The former Boy-Who-Lived arrived on platform 9 ¾ an hour early. He was dressed in the finest open front robes that Twilfit and Tannings had to offer for Hogwarts students, purebloods only, (kindly picked up the day before by Kreacher, who had somehow already obtained Jim's measurements). Under the robes he wore black slacks, white button up shirt, and a dark blue vest (which nicely complimented his eyes). He'd been provided a tie, but he had removed that as soon as he was out of the house. On his feet he wore a pair of well-polished, dark blue, Dragon hide boots. His newly long, brown and white hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. All said, he was the very picture of rich pureblood wizard.
Until you noticed the large cup of coffee he held in one hand, and the white paper sack he had balanced on top of a box of donuts in the other. If he was going to spend the next several months in the wizard world, then by god he was going out with one last taste of muggle consumerism. Besides, there's nothing like sharing pastries to help make friends.
His mission, according to Grandmother Walburga, was to speak with every pureblood heir he could find, BEFORE ever boarding the train. He had connections to make, she said, and it was best for him to get as early a start as he could.
As Jim boarded the express, he knew his newly adopted grandmother would be disappointed in him. He was going to find the first empty compartment he could, scarf down his greasy, heavenly, sausage biscuit and 'hash brown', stare into space while he sipped his coffee, and just veg until he absolutely HAD to interact with someone else.
In truth, he was a little disappointed in himself for his actions; but after only nine hours of sleep in the past 48 hours, on top of attempting to catch up on thirteen years of pureblood instruction, he was tired. Besides, there would be plenty of time throughout the school for 'networking'.
The good thing about arriving long before normal Weasley time, was that there were quite a few compartments available. Despite his preferences, and in accordance with his grandmother's wishes, Jim chose an empty compartment near the front of the train.
He considered the size of the compartment for a moment; he hoped that he had become a good enough friend to Harry over the past month, that Harry would want to join him on the trip. With Harry would come Hermione and of course the youngest male Weasley. If they sat with him, then the compartment still wouldn't be full. So there was no reason to enlarge the dimensions.
Taking a seat by the window, Jim dug into the greasy goodness he had bought on his way to the station.
Sadly, his opportunity to have time to himself was soon interrupted by a knock on the frame of the open compartment door.
"Excuse me," an angelic voice said, "have you seen a little black kitten anywhere? I just got her yesterday for school and she seems to have gotten out of her cage before we could even leave."
Jim was surprised to find himself looking at Daphne Greengrass. This was a girl that he had never spoken to in his previous time; although she was a Slytherin, he knew that she had wanted nothing to do with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The Greengrass family was notorious for being neutral, both politically and magically. Here, was the perfect opportunity to begin grandmother's networking mission.
Jim quickly wiped his hands on his napkin, and banished the waste. He stood and bowed to the young heiress.
"I apologize my lady," he said, "but I have not encountered any cats, kitten or otherwise today. I do however know a spell to track her, if you wish."
Daphne appeared to consider this for a moment before she nodded. "Yes," she said, "that would be most helpful. She's only a kitten, so she can't have gone far, but a tracking spell would make finding her easier."
"Of course," Jim said, "if you would just show me where you last saw her, I can find her by her tracks."
Jim followed Daphne to a compartment even closer to the front of the train. The compartment she showed him to also had one other occupant who stood as soon as they entered. Another Slytherin who was rarely seen without Daphne; Tracy Davis
"Did you find her Daph?" she asked, but her eyes widened when she caught sight of Jim, "Oh, forgive me, I didn't realize you would be bringing someone else to our compartment."
"I apologize Tracy," Daphne said, "he says he knows a spell to track Serenity."
"Oh," Tracy said, she stepped forward with a hand out, "in that case, thank you for your help. My name is Tracy Davis."
Jim allowed a small smile to grace his face. This was it, this was his chance to introduce himself as a proper pureblood prince. He stepped forward, and rather than shake her hand, as she had offered, he bowed and kissed the air over the back of her hand.
("Never actually kiss the back of her hand, Walburga had said, unless you intend to begin courting the young lady").
"Greetings my lady Davis," Jim said, "my name is Raleigh James Corvus Locke-Black. I hope we can find this kitten as quickly as possible."
