A/N: ok forgot to mention this is ch 1, I don't own Harry Potter JKR does, I only own Rags, and constructive feedback is appreciated if you have any ideas please let me know, Cheers TBK
"Hey Rags? Can I ask you a question?" Said Ginny after a moment's pause, "Ja Ginny, go ahead, although that was a question" replied Ragnar with a smirk. Ginny, who was sitting next to Harry on one side of the compartment, sent a mock glare at their new friend while Ragnar was still messing around getting his trunk stored in the overhead compartment, when he turned to sit down he had a long intricately carved wooden box in his hand, just over a metre long, when he sat down he placed it almost reverently in his lap. Ginny decided for the moment that she would go with her original question "You mentioned earlier that your 'friend' calls you Rags" Ragnar nodded his head in agreement with this statement, and gave Ginny a look that said 'continue', "well I was just wondering if you meant 'friends', the only reason I ask is that you were pretty specific." Ragnar nodded his head again and gave another small smile, although this one was a little sadder than the others, "Well Ginny that's because I only really have one friend, so hence friend not friends." Ginny was shocked, so shocked she sat there with her mouth open, doing a fantastic impression of a goldfish, in Harry's humble opinion, Harry spoke up "Well you can add two more to that list I think mate, well three when Hermione gets here" at Rags' raised eyebrow, Harry elaborated "Hermione is one of our best friends, she is one of the Gryffindor sixth year Prefects, she's great" Ginny also piped in "Yeah she is one of the people that you have to definitely be friendly with while you are here at Hogwarts, not just for the Homework." At that both Harry and Ginny burst out laughing while Rags sat there wondering what this Hermione was going to be like.
At that moment Hermione Granger was stalking through the Hogwarts Express on her way back to the normal seating carriages, she had just been let from the Prefect meetings, which did not include the presence of Ronald Weasley, he had sent along a note stating that he wasn't feeling well and that he was resting in one of the carriages. So offcourse Hermione had been told that she was going to have to do the Gryffindor rounds solo "Just brilliant" she muttered to herself "when I get my hand on you Ronald Weasley, you will wish that you had never been born." Suddenly she heard Harry and Ginny's voices coming from the compartment next to her, but surprisingly enough she heard another voice that she was not familiar with, a deep masculine voice with an accent that she couldn't quite place. She opened the door to be greeted by Ginny's "Speak of the devil here she is, Hermione Granger, this is Ragnar Valerian, a new student" Hermione appraised the young man in front of her. He was good looking with fairly long blonde hair held back with a metallic clasp, 'Unusual in most boys' thought Hermione, he had broad shoulders, and from what she could see under the large jumper he wore, he had rather large muscles. Realising that she was 'checking out' someone she had only just me, Hermione hurriedly brought her eyes up to his face and noticed that he had a scar down the left side of his face, it didn't disfigure his features, just made him more noticeable, but his eyes captured her. The only way that she could describe them is that they were a mix of sky blue and storm grey, 'Stormy eyes' she thought to herself, she then realised that he had his hand out and was looing at her with a guarded expression, she quickly reached forward and shook his hand with a sheepish smile "Sorry I was miles away there" Rags smiled and replied "No problem, but please call me Rags, my 'friends' call me that." The mock glare he sent Ginny's way had the girl in stiches once again.
They talked about little things for a while, just getting to know one another, although it was really only Harry that noticed that Ginny, he and Hermione did most of the talking, Rags certainly talked but didn't reveal much about his past and some of his answers were a little vague. Harry had the feeing that he was dealing with a kindred spirit, someone who, like himself, had gone through a terrible childhood, how bad would only be revealed with time. Checking his watch Harry realised that it was nearly time for the food trolley to be coming around, when the door opened and Harry's second least favourite person at Hogwarts walked in, Draco Malfoy, along with his usual Slytherin goons, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. "Well look who's here, Potty, a Weasel and the Mudblood, I'm surprised that you came back here Potter, especially after what happened at the Ministry." Harry made a move to stand up but Rags beat him to it "Could you look after this for me please Hermione?" he asked as he gave the long box to her and stood up to his full height. Harry was surprised to see how tall he actually was, Harry himself was a little shorter than Malfoy, even though he had grown over the summer, thanks to Mrs. Weasley's cooking rather than the crap he ate at No 4 Privet Drive. But Rags seemed to tower over Malfoy making the Slytherin look rather puny "Firstly who the hell are you, and secondly, and I am sure that I am mistaken, but I thought that I heard you insult my friends." Malfoy gave him his trademark sneer "I am Draco Malfoy sixth year Slytherin Prefect, and you would do well to remember that name, also why should I care what the friends of Mudblood's think?" He never saw the fist that smashed into his face breaking both his nose and his left cheek bone; Malfoy flew back into the passage wall and knew no more. Crabbe and Goyle rounded on the person who had taken their leader down a peg and recoiled at the rage sowing in his stormy eyes "Now lads, why don't you pick up your little girlfriend here and find a nice hole to crawl into, I don't want to see you for the rest of the trip am I understood?" The two boys nodded terrified out of their wits, the quickly picked up their downed leader and left as quickly as they could. Turning around Rags noticed that his new friends were looking at him, all of them now doing the goldfish expression "What?" He asked, Harry just smirked and said "I think we'll get along just fine Rags." Sitting down next to Hermione Rags said "Nice goldfish impression Hermione" that single statement broke the spell on the rest of the occupants of the carriage and friendly conversation started up again.
