The mid morning crowd of King's Cross Station swallowed them as they entered the massive building, a familiarity that came from traveling often. Harry expected the same comfort that always came from that familiarity but the apprehension remained heavy in his chest.
He hated it. There was no need to worry; he was well aware that there was no point in worrying. Everyone had reassured him multiple times that Sirius taking Harry as himself would be fine, that anything that could go wrong could be handled. But for Sirius to be at Harry's side with no hint of disguise or as the all too familiar large black dog was setting off every warning bell Harry had and he couldn't quiet them.
Sirius ruffled his hair, the trolley listing slightly to the right despite the weight of Harry's trunk. "You'll have a great time at Hogwarts, Harry. Don't you worry."
He offered Sirius a soft smile, one he knew Sirius would see as appreciation. Harry couldn't correct him. It would only lead to the same reassurance he had been getting for the last day of "it will be fine" and "nothing will happen" as if what they had been doing the last few years was no longer relevant.
Why did they have to call Remus in? Why couldn't they have left them alone for one more day?
Sirius led the way through the crowd and beyond the barricades leading to Platforms Nine, Ten, and Eleven. Sirius muttered, "This way," as he sharply turned the trolley around a group of people keeping Harry at his hip. It wasn't until they had already slipped through the barrier that Harry realized avoiding the group had not been Sirius's actual intent.
There was a slight coolness to the illusion as Harry stepped through but, beyond that, it was like the illusionary wall didn't exist. Glancing back, he caught sight of the wrought-iron archway with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it and the brick of an illusionary wall. Ahead of them, a scarlet steam engine waited next to the bustling platform. A sign overhead read 'Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock' as smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd. Cats of every color wound their way between the legs of passersby and owners, the assortment of meows mixing with the disgruntled sort of hoots coming from caged owls blending with the rest of the noise in a unique sort of cacophony of sound.
Harry's gaze strayed on the massive steam engine as Sirius guided him towards the passenger cars. Trains were not an unfamiliar sight but that didn't detract from the awe that filled Harry upon seeing the massive machinery.
The apprehension wasn't ebbing.
Sirius's footfall faltered beside him and slowed to a stop. It pulled Harry's attention from the train but when he looked up, all he saw was Sirius looking at something farther down the platform, a slight frown pulling at Sirius's lips. It took a moment for Sirius to realize Harry was staring at him. Sirius ruffled his hair but it was half hearted at best. "Sorry, Harry. Looks like I've got to go rub elbows with some folks. Why don't you go find an empty compartment and I'll bring you your trunk when I'm done."
"Ok," Harry said even as it felt like someone had shoved their fist somewhere between his heart and lungs. He tried to ignore how it made breathing difficult. He tried to ignore how it pressed at his throat, itching like a scream he wasn't going to release. This wasn't a new situation. There had been plenty of times previously where one of his guardians had sent him on ahead to find their cabin or seats. Everything would be fine just like those other times and he would see Sirius again before the train left. He knew Sirius would come back.
That didn't stop it from feeling substantial when the crowd finally swallowed Sirius several meters away.
Harry knew he ought to be looking for a compartment before they all filled but his feet remained in place and his gaze would not leave the point where Sirius had vanished. The desire to move was there but it felt oddly safer if he didn't move.
The platform was full of motion, people coming and going all around him in a swirl of bodies. Beyond the point he was staring at, it was a hypnotic kaleidoscope of colors that eased the fist between his heart and lungs. He wasn't sure why the movement at the other passenger car door drew his attention - maybe it was the red hair standing out in a sea of muted colors; or maybe it was because it had been abnormal, different than the rest of the drifting crowd in the way the motion had been quick and sharp in contrast - but he found himself watching two identical redheads hunker against the side of the train snickering. They were chest to back and leaning forward so much, it almost looked like they were stacked on top of each other. Their bodies faced Harry with their right shoulders firmly against the train but their attention was on the people coming off the train as if they were waiting for someone specific.
Unconsciously, curiosity nudged Harry's feet forward until he became aware of his own motion barely a few steps away and forced himself to stop.
