Um, hello? Anyone there?

The Founders

Hermione and Ginny pushed their way through the crowd of students on Platform 9 and ¾ before stopping and turning to the boys behind them impatiently. "Honestly! You'd think the four of you were headed to your deaths or something! It's just a train!" Hermione cried, exasperated.

Ever since that night several weeks ago that almost cost Blaise and Ron their lives, none of the four boys had been acting themselves. Harry was always lost in his thoughts, musing over what he learned while he was unconscious but refusing to tell anyone else. Ron was fidgety and always looking for dangerous things. Blaise was very sullen and moody, rarely removing his eyes from the ground. Draco would flit from Blaise to Harry worriedly, trying in vain to find out what was going through their heads. Now all four of them hung back, dragging their feet and eyeing the Hogwarts Express warily.

"Draco? Draco! It is you!" A blond-haired boy pushed past Hermione and stopped panting in front of Draco. Behind him, a sour-faced blonde girl stomped up, dragging her trunk behind her.

"Lucan, don't run away like that! We're supposed to stick together! Oh! Draco! You're not dead!"

Draco shook his head. "Of course I'm not dead. Why should I be?"

"Well, your dad went missing, then you did, and we thought that maybe . . ."

"Luke thought there was a chance Voldemort killed you and Mr. Malfoy because you knew too much or something, but I thought that was ridiculous," the girl interrupted. "I mean, come on. It's obvious you and Mr. Malfoy are among Voldemort's top supporters."

"Top supporters . . . right," Draco said weakly.

The girl glanced at Harry, Ron, and Blaise, then did a double take of Harry." Il mio dio!* Harry Potter!"

"Oi, Malfoy," Ron said. "Introductions to your little friends? I haven't seen them around here before. What house are they in?"

"We aren't in any house," the girl answered, glaring at Ron. "We're new students."

"From America?" Hermione asked. "You have a strong accent."

"Missouri, to be exact," the boy confirmed. "I'm Lucan Votrian, this is my sister, Seneca. We were staying with the Malfoys over the summer before attending Hogwarts."

Seneca smiled broadly at the mention of Hogwarts. "I can't wait! I've read so much about Hogwarts! Their curriculum is said to be much more advanced then Midwest's, which is great . . ."

". . . because you were really starting to get bored there. I know, Sen, I know. You've only told me a million times."

Seneca tossed her head angrily. "Well, it's the only good thing about coming here."

Hermione interrupted what looked like a possible sibling spat. "I don't believe we've been introduced yet. I'm Hermione Granger, in Gryffindor. That's Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, both Gryffindors too. Ginny here is Ron's little sister, she's another Gryffindor. Blaise Zambini is a Slytherin, and you already know Draco."

"Oh, is this Noko?" Seneca cooed, lifting the puppy from Draco's arms. "She's adorable! I've never met a wolf/werewolf cross before!" Noko barked happily and licked Seneca's nose.

"Noko like you!" she chirped. Seneca laughed and ruffled her hair.

The train whistle blew and the students grabbed their trunks and ran for the train. "Hurry, or we won't get a large compartment!" Ginny cried.

Fred popped up out of no where and helped them stow their luggage. "Hey, can't be here long, but if you see George or hear anything . . ."

"We'll write right away. You do the same," Ron said.

Fred ruffled Ron's hair and grinned at them. "You all be careful. The last thing we want is another accident," he warned.

"Be careful too, Fred," Ginny whispered, hugging him. "I don't want to lose another brother." Fred hugged her back and Disapparated with a POP.

The nine all sat in the compartment silently. Seneca counted them and smiled. "I get to be Legolas!"

"What?" Ron asked. Draco, Blaise, Harry, and Ginny were staring at her with similar blank looks. Lucan groaned and buried his face in his hands. Hermione smiled.

"If you're Legolas, then I'm Gandalf."

Noko tugged Seneca's sleeve. "Wha?"

Seneca looked around at the blank stares and sighed. "Honestly! None of you ever read Lord of the Rings? Come on, it's like, classic British literature!"

"Is that the one with the elves, and the dwarves, and the ringwraiths?" Blaise asked.

"Yes!" Seneca cried. "Now who do you want to be? We have nine people here, and there were nine walkers! Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gimli, Boromir, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gandalf. Choose one!"

"I'll be Gimli," Ginny said. "Who is Gimli?"

"The dwarf," Lucan sighed.

"Pick one, Luke!"

"No."