After devouring a wide selection of treats from the food trolley that came round, Hermione realised that it was time or her to go and do her Prefect rounds, solo offcourse since Ron was 'sick' "Well I guess I'll see you lot at Hogwarts, I've got to do my rounds now and their the last ones before we reach the castle." "Hermione?" "Yes Rags" "I always thought that Prefects did their rounds in pairs, why are you going on your own?" Hermione sighed quietly "The other Prefect is Ron Weasley, Ginny's older brother, and right now, no offence Gin, he is being a prat, nothing that you want to hear about but he sent a note to the Prefect cabin saying that he was 'sick' and couldn't make his rounds, hence I have to do them on my own." What was said next shocked not only Hermione but Harry and Ginny also "Well, if you wouldn't mind some company I'll go along with you. I mean I know that I am no Prefect and can't do anything, but at least you wouldn't be on your own." Hermione managed not to do a fish impression and favoured Rags with a bright radiant smile "Thank you Rags I accept your kind offer, although it might be prudent to change into your school robes before we leave, so you aren't in a rush when we get to the school" agreeing to meet back at the compartment in five minuted each went of to get changed, after Rags had secured his precious box back with his trunk.
Hermione found that Rags was waiting for her when she got back from changing, actually standing next to him drove home the point of actually how big he was, school robes left much of a person's figure up to another's imagination, but they gave a better idea of his body shape than what he was wearing before. "We'll start at the back of the carriages and work our way forward, ok?" Rags gave a small grin and replied "You're the prefect not me, I'm here to follow your orders" with that Hermione burst out laughing and the pair began the prefect rounds. During the rounds Hermione basically filled in all the blanks about Harry, herself and Ron's time at Hogwarts, although in her opinion Rags had now almost replaced Ron as her friend in the 'trio'. Some of the stuff had Rags doing the fish impersonation, which Hermione gleefully reminded him about. They were about two thirds of the way through the prefect rounds when Hermione asked a question that had been on her mind for some time "Rags, throughout the whole train ride you never told us where you were from, I mean we all gathered you were not from England as you have an accent, where are you from?" "Well seeing as it's you who are asking" said Rags with a smirk at Hermione's slight blush "I'm from Norway, but I've been in England for a year, well almost a year. I spent most of that time learning English" Hermione looked up "English isn't your first language?" Rags grinned and said "Nei Jeg er redd det Norsk er , hvorfor? Kan ikke du fortelle?" His grin just got wider at her mock glare "Smart arse" she muttered, she even had the good grace to blush we he whispered in her ear "I heard that." Trying to change the subject Hermione looked at her companion and said "One last question Rags" at his raised eyebrow she amended her statement "ok one last question for now" he nodded "well I was wondering what was in that box that you kept on your lap in the compartment?" For one moment Rags' expression hardened until he visibly relaxed himself "That is a long story Hermione, and unless I miss my guess that would be Hogwarts" glancing round Hermione saw the castle become visible through the mountains and surrounding forest "well I'll give you a hint, it isn't a broom, it is a very personal object, and I made it myself." Hermione glared at him "What kind of hints are those?" Rags threw back his head and laughed "All the mysteries that you lot have solved during your time here at Hogwarts, discovering what is in a metre long box should be easy." As they made sure that all the young students left the train, Hermione found herself looking round for Rags seeing him standing near the first years she called over to him "Rags second years and above this way" Rags shook his head and replied "I may be going into sixth year Hermione, but I still need to be sorted, I'll see you in there" and with that he headed off with the first years, and Hagrid to were the boats were waiting, looking almost as tall as Hagrid next to the diminutive first years.
A/N By the way that bit of Norwegian Rags said translates as "No I'm afraid that Norwegian is, why? Can't you tell?" Please tell me if you like the use of another language occasionally Cheers TBK