Hogwarts Express

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The first day of September had arrived and thanks to her dreams she knew where 9 ¾ was and the children she was destined to meet. The Dursleys' in a hurry to get rid of her for the next 10 months dropped her off at 830 this morning. She has been sitting in an empty cabin for nigh on 2 hours waiting for people to show up. She found the perfect view to watch the entrance of the platform as well as the floo so she could see all those that arrived.

The first ones to arrive was the blonde from the alley she met with the professor, along with what looked like his friends, a family of boxers with boys who looked like twins, a nasty looking black haired female who slightly reminded her of ripper the bulldog, and a long hair blonde with what looked like a princess dress. Their arrival must have triggered an alarm to allow entry because the next she knew the platform flooded with older children. She watched everyone group together and wait around to find their friends, the snobbish group that arrived first was standing off to the side chatting while very subtly watching the brick entrance. Maybe they were waiting for her because she promised the blonde boy.

She shrugged and continued watching everyone. She was hardly interrupted and when she was she just let them know that her friends were arriving soon. She heard a loud blaring noise from the front of the chain announcing it was time to load. She saw a red-headed family rush through the brick entrance arguing with their mom about something animatedly. She made sure her dress was still unwrinkled and clean, no way was she going to meet Heir Malfoy's friends with dust on her dress.

Today for her outfit she chose a cute light green tea dress with a pleated chest with bell sleeves that taper off to the edge of her elbows. Aunt Petunia's obsession with normal clothing translated into 50's clothing with modern prints and colors. Most of her clothing had been gently used and bought from a second-hand store but with her artistic abilities, she was able to fit and trim the clothing to her body frame to make them fit properly giving her a genteel look.

She was getting anxious thinking that she would be sitting alone when both Heir Malfoy and the youngest ginger appeared at her door. Knowing from her dreams over the last few days that these two boys shouldn't interact she moved quickly to intersect them. Turning to address the ginger boy she gave a smile when she noticed that he had a soot smudge on his cheek and his hair was ruffled.

"Hi, I'm Hellebore." She leans in to whisper, "You have something on your cheek." She gave a gentle smile but with a snicker from Heir Malfoy the ginger stormed off. "Heir Malfoy, welcome, I was thinking you might have changed your mind." She gave a slight tip of her head and moved out of the doorway to allow him and his friends in. The twin boxers gave a little growl, while the blonde princess lifted her chin and gave a slight dip, the brunette girl with a smushed nose gave a humph like she didn't like what she saw as the light brown-haired boy gave her a dip of his head.

Thankfully the cabins had charms on them that allowed for expansion as the people entered given that she was trying to fit seven people in one cabin. Making sure there was no one else around she turned to find herself being regarded with cool indifference, feigned interest, and outright curiosity, with a tiny sigh she prepared to be interrogated.

"Heiress Potter, this is Heir Nott (the light brown-haired boy), Heiress Parkinson (black haired girl with the nose) Heiress Greengrass (blonde princess) Heirs Crabb and Goyle, guys this is the girl I was telling you I met with Uncle Severus." Given the slightly shocked to widened eyes around the group, she was suspecting that she was blowing everyone's mind in the expectations department.

She gives them a firm courtesy and a little tilt of her head "Hello everyone. How do you do?" She began to feel uncomfortable with being stared at for a while before someone cleared their throats with a little cough. Once the ice was broken tensions began to rise with the sly snides being thrown her way. While she doesn't engage in political movements of the art world, she had been taught how to navigate the landmines a child artist prodigy would find herself in with the muggle political climate so she felt quite deft at handling these few heirs and heiresses.

"Well Heiress Potter, I do hope you know how to handle being back in our world. It is a different place at Hogwarts. No one here will be protecting you if things don't go your way." Pansy said a little coldly.

"No worries, Heiress Parkinson. I haven't been able to get my way since I started developing my talents. I am sure I can manage just fine." Helli gave a Mona Lisa smile and turned to Malfoy.

