None were to be found and she spun around running back the way she came.
Halfway back she ran into someone. She stumbled but he caught her. She
looked up to see a pale boy with blond hair. She smiled weakly and tried to
step back but he held onto her.
"Your much to tall and." he looked her up and down, "...pretty to be a first year."
"I-I'm not." She managed to say. "I'm seventeen."
"Ah, a seventh year. Me too. I'm Draco Malfoy. And you are?"
Sophie already decided she didn't like this boy at all. He was rude and much too forward for her liking.
"Sophie. Sophie Dumbledore." She smiled at the look of surprise in his eyes. She tried once more to move away from him. "Um.. Draco was it?" He nodded. She pushed once more. "Yes, Draco, would you please let me go? My Uncle is expecting me back."
"Then I'll have to wont I?" he leered down at her. She shoved him this time. He was leaning closer to her.
"Draco! Let me go!" She heard footsteps and hoped it was one of her brothers. Malfoy must have heard too because he released her and stepped back. Sophie didn't wait to see if he would leave. She ran back toward the end of the train.
The footsteps turned out to be Harry. She didn't see him though. She seemed to have forgotten all about hearing them. She had resumed her crying with new vigor. She ran right smack into him. She would have fallen, but his strong arms went around her waist. She gasped and looked up, thinking maybe it was someone like Malfoy.
She sighed with relief to find Harry was the one looking down at her.
"Sophie! What's wrong?"
She opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it. Harry would hate her till the day she died if she told him the truth. Instead she supplied: "Nothing." and wiped at her tear stained face. Harry gently raised her chin with his thumb, forcing her to look at him.
"It doesn't look like nothing. It looks like a something. A very big something. Wont you tell me?"
"I..I..I can't." she gulped air so that she wouldn't start crying again.
It didn't work. She started and couldn't stop. She buried her face in the crook of Harry's neck and cried. He rubbed her back and told her that whatever it was, it would be alright. That made her cry even harder. Here was this sweet boy. Her father had taken everything away from him and he was trying to comfort her!
After a few minutes she calmed down and he brushed the tears from her face.
"You okay now?" he asked. She nodded and sniffled. "D'you wanna go back to your uncle?" She shook her head wildly at this, her brown curls flying around. "Well, d'you want to come back and sit with Ron, Hermione and me? Or would you rather stand here until we get to Hogsmead?" She laughed.
"Well, I suppose I'll come sit with you guys."
Harry turned, keeping one arm around her waist and walked with her to their compartment. He reached for the door, but she grabbed his hand to stop him. He looked down at her. She leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"Um.. Harry, thank you, for being my shoulder to cry on."
"A-a-anytime." He stuttered, turning quite red. She smiled. After a minute he reached for the door again, but Sophie stopped him and pressed her finger to her lips. She leaned against the door and listened. She giggled and moved to the side so Harry could listen.
Ron and Hermione were arguing:
"Did you have fun with Vicky this summer?" Ron sneered.
"Yes, actually!" Hermione snapped back.
"Oh, yes, its barrels of fun with Vicky!"
"Harry," Sophie whispered, "Do you think we should stop them before they say something they'll really regret?"
"Maybe we had better!" Harry opened the door a little bit and cleared his throat then opened it the rest of the way. Ron was staring out the window and Hermione, in the seat next to him was glaring at him.
"Hi you guys!" Sophie said brightly, hoping her face wasn't still tear stained. It was though. Hermione and Ron were too nice to comment on it though.
"Hey Sophie." Hermione suddenly smiled. "It's nice to have a girl in here with us."
"Well," Sophie looked around only now realizing someone wasn't there. "Where's Ginny?"
"With Neville." Ron said, deciding that pouting wasn't getting him anywhere.
Harry plopped down in his seat and patted the seat next to him looking up at Sophie. She smiled and sat down beside him.
"Do those two go out?" Harry asked.
"Not officially I suppose." Ron said absentmindedly. He was too busy looking at Hermione while her head was turned to pay attention to the conversation.
"Whenever Neville gets around to asking (Hermione put emphasis on this word but no one but Sopie seemed to notice.) I'm sure Ginny will say yes."
"I remember when Ginny thought she was in love with Harry. Since she was ten I think." Ron added as an afterthought.
"I've thought she and Neville made a cute couple since the first Yule Ball." Hermione said in a very matter-of-a-fact tone. Sophie smiled at her. These were some nice people. Complicated at times, but nice.
"Speaking of that, who are you taking this year Ron?" Harry asked, earning an elbow in the ribs from Sophie. He looked down at her. She leaned up and whispered, "You asked that on purpose, Harry!" in his ear so that neither Ron nor Hermione could hear. Harry laughed.
"Perhaps I did." He whispered back.
"Well Ron?" Harry asked, dodging Sophie's elbow.
"Umm.." He looked over at Hermione. "...I don't know yet. What about you?" Ron shot back, recovering.
"I don't know yet either." Harry said, looking down at Sophie. "Sophie, do you know what house your in?"
