Disclaimer: I wish I owned more than the computer on which I am using, but I don't. Harry Potter belongs to JKR and the respective media houses.
Previously:
Without another word, Harry turned and walked to the kitchen, preparing a much lighter breakfast than usual, a radio humming in the background as he danced about cooking waffles, bacon and sliced fruit, with fresh squeezed orange juice. He then created a small portion of an egg scramble with light cheese and onions and plated the meal before his uncle who looked like he was about to complain before simply tucking in and despite his best efforts to look angry, rather enjoyed the meal. Upon finishing the meal, Vernon rose and went upstairs to get ready for the commute to London.
Harry was rather pleased himself. He couldn't wait for the next phase in his plan. He was for the first time in nearly three centuries going to do something he had not done. Harry Potter was coming to Hogwarts, and the world would never be the same!
The commute to London was riddled with tension so thick one could almost see it. Vernon kept the radio tuned to some conservative talk show, the host spouting off about how foreigners and duffers were a bane to society. Vernon occasionally nodded his head and mumbled, "Too bloody right!" and other comments which seemed to reveal to Harry what his uncle's true political leanings were. His uncle was a narrow-minded bigot, trying to hide behind a middle-class working man's life. Not too much of a shock to Harry who had the experience of sixteen years of dealing with the fat bastard. Harry after a few moments, began to filter out his uncle and focus on preparing for the tasks ahead.
Harry withdrew into his mindscape but used a technique he learned from the Shimbala Masters to keep a background awareness of his physical surroundings. He retreated into his inner sanctum and began to filter his memories, searching for faces and names of various students and faculty at Hogwarts which would be good candidates for his new plan. He would forge a group dedicated to defending the innocent and destroying those who would wreak havoc upon the world. Harry put together a list of talents, political affiliations of both the individuals and their traditional family histories and then compiled a list of priorities. He found his group needed three types of specialists: combat, support and financing/political backing.
The first category was to be people with natural talents which made them well-suited for combat or a desire to learn and demonstrate skills which would make them effective soldiers. These skills ranged from offensive and/or defensive abilities to unique traits such as animagus and metamorphing abilities. He also knew to keep his eyes open for signs of people who may have become more had they just had the proper support and motivation.
The second category included people who were skilled at theoretical research, historical artifacts, potion brewing, alchemy, seers, rituals, enchanting, runes and curse breaking/warding. Support members provide those in command and on the front line with supplies, intel, spells and tactics to better prepare them for combat and provide means to minimize friendly casualties whilst maximizing combat effectiveness.
The third category included those with wealth, political clout and knowledge that help make the organization able to operate, avoid legal issues and maintain popular support. These particular members rarely actively involved themselves in the combat side of things, but acted as the backers and public face of the organization, controlling information to maximize political capital. True, the Potters, Blacks and the other ancient lines to which he was entitled were extremely wealthy in liquid assets, but to achieve Harry's end-game would have bankrupted him in less than five years. He needed fresh capital and political support to make it all work.
It occurred to him that the vast majority of Slytherin already had family ties to Baldymort, so he decided the first step in securing members for category 3 membership would be to politically neutralize elitists such as Malfoy Sr, Parkinson, Nott and Avery. The current obstacle to that part of the plan would be the risk of alienating his fellow generation by potentially ruining their families' incomes and political prowess. In doing so, he would lose most of the strongest sources for the needed funding, so naturally the only other way to achieve his goals would be to change the playing field and bring in a few new players, thus shifting the political balance of power in his favor without necessarily having it all blow back to his doorstep.
The solution was obvious: free Sirius Black. Freeing Sirius and getting him exonerated would give Harry plausible deniability as Sirius was his godfather and had the legal right to sit in proxy of Harry's seats on the Wizengamot. By wresting the Black seats and Potter seats from the elitists and the conservative light, Sirius could use his family reputation and political clout to gain access to the ears of families that would have simply laughed in Harry's face should he have tried approaching them on his own merit. Sirius Black was a loose cannon, but he would never allow someone to catch him unaware- he was the quintessential pureblood scion, though his outlook had severely darkened thanks to the combination of his current accommodations, the lack of support from those with whom he had entrusted his life, and most likely the news of what had happened to his godson since Sirius' untimely incarceration.