The bottom redhead glanced at Harry and tension shot through Harry's body at the eye contact, uncertainty and a different sort of apprehension now thick in his body. The bottom redhead only raised a finger to grinning lips and turned their focus back towards the train.
Not even a breath later, a new redhead that could pass as the duo's sibling stepped off the train talking to someone still in the stairwell. The duo lit up. They waited until the new redhead had made it a few steps away from the train before pouncing.
The new redhead gave a shout before grabbing at the pair. The new redhead missed and was left to shout after the cackling duo disappearing into the crowd. "Fred! George!" the new redhead bellowed. "Get back here and apologize this instant!"
An unfamiliar hand settled on Harry's shoulder.
Instinct immediately dropped his shoulder out from under the contact, his body turning with the momentum to face whoever had touched him. It took two large steps back for him to feel as if he had his space back. Unfortunately it also put him too close to the door and he was forced to take a step towards the stranger.
To his relief, the stranger was already uttering an apology that mirrored the apologetic look plastered across the stranger's face. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to make sure you were ok and didn't need any help." The stranger offered a hand, a sheepish smile settling into that apologetic look. "I'm Cedric Diggory, Third Year Hufflepuff. You're a First Year, right?"
Harry nodded slowly even as he automatically reached out and shook Cedric Diggory's hand. Practice had ingrained the good grip Sirius always encouraged - even Severus and Remus had confirmed it would leave a good impression on people - and there was a faint curiosity of whether or not Cedric Diggory would notice. "Harry; and I'm ok. Thank you, though."
Surprise filled Cedric's face and for one heart stopping moment, Harry thought he'd done something wrong. It had not escaped his notice that his guardians adapted their greetings to the regions they visited and Harry had simply followed suit. It always felt like a betrayal to Tanner to not include his pronouns - not to mention it just felt weird - but that didn't change the fact that this was not the place for such things. Nor was saying his full name. He didn't have the luxury of having his guardians around to protect him from the onslaught that would surely follow if people found out he was that Harry.
Before he could do anything about his growing concern, Cedric grinned at him big and bright. "You lived abroad, didn't you?" Harry's confusion must have shown because Cedric clarified, "It's your accent. It's not overly obvious so don't fret about it too much. I have a friend who has a similar accent - thicker, mind you - so it's really the only reason why I picked up on it." Cedric opened his mouth to add more but something over Harry's head briefly caught the other's attention. "Are you sure you don't need any help?" Harry nodded again. Cedric's shoulders relaxed and Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know why Cedric was relieved. "Then I best be off. It was nice to meet you, Harry." Cedric offered a hand to Harry again, grinning once more. "If you ever need any help, come find me even if you end up in a different House."
"I will. It was nice to meet you, too, Cedric." Harry shook Cedric's hand and watched the other head towards the back of the train and disappear into the crowd.
The platform was fuller now. Out of habit, Harry turned and entered the passenger car. One glance up the train showed a thick crowd of students milling about and Harry quickly turned right in hopes of finding someplace less crowded. He should have walked along the outside of the train. The corridors were not meant to have so many bodies passing through or pausing in doorways to chat with familiar faces. The air quickly became hot and stagnant and it was all Harry could do to keep moving. It would get better as long as he kept moving. All he had to do was find a compartment and he would be fine. But the mass of bodies in the hallway pressed in on him and the air was growing too thick. He just had to keep moving. If he kept going-
A body cut him off not for the first time. Irritated by everything and very much just wanting to find someplace where he could block the world out, he tore his gaze from knee level to glare at whoever had stopped in front of him. He blinked, immediately losing the glare as he found one of the redhead duo standing before him. There was an odd tightness to the edge of their curious expression. "Looking for an empty compartment?" Harry nodded slowly. That tightness could be just about anything on a stranger's face but it reminded him of how concern showed on Severus's face. "Car Four should still have one. Oi, Fred. Reckon we could help him find one?"
"Don't see why not," came from right behind Harry. His gaze immediately flickered back to pinpoint where the other of the duo was standing and, sure enough, Fred was standing right behind him. Surprisingly, the duo was managing to keep a body's width between themselves and Harry in the bustling corridor. It created a much needed buffer from the pressing crowd. "Lead on, George. I'll make sure our new friend doesn't get swept away."
