Chapter 3- On the Hogwarts Express
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the absotutley amazing plot! Not the characters, nothing, got it!
Yes folks, it's that type of year again. Harry, Ron, Hermione and the other Weasleys made their through the barrier to platform 9 ¾.
Hermione shivered at the familiar feeling of walking through brick. As the Hogwarts Express came into view, Hermione couldn't suppress a grin. Then she noticed Ron starring at her, and the smile faded.
"He needs to leave me alone, I want be his friend, not his girlfriend." She hurried onto the train, maybe if she hurried, she could find a place where Ron couldn't find her. She scurried off to the back of the train, where she sat down in an empty compartment. She hoisted Crookshank's cage up into the luggage rack. She pulled out her magazine (teen people, a muggle magazine with a special article on how to lose a guy). She flipped to the article called keeping your Best friend from becoming your boyfriend.
She began reading, but then there came a knock on the compartment door. She opened it cautiously, silently praying that she wouldn't see Ron's fiery red hair and freckles. Well, she did see those features, but instead of Ron, there stood Ginny. Relieved, Hermione gestured for Ginny to enter.
"So, you're hiding from Ron?" Ginny asked, not in an accusing manner.
"Yes" Hermione answered a little guilty.
"Now I know what you're going to say, but Ron paid me 3 galleons to ask you…" Ginny said.
"Lemme guess, he wants to know if I'll go out with him." Hermione said, bored, how many times had Ron asked her now? 8?
Ginny smiled in response. Hermione took this to mean that her assumption had bee correct.
"The answer, once again, is no" Hermione said.
"I knew it would be" Ginny said, still smiling
"It's just that we've been just friends for how many years now? And-"Hermione tried to explain.
"No need, I know how you feel." Ginny said as she got up to leave. "I gotta go meet Ron to pick up my galleons."
"NO"
"I won't tell him where you are." Ginny said grinning as she slipped out the door, closing it behind her.
At this point, Crookshanks started yowling and clawing at his cage door, so Hermione pulled it off the rack and opened the metal door.
The familiar orange fluff ball ambled out of the cage, but then came another color, black. A tiny kitten crawled out, and looked up at Hermione with piercing green eyes.
"Awe, he's so cute! But he has got a collar. Damn. Hey what's that paper." Hermione unfolded the note attached to the adorable little kitty's (Hermione's own words) collar.
It read:
TO: Whoever finds this kitten
Hello. This kitten's name is Midnight and you would be doing
Him a big favor to take care of him. If he stayed with me, he would
Have to meet an untimely demise. I thank you in advance.
"Awe, so your name's midnight" Hermione said enchantingly. "And it sounds like you were in trouble back home" the kitten walked over to Hermione and rubbed up against her legs, purring all the way.
"Sounds like your ok with being my pet now" Hermione spoke with a glint in her eye.
Again Crookshanks started yowling. Hermione smiled and opened the compartment door. Both cats sprinted out in opposite directions.
"You two get back before we reach Hogwarts!" Hermione yelled after them.
"Yep, I've started my Death Eater training." Draco boasted to his little posse of 3
Slytherins. (Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy, who had her head in Draco's lap.)
Draco kept glancing out the compartment door for someone to bully, which would create an excuse for Draco to ask Pansy to get her pug-faced head off his lap. He shuddered. How in the world did he get this…thing as a girlfriend?
Then he saw it. The cutest little black kitten he had ever seen.
"Midnight?" Draco whispered.
"What?" Goyle asked, his mouth full of cupcakes.
"Um, er…my training…it…er…it started at midnight…on my birthday." Draco finished hastily, making an excuse as fast as possible.
"I…uhhh…I gotta go to the bathroom."
He jumped up (knocking Pansy's head against the seat) and sprinted out of the compartment after midnight.
When he caught up to the little cat, he grabbed the little black ball, and hugged it.
"Hey buddy" Draco spoke excited. "How are ya? How did you get here, cutey? Oh well, you're here." Draco looked down and saw his watch. Crud! We're almost there! I gotta get changed!
Fred and George walked down the corridor. They were huddled together arguing about someone named Katie.
"I gotta go on my date!" George protested, looking like he'd said it a million times.
Uh oh they can't see me cuddling a little kitten! He slowly stood up, being as quiet as possible. CREEAAAK. Crud. Stupid loose floorboards. Fred and George turned their heads towards Draco and Midnight.
The Weasleys started to crack up, Draco's face turned bright crimson. He dropped Midnight and scurried back to his compartment. Whoever had found Midnight could take care of him.
Fred and George continued down the hall.
"Why don't you get a date with Sarah, and we'll do the experiment another day?" George suggested.
"I guess…" Fred said (A/N: Fred said, TEE HEE, it Rhymes)
Hermione was miserable back in her compartment. Harry and Ron had found her. She sat staring out the window, trying to ignore Ron, who sat staring at her with drool dripping down his chin. It was disgusting.
The compartment door was open, Hermione was hoping someone would pass by and she could dash out after them, pretending she had something to tell them. Anything to get away from Ron.
Seeing as they were at the back of the train, Hermione had not such luck. Instead all she could do was sit in silence obviously she couldn't talk to Ron, and Harry was staring at Ron with a look of frustration. He was concentrating and Hermione didn't feel like interrupting. Her mind was left to wander.
Its not that I don't like Ron it's just I don't like like him. Especially if he gets that stupid look in his eye all the time. (A/N: HA! He's always got a stupid look in his eye! Just Kidding, Ron's cool) At least Harry was looking at him all frustrated that means he doesn't want us to go out. He's on my side. Why can't Ron just stop liking me? Then things would go back to nor-
Midnight caught Hermione's attention, standing in the compartment door.
"Midnight, come here kitty" Hermione said in a syrupy voice, as she reached down towards the cat. The kitten trotted towards Hermione and hopped up into her lap.
Ron leaned over towards Harry and whispered, "See, she's loving to all things."
The Weasley twins were wandering around looking for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to tell them about Draco and the cat. They finally found them all the way at the back of the express. They strolled in to the compartment still howling with laughter.
"What's so funny?" Harry questioned grouchily.
"He… (Laughter)… was (louder laughter)… hugging-"George snorted, and ended abruptly when he spied the little cat in Hermione's arms. Fred seemed to notice it too.
"Oh…er…TWIN MEETING." Fred called. They hurried out of the compartment and shut the door.
"It's the same cat!" George whispered.
"I know!"
"Do you think they know?"
"No, they hate Malfoy."
"My, my, my, I think we've found ourselves the perfect setup for a practical joke."