Freeing Sirius Black became his number one priority, followed closely by establishing friendships and alliances with key people and then cultivating those relationships until he could reveal the first stages of his master plan. Harry was almost giddy at the thought of what he would accomplish if all went according to his plans. He still had to locate the three artifacts Heather had sent back with him, but Harry had decided to pursue that part of his quest during the summer months or winter breaks leading to his fourth year. His reasons for delaying his pursuit of the artifacts were lack of intel, resources and freedom. He would first need to gain access to historical documents and accounts in order to divine the clues that would lead him to any of the items. He would then need to outfit a mission to uncover the artifacts. Doing so would require both time and freedom of movement, thus until Sirius was freed, he could not begin the quest. At the very least he needed to have the Ambrosia Potion and the scroll before the events of the graveyard would come to pass, so Harry put those items at the top of the list of things to be accomplished, right underneath freeing Sirius and establishing beneficial alliances and friendships.
Whilst pondering all of this, he noticed a piece of parchment appeared in his mindscape, floating to his desk whilst offering a golden nimbus, lending an almost ethereal glow to the study. He took a look and noticed it held a message from Heather followed by a list of names.
Mr. Harry James Potter:
Hey there! Just updating your list of potential allies to include a few key names you may have not considered. It is imperative that you include these people as their input and abilities are crucial to your success. We are rooting for you! By the way, freeing Sirius Black as soon as possible is a must! If you are unable to do so before the Christmas break, then your odds of success are severely going to be hampered. I sent the artifacts with you, but they did not necessarily return to the same point in the time stream as your consciousness has, obviously as you seem to be aware. The mechanics behind the why and how are beyond my comprehension, but suffice it to say that not only were the items hurdled through time, but they arrived in geographically different zones.
I can say that somehow, each item is hidden by different means, and no two are in the same zone. The zones, if you are unfamiliar with the terminology, are geographical locations divided by major leylines. Each zone is magically independent of the others and different laws of magic rule. In order to uncover the artifacts, you will need to master the predominant magical practices of each zone. For example, you live in the European/Upper Mediterranean Zone. The predominant magical form is that of wandcraft. Practitioners of this discipline are called wizards, witches and mages, who manipulate both internal and external magical energy by means of a primary focus or wand to achieve certain acts of power.
Another example is the Pacific Rim/Asian Zone. This zone consists of the Asian continent, and Pacific Islands. The predominant magical practice is that of the Divine. The practioners are known as monks and priestess/shrine maidens. Magic is gifted to these practitioners through prayers and rigid self-discipline, with various branches and sub-branches attuned to a particular affinity to a spirit or deity.
The next example is the PanAmerican Zone, which consists of Africa, North, South and Central Americas, the Caribbean Islands and Antarctica. The predominant magical form in this realm is known as shamanism, and its magic is mainly elemental and spiritual in nature. Each practitioner must attune himself/herself to a spirit guide, and a symbiotic relationship allows the practitioner to develop a personalized magical repertoire of abilities and knowledge that best suits the user's magical identity. No two practitioners are the same, and no two users achieve the same results using the same methods.
The last example is that of the Australian Zone. Although smaller in size than the other zones, this zone is the most significant one. The Australian zone is actually the origin of magic itself. All major leylines eventually cross through the zone. The predominant form in this zone is that of mysticism. Practitioners are called mystics or witch-doctors. These users channel magical energy through combining essences of natural ingredients and channeling the spirits of "Guardians" through music and complex rituals. Though similar to the shaman or druidic practices of Ancient Briton, the Americas or darkest Africa, the mystics use their affinity to nature in order to guide their peoples through the world of man and create balance between the forces of light and dark, whilst the witch-doctors delve more into the base nature of all and attempt to gain power by siphoning the magical essence from the minds, souls and spirits of the people. They tend to become involved in necromancy and dark rituals. Witch-doctors have been some of the worst dark lords in history, and even Merlin himself almost succumbed to the darkness which those vile beings wield amongst themselves.
Yes, Merlin Emrys traveled the world and amassed himself a compendium of knowledge and abilities that superseded the limits of the zones. He was able to combine the various branches of magic and elevated himself to a level most mortals could never hope to achieve. He also used his abilities to eventually shift the leylines into forming a third nexus point which has since been labeled as Stonehenge. This location actually serves as an astrological gateway into the Underhill, which under certain conditions was rumored to allow Merlin access to the mystical realms of Avalon and even Atlantis.