The space between him and the two didn't last long; the throng of people got too thick at pinch points. Being up against George's back was much more desirable than being jostled by the crowd. Even Fred's hand on his shoulder was appreciated rather than unnerving.
Car Four was emptier in comparison but it was still busy. George walked right past the first compartment without glancing in before opening the door to the second compartment. With a flourished turn and a rather deep bow, George stuck an arm into the doorway of the compartment, grinning. "Your coach, my liege."
Confusion and amusement bubbled up and pulled his lips into an awkward little smile. He stepped up to the door. The compartment was indeed empty and he relished in the space he now had as he entered the small room fully. He offered the duo a proper smile and an honest, "Thank you. I'm Harry."
"I'm Fred," George replied.
"And I'm George," Fred added without missing a beat. Harry's confusion must have crossed his face because Fred-now-George was quick to grin and add, "Don't fret about it."
"No one can tell us apart," George-now-Fred offered with a softer grin, that tightness still present at the edges of George-now-Fred's expression.
"So we go with it."
"And keep people on their toes."
Fred-now-George winked at him. "Don't worry about trying to remember who's who."
George-now-Fred's grin seemed to gain a sharper edge. "No one can."
That sounded like an awful thing. Harry nodded, put out by the prospect of following their encouragement but unable to verbalize it. Instead, a polite, "Thank you again," slipped off his tongue.
"Any time," the two chorused before leaving.
Fred moved to close the door as the duo left but something in the hallway caused Fred to step away leaving it open. To Harry's delight, Sirius stepped into view just before Fred stepped fully out of sight.
"I see you've met two of Arthur and Molly's boys," Sirius commented, entering with Harry's trunk floating along behind him. Sirius guided the trunk up into the luggage rack before a muttered finite brought the trunk back under gravity's hold. "There we go. We stuck a few things in there to keep you busy if you need entertainment and some food in case you need something different than what the food trolley will have." Sirius pulled out a tiny sack that fit nicely into Harry's palm when he took it from Sirius. "That's for the food trolley when it rolls by. Buy something even if you don't eat it right away. That money is for spending and we want you to have fun on this trip."
That 'we' weighed heavily on Harry as he nodded, stowing the tiny bag under several things in his trunk. Harry didn't realize the pause had been awkward until Sirius cleared his throat. "Harry. When I was talking with some folks outside, I met a few I hadn't seen in a very long time. One of them asked me to help find her niece and her niece's friend a compartment since she herself could not stay to see the two off. Is it alright if they stay in here with you?"
"Of course." Why was Sirius asking? Certainly Sirius knew that the compartment was going to have more than just Harry in it for the rest of the train ride. The compartments weren't private in the same way other trains handled it; there hadn't been a compartment number on his ticket like there normally would have been.
The grin that filled Sirius's expression carried Sirius's relief. Had Sirius really thought Harry would have said no? Sirius ruffled his hair. "You're a good kid, Harry." The contact was gone the moment Sirius's words ended and Sirius stepped back into the hallway. "You two can join this compartment if you want." Sirius turned to face Harry but didn't re-enter the compartment. Instead, two kids Harry's age did. "Harry, this is Susan," Sirius gestured to the first one that entered, "and Hannah. Susan, Hannah, this is Harry, my Godson." Hannah offered Harry a small wave as Susan sat down in the seat next to the window opposite Harry's trunk. "You three get to know each other while I grab your trunks and bring them in."
Hannah sat down at Susan's side, looking between Susan and Harry. Susan had a shrewd look while looking Harry over. Harry sat down opposite Susan in hopes that it would help her impression of him be a good one.
Finally, Susan's gaze settled on Harry's face, though it flickered towards the left side and his hairline briefly. "You're The Harry Potter, aren't you?" His breath caught for a moment as anticipation shot through his chest. He gave a slow nod. She gave a sharp nod in return, continuing, "They always talk about how there's a scar on your forehead that looks like a lightning bolt but they never mention the actual extent of it. If you hid the lightning bolt on your forehead, no one would know who you were."
