School couldn't start soon enough. The last day, Kate hardly slept at all for anticipation. Certainly, she had enjoyed her time at home, but nothing quite compared to the excitement and constant adventure of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A groggy Mary Jane and Terence Slate drove her to King's Cross Station and saw her off with sincere hugs and kisses. Boarding the scarlet steam engine that would take her to the magical institution she so loved, she smiled lovingly at her parents and realized that she would miss them, but not too terribly much for now.
It took her little time to find Hermione sitting alone in a compartment, deeply engrossed in Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart.
"Hey there,"
Hermione jumped slightly. "Ooh! Hello, Kate," she beamed and closed her book over her thumb. "How were the rest of your holidays?"
As if to make an obvious point, Kate withdrew two massive textbooks from her tote bag.
"Where did you get those?" Hermione asked eagerly, brown eyes lighting up. "Are you taking… mathematics and A Beginner's Guide to French… what…?"
"My father," Kate said gloomily, taking a heavy seat across from her. "He doesn't think Hogwarts is teaching enough."
"It won't hurt for you to learn another language or math," Hermione took Kate's French textbook and flipped curiously through it. "I rather wish we had these classes at Hogwarts. Ooh, there is just so much to learn!"
"Hermione, I'm twelve years old," Kate sighed. "All I care about is enjoying myself right now and math isn't going to get me to education nirvana."
Hermione opened her mouth to say something when the door popped open and an anxious freckly face peered around hopefully.
"Hi Kate, Hermione," it was Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister.
"Hey Ginny," Kate said warmly, tugging her textbook out of Hermione's grasp.
"Can I sit in here with you?"
"'Course!" Kate welcomed, patting the seat next to her. "Where are that stupid brother of yours and his skinny little friend?"
"Harry?" Ginny blushed. "They're coming, I think,"
"Excited for school?" Kate asked.
Ginny nodded and looked at the door hopefully, brown eyes bright.
Kate quirked an eyebrow in Hermione's direction. Hermione simply shrugged and looked back down at her book. Looking back to Ginny, Kate caught sight of a small, black book.
"What's this?" Kate indicated what she was looking at.
Ginny's fingers tightened around it. "S'my diary,"
Kate grinned. "I admire that,"
"Sorry?" Ginny frowned.
"I don't have the willpower to keep a diary. That's really cool that you do,"
Ginny smiled uncertainly back.
"How long've you kept it for?"
"Just got it," Ginny explained. "In Diagon Alley. Then I thought it'd be fun to keep track of school, you know?"
"Yeah, that's a great idea, actually," Kate nodded. "When we've all grown up, you should read parts of it to us."
Ginny's smile faded slightly. "It's full of private things,"
Kate colored, feeling a bit guilty; she hadn't meant to suggest that Ginny should share her private thoughts. "I only meant your recordings of what people did, like Ron blowing up a cauldron or Hermione having a conniption when she got 19 out of 20 on a quiz."
"I would not have a conniption over that grade," Hermione sniffed, looking away from her book for a moment.
"Admit it, you'd try to kill yourself at least,"
"I would n-"
"Oh! Yeah, that… yeah, I like that idea," Ginny giggled.
Hermione pursed her lips and deliberately began reading again.
"I can't believe you're reading that rubbish over our conversation of hilarity," Kate remarked.
Hermione looked up, flushed and breathless. "This isn't rubbish! Gilderoy Lockhart is not only our professor, but an internationally acclaimed wizard!"
Kate shrugged. "He gives me a bad feeling. I think he's a self-absorbed, fraudulent, conniving scumbag."
"Tell us how you really feel," Ginny laughed.
"Of course he's a little self-absorbed," Hermione snapped. "He's famous, after all! Look at all of the great things he's done-"
"Just because it's written in a book doesn't prove a thing," Kate saw that Hermione was not in a good mood. "Oh, Hermione, I'm sorry. Please don't be cross. You know you're my chum of honor."
Hermione didn't speak.
"Please?" Kate batted her eyes.
"You look ridiculous, please stop that," Hermione cracked a smile none-the-less.
"Say you love me,"
"No,"
"Say it," Kate laughed. "Because I know it's true,"
Ginny was giggling again.
"Kate, I just want to read my book,"
"Fine, Ginny and I can stare at the beautiful door together,"
Ginny, who had been watching the sliding door again, blushed and turned away.
The three of them were jerked slightly as the train began to move. Dozens of adults and parents waved to their children from outside the window. Kate was somewhat glad that her own parents were not among them.
"Where are those two?" Hermione frowned, closing her book and looking out of the window as the train moved out of the station. "Do you think they went into another compartment?"
"Never," Kate shook her head confidently. "Well, maybe, but why would they?"
The scenery changed quickly to the out-of-doors.
"Would they go somewhere else?" Ginny asked, looking crestfallen.
"I doubt it," Kate frowned. "I'll go take a-"
"I'll go," Ginny was on her feet and out the door in next to no time.
"Wow," Kate and Hermione chimed.
"Think she's a bit eager?" Kate asked, pulling her legs up onto the chair underneath her.
"Just a bit," Hermione smiled. "I think she fancies Harry,"
"Good observation," Kate laughed.
Hermione grinned somewhat apologetically.
"So, how was your summer really? Anything exciting happen? How were your old friends?"
"Nothing exciting really," Hermione shrugged. "It was actually quite dull after I finished my homework. One of my old friends, Chelsea, came over for a bit, but it was hard to keep a conversation going, what with the statute and all."