No, I am uncertain how the gate works and I have no idea where to begin looking for the knowledge, however, I am certain that to truly obtain your goals, you must find these realms and accomplish whatever awaits you there. I cannot tell you the locations of the artifacts directly as to do so would free other agents to reveal certain truths to the wrong parties, the results of which could have devastating consequences for not only this world and reality, but countless others. However, I can give you one small hint. You must seek aid from those that dwell in fire and air, they that treasure the heart. From them, you should be able to locate the Darkslayer. But before the Darkslayer can be reclaimed, one must pass the challenges three: The Trials of Courage, Spirit and Strength. The Trials will reveal more clues to the next location. Be strong Advocate of Light, for should the walkers of the Dark Path uncover your goals, then you will then be forced to recover the remaining artifacts while competing against those that could ruin it all. The first item of lore is in your own zone. You must seek the walkers of the night and gain their trust. From there, the path to greatness will be revealed.
Best Wishes,
Heather and the Next Adventure Team
List of potential allies:
House Granger, Longbottom, Malfoy, Greengrass, Zabini, Davis, Bones, Abbot, Diggory, Weasley, Finch-Fetchley, Patil, Lovegood, Brown, Goldstein, Boot, Finnegan, Thomas, Bulstrode, Parkinson, Nott, Delacour, Krum, Li, Vane, Spinnet, Bell, Johnson, Wood, Black, Tonks, Lupin,
After reading and digesting the information, most of which he had been aware due to his own travels, Harry noticed the scenery had gone from suburban, to urban. He exited his mindscape just in time for his fat fuck of an uncle to grunt and growl out, "Well boy? I don't have all day! Get the hell out of the bloody car, get your things out of the boot and get yourself off to your freak school where you belong! Some of us normal folk have jobs to get to, you know?"
Harry grimaced at his uncle's use of the term "freak" and looked at the man with a raised brow, "Well, I would take the time to remind you of your 'lesson' this morning, but frankly, Uncle Vernon, I have things of greater import to accomplish today. Remember, I doubt I will be coming back for the Christmas Holidays, but unfortunately I have no place else to go, so I will be returning for the summer, unless something changes. I will find a way to let you know if you are not needed to pick me up from the station by then. Goodbye." With the last he closed the door and discretely shrunk his things with a wave of his hand before applying a featherweight charm and putting them into his knapsack. He then opened the rear door and grabbed Hedwig's cage, before turning and walking away from the vehicle, leaving his uncle to close the boot himself.
He took a deep breath before making his way to the Platform 9 ¾, where he simply walked right through the barrier and onto the loading platform. There in all its glory stood the Hogwarts Express. It's bright red exterior shrouded in steam as the engine idled. He saw wizards and witches of various stations in life bidding their children farewell and wishing them a good term. He was bubbling with excitement as he quickly entered the passenger cars and found an empty compartment near the rear of the train. He inspected the compartment for signs of any concealed enemies or surveillance, and was pleased to find signs of neither, thus he entered and took a seat next to the window. He let his thoughts drift back to Heather's note, and its implications. He decided he would find a way to befriend Malfoy without alienating the others, thus using Malfoy's influence to gain access to the Slytherin faction of his list. He was uncertain how to approach the foreigners, but figured if he could use Malfoy's connections to gain an introduction, then rejecting the blonde ponce in public like last time would not be a good idea. Since Gryffindor and Slytherin had a rivalry of sorts going strong at Hogwarts, Harry also was at a loss as to how to allow himself to be sorted. Gryffindor would be an easy way to gather allies from the majority of his list, but would alienate him from the Slytherins, perhaps permanently and the reverse would hold true for Sytherin. Ravenclaw was not his cup of tea, and the Hufflepuffs had been too sheepish.
Suddenly, he was jolted from his internal musings by the sound of his perimeter wards alerting him to company outside his compartment door. He waved a hand to cancel the alarm and unseal the door whilst calling out, "Come in!" The door opened and two young witches peered into his compartment. One of them had an almost regal expression on her delicate features. Her flaxen blonde hair cascaded to her shoulders in loose waves, a complicated braid holding her hair back from her face on one side whilst the other was tucked lightly behind her ear. Her complexion was flawless, her alabaster skin appeared so smooth that Harry was tempted to reach out and stroke it out of curiosity, but he quickly abandoned the notion as untoward. She had piercing deep blue eyes that shouted a keen intellect. She locked eyes with Harry, and he heard her breath catch for a moment as she seemed to be shocked by whatever it was she discerned from her gaze, before quickly recovering and hiding behind her previous mask of aristocratic authority.