Bewildered silence followed Susan's statement. That was the most normal seeming response upon someone discovering who he was he had ever witnessed and he had witnessed a fair few despite his guardians' attempts at keeping him oblivious.
Hannah was quick to break it, hands finding Susan's arm as she squeaked, "Susan!"
Whatever she was going to add to it was disrupted by Sirius reappearing, this time with two trunks floating behind him. "Here you are, girls. Both of your trunks."
Hannah hopped up like she had been electrocuted and quickly scrambled to Harry's side of the compartment. Susan didn't move. Instead, she calmly watched Sirius levitate both trunks into the luggage rack above her head.
Sirius glanced between the children before he settled his gaze on Harry. Hannah hurried back to her seat, tugging at Susan's arm even before she had sat down. Sirius crossed to Harry, ruffling his hair one last time. "You should be all set. If you need anything, you know how to reach me or the others and I'll see you in October."
Harry got up and wrapped his arms around Sirius's middle. It hurt in a way he couldn't really describe when Sirius's arms wrapped him up in a hug so tight, it threatened to steal all the air out of his lungs. He didn't want to let go.
Sirius stepped back after what had to have been a long minute but felt like barely a second to Harry. With a quick kiss to the top of Harry's head and a muttered, "Love you," Sirius was gone from the compartment as a whistle cut through the air.
"That's the warning whistle," Hannah spoke into the stillness. Harry blinked and looked to his two compartment companions. Hannah was wrapped around Susan's arm. "We'll be leaving the station soon."
Harry sat back down. Silence returned to the compartment despite the influx of noise in the hallway. It was quickly filled by Susan asking, "So have you looked anything up about yourself?"
"Susan!" Hannah said sharply, tugging on Susan's arm. "Stop pestering him. It's rude."
"I'm not pestering him. Everyone is going to know who he is once we get to Hogwarts and I'd much rather ask him all this now instead of when everyone else is pestering him. It's not like I'm asking after things I shouldn't like others will."
"But it's not nice!"
"It's ok," Harry said. "I don't mind." Hannah looked upset at his acceptance of the situation but he turned his gaze back to Susan. "And no, I haven't."
"Why not?" Susan asked.
Harry shrugged. "Never thought about it." He glanced between the two of them. If she was asking questions, there was no reason why he couldn't, too. "You two been friends long?"
"Only for two years but we're definitely aiming to make it at least ten," Susan answered with a grin. Hannah's cheeks turned a faint pink as she pressed her face into the side of Susan's shoulder. A bit more subdued, Susan explained, "My auntie met her parents through work a long while ago but we only met two years ago. We've been friends ever since."
Hannah leaned forward as if she had a big secret to share, the faint pink still dusting her cheeks. "Susan's aiming to be like her Aunt and join the Ministry when we're done with Hogwarts."
Susan rolled her eyes though a blush had filled her cheeks. "You say that like it's a deal. Besides, I have to get good enough grades for that and there's no telling how bad I'll be at school."
"You won't be bad," Hannah countered, looking appalled at the thought.
"Your aunt works in the Ministry?" Harry asked.
"Yeah. She's-"
A knock on the door frame cut through Susan's statement and all three looked to see a lanky redhead standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Can I join you?" the new person asked. "Everywhere else is full."
"Sure," Susan said before Hannah or Harry could say anything. She stood, facing the redhead more fully. "Do you have a trunk with you?"
The redhead stepped aside, revealing a rather battered looking trunk. Harry and Hannah got to their feet and, between the four of them, managed to heft the battered trunk into the luggage rack next to Harry's as the train shuddered. Harry glanced out the window to find the platform slowly sliding to the left. If Sirius was in the crowd of waving parents and guardians, Harry couldn't pick him out easily. He gave a small wave to the crowd sliding by even if Sirius wouldn't see it.
October couldn't come soon enough.
"Thanks. I'm Ron Weasley," the redhead said, plopping down into the seat next to Harry's.
"Susan Bones," Susan stated simply.
"I'm Hannah," Hannah replied happily, taking her seat again.
"Harry."
