Parts of this are word for word from the first book which I own a copy of but nothing more in case you thought I did.
Harry is careful to check each bean before he eats it and so doesn't accidentally eat anything bad.
The landscape is turning even more foreign outside the window, filled with trees, rivers and dark green hills, when there is a knock on their compartment door.
A round-faced boy who looks on the verge of tears sticks his head around the door.
"Sorry," He shifts awkwardly, miserable gaze fixed on the floor, "but have you seen a toad at all?" Harry looks across to Ron before they both shake their heads.
"Would you like help looking for him?" Harry can almost feel the ginger-haired boy's apprehension without looking at him. The boy sniffs slightly.
"It's okay. You don't have to." Harry stands up, stretching his stiff limbs and letting out thin tendrils of magic to focus in on the amphibian.
"It's no trouble- I'm Harry Potter. Coming Ron?" The boy doesn't respond, torn between his new friendship and the fact that the newcomer seems like someone people laugh at.
"It's alright- I'll hold the room down for when you finish." With a nod Harry closes the door.
"Later Ron." He turns to the snivelling boy, "I think your toad is this way." Harry points through the corridor. The boy stares at him in confusion and amazement before his face drops into glumness.
"So you're Harry Potter… I'm Neville Longbottom." Harry grins as they walk, leading the other boy to where there is the only vaguely amphibian life force on the whole train.
"Nice to meet you Neville." The boy frowns.
"Thank you- for helping me too. No one else even offered." Harry smiles slightly, focusing in on the exact area and pinpointing the toad.
"Two compartments along on the left. It's no problem- I hope we can be friends." Neville retrieves his toad which squirms, croaking desperately. By the time he reaches Harry again he is only a little red.
"Really- thank you- he's important to me." Harry inspects the creature confusedly.
"I think he needs a check up- he doesn't look so good. Do you have somewhere to sit? Why don't you join Ron and I?" Neville smiles.
"Thanks Harry- maybe that's why he's been trying to escape so much lately. Are you sure it's okay?" The green-eyed boy nods.
"Of course- the more the merrier."
The two return to their compartment, Harry firmly pressing his tracking magic onto Trevor- as he learns the toad is called- in case of another escape. Ron is sitting, idly waving his wand. He looks up, confused by the appearance of Neville but making no comment on him joining them.
After the awkward boy has stored his belongings on one of the racks above their heads the ginger snorts.
"Guess at least your toad does more than my rat- all he does is sleep." Scabbers has not moved from his earlier position, still dead to the world in Ron's lap. The boy gestures at him exasperatedly.
"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference. I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look…" Ron readies his wand and Harry immediately notices the glowing white hairs poking out the end of the battered looking wand.
"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway-" He raises his wand and- before Harry can even think to warn the oblivious wizard about the various directions which magic can exit his wand which aren't the intended- he has finished the spell.
"Sunshine, daises, butter mellow,
Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."
The rat remains unchanged.
"See- nothing."
More accurately- almost nothing happened due to misfire but the brief flurry of magical energy highlights a small thread of untucked power coming from the rat that feels distinctly human.
"Ron. Put the rat down." The boy stares at Harry, brows furrowing at the worry seeping through his voice.
"What- why?" Harry's eyes remain fixed on the rat-human while he speaks very calmly.
"Ron- trust me. You need to put it down." Neville watches silently, fear kicking in at the power in the emerald-eyed boy's voice.
Ron pales and obliges.
Gently he scoops the rat out of his lap with trembling hands and places it on the floor.
Once everyone has retreated to the walls of the compartment Harry wards the compartment so nothing can get in or out. For caution he places another around the rat-man.
When everything is in place he breathes slowly and begins unwinding each thread of magic, peeling them back until in front of them- taking up most of the floor- is a large, smelly, balding man with a missing finger.
Ron lets out a squeak, looking violently ill. Neville just stares wide-eyed.
"Bloody hell." Harry nods in agreement with the sentiment.
"We should keep this under wraps until we can get someone to deal with it." The ginger nods, freckles as dark as ink spots on his ghost-pale face. He stares at the aged figure with confusion then blinks, snapping his head up to look at Harry.
"No- wait- how and why the hell did you turn my rat into a man?!"
"I don't think he did Ron." If possible the boy turns even paler at Neville's comment.
"So you mean he's-" Neville nods solemnly,
"He might have been cursed." Harry doesn't have a clue how they came to that conclusion when all the magic tucking the man into his rat form was clearly his own.
"But what kind of curse could do that?" Ron asks, gesturing to the man.
"More importantly- how did you uncurse him Harry?" Both boys stare at Harry expectantly.
"It wasn't a curse- it was-" Trevor croaks and they fall silent enough to hear the footsteps approaching.
Harry hastily conceals him enough that any new comers shouldn't see him and tears down the wards before anyone can get to the door. The man still hasn't woken up.
Ron and Neville stand for a moment longer in utter confusion as the door opens, their bottoms firmly hitting the seats the moment before a blonde boy steps into the compartment.
It was the boy from the robes shop- Harry notes dully, glad that something was going like Castiel had told him.
Harry's friends glance at the floor briefly as the boy- Harry really can't remember his name- doesn't even look at it.
"Weasel. Longbottom. Looking for your brains?" Two other boys follow the blonde in and he gets down to business, nose stuck high in the air.
"Is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?" Castiel had said he was meant to get on badly with the boy even though Harry was meant to be polite at the beginning.
"Yes- that's true." He says slowly.
The blonde gestures backwards carelessly.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," He smirks, focusing on Harry.
"And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." For a moment Harry thinks the blonde is trying to impersonate a fictional womanizer, alcoholic and spy. He lets out a small chuckle and Ron joins him, trying to hide it under a cough.
"Think my name's funny, do you?"
"I'm sorry- you seemed similar to this Muggle movie character because-" And with that short statement, Harry Potter became the mortal enemy of one Draco Malfoy.
"- I can see you aren't worthy of associating with the Malfoys Potter. I was going to help you find the right sort of friends but clearly you've already found people suitable for you." He leaves, nose still in the air.
Ron breaks the silence he left behind.
"How the bloody hell did they not see him!"
Reminded of his priorities Harry immobilises the man, silences him and floats him onto the unused luggage rack.
Ron and Neville watch in horror, confusion and amazement.
The naked man snoozes on.
God- I was sooooo tempted to go 'a blonde boy steps into the compartment.
It was… DARKO MALFOU!1!1! (Drako iz da luv ov mi lyfe- if u dnt lik hm u cn fuk oof preepz)' but I couldn't because this may be crack ficish but Harry is no Ebony Dementia Raven Tara Way (or whatever it is).