The other was about four inches shorter than her companion and was no less attractive. She had a more strawberry blonde hair color with her hair pulled back in a delicate updo, held in place by a dragonfly hairpin with emeralds for eyes, set in silver. She had a friendly smile and seemed to be almost amused at the moment. Her skin was lightly tanned, with a hint of freckles across her nose and cheeks, pink full lips and soft hazel eyes. She was the first to speak of the pair and after clearing her throat slightly she began, "Hello there! I am Tracy Davis of the house of Davis and this is my best friend Daphne Anastasia Greengrass, heiress to the House of Greengrass. We have been looking for Harry James Potter, heir to the House of Potter. We tried owling him throughout the last few years, but to no avail. Our houses were traditionally aligned as the Potters provided military protection for our business ventures. The House Greengrass are merchants who trade and import rare potions ingredients, while the House Davis dealt primarily in political affairs. Although in recent years, House Greengrass has become a political force unto its own, while the House Davis has been pursuing theoretical charms and enchanting. We founded the Firebolt Broom Company, and in the next few years hope to outshine Nimbus and Comet, as the Firebolt finally received its endorsement in the Department of Magical Sports to begin production for professional and recreational development." She paused as she noticed that Daphne had entered the compartment and sat on the seat across from Harry. Daphne spoke quietly, "Tracy, I don't think it wise to air House business in the hallway, so get in here and close the door. I'm certain our new companion finds your chittering fascinating, as do I, but it seems that young Mister…I beg his pardon, but you never even paused long enough for him to introduce himself to us properly."
Harry smirked, amusement twinkling in his emerald orbs as he chuckled to himself as he observed the two young witches interacting before him. He spoke, "It is completely fine with me, Heiress Greengrass, I found her conversation quite informative. I do agree that she should better practice discretion in the future when discussing topics of such a sensitive nature, but as most of the information is available in the Ministry Archives, I am not offended. Please allow me to apologize for not having done so earlier, but as you had pointed out, I did not exactly get the opportunity as of yet. I am Lord Harry James Potter, the Potter of House Potter." He said the last with a properly executed bow and then took each of the two young witches dominant hand in turn and placed a gentle kiss to the middle knuckle whilst giving the palm a delicate sweep of his thumb.
Daphne blushed as his lips made contact with her flesh and then almost felt herself sadden when he gently released her hand. Harry followed suit and repeated the same gesture to Tracy and then bade the ladies to sit before returning to his own seat. He smiled warmly at the two witches as he carefully chose his next words, "Ladies, I apologize for my ignorance in returning your missives, but I was raised in the muggle world by my mother's sister and her family, so until my Hogwarts letter arrived, I had no clue that magic existed, much less that I was some kind of wizard and there were others like me out here. I would like for each of you to please send missives to your parents extending my sincerest apologies for not having contacted them sooner about renewing and continuing our alliances, but I am extremely interested in doing so, moving forward. I wish to elevate the House of Potter and return the glory of its once proud name to new heights, so such an alliance would be beneficial to my house and my progeny."
Tracy giggled and responded, "Potter, may we call you Harry?" Harry nodded in acquiescence, "Harry, there is no need to keep everything so formal. I think we can be really good friends apart from being political allies. So you can call me Tracy, alright? Anyways, you really were raised as a muggle? What was it like? Do they really have eleksitry instead of magic? Did they really send a person to the moon?"
Harry chuckled at his new friend's antics as he responded, "Slow down a bit Tracy. I can tell you must have a very inquisitive mind."
Daphne rolled her eyes and snorted, "You have no idea! Tracy could probably outtalk Minister Fudge, and you may call me Daphne as well, Harry."
Harry smiled as he responded, "Thanks Daphne! I can tell. In answer to your questions, yes, I was raised as a muggle. Yes, they do have electricity rather than magic, and although it does power a vast majority of their technology, it is not the only thing they use, as opposed to magic, which is only limited by the imagination of the casting party. Yes, they did send a group of people in specially designed suits and gear to the moon. It was the Yanks who did it, partially to prove themselves superior to the Russians, but mainly as major stepping stone in human development. They left an American flag on the surface to prove they were there. I believe the bloke was named Armstrong, Neil Armstrong.