Ron turned all of his attention to Susan. "You don't happen to be related to Amelia Bones from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, are you?"
"She's my aunt," Susan answered, her words terse and defensive. "Why?"
Ron shook his head. "My dad works at the Ministry too; Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. He's mentioned her a few times. Mentioned she had a niece too, not that I remembered the name."
"You're one of those Weasleys, then." Ron looked offended at how she had said it and she was quick to amend with, "My aunt talks a lot about your dad. He's a good man. She's mentioned your brother before but I don't remember his name. Works with curses mainly; they've needed his assistance a few times."
"That would be Bill. Charlie works with dragons and they're the only two working right now. The rest of us are still at Hogwarts or too young to work yet." Ron looked between Hannah and Harry. "What about you two? Any family in the Ministry?"
Harry wasn't actually sure if Severus counted as a Ministry employee, or if Ron would know of him, but Susan cut in before Harry could figure out an answer. "How many siblings do you have, Ron?" It was very obvious she was keeping the topic on Ron. Harry wasn't sure if that was for Hannah's benefit or his. Probably Hannah's. She knew Hannah better, after all. "I've heard the Weasleys were a large family. How many are at Hogwarts?"
Ron frowned at her. "I've got three older brothers at Hogwarts and a younger sister who will be a First Year next year. Makes for seven of us and mom and dad. Why?"
"I saw a pair of redheads harass a third on the platform. Not saying all redheads are related but they were the same tall, lanky, and freckled as you."
"Oi, there you are Ron." Everyone jumped at the sudden voice. Standing in the doorway were Fred and George, both with mischievous grins on their faces. "Listen, we're going up the train-" "Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula."
"Right," mumbled Ron.
Hannah scooted forward on her seat. "A real tarantula?"
Ron squirmed in his seat as the duo's grins turned genuinely happy. "Yeah!" "Want to come see it with us?"
Hannah was up out of her seat before the question was even finished. She paused, turning to Susan but gained a wave. "Go see the big spider," Susan encouraged, nonchalant. "I'm staying here."
Hannah nearly skipped out into the hallway as one of the duo said, "See you guys around," before closing the door.
Susan's gaze landed on Ron, a calculated sort of glint in her gaze. "Don't like spiders?"
Ron gave a full body shudder. "Not in the slightest."
Susan looked at Harry and Harry offered honestly, "I don't mind them. I've handled tarantulas before but I prefer snakes and reptiles over insects and arachnids; I know how to care for them better."
Ron leaned away from him in the familiar repulse Harry was used to getting from other kids but Susan leaned forward with interest, a rather rare reaction. Something about the way she focused on him reminded Harry of Sr. Ribeiro. "Do you keep any?"
Harry shook his head. "I would help a neighbor with the reptiles he rescued and rehabilitated. Most were adopted out but he's sold the occasional few."
"Why don't you own one yourself?"
"I'm not old enough to take care of a pet like a snake or lizard," Harry said simply. Not to mention he just didn't like the idea of housing something in a tank even if Sr. Ribeiro said that the reptiles didn't mind as long as they were in properly curated, properly sized tanks. He didn't like being holed up in his room so he couldn't imagine another creature enjoying that either.
To his surprise, Susan seemed angered by that, rolling her eyes as she settled back into her seat. "That same old argument. We're eleven. We're old enough to take care of a pet."
"But it is true," Harry quickly countered, bewildered. His voice stayed steady and matter-of-fact as he explained, "I don't have a job so I can't buy the supplies or take the creature to the doctor when it needs professional help. And I'm eleven; that kind of responsibility is for when I'm not filling my time playing and learning."
Susan's face scrunched up in frustration. "They've brainwashed you too, then."
That seemed unfair but Harry could tell it would be futile to try and convince her otherwise. Yes he was repeating Remus, Sirius, and Severus's words but that didn't mean he was brainwashed. He truly believed their words. He'd seen how much work it takes to care for another creature from helping Sr. Ribeiro and had experienced it himself by helping out. Still, though, he asked cautiously, "What kind of pet do you want?"
