Chapter 4

All the way to Hogwarts, the group of five laughed and joked together as if they'd known each other forever and Adel wasn't just some new addition. After she explained her situation to them, they all tried to tell her everything they could about Hogwarts. Adel had already gone through the strange experience of being 'sorted', the previous week when she had gone with Professor McGonagall to take a tour of her new school and home for ten months. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that she would be in the same house as her new-found friends, and that Gryffindor was generally the most respected of all the houses.

Adel was having such a good time that she didn't even notice that it was getting dark when a bubbly girl about Adel's age, with curly blond hair and blue eyes, slid open their compartment door.

"Oh my god you guys, you won't believe who I hear is on this train!" the girl squealed, not noticing even Adel in the corner.

"Hullo Pavrati" Ron said "yes thank you, we had a lovely summer, how was yours?" he went on, with more than just a note of sarcasm in his tone.

Ignoring Ron, Pavrati continued "Adelaide Cabbot!"

Adel jumped at hearing her name, which was about two seconds before she realized that the girl didn't know that that was who she was, or even if she noticed her sitting on the other side of Ron, who had Hermione to his left.

When no one responded right away, Pavrati threw up her arms in frustration.

"Geez, don't you guys read?" she asked them "Didn't you hear about her parents dying, it was all over the news?"

Harry just shrugged, Hermione suddenly became very engrossed in the card from her chocolate frog, Ron looked away, and Ginny looked at Adel, unsure about what she should say.

"Of course we've read about it" Hermione thought to herself as this uncomfortable silence was taking place. She not only subscribed to Witch Weekly and The Daily Prophet, she also got the New York Times and the Boston Herald. North America simply fascinated her, as did most everything else. She knew all about Cabbot Motors and the untimely death of its CEO and his wife only weeks before. She didn't know who Adel was when until she introduced herself, and once she did she had to bite her tongue to keep from saying anything. As curious as she was, she didn't to bring up any unpleasant memories; the poor girl had certainly been through enough already. And as Hermione was fairly certain that people wouldn't start to make the connection for a few days, and once they did, she hoped that at least Adel would be settled in a bit, and be able to handle it. And now Pavrati had to go and bring it up.It wasn't like Hermione didn't like Pavrati, after all, she had lived in the same dorm with her until her sixth year, when she was made a prefect, but she wasn't exactly the most…sensitive person.

And indeed, Adel only turned redder and redder from embarrassment as Pavrati proceeded to tell the whole compartment how the Cabbots had died and left their entire fortune to Adel, who, at age sixteen, had become one of the youngest millionaires ever.

It wasn't until she had finished that Pavrati noticed Adel in the corner.

"Oh Hello!" she exclaimed, surprised at seeing the unfamiliar face "How rude of me not to introduce myself! I'm Pavrati Patil, you must be new here, don't worry, you'll just love Hogwarts! The boys are to die for!" She jabbered, so quickly and all in one breath, so that it took Adel several moments to process it all.

Adel cautiously shook Pavrati's outstretched hand "Adel Cabbot" she murmured back, still unbelievably embarrassed

"Holy geez!" Pavrati exclaimed, turning almost as red as Adel. "I'm soooooo sorry! I can't believe I said all those things, I feel simply awful! Honestly, sometimes I'm such a cad!"

"uh it's ok, really" Adel muttered, blushing profusely

"Wow, what's it like owning your own company?" Pavrati asked excitedly "I'm sooo jealous, it must be so glamorous" she continued, answering her own question. "Have you been put in a dorm room yet?"

"Uh, no" Adel said "Professor McGonagall is supposed to assign me one once we arrive.

"Terrific!" Pavrati exclaimed "Since Hermione's been made head girl this year, there'll be an empty space with me and Lavender!"

"Lavender and I" Hermione corrected her absently, while admiring her head girl badge, which she had promptly unpinned from her shirt once Pavrati mentioned it.

"No, not you Hermione, you get your own room now, remember?" Pavrati asked, puzzled

Hermione didn't bother to try and set her straight "Right Pavrati" she sighed.

"Ahh, is that the time?!" Pavrati exclaimed, looking at her watch "I gotta go, I need to fix my hair before we get there! Nice meeting you Adel!" She called as she ran from the apartment.

After Pavrati left, there was an uncomfortable silence in compartment # 16. Of course everyone had already realized who Adel was, but they didn't want to make Adel uncomfortable by bringing it up. Hence, Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry were all worried she was upset. Adel, on the other hand, was worried they would start to ask her questions, like why she hadn't been to school before. She didn't know how to explain that the reason she hadn't been at school before was because she didn't know she was a witch. She also wanted to avoid any questions about her parents. "The less people know the better" Professor McGonagall had told her just before they went their separate ways the previous week in Diagon Alley. Apparently that included Adel herself as well, because all she was told about her biological parents was that they were good people who died to keep her safe, a whole lot of good that did her. She didn't even know their names, just the grim fact that her parents were dead because of her. That was quite the thing to lay on a person…

"That was Pavrati Patil" Ron interrupted Adel's train of thought with a completely stupid and obvious statement, seemingly trying to break the uneasy silence that had descended over the group.

Seeing the confused expression on Adel's face, Ginny tried to elaborate for her "Pavrati can be a little ditzy sometimes" she explained with a smile "but she has a heart of gold."

"She seems friendly enough" Adel offered sheepishly, not really sure what else to say.

"Oh she is quite possibly the friendliest person you'll ever meet!" Ron exclaimed

"Maybe a little too friendly…" Ginny glared mockingly at Harry, as he turned red at her implications

"Pavrati had this massive crush on Harry in fifth year" Ron supplied "She tried to kiss him at the last Christmas ball, but he stepped back and she fell on him and got lipstick all over his shirt-Ginny was in a sort for weeks-she actually thought he was snogging another girl-it was great!" he ended enthusiastically, as he broke of into raucous laughter.

"It was not!" Harry, Ginny and Hermione exclaimed in perfect unison.

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed "That was a terrible experience and you know it-you just like to laugh at other people's misfortune."

"Ah come on 'Mione" Ron shrugged off her criticism "You have to admit, looking back on it all, the situation was rather humorous, I mean, what are the odds?"

"You're kind of right Ron" Harry admitted, grinning a little

"You know I am!" Ron said through a mouthful of every flavour beans, so that it sounded more like "youff flow ah ham!"

This got everyone laughing again and they continued to joke and generally have fun until the train started to slow and they pulled into King's Cross Station. It was when the group disembarked onto the damp platform, lit only by lantern light, that Adel got her first look at the vast castle, rising up out of the air in the distance, a majestic sight of light and splendor. She had arrived.