A/N: Italics are for thoughts. Caps and italics are for emphasis on the word. Caps only are for shouting/yelling. Sorry for the length of the chapter, but it was more of an introduction. I promise it will get longer and more intriguing in the upcoming chapters!
Disclaimer: Me, J.K.? Yeah sure, but only on Mondays and Fridays, the rest of the week I divide myself between being the Queen of the Pillywigins and being God! (Please note the heavy use of sarcasm here!!! I'm not any of them.. Although I'm pretty sure it would be more exiting than my regular life!!!)
***Ok people. I'm uploading chapter 1: Platform 5 2/3 again due to the massive confusion about the quotation marks... or the lack of them. I never thought it was going to be such a problem for many, since I'm used to not reading with them if it's not in English. I apologize for any inconvenience that I might have caused and hope you enjoy this one much better. Thanks to all of you who advised me about the lack of quotation marks b/c otherwise more people would be getting more and more confuse as I keep adding chapters. From now on quotation marks will be very present!!! Please feel free to let me know if something else is confusing you, I'll try to email the answers personally or clarify in the next chapter.
Thanks,
Ced.***
Of Serpent Tongues and Lion Hearts:
Chapter 1: Platform 5 2/3:
It was a beautiful day in old England. The sun was shining perfectly in the clear, blue sky. The birds were singing their usual songs. The weather was perfect, not too warm and not too cold, especially given the fact that it was Sept 1st.
As usual for this time of the year King Cross station was packed with muggles and wizards alike Once the Hogwarts students passed the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 they felt like themselves again. This year Platform 9 and 3/4 did not looked any different from other years.
The Hogwarts Express was patiently awaiting for the clock on the wall to announce the hour it would depart, at exactly 11 am.
Many signs decorated Platform 9 3/4. Ones just indicated their destination, others the number of the Platform, and others clearly asked students to keep their owls in their cages at all times or that playing Quidditch or flying your broomstick was strictly prohibited. Oh! Of course, there was another sign that did not allowed wizards and witches to enter the station mounted on dragons (this sign were placed recently after and incident involving Charlie Weasley, a Norwegian Ridgeback and a muggle child, not older than 6!!!!).
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
- "Good bye dear, have a great year!"
- "Keep in touch honey! Don't forget to write!"
- ".... and to floss after you brush your teeth!". Hermione's parents advised.
- "Yes mom, yes dad. Honestly! Like I would forget something like that."
- "We know dear... just making sure."-said Hermione's mother who seem to be fretting over Hermione's collar.
- "Honey be careful all right!?" -said her father in a serious tone.
- "I will I promise." Hermione tried to reassure her parents.
-" Oh honey before you go, your father and I just wanted to tell you how proud we are of you! God knows we didn't know what to do when you got your acceptance letter form Hogwarts."
- "We knew that we were going to support you whichever decision you made!" Hermione's father tried to clarify.
- "You've come such a long way Hermione! We are so very proud of you!"
- "Not that you needed to be named Head girl this year to make us feel proud of you!" said her father smiling down at her with pride
- "Yes! we are proud of you with or without the title." said Mrs. Granger trying not to cry...too hard, anyway.
- "Thank you both, really. I love the two of you. But now I really have to report to the Hogwarts Express... Head girl duties." Hermione said winking and flashing a big, bright, beautiful, white smile to both her parents.
After a couple of minutes Hermione was outside the Hogwarts Express helping the first year students board the train that would be soon parting to her last year at Hogwarts.
As she helped the student she felt 2 hands covering her eyes. She knew who it was almost instantly.
- "Harry! Do you honestly think you can fool me?"- Harry smiled while still covering her eyes and Ron sniggered, but no sound came of his mouth. -"... and Ron stop doing that, it makes you look like an idiot when u snigger like that."
At this Harry let go of Hermione's eyes and Ron looked a bit shocked, but only for 2 seconds, because it quickly came to mind, that given their long history, and how much they all memorized their reactions, likes, dislikes and expressions by heart, their bond was very tight.
After hugging and laughing at the last stupidity of Dudley ( which, to be honest, were too many) they proceeded to enter the scarlet and black train. Ginny came out searching for the dynamic trio. As soon as she spotted them , she flashed them with a big beautiful smile which made Harry turn as red as Ginny's hair. He still melted every time she smiled... and every time she spoke to him, and every time she looked at him and ... (well, you get the picture). Harry and Ginny had officially become a couple on February 14th during the St. Valentine's ball last year.