"A dog," she answered readily. "Or a cat. I would have been ok with a cat. Could have brought a cat along with me to Hogwarts but even that wasn't enough to convince my auntie to let me get one. And there was the cutest tabby in the Diagon Alley pet shop window when we had gone for my school supplies. But really I want a dog again and my auntie's being stupid about it."
If there was a way to console her, Harry didn't know what it was. He was fairly certain mentioning Snuffles would only make her misery worse. So, instead, he let her be and looked to Ron. "Do you have any pets at home?"
Ron blinked at him as if he hadn't expected Harry to ask him a question. "I've got a rat." Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat, sleeping gray rat. "He was Percy's before my parents bought him an owl for being made Prefect but they couldn't aff- so they gave me Scabbers." He raised the rat briefly at the name, his ears going pink. The rest of his words tumbled out in a rush, "He's useless; hardly ever wakes up."
The trio was saved from an awkward silence by the compartment door sliding open. A cluster of older Years were at the door but the one that had opened the door seemed startled to find people in the compartment. A quick glance around and they offered a cheeky grin and a quick, "Wrong compartment."
The person stepped back and the cluster shifted. Cedric - whether caught in it or having been part of the cluster - caught sight of Harry and waved. "Hi Harry!"
Harry returned the wave as the door slid closed and the cluster moved on.
"Who was that?" Susan asked.
"Cedric Diggory. I met him on the platform. He's a Third Year Hufflepuff."
"He seems like a Hufflepuff," Ron commented. "All nice and stuff."
Susan scoffed. "Just because someone's nice doesn't automatically make them a Hufflepuff."
"Uh, yeah. It usually does."
Harry jumped in, asking Ron, "what House are your brothers in?"
"Gryffindor. Why?"
"Fred and George helped me find an empty compartment earlier, which they didn't have to do. Wouldn't that make them Hufflepuffs for being nice?"
Ron scrunched up his face. "Well, they're not nice. They were just doing that to get you to trust them so that they can prank you later."
Susan's eyebrow rose at that. "That sounds more Slytherin than Gryffindor to me."
Ron looked aghast at the thought.
"It kind of does," Harry agreed, "if you are limiting certain things to a specific House."
Ron turned a distrusting glare onto Harry. "What do you mean?"
"The different Houses have different traits assigned to them, right? Gryffindors are brave, Hufflepuffs are kind, Ravenclaws are smart, and Slytherins are cunning; and because of that, people who are a part of the House are seen as just that trait but that doesn't mean they can't be like the other Houses."
"Yes it does." Ron crossed his arms defiantly. "You are only one House."
Harry wasn't sure Ron had understood what he had said. "I know a Gryffindor and Slytherin who could have easily been in Ravenclaw for their smarts alone. I know a Slytherin who is kind and brave even if others can't see it. I know a Gryffindor who is cunning and sneaky but also kind. No one House holds claim to any trait."
Ron shook his head but didn't say anything as Susan spoke up. "More brainwashing?"
Harry shrugged, unfazed but disheartened at her challenge. "It sounds right to me. I've been brave and kind and smart and cunning and certainly you two have been, too. Wouldn't that mean we would be in every House or no House at all?"
"What have you been the most, though?" Susan asked. Again, Harry shrugged. She crossed her arms putting on an air of importance. "Well, there you go. We can't know because we haven't been placed into our House yet. I will definitely be in Gryffindor. That's the best one to be in to get into the Ministry without being corrupt like the Slytherins."
"My entire family's been in Gryffindor," Ron muttered, though the look of displeasure could have been from earlier. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."
Ron shuddered as Susan asked, "What about you, Harry? What House will you be in?"
"Most of my family was in Gryffindor but one of my guardians was in Slytherin." He gave them both a sharp look when they reacted negatively to that. "He's a good person. You don't get to react like that to him without knowing him."
"But Harry, he's a Slytherin," Ron said vehemently. "They're bad wizards."
"Not all of them."
Susan leaned forward, her expression serious. "But most of them are. You can't trust Slytherins, Harry."
That was unfair. That was beyond unfair but there was nothing he could do beyond repeating himself over and over until he was hoarse. He trusted Severus as much as he trusted Remus and Sirius. He would trust a Slytherin if they were like Severus.