Jim heard Daphne gasp from his side and he turned to quirk a questioning eyebrow her way.
"I apologize my lord," she said with a small curtsy, "I had not realized that the Lord Black was attending Hogwarts this year."
Jim smiled and raised a hand, "Please," he said, "I am not the lord yet, you may call me Raleigh, or, if we must be formal, you can call me Locke. Or perhaps, if we become friends, you could call me by my preferred name: Jim. Either way, may I know the name of the lady whose kitten we are searching for?"
Daphne sighed in relief and said, "I am Daphne Ann Greengrass. I apologize for forgetting my manners, I just got Serenity yesterday, and I am afraid I forgot myself in my worry for her."
Jim performed the same bow and kiss over her hand before standing straight and drawing his wand.
"Now that the pleasantries are out of the way," he said, "let's see about finding this lost kitten."
He knelt down before the only cat carrier in the compartment and tapped the floor in front with his wand while speaking the spell, "Animalis Vestigiis."
Instantly tiny cat paws appeared, glowing in blue and leading out the door.
"Well," he said, standing again, "let's follow these and see where our wayward kitten is."
Turned out, the little kitten had made her way all the way to the back of the train, and was curled up next to a sleeping Professor Lupin.
Jim held a finger to his lips and motioned that he would go in and get the kitten. Daphne nodded while Tracy merely looked on with a smirk. He slipped into his compartment and lifted the kitten by her belly. Slipping back out, he handed Daphne the cat and led the way back to the front of the train.
"Well," he said, "that was easy, you would think a defense professor would have more spatial awareness than that."
"What do you mean," Tracy asked, "how do you know that he's the Defense professor?"
"It's quite easy," Jim said, "the only position that needed to be filled at Hogwarts was for the DADA job. His briefcase said Professor R.J. Lupin, so he must be the professor. That being said, if I had meant him harm, or even wanted to pull a little prank on him, he would have been completely defenseless. I would have cast an alarm ward on the door to let me know if someone entered, if not completely locked it shut."
"That is true," Daphne said, "perhaps he feels there is nothing to worry about on a train filled with children."
Jim scoffed, "Children can be pretty dangerous on their own. Especially wizarding children. Every single one of us walks around with a loaded weapon at all times. You spend eight hours on a train with no supervision other than a few prefects, then tensions get high. I am certain the school healer has to provide medical care to more than one child before the sorting every year."
Daphne and Tracy gave each other a look.
"I had never considered that," Daphne said.
"Yes, well," Jim said, "then you take into account that many of us that are attending Hogwarts are heirs and heiresses to powerful houses. The fact that several of the children here are the children of Death Eaters, and have been taught those ideals from birth; and finally the fact that the boy-who-lived is in his third year. Let's not even bring up teenage hormones and puberty. This train should reasonably be a mad house by the time it arrives at school every year. No, the only way I would feel safe on a train filled with children is if there were some kind of ward that prevented violence, or perhaps exerted some kind of calming influence over the entirety of the train."
Neither Tracy nor Daphne voiced any response to that, but if they had thought of anything they would have been interrupted by the appearance of Harry Potter and Hermione Granger as they boarded the train.
"Harry!" Jim called.
Harry turned after helping Hermione load her trunk onto the train and squinted at Jim.
"Jim?" he said, sounding slightly puzzled, "what did you do to your hair?"
Jim laughed softly and ran a hand through his hair, accidentally catching his hair tie, and having to tighten the tie back again.
"Yeah," Jim said, "I got it cut. What do you think?"
"Cut?" Harry laughed, stepping forward to shake his hand "Your hair was the same length as mine three days ago. Now it's down to your shoulders and you have all those white streaks. Did you age ten years in three days? Not to mention, you look like you've lost weight. You're looking even thinner than when we met!"
Jim shrugged, "Little mess up with some family magic. My godfather's old home apparently didn't think I looked enough like one of the family and decided to change a few things."
Jim looked up and realized they were blocking the corridor, and should probably get out the way soon.
"Anyway," he said, "I hope the rest of the break was enjoyable without my presence."
Harry laughed, "it was actually pretty boring," he said, "luckily Hermione and Ron showed up yesterday to keep me company."
