Chapter 2: Welcome Aboard

The moment his luggage hit the pavement, the Dursley's car sped off. Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

Placing all his luggage on a trolley, Harry rushed to Platform nine & three-quarters – to home. Opening his eyes, he truly felt he was.

"Harry! Harry!"

"Oi, you!"

Harry looked and saw his two best friends, Ron & Hermione.

"Hey!" he greeted happily. "How was your stay?" he asked Ron.

"Yeah, it was…great!" answered Ron with something like a forced cheerfulness.

"Yes, it was," answered Hermione, whom Harry noticed seemed…different. She entwined her arm around his. "I'm really sorry you couldn't come, Harry. Our flat isn't the biggest, and Ron was first priority, with his parent having to rush off to Egypt for Bill, with Ginny staying in Fred & George's flat; you know the story."

"Yeah, that's fine. The Dursley's weren't as awful anyways. How's Bill by the way?" Harry asked Ron.

"I think he's okay now. Mum & Dad are a little busy to write to all of us," said Ron laughingly. "This summer wasn't the worst ever. I mean, I got to get around the Muggle part of London. Westfield is awesome!"

"But it's strange, isn't it? How come Bill suddenly has some sort of Egyptian disease?" wondered Hermione as they boarded the train.

"Mum reckons it was a matter of time before his job did something like this to him." Ron said thoughtfully. "Oh, and we have to go now, Harry. Y'know, prefect duties, blah blah blah."

Harry laughed. Hermione didn't.

"Save me a seat, Harry!" she said as they disappeared around the corridor.

Harry then proceeded to look for an available compartment. It then hit him to look for Cho's compartment. Heart thumping wildly, he looked left & right for the real version of that beautiful girl in his dreams…

"Hi, Harry!"

"Cho!"

Harry looked up while his spirits fell. A round-faced, tall, fellow sixth-year named Neville Longbottom waved with one hand while the other was holding a struggling toad.

"Trevor, stop it! Oh, what did you say to me Harry? Cho? Isn't that that Ravenclaw seeker who just graduated?" asked Neville curiously.

His spirits fell even more.

"Uhh...yes, that's her!" said Harry with a casualness he did not feel. "So want to find a compartment?" he added, desperate for a change of topic.

"I already have one. Why don't you just join Luna & I?"

"Sure, Neville. Thanks."

As Harry was walking to the compartment, he could not help but feel quite disappointed. Even if they did break up the previous year, he still dreamt of her – her body, her touch..but they somehow never finished. 'Lust,' he thought, 'was a strong emotion.'

"Hello, Neville. Oh, Harry, you're here," said a dreamy voice which snapped Harry back to the Hogwarts Express.

Harry greeted her back.

"Where are the other two?" she asked.

"Oh, they've got prefect duties." Harry replied.

"Hermione seems to have changed a lot, hasn't she?" said Neville out of nowhere, furiously blushing as the other two stared at him curiously. "I-I..just meant…she seems…more appealing as a woman; prettier," he finished in a rush.

And somehow, it was true. Harry noticed something different in Hermione, and Neville supplied the word for him- prettier. As Harry caught words like 'no romantic inclinations' and 'appreciation of the human beauty,' he thought bemusedly that if Neville had hormones in a rush, how intense the others' would be.