Protocol for Hogwarts was much like Salem in which she had to pass through an invisible barrier, but as far as Jennifer could tell, that was the only similarity. She had found, once she had managed to stop rereading the acceptance letter, that two other pieces of parchment accompanied it. The first was the list mentioned in the letter complete with books and equipment that she had picked up at Golden Avenue the week before, and the second a set of directions that allowed her to end up where she was at that moment.
Glancing around her, Jennifer noted that the compartment was paneled with a honey colored oak and the seats were covered with rich velvet cushions, giving her a feeling of comfort and security. Her eyelids drooped and suddenly the compartment was a nice warm temperature. Snuggling into her jacket she remembered how tiring the plane trip had been; she'd gotten absolutely no sleep between the old man and the lady who had kept asking her asinine questions about her family. And then the hour long taxi to get to the train station only to find she had no idea how to get to the invisible platform 9 ¾. Only by leaning against the barrier because she was tired did she find the entrance.
After she'd managed to get over the shock of falling through a brick wall, she'd taken the time to notice the clock at the station; she was two hours early. Luckily the train had already arrived, and although she was the first passenger onboard she took the compartment in the very back. She was unsure of how she would be welcomed to Hogwarts considering most of the students probably agreed with the Ministry of Magic and wanted to avoid a confrontation right away.
'Maybe I'll be able to start over here and not come off as such an unfriendly person,' she thought sleepily. Waves of comfort washed over her until she finally gave up the battle to stay awake and fell asleep against the window.
***
"Harry!" Ginny's voice rang out over the heads of several boys in the corridor. "Over here! I got us a compartment."
Harry made his way past the boys and to the open door, sighing when he finally threw himself on one of the benches. It just wasn't right to be traveling on Hogwarts express without Ron by his side. "Watch it Harry," Ginny warned, and Harry took a moment to see that he was sitting next to a slumbering girl.
"Who-" he was interrupted by Ginny's scowl, and he lowered his voice, "Who is she? I don't recognize her."
Ginny merely shrugged. "No idea. She doesn't look young enough to be a first year though, so she must be in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Strange that she's not sitting by anyone though."
Harry nodded, and tried to examine the girl without getting any closer. She looked like a fourth or fifth year at least, with short red brown hair and glasses perched on her nose precariously, probably shifted by sleeping. Her clothes were muggle through and through; there was no doubt in his mind that she came from muggle parents, especially when he noticed the airplane itinerary sticking out of the pocket of her pea coat.
Neville interrupted his search by joining them in the compartment. In his hand was some sort of cactus looking plant; he said the name but it flew right over Harry's head. He didn't know the mysterious girl's identity either, but it was hardly surprising, considering Neville's memory.
They talked quietly about their holiday as the girl slept on obliviously. Harry's eyes kept drifting to the itinerary; if he could only look at it he could tell who she was and where she was from. Unwillingly his hand drifted closer and closer until it was only an inch away from the girls coat---
---and Ron burst into the compartment with a look of hatred on his face. "Guess who else became a prefect?" he exploded angrily at Harry, who felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"That's right. Malfoy. Malfoy is a prefect. Little bastard had the nerve to comment to Hermione that he was surprised they allowed mudbloods to become prefects. I was ready to—" Ron stopped mid rant and a strange expression crossed his face. It was a mixture of curiosity and something Harry couldn't quite identify. "Who is that?" He pointed to the girl who had been roused by the shouting and was now rubbing her eyes.
"Not the foggiest," Harry replied. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"
Ron's eyes widened slightly. "Me? Why not you?"
"Because I'm not the one that's asking, am I?" he replied, smiling smugly at the expression on Ron's face. He looked positively terrified.
Ginny rolled her eyes and muttered, "boys," under her breath before moving closer to the girl. "Hi, I'm Ginny Weasley. I've never seen you around Hogwarts, are you a first year?"
"Jennifer Anderson," she answered sleepily, "And no, I'm actually a fifth year. Nice to meet you," she smiled, trying to expel the sleepiness from her voice. It was difficult considering she was making up for nearly eighteen hours, but she managed. Looking up to Ron, who was still standing, she raised an eyebrow.
His mouth was still a little open, and it took Harry elbowing him in the ribs to snap out of the stupor he was in. "Uhh…hi…oh, right, um, I'm Ron Weasley." Jennifer stuck out her hand and he looked at it as if it were covered in purple fur before realizing that he was supposed to shake it.
Harry was a little cooler with his introduction. "Harry Potter." She shook his hand as well, and much to Harry's surprise, her eyes did not flick to his forehead for an instant. Neville, who had been petting his cactus silently throughout the exchange, looked up and said, "Neville Longbottom," in a very shy voice before returning his gaze to his plant.