Hannah returned in the middle of the lull, beaming and unfazed by the energy in the room. Plopping down next to Susan, she happily asked, "What were we talking about?"
"Hogwarts Houses," Susan informed her.
"Oooo!" Hannah exclaimed. "I have no idea what House I'll be in. Hopefully a good one. I heard that two of the Houses are in the castle towers. Do you think they can see the Quidditch pitch? I wonder if you can watch a game from a distance."
Quidditch immediately became the topic of discussion in the compartment. Harry didn't really understand the obsession people had with Quidditch but the topic seemed like one everyone could talk about without getting too heated in a bad way. It reminded him of football; while he understood how to play and could, he didn't get why people got so heated about a group of people running around a field kicking a ball into framed nets. Still, he contributed to the conversation when he could but was content listening to the others debate which professional team was the best.
It quickly became apparent that Hannah knew even less than Harry did about professional Quidditch so Harry popped open his trunk and grabbed a few of the things his guardians had stashed to pass the time.
Harry and Susan swapped seats. He played one of the simpler card games Tanner had taught him with Hannah while Ron and Susan continued talking about Quidditch, the fresh box of crayons and colored pencils open between them. They both had a coloring page from Harry's new coloring book and, while Susan recognized everything, Ron had been intrigued by the nonmagic art supplies.
The card game lasted until the food trolley came by. A smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and asked, "Anything off the cart, dears?"
"Yes please," Susan said, scrambling to her feet and into the corridor.
Hannah finished her turn before stepping out as well, a look of excitement on her face.
Harry moved to his trunk and rooted around for his little bag of spending money only to notice Ron hadn't gotten up. The redhead was looking rather put out. "Are you not getting anything?" Harry asked as his trunk clicked shut. He tucked his little bag in his pocket as he returned to the middle of the compartment.
Ron looked up at him but the smile Ron gave wasn't quite right. "I'm all good," he said, pulling out a lumpy package. He unwrapped it revealing four sandwiches inside. He pulled one apart. "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."
"Do you want anything?" Ron started to shake his head no but Harry simply added, "I don't want to just randomly buy you something. I don't know what's available and what you'd like."
Ron stared at him. "You're…going to buy me something off the cart."
"If you want something. I've got enough to buy us both what we want."
Susan stuck her head back into the compartment. "If it'll get you eating something, I'll even pitch in."
Ron was up and at the cart faster than Harry could have said chocolate frog.
The cart was well stocked but very little drew Harry's interest. In the end, he bought a few chocolate frogs, a pumpkin pasty, and a cauldron cake where Ron picked a little bit of everything. Ron happily carried his haul back into the compartment looking loads better than moments before.
Susan frowned down at the few coins in her hand. "I didn't bring much with me," Harry heard her muttering to herself.
He gently nudged her arm with his, offering, "Pay for yours. I've got Ron."
"But that's almost a whole galleon for the both of you," Susan countered in a harsh whisper. "I can't let you cover all of that. Your guardians would be so pissed."
Harry offered her a weak smile and an even softer, "It's fine. I was lucky and was given plenty."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. I've got it."
Susan paid for her collection of treats before Harry handed over eleven sickles and seven knuts. Harry closed the compartment door as he returned to his seat. He swapped all but two chocolate frogs for the soft lunch bag in his trunk. Susan and Hannah watched him with interest.
"What's that?" Hannah asked before shoving a whole pumpkin pasty into her mouth.
"I was sent with food like Ron was." He opened the bigger pocket of the bag to find six containers of varying sizes tucked into it. He could make out grapes in one of the smaller containers and immediately grabbed it along with the sandwiches and potato chips containers. Opening the top, smaller compartment he found two thermoses. To his delight, he found soda happily bubbling away inside one and his favorite juice in the other. He tucked the thermos of juice in among the three containers before returning the lunch bag to his trunk. He settled back into his seat and offered an open container of grapes to Hannah with a questioning, "Grape?" She glanced at the other two before happily popping a few in her mouth. Harry offered the container to both Ron and Susan, too, but only Susan plucked a few from within the container. Hannah easily ate half of Harry's grapes as he left them accessible to her.
