hanging off one another to avoid falling. It was so dark, unsure if it was because of the trees or something else. Hardly anyone spoke, Neville sniffing once or twice. The three boys suspected he still hadn't found his toad, feeling bad for him.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bed here."

Everyone was in awe when they came to the edge of a great black lake. Reflecting in the water, tracing it atop a high mountain on the other side was a vast castle with sparkling windows shimmering like stars.

"It's so beautiful," Tom awed, eyes dancing with joy.

"It really is," Harry whispered. He could feel his heart swell with joy not only at the sight of their school but his best friend's expression.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called out.

He pointed to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry, Ron, and Tom climbed into the nearest one, another student joining them. They spotted Malfoy a few boats off with his goons and another. Hermione and Neville were sharing a boat with a pair of girls, twins from what they could make out.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid looked around from his boat, making sure everyone was safely in before shouting, "Right then… Forward!"

Like that, the boats drifted into the lake, directed by the gamekeeper, the children left in awe. Many of them turned their attention to the great castle, excitement shining on their faces the closer they got.

"This is so amazing," Tom awed. It felt like some kind of fairytale, but it wasn't, it was real!

"I know, I can't believe we're here," Harry smiled.

"And we'll learn so much."

"I know, but how about getting to explore? I bet there are a lot of cool places to see."

"There are. Fred and George love exploring the castle. Sometimes they tell me and Ginny about what they found," Ron chimed in with a smile. "Same with Bill and Charlie when they were students. There are a lot of passages apparently."

"I wonder if there are secret passages?" the student who joined them wondered.

"My brothers say there are, but I don't know for sure."

"I bet with how big it is, there are," Tom grinned excitedly.

Hagrid suddenly shouted for them to duck their heads as they passed into a cave, a curtain of ivy hanging as cover. They drifted through a dark tunnel, a few students whispering worriedly before things brightened a bit with some torches, revealing an underground harbor. They docked and clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" Hagrid called out. He was checking the boats the kids were climbing out of, holding a croaking amphibian.

"Trevor!" Neville cried out. He held out his hands, taking his pet back, holding the squirming animal close.

"I'm glad you found him," Hermione beamed as the three joined them.

"So am I," he smiled.

They all clambered up the passageway in the rock, Hagrid leading with his lamp, coming out onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

At that, Hagrid raised his gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

I was rather happy how this turned out, namely when it came to the interactions between certain characters such as Hermione, Ron, even Draco despite being a brat.

I also enjoyed writing Tom helping Ron "decorate" Scabbers with some spells. Same for when it came to discussing the Houses.

I want to thank Krysania (Tat) for helping me with this chapter.