Chapter Four
Back on the Train
Harry's time with the Grangers went by incredibly quickly. He enjoyed it very much but still preferred the clutter and noise of the Weasley household to that of the Granger palace.
Finally, the morning of September first arrived. Harry was woken early by an incredibly energetic Hermione, who was shaking him and saying something along the lines of, "going to be late-must hurry!!"
Harry looked at his watch and saw that they had enough time to walk to the train station if they had felt like it; therefore they were in no way going to be late.
He rolled over and looked up at her. She was already completely dressed in a sweater and jeans. Harry took a moment or two to recover himself, and then sat up.
"Harry, c'mon, breakfast's waiting!"
Suddenly, Harry had never felt hungrier in his life. He stood up slowly and then, in an effort to get a bit of fun in his friend, he said very quickly, "Race you!"
Harry bolted out the door and it took Hermione a second or two to realize what had happened. But then there she was, running beside him. They burst into the kitchen and he proclaimed loudly, "I win!!"
The pair sat down and looked ahead of them. Harry had never seen a healthier array of food.
There was a multitude of fruit, a small bowl of porridge, and a tall glass of some type of fruit juice for each of them. He knew that Hermione's parents were overly paranoid about cavities, (they were dentists, after all). But living in the same household as Dudley had gotten him used to a much more, well, sugary diet.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger made small talk while the children finished their meals. Then they all climbed in the car one last time and headed for the train station.
It was a dark and gloomy day, with occasional patches of rain. The wind blew so hard that Harry nearly fell over when he exited the car.
Harry and Mr. Granger carried the luggage inside. After they had secured a couple of carts, they made their way to the platform.
The entrance to the platform had always intrigued Harry. When a witch or wizard wanted to enter, all they had to do was walk straight at the wall between platforms nine and ten. Then they would disappear into the area beyond.
Hermione motioned for Harry to come and walk through with her, but Mr. Granger held him back and said, "Hermione, dear, go through with your mother this time, there's a good girl."
Hermione looked utterly confused by this statement, but her mother had already grabbed her arm and was halfway to dragging her through. Hermione just shrugged and walked through the barrier with her mom.
Harry started to walk after them, but it seemed that Hermione's dad had other plans.
"Now you listen here, boy."
Harry looked at him, completely perplexed.
"I've heard of the trouble you get into up at that school. I'm not completely naïve. But I just want you to know, that if you're, well, Hermione might feel obligated to go along with you, since you two are, well."
Harry looked at the older man, still not understanding what he was saying.
"More than friends," her dad finished.
Harry gave him a look of pure shock, and then covered it up with a bit of laughter.
"You thought, me and Hermione, were, together?"
Mr. Granger stared into Harry's eyes, but this time it was his turn to be confused.
"Don't worry, Mr. Granger. We're friends, that's all. Really."
Her father looked extremely relieved at this bit of news, and gave the boy a weak smile. "Terribly sorry."
Then the two of them walked through the barrier, and onto platform 9¾. Hermione looked up from tying her shoes and whispered to Harry, "What was that about?"
"Later," he mouthed.
She nodded at him and helped him carry his trunk on board. Then they exited the train to go and say their goodbyes to her parents. It was in the middle of Harry thanking them for letting him stay at their house that he saw Mrs. Weasley come through the barrier with Ron at her side. The Weasleys were generally late for everything, so it was no surprise to see them coming with little less than three minutes before the train left. Ron called out to his two best friends, and hurried over.
But it was as Ron was walking towards them that Harry spotted someone very familiar.
"Hermione! Harry! Wha-" Ron began, but he saw Harry staring intently on some first year, and wondered what was wrong.
"What's going on, mate?"
Hermione noticed him acting weirdly as well.
She nudged Ron and pointed to a very small boy standing amongst a group of equally tiny children.
Ron looked over, but he completely missed what all the fuss was about.
"Well," he said, "I'll just go and put my stuff on the train."
But neither of them was listening to him. Ron trudged off, looking left out.
"Harry," Hermione whispered, "He looks just like Sirius!"
"Yeah," he said, "Only he's got the same eyes as me."
Hermione looked from Harry to the little boy and said, "Oh my god! You're right! Who is he?"
Harry turned to her and said, "Mark Evans."
***
"I win again."
Harry looked helplessly up at his best friend. He had just beaten him at chess for the 5th game in a row.
"Let's take a break."
Ron smiled at him. "Yeah, beating you's gotten pretty boring."
"Oh, thanks," Harry retorted.
Hermione was sitting in the corner. For the entire train ride, she had been staring out of the window, apparently thinking hard about something.
Ron seemed to notice how oddly she was acting as well, and asked, "Alrigh' there, Hermione?"
She looked at them momentarily and gave a small humming noise as if to say 'yes.'
Then, Harry head footsteps outside the door. He looked up just in time to see Ginny Weasley walk inside. "Wow, she looks good,' he thought. Wait a minute. Had he just thought that? He glanced back up at her, and there was no denying - Ginny Weasley had grown a lot too over the summer. In all the right places. There was definitely something different about her.
"Hey Harry!"
Harry smiled at her and said very quietly, "Hey Gin."
It was then that she sat next to Hermione and they started talking in low voices.
Ron looked at him and said, "What's up with her?"
Harry stared at his best friend's younger sister and said under his breath, "Beats me."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"The Realm of Passing," the man repeated in an echoey voice, "Is the place where we rest, not alive nor dead." Harry's godfather looked at him determinedly. "And how do I get out of here?" The man looked around the group. Suddenly, a much older man came forward. "Why would you want to leave so much?" Once again Sirius stared at him, and gave him a one-word answer. "Harry."
