Last chapter was pretty backstory heavy so stick with me for this one too. Gotta set up a few more things.
In case people were curious, I do not plan to doing a month by month thing for Year 3. We'll be wrapping up Year 3 by chapter 12.
Enjoy!
Chapter IX: A New Term, A New Plan
King's Cross Station was filled to the brim with travelers that first week of January. Business people, tourists, families, and students all hurried through the halls and platforms of the station, most reluctantly returning to their normal routines following the Holidays.
With so many people, some of the more unusual travelers were lost in the crowd. But for those who had the moment to take in their surroundings, they might have noticed the unusual number of travelers dressed with pointed hats and robes. All of them were following children pushing carts with luggage and even sometimes owls, cats, and even toads.
Among that unusual crowd was the Young family, though they were better blended with the non-magical crowd. Teddy lead his family through the station, deftly navigating the crowds while pushing his own cart. Sarah was keeping pace while his parents lagged behind, moving slower than their children as normal. Teddy had seen a few of his peers in the Station, but none whom he was friends with. The trip from Beeston to London was a long one, which meant he was usually one of the last students to arrive for the train.
Once they got to the platform, things eased up a bit. With more maneuverability and space, the Young's slowed down and were able to arrive at Platforms 9 and 10 without worry.
"Right, so, remember, just run at it and you'll be fine!" Teddy explained as they stood before the enchanted barrier to Platform 9¾. As they did every time, the rest of his family looked doubtful, assuming this time it wouldn't work properly or perhaps the whole concept of Hogwarts was a fever dream, but still followed suit. All of them held onto Teddy's cart and they ran together at the barrier. Enchanted with powerful non-detection charms, their action went unseen by non-magical people around them and they passed through the enchanted brick column unharmed. Emerging on the other side, the Youngs was greeted by the ruby red Hogwarts Express and Platform 9¾.
Scattered across the Platform were families saying goodbye to each other. Promises to write and expressions of love were flying left and right and Teddy could see a few tears being shed. The Youngs soon joined them with their own goodbyes. Teddy promised to write them all more often and received warm hugs from his parents. His mother reminded him to eat well while his father reminded him to study hard. Sarah and his goodbye quicker but sweet and as emotional.
"Good luck with your Upper Levels." Teddy said as they embraced.
"Good luck with apparating." Sarah joked.
"That's not till Sixth year."
"Then I don't know what to wish you luck on."
Teddy chuckled at that. "How about not getting in trouble?"
"I can do that." Sarah replied with a smile, giving him a quick peck on the cheek for luck.
Teddy's family stayed on the Platform until the Hogwarts Express left, waving to him as he waved back from an open window alongside other students. Once they had left the station, Teddy began to make his way through the train, heading towards where he knew his close friends would be. On his journey, Teddy kept getting stopped by other friends and acquaintances who wanted to catch up. He would always talk and joke with them briefly, always promising to hang out with them soon.
It took twenty-five minutes to move just two train carts and meet up with the intended friend. Megan Jones was sitting inside a compartment alone, the bags of their other friends around her. She was looking out the window at the countryside passing them by. Teddy knocked on the cabin's window pane before entering.
"There you are! I was worried you missed the train!" Megan said, a smile across her face as her hazel eyes lit up.
Teddy threw up his arms. "Got distracted."
"Of course you did, Mr. Popular." Megan lightly teased, leaping up from her seat to hug her best friend.
"Hey!" Teddy laughed, embracing her back.
"You're on your way to being our next Cedric."
Teddy rolled his eyes as they broke apart, taking the seat across from Megan. "Please. You know I'm no good on a broom like him."
"That's for bloody well sure. You make me twitch when I think about a Bludger flying around you."
"And I suppose you run the table on your cousin Gwenog when you play Quidditch, huh?" Teddy joked.
"Gwenog played with us over the Holidays. Clearly, she was holding back, but she still beat all of us cousins bloody." Megan recounted. Megan's magical side of the family had quite a few distinguished members among them, one of them Gwenog Jones, the celebrated Beater for the Welsh all-female Quidditch team, the Holyhead Harpies. Gwenog had been a celebrity at Hogwarts as well, playing as Gryffindor House's Quidditch team Beater. She had helped lead them to victory and helped win them the House Cup in 1986, the last time Gryffindor had won the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup. After school, it was only natural that Gwenog went on to play professionally.
Megan, who opened up slowly but never said a bad thing about anyone, refused to comment to people about Gwenog's supposed temper off the Quidditch pitch.
Their conversation continued as they began chatting about their Holidays. They had spoken to each other every other day on the phone, but the two best friends could find anything to talk about. They had been inseparable since First Year when they had been sorted into their Badger Cub groups. The Badger Cubs was the orientation group for First Year Hufflepuff students, the only House that had one. The First years would be broken down to groups of two or three of and be buddied to upper level Hufflepuffs, usually Fifth or Sixth Years who would be their mentor, helping them find classrooms, navigate the castle, and settle into life at Hogwarts.
