Chapter 3

            The next morning was rushed, as usual, for everyone was thinking of last minute items to pack. Finally when everything was in order, they found they still had time for a good breakfast, so Mrs. Weasley made them all calm down enough to have a seat and let her serve the meal.

            "I've have to get to work, Mum. May I take my breakfast with me?" asked Percy apologetically. Mrs. Weasley looked disappointed, but agreed, and as soon as she handed him his bacon and eggs in a little package she had conjured out of thin air, he called to everyone a quick good-bye and have a good year and disapperated. Mrs. Weasley turned on her husband, but he just shrugged and said, "Don' look at me, I'm staying for breakfast!" and sat down at the stable.

            When everyone had finished, except, of course, Fred, who was insisting that everyone wait at the table for him until he finished nibbling on his bacon (as slowly as he possibly could, by the looks of it), they all stood up and prepared to leave.

            Mr. Weasley had hired some taxi cabs to drive them to the station, so they all piled in, had the driver help their luggage into the boot, and started for King's Cross. It was, of course, an entertaining yet somewhat painful ride, with Hedwig and Pigwidgeon hooting loudly at each other in the back, for one. Fred and George didn't help, for they were obviously just itching to break the rules and cast the 'operaleat' charm, their new-learned charm that makes the victim sing everything they try to say in a high-pitched opera voice, on the poor driver, who was cringing at everyone's noise and kept looking over his shoulder curiously at the cages with the two owls in it, shouting, "Would someone please make them shut up?"

            Eventually, they did reach the station, but not after Fred's old wand 'accidentally' fired of, creating a black, top-hat that hovered, upside-down, over the poor driver's head, with a squeaky voice from inside saying, "Pull the rabbit out of the hat! Pull out the bunny!" Fortunately, when that happened, they were in the parking lot of the station, so they wouldn't have to walk far after the driver yelped, and yelled for them to get out of his cab and that he was calling the cops. Mr. Weasley, frustrated, pulled out his wand and smoothly put the oblivion curse on the driver to make him forget it all. "Get out of the car, everyone." They walked to Platform 9 and 3/4, Mr. Weasley muttering "Disaster... no way we're doing that again...",  and they all hurried through the wall to the other side, where the Hogwarts Express was waiting.

            "Well, good-bye," sniffed Mrs. Weasley, hugging first Fred and George, then Ginny and Hermione, then Ron, then Harry (as she whispered to him, "You watch out for yourself this year...please...just send us an owl if you need anything...") and finally through her arms around Mr. Weasley as all the children boarded onto the train and waved out the windows.

            Although there were plenty of free compartments nearer to the front, Harry, Ron, and Hermione chose their customary one- the very back compartment. As the train pulled away, the two wizards and witch sighed happily. They were going to their favorite place once again. Just then the compartment door opened, and in walked the girl they had met at Diagon Alley. Her flaming red hair shone against her green tank-top, which would have matched her vivid green eyes, had they not been covered by a pair of shades. The little dash of freckles across her nose and cheeks made her look even cheerier.

            "OH!" Harry gasped, for he had expected it to be Malfoy, of at least the lady who sold food up and down the train.

            "Oh!" she said as well, "I'm sorry, I thought this one would be empty-"

            "No," said Hermione boldly, "that's okay, come in!"

            "Thanks," said the girl, and pulled her bag to a seat, sat down, and smiled with the captivating smile which kept both Ron and Harry entranced until she spoke again. "Oh, hi again, um, Harry!" she greeted him. "It is Harry, right?"

            "Yeah," Harry said, smiling back. "Good job. Hello...Calli?"

            "Yep."

            "This is Ron Weasley," Harry introduced, and she reached out to shake his hand, "and Hermione Granger." and she did the same for Hermione.

            "Nice to meet you both," said she. "My name's Callista Alexander. "I'm in 5th year here. I'm an exchange student from the US."

            "Oh!" said Ron, trying his best to sound surprised, even though he had already heard this information from Hermione, "Really? Where in the US?"