"Good," Jim said, "I am glad. I apologize for my abrupt departure the other day" Stepping back and gesturing to Tracy and Daphne, "May I ask, have you met these two ladies who accompany me?"
"No," Harry said, "I don't think we have met."
"Good!" Jim said, clapping Harry on the shoulder, "then I will introduce my new friends, and you can introduce me to your young lady."
Jim smirked inwardly at the blush that graced Hermione's face at being called Harry's lady.
Taking a step back, Jim bowed to Harry.
"My lord, may I present my new acquaintances, and dare I say, friends," he quirked an eyebrow at Daphne who blushed prettily and nodded, "Daphne Greengrass heir apparent to the Greengrass family, and Tracy Davis."
Both girls curtsied to Harry, Daphne holding her kitten tight to her, as Jim stood straight and turned towards them. "My ladies," he said, "I would like you to meet my friend: Harry James Potter, heir apparent to the Potter family."
Jim frowned when Harry didn't bow, but offered his hand to shake. After shaking both girls' hands Harry turned and gestured to Hermione, "This is Hermione Granger," Harry said, "She is quite possibly my best friend in the world, and the smartest witch I know. Hermione, this is the guy I was telling you about. This is Jim Locke."
Hermione curtsied to Jim, and he was glad to see that she knew exactly how to perform the act. Jim knew that her parents would have taught her how to act, them being well of as dentists and travelling in society's higher circles.
He couldn't help the slight tremors in his hand as he took Hermione's hand in his. Here she was, the one girl that had been by his side from the beginning; the one girl his heart had been set on for years; the girl he had hoped for years would love him back.
All it took was seeing her eyes glance to Harry one time, and Jim knew; she did love him back. It was only their third year, and Hermione already loved Harry; and Jim would never be Harry Potter again.
Kissing the air above the back of her hand, Jim stifled his emotions, plastered his most charming smile on his face, and stood straight again.
"Please," Jim said, "call me Jim. If the two of you wish, I would love for you to join me in my compartment, near to the front of the train. I am going to escort Miss Greengrass and Miss Davis to their compartment first, but I would enjoy your company."
Harry and Hermione both agreed that they would, and so the five moved towards the front of the train. Jim lead the other four towards the compartment he had chosen, with the intent of dropping Harry and Hermione off before continuing on with Daphne and Tracy.
Of course, that plan was ruined when they reached his compartment. Apparently, the compartment he had chosen was the one that Malfoy and his cronies had decided to occupy. The box of donuts, that Jim had thoughtlessly left on the bench, had been nearly devoured; the evidence of the theft still lingering on Crabbe and Goyle's mouths.
"Well," Jim said as he continued passed the compartment after a look, "that's what I get for keeping my trunk shrunk rather than using it to save my place."
Jim was surprised to feel Daphne's fingers on his arm.
"Jim," she said shyly, "If you would like, Tracy and I would love for you and your friends to join us in our compartment."
He gave Daphne a smile and a nod, "Yes, I believe that that would be perfect, thank you for your invitation Miss Greengrass."
Five minutes later, Daphne's kitten was being coaxed back into her carrier while Jim helped Harry stow his and Hermione's trunks overhead. Unlike Serenity, it appeared as though Crookshanks hadn't yet figured out how to escape his own carrier.
Jim looked over to see Hermione biting her lip as she watched the two boys.
"Is something wrong my lady?" Jim asked.
"Not wrong," she said, her eyes flickering to Harry, "just wondering how our friend Ron is going to react when he boards the train."
Harry paused and glanced at Jim, "We did kind of abandon him to Mrs. Weasley's mercies."
"Well," Jim said, "as this was Daphne and Tracy's compartment to begin with, I suppose we should get their opinion on him joining us."
Before Daphne or Tracy could say anything for or against Ron, Harry held up a hand.
"I hadn't thought of it before," he said, "but knowing how Ron feels about Slytherins, it might not be a good idea to have him join us in here."
Hermione nodded, "Good point Harry," she said, "let's go see if he's found a compartment yet. He may have decided to sit with someone else since he couldn't find us."
Harry agreed and finished helping Jim with their trunks, before he and Hermione left to find their friend.
As the door closed behind the two, Jim sat on the bench opposite his two new friends.
