Chapter Ten: Encounters on the Hogwarts Express

A Blank Dimension: September 1st, 1995

"Ready, Harry?"

Taking a deep breath, Harry straightened the collar of his Hogwarts robes and nodded. Since he and his family were going to be portkeying to the train station, he figured he might as well get dressed and spare himself the trouble later. "Yeah. Here goes nothing. Say, who do I usually sit with?"

"Ron, Dean, and Seamus, I think." Lila answered absently. "Why? Are you planning to sit with someone else?"

"I'd like to find Hermione, if possible, and you know, you're welcome to sit with me," Harry told her hesitantly. "I wouldn't mind the company."

"Ron probably would," Lila said practically. "He'll think I'm a tag-a-long. Thanks, but I'll be okay."

"Harry! Lila! Time to go!" James yelled.

Quickly, the siblings ran into the entrance hall, where their trunks and parents were already waiting. They seized their respective belongings and touched the portkey, a scarf. With a sharp jerk that reminded Harry uncomfortably of the Third Task, the Potters landed on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

For the first time in his life, Harry's true family sent him of with a round of goodbyes, although technically, the only person he wouldn't be seeing was his dad. Lily was going to apparate to Hogsmeade and walk to the castle, rather than ride the train, but she would be teaching at Hogwarts all year.

Once their farewells were said, Harry boarded the train, chose an empty compartment, and stowed his trunk, while Lila did the same elsewhere. Within a few minutes, Ron, Dean, and Seamus had found Harry and sat down with him. The latter listened to them laugh and joke around for about an hour before excusing himself.

It took a surprisingly long time to find Hermione, who had locked herself up at the back of the train as soon as the Prefect meeting let out. Absently, Harry thought it odd that neither he nor Ron were Prefects, but dismissed the matter for later contemplation.

"Hermione?" he called softly, dispelling her locking charm and poking his head into her compartment. "Hermione, can I come in?"

"What do you want, Potter?" she inquired wearily, not looking up from the book she was reading.

Shuffling his feet awkwardly, Harry slipped inside and sat down across from her. "I…I haven't been very n-nice to you," he stammered. "I just w-wanted to apologize for my behavior."

Taken aback at the unexpected words, Hermione gave him her full attention. "Is this some kind of joke, Potter? Did someone put this up to you?"

"N-no," Harry said truthfully. "It's just that…this summer, I've sort of…grown up, I guess you could say. I'm not proud of the way I've acted in the past, and I'd like to start over again, if that's okay with you."

Hermione eyed him warily. "How do I know you're not just trying to get my help on your homework?"

"I'm not saying that wouldn't be nice," Harry admitted, "but really, that's not what I'm after. I just want you to know that I truly am sorry and…I wouldn't mind being friends."

Unfortunately, Hermione still wasn't convinced. "If you've really had a change of heart, prove it."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Admit in front of witnesses that I'm better at magic than you are."

"That's it?" Harry asked, surprised. "Of course you're better at magic; you've got to be the smartest person at Hogwarts! Who do you want me to say it in front of?"

"Um…Malfoy and his cronies."

"Okay. Right now?"

"N-no, it doesn't have to be right now, just whenever you have a chance."

"That's fine." Standing up, Harry smiled at her and walked out, pausing in the doorway. "I really am sorry, Hermione. I'll make it up to you any way I can."

When he had gone, Hermione leaned back against the window and thought over the strange encounter. 'He seemed sincere, but what could have made him change so drastically in one summer? Was he telling the truth? Why would he want to be friends with me? Did his parents order him to? No, they wouldn't order him to do anything.

Maybe he feels sorry for me. But he didn't act like it…I wonder if he really intends to go through with it. He's so pigheaded I would never think he could admit that someone, much less a muggleborn witch, is better than he is in anything, even though I beat him in every class.

Well, I guess I just have to wait and see…hopefully, this isn't just another one of his tricks.'

…

As he was leaving Hermione's compartment, Harry ran into Malfoy.

"So, Potty," he sneered, "you're not the only one who can do magic now."