"I didn't know Professor Snape was your uncle, Heir Malfoy. It was very lovely of him to take me to Diagon Alley. My...family was... away on business at the time of my letter and were unable to take me." More like unwilling, given that they all hated the stuff she was able to do and that the only reason life wasn't worse was because she supplied them with a luxurious lifestyle.

She caught a few sly looks between the group as she spoke but didn't acknowledge the communication. It's not like she didn't already come off stranger than normal.

"I'm sorry…are you telling us that your family wasn't excited about your letter?" Heir Nott asked.

"My family are muggles. They didn't want anything with magic. Given that they hardly spent much time with me as it is, it didn't really surprise me when they didn't care." Helli responded with a shrug at the look of shock on most everyone's face and looked confusedly at Malfoy, again noticing the slight look of discomfort on his face, " Why is that shocking? I am sure there are others who are magical who don't have magic parents, right?"

" You're Hellebore Potter!"," You had magical parents. You should have been raised in the Wix world!" Both Nott and Parkinson exclaimed offendedly. She knew of a sort why they were astonished, she had read up on herself after all, but she wasn't expecting such a dramatic reaction from this group of ice nobles. It looked like she might like Nott and Greengrass over Malfoy and Parkinson. The boxing twins, Crabb and Goyle, hadn't even acknowledged her as they entered the cabin and have yet to look in her direction or contribute to the conversation.

At this point there was a knock on the door, sliding it open, she found the ginger was back. "Hi, Hellebore! Thanks for telling me about the soot. I'm Ron -" a cool nasally voice interrupts, "I think we can guess, red hair, and a hand-me-down robe you must be a Weasley." Ron flushes with anger and scoffs "Blond hair, expensive robes, upturned nose, and snotty attitude. You must be a Malfoy."

With a tilt of his head Heir Malfoy responds, "Draco Malfoy to be exact."- and slams the door in poor Ron's face - turning back to Hellebore he said haughtily, "You'll find some families are better than others, Potter. Stick with us and we will help you keep with the right sorts."

Hellebore gave him a raised eyebrow look and in a tone dripping with ice responds, "I've been able to tell the right sort for a while, thanks. It's kept me pretty safe at my expeditions." A flash of emotion turned Heir Malfoy's eyes from cool grey to molten silver. She knew he didn't appreciate her comment but she didn't appreciate being told who she could and couldn't talk to. Given this, she decided to leave the cabin with a quick excuse about needing the loo.

When she had escaped the ice heirs she went exploring the other cabins. Most everyone her age was one or two minds, excited about the journey or scared. For what, she couldn't gather, everyone, - but (from what she learns they were called) muggle-borns - had some kind of expectations of what house they would be joining.

Hellebore didn't know what house her parents were in, but from the dreams, she figured she was supposed to go to Gryffindor. Letting herself into a cabin with a couple of kids her age she injured another question first this time with warmer faces.

"Hi, could I impose on you? This first group I was supposed to be with was a little volatile. I'm Hellebore by the way. What're your names?" she greeted with an extended hand. The brown-haired boy who looked skittish immediately flushed upon hearing her name and then the long bushy-haired girl let out a small squeal. "I've read about you! You were in a couple of my supportive reading pamphlets. Is it really true you survived a dark curse? I have been reading extra books to understand this new world a lot of things are confusing at the moment. Thankfully Neville here has been helping me by answering some questions. I'm Hermione Granger by the way and this is Neville Longbottom."

This was a shock. This was the first time she had been asked about that night. Everyone usually only wanted to see the scar. Blinking rapidly, she gives a little curtsy to Heir Longbottom assuming that her book of The Heir etiquette and Bloodlines was current.