So the teens sat in the compartment discussing various technologies and magical counterparts when the train whistled the ten-minute warning. Daphne, who seemed to warm up to Harry the more she interacted with him, began to ponder how to broach the next part of her reasons for seeking out the young Potter. Her family had been trying to avoid betrothing her to such families as the Malfoys or the Notts, but with very few male heirs within the alliance, and Harry Potter being hidden away, her father gave her until the end of her third year before he would have to open negotiations despite his own personal reservations. In pureblood society, an unattached witch was open game at the age of fifteen. That meant any male heir of the same age or greater from a suitable lineage could politically pressure her father into bartering his daughter against the survival of his business interests. Daphne had no desire to wed some old creepy bastard just to keep her family's business empire afloat. The Malfoys in particular had begun purchasing various interests in creditors, many of whom House Greengrass had been forced to do business since the disappearance of House Potter.
She, like many other witches in England had grown up hearing and reading tales of the adventures of Harry Potter, and the pictures on the cover depicted the young wizard as a dashingly handsome figure, but the pictures did not do justice to reality. He was rather fetching, with deep emerald eyes and raven dark hair, looking as if he had just leapt from a broom during a quidditch match or something. He was tall for his age at five and a half feet in height and his build had just the right amount of muscle to it to give him a rather delectable appearance.
Overall, he was rather dishy. He seemed to be a friendly easy-going sort, which made him even more desirable to her. He could joke with the best, yet he never tried to do so at another's expense, or so her instincts told her since she had yet to see him interact with anyone besides herself and Tracy. She had already decided that she would stake claim early and after getting to know him better, she would make her move and secure her position at his side. To use a saying she had overheard Mrs. Davis use while having one of her hen sessions with her mother, Daphne felt certain she would not kick Harry out of bed for eating crackers. If his personality was anything as good as his looks, she would be a lucky witch indeed. Boys were slower to develop than girls, so she didn't feel the need to bother his fragile mind with trivial details like whether or not he had similar designs for her. Like any other man, as the woman she would simply stake her claim and then with the right amount of tweaking, he would never question her judgement and fall in line. With any amount of skill, he would probably think the whole arrangement was his own idea in the first place.
Again the whistle sounded and the train began to slowly accelerate out of the station. Daphne took the pause in conversation to stand and "look" for something in her baggage. Harry immediately stood and with a grin offered, "Dearest Daphne, let me get that for you." He waved a hand and her bag levitated from the overhead baggage shelving and to the floor at her feet. Amazed at his seemingly nonchalant use of wandless magic, Tracy sat frozen in place gawking at their companion as Daphne fought the blush rising in her cheeks from his use of her name with the adornment of "dearest." Tracy noticed the exchange and noted the reaction in her life-long friend, filing the material away for a conversation to be held in private later that night.
After locating her "lost" item, a book on basic charms theory, Daphne closed her bag and with another wave of his hand, Harry sent the bag back to its place amongst the others. "Thank you, Harry. I must admit I am rather unused to having a gentleman such as yourself around. It does make things rather more pleasant, I should think." Harry blushed at her compliment and responded, "Ah, well a lady such as yourself and your companion should treat a gentleman like an American Express Card, a muggle credit card- Never leave home without one." Daphne had subtly taken the opportunity to position herself in the seat next to the young wizard- a fact not unnoticed by her companion, again filed away for future conversation.
Harry explained as he noticed the blank looks on the witches faces, "That's their slogan, Daphne. A credit card is a muggle banking invention that allows a person to make purchases recorded by the card number and account holder's name without having to carry around large sums. The bank gives the account holder a line of credit based on his or her history of financial responsibility, income and job stability. The card holder uses the card to make purchases within the limit of the credit line and then simply repays the bank on a monthly basis. Each transaction is assessed a similarly derived interest rate which is added to the account balance. The goal of the card holder is to clear the balance each month, and doing so he or she avoids the interest payments, but should the account holder need time to repay the balance, a minimum payment amount can be made and the account stays active and is reported in good standing. The best part of the credit card is that if the card is lost or stolen, you just call the bank and report it and they refuse further purchases on the account until a new card can be issued, or the culprit found and legally prosecuted. There are three major companies accepted internationally, Master Card, Visa and American Express or AMEX as they are known. But I digress. My apologies if my own brand of humor fell a bit flat, but I am unused to an audience that does not understand or grasp certain references that are deemed a part of popular culture in the muggle world, therefore most jokes that reference them assume the audience is familiar with the same references. I am sure there are many concepts and euphemisms from the magical realm that you could use around me and I would be just as lost as you both seemed to be."