"Please forgive him," he said, "I'm afraid that he was raised by muggles, and was quite ignorant about his parent's nobility. He only learned of it this summer when I took him to Gringotts, and no has yet taught him what is to be expected of him."
"Oh," Daphne said, "I had wondered. The rumours all had him thinking he was better than everyone else. Although, most of those rumours were started by Malfoy and Parkinson."
"It doesn't help that Weasley won't let anyone near him." Tracy said.
"Oh?" Jim asked, finding himself quite interested in learning how Weasley would have betrayed him.
"Yes," Daphne said, "just last year there were several of us who wanted to let him know that we didn't believe he was the Heir of Slytherin. One only has to look at how he acts around Granger. There's no way that he could do anything that could possibly harm her. Every time one of us would approach him though, Weasley would insult and belittle us until we simply quit trying."
"He's even that way with Granger," Tracy said, "As if he's trying to push her away so that the only friend that Potter has would be him. Granger's too stubborn for that though. She sticks around Potter no matter what Weasley says or does."
Jim sat back in his seat, arms crossed and eyes closed. This hurt. Finding out that his supposed best mate had cheated on Hermione had ended their friendship in his previous timeline. To learn that Weasley was solely responsible for the ridicule Harry had suffered throughout their friendship. That was the straw that broke the hyppogriffs back as they say.
Luckily for Jim, if Ron stayed true to form, then he would have his own confrontation with the boy.
Soon.
"After spending the last part of the summer with Harry," Jim said, "I can tell you that he is almost desperate for friends, and if we can get Weasley away from him, you'll find he is actually a pretty great guy."
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was spent with the girls telling him what he could expect from classes, what the professors were like, and even what to expect the reaction would be to whatever house he would be in.
Four hours into the ride, Harry and Hermione returned to the compartment. Apparently Ron HAD found someone else to sit with, but had insisted they stay in his compartment. It had taken a game of Exploding Snap and bringing up Aragog and his family before the two could escape.
Jim, Daphne, and Tracy were sharing a packet of Sugar Quills while discussing their electives for the year. Sugar Quills had been the one guilty pleasure Hermione had indulged herself in during the year after the fall of Hogwarts, only on special occasions though. As meeting new friends and going to Hogwarts for the 'first' time, could be considered special occasions, Jim felt no guilt in having one.
As Harry and Hermione joined in the conversation about electives, Jim felt he had a clever idea. A way to lessen the stress of too many electives for Hermione, and get Harry away from his lazy red headed friend.
"I didn't know you were a seer Harry," Jim said, "congratulations; I hear that is a really rare talent."
Harry stared at Jim for a moment, "I'm not a seer," he finally said.
"Oh," Jim said, putting a confused look on his face, "then why are you taking Divination? It's only a useful class if you already have the talent right? Why would you waste your time on that? There are no jobs in the wizard world that would use mere knowledge of the subject. Even reading tea leaves, arguably the easiest portion of divination, would require the talent for you to see anything at all."
Harry spluttered for a moment, and Jim could tell that he was trying to figure out a nice way to say that he wanted the easy O for the class. "Well, I, Uh, Ron, Um… Hermione?" Harry turned to Hermione who was staring at Jim thoughtfully.
"You know what," Hermione said, "you're right. I don't have the talent, and taking that class WOULD be a waste of my time. I'm going to talk to McGonagall to change my schedule as soon as I can."
Jim smiled, and leaned his head back against the headrest on the bench. He absently tapped his 'watch' as he spoke.
"Now, Runes," he said, "Runes is where it's at. There so much you can do with Runes. Permanently expand the interior dimensions of a home, create wizard tents, and create storage pockets. Oh, there's so much."
Hermione's eyes were glued to Jim's watch, and he smiled knowing that she was trying to figure out exactly what it was. Before she could ask though, Jim continued.
"Of course," he said, "there's also Muggle Studies. I'm not certain that that is a class I would want to be taught by anyone other than a muggle. As behind the times as our world is, I don't believe that a pureblood would have any idea how to actually teach the course. Not to mention that if you are muggleborn," Jim gestures to Hermione, "or a halfblood raised by muggles," he gestures to Harry, "then you are most likely to get an O on the OWL's anyway. No reason to waste time on the course."
