Spellforged saw Hagrid give him a solemn nod as he and Hermione approached the Hogwarts Express. Spellforged, for his part, grinned at the keeper of keys and grounds, before giving him a slight bow. They shook hands, before Hagrid offered Hermione a bone crushing hug.
"Thanks again, Hagrid. I'll see you in August?"
"I'll be there, Harry. Have a good summer you two." With a small wave, Hagrid went back to directing students.
As they walked to the rear of the train, Hermione leaned over. "August?"
Spellforged had not lost his grin. "It's a long story that you'll hear all about - once we're on the train." Off her look, he chuckled. "Hagrid is helping me with a little project. Don't worry about it."
She huffed. "Every time you say not to worry about something, you know I start worrying."
He held out a hand to help her onto the steps leading onto the Express. "I know."
"Prat."
"Yes, Miss Granger."
oOoOoOoOo
Rose did not explain that the five had decided to take that same compartment on all five trains when she suggested to Daphne that they take the last compartment on the right. Would she tell Daphne about the five, someday? Maybe. But today wasn't that day.
The trip to Hogwarts that past September had been the first time that any of the five actually interacted with each other, and what a shock that had been! Rose had heard one Harry wonder about Ron, only for the other (Chaser) to respond that he was a good kid from a good family. Seeker's bewildered How the hell do I know that?! had caused Chaser to respond with an annoyed They were at your house a week ago, prat.
Then Marigold's quiet voice had come to them. Harry? Why are you arguing with yourself? When a third Harry (who they later learned was Spellforged) spoke up and said They aren't, are they?, Rose realized that they were real. The voices she had heard were real. And they were three boys named Harry and some other girl.
Who are you people? She had asked, cautiously.
Harry Potter. Two voices, almost in unison, had replied with a nonsense name. Rose had no brother, no family (as Petunia had pointed out, repeatedly). The other girl's gasp was heard clearly. Harry? It's me, Marigold. Marigold Potter. Your sister.
That's when a string of gibberish words came into her mind - and when she later learned what the Goblin words meant, she understood Spellforged's reaction. Then the third boy spoke again. Well, I'm Harry as well. And suddenly a lot of things make sense.
We're on a train, right? Going to a Wizard school? Rose needed information, now. Were they on the train, somehow? She looked around at the other students milling about, finding their seats. Meet me in the last compartment on the right. She said, and her tone was such that no one would argue with the command.
Good idea, agreed one of the Harrys.
Rose had gone to the compartment, finding it empty. She hoisted her trunk into the rack, before sitting in the corner and watching the door. She found herself nervous - people who could talk to her in her mind could listen to her mind as well, which was off-putting. She was less bothered by the idea of other Potters being on the train, for some reason.
Looks like I'm the first one here. Said a Harry.
Are you sure? There's no one here. Said another. I'm in the compartment on the right.
Rose looked out the open door, seeing the compartment across the hall. Three older girls in robes with blue trim were chatting. An older boy joined them, and their door closed. None of them gave her more than the briefest glance or politest nod.
I'm here as well. Said the third Harry. No one is here.
Oh no. The other girl sounded crushed. I thought…
We're all on the same train, going to Hogwarts, sitting in the same compartment. Rose said, almost to herself. Five of us. There's no way….
If I've learned anything over the years, it's that Magic does funny things. Replied the third Harry. We're all Potters, right? Rose, reluctantly, introduced herself - she was still a little unsure.
I don't know that much about wizarding magic, but I do know this, continued the third Harry. All magic is family magic. And it sounds like we're all family, however that happened. We just happen to be in different universes.
They took a minute to digest that idea. It was world-changing. They had all heard voices over the years, not knowing what was happening. And now they knew - it wasn't madness, it wasn't some sort of ailment. It was them.
It took a revelation like that to shatter Rose's normal quiet composure. Holy shit, she had said, breaking the silence. I have a family.
oOoOoOoOo
It had taken Chaser some time to convince Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott to join him in the last compartment - but not very long, as he got along well with both girls. Usually, the Hufflepuffs congregated in the centre of the Express, sometimes commandeering an entire car or two. Ron, on the other hand, would be by later after he sat with his brothers for the first part of the trip.
When they arrived in the compartment, they found Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger chatting about summer assignments.
Neville had explained what he was working on for Herbology - and let slip that his family owned three large greenhouses at Longbottom Hall. Hermione had no great love of herbology as a subject, but found herself fascinated by the idea of working in facilities as good as those at Hogwarts. "I wish I could see them, it sounds wonderful," She had said.
Chaser and Neville shared a glance. Neville raised an eyebrow, and Chaser replied with a shrug. Your call, man.
