Previous Chapter - Harry meets his librarian Avatar and scans all the medical records so it can begin working. During his downtime he comes across on Albania and Tom gets very interested to learn that Quirrell visited the country. A little bit of trickery at Gringotts allows Harry to gain access to more funds than previously. He learns a little about goblin wards and then goes on a bit of a spending spree.

Note: This chapter has not been Beta'd. Real life has caught up with Aletheya and she isn't able to help me out anymore. A big thanks to her for all the work she has put in. If there is anyone else out there who is willing to help correct my grammar and spelling please let me know.

Chapter 20 - Questions on the Hogwart's Express

-my-friend-tom-

Harry was daydreaming about flying. As soon as he was back at Hogwarts he was going to hit the skies on his Nimbus 2000 at the earliest opportunity. It was his planned high altitude fly over of Hogwarts that was most on his mind. He was going to work exactly how far away the photographer who had made Tom's Hogwarts poster had been. Not for any particular reason other than that it would be exceedingly fun working it out.

He wiggled around a bit to find a comfortable position on the lumpy seat cushion. Hermione was sitting across from him, already reviewing a textbook. The train was still at the station and she was already studying whilst everyone else was bouncing around in excitement at seeing their friends again. Hermione was a great friend but sometimes she could be a little trying. He had wanted to talk about his plans to work out how the poster had been made using the broom but she hadn't been interested at all.

A light knock sounded before the door slid open.

"Hello Harry, Hermione. Mind if I join you?" Neville was smiling as he entered the cabin dragging his trunk behind him.

"Course not. Here let me get that. Wingardium Leviosa." Harry flicked his wand and sent the trunk floating up to the luggage racks.

Neville gave a nervous smile, "Thanks, Harry. I tried practising that at home but stopped after I knocked over my desk and took out one of the posts of my bed. The new wand works well but it's a little too powerful for me."

Harry shook his head amused, "Wand's aren't powerful in themselves, Neville. They just make it easier to focus and aim. The power is from you. It only feels powerful because that other wand was holding you back. I can show you some exercises to help you control your power level if you want."

Neville gave him a grateful smile as he sat next to Harry, "That'd be great, thanks Harry."

Hermione frowned looking up from her book, "I don't remember reading anything about exercises like that. Where did you learn those?"

'I did tell you, like I told you not to teach her any wandless magic. Now she's getting suspicious about every new thing you talk about.'

"Fine, fine. You were right but I thought it'd be useful for her."

'Useful yes, but suspicious too if you aren't going to tell her where you learnt about it.'

Harry rolled his eyes partly at Hermione's questions and partly at Tom's 'I told you so' before answering, "If you must know it's from a book on advanced duelling techniques."

Hermione's frown got tighter, "Why and when were you reading a book on advanced duelling techniques."

Harry gave her a small but hopeful smile, "I wasn't expecting the Spanish Inquisition."

"Why won't you answer my questions, Harry?"

He was disappointed when she didn't take the opening for the joke. This wasn't the first time that they had gone from having a nice chat to a semi-frosty interrogation and, though he didn't like it, his attempts to nicely derail her questioning hadn't been having any success. It was irritating.

"What's with you wanting to know everything, Hermione? I like teaching and learning but I'm getting a bit sick of having to explain every single thing I know. I kinda get it when I'm trying to help you but now you're interfering when I'm trying to help Neville."

Hermione opened up her mouth and only got out, "But.." before Harry cut her off.

"Leave it, Hermione. If you haven't got anything useful to say except all the questions then... just... I don't know... be quiet." Harry clenched his teeth together. It was harsher than he intended but all his attempts to stop her asking questions nicely hadn't worked. He turned away quickly not wanting to see the hurt in her eyes. He stared out the window as the train suddenly jerked into motion.

No one said anything for the longest time.

There were a few words exchanged between Neville and Hermione but Harry didn't pay much attention.

Neville eventually broke into his thoughts with a slightly louder but still hesitant, "Harry?"