Jim saw Harry smile, most likely thinking of the easy O. This was something Jim wished he had known his first time through. He had wasted so much time on Divination, only to learn that there was literally no application for it in the real world. Hermione and Luna had always amazed him at what they could do with Runes and Arithmancy, but Harry had wasted his time on easy O courses. Well not any longer.
Hermione had taken out a quill and parchment and was busy taking notes. Whether she was making notes about not taking classes that she didn't need, or if she was still stuck on his 'watch', Jim didn't know; but at least he had planted the seeds.
Jim had decided that he was going to take Runes and Arithmancy. He had no need for the other three offered electives; an even though he truly missed Hagrid, there was no point in taking Care of Magical Creatures unless one wanted to own a menagerie. All that he needed to know about magical creatures would be taken care of in DADA.
The conversation continued in this vein for quite a while longer, until the lights started flickering as the train slowed to a stop.
Jim cursed to himself, he had completely forgotten about this, and it was one of the more important happenings during his original third year. Dementors were boarding the train.
Jim turned to regard Harry, as the air began turning colder, and the lights flickered out completely. If the confusion evident on the kids face was any sort of indication, then he was already feeling the effects of the demon soul suckers. He must already be hearing his mother's screams.
Standing, Jim drew his wand and moved to the door, his hand reaching for the shades.
"Everyone stay calm," he said.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked.
"Dementors," Daphne explained, "looking for Sirius Black I imagine."
Jim looked over his shoulder at his friends.
"Mione," he said, "grab Harry, this isn't going to be a good experience for him."
Hermione startled at the nickname, giving Jim a hard look before turning and grabbing Harry by the waist. Indeed, it was a good thing that she had done so, as at that moment, Harry's eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted against her.
Jim frowned; for the dementors to affect Harry so greatly, they would have had to have been very close, but Jim couldn't feel the effects at all. He finally raised the shades, and stepped back with a curse.
Floating on the other side of the door was one of the accursed demons. As Jim watched, the thing reached out and began opening the door. Jim glared at the offending creature. He hadn't planned on exposing anything like this about himself so soon; but if there was one of these creatures on board, then there must be many more. A single patronus could drive off many dementors, but it left those on board still feeling like they would never know happiness again; or in Harry's case, completely unconscious.
In his original timeline, Hermione and Luna had been amazing at many things. However, when it came to two specific things, they shone brilliantly: Runes, as evidenced by Jim's amazing 'watch'; and spell-crafting. They had taught Jim as much as they could, in what little time they had between running for their lives. When Jim had finally tired of how dementors affected him, he had come to them for a solution. Between the three of them, they had finally perfected a spell that not only drove dementors far away, but also completely reversed the effects they had on humans.
With this in mind, and realizing that he was about to out himself as a powerful wizard; Jim gave the creature before him a hateful glare and held his wand vertically in front of his chest. He began gathering his magic into his left hand. As the power built, the dementors paused and Jim could finally feel its effects as it focused on him.
He nearly faltered as he heard Hermione and Luna's screams. The scene from his last failure floated to the front of his mind. The girls writhing on the ground under the effects of the Cruciatus, as five death eaters stood around laughing at their pain. The horror he felt after dispatching their tormentors, only to find that both had been cursed with the withering curse.
Shaking his head, Jim growled as he stepped forward, illuminating the creatures toothless mouth with the light from his wand. No time like the present for a little experimentation, no one had yet figured out how to kill these things. With a feral grin, Jim reached out with his now glowing left hand, flicking the tip of his wand, hard, as he calmly spoke the incantation.
"Magni Sperare Tutelam."
Up until they were rudely interrupted by dementors, Daphne Greengrass had been having a wonderful day.
Per tradition, she had arrived with her family long before most other families would have made it to the station. Her mother, Penelope, had practically demanded that they get there early so the male scions of wealthy houses would see her, and perhaps make betrothal offers. After all, Daphne was beginning to grow into her looks, and it was easy to tell she would be quite beautiful when she was older.
Mother had even followed Daphne onto the train, forcing her to take a compartment as close to the front of the train as possible; so that anyone who happened to be looking through the windows from the station would see her early on.
