Disclaimer: I obviously don't own any of this stuff, I'm making no money
and don't think I'm J K Rowling. I wish I was, but that's not the
point…Lyrics from various train related songs also not mine (probably owned
by v. rich record company-type-folk)
1 Chapter Two
"Now you've got you're wand?"
"Yes Mum."
"And your books?"
"Yes Mum."
"And your Pig?"
"Ye' - oh bugger, I left it in the fridge"
"Mind your language young man…and why is your owl in the fridge?" Mrs Weasley called after her youngest son as he raced back into The Burrow to rescue his pet owl from death by pneumonia. The Weasley family and Harry were gathered outside trying to cram trunks, bags, animals and other assorted articles into one small, brown leather suit case to take on their impending journey to Kings Cross Station in time for the Hogwart's Express at eleven o' clock. Ron emerged from the house carrying a little cage containing a bewildered looking owl with what appeared to be a thin layer of frost covering it's fluffy feathers. Stuffing the cage into the suit case, he looked up at his family expectantly,
"Shall we go then?" he asked those gathered around him. His family eyed him suspiciously.
"Why was Pig in the fridge?" Ginny asked looking at her brother mistrustfully. There was a nervous pause while Ron considered what he would say. Suddenly he threw up his arm and shot a glance at his watch.
"Oh! Would you look at the time! Let's go go go! No time for idle chit chat, lot's to do!" This forced Mrs Weasley to look at her own watch, and to discover that they were, in fact, running exceedingly behind schedule, sending her into a fury of checking, straightening and flustering. She herded the whole party down the quiet street to the local station, and on to the waiting train to Waterloo.
***
"Waterloo, I was defeated you won the war, daada dadada," sung Harry under his breath as the crowd of red-heads made their way through King's Cross Station towards platform nine and three quarters. "Waterloo, promise to love you forever more, wo wo wo wo…"
"Umm…Harry, you seem to be singing about a train station. Are you OK or do you need to sit down for a moment…maybe Fred and George put something suspicious in your pumpkin juice this morning..." said Ron, smiling at his friend despite the fact that people were starting to stare at them (it never crossed his mind that passers by might be more worried about the fact that the perfectly average looking suit case Mr Weasley was carrying was making various perplexed owl-noises).
"Shut up. It's a muggle song from the seventies, it's been stuck in my head since we changed trains at Waterloo – 'My my! At Waterloo…'" Harry continued to sing, smiling widely as he saw Ron become more and more embarrassed as Harry sung louder, "'…Napoleon did surrender!'"
"'Oh yes! and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way'" chimed in another, feminine voice from a few meters away. Harry and Ron stopped suddenly and turned to find Hermione grinning broadly beside them.
"I didn't know you could sing, Hermione," said Ron, still looking decidedly embarrassed to be seen with two psychotic loonies singing abnormally loudly about train stations.
Hermione giggled and looked at Ron, " Are you alright, Ron - your ears have gone all red." She then looked at Harry with a mischievous grin "'The history book on the shelf'"
Harry joined in loudly, "'Is always repeating itseeeelllllffff!!" The group started to walk again, Harry and Hermione singing happily with Ron straggling beside them, trying to see how many people were staring. He thought his embarrassment couldn't get any worse, but was proved completely wrong when Harry introduced an air-piano into the duet, and Draco Malfoy was spotted leaning against a wall watching the three of them with a slow smile crawling across his smug face.
The three friends stacked their bags in an empty compartment on the motionless steam train, and got off again to wish their family good bye. Ron was hugged and kissed roughly by every member of his family, as was Harry who was now considered a part of this family, especially as he had no one else to say goodbye to or who would miss him when he was gone. They boarded the train once more and waved from the window as it slowly chugged out of the station and Northwards to Hogwarts.
"Wow, our last year at Hogwarts – scary, huh?" Said Hermione as soon as they had made themselves comfortable.
"Yeah, I still have no idea what I'm gonna do next year. Maybe I'll go backpacking around the world, hunting for the lost city of Atlantis or something." Harry was gazing out the window wondering what he was really going to do next year. It hadn't occurred to him until about nine months ago that he would have to actually get a job, which paid actual money and required actual skills. No matter how hard he thought about it, he still hadn't come across anything remotely feasible and time was running out.
"I'd join you, if it wasn't for the fact that Atlantis isn't really lost, it's just…misplaced." Said Ron.
"How can you 'misplace' something like Atlantis?"