"House?" she asked, looking confused.
"Guess not. Hogwarts has four houses. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Students are placed in each one."
"Your much to tall and." he looked her up and down, "...pretty to be a first year."
"I-I'm not." She managed to say. "I'm seventeen."
"Ah, a seventh year. Me too. I'm Draco Malfoy. And you are?"
Sophie already decided she didn't like this boy at all. He was rude and much too forward for her liking.
"Sophie. Sophie Dumbledore." She smiled at the look of surprise in his eyes. She tried once more to move away from him. "Um.. Draco was it?" He nodded. She pushed once more. "Yes, Draco, would you please let me go? My Uncle is expecting me back."
"Then I'll have to wont I?" he leered down at her. She shoved him this time. He was leaning closer to her.
"Draco! Let me go!" She heard footsteps and hoped it was one of her brothers. Malfoy must have heard too because he released her and stepped back. Sophie didn't wait to see if he would leave. She ran back toward the end of the train.
The footsteps turned out to be Harry. She didn't see him though. She seemed to have forgotten all about hearing them. She had resumed her crying with new vigor. She ran right smack into him. She would have fallen, but his strong arms went around her waist. She gasped and looked up, thinking maybe it was someone like Malfoy.
She sighed with relief to find Harry was the one looking down at her.
"Sophie! What's wrong?"
She opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it. Harry would hate her till the day she died if she told him the truth. Instead she supplied: "Nothing." and wiped at her tear stained face. Harry gently raised her chin with his thumb, forcing her to look at him.
"It doesn't look like nothing. It looks like a something. A very big something. Wont you tell me?"
"I..I..I can't." she gulped air so that she wouldn't start crying again.
It didn't work. She started and couldn't stop. She buried her face in the crook of Harry's neck and cried. He rubbed her back and told her that whatever it was, it would be alright. That made her cry even harder. Here was this sweet boy. Her father had taken everything away from him and he was trying to comfort her!
After a few minutes she calmed down and he brushed the tears from her face.
"You okay now?" he asked. She nodded and sniffled. "D'you wanna go back to your uncle?" She shook her head wildly at this, her brown curls flying around. "Well, d'you want to come back and sit with Ron, Hermione and me? Or would you rather stand here until we get to Hogsmead?" She laughed.
"Well, I suppose I'll come sit with you guys."
Harry turned, keeping one arm around her waist and walked with her to their compartment. He reached for the door, but she grabbed his hand to stop him. He looked down at her. She leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"Um.. Harry, thank you, for being my shoulder to cry on."
"A-a-anytime." He stuttered, turning quite red. She smiled. After a minute he reached for the door again, but Sophie stopped him and pressed her finger to her lips. She leaned against the door and listened. She giggled and moved to the side so Harry could listen.
Ron and Hermione were arguing:
"Did you have fun with Vicky this summer?" Ron sneered.
"Yes, actually!" Hermione snapped back.
"Oh, yes, its barrels of fun with Vicky!"
"Harry," Sophie whispered, "Do you think we should stop them before they say something they'll really regret?"
"Maybe we had better!" Harry opened the door a little bit and cleared his throat then opened it the rest of the way. Ron was staring out the window and Hermione, in the seat next to him was glaring at him.
"Hi you guys!" Sophie said brightly, hoping her face wasn't still tear stained. It was though. Hermione and Ron were too nice to comment on it though.
"Hey Sophie." Hermione suddenly smiled. "It's nice to have a girl in here with us."
"Well," Sophie looked around only now realizing someone wasn't there. "Where's Ginny?"
"With Neville." Ron said, deciding that pouting wasn't getting him anywhere.
Harry plopped down in his seat and patted the seat next to him looking up at Sophie. She smiled and sat down beside him.
"Do those two go out?" Harry asked.
"Not officially I suppose." Ron said absentmindedly. He was too busy looking at Hermione while her head was turned to pay attention to the conversation.
"Whenever Neville gets around to asking (Hermione put emphasis on this word but no one but Sopie seemed to notice.) I'm sure Ginny will say yes."
"I remember when Ginny thought she was in love with Harry. Since she was ten I think." Ron added as an afterthought.
"I've thought she and Neville made a cute couple since the first Yule Ball." Hermione said in a very matter-of-a-fact tone. Sophie smiled at her. These were some nice people. Complicated at times, but nice.
"Speaking of that, who are you taking this year Ron?" Harry asked, earning an elbow in the ribs from Sophie. He looked down at her. She leaned up and whispered, "You asked that on purpose, Harry!" in his ear so that neither Ron nor Hermione could hear. Harry laughed.
"Perhaps I did." He whispered back.
"Well Ron?" Harry asked, dodging Sophie's elbow.
"Umm.." He looked over at Hermione. "...I don't know yet. What about you?" Ron shot back, recovering.
"I don't know yet either." Harry said, looking down at Sophie. "Sophie, do you know what house your in?"
"House?" she asked, looking confused.
"Guess not. Hogwarts has four houses. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Students are placed in each one."
