Chapter 2: Arrival
"Dumbledore's your grandfather? That's so cool," Ron said enthusiastically. "You're so lucky."
"Yeah, he's a peach," Amy agreed. Ron obviously missed the sarcasm in her voice, but luckily for them, Harry and Hermione didn't. Sensing the hostility, there was an uncomfortable pause for a few moments. Finally, Hermione spoke.
"So. . . We've got NEWTs this year, eh?" There was almost simultaneous groans from Harry and Ron. Almost simultaneous. Because it's practically impossible to groan at exactly the same time.
"Forgive her," Harry said. "She doesn't realize nobody but her likes to discuss school in their spare time."
"Hey," Hermione whined, frowning. Despite her foul mood, Amy smiled weakly.
"So you guys are the famous Trio, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know, the Harry Potter club. The Golden Trio. If something weird happens, you guys are the ones who will, guaranteed, be looking something up in a book, or prying information out of poor Hagrid, or snooping around Severus Snape's private stocks." She turned her now complacent gray eyes on each of them in turn. Harry grinned modestly.
"Well, I reckon you could say that."
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "We are pretty cool, eh?"
"If I were you, Amy," Hermione started, "I'd stop talking before their heads get so big they become top heavy and fall out of their seats." She chuckled slightly.
"It's an idea."
"So, how come you didn't go to Hogwarts from the beginning? If your Dumbledore's granddaughter and all."
"My mom took me and moved to Canada when I was just a baby."
"What about your dad?" The question itself was innocent enough. It's not like they knew, after all.
"I don't have a father," she said softly. Harry smiled and shrugged.
"It's okay. Neither do I." Oh, God. What did you say to the person whose parents your father killed?
"Really? I hope you don't mind my asking, but did Voldemort kill yours, too?" She would have told him off, but the look on his face. . .it was like he was sincerely hopeful that he would finally have someone who could relate to him.
"You could say that, I guess." He either didn't notice her hesitancy, or chose not to recognize it for what it was. She was grateful, either way.
"Would you like something from the trolly, dears?" the witch with the food cart asked pleasantly, appearing in the door of the car. Chocolate was supposed to make you feel better, right?
"Yeah, can I have a couple chocolate frogs?" Amy asked, digging through her jean pocket for a few knuts and sickles to pay for it.
The frogs were handed to her and she paid for them as Harry bought a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Hermione obtained a small container of Lemon drops. Ron, however, claimed that he wasn't hungry.
She opened one of the chocolates and got a firm grip on the charmed frog. Then she mercilessly tore a leg off of it. Ron winced at the insensitive gesture. When Amy lightly bit into its foot, Harry turned to Ron.
"It's not real, Ron. It's a fake frog."
"I know but. . .Amy, what do you have against the poor frog?" She grinned.
"Nothing, Ron. I'm just kinda hungry."
Amy successfully managed to maintain small talk with Harry, Ron and Hermione for the duration of the journey to Hogwarts. Shortly before they arrived, they changed into their robes.
Dusk had fallen by the time they got off the Hogwarts Express. The four of them climbed into a carriage, Amy, for the first time, noticing the strange horse-like creatures that pulled the stagecoach to the castle. She briefly wondered when her grandfather had replaced the invisible creatures with these scaly, creepy things.
Hagrid was gathering the first year students not too far away from them. When he saw them, he waved merrily.
"Amy, 'Arry, Ron, 'Ermione. 'Ow er yer lot doin'? I see ye managed to get on with 'Ogwarts famous ones, eh, Amy? Good fer you. I'll see ye up at dinner, eh?"
"Yeah, later," Amy said distractedly. The horse things in front of her were starting to freak her out. "Hey, when did Grampa get those?" She pointed in the vague direction of the creatures. Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look.
"Amy, those are thestrals," he explained hesitantly. "They only appear to people who. . ." He seemed very uncomfortable explaining this to her, especially with Ron and Hermione there. "To people who've witnessed a death." She inhaled sharply.
"Oh. Well then. . ." She trailed off and was content not to speak for the extent of the carriage ride.
