Chapter 4: The Uncertain Journey

Hermione stepped down from the thestral-drawn cart, conscious that this would be the last time, that this was the ending of an extraordinary period of her life, a period that had transformed her utterly. It wasn't the end of her childhood, of course. Voldemort had robbed her of that long ago, had thrust on her experiences and demands that would have crushed most adults. But it was an ending nonetheless. It gave everything poignancy.

She walked slowly past the thestrals, now visible to far too many of the students. She examined the dark, skeletal creatures with both fascination and repulsion but was unable to bring herself to touch them let alone pet them and coo to them as Luna was doing.

The bright red Hogwarts Express was already in the station and the platform was abuzz with children chattering excitedly, running and jostling each other, clambering onto the train eager to start their summer holidays.

Hermione was looking forward to starting her new life too, but she felt a certain sadness at this ending and, if she was honest with herself, more than a little fear of the great unknowns that lay before her.

She had already shed her Hogwarts robes and handed over responsibility to the year six prefects. The Newts were behind her and she was free. She was looking forward to relaxing on the journey to London, just chatting with Luna and Ginny.

The train seemed to have more carriages than usual, but then the student body had been unusually large this year after the disruptions of the previous year. Many students had repeated and there was a large influx of new students, especially of muggle born who had been unable to attend at all.

Ginny had gone ahead and reserved one of the better compartments in the middle of the train. Hermione had a last look around and then, taking a deep breath, swung onto the train. By the time she reached their compartment, Ginny had already opened some butterbeers and she tossed one to Hermione.

"I'll break out the hard stuff when we get closer to London," said Ginny.

Hermione gave Ginny a wry smile and flopped down on the seat next to her. She rested her feet on the opposite bench. She giggled. "Free at last!"

Just then Luna entered. She took one look at Hermione and her eyes opened wide. "Should I break out the Nargle spray?"

"It's OK, Luna, I'm just relaxing," said Hermione.

"That's good," said Luna. "you are far too often wound up as tight as a snorkack's horn."

Ginny burst out laughing. "I think you might have a point."

Hermione glared at Ginny momentarily then broke into a grin. She raised her butterbeer. "Here's to more relaxation and less vexation."

Just then the train the train started up. As it gained speed the three friends fell into the easy rhythm of relaxed conversation.

The compartment door burst open. There was Denis Creevey, ashen faced, wand in hand. "You need to come, Hermione."

All three girls had their wands out in an instant. "What is it Denis?"

"There's something in the rear carriage…I don't understand…it…" he was shaking.

Hermione backed up by Ginny was quickly heading toward the rear of the train. She was relieved that in the next few carriages everything was normal. Even in the next to last carriage, nothing seemed awry. Hermione turned to Denis with an unspoken question.

"It's in the first compartment," said Denis, grim faced, still white.

They crossed gingerly into the final carriage. The door to the first compartment was firmly shut and the window had been blacked out.

Hermione cast a Homenum Revelio spell. "There are two people in there," she said.

"Oh Merlin, are they still alive? You've got to help them," said Denis.

"Keep your wands ready. Keep me covered," Hermione said to Ginny and Denis. Ginny nodded, fierce determination etched into her face.

Hermione flourished her wand "Annihilare."

The door flew open.

"Oh, Hi love," said Ron. "Glad you could join us."

"Hi, Hermione," said Harry, munching a pasty.

Harry and Ron were lounging back on the railway seats, surrounded by chocolate frogs, boxes of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, cauldron cakes and Liquorice Wands, but Hermione didn't register any of this. She barely registered Harry. She was furious, and Ron was the focus of her rage.

"You," punch, "complete," punch, "arse," punch, "Weasley."

She wheeled towards Harry, "and don't think you're getting away scot-free, Harry."

She turned back to Ron, still angry, getting angrier at his big grin. And then she noticed something.

"You have dirt on your nose." She took in, for the first time, all the lollies and other goodies.

"It's important to get the details right in a historical reconstruction, wouldn't you agree, Harry?"