-" Hermione!!!"- said Ginny while giving Hermione a big hug.
-"Hey Gin! I'm so happy to see you."
- "We have to catch up!!! Come on guys I found us a good compartment!"
-"Great!"
-"Good Job!"
- "Ummmm... guys..."- began Hermione tentatively- "I'm so sorry, but I have to ride in the Head boy and Head Girl compartment. It is strictly required for us to assume our positions immediately!"
-"Oh." said Ron a bit disappointed, but understanding.
However, Harry's face turned into an expression of realization and he was about to open his mouth when Hermione interrupted him.
- "Yes, Harry. That's exactly what it means!" she said with an expression of sadness, nervousness and fear all together.
-"Oh Herm! I'm so sorry ... are you sure you must?!"
- "Yes, yes , Professor Mcgonagall clearly instructed us so in the letter she sent over the summer."
Ginny and Ron seemed to be as lost as a muggle in Platform 9 3/4.
-"Don't mind us! That's all right! Don't explain. We are not here at all!" said Ron with a half exasperated, half annoyed tone.
Harry turned
-"Ron! Honestly! sometimes you are more dense than the barrier for Platform 5 2/3!"
-"Oi Harry! I've never heard of that platform , where does it take you?"
Harry rolled his eyes, while Hermione and Ginny tried their best not to fall in the floor and roll laughing, but so far they were only succeeding in the " not rolling on the floor" part.
-"Ron..."- said Harry trying to stay clam and cool- "...1st : there is no Platform 5 2/3 and 2nd: if Hermione is Head Girl and she has to ride in the Head Girl/ HEAD BOY compartment, who do you think she has to ride with?... ALONE????!!!!!"
Ron opened his eyes as wide as these let him as realization hit him.
-"Oh Hermione!... really is there no way around it?"
-"Nope"- she said with resignation.
-"Well you've always been better at keeping a cool head than us so just... just... just be yourself and ignore him!"- said Harry with a resolution in his face.
-" I will hex him into the middle of next week if he does anything to you Hermione!"said Ron.
Ginny gave Hermione a sympathetic look and added a "good luck" that really meant "Oh girl you are screwed!".
- "If he gets too obnoxious during the ride just say that you'll go on a round to check everything is running smoothly and come and sit with us." added Harry.
-"Yeah I'm sure Mcgonagall won't object to a visit... especially if it is to keep your sanity!" said Ginny.
-"Thank you guys that was helpful!"- said Hermione with sarcasm coming out of even her pores.
They were now standing hallway of the train, when Hermione spoke again.
-"I've worked before with him and he's not as bad as he used to be."
-"When did you worked with him?" asked Ron confused
-"Last year remember? We were both prefects with Francesca Damon from Ravenclaw and Ty Sullivan from Hufflepuff. We used to have meetings every week with the Head boy and Head girl and the Headmasters. He didn't insult me once... well not after Christmas Break anyway! But then again he didn't said much, period!"
-"There you go then!"- said Ginny with a more optimistic view of the situation- "He'll probably have the same attitude now too! He did looked like he had changed last year. There's nothing to worry about then Hermione."
Ron and Harry looked at each other trying as hard as they could to believe Ginny, but that proved harder than to believe Dudley was smart.
-"Yeah I guess... I don't know there was never a problem with him... but come to think of it we were never alone and that's what really worries me!...." Hermione sighted!
Harry, Ron and Ginny gave each others worried looks.
-"... to be ALONE with Malfoy!" finished Hermione.
After a small pause filled with silence and wariness, Hermione shifted her view from the empty space to her friends and giving a smile that seemed to take her more effort than usual said:
- "Well I guess I'll see you later."
As they turned each their own way, Hermione quickly turned around.
-"Oh and if you don't see me at Hogsmeade, please let my parents know that I loved them very much! And I love you too guys, thanks for these wonderful years..."- she said very dramatically while trying to repress her laughter- "and please, please let Gregory Goyle know, that I've been in love with him since I heard him for the first time back in first year... I mean who wouldn't fall in love with a guy that can say things like "uhhh"? I know, I know, such deep words, even hard for me to understand, I guess that's why I fell in love!"
Harry, Ginny and Ron looked at her and after chuckling they said simultaneously:
-"Very funny Hermione!"
And they each turned around and walked to their respective compartments with lighter shoulders, lighter moods and a sincere smile in their faces!