It wasn't until he was nearly done with his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that Susan spoke up. "Harry, why do you have a whole bag of food?"
Harry popped the last corner of his sandwich into his mouth, looking from her to the other two. Ron was listening but didn't seem overly curious while Hannah was just as attentive as Susan was to his answer. He drank the last of his juice to clear his mouth. "We travel a lot and since there isn't always a guarantee of actual food between destinations, it's kind of a habit to always take food with us. I think they mostly wanted to make sure I actually ate something on the train instead of waiting until dinner to eat something."
"That makes sense," Hannah said, wide eyed. "I'll have to mention that to my parents when I write to them tonight. They're going to feel so silly having not thought of that themselves."
"What about the trip home, though?" Susan pointed out.
"I can clean the containers and just grab something from breakfast the morning of the trip back."
"Sounds like a lot of work when there's food on the train," Ron said around a mouth full of cauldron cake.
"It is," Harry agreed, looking at the containers he had to put back. "But I definitely appreciate being able to have more than pumpkin pasties and cauldron cakes to eat so I think it's worth it."
"Isn't that stuff illegal, though?" Ron asked. "I mean, that's muggle stuff, ain't it? And we're not supposed to magic anything muggle in case it ends up in muggle hands."
"None of this is magic made or spelled." The others wore some variety of skepticism. Something bitter bit into him, making his face feel like it was starting to burn from a sunburn. "We went to a nonmagic store and bought them there. My guardians didn't put any spells on them."
An irregular, faint knock cut through the conversation before the compartment door opened. A round-faced kid that was probably their Year stood in the doorway looking tearful. "Sorry, but have any of you seen a toad?" the stranger asked. When they all answered in some variation of no, that tearful look turned distraught. "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"
"He'll turn up," Harry said.
Hannah quickly added, "He can't have gone too terribly far, after all."
"Yeah." The stranger didn't look reassured. "Well, if you see him…"
The stranger closed the door as the sentence was left incomplete. Hannah squirmed in her seat looking nearly as distraught as the stranger had. "Oh, I do hope he finds his toad. Losing a pet must be terrible."
"If I had a toad, I would have lost it long before I got onto the train," Ron commented, seemingly uncaring as he opened a chocolate frog.
"I don't see you ditching Scabbers," Susan countered sharply.
Harry was startled to hear the venom in Susan's voice. He glanced at Hannah in surprise as Ron spluttered for a hot second. Hannah offered him a weak smile and leaned forward, offering quietly, "Susan's family had had a dog when she was growing up. It died a while back so pets are often a touchy subject."
That explained the pet conversation earlier too. When Harry returned his attention to Ron and Susan, they were both turned away from the other, arms crossed and fuming. "Do either of you know how to play chess?" The non-sequential question distracted them enough from their anger to give him affirming nods. "I have a new chess set. Do you two want to break it in for me? I want to color for a bit."
"Oh! Can I color something too, Harry?" Hannah asked, effectively nullifying any remaining anger between the two on the other seat. "I haven't colored with crayons in years!"
"Of course." Harry stood. "Ron, trade me seats."
The anger may have gone but the hostility was still there. Harry could tell by how aggressive the game was but at least the two had a healthy outlet to let that hostility out. Ron had been a little miffed - and probably a bit confused - at the sight of the nonmagical chess set but when Susan made the first move, Ron forgot all about his troubles with having to move the pieces by hand.
"I want some liquorice," Hannah commented a handful of minutes later. Or maybe it was nearly an hour later, seeing as Harry had been too engrossed in his coloring to pay any attention to time. "Ron, did you get any?"
"Ate it all," Ron commented absentmindedly, still very focused on the chess board between him and Susan.
"I can go get you some," Harry offered, standing. With his focus broken, he was now acutely aware of the fact that he was feeling cramped and the idea of going after the food trolley sounded like a nice walk. "I want some more sweets anyways."
"Let me get you some money, then," Hannah said, putting her coloring page aside.
Harry waved her off as he opened the compartment door. "You can pay me back later. I'll be back."