Ginny was a little taken aback, and not just by what Jennifer had said, but how she had said it. "Are you American?" she asked, trying not to sound accusing. It really didn't matter, but the accent was undoubtedly American sounding, and from what she knew there were no American students at Hogwarts.
Jennifer nodded. "I came from the Salem Institute in America. This will be my first year at Hogwarts."
The four occupants of the compartment gaped slightly at her. A new fifth year to Hogwarts? It was unheard of.
She yawned widely, bringing the back of her hand up to cover her mouth. "Sorry, but I got off a sixteen hour plane ride before this," she explained, "For some reason I can never sleep on planes."
Ron, Ginny, and Neville looked at her as if she'd just claimed that she had jumped from one end of the Grand Canyon to the other. "Is that one of those things that flies with people inside?" Ginny asked after a few moments of silence.
Harry and Jennifer nodded, both unwilling to go into the mechanics of an airplane. Ginny shook her head and remembered what she had been asking previous the confusing plain comment. "Why are you at Hogwarts just now? Was the Salem place no good?"
In her mind, Jennifer had been rehearsing what she would tell everyone, but it disappeared as soon as the actual question was asked. But then she looked around the compartment, and she realized she was with the few people that would actually agree with her reasons. Confidence returned, and the story spilled out.
"I wrote Professor Dumbledore a letter at the end of last year requesting that I be admitted to Hogwarts in my fifth year so that I could prove that not everyone believed the Daily Prophet and the British Ministry of Magic. I didn't get a response all summer, so I assumed that meant it had either never gotten to him, or he had just chosen to ignore it, but two weeks before term started I got the acceptance letter. Honestly, I don't know if my being here makes a statement or proves anything, but I'm just glad I'll be in the safest place I can be, which is near Albus Dumbledore." She took a breath in before looking into anyone's face, but when she did she found that they were all looking at her with an expression of gratitude. Jennifer turned herself towards Harry.
"I believe you, and the Ministry is foolish not to believe you too."
He nodded gratefully. "Thank you."
The compartment door opened then, revealing a slightly pissed looking Hermione, who sat herself down next to Ginny and nodded to Ron absentmindedly. "Your turn to patrol. Watch for the first years in the first compartment, they're extremely rude."
Ron scowled and made to leave, but before he exited he turned to Jennifer and managed to smile a little. "Nice to meet you, Jennifer," he waved and then shut the door behind him.
Hermione looked up into Jennifer's face and stuck out her hand politely. "Hermione Granger."
As Jennifer shook it, she replied, "Jennifer Anderson. I've transferred from Salem Institute."
Hermione's eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Ooh! I've read about the Salem Institute, in Massachusetts near Salem where the famous Salem Witch trials occurred."
Jennifer laughed, "Yea, that's right."
Ginny filled Hermione in on what she missed, and when Ginny was done explaining, Hermione smiled broadly at Jennifer. "I hope you enjoy Hogwarts."
"Me too." Jennifer yawned again, and as the others in the compartment began to converse her eyelids started to droop once more, and it wasn't long before she fell sound asleep all over again.
Hermione was the first to notice, and nodded towards the slumbering girl. "It seems kind of stupid that she would transfer in her fifth year. What could she be thinking, we have to get ready for O.W.L.S.!"
Harry shrugged. "Does it really matter? She's here for Dumbledore, and anyone that's willing to prove Dumbledore's sanity is alright by my book," he spoke quietly, and then said "Ron seemed to like her," with a grin.
Hermione rolled her eyes, and Ginny snorted. "Ron doesn't know what to do with himself when he has to talk to a girl he's never met before," Ginny snickered. "Mum introduced her friend's daughter to him a few years ago and he nearly spilled the bottle of butter beer he was drinking down the poor girl's robes."
Their talk continued until about ten minutes before they were due and Hogwarts, and Hermione woke Jennifer up by shaking her gently. "Jennifer, we're almost there. We have to put on our robes."
Blinking her eyes sleepily, she made out where she was and nodded. Soon, all five students had their black robes on, Jennifer the only one missing a house crest. "You're all in Gryffindor? " She was not really surprised, students tended to hang out with the members of their house.
Hermione glanced at Jennifer, a curious glint in her eyes. "I wonder how they're going to sort you," she pondered, but her musings were interrupted by the jolt of the train stopping. They made their way to the crowded exit, getting jostled by first years as they went.
Harry grinned at Jennifer's shocked face as they stepped out of the train. "Welcome to Hogwarts."
TBC…