Before they made it to the compartment Daphne would be forced to take, her mother had stopped after passing a certain one, and took two steps back to peer through the glass at the only occupant. As the boy inside raised a Styrofoam cup to his lips, she quickly moved out of sight and gestured for Daphne to take note of the door, Compartment Seven.
"Him," Penelope said, "I don't recall seeing him before at any of our events, but his outfit screams money. Find out who he is, I want you to send me a letter after the feast tonight detailing everything you have learnt about him."
Daphne rolled her eyes, there was no way she was going to go back and look in that compartment, not after her mother had already drawn attention to herself by staring at the poor boy. For all she knew, the boy could be the male version of pug face Parkinson, and there was no way she was going to try to get into the good graces of someone like that.
Finally settling into her compartment, Daphne's mother gave her a quick kiss goodbye, admonished her to keep an eye out for that boy, keep an eye on her new kitten, and owl her with that letter this evening. It wasn't until her mother finally left her alone, and she saw her disapparate from the station, that Daphne finally allowed herself to breathe. Her mother meant well, she just wanted her daughter cared for.
She let Serenity out of her carrier and held her in her lap while she waited for her best friend Tracy Davis to arrive. Tracy was aware of Daphne's mother's scheming, and knew that she would be near the front of the train.
She didn't have to wait long. The door was slammed open as Tracy came barreling through.
"Oh my Merlin," Tracy exclaimed, "Did you see that boy on your way in?"
Daphne shook her head, "If you're talking about the boy in Seven, then no, I didn't. Mother saw him and then stood and stared for a moment. There's no way I was going to draw attention to myself by going back."
"You should," Tracy said, "If I hadn't known that you were already here and waiting, I would have made some excuse to sit with him."
Daphne watched as her friend stowed her trunk overhead. Unnoticed by either of them, Serenity jumped from the bench and ran out the open door of the compartment. Ten minutes later, after Tracy continued gushing about the unknown boy, Daphne finally noticed the absence of her kitten. Tracy promised to hold their compartment until she got back, and Daphne went searching for her wayward familiar.
As she passed by Seven, she happened to look in, and found herself unconsciously repeating her mother's actions, and staring at the occupant. The boy looked to be her age, although the white in his hair made him appear as though he may be older. He was just finishing off a greasy looking sausage and biscuit combination, but despite eating the clearly muggle inspired food, he was dressed impeccably. There was no way this boy could be anything other than pureblood.
Taking a gamble, and deciding that it couldn't hurt to humor her mother a little, she opened the door and asked her question.
Thus was her introduction to someone who claimed to be the scion of the Black family; although, he also claimed to be the child of the Locke family as well. She felt it rude to ask how the boy could be related to the Blacks; when as far as anyone was aware, the newly escaped Sirius Black had no children; and Regulus Black was assumed dead, as he had disappeared over twelve years ago. The boy didn't exactly have any of the normal characteristics of the infamous Black family either.
His hair was brown and white, whereas the Blacks were notorious for always having black hair. Even Narcissa Malfoy nee Black had originally had black hair before marrying Lucius Malfoy and gaining the blonde streak in her hair.
His eyes were the wrong color too; most every Black she had ever heard of shared dark brown or even violet eyes as a trait. Raleigh Locke-Black's eyes were a bright sapphire, as though someone had taken the expensive stone and stored two of them in his eyes.
Raleigh Locke-Black's facial structure was the same as most of the Black family, with their high cheek bones, and narrow noses.
All-in-all, the boys bearing and attitude did scream pureblood, but he just didn't look like any of the Blacks.
She soon forgot her observations of his facial characteristics when he muttered an old hunting spell to find her kitten. Daphne had never considered using the spell that had been used by hunters to find wounded deer in the forest, but as Serenity's paw prints lit up, she was glad to see it worked.
Then the boy had to start talking as though every school child could suddenly become violent, and vigilance was needed. Daphne scoffed inwardly at first, but then the boy had spoken as though from experience. Suddenly she felt the need to get back to her compartment and lock the door to keep all the other violent seeming teenagers away from her.
As they were returning to her compartment, they had suddenly run into the Boy-Who-Lived and his ever present muggleborn.