Harry took a calming breath before he turned away from the window that he had been staring out of for what seemed like forever. He noticed Hermione with her head in the same book that she had out earlier. He wasn't sure but he didn't think he had heard her turning pages.

"Yes, Neville?"

"Gran asked me to pass on her thanks to you as well. She said you were both very well behaved, better even than some of the older children."

"Ehh... that's good. Um... can you pass on my… thanks for the invitation. I actually had a pretty good time."

Neville raised his eyebrows.

Harry gave a short laugh, "Okay, so the dozen or so people you introduced us to were mostly pretty boring and borderline obnoxious. Still your garden was impressive and the food was really nice."

"I've sure you've been to much better parties."

Harry shook his head, "Well no. That was my first party."

Hermione's head rose up and she partly opened her mouth but nothing came out. She seemed to be making an effort to refrain from saying anything. She looked pretty unhappy so Harry wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

Neville wasn't so restrained, "First party? What, your family doesn't have Christmas parties… what about birthday parties?"

Harry shook his head and turned to look out the window again, "Let's just say we didn't get on. I let them be and they let me be. It was better that way."

Hermione frowned as she watched Harry, she seemed to be on the verge of saying something a few times but when she finally spoke it was to Neville.

"Francine was nice, but I don't understand. How can she and Hannah both be Abbotts if her father and Hannah's mother are siblings?"

A faint grimace crossed Neville's face and he glanced at the door before answering in a hushed voice, "Eh.. we don't really speak of it but no one knows who Hannah's father is. I mean, no one except, well... you know… might know."

Hermione blushed, "Oh... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

Neville shook his head, "It's okay Hermione, you didn't know. It's all very complicated. Hannah's mother hasn't spoken with her parents in forever, though she gets along with her younger brothers okay. Just don't talk about it around Hannah."

Hermione nodded, "I won't say a word."

The room descended back into silence except for the occasional turning of pages. Neville took out a book and joined Hermione in reading. Harry continued to watch the landscape roll past.

-my-friend-tom-

Ron and Dean turned up when the train reached the first real hills. They were joking, laughing and playfully pushing each around as they entered.

"Hey, everyone. Did you all have a good Christmas? Thanks for the presents." Ron plonked down next to Neville and Dean sat across from him.

A round of greetings and comparisons brought both Harry and Hermione into the conversation though neither did more than glance at each other during the conversation. The newcomers didn't seem to notice.

When Seamus's missing presence was brought up Ron just laughed as he played with his new wand. He had already, three times, proudly shown it and the care kit that he had picked up the previous day using the voucher that they had given him. "Seamus is still doing his homework in our cabin. He said to say 'Hi'. Well at least that's what I think he mumbled from the parchment he was frantically writing on."

Hermione piped up, "But you did all your homework right?"

Ron rolled his eyes and gave a dramatic sigh, "Yeah, Hermione. Mum made me do it first thing. Was brilliant weather first few days, perfect flying weather, and I was stuck inside looking up for uses of stupid potion ingredients."

"They're not stupid, Ron. It's important to learn what each does."

Ron shook his head, "Why? It's not like I'm going to brew any potions when I finish school. If I ever need any I'll just buy them. Why risk my health on a homemade potion if there are risk free ones available at any apothecary."

Hermione's voice became a little sterner, "But what if you need one that's not available over the counter?"

Ron raised his eyebrows, "Then I either order it or get one of my brothers to make it. There'd be no way I'd risk making a difficult potion, I'd probably screw it up. I wish I could drop the class and be done with Snape."

"Professor Snape, Ron and you need to understand potions for some careers."

Ron made a face, "Well, then those are the careers that I don't want to do."

"Really!" Hermione was about to say something else but she was cut off this time by Ron.

"We'll be at school soon enough. Let's talk about something more interesting. What else did you guys get up to?"

Their discussion moved on to the movies Harry and Hermione had seen and, for a while, they were at least respectful to each other. Some of the unhappiness left Hermione though there was still a certain coldness in her looks at Harry.

Harry had just given up trying to explain the Spanish Inquisition joke when the door got roughly shoved open by a sneering Malfoy.