Neville just gave a small wave and a smile while holding on to his toad, she turned to Hermione and began to answer most of her questions "I can't really remember what happened that night. I don't even know what happened exactly. My...family...doesn't like to talk about it. From what I have gathered, it was a dark curse, but I do not know if it was the dark curse that everyone says it was. I just know that is what Albus Dumbledore said that happened. What supportive pamphlet where are you given?"

Hermione rummaged around in her bag that looked like a mini duffle. She began to handle titles like "What to Expect at Hogwarts" and "Magical Classes: Proper Etiquette".

After skimming them, she grew concerned. She only practiced her writing and vocabulary because she liked how pretty it looked and was proud to be an artist who had neat handwriting, but she never was instructed to do so. Looking up at Hermione. she smiles a little, " Who gave these to you?", the answer was a deep surprised and a little concerning.

"Oh, Professor Dumbledore came to introduce me to Diagon Alley! He was so amazing and everyone knew who he was! He even bought me a few extra books that would help me in class! He said I could be one of the most gifted students he has had! Why? DIdn't he visit you too?" Hermione asks confusedly, still slightly excited from her trip with someone of such notoriety.

Hellebore looks at Neville in surprise and finds he is just as amazed that one muggle-born got Dumbledore's attention.

"No," he answers,"my grandma took me to the Alley. Teachers only visit muggle raised or born students."

Hellebore shoots Hermione a raised eyebrow,"Well, I did get the youngest Potions Master of the last hundred years squiring me. He didn't give me extra workbooks but he made clear what was expected in his class. Neither the bookstore nor the Potion Master discussed the extra literature, just my visit to the bank. Did Dumbledore take you to Gringotts?"

Hermione gave Hellebore a confused look "no, he said Hogwarts had a muggle-born scholarship and paid for everything," she quietly explains.

Neville gasps,"Wow, that's true enough. The accounts are for orphaned muggle-borns though. Hogwarts isn't supposed to cost much more than a muggle private school."

Hermione pales and covers her mouth in shock and Hellebore pats her shoulder, "Maybe I can ask for a trip to Gringotts and you can come with me? I don't mind taking you since I still have a cleansing to do."she says softly trying to comfort a distressed Hermione, "Maybe because he is headmaster, he forgot some of the protocols for muggleborns?"

"But if he doesn't normally greet new students, why did he visit me? Why not send one of the regular teachers?" Hermione asks, scowling at the window in thought.

Hellebore sighed softly. "I don't know, maybe a teacher was out? You can ask a few of the older years to see." Trying to change the subject Hellebore asks, "What house are you thinking you'll be in?"

Neville straightens up with a wince, "My folks were in Hufflepuff and Gryffindor so I need to be in one of those. I think I would go towards Hufflepuff because I'm not too much of a brave at KNight."

Hermione, still scowling, hums, " I think I'd like Gryffindor or Ravenclaw but I'm with Neville. I'm not into fighting beasts, I'd much rather know things."

Helle nods, "Makes sense. I haven't decided either. I feel like I'm too ambitious for Hufflepuff but I don't have the desire to know everything like Ravenclaw. Just being knowledgeable in one or two subjects is fine with me. And while I love having everything fair and truthful, I'm not really against using what I can to promote my own desires. All I know is that I would like for us to be friends no matter what house we're in, okay?" I look at the other two with hope in my shimmering green orbs. I receive back twin hugs just as a knocking starts.

"Come in!" Hermione calls still hugging the bones out of me. The redhead - Ron- from earlier enters and blushes so badly his face looks like a tomato, "Hi, I'm sorry about what happened with malfoy. He and I tend to fight when in each other's presence."

"Ron lives near a friend of mine. He has five older brothers and one younger sister." Neville tells me with a smile. I have already taken a great liking to him with how quiet he is.

Ron, however innocuous enough, sets my nerves on edge. He seems to be a mix of baby entitlement and hero-worship which isn't wrong but I've felt displaced from this world because of Dumbledore's decisions and his family has deep ties to Dumbledore.

That is someone to beware of, the headmaster holds many secrets.

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