            "Salem, Massachusetts," replied Callista. "It's really the only high-class magic city in the states anymore, ya know? Everywhere else has turned into such a tourist attraction and all. Everyone regards magic as some big-time joke."

            "Yeah," said Hermione, "I just hope England doesn't become that way," then she added, "I mean, no offense, or anything."

            "Non taken," she said, looking out the window, "England is so beautiful, I hope nothing happens to it either."

            "Oh, you're going to love Hogwarts! It's a true castle, and I'm pretty sure you don't have any of those in America, right?"

            "No! WOW! this is gonna be so totally awesome!" exclaimed Callista. "A real castle for a school? Sweet!"

            And the four of them got to talking about Hogwarts, and Callista's school back home, Tithelpapon.

            "So," said Harry, "How did you choose England? Have you been her before?"

            "No, actually," replied Callista. "I really wanted to be an exchange student somewhere, and finally my father decided I was old enough, and that he had been offered a job in England, and would I like to travel there, at least for a year. So here I am!"

            "I thought I saw you with two others in Diagon Alley," said Hermione.

            "Oh, yeah, that was my father, who I mentioned, and my little sis, Marie. She came too, naturally, since my dad moved here."

            "What about your mum?" asked Ron.

            "Oh, she died."

            "I'm sorry!" said Harry.

            "Oh, no, it happened when I was only 3, so it's no big deal."

            Harry groped for another subject, seeing that this one was a little uncomfortable. "Er...I saw you sister looked a little...um...shy?"

            "Oh, yeah, she's really quiet. And kinda out-there, too, ya know? Like...oh, I forgot to tell you this Harry, Marie had the craziest idea that you were, like, some famous star or something...who was it that she said, again?...um...it was really funny..." Harry panicked. He had got this far without her discovering him, and he kind of liked it- no staring at his scar, no questioning, none of the common reaction that came from previous people. What would she think now?

            "Ha, ha," he stammered, "Me, famous? Er..." With great relief, he suddenly heard something outside the door. "Wait, is that the lady with the cart I hear? There's this lady who brings around food, and I sure am hungry."

            "Yeah, I'm hungry, too," said Callista, and the others agreed. But it was not the lady he had hear coming down the hall, for just then, unfortunately, Malfoy came strolling in, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels, as usual.

            "Well, well, Potter," he said nastily. "You decided to come back, huh? Thought you'd be chicken, you know, with you-know-who out to GET YOU!" And he jumped toward Harry suddenly, obviously trying to scare him, and his side-kicks snorted stupidly.

            "Yeah," shot Ron, "You would know wouldn't you, your dad was there." Malfoy threw Ron a threatening look.

            "Why should I be scared, Malfoy?" Harry said coolly. "Who's the one here who can't even call Voldemort by his real name?"

            Malfoy visibly shuddered at the name of Voldemort. "You watch it, Potter," hissed Malfoy, "He's really got it in for you..."

            "So, what's new?" Harry retorted.

            "Yeah, well, I betcha this time won't just be another one where you slip away from Him. Everyone know he's back in full power. No little 15-year-old loser can drive him away this time."

            "Thanks for sharing, Malfoy," snapped Hermione, and Malfoy, who had been so focused on Harry that he hadn't noticed Hermione, looked startled. His eyes glanced around the room and found Callista on the end, looking very confused. A complete transformation came over Malfoy, and he behaved as Harry had never seen him before.

            "Oh, good morning!" He said so quickly they could barely make out his words, "I...uh....remember you! How's it going? Er...want something to eat?" He put a strange smile on his face, but it wasn't the harsh one that had always been there before, and Harry thought it didn't seem to fit him at all.

            "No, thanks," said Callista boldly, "I think I've just lost my appetite." And she smiled the entrancing smile and looked from Harry to Malfoy, still obviously confused about something.

            Malfoy's dumb smile faded from his lips as he said, "Sure, hanging with Potter here can do that to you." And, seeing her scowl, continued quickly, "But, really, you belong with us cool people up in the front compartments. It's actually fun up there."