As someone from a non-magical background, Teddy had felt lost until he met with his fellow Cubs. Megan had been among his group and, having come from a Half-Blood household with her father's side being magical, she was happy to help him. Since then, Teddy had adjusted well to Hogwarts and expanded his friend group easily with Megan usually the center of his friend group.
"Have you seen the others?" Teddy asked.
"They were all here." Megan said. "Ernie went off to hang out with that Ravenclaw he likes. Haven't seen Susan yet. And Hannah and Justin went looking for the Trolley. They're getting you some droobles too if they find it. And no word on Zacharias yet."
"Good." Teddy said, rolling his eyes.
"He's not that terrible!" Megan chided. "Just a bit… you know…"
"Much?" Megan offered.
"I suppose." Megan agreed. They laughed for a moment, but Megan grew quiet shortly after, looking Teddy over.
"Something on your mind?" Teddy asked.
"Did you run into your friends from Slytherin yet?"
Teddy shook his head. "I don't imagine I will until we're at Hogwarts. They're not a particularly social pair those two."
"They do tend to stick together in class. Are they dating?"
"No." Teddy replied. The response was smooth, without the tension or worry that Teddy felt at such a question.
"Huh, they always seem so tight that you'd think they were. Anyways, did they find a way to fix that potion?"
Immediately Teddy was on edge, jumping from his seat to shut the cabin door. "No, I'm not sure. Maybe Giuliana did."
"Well, you'll be a proper dealer if you get the Calming Draught to work." Megan commented. There wasn't any judgment in her tone. She supported Teddy with what she described as "school shenanigans" and understood from a financial standpoint his reasons for doing it. But he also knew that didn't mean she gave her blanket approval. Not that she'd ever tell anyone. Megan also had a slight interest in it as well.
"Bit a difference though from drugs." Teddy corrected. "These potions don't give you an addiction."
"That's true."
"So, you still want to try it?"
"As long as I don't croak."
"Vaughn knows what he's doing." Teddy assured her, before adding, "Giuliana too."
"Well that settles it. Just tell me where and when then." Megan said. "But I'm only doing this once!"
The conversation ended when Hannah and Justin returned, trolley treats in their arms, and the Hufflepuffs settled into their comfortable ride back to Hogwarts. All the while, Teddy was thinking about Vaughn, hoping his trip back to Hogwarts was enjoyable.
The feast for the start of Second Term was an extravagance that magic made look easy to pull off. The Great Hall, decorated with House colors and banners, was filled with life and laughter as students met up with friends for the first time since the Holidays. The candles on the Great Hall walls and floating above them shined a bright blue, which when mixed with the snowfall above them shined brilliantly. Above the tables, trays of food from all seasons floated passed eager students who snatched up the items on them.
Vaughn and Giuliana were among the Slytherin's gobbling down the feast. Vaughn's plate was a dissonant collection of food items and so overflowed that one would think he hadn't just spent the last month in the lap of luxury. Sunday roast, soupe à l'oignon, cream and spinach, and minced meat pelmeni's weighed down Vaughn's plate as he talked with Giuliana. Unlike his near daily correspondence with Teddy, him and Giuliana owled once a week with several page letters. Most of it was spent complaining about their eccentric extended families, which continued throughout their return to Hogwarts. The topic that interested both of them would take place later, farther from prying ears.
Before the dessert course was served there was a loud tinging on glass and all students looked up to the table to see the Transfiguration Professor, Minerva McGonnell, tapping on his wine glass. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore slowly rose from his seat and the room grew quiet as the Headmaster began to speak.
"Greetings once again, my friends." Dumbledore began, a happy smile on his face. Even from a distance, it appeared as though his eyes were gleaming underneath the half-moon glasses he wore. "And welcome back for the second term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Polite clapping followed, even from the Slytherin table. When the clapping died down, Dumbledore continued in his calm tone and ran through a list of reminders and updates to be aware of as the term began. The Headmaster began on a positive note, detailing club activities that were coming up and the addition of a new one club.
"Beginning this term, our illustrious Charms professor, Fillius Flitwick, will be resurrecting Hogwarts' own Frog Choir! Tryouts will begin at the start of next week and all students are welcome to join. If I may add my own observation, it has been far too long since the halls of Hogwarts have rung with the sound of song. The new life of this club is a brilliant idea, and I cannot wait to see how students work with Professor Flitwick to bring this endeavor to fruition."
More clapping followed as Dumbledore motioned for the Charms professor to stand. The half-goblin did so and bowed his head gratefully to the Headmaster and the student body. Meanwhile, Vaughn and Giuliana looked at one another, a flare of Dumbledore bashing upon them.
"Do you think he knew about Lisa?" Vaughn whispered.
"She said her and Professor Flitwick spoke to Dumbledore together, so yes, he knows the club was her idea."