"Dumbledore's your grandfather? That's so cool," Ron said enthusiastically. "You're so lucky."
"Yeah, he's a peach," Amy agreed. Ron obviously missed the sarcasm in her voice, but luckily for them, Harry and Hermione didn't. Sensing the hostility, there was an uncomfortable pause for a few moments. Finally, Hermione spoke.
"So. . . We've got NEWTs this year, eh?" There was almost simultaneous groans from Harry and Ron. Almost simultaneous. Because it's practically impossible to groan at exactly the same time.
"Forgive her," Harry said. "She doesn't realize nobody but her likes to discuss school in their spare time."
"Hey," Hermione whined, frowning. Despite her foul mood, Amy smiled weakly.
"So you guys are the famous Trio, huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know, the Harry Potter club. The Golden Trio. If something weird happens, you guys are the ones who will, guaranteed, be looking something up in a book, or prying information out of poor Hagrid, or snooping around Severus Snape's private stocks." She turned her now complacent gray eyes on each of them in turn. Harry grinned modestly.
"Well, I reckon you could say that."
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "We are pretty cool, eh?"
"If I were you, Amy," Hermione started, "I'd stop talking before their heads get so big they become top heavy and fall out of their seats." She chuckled slightly.
"It's an idea."
"So, how come you didn't go to Hogwarts from the beginning? If your Dumbledore's granddaughter and all."
"My mom took me and moved to Canada when I was just a baby."
"What about your dad?" The question itself was innocent enough. It's not like they knew, after all.
"I don't have a father," she said softly. Harry smiled and shrugged.
"It's okay. Neither do I." Oh, God. What did you say to the person whose parents your father killed?
"Really? I hope you don't mind my asking, but did Voldemort kill yours, too?" She would have told him off, but the look on his face. . .it was like he was sincerely hopeful that he would finally have someone who could relate to him.
"You could say that, I guess." He either didn't notice her hesitancy, or chose not to recognize it for what it was. She was grateful, either way.
"Would you like something from the trolly, dears?" the witch with the food cart asked pleasantly, appearing in the door of the car. Chocolate was supposed to make you feel better, right?
"Yeah, can I have a couple chocolate frogs?" Amy asked, digging through her jean pocket for a few knuts and sickles to pay for it.
The frogs were handed to her and she paid for them as Harry bought a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Hermione obtained a small container of Lemon drops. Ron, however, claimed that he wasn't hungry.
She opened one of the chocolates and got a firm grip on the charmed frog. Then she mercilessly tore a leg off of it. Ron winced at the insensitive gesture. When Amy lightly bit into its foot, Harry turned to Ron.
"It's not real, Ron. It's a fake frog."
"I know but. . .Amy, what do you have against the poor frog?" She grinned.
"Nothing, Ron. I'm just kinda hungry."
Amy successfully managed to maintain small talk with Harry, Ron and Hermione for the duration of the journey to Hogwarts. Shortly before they arrived, they changed into their robes.
Dusk had fallen by the time they got off the Hogwarts Express. The four of them climbed into a carriage, Amy, for the first time, noticing the strange horse-like creatures that pulled the stagecoach to the castle. She briefly wondered when her grandfather had replaced the invisible creatures with these scaly, creepy things.
Hagrid was gathering the first year students not too far away from them. When he saw them, he waved merrily.
"Amy, 'Arry, Ron, 'Ermione. 'Ow er yer lot doin'? I see ye managed to get on with 'Ogwarts famous ones, eh, Amy? Good fer you. I'll see ye up at dinner, eh?"
"Yeah, later," Amy said distractedly. The horse things in front of her were starting to freak her out. "Hey, when did Grampa get those?" She pointed in the vague direction of the creatures. Harry, Ron and Hermione shared a look.
"Amy, those are thestrals," he explained hesitantly. "They only appear to people who. . ." He seemed very uncomfortable explaining this to her, especially with Ron and Hermione there. "To people who've witnessed a death." She inhaled sharply.
"Oh. Well then. . ." She trailed off and was content not to speak for the extent of the carriage ride.