"It's really very simple - if you're a muggle. You see, thousands of years ago a great flood was threatening to engulf the whole city (which was somewhere in the Pacific) and a very cheeky wizard named Bob…"
"Bob?" Asked Harry.
"Yes, Bob… promised the people that he would save them from the flood on the condition that they gave him a small supply of the magic waters which sprung from the earth, giving the power of eternal youth. They all said yes, and so he transported the entire city to a place which was very seldom threatened by floods, or anything else remotely interesting. Which was…"
"Yes…"
"Basingstoke."
"Basingstoke?"
"Yes, Harry, Basingstoke. Now who wants to play Chess…I brought my travel set with the tiny, ickle people."
"I'm just going to the toilet. I'll be back soon, so don't miss me too much" Hermione said, standing up to leave the small compartment.
"Missing you already!" She heard Ron call as she closed the door behind her and made her way towards the bathroom. The Hogwarts Express was an enchanted steam train with a long, narrow corridor stretching down one side, and a row of small compartments, big enough to seat six people, down the other. Hermione looked out the window as she ambled down the rocking train. The sun had risen high in the sky and was smiling down on what looked like a perfect September afternoon. The emerald hills and fields billowed past, punctuated occasionally by small, stony villages and dark woods.
Reaching the bathroom door, Hermione put her hand on the small brass knob, and turned it to enter. As a child, Hermione could remember the dingy bathrooms of muggle trains, grey and cold and filled with the rancid stench of things she never wanted to think about. The bathroom on this train couldn't be more different. It was the size of an average classroom, the ceiling was high and from it hung a large crystal chandelier, the kind Hermione's mother absolutely hated. There was a large bath and a separate shower cubicle and a grand looking toilet, all made of white marble and gold. There were stacks of deep crimson towels and drapes around the bath and shower of the same shade.
Hermione's footsteps echoed across the marble floor as the walked towards one of the full-length mirrors. She stood before it for a while, examining her reflection. She had grown much taller since the first time she had come into this bathroom – she was now only a few inches shorter than Harry. Her face seemed older, more intelligent and formed, and she'd had her hair cut into a stylish bob which smoothly framed her face. She smiled at her own reflection, which smiled back. "Looking good," she said aloud.
"You too," replied the image in the mirror.
Making her way back to the compartment she gazed absently out of the windows, thinking about nothing in particular, but happy to be back on her favourite train, going to the best school in the world with the most excellent friends she had ever had. She was just wondering what would be for dinner when her face hit something firm.
"Ow," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. She looked up to see what she had crashed into (hoping it was the witch with the refreshments – she could really do with a cauldren cake right about now), only to discover a very familiar face glaring down at her. "Oh, you." She drew her eyes level with Draco Malfoy's nose, and then looked up into his own eyes.
"Watch where you're going next time, Granger" Draco said wearily, looking down at her like she was an irritating tree stump which just kept getting in his way. Hermione hated it when he called her that and looked at him for a moment longer, hoping to show her disgust at bumping into him of all people. But Dracro was ignoring her again, and had started to continue along the corridor in the opposite direction.
"Wanker," she muttered under her breath as she slid back the door to her own compartment and walked in. Ron was happily beating Harry at chess, and Harry was munching some chocolate frogs desperately trying to think of his next move. Hermione settled beside the window and gazed at the passing cows, thinking of nothing again. I wonder what Draco will do next year… she thought to herself. Probably set up a muggle orphanage for the sole purpose of torturing small children. Or maybe he'll realise the error of his ways and run off to Austria to skip cheerfully across the mountains singing various songs from "The Sound of Music". Hermione smiled to inwardly as she pictured this last image of Draco, and her thoughts returned to their encounter in the corridor. She couldn't help but notice his eyes, so dull and grey – didn't they used to have a hint of sparkling blue? He looked so tired and weary, too tired to even insult her properly. All that Death Eating must be knackering, she thought, but was interrupted from her musings by the door opening to reveal a girl Hermione had never seen before.
She was a little short, but had a very elegantly curved figure so that she looked perfectly proportional. Her long hair curled in autumnal ringlets to her waist and her black eyes glittered at those within the room. She gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Sorry, wrong room" and turned to leave, closing the door behind her.
"Wow," said Ron, "who was she?"
"Dunno," said Harry, still staring at the door. "But I'd like to know."
OK, so it was a kinda strange chapter, but I liked writing it, so that's alright. I promise there will be some kind of action or something else remotely interesting soon. In the mean time please please please review otherwise I'll think no one loves me and I will cry. Even if it's a bad review, anything will do (
Loubi Lou
1 Chapter Two
"Now you've got you're wand?"