"Very much so, Ron. I mean, it was a very important day, the day we three first met."

"Imagine if we had gotten off on the wrong foot, what if I had taken a dislike to Hermione for instance," said Ron, "Why, it might have taken something as major as a mountain troll to get world history back on track."

"At least," said Harry.

Despite herself, Hermione felt her anger slipping away. She turned to check that Ginny was OK, but she had collapsed in the corridor, unable to stop laughing.

"I should have known you'd be involved…you Weasleys…" Hermione tried to muster some indignation and glare at Ginny but she felt a smile forming on her face despite herself. She sighed, then sat down next to Harry.

"So, if we are doing this reconstruction right, where's Scabbers?" asked Hermione.

"Ah well, as you know, the original Scabbers came to an untimely end, but needs must," said Ron. He took out his wand and transformed a cauldron cake into a mangy old grey rat. Then he waved his wand over the rat using a circular wrist action.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter, mellow,

Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

And it worked.

"Well what do you know? It is a real spell. Must have been my old wand that was at fault that first time," said Ron, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Or just maybe," said Hermione, finally laughing, "Hogwarts did, against all odds, manage to teach you something."

"It must have been through watching Hermione doing our homework, don't you think, Harry. It must have rubbed off on us."

Just then a head poked through the door. "Anyone seen a toad?"

"Neville!" exclaimed Hermione. She jumped up and gave him a big hug. "I would have thought that you had more sense than to let these two rope you into something like this."

"I don't know, Hermione," replied Neville, sitting down next to Ron. "What Harry said seemed right to me. We all started Hogwarts together, it's only right we should all finish together and do a proper leave taking of Hogwarts, even if only symbolically. Most of us were not able to."

With those words spoken by Neville, Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at the partition wall behind Ron and Neville.

"Retracto."

The door and door frame pulled back and was absorbed into the partition wall which in turn retracted into the carriage wall leaving the entire carriage open. Hermione was shocked to see the carriage was full of her former classmates, those who had attended Hogwarts the previous year, people such as Seamus, Hannah Abbott, Padma and Pavarti Patil, Terry Boot and Michael Corner. Their final year had been badly afflicted by the horrors of Hogwarts under the Carrows and the premature closure of the school due to the battle. Most had completed their education in makeshift classes run in London by the Ministry of Magic with special makeup Newts held in November.

"Let's get this party going," said Ron, breaking out a crate of firewhisky. The train was scoured for other classmates who, like Hermione, had returned to Hogwarts for the year and they were soon joined by Justin Finch-Fletchley, Dean Thomas and many others.

Initially, no one else was admitted to the rear carriage except, at Ginny's insistence, inaugural members of the DA. By the time they reached London, though, the party had spread out and occupied the last three carriages of the train. The number of year five and six students who left the train affected by firewhisky caused a minor scandal.

Ron sat down next to Hermione. "Forgiven?"

"Not by a long shot, Weasley," she said, but she snuggled in close to him. "One day, when you least expect it, I'll get you back."

Ron snorted. "You just don't have the imagination for it and your much to kind hearted to pull it off."

Later, Hermione caught up with Denis Creevey. "You should think about an acting career, Denis. You did that brilliantly. You really looked so scared."

"Who was acting? Ginny threatened to hit me with a Bat Bogey Hex if I didn't pull it off."

Hermione spotted Ginny in earnest conversation with Harry. She was gratified that Ginny and Harry had had a number of long talks since the memorial ceremony and their relationship had moved to a new level of maturity. Whatever happened, they would be OK.

She saw Ron talking with some year six students. He was clearly giving an animated description of their escape from Gringotts. He loved telling this story and, although she didn't understand how it was possible, it grew with each retelling.

As she watched the man she loved she was suffused with warmth and growing happiness. It was going to be alright. Everyone here had been through terrible times, but they had come through. They had been tested and not found wanting. The future was full of uncertainty but that was alright. They would handle it. They would be OK.

She joined Ron, taking hold of his arm, listened to the rest of his story. She was ready for whatever came next.

The End

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