"She wasn't exaggerating?"
"Even Lisa wouldn't lie about a meeting with the Headmaster. And it's just like him to not give credit to anyone who isn't in Gryffindor. Typical."
The Headmaster continued with the term announcements, unaware of the defamation of his reputation. Most of the announcements were met with muted and polite response, but when he listed the dates for upcoming Quidditch matches, the student body began to murmur with anticipation. Slytherin was playing Ravenclaw next week and tensions were already high. Ravenclaw had wiped the floor with Hufflepuff and no one in Slytherin wanted that for their House. The Slytherin team was expected to be practicing every day in preparation.
"Don' worry, boys and girls." Marcus Flint said a few seats down. "We'll hold 'em off and be back to back Champs."
"There wasn't a Quidditch Cup to play for last year." A fellow Seventh Year Slytherin reminded him, her voice annoyed. Vaughn couldn't remember her name, but he remembered hearing Marcus and her had been on a date in Hogsmeade that had gone sour.
"Exactly, I don' think any of us is counting last year. So, it'll be back to back in the years we're counting from!" Flint replied. Some murmurs of agreement with the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and a few rolled eyes. Vaughn couldn't help but think about how much of a troll Flint looked.
Dessert was served, marking the unofficial ending point for the Feast. Once most of desserts had eaten, the younger students were led back to their dorms by their House Prefects, the older students following in their own friend groups afterwards. By the time Vaughn and Giuliana arrived, the Slytherin Common room abuzz. The first week always led to a hectic common room as people adjusted back to their Hogwarts routine, but Vaughn and Giuliana managed to find a quiet spot next to the window looking into the Great Lake.
"So, you said you found it?" Vaughn asked.
"It wasn't easy, but yes." Giuliana replied, eyes blazing with triumphant behind her glasses. "I had to memorize it word for word before writing it down once I left the Villa. My relative is batty and enchanted the Villa so people couldn't 'steal' the knowledge in any part of it."
"That's some security." Vaughn replied. Vaughn's own time searching the Rzhevsky dacha library wasn't much use for a Calming Draught. The Rzhevsky's did however have an extensive collection of books on Alchemy. "We should start brewing soon. I already ordered the base supplies. What else do we need?"
Giuliana ran through the list, masterfully listing the ingredients and their properties and effects to a level that even Professor Snape would be impressed. Or at least, maybe not sneer at her.
"That doesn't sound awful." Teddy commented when she was done.
"Most of it isn't," Giuliana agreed. "But what about the last ingredient?"
They thought through it together, their voices growing softer as some eager First Years ran up to the window, looking for the Squid. The Squid Watch count stood at thirty-four days, rolled over from the last term.
"We could order from Knockturn Alley?" Vaughn proposed once the First Years had left.
"Does Knockturn even do owl deliveries?" Giuliana asked, nerves apparent in her voice from the proposition. Vaughn was nervous as well. Ordering from Diagon Alley was fine, but even the notion of ordering from Knockturn felt as though line was being crossed.
"We can find out. How about I order tomorrow and then next time you can order?"
Giuliana hesitated at that. "That's not something I'm not comfortable doing. I'll send an owl to J. Pippins instead. Maybe even Dogweed and Deathcap, just to make sure they don't have it."
"Fine, that works. Also, I reckoned we could brew during the Slytherin and Hufflepuff match. The castle will be deserted and we could be done before the match is over."
"You don't want to root against Teddy's team, huh?" Giuliana joked.
"No, I do not." Vaughn replied while Giuliana laughed. That part was actually true. He knew Teddy was excited for the match and Vaughn personally didn't think much of Hufflepuff's odds against Slytherin. Marcus Flint was brutal on the pitch and that attitude influenced his Captain style. The other Slytherin team players followed his lead.
"Well, at least it'll be quiet around Hogwarts." Giuliana noted. "And hopefully, things will go well. I have a good feeling though."
"Did you have a premonition about it?" Vaughn teased.
"Actually, about that, I-" Giuliana began, before stopping. She looked in thought, not meeting Vaughn's gaze, but finally spoke again. "Never mind, I just have a good feeling."
"Did you actually have some sort of foresight into it?" Vaughn asked.
"Don't be ridiculous." Giuliana replied, changing the topic quickly. Vaughn let it go, confused but figuring Giuliana would tell him if anything was up eventually. All the while, he was unaware that in the bottom of Giuliana's luggage was a silver mirror was glowing, calling out to its Domina.
As far as I can remember, The Sorcerer's Stone doesn't state who won the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup in Harry's first year. The HP wiki says that either Ravenclaw or Slytherin won that year, and because Slytherin was set to win the House Cup, I'm going with the theory that they won the Quidditch Cup.
Gwenog Jones is listed as a possible relation of of Megan Jones. Since Megan is never mentioned in the series after book 1, why not give her some more backstory and family history?
Up Next: The Calming Draught