Kate nodded. "Understood. Hey, did you do something with your hair?"
Hermione reached up. "I tried straightening it, with a straighten-er, but it didn't really work."
"It looks good,"
"Really? It's still curly,"
"Hermione, it's wavy right now, there's a difference,"
Hermione frowned.
Then Kate burst out laughing, "I can't believe I'm having a discussion about hair with you. You're not Parvati or Lavender."
It was Hermione's turn to laugh. "They do talk about that stuff a lot,"
They sat in a comfortable silence a for a few seconds.
"Ooh, do you know if it's true… do we select more classes at the end of this year?"
Kate frowned. "I think that's right, but I'm not sure,"
"That will be exciting," Hermione beamed. "It's almost like being entrusted with more responsibility by the staff, isn't it?"
"Or," Kate lifted an eyebrow shrewdly, "a way to torture students who dare pass second year."
The compartment door slid open and in came three very unwelcome people.
"So it's Slate and Granger without Potter and Weasley," Draco Malfoy sniggered. "Any idea where your pals are?"
"I'm assuming somewhere on the train," Kate said coolly, giving Malfoy and his bulky chums a cold glare.
"So you don't know," Malfoy smirked.
"I wish I didn't know where you were,"
"Manners, Slate," Malfoy motioned to Crabbe and Goyle, who started moving forward. "We wouldn't want to have to hurt you,"
Hermione's eyes were wide; she was frozen to her seat, book grasped between her hands. Kate started reaching for her tote bag, which had her wand encased cautiously inside. However, Goyle started reaching out for her arm. Kate leapt to her feet and backed away.
"Get the hell out of here," Kate snapped.
Hermione began to reach for her own wand, but Malfoy's wand was ready and with a quickly spat jinx, Hermione's limbs were immobile. Malfoy smirked in satisfaction and pocketed his wand again and turned back towards Kate. Inwardly, Kate swore to herself that she would keep her wand in easy access for the rest of her life.
"Come on now," Malfoy grinned, coming closer. "How about we fix all of this with a friendly handshake?"
Kate looked at Malfoy's proffered hand with a feeling a deep dread. A sense of claustrophobia began to overwhelm her as Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy advanced on her from all sides. Her back pressed firmly against the window.
"Go away," she hissed, heart pounding heavily.
"It's just a simple handshake,"
"Don't you dare touch me,"
Crabbe grabbed Kate's right wrist and squeezed. Kate gasped and tried to wrench away. She brought her left fist to slam into the rock that was Crabbe's arm. He didn't even flinch. Malfoy didn't touch her hand immediately, but studied it for a moment before tracing her pinky with his forefinger.
"Nice birthmark, Slate,"
Bubbling fury filled her gut and before she could even consider what she was doing, her foot flew out and she kicked Malfoy hard in the leg. He cursed and leaped back. Crabbe and Goyle let her go and went to their master just as the door opened to admit Ginny, Fred and George.
"What the hell-?"
"Let's get out of here," Malfoy grimaced, limping out of the compartment.
"Just you wait a minute-!" Fred reached out to grab Malfoy's robe from behind, but he evaded his gripand snuck away towards his own compartment, followed by his bulky mates, who Fred wasn't too interested in touching.
"What just happened?" George asked, as Fred glared down the corridor, Ginny standing ashen at his side.
Kate wasn't paying attention as she ripped her bag open and yanked out her wand. She turned to Hermione and spat the counter-jinx.
"Kate!" Hermione leaped to her feet.
"What the hell just happened?" George repeated, grabbing Kate's shoulders.
"I don't know," Kate admitted, breathing heavily.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Fred cried. "That wanker came in here and…?"
Kate tried to figure out what had happened. "He looked at my birthmark."
Fred and George exchanged looks. "Where's your birthmark?"
Kate showed them.
"Oh,"
"Why would he want to look at your birthmark?"
"I don't know,"
The five of them stood in silence.
"Well, that's just weird," George shrugged. "Watch out for that kid. He's from a bad family and I'm a horklump if he's not as bad as the rest of them."
"Anyway, we're here to say, we don't know where that stupid brother of ours is or Harry," Fred said, clapping a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "But we expect they're alright,"
Kate and Hermione frowned at one another.
The twins spent the rest of the ride in Kate's and Hermione's compartment to make sure that Malfoy didn't get any fresh ideas and return. The conversation started out strained, but managed to turn to more pleasant topics, like ways they would like to kill Malfoy. Kate came up with a technique involving toothpicks that Fred and George built off of until Ginny finished it with a bonfire. Hermione stayed quiet and buried herself back in her book, looking drawn and worried. Towards the end of the ride, the twins left to go get changed. After they had all changed and gotten off of the train, Hermione, Ginny and Kate got into a carriage drawn by invisible horses. They glanced around the crowd looking for any signs of Harry or Ron and failed to find any.
"Hey, Hermione, you okay?" Kate asked, as they began to roll along.
Hermione nodded. "Well, a little bothered," she said softly. "I should have gotten to my wand faster."
Kate made a strange noise like a laugh. "That's how I felt. I'm going to start keeping it strapped to a belt or something. That stupid little creep will get his before the year is over. So don't feel bad, 'kay?"
"Why would he want to see your birthmark, though?" Ginny asked, clutching her diary to her chest.
Kate shrugged and opened her hand. The three of them peered at it as though it would somehow reveal whatever secret Malfoy was hiding from them.