"Technically, you shouldn't do magic until you step foot on Hogwarts ground," Harry returned coolly. "And I've learned a lot this summer. If I were you, I'd stay away from me." It was true, too. While Harry had spent most of his time with his family, especially Lila, he had also studied extensively.

Naturally, Malfoy didn't believe him. "Expelliarmus!" he shouted.

"Protego!" Harry countered. "Petrificus Totalus! Stupefy!" His Body-Bind made Malfoy jump sideways, straight into the path of his stunner. "Nice try, Malfoy."

Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy's ever-present shadows, lunged at Harry, but the Gryffindor casually ducked, making both Slytherins crash into each other.

"Mr. Potter! Mr. Malfoy! What is going on?" a vaguely familiar voice exclaimed.

"Professor Flitwick?" Harry hadn't realized that the Charms instructor was even on the train. Few teachers had ever ridden the Hogwarts Express in his world.

"Mr. Potter, explain," Flitwick demanded.

"Malfoy tried to disarm me, so I threw up a shield, followed by a Body-Bind and a stunner," Harry recounted. "He got hit with the stunner, and Crabbe and Goyle attacked me, but I dodged, and they hit each other instead. You can check my wand if you want."

Eyes narrowed suspiciously at Harry's oddly straightforward manner, Flitwick took the proffered wand and performed 'Priori incantatem' on it, only to find that Harry's story matched. Before the shield, his last spell had been a shrinking charm, for his luggage.

"Very well then," the tiny wizard snapped, as he revived Draco. "Messrs. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, detention with Mr. Filch for attacking a student, and be glad the school year hasn't officially started, or I'd take house points. Now go on your way, and no more fighting!"

Calmly, Harry retrieved his wand and rejoined Ron, Dean, and Seamus.

"Hey, mate, where did you go?" Ron questioned. "You were gone for ages."

"Ran into Malfoy," Harry replied casually. "He, Crabbe, and Goyle have got detention with Filch already."

"Excellent!" Seamus cheered. "What happened?"

"The idiot tried to disarm me. I blocked and stunned him, and then Professor Flitwick came along. He asked me what happened, so I told him and gave him my wand for him to check, and then he gave Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle detention for attacking me."

"That's great!" Ron exclaimed. "Bloody brilliant!"

"Yeah," Harry said, though he shifted uncomfortably, unsure of whether of not he really wanted to celebrate. Sometimes, the attitude of his counterpart here reminded him of Dudley.

For the rest of the ride, the three teens played Exploding Snap, talked, ate candies and pastries, and greeted various classmates as they passed by. All too soon for Harry, the train stopped and the students got out.

As they approached the carriages that would take them to the castle, Harry gasped, seeing the strange, Grey horse-like creatures that were pulling them.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"I thought the carriages were horseless," Harry said faintly. "What are those things?"

"What things?" Ron questioned, craning his neck around. "I don't see anything."

"You mean the thestrals," Hermione informed them as she walked past. "You can only see them if you've seen someone die. They've always pulled the carriages; it says so in Hogwarts: A History."

"Oh, shut up, Granger," Ron snapped irritably. "We didn't ask for your input."

"I asked," Harry put in unexpectedly. "Thanks, Hermione."

The other teen was startled by Harry's gratitude, but nodded shyly before daring to inquire, "Who did you see die? It must have been this summer, if you haven't seen them before."

"I…I don't know," Harry mumbled uncertainly. After all, the real Harry from this world probably hadn't seen anyone get murdered yet, but he remembered Cedric's death all too well.

"It's none of your business; buzz off," Seamus jumped in.

"It's okay, guys," Harry defended her quickly. Giving Hermione a wink, he turned back towards Hogwarts. "Come on; let's go."

"What was that all about?" Ron wanted to know once they were settled in a carriage. "Since when did you start calling Granger by her first name?"

"I saw her on the train and we talked a little," Harry told him with a shrug. "I've realized what a prat I've been, so I apologized and we're kind of friends now."

"Friends? With Granger?" Dean exclaimed. "Are you crazy? She's so weird! I mean, she studies nonstop and she's such a loner!"

