"Here again for another year at Hogwarts!" Hermione cried.
"More like Pigfarts..."
Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron. Nothing was going to stop her from taking her N.E.W.T.s, getting all "O"s in all classes, and finally having a school year where she could just relax. Sure, going back to Hogwarts wasn't overall ideal, but it was their home. The stony brick walls covered in paintings that delve into their history, the library full of secrets and books yet to be read. It was time Hogwarts saw it's children graduate, move on to bigger and better things.
After the war, the Minister of Magic and the Wizengamot managed to pass a lot of new laws. From forbidding the word "mudblood" to requiring better work environments for house elves.
Ron had been none too pleased when she convinced Shaklebolt to help with her stupid "spew".
"It's S.P.E.W, Ron. How many times do we have to discuss this?"
"As many times as necessary, Hermione! They're house elves. That's their job."
Nonetheless, the wizarding world as a whole slowly began its ride to a place of acceptance, pride, and overall goodness. House elves were now being paid for their work. As giving them clothing is a form of letting them off work, they are paid in currency and are free to buy their own clothing.
Dobby would have loved this new world.
Hermione shook her head, clearing it of the sad thoughts. "Harry, how do you plan to spend your year?"
"Hmph," was the only response from Harry. He stared out the window, grimacing. The war had obviously taken a toll on the poor boy. Death still held its grasp among the people. Names ran through his mind: Fred, Lavender, Tonks, Lupin, Sirius, Snape, Colin Creevey. The sight of the lifeless bodies of his friends and family tore the Boy-Who-Lived in half. After a moment, he chuckled. "Survive again, I guess."
The train car was silent as they made their way to Hogwarts. Hermione was flushed with worry, but neither of the boys had noticed. She had this gut feeling something was going to happen. Something good? She didn't know.
She glanced over at Ron. Things did not go as expected with him. After crushing on this boy for years, the kiss they shared during the war made her realize her "crush" was nothing more than familial. He was her brother after all.
A knock rang through the compartment. "Hi!" someone said, poking their head in. "All the others were full. Do you mind if my, uh, friends and I sit with you?"
The boy was pretty. Hermione found this shocking since he looked so similar to Harry: green eyes, messy black hair, decently built, showing he was fit. Harry seemed to realize the same thing. "Who are you?"
He shrugged. "I'm not sure. It seems we've lost our memory and can't remember much about, well, anything."
"Come in," Hermione said. The boy's face lit up and he opened the door. Five people sat down with the Golden Trio. All five had god-like features. Their looks where flawless minus many scars and bodies fit and muscular.
The only girl had long, blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail. One boy was taller. He has shaggy blonde hair, rectangle-framed glasses, and part of an image poking from under the left sleeve of his robes. The first boy had it too. There was a shorter boy. Dressed in all black, bags under his eyes. Hermione felt sympathy for the boy. He clearly didn't get enough sleep. The last boy came in with a grin on his face. He was shorter with darker hair and skin. Nothing really stood out about him besides his confidence and scars, but that radiated from all five of them.
"Do any of you remember your names?" Hermione pressed for answers. I mean, it wasn't every day that a bunch of strangers showed up on a magical train to a magical school with no memories.
The boy who looked eerily like Harry shook his head sadly. "If we had any memories, I'm sure this whole thing would be different."
"We aren't sure if we're even friends," the girl murmured.
As the five of them got quiet, Harry noticed something. "What are those necklaces?"
The girl looked at him like he had lost his mind before she reached to her neck. She pulled off the leather bound necklace to look at the beads. "None of these make sense. A tree, a horse man in a dress, a boat on fire, a trident, a blanket on the same tree as the first bead, a maze, a tall building. Does anyone know what these mean?"
Ron spoke up for the first time since the strangers arrived. "A centaur in a dress? How does one even approach a centaur? They're deadly."
"What's a centaur?" the smallest boy spoke up for the first time.
"Just like the bead, a half horse, half man creature. All the ones I've met before are horrid beings. They're territorial and extremely aggressive. It doesn't help that they average at 214 centimeters." Hermione proceeded to list everything she knew about centaurs.
The smallest boy paled at the information fed to him. Hermione managed to stop her lesson and the compartment grew quiet.
--
As the train pulled into the station at Hogsmeade, everyone in the train was running frantic. Pets, familiars, luggage, and people were everywhere the eye could see.
"Ah, 'Arry. Good to see ya, my boy," came a deep and loud voice. "'Ermione, Ron, 'ello."
The boy who looked like Harry stilled. A giant man made his way over to the group. Instinctively, he pushed his friends behind him, ready to do anything necessary to protect them.
"Guys, this is Hagrid," Harry introduced.
"Pleased to meet ya. Rubeus Hagrid, gamekeeper and Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts, professor for 'Care of Magical Creatures'."
"Hagrid is a half giant," Hermione explained. She could sense the uneasy within the group of strangers.
"Hi," the group said, tentatively.
Hagrid looked at the group closely. "Are ya lot exchange students?"
"Oh, um. We're not sure, exactly. We don't even know who we are," replied the girl. "We just kinda woke up next to the train before it left. We assumed we were supposed to be on it."
"Is that right? Well, let's get ya into the school to see Professor McGonagall. She'll know what to do." The giant led them to some carriages pulled by--dead horses?
"What are those?" the smallest boy awed at them.
"Obviously they're horses, kid," responded the Harry look-alike.
Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "They're thestrals. You can only see them if...if you've seen death."
The Harry look-alike stared at the thestrals in shock. "It just-it just spoke to me," he stuttered.
"What did it say?" questioned the girl.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I don't even know how I can understa-please don't call me that."
Ron and Harry watched, amused. Hermione, however, was not. She was skeptical about it all. The boy just kept talking to the thestral.
"Well?" The unknown girl was growing impatient.
Harry the Second looked confused. "He just called me 'boss'. His name is Bucky, and apparently, all the horses respect me because of my father. He won't elaborate on it, though."
"Best get goin," Hagrid shoed them into the carriage. "Enjoy Hogwarts, make sure you talk to McGonagall!"