"Yes Mum."
"And your books?"
"Yes Mum."
"And your Pig?"
"Ye' - oh bugger, I left it in the fridge"
"Mind your language young man…and why is your owl in the fridge?" Mrs Weasley called after her youngest son as he raced back into The Burrow to rescue his pet owl from death by pneumonia. The Weasley family and Harry were gathered outside trying to cram trunks, bags, animals and other assorted articles into one small, brown leather suit case to take on their impending journey to Kings Cross Station in time for the Hogwart's Express at eleven o' clock. Ron emerged from the house carrying a little cage containing a bewildered looking owl with what appeared to be a thin layer of frost covering it's fluffy feathers. Stuffing the cage into the suit case, he looked up at his family expectantly,
"Shall we go then?" he asked those gathered around him. His family eyed him suspiciously.
"Why was Pig in the fridge?" Ginny asked looking at her brother mistrustfully. There was a nervous pause while Ron considered what he would say. Suddenly he threw up his arm and shot a glance at his watch.
"Oh! Would you look at the time! Let's go go go! No time for idle chit chat, lot's to do!" This forced Mrs Weasley to look at her own watch, and to discover that they were, in fact, running exceedingly behind schedule, sending her into a fury of checking, straightening and flustering. She herded the whole party down the quiet street to the local station, and on to the waiting train to Waterloo.
***
"Waterloo, I was defeated you won the war, daada dadada," sung Harry under his breath as the crowd of red-heads made their way through King's Cross Station towards platform nine and three quarters. "Waterloo, promise to love you forever more, wo wo wo wo…"
"Umm…Harry, you seem to be singing about a train station. Are you OK or do you need to sit down for a moment…maybe Fred and George put something suspicious in your pumpkin juice this morning..." said Ron, smiling at his friend despite the fact that people were starting to stare at them (it never crossed his mind that passers by might be more worried about the fact that the perfectly average looking suit case Mr Weasley was carrying was making various perplexed owl-noises).
"Shut up. It's a muggle song from the seventies, it's been stuck in my head since we changed trains at Waterloo – 'My my! At Waterloo…'" Harry continued to sing, smiling widely as he saw Ron become more and more embarrassed as Harry sung louder, "'…Napoleon did surrender!'"
"'Oh yes! and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way'" chimed in another, feminine voice from a few meters away. Harry and Ron stopped suddenly and turned to find Hermione grinning broadly beside them.
"I didn't know you could sing, Hermione," said Ron, still looking decidedly embarrassed to be seen with two psychotic loonies singing abnormally loudly about train stations.
Hermione giggled and looked at Ron, " Are you alright, Ron - your ears have gone all red." She then looked at Harry with a mischievous grin "'The history book on the shelf'"
Harry joined in loudly, "'Is always repeating itseeeelllllffff!!" The group started to walk again, Harry and Hermione singing happily with Ron straggling beside them, trying to see how many people were staring. He thought his embarrassment couldn't get any worse, but was proved completely wrong when Harry introduced an air-piano into the duet, and Draco Malfoy was spotted leaning against a wall watching the three of them with a slow smile crawling across his smug face.
The three friends stacked their bags in an empty compartment on the motionless steam train, and got off again to wish their family good bye. Ron was hugged and kissed roughly by every member of his family, as was Harry who was now considered a part of this family, especially as he had no one else to say goodbye to or who would miss him when he was gone. They boarded the train once more and waved from the window as it slowly chugged out of the station and Northwards to Hogwarts.
"Wow, our last year at Hogwarts – scary, huh?" Said Hermione as soon as they had made themselves comfortable.
"Yeah, I still have no idea what I'm gonna do next year. Maybe I'll go backpacking around the world, hunting for the lost city of Atlantis or something." Harry was gazing out the window wondering what he was really going to do next year. It hadn't occurred to him until about nine months ago that he would have to actually get a job, which paid actual money and required actual skills. No matter how hard he thought about it, he still hadn't come across anything remotely feasible and time was running out.
"I'd join you, if it wasn't for the fact that Atlantis isn't really lost, it's just…misplaced." Said Ron.
"How can you 'misplace' something like Atlantis?"
"It's really very simple - if you're a muggle. You see, thousands of years ago a great flood was threatening to engulf the whole city (which was somewhere in the Pacific) and a very cheeky wizard named Bob…"
"Bob?" Asked Harry.