"You know, Hermione, Harry and I were talking about having a birthday party at my house, this year. You'd be more than welcome, if you want to come over." Neville grinned at her look of surprise.
"I don't, I mean…" She sputtered, causing Susan and Hannah to giggle.
"He's not asking you out, Miss Granger," said Hannah in a formal tone, fighting herself not to grin and break character, despite Susan's expression. "It will be fun. We're both going to be there as well. You will enjoy yourself."
"How would I get there, though? It's not like my parents could drive me." She looked at Neville. "I don't even know where you live!"
Chaser leaned forward. "Hermione, do you know how we'd get you there?" She shook her head, and he smirked. "Magic."
Hermione still looked unsure - to her, it was less about going to a magical home and more about the fact that she never got invited to anything, really. But they had all spent a lot of time together over the course of the year, with Ron and others. She looked around the compartment, seeing the expectant looks. Then she looked at Neville and smiled. "Alright, I'll be there."
oOoOoOoOo
Marigold and Neville were talking quietly about the same three greenhouses when Hermione returned from the loo. She heard her friend sigh as she closed the compartment door behind her.
Neville caught it too. "Still worried?" Neville asked.
A nod. "The solicitor said that the wards had messed with the Dursley's heads, that they acted differently toward me as a result." Marigold looked at Neville. "But some of the stuff they said, some of the stuff they did… Nev, there aren't wards that make people hate like that."
Neville returned her gaze. "I mean, there probably are, actually. But the ones they had were bad enough." He found himself leaning forward. "Are you going to be safe?"
Marigold shrugged. "They said that anything they do to harm me would summon the cavalry, and a bunch of wizard police would show up and rescue me. So, maybe?" She shook her head. "But this is supposed to me my home, not just the house I live in. And my legal guardians should not have to be zapped with wards to care about me."
She shared a meaningful look with Hermione. "Besides, not all harm is physical. And there's nothing here that says they have to be nice to me." Hermione's look of worry was obvious.
"Are they still connecting you to the floo network?" asked Neville.
"They're supposed to, yeah." Another shake of the head from Marigold. "But will Petunia let me go to and from whenever I like? I mean, why would she, other than to get me away from her?"
"Well," began Hermione, fishing a small parchment out of her bag. "Crawley is only an hour away. And my parents said you can come over and stay as long as you like." Taking the parchment, Marigold saw Hermione's parents names, as well as their address. There were phone numbers for their home and dental practice. "Call anytime."
Marigold looked up, nodding. Then she was across the compartment, giving Hermione a hug. "Thank you," she said quietly. Both girls ignored Neville's chuckle.
oOoOoOoOo
Spellforged and Hermione both looked up from their books when the compartment door opened. Anthony Goldstein leaned into the compartment, grinning.
"Hey Harry, hey Hermione." He said in greeting. Then he looked over at Spellforged. "Did they say yes?"
Spellforged kept his expression carefully neutral, but could not keep the smile out of his eyes. "They did." He said with a nod. "Bring your boots next year, Mister Goldstein."
"Yes!" Anthony pumped his fist in the air, before walking over to Spellforged. "You're a miracle worker, you know that?"
Spellforged made a show of huffing, indignantly, as they shook hands. "I have been called many things, Sir, but that is not usually among them." Then he laughed. "I told you he would approve it. And Hagrid found the perfect spot, between the quidditch pitch and his cabin. We might even get to use the locker rooms."
"I honestly hadn't thought of that." replied Anthony. Then he looked thoughtful. "Think we could organize teams?"
"Maybe." Spellforged replied with a shrug. "That's not why I did it, though."
"Oh, I know." another grin. "He'll love it. You know he will."
"He'd better." Spellforged said. Then the boys laughed again. Anthony said his goodbyes, and moved back up the train to his compartment.
Spellforged turned to Hermione, who clearly had so many questions she could not decide which to ask first. He let her simmer for a moment, before giving her a question of his own. "Did you ever play football, Hermione?"
"Just for a few summers, when I was younger. But…" Then she thought about how excited the half-blooded Anthony Goldstein was. Then her eyes grew wide. "Your special project?"
A nod and a grin. "In mid-August, I'm going to bring a team of craftsmen to Hogwarts to install a football pitch on the grounds. Muggle steel goals with impervious and unbreakable charms, so they don't rust, and so the nets don't fray. Same for the flags at the corners." He leaned back. "Father even found someone to charm the grass to grow white along the lines, without dying. They do the same thing on amateur Quidditch Pitches, usually."
"So the Headmaster approved a muggle football pitch," She said, dubiously. "Really?"