Locke had greeted Potter as though they were old friend; introducing Daphne and Tracy as friends as well. Well, she wasn't quite ready to call herself a friend of a boy she had only just met, but this could be a good way to learn more about Locke if he considered her a friend. Unsurprisingly, Potter had greeted them as though they were simple muggles, and not deserving of noble gestures.
Finding his compartment had been taken; which really wasn't surprising as the boy had left nothing more than a box of pastries to mark his spot. Finding that Malfoy and his bookends had taken the compartment was no surprise either. With a questioning glance at Tracy, which received a confirming nod, Daphne happily invited the confusing pureblood and his two friends to their compartment.
When Locke had deferred to Daphne and Tracy concerning asking Weasley to join them, Daphne was all set to deny the request. Her family may be neutral, but there was no way she was letting that walking stomach stay around her for any longer than may be required for a class during the school year. She was surprised however, when Potter spoke against his long-time friend, stating his inability to behave around those not in his own house. When Potter and Granger had disappeared from the compartment, Daphne was sure they wouldn't return until they needed to change into their uniforms for Hogwarts.
Then, Locke had astounded her when he apologized for Potter's ignorance, stating that the Boy-Who-Lived had been raised by muggles, and had been unaware of his true inheritance until this past summer when Locke had taught him. Following that was a conversation about how Potter had been perceived by his year mates. Locke acted though he was deeply offended by Weasley's actions, but then an evil grin formed on his face as though he had thought of something particularly devious.
The arrival of Potter and Granger was surprising, as was the conversation about electives that seemed to even change Granger's mind.
The arrival of the dementors was guaranteed to ruin anyone's day. As Daphne shored up her Occlumency shields in an effort to keep from reliving some horrors in her past, she was surprised to see a complete change come over Locke, and Potter.
It had been interesting seeing Locke and Potter sitting next to each other. Where Potter had been known for his nearly unnatural emerald eyes; Locke's sapphire eyes seemed just as unnatural. As the lights faded in the compartment, both of their eyes shone; as though their magic was focusing through their irises. Both boys were short for their ages, although, Locke seemed to be just that little bit taller and a bit more fit, than Potter.
As different as their appearances were though, it was their mannerisms that threw Daphne off. Any time something awkward was brought up, it was interesting to see as both boys would shrug their shoulders, and run their hands through their hair, nearly simultaneously. Although, Locke seemed to forget that he had a ponytail in his hair, and kept running into the band that was holding it back. Both boys had almost the same exact laugh, although Locke was more ready to laugh, or even to make a joke; Potter seemed as though he was worried someone would be upset at his laughter.
Potter acted confused and kept glancing around as though he heard something no one else could hear. Locke, however, was the scarier of the two of them. His face had gone hard as he stood, as he moved to the door, Daphne was surprised to see his wand in his hand, she couldn't recall seeing him draw it.
As Jim ordered Granger to catch Potter, Daphne was surprised to see the boy faint at just that moment. She rushed to help Granger get the boy into a more comfortable position, so she didn't see the moment that the dementor was spotted through the glass on the door.
She did, however, feel it as Locke began gathering power. The air in the compartment went from ice cold, and oppressive, to summer's day warm. For a moment there, Daphne felt as though she was back on holiday the year before her first year at Hogwarts. The entire family had gone to the beach for a week. Staying in a villa and spending all day in the water had been one of the best times of her admittedly short life. Being around Locke's power, felt to her, like a cool salty breeze from off the ocean, while the hot summer sun kissed her skin.
She turned to see Locke's left hand glowing a dark blue, while the tip of his wand, that he had shoved into the dementors face for some reason, glowed bright white. Then Jim muttered an incantation that Daphne was hard pressed to understand.
She knew what the spell did though, as her entire world turned white. .
Although she could not see, she knew for a fact that the dementor was no longer around. Instead of the cold, hopeless feeling that she knew the creature was responsible for; she felt something she had not felt so strongly in many years. She felt loved.
Gone was the feeling of standing on the beach in the sun. Now, she was literally ON the beach. She was a young child again, wrapped in her father's arms, watching a camp fire burn in the night, listening as he told her fanciful stories of princesses and dragons. How her knight in shining armor did exist, and would someday come, and she would marry for love, not money.