"I see you're still hanging with these losers, Potter. This is your last chance to join the popular crowd. My dad says I should give you one more try. So what will it be? Hang with these blood traitors and mudbloods or come learn how to be a proper wizard?"

Harry's bemusement was evident to all, "Really, Malfoy, was that how it was? Or was it your dad telling you off for making an enemy of Harry Potter and telling you to make amends and this is you screwing it up yet again?"

Ron, who had been turning red with anger at Malfoy's words made a sound that was half cough half laugh and had to bring his hand up to his mouth. Neville and Dean chuckled whilst Hermione's head seemed to be on a swivel as she tried to watch both Harry and Malfoy at the same time.

"You... what... no... I hate you!" Malfoy had gone as red as Ron who was now trying with great difficulty to catch a breath between his half cough half laughs.

"So eloquent, Malfoy. I hope he didn't spank you too hard. Please let your father know that I have no interest in befriending his inbred, ignorant and idiotic offspring. Now piss off." Harry turned to look out the window dismissing the fuming boy.

Harry watched in the reflection as Malfoy's hand edged towards his pocket, his hand made it halfway before Malfoy came to his senses, turned and strode away.

'Nice. Why didn't you use the blonde joke you prepared?'

"Didn't think anyone but Hermione would understand it and she's already not happy with me."

'Fair call.'

Harry turned back and gave the others a dramatic sigh that quickly turned into a grin, "What an idiot. So where were we?"

-my-friend-tom-

After the snack car had passed, at which Harry spent too much money, and Ron had demolished his small mountain of chocolate frogs, Harry convinced him to give his new wand a go. Ron didn't have the same power issues that Neville did, his wand not having been as bad a match. However, there was still a difference and Harry gave him some pointers on exercises he could try to get him used to the new wand.

It was at this point that Hermione clicked on something that had been niggling at her attention from earlier and suddenly she blurted out, "You cast spells outside school!"

Everyone started and turned to look at her. Hermione was staring at Neville accusingly.

Neville was rather taken aback and confused, "Eh.. what?"

Hermione huffed, "You said you had tried out your new wand. But you are not allowed to cast spells outside school."

"Oh. Gran said I could test it as she didn't want me doing any worse than what I already was. As long as you have your guardians supervising, those rules don't apply, though it's a kind of grey area in the law. The wards around the grounds block the trace so it's not like they could tell anyhow."

"What? We can use magic at home? I could use magic to do my chores?" This was from Ron who was looking all excited.

Neville shrugged, "As long as your parents give you permission and are supervising you should be able to though you'd want to make sure you had the right type of wards first."

Ron's face fell, "Oh… yeah well... I don't think my parents want us to practice at home. Not sure what wards we have either."

Hermione piped up with, "But that's unfair to muggleborns then. We don't have any wards and I don't think my parents would be comfortable supervising me using magic."

Neville shook his head, "Wouldn't work anyhow. Pretty sure it has to be a qualified wizard or witch supervising."

Dean shrugged, "Guess I can't either. Doesn't really matter though, my parents wouldn't be keen on me casting magic around the house. They're still not comfortable with the whole thing."

Harry piped up with a quick question before Hermione could take over the conversation again, "They treat you okay though, right?"

Dean nodded, "Yeah. Dad even looked through some of my school books and some of the pictures I brought home. My sisters kept asking me questions about casting spells to make their hair pretty and that. Had to promise them I would have a look for some spells in the library so I could cast them when I was older. Daft girls. Didn't matter that I told them it'd be six years before I could cast them at home." He snorted then his expression fell a bit, "Mum's not as keen. She tells the neighbours that I'm off at some fancy normal boarding school and I think she likes to believe that's actually the truth."

He shrugged and the conversation moved on, though not before Hermione gave Harry a searching look.

-my-friend-tom-

Author Notes: Another short chapter. I expect the chapters will get longer when things start happening back at Hogwarts. Hope I addressed all the questions about the Abbotts family.

Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. Replies to reviews posted at wwwfanfictionnet/topic/135718/89507238/1/