"Really." He smiled. "I told him that it would let one Quidditch team do conditioning while another was practicing. I mean, if Oliver Wood is going to make Gryffindor jog around the pitch, then he can do that here while our team actually practices."
"That's the only reason?"
"Well, I might also have implied that it would give the students who aren't the twenty-eight players on Quidditch teams something to do. Work off that interhouse aggression, and all that." Spellforged had been surprised at how quickly the Headmaster agreed to the idea, but knew that the lions, at least, would take advantage.
"And who did Anthony say would love it?" Hermione asked.
"Oh, that'd be my cousin Erik." Off her look, he smiled again. "You know I was fostered and later adopted by a muggleborn witch, right? After my relatives died?" She nodded. "Well, that witch has a brother whose wife contracted Dragon Pox and passed away. He moved to London to live with my mother and I, when I was around. And he brought his son Erik, who happens to be a wizard."
"And he's coming next year?"
"Yep." Spellforged's excitement at the prospect was hard to miss. "And I've got 10 galleons that say he'll be in Ravenclaw."
"No bet," Hermione said, automatically. She had never seen Spellforged lose one of his bets, though that time would probably come. Someday. "It'll be nice to have family in your house, I would think."
"It will." He gestured at the compartment. "I spent too much time on my studies this year, I think. It'll be nice to have something else to do apart from haunt the library."
Looking at the empty seats around the pair, she nodded - it was not the first time she had considered the idea. But friends had not always been her thing, over the years. She met Spellforged's eyes, and realized he had been thinking the same thing. "I'm in if you are," She said.
Spellforged grinned. "So begins Project Circle of Friends, then."
Neville, Susan, and Hannah heard their laughter from the hallway, just before they came to the last compartment on the right. Neither of the Ravenclaws could explain what exactly had been so funny.
oOoOoOoOo
Seeker was surprised at the request - their birthdays had not come up over the link. The end of July still felt like it was months away, even as they sat on the train heading back to London.
"Neville, I'd be honored to have a joint birthday party," Seeker replied to his nervous friend. "Just let me know what I need to do and I'll handle it."
Neville visibly relaxed at the positive response. "You're welcome to come over before that, if you want, I mean."
Seeker grinned. "Neville, I would love to spend as much time as I can at your house, until your Gran kicks me out."
He gave Seeker a look. "Still worried about your relatives?"
"Not really," he replied, shaking his head. "Either the upgrades work, or they don't and I take the Knight Bus to the Burrow or something. The Headmaster said I have to stay for at least a few weeks, but I'm not going to risk myself." His expression was unreadable. "Especially now that I know I don't need to, really."
Another nod from Neville. "Gran's still mad about all this, you know. Your relatives, how they treat you."
"I know, Nev." Seeker placed a hand on Neville's shoulder. "You both have been great this year, you know. I really appreciate it." The door opened, and Hermione entered the compartment. "Besides, she'd never know if you do the spell correctly." Seeker looked at her and gave a fake look of horror. "Whoops."
Neville's look of surprise was drowned out by Hermione's cry of "HARRY JAMES POTTER!", followed moments later by laughter from all three of the Gryffindors. The best pranks, as it turns out, are usually the simplest.
oOoOoOoOo
Rose, who had been leaning against the window and dozing, ignored the opening of the compartment door. That ended when she heard Daphne's tired-sounding "What do you want, Heir Malfoy?"
Her eyes snapped open, though she didn't stir otherwise. The blond boy was looking at her friends with his usual sneer of distaste. Curiously, she could not see Crabbe and Goyle, two other boys from their house who followed Malfoy around like puppies.
"Greengrass, I don't know what you and the half blood over there pulled, but my father is going to get you expelled for cheating." He pointed at her. "No one could have gotten the scores that you and your little coven got this year, and everyone knows it's because you broke the rules."
Rose quietly stood. What an idiot.
Daphne had not moved, though she noticed Rose as she got up. "Draco, are you really that bone dead stupid?" Tracy said nothing, looking from one blonde to the other.
Draco moved to pull his wand out of his robes, but Rose caught his wrist. Malfoy had not known she was behind him.
"She asked you a question, Heir Malfoy." Rose said, quietly. Draco tugged on his arm, but she did nothing to loosen her grip. He then spun around to face her, which placed his arm across his chest - and still in her hand. She walked him back into the wall of the compartment, her other arm going across his throat.
She didn't put any pressure on him. She didn't need to.
"When my father," Draco began. Then he saw the other two witches with their wands out, aimed at him.
"Your father isn't here, Mister Malfoy." She replied, continuing to hold him in place. She looked at him and shook her head. "Draco... Merlin, look at you."