Daphne stayed wrapped in this feeling for many minutes, not seeing or feeling anything that was happening around her; until suddenly, she was no longer on the beach, but sitting on a hard bench, on a train in the middle of Scotland. Granger and Potter, once again awake, were sitting on the bench across from her, holding tight to one another and staring towards the door, awe shining on their faces, as they regarded the boy who had quite possibly saved their lives. On her left, Daphne saw her best friend, tears falling down her face, despite the huge smile she wore; her arms wrapped tight around herself in a hug.
"Well," Locke said from the doorway. He turned to look at them, one hand holding the back of his neck, the other resting against his side, his wand again hidden out of sight, "I forgot how much that takes out of you."
With that, his eyes rolled up in his head as he collapsed, his head quite unceremoniously bouncing off the bench on his way down. Daphne leapt from her seat to help her new friend, noticing as she went that there was no sign of the dementor anywhere.
Up and down the Hogwarts Express, children who had been feeling like they would never be happy again, or in some instances fearing for their lives; were suddenly enveloped in that protective, loving, feeling.
In compartment number seven, where he had unknowingly stolen Jim's donuts; Draco Malfoy sat staring into space. He had never felt anything like he had just now. The hopelessness, and sadness that came from dementors was a normal feeling for the Malfoy Scion. That feeling that he had received from the bright light, however, was foreign. It reminded him greatly of when he was younger, and he had been permitted to spend a great deal more time with his mother. He found, as the feeling dissipated, that he wanted more.
In another compartment, where she had been sitting by herself and reading her father's newest edition of the Quibbler, Luna Lovegood wrapped her arms around herself and cried. She had not felt this loved since before her mother had passed away. Reliving her mother's dying day had been horrible, and Luna knew that she had no desire to ever be near a dementor again. However, the feeling that came immediately after was something that she knew she just had to find again.
In another compartment, where Ronald Weasley had been sadly contemplating the candy wrappers left over from Harry buying the usual stash from the troll. Ronald was confused. For a brief moment he had been back at the Burrow, happily eating at his mother's table, he was saddened to find after that happy daydream, that he was back on the train, sitting with Dean and Seamus, and no food in sight.
Nearly every compartment on the train was completely silent the rest of the way to Hogwarts. Except for the first compartment where Daphne held her new friends' head in her lap as she tried to wake him. No one seemed to notice that the dementors had disappeared completely.
A/N: I've seen a lot of questions about pairings for this. It's really exciting to know that you all are curious about it enough to actually ask me. For right now I only know for certain that Harry and Hermione will be together.
I am conflicted with Jim. I feel as though Luna is too young spirited for Jim. I can see her as a younger sister, but as a potential love interest? Difficult for me. I had considered Daphne Greengrass or perhaps Susan Bones. I guess that depends on what house I end up putting Jim into.
Ginny Weasley is right out. There's no way I feel that the fangirl would be a good pairing for Jim.
Someone mentioned Fleur and I feel that that could be a good possibility as well. Although writing her accent could be a pain. Jim's Blue theme would go well with her too.
So... still considering the pairing.
There will not be ANY slash. Period. Nothing against homosexuality, some of my best friends swing that way. However, it being something that I have never experienced myself, I do not feel as though I should be writing about it.
Also, no triads, or multi pairings. Again, nothing against it, one my wife's best friends growing up is actually with two women, married to one and engaged to the other. Good for him; not my cup of tea.
Hey, what house would you all prefer Jim to be in? I was leaning towards Hufflepuff before I wrote that last chapter and completely destroyed my own plans.
Thanks!
A/N 2: Yeah, So... I'm a complete idiot. While sitting at work the other day, doing something completely unrelated to this. I suddenly remembered that I didn't include the dementor scene in this chapter. How stupid was that right? I mean that is one of THE MOST important things that happen in POA. So, I deleted that chapter and rewrote a good portion of it. So for those of you who have already read my mistake of a chapter I do apologize, some of this is the same, however I did change one or two things that reviewers had mentioned.
Umm... yeah. Stuck at work for a 16 hour shift today, so if I get time... I might put out another chapter today too. We'll see what happens.
REVIEWS ARE AWESOME! You guys are amazing. I love constructive criticism, I'll never be a better writer without it.