            "Thanks for the invitation," she said kindly, but did not move.

            "Yeah, well think about it." He put on the dumb smile and left, the googly-eyed Crabbe and Goyle followed, waving at Callista.

            All at once, the compartment burst into peals of laughter. "Oooh, Calli, looks like you've got a group of admirers!" laughed Hermione.

            "Yeah," snorted Ron, "if I didn't know Malfoy better, I might actually say he was in love!"

            But Callista wasn't laughing. She looked in shock. "Wh...What did he call you, Harry?"

            Harry's face straightened. "What, you mean like chicken? Loser? He's called me worse, don't worry."

            "No," she said. "Didn't he call you...Potter? Has he got your name wrong, or-" Harry lifted his bangs to reveal his scar. "Oh," she said, "My sister was right!"

            "Yeah," said Harry. There was a long pause as it sunk in.

            "Are you like...are you scared?"

            "Hm? 'Bout what?"

            "Well, you know- Him. There's been sightings and all, so-"

            "No. I'm used to it by now," he replied calmly.

            "Oh," she murmured. "I thought you'd be more... more..."

            "Flashy? Amazing? Out-of-this-world?" Harry suggested.

            "No, I never thought-"

            "Arrogant," Hermione answered for her.

            "Well, yeah."

            "Harry?" laughed Ron, "Arrogant? No way. But you're gonna hear a lot of rumors like that, so you can just ignore them."

            "Okay.......wow." There was a moment of silence, broken finally by the lady with the cart entering the compartment.

            "Oh, yum!" said Harry, jumping up, glad for a reason to get all the eyes in the room off him and his scar. They all scrambled to buy things.

            "We've got some of this at home, too," she said, buying a chocolate frog and some cauldron cakes.

            "Yeah, but do you have these?" asked Ron, holding up a jumbo-pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans.

            "Uh, no, I don't think so."

            "They're great," said Harry and paid for the huge bag. "You can all share some of mine.

            "Hey, thanks!" So they spent the best part of the train ride tasting beans (Callista had the unfortunate first-experience when she got a cooked-spinach flavored one right off), and throwing them at each other, and laughing, and just the sort of fun that Harry had missed all summer. Eventually Fred and George came in, flirted a bit with Callista, played an exciting round of Exploding Snap with them, and left as Neville Longbottom ran through the doors warning that the train was getting closer. They all went into separate train compartments to change into their robes. When the girls returned, clad in their new, bigger, black robes, they were both laughing.

            "Look at these things! Ha, ha!" Callista giggled, shaking her black robes. Suddenly, a sudden inspiration seemed to come over her face, and she began twirling gracefully, her robes swirling around her. Hermione joined her.

            "Well," said Ron, "The robes do look a little out of place on you-"

            "With those shades!" Harry exclaimed, and he put a hand on her shoulder to stop her twirling, and snatched the sunglasses off her nose and put them on himself, grinning. This revealed Callista's awesome eyes- a dancing green, with a strange, piercing gold rim around the pupils.

            "Hey, Harry, it's a good look on you!" said Ron. Callista was silent for a moment, then agreed, giggling. But Hermione said nothing: she was staring at Callista with wide eyes.

            "Yo Hermione," called Harry, sliding the shades off slowly and handing them back to Calli, who put them back on cautiously. "Just having a bit of fun, I didn't mean to offend you or anything-" He moved towards her and she quickly shifted her gaze out the window. "You okay?"

            "Oh! Um, yeah! Of course!" she said quickly. "Just seeing if we are any closer to Hogwarts! It's, um, getting darker out." Indeed it was. A whistle blew to signify their approach of Hogwarts, and they stuffed down the last of the Every-Flavored Beans and chocolate frogs, and got their bags ready to go as the train finally arrived at their beloved school.

            "Wow," said Calli, staring out the window at the castle on the hill and looking dazed, "Wow..."

            "I'm hungry! exclaimed Ron, rubbing his growling stomach. The others agreed, and the left the compartment together.