Daphne giggled a bit and play swatted him on the shoulder, "It's okay, Harry. I haven't really had much exposure to the muggle world before today, so I promise I won't be offended if you take the time to explain something to me. We can always make a pact to help each other out. I can help you better grasp our world, and you can help me better understand muggles. Does that sound good to you?"
Tracy almost lost it, seeing Daphne actually trying to flirt with a boy had to definitely be a sign of the apocalypse! She noticed how Daphne had inched closer to the boy as the conversation progressed. She was staking a claim! Tracy thought Harry was definitely future boyfriend material, and she had seen him first, but her heart was torn between allowing her friend a chance, since Daphne had never gone for a guy like this before, and putting her own claim down. Tracy decided to reserve her decision until after the upcoming discussion later in the evening.
Harry found himself having to internally groan at the obvious machinations of a twelve-year-old witch, but he knew she would be one of the fittest birds in the school one day, and she seemed to have a rather decent personality to go with it. He wondered what could have possibly happened last time around for her to get the reputation and title of Ice Queen of Slytherin. He could tell right away that both of the young witches were into him and given a bit more time, either one would make him a very happy wizard as his girlfriend, but he had no desire to drive a wedge in their friendship. That decided, he decided to be friendly and flirty with any of his witch friends equally, that way he could avoid hurting any of them by excluding any of them from his attentions. Eventually he would most likely have to choose, but he was enjoying being a pre-hormonal boy and chose to be friends with as many of them as he could. A part of him wondered if they would mind sharing, but he quickly discarded that line of thought and focused on cementing the friendships he had already begun. There would be plenty of time to explore romantic possibilities as they got older.
Needless to say, the trio were rather enjoying their time together and as time progressed, he found himself firmly sandwiched between the two fetching young witches, who were both hanging off of his every word. Occasionally they could hear the noise of other students running and laughing merrily in the corridor outside the door, but no one had yet to disturb their dynamic. Suddenly, they heard shouts as door after door was opened and closed, the disturbance getting closer and closer until the door to their compartment opened and to Harry, a familiar head of brown bushy hair and overbite ducked her head inside, "Hi, sorry to disturb you, but…" The young witch stopped as if someone had hit her with a silencing jinx. She began to blush furiously as she took in the sight before her. Hermione Granger had never been one to go "boy-crazy" or even shown the slightest interest in a boy before that moment when she happened to spy arguably the most delectable, handsome boy she had ever seen outside of magazines and movie screens. His eyes were so verdantly green that they almost seemed to shine with an emerald glow, his masculine jawline and wind-swept raven black hair seemed to beg her fingers to run themselves through it to feel its softness. She felt her breathing go shallow and her heart race in time with the butterflies that stirred deep in the pit of her stomach. Her hyperactive and well-developed mind processed the data and relayed to her that she was definitely experiencing the signs of a first crush. Then she noticed his proximity to the two other witches in his company and damned if she didn't want to be one of them right in that moment. The whole realization dawned upon her that they were waiting for her to continue. She quickly calmed her mind and with a light cough to clear the tightness in her throat she took a deep breath and began again, "Sorry, I must have had something trigger an allergy. My name is Hermione Granger. I am a muggleborn witch. My parents are Peers of the Realm, so this whole magical world thing has them completely thrown for a loop. Anyhow, I am trying to help a boy named Neville Longbottom find his lost toad. Have any of you seen it?"
Harry noticed the icy demeanor that took over Daphne as she responded, "Well, Miss…Granger was it? We have been in this compartment since well before the train departed the station, and as I am familiar with Heir Longbottom due to how close his gram is with my family, I can say I did not see him prior to our arrival. Lord Potter was here before us, but I am fairly certain there was no toad or other animal in this compartment, nor have we had the door open long enough to allow one entry. Do be a dear and close the door on your way out, as we were in the midst of a fairly private conversation, would you?"
Harry again groaned internally as he would have to diffuse the quickly escalating situation before things got completely out of hand. Harry simply acted as if he was stretching before standing and turning to his two companions, "Miss Greengrass, Miss Davis, it is perfectly acceptable and a noble pursuit for Miss Granger here to help a fellow student in need. True, we were having a private conversation, but nothing that would be so pressing as to keep me from lending my aid to her endeavors. I apologize, Miss Granger, I have been remiss. I am Lord Harry James Potter of the House of Potter, and my two lovely companions are Heiress Daphne Anastasia Greengrass of House Greengrass and Heiress Tracy Davis of House Davis. It is pleasing to make your acquaintance." With the last statement he formally bowed, and Hermione curtsied in response. He then took her dominant hand and lightly kissed the middle knuckle. Hermione blushed almost a tomato red as he lightly swept his thumb over her palm before releasing her hand. Hermione's chocolate brown eyes met his emerald green ones and for a moment she was tempted to through caution to the wind and snog him senseless in front of the stuck-up princess who seemed to be trying to stake her claim on the young wizard. It would certainly serve her right!
