The blue daytime sky had slowly yielded to a brilliant purple and orange sunset.
Hermione had drifted off to sleep in the middle of reading Foundation, with her head leaning against Kellen's shoulder. She looked so peaceful, he thought to himself, but he also didn't want her to be out too long because they probably were getting rather close to the castle. He let her snooze for just a little bit longer, then gently shook her awake.
Her eyes flickered open, and Kellen pointed outside. "That's a gorgeous sunset, isn't it?" he asked.
"It really is," Hermione answered with a slight yawn.
"I'm sorry for waking you, but I don't think we're all that far from the castle. Maybe a couple more hours to go at the most," Kellen replied.
"It's okay," Hermione said. "How long was I out?"
"About forty five minutes," Kellen murmured. He smiled at his new friend. "Thank you for reaching out to me. I wasn't sure if I was going to be in this compartment by myself the whole time, but I've enjoyed my time with you. You're a pretty cool girl in my book."
Hermione returned Kellen's smile. "I don't think anyone's ever called me 'cool' before, Kellen." She giggled softly. "And thank you for being so kind to me, none of the other children at my old school would give me the time of day. It really means a lot to me." She leaned over and gave him a gentle peck on the forehead. Kellen's cheeks turned a deep shade of pink.
"I didn't have a ton of friends growing up either. I'm not outgoing and my nerdy tendencies sort of scare kids off," Kellen said. "I mean, they respected my brain, but didn't care one iota about me as a person. It's a little hurtful knowing that they'll take advantage of me knowing I can help them study, but they'll forget about me ten minutes later."
"That's exactly how I feel, Kellen," Hermione said. "My social life was virtually nonexistent. Birthday parties were always awkward. Nobody wanted to be there and everything just felt stiff and forced."
"I'm sorry you didn't have enjoyable birthdays," Kellen said. "I'd have been delighted to be a guest."
Hermione smiled. "I know you would."
"Do you have a birthday coming up?" Kellen asked. "I'll do something nice for you, I promise."
Hermione's face lit up. "As a matter of fact, I do. It's later this month. The nineteenth."
Kellen chuckled. "Great. That'll give me just enough time to figure out something."
"I'm not expecting anything much, but I'm sure whatever you come up with will be delightful. When's yours?" Hermione asked sweetly.
"A good ways from now. February 12th," replied Kellen.
"Oh, you're almost a Valentine's baby. That shouldn't be too hard to remember," said Hermione. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly. "So you got invited to both Hogwarts and... Ilvermorny, was it? I'm curious to know how that all played out."
Kellen chuckled. "You see, I was visited by these two witches right around the time I turned eleven. Both within a couple of weeks of each other, actually. The first one was a really pretty lady with long red hair that she wore in these loose curls. Her name was Professor Goode, she's probably not much older than twenty five or so. She has a very different sense of fashion. She had this purple and black outfit and Doc Marten type boots. But I guess it suits her."
"I have no idea who that is," Hermione said. "I'm guessing she's from Ilvermorny?"
"You got it," Kellen confirmed. "She told me that I was extraordinarily gifted and said that she wanted me to study magic this fall. She also told me that if I preferred to study in Britain, she'd contact Professor McGonagall in Scotland. They can invite me since I have a blood relative that currently studies there."
"That second name sounds familiar," Hermione said. "That's the witch that wanted me to come to Hogwarts."
Kellen nodded. "I told her that I'd think about it, and that I'd also want to hear what Professor McGonagall had to say. Professor Goode was very nice, and said that her Scottish counterpart would be in contact with me in a couple of weeks. So she comes all the way to Minnesota to visit the farm, and I was a bit shocked because she looked nothing like Professor Goode. She looked, well, like a witch you see on Halloween. But she was actually fairly nice too, and said that she recommended that I go to Hogwarts because I might get bored at Ilvermorny. They have somewhat higher standards at Hogwarts, which I'm okay with, and it's also an opportunity to reconnect with my cousin Desiree. I let her know I would think it over for a while, and let her know what my final decision would be."
"Do you feel bad for not choosing Ilvermorny?" Hermione asked.
"A little bit, not not too much," replied Kellen. "I'm sure I'd enjoy studying under Professor Goode, she's their Astronomy instructor and she seems wicked cool." He chuckled briefly. "Either way, it's a long way from home. Fortunately for me, there won't be any "culture shock" at Hogwarts because half my family is British, and I've spent quite a bit of time in the United Kingdom. I know the slang and can code switch without any trouble."
"I don't doubt that one bit," said Hermione. "Oh. You said a little something in Norwegian to me earlier. I take it you're fluent?"
"I am," replied Kellen. "My grandmother taught me her native tongue when I was younger."
Hermione smiled. "Norwegian is definitely more of a niche language, not too many people pick it up as a second language. I know French and some German... rather boring, I know."
"That's still pretty good," Kellen replied. "I'm also fluent in Spanish and German." He then beamed at Hermione. "Creo que tú eres muy amable y hermosa."
Hermione shook her head. "I'm not sure what that means. I suppose that's Spanish for something."
Kellen grinned and nodded. "It means, I think you are very nice and pretty."
Hermione blushed. "I definitely don't get called pretty much, outside of my parents."
Kellen shrugged. "Well, I meant it. You're a perfectly attractive girl."
"And you're a cute boy," Hermione replied. She leaned over and gave him another gentle peck on the forehead. "How did you learn Spanish?"
"We hire Latin American migrant workers on the farm each summer. I hang out with them and help them with the farm work, and I couldn't help but pick up their language," replied Kellen matter-of-factly. "I can teach you some Spanish sometime if you'd like. If you know French, it'll be super easy to learn Spanish because they're both Latin-based languages."
"Perhaps," sighed Hermione. "Maybe one day. But if I had a choice, I'd rather learn Norwegian. Would you be able to teach me that instead?"
"My grandmother is the one you'd really want to ask," Kellen responded with a bit of a laugh. "But if you'd rather learn Norwegian, I'll gladly teach you." He took her hand and squeezed it gently.
"I always fancied myself as being bright and studious," Hermione murmured. "But, as much as it pains me to admit, I think you're on a whole other level. I've never met anyone quite like you, Kellen Grimseth." She smiled warmly at her new friend. "You're ridiculously clever, but you don't come across as bossy, or as an 'insufferable know-it-all'. I... am a bit notorious for that. Even being called something seemingly innocent and harmless like 'teacher's pet' is still rather hurtful. I don't mean to come across that way..."
Kellen gave Hermione a gentle hug. "You're fine, Hermione. I promise. When I look at you, I just see a friend. Nothing more, nothing less."
Hermione nodded. "Thank you, Kellen. But I still ask you to be patient with me, because I am very self-conscious. I'm working on my less-than-admirable qualities - I guess what I'm saying is that I really want to be the best friend that I can be."
Kellen beamed at his friend. "If you really want to be the best friend that you're capable of being, then just be yourself. Even if there is a little 'bossiness' or 'know-it-all' in you. You're still an amazing girl - I've sat next to you for several hours and haven't run away from you, right? No, I haven't. I accept you for who you are."
Hermione sniffled slightly. "That... is the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you." Clearly touched by his sincerity, a single tear rolled down her cheek.
The orange and purple sunset deepened into darker shades, and eventually gave way to the familiar bluish-black night sky. It wasn't long before they felt the train gradually slow down. They were very, very close to Hogsmeade Station. Just a few minutes later, the train came to a complete stop.
"Please stay next to me," Hermione pleaded. "I don't want to be left alone."
Kellen flashed a radiant smile. "I don't plan on leaving you."