Back on the Train
Harry's time with the Grangers went by incredibly quickly. He enjoyed it very much but still preferred the clutter and noise of the Weasley household to that of the Granger palace.
Finally, the morning of September first arrived. Harry was woken early by an incredibly energetic Hermione, who was shaking him and saying something along the lines of, "going to be late-must hurry!!"
Harry looked at his watch and saw that they had enough time to walk to the train station if they had felt like it; therefore they were in no way going to be late.
He rolled over and looked up at her. She was already completely dressed in a sweater and jeans. Harry took a moment or two to recover himself, and then sat up.
"Harry, c'mon, breakfast's waiting!"
Suddenly, Harry had never felt hungrier in his life. He stood up slowly and then, in an effort to get a bit of fun in his friend, he said very quickly, "Race you!"
Harry bolted out the door and it took Hermione a second or two to realize what had happened. But then there she was, running beside him. They burst into the kitchen and he proclaimed loudly, "I win!!"
The pair sat down and looked ahead of them. Harry had never seen a healthier array of food.
There was a multitude of fruit, a small bowl of porridge, and a tall glass of some type of fruit juice for each of them. He knew that Hermione's parents were overly paranoid about cavities, (they were dentists, after all). But living in the same household as Dudley had gotten him used to a much more, well, sugary diet.
Mr. and Mrs. Granger made small talk while the children finished their meals. Then they all climbed in the car one last time and headed for the train station.
It was a dark and gloomy day, with occasional patches of rain. The wind blew so hard that Harry nearly fell over when he exited the car.
Harry and Mr. Granger carried the luggage inside. After they had secured a couple of carts, they made their way to the platform.
The entrance to the platform had always intrigued Harry. When a witch or wizard wanted to enter, all they had to do was walk straight at the wall between platforms nine and ten. Then they would disappear into the area beyond.
Hermione motioned for Harry to come and walk through with her, but Mr. Granger held him back and said, "Hermione, dear, go through with your mother this time, there's a good girl."
Hermione looked utterly confused by this statement, but her mother had already grabbed her arm and was halfway to dragging her through. Hermione just shrugged and walked through the barrier with her mom.
Harry started to walk after them, but it seemed that Hermione's dad had other plans.
"Now you listen here, boy."
Harry looked at him, completely perplexed.
"I've heard of the trouble you get into up at that school. I'm not completely naïve. But I just want you to know, that if you're, well, Hermione might feel obligated to go along with you, since you two are, well."
Harry looked at the older man, still not understanding what he was saying.
"More than friends," her dad finished.
Harry gave him a look of pure shock, and then covered it up with a bit of laughter.
"You thought, me and Hermione, were, together?"
Mr. Granger stared into Harry's eyes, but this time it was his turn to be confused.
"Don't worry, Mr. Granger. We're friends, that's all. Really."
Her father looked extremely relieved at this bit of news, and gave the boy a weak smile. "Terribly sorry."
Then the two of them walked through the barrier, and onto platform 9¾. Hermione looked up from tying her shoes and whispered to Harry, "What was that about?"
"Later," he mouthed.
She nodded at him and helped him carry his trunk on board. Then they exited the train to go and say their goodbyes to her parents. It was in the middle of Harry thanking them for letting him stay at their house that he saw Mrs. Weasley come through the barrier with Ron at her side. The Weasleys were generally late for everything, so it was no surprise to see them coming with little less than three minutes before the train left. Ron called out to his two best friends, and hurried over.
But it was as Ron was walking towards them that Harry spotted someone very familiar.
"Hermione! Harry! Wha-" Ron began, but he saw Harry staring intently on some first year, and wondered what was wrong.
"What's going on, mate?"
Hermione noticed him acting weirdly as well.
She nudged Ron and pointed to a very small boy standing amongst a group of equally tiny children.
Ron looked over, but he completely missed what all the fuss was about.
"Well," he said, "I'll just go and put my stuff on the train."
But neither of them was listening to him. Ron trudged off, looking left out.
"Harry," Hermione whispered, "He looks just like Sirius!"
"Yeah," he said, "Only he's got the same eyes as me."
Hermione looked from Harry to the little boy and said, "Oh my god! You're right! Who is he?"
Harry turned to her and said, "Mark Evans."
***
"I win again."
Harry looked helplessly up at his best friend. He had just beaten him at chess for the 5th game in a row.
"Let's take a break."
Ron smiled at him. "Yeah, beating you's gotten pretty boring."
"Oh, thanks," Harry retorted.
Hermione was sitting in the corner. For the entire train ride, she had been staring out of the window, apparently thinking hard about something.
Ron seemed to notice how oddly she was acting as well, and asked, "Alrigh' there, Hermione?"
She looked at them momentarily and gave a small humming noise as if to say 'yes.'
Then, Harry head footsteps outside the door. He looked up just in time to see Ginny Weasley walk inside. "Wow, she looks good,' he thought. Wait a minute. Had he just thought that? He glanced back up at her, and there was no denying - Ginny Weasley had grown a lot too over the summer. In all the right places. There was definitely something different about her.
"Hey Harry!"
Harry smiled at her and said very quietly, "Hey Gin."
It was then that she sat next to Hermione and they started talking in low voices.
Ron looked at him and said, "What's up with her?"
Harry stared at his best friend's younger sister and said under his breath, "Beats me."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"The Realm of Passing," the man repeated in an echoey voice, "Is the place where we rest, not alive nor dead." Harry's godfather looked at him determinedly. "And how do I get out of here?" The man looked around the group. Suddenly, a much older man came forward. "Why would you want to leave so much?" Once again Sirius stared at him, and gave him a one-word answer. "Harry."