13 Train

Harry arrived at the train station quite early. Only a few muggle-born first years, who had probably misjudged the time it would take them to arrive, were on the platform. Harry found a suitable compartment, unshrunk his luggage and stowed it. He still had more than an hour until the train would move. Expecting to be alone for about an hour, Harry took a book out of his backpack, where he also had his robes ready, and started reading leisurely.

He only had time to read one page before his bushy-haired friend opened the door. "Harry! I was a bit worried when I heard you were not staying with your relatives, but it looks like you had a great vacation!"

Harry put the book down and stood up. Hermione didn't lose a moment before grabbing him in a tight hug. Harry hugged her back. Although normally reluctant about hugging a girl, this was Hermione, his best friend, and even Elsa could surely not find a fault in his behaviour. The hug still made him aware of Hermione's blossoming femininity, as he felt two bumps, not quite as small as Elsa's, pressing onto his chest.

"It really was great; the best summer I've ever had, and I had it just so that my relatives would not have to see me around."

"Do tell! You really look well. I think you've also grown quite a bit taller."

Harry smiled. It was good to be back with his best friend. He felt that same warm and fuzzy feeling inside, as he had felt with Elsa, only it was more comforting. He still didn't know what it meant.

"Well, I've sent you a few letters..."

"Two, to be exact," she added.

"Yes, two. My uncle just wanted to get rid of me for most of the summer. He made the Grunning Summer Camp accept an orphan as a charity, as it would look good for public relations, so I heard him tell my aunt. He just dumped me there for five weeks. Luckily, I made friends there. One of them, whose father is a big agent in France, invited me to spend the rest of the vacation there. I've just arrived back about half an hour ago."

Hermione frowned. "The train from France doesn't come to Kings Cross, and you couldn't come here so quickly from any other station."

Harry smiled teasingly. "Well, I guess you're right. So, how could I be on time here?"

He could almost see her thinking hard to solve the puzzle. He liked looking at her at these times, yet he didn't think it was right to keep the suspense. "My uncle doesn't know, but that agent is magical. We used a portkey to Diagon Alley and then the Floo."

"Oh... and where did you stay in France?"

Harry smiled gladly, not so much for what he was going to tell her as for the feeling of being with his best friend. "We stayed at their manor for a few days and then went to the Riviera and spent some time on the beach. They also took me for a day in Paris, but it was impossible to visit any of the attractions, because the queues were just too long."

"Does that new friend of yours go to school in France?"

"Yes. They have a school called Beauxbatons, and it's not divided into houses. It sounds really nice."

"What was the summer camp like? I've never gone to one."

Harry shrugged. "It was fun, and they let us do practically whatever we wanted. Except for the swimming lessons, everything was optional. I learned swimming, kayaking, horse riding, archery, and even a few spells. I also watched a lot of television and some films and took part in some hiking trips. I also joined the morning exercises each day along with Elsa."

Hermione frowned. "Who is Elsa?"

"Why, that's my new friend."

Hermione's reaction reminded him of an alley cat he once saw, that felt threatened. That cat bristled all over, bared its teeth and made some threatening noises while looking for a way to either flee or fight. Although Hermione had no bristling fur, her expression reminded him of that cat so much, that for a moment he saw her as a cat. He had to blink hard – twice – to see her normally again.

"I thought you befriended a boy," she said cautiously.

"Elsa is certainly not a boy. She's a girl, about my age, and she reminded me a lot of you. She likes reading and dragged me to the library quite a few times. She's also good at charms and is quite bossy at times, and she's very smart. She reminded me so much of you, in the beginning, that I felt as if I was near you."

Hermione relaxed visibly. "Tell me a bit about her," she said.

Harry shrugged. "I don't really know what to tell. Besides, there were three other girls at the camp who wanted my attention, all muggles." He noticed Hermione frown again. "I was the only boy their age, as my two roommates left the camp after a single night, and they already knew the older boys and didn't like them. Each girl was nice in a different way."

Hermione looked pensive. "Will you stay in touch with them?"

"I'm not sure. I gave them the muggle cover address of Hogwarts, though. If any of them will write, I plan to answer. I don't have their addresses."

"And Elsa?"

"She plans on sending me a letter every other day. Her owl will hate her!"

They finally moved to sit down. Hermione looked at the book Harry put aside. "This book is not on our list," she noted.

"Yes, Gerard, Elsa's father, had a look at the books and thought that I'd rather learn from this one. The ones on our list are really awful."

She didn't seem to like what he said, but she still took his book and browsed through it. "This book looks quite informative and well written," she said.

"Yes, and it also covers the spells we should have learned last year."

They were soon reading together, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the bench. When Ron came in, a few seconds before the train started moving, they barely noticed him

"Hi, mate! Mum was really upset when she found out that you had other plans. She really hoped you could stay with us for a few days before school."