"Yes, Bob… promised the people that he would save them from the flood on the condition that they gave him a small supply of the magic waters which sprung from the earth, giving the power of eternal youth. They all said yes, and so he transported the entire city to a place which was very seldom threatened by floods, or anything else remotely interesting. Which was…"
"Yes…"
"Basingstoke."
"Basingstoke?"
"Yes, Harry, Basingstoke. Now who wants to play Chess…I brought my travel set with the tiny, ickle people."
"I'm just going to the toilet. I'll be back soon, so don't miss me too much" Hermione said, standing up to leave the small compartment.
"Missing you already!" She heard Ron call as she closed the door behind her and made her way towards the bathroom. The Hogwarts Express was an enchanted steam train with a long, narrow corridor stretching down one side, and a row of small compartments, big enough to seat six people, down the other. Hermione looked out the window as she ambled down the rocking train. The sun had risen high in the sky and was smiling down on what looked like a perfect September afternoon. The emerald hills and fields billowed past, punctuated occasionally by small, stony villages and dark woods.
Reaching the bathroom door, Hermione put her hand on the small brass knob, and turned it to enter. As a child, Hermione could remember the dingy bathrooms of muggle trains, grey and cold and filled with the rancid stench of things she never wanted to think about. The bathroom on this train couldn't be more different. It was the size of an average classroom, the ceiling was high and from it hung a large crystal chandelier, the kind Hermione's mother absolutely hated. There was a large bath and a separate shower cubicle and a grand looking toilet, all made of white marble and gold. There were stacks of deep crimson towels and drapes around the bath and shower of the same shade.
Hermione's footsteps echoed across the marble floor as the walked towards one of the full-length mirrors. She stood before it for a while, examining her reflection. She had grown much taller since the first time she had come into this bathroom – she was now only a few inches shorter than Harry. Her face seemed older, more intelligent and formed, and she'd had her hair cut into a stylish bob which smoothly framed her face. She smiled at her own reflection, which smiled back. "Looking good," she said aloud.
"You too," replied the image in the mirror.
Making her way back to the compartment she gazed absently out of the windows, thinking about nothing in particular, but happy to be back on her favourite train, going to the best school in the world with the most excellent friends she had ever had. She was just wondering what would be for dinner when her face hit something firm.
"Ow," she muttered, rubbing her forehead. She looked up to see what she had crashed into (hoping it was the witch with the refreshments – she could really do with a cauldren cake right about now), only to discover a very familiar face glaring down at her. "Oh, you." She drew her eyes level with Draco Malfoy's nose, and then looked up into his own eyes.
"Watch where you're going next time, Granger" Draco said wearily, looking down at her like she was an irritating tree stump which just kept getting in his way. Hermione hated it when he called her that and looked at him for a moment longer, hoping to show her disgust at bumping into him of all people. But Dracro was ignoring her again, and had started to continue along the corridor in the opposite direction.
"Wanker," she muttered under her breath as she slid back the door to her own compartment and walked in. Ron was happily beating Harry at chess, and Harry was munching some chocolate frogs desperately trying to think of his next move. Hermione settled beside the window and gazed at the passing cows, thinking of nothing again. I wonder what Draco will do next year… she thought to herself. Probably set up a muggle orphanage for the sole purpose of torturing small children. Or maybe he'll realise the error of his ways and run off to Austria to skip cheerfully across the mountains singing various songs from "The Sound of Music". Hermione smiled to inwardly as she pictured this last image of Draco, and her thoughts returned to their encounter in the corridor. She couldn't help but notice his eyes, so dull and grey – didn't they used to have a hint of sparkling blue? He looked so tired and weary, too tired to even insult her properly. All that Death Eating must be knackering, she thought, but was interrupted from her musings by the door opening to reveal a girl Hermione had never seen before.
She was a little short, but had a very elegantly curved figure so that she looked perfectly proportional. Her long hair curled in autumnal ringlets to her waist and her black eyes glittered at those within the room. She gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Sorry, wrong room" and turned to leave, closing the door behind her.
"Wow," said Ron, "who was she?"
"Dunno," said Harry, still staring at the door. "But I'd like to know."
OK, so it was a kinda strange chapter, but I liked writing it, so that's alright. I promise there will be some kind of action or something else remotely interesting soon. In the mean time please please please review otherwise I'll think no one loves me and I will cry. Even if it's a bad review, anything will do (
Loubi Lou