"Then I'll pick one for you. You would make a good Merry, I think. Harry, you can be Aragorn. Draco . . . Sam. Blaise will be Frodo, Ron can be Boromir, and that leaves Pippin for Noko."

For the rest of the trip, Seneca and Hermione took turns regaling the others with the story of the War of the Ring and the histories of Middle-earth. Before too long, the others were really getting into the story, following their characters faithfully. Ron cried out angrily when Boromir was killed off, but Seneca told him he could become Faramir, Boromir's little brother, if he wanted. Hermione smiled, noticing how Seneca had been able to help the boys temporarily forget their troubles and just be themselves again. For the ride, they didn't remember Voldemort or Fudge or any evil doers other than Sauron and his ring.

"Firs years, this way!" Hagrid called out when the students got off the train. "Votrians, yer comin wit me too! Inter the boats!"

"Well, bye then," Lucan said, tugging on Seneca's arm. "See ya later."

"Cross your fingers and pray you're a Slytherin!" Blaise and Draco called out.

Ron elbowed Draco in the ribs. "Shut up, you prat! GRYFFINDOR ALL THE WAY!" Seneca laughed and waved at them before climbing into a boat with Lucan.

Ginny, Hermione, and Noko all climbed into one of the horseless carriages that rumbled up while the four boys took another. Harry sighed as he looked out his window. "Hogwarts will be different this year. Not only will Remus and Sirius be there, but my mum and dad too. Snape will be furious though, since my dad not only came back from the dead, but he's headmaster now too!"

Ron winced. "Potions class is going to be awful! Your dad's headmaster this year, mine's the Minister of Magic; we'll have to be extra careful! He may poison us!"

"Snape's not that bad," Draco pointed out.

Blaise nodded. "He's really quite nice, if you get to know him."

Ron looked skeptical at that. "Maybe he's nice to you, but you're Slytherins. We're Gryffindors. He hates us by nature."

Draco shrugged. "Or maybe he just hates you."

Ron turned red. "Oh yeah? Say that again!" Harry grabbed Ron's hand before he could draw his wand and shook his head, a gesture obviously meaning "Not in the carriage."

"Changing the subject," Blaise said offhandedly, "what do you think of the Votrians?"

"Well, you already know what I think of them," Draco said. "For a pair of odd foreigners, they aren't really that bad."

"Because they oppose their daddy's dark ways," Blaise teased. Draco kicked him.

"That's not the only reason!"

"I like them," Harry said calmly, still staring out his window. "Seneca especially. I feel . . . I don't know, drawn to her or something."

Blaise and Ron nodded. Blaise picked at a thread on his robes. "I feel like she's important, like somehow she's tied into this whole Fudge-is-evil situation."

"I think you're just being paranoid," Draco said. "Oi, Harry, any idea who should play Beaters for your team?"

"No, not really. Why?"

Draco smiled. "Well, now, you see, I personally believe the Creevey brothers, or maybe Longbottom and a Creevey brother, would be perfect for Gryffindor Beaters."

"You just want me to sabotage the Gryffindor team!"

Draco shrugged. "What can I say, you do have a lot of influence . . ."

"While we're on the topic of quidditch then, why don't you put Crabbe and Goyle on the Slytherin team. Aren't you going to be team captain this year?"

"Crabbe and Goyle?" Draco shuddered. "With luck they won't consider themselves my 'guards' this year. If my dad's missing, he can't exactly pay them."

"Then again," Blaise pointed out, "they aren't very bright. They may not realize they won't get paid to protect you."

"Heaven forbid!" Draco cried melodramatically, flinging one arm across his face, placing the other hand over his heart. "Saints preserve us! Mercy Maud!"

"Mercy Maud?" Harry asked, finally turning away from the window.

Ron cracked up, falling forward onto the floor of the carriage. Blaise bit the side of his hand to try to hold back his own laughter. Draco frowned and tapped his chin. "You know, that didn't quite come out right, I don't think."

Hermione opened the door to the boys' carriage and peered inside. She looked at the four boys sprawled around the carriage, laughing so hard they were sobbing and clutching their sides. Ron was sitting on the floor, Draco was lying across both seats, Harry sprawled across him, and Blaise was half on the floor, half in his seat. Hermione blinked several times before closing the door and turning away, ushering Ginny and Noko inside. "I don't think I want to know, but it is good that they're laughing again."

*My God!

Seneca is important. She's not an OC thrown in to fall in love with Harry or anything like that.

She and Lucan are both creations of Col. Check out their story at

~Crawler