Harry lifted his head from the book. "Hi, Ron. It was nice of your mother to invite me, but I was already spending my vacation in France. The weather there was much nicer." He refrained from mentioning what he saw on the beach. It could only cause trouble.

Someone pushed Ron from behind. "Oh, this is my little sister Ginny. She's a firstie. Do you mind if she sits with us?"

Harry shrugged. Hermione lifted her head and smiled at the younger girl, who was still urging Ron with some glares. He finally understood.

"Ah, Ginny... these are my friends Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."

Ginny smiled at them. "I'm so pleased to meet you. Ron kept telling everyone of your adventures for most of the summer."

"Don't believe everything he says," Harry smiled at her.

She blushed deeply, but still managed to reply, "Don't worry. I don't. With six brothers, one has to learn quite quickly what one can trust."

"Both Harry and I don't have siblings," Hermione said, sounding a bit sad.

Ginny didn't stay for long. She felt embarrassed by her inability to control her blushing when talking with Harry and soon left, looking for her other brothers.

"So, mate, you wrote you went to a Summer Camp. How was it?" Ron asked.

"It was fine, if only due to not having to spend my time with my relatives. They seem to share that feeling, or they wouldn't have been so eager to send me away. Then, the camp also had some nice activities and I met a few new friends – all girls."

Ron grimaced. "Girls – what could you even talk with them about?"

Harry smiled. "I found out that girls talk about the same things boys do. They talk about other girls and about boys. It was quite interesting to find what they notice most in other people. Did you know that they notice our bums first?"

Ron grimaced. "You couldn't even fly your broom there."

Harry smiled. "I rode horses and did a bit of kayaking and played some ball games – each with a different girl, and they didn't wear much in the hot days."

Ron's face turned red at the mental image. Hermione tried her best to seem to be still reading, although Harry knew she was listening attentively.

"Why did you go to France, though?"

Harry shrugged. "I was invited, and my relatives were just too eager for me to stay away from them. It was quite nice, though. They took me to visit some museums, palaces, and castles, and also took me to the beach."

Ron didn't seem impressed, exactly as Harry wanted.

Harry intended to resume reading with Hermione, especially since he liked the way they had been sitting before their redhead friend arrived, but this seemed impossible now. Even Hermione put the book down, unable to concentrate, as Ron started telling about his vacation. Neither Harry nor Hermione was particularly interested in the de-gnoming he had done several times, nor his Quidditch-like games with his siblings.

"I need to go to the loo," Harry said, once Ron paused in his tale, standing up.

"Hey, mate, you seem to have grown quite a lot during the summer," Ron finally noticed.

"Yep. I had a growth spurt."

Ron stood up to measure himself against Harry. He was now about half an inch shorter, and he didn't seem to like it. "You may have a similar growth spurt quite soon," Harry said reassuringly.

Harry found Hermione alone when he returned. He joined her on the bench and they continued reading, just the way they had been doing before Ron came, both feeling very comfortable, despite having to press into each other when reading the same book.

\/\/\/

Dobby was still hanging around platform 9¾, trying to understand how The Great Harry Potter managed to reach the platform despite the wards he had put on the portal. They should have alerted him when Harry came close, so Dobby could block the portal. Yet he got no alert. Only when the train started moving, did he see the black-haired wizard in the company of his friends. Well, Dobby would still need to do his best to protect The Great Harry Potter at Hogwarts.

\/\/\/

Professor McGonagall was waiting at the doors of the Great Hall. "Mr. Potter, the headmaster would like to see you after the feast. The password is 'Licorice Wands'. Don't make him wait."

"Do you know what he wants to talk about?"

"I suppose he wants to hear about your summer. You'll know when you meet him." Despite her stern façade, Harry thought there was some softness under it.

Hermione stayed silent until they put some distance between them and their head of house. "He may have found that you didn't stay with your relatives," she told him.

"So what? They sent me away, making it my best summer ever."

"Still, you weren't protected, or that's what he may say."

"I was protected from them. Besides, if he cares so much, he should have acted much earlier."

"He has a lot on his plate," Hermione said, sounding protective of the headmaster.

"Then he should resign from some of his jobs. Do you know how many children he has under his guardianship?"

"No. How many?"

"Several tens, maybe even more. He's also your guardian while in the magical world. Can he really keep all those other jobs and still do that? I don't think so."

"Well, maybe he should reconsider," Hermione agreed reluctantly.

Ron joined them at the table, and both refrained from talking about Harry's vacation. They soon cheered as Ginny was sorted to Gryffindor, although Harry wasn't sure if having Ginny so close to him would help either in any way. She was clearly a fangirl, and he really didn't need one so close.