"What…" he sputtered.
"You're second in our class in Potions by a single point, beneath Daphne over there." She inclined her head at the Greengrass heiress. "You were third in Defense, top ten in most other things. You're the strongest boy magically in our year, in Slytherin." Not that the three of us and probably Millicent weren't stronger, of course, Rose thought. "And you're a sure bet for seeker next year, if you don't fall off your broom and break your stupid head. And yet, here you are."
The boy grew angrier at that last. "How dare you, blood traitor," he spat the words at her. "I am the Heir to the House of Malfoy. My magic is more powerful than any three blood traitors." He sneered. He looked like he would keep going, but Rose leaned in, a dangerous look in her eyes.
"Then prove it."
That stopped him cold. "What?"
"If you're such a better wizard," She hissed at him, starting to get angry herself. "Then do better. You can be Lord Malfoy's brat all your life, hiding behind his robes and running to him every time someone says a mean thing, or you can be Draco Malfoy, of Slytherin House. There is no cunning in letting daddy do everything for you, no ambition in waiting for daddy to hand you everything." She shook her head in disgust. "I dare you to do better."
Taking a step back, she left him sputtering, leaning against the wall. He saw her hand his wand to Daphne - and realized that he had not noticed her take it.
"Everything you do reflects on our house, Malfoy." She said, mocking his sneer with one of her own. "You challenge Ron Weasley to a duel and don't show up? That's not a prank, that's a Slytherin acting the coward." She leaned against the door. "You steal whatever the hell that was from the Longbottom heir? That's not clever, that's a Slytherin lowering himself to petty theft."
"And trying to goad me into a fight, on the first day?" She grinned at him, enjoying the memory - and his look of horror. "That was quite possibly the most Gryffindor thing you could have done, right then." She tilted her head at him, as if appraising him. "You keep saying the hat got something wrong, maybe it did."
"How DARE you!" He shouted. But he stayed where he was, against the wall.
"People see Lord Malfoy," she said quietly, "And they see someone who is, at least in some circles, a respected member of society. A philanthropist, a businessman, a politician. What will they see when they look at you?" She sighed. "Do. Better."
"I don't take orders from you, Potter." He said coldly.
"No, no you don't." She glanced at Daphne, who nodded. "So I'll make you a deal. Get your act together, quit the dumbassery, quit being that one git everyone hates, and represent Slytherin House the way it's supposed to be." She eyed him, an intense gaze that made him even more uncomfortable. "Do that, pull it off, and I'll apologize for any slight, publicly in the common room."
"And if I don't?"
"Then, nothing. You'll just be that blond git who was in Rose Potter's year." She shrugged. "And that will be all there is to your story."
Malfoy shook his head, not offering a reply. He stepped forward, and she moved to the side to allow him to pass. When he got to the door, he looked at her, his expression a mask of anger and… something else. He put his hand on the door, finding it locked.
"Apologies," Rose said, before gesturing at the door. It unlocked and slid open, causing Draco's eyes to grow wide. He stared at her, and she gave him an impish grin in return. Tracy handed him his wand, and he stepped into the corridor again, watching them. He was still standing there when the door was closed once more.
"Merlin," Rose said, collapsing onto the seat, placing the wand she had held behind her back into her robes.
"You almost had me believing you, Rose." Said Daphne with a sigh. "Think it worked?"
"I don't know," said Rose. "It'll give him something to think about, certainly. And if he's worried about himself, he's not going to bother us." She looked at Daphne, meaningfully. "And he won't bother the first years, either."
"Well, Astoria will owe you one for that, I think." Tracy chuckled. "You really don't do normal, do you Rose?"
"Normal is boring, Trace." was the reply. Rose had already closed her eyes, settling back in for her nap. The train still had several hours to go before it reached King's Cross Station.
A/N: Apart from the prologue, this is the first time we've featured all five of our leads in the same chapter outside of the link. I couldn't help adding that first conversation, and contrasting it with the five as they are now, leaving for the summer. It's only been one year, but so much has changed.
And here, too, I've been posting this story for three months - and find myself with 55 favorites and 100+ follows. Mindblowing. And your reviews have kept me going, more than expected. So, for all who keep their eyes on this little multiverse - thank you.
If you're looking for another work to tide you over, consider Saving Them All, One at a Time, by Dragon-bait-2001. They have a good core idea that fascinates me, and the story they are putting together is absolutely worth your time. (The fact that we're bouncing ideas off of each other over on the DP&SW Discord helps, as well - they're doing good work, and helping me do the same.)
Feedback, as always, is welcome.