Hermione after a brief moment of insanity, carefully regained rational thought. She responded, "Well, thank you Lord Potter. I see good breeding and manners are not wasted upon some of us after all. I would kindly take you up on your gracious offer to assist me in my quest to locate and recover Trevor, Heir Longbottom's toad. With two of us working together, hopefully we will find it post haste."
Harry simply grinned and with a silent summoning charm, produced the toad in question. Harry then conjured a small cage and lowered the startled animal inside before closing the latch and bolting it shut. "There you go, milady. One Trevor the Toad, found and delivered as promised. I never fail to deliver on my promises, especially ones made to such beautiful damsels as yourself." He handed the enclosure to the young witch, who again was nearly crimson in color at the compliment Harry had just delivered. "I suggest you return the animal to Heir Longbottom and then if you wish, you are more than welcome to join us. By the way, you may call me Harry, and I hope to have the pleasure of calling you Hermione?"
Hermione nodded with a huge grin that threatened to split her face, "Of course, Harry! I will be right back! Thank you for the invitation! I have so many questions that I hope you might answer for me!"
With that the witch spun about and raced down the corridor at a near break-neck speed. Harry simply chuckled to himself as he had nearly forgotten how excitable a young Hermione Granger had been. He returned to the compartment and found himself alone with two rather unhappy witches on his hands. "So ladies, I apologize for the interruption there, but I just couldn't let the poor witch keep blindly wandering the corridor like that. I summoned the toad for her and then urged her to return it to Heir Longbottom. I invited her to join us as well, because I noticed she seemed rather lonely to devote her time to looking for a lost animal the size of a toad whilst upon a train full of people. I hope you two don't mind."
Daphne crossed her arms petulantly and responded, "Of course, Harry. I am sorry if I seemed so cross, but I was rather enjoying our conversation and I didn't care for the way she was looking at you like you were some kind of coming of Merlin, especially once you introduced yourself. You may be famous in our world, but you are a person too, and people need to understand that."
Tracy nodded in agreement, "Harry, I'm sure she might be really nice once we get know her, but I saw it too. Daphne is only trying to look out for you. You don't need to surround yourself with people who can't see you as a person or desire your company to sponge off of your fame."
Harry simply sat back down between the two witches and ran his fingers through his hair, "Look, I appreciate your concerns and all, but I am certain that Hermione is a good person and is not out to latch on to me for my fame. I have an innate sense of people's intentions. I did not get a bad feeling from her so I am inclined to trust my instincts. Now she will be here soon, and I expect you two to at least try to give her a chance. I have a feeling that despite her station or maybe even because of it, she probably has trouble making friends. I think if we give her a chance, she will surprise you and far exceed my expectations."
Hermione was elated as she took the cage with Trevor back to her shy and nervous companion. True, Neville hadn't exactly told her she could join him, but he hadn't told her to leave, unlike some of the others whom she had tried to befriend before happening upon the pudgy boy. She smiled broadly as she presented the cage to him, "Here Neville, I found Harry Potter's compartment and he helped me by summoning Trevor and conjuring this cage for him. He did it all without a wand too! He was so nice to me! He even invited us to join him, so grab your stuff and let's go! We mustn't keep him waiting!" Before Neville could object or offer anything otherwise, Hermione had grabbed her things and tossed him his in the process. He tried to keep up with the energetic young witch, but found himself wheezing and sweating from the exertion as he slowly fell further behind her. He saw her stop, turning around with her foot stomping, "Oh for goodness sake, Neville! Do hurry! It's not much further!"
After three more cars, he noticed that Hermione had stopped outside a door near the very rear of the train. He saw her pause as if nervous before she knocked and entered. He trudged along and tentatively peered inside. Inside he saw a tall athletic and rather good-looking young wizard flanked by none other than Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis. At least he was on somewhat friendly terms with the two witches, so he felt a little less anxious about meeting Harry Potter and having to face a few others whilst doing so.