"All the more reason to talk to her," Harry pointed out. "She could use a friend, don't you think? Anyway, she seems nice enough."

The other boys looked a little disgruntled, but they let the matter drop for the time being and talked about other things until they reached Hogwarts. In almost every way, the Sorting and Welcome Feast was exactly as Harry expected, but with one major difference: the way others behaved around him.

Several students, both in his year and older, called out greetings to him, while many more, mainly those younger than him, shied away or avoided him. According to Lila, they were the ones he had teased and bullied mercilessly. Then there were the incoming first years. They stared at Harry in awe after they had been sorted, but that was hardly something new.

Before long, Harry found himself back in his old dorm room, where he realized with surprise that he had not spoken to Neville, and the other boy was currently nowhere in sight.

"Hey, where's Neville?" he asked Ron.

"I dunno; why d'ya ask?"

"No reason," Harry said quickly, remembering vaguely that Lila had mention they weren't exactly friends. He was climbing into bed when Neville finally showed up.

"Hi, Neville," Harry greeted him cheerfully. "Did you have a good summer?"

"Um, y-y-yeah," the other boy stammered, looking terrified.

Puzzled at his frightened demeanor, Harry inquired, "What's wrong?"

"N-n-nothing!" Neville squeaked and dove into the bathroom.

"Well, that was weird," Harry commented to no one in particular.

Seamus shook his head. "Not really, Longbottom's always been a bit of a coward. Don't know how he got into Gryffindor. And since when have you called him Neville? What's with all the first names?"

Figuring that his counterpart might have picked on Neville as well, Harry shrugged and didn't answer, merely closing the curtains around his four-poster and lying down.

…

"Aw, great, Potions with Slytherins first thing! Why, why, why!" Ron moaned, staring at his schedule.

"And History of Magic right after that," Harry added. "They're trying to kill us!"

"Then Charms in the afternoon with Ravenclaw; that's not so bad," Dean pointed out. "Cheer up."

"Class starts soon," Harry noted, glancing at his watch. "We'd better start walking, or Snape will kill us for being late on the first day."

Professor Snape seemed inclined to kill them anyway, judging from his scowl as they entered. "Potter, Weasley," he drawled, "let's see if you remember anything at all from last year, shall we? Sit!"

Wordlessly, they sat down at the back of the room, as far away from their teacher as possible. The class was just as awful as ever; Gryffindor lost twenty points, and Harry and Ron received an A for their efforts, which, all things considered, was quite good. However, Harry did notice Snape watching him closely throughout the lesson.

On the way to History of Magic, Harry came across a sight that made his blood boil. Malfoy and several Slytherins had cornered Lila and were taunting her, stealing her books and threatening to curse her. Worst of all, the resigned expression on her face told him that this was not the first time.

"Malfoy!" he roared, striding forward. "What do you think you're doing!"

"How strange," the blonde remarked coolly. "You never seemed to care before, Potter."

"Well, I care now!" Harry snapped. "Get out of here before I hex you into oblivion!"

Seeing several Gryffindors back up the Boy-Who-Lived, Draco reluctantly left, his entourage trailing him, while Harry turned to his sister. "Are you okay, Lila?"

"Yeah, thanks," she whispered softly. "I…it's not that I couldn't fight back…but Malfoy would have blamed it on me and I'd get in trouble…"

"It's okay; don't worry about that git," Harry assured her. "Has this happened before?"

"Well…yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Lila didn't reply, but Harry could read the answer in her eyes: 'You never cared before.'

"Listen to me, Lila," Harry ordered, pulling her into an alcove so that no one would overhear. "From what I know of your Harry, he's a spoiled arrogant brat with no concern for anyone except himself. I'd like to think that I'm nothing like him."

"Y-you're not," Lila told him. "I…well, I've been so used to being ignored. Last year, Malfoy stole my Potions homework right in front of you, and you just laughed it off and pretended not to see. It was like I wasn't even related to you; you didn't care at all."

"I care now!" Harry said fiercely. "If there's ever a problem, Malfoy, a teacher, homework, boys…anything! you can come to me, okay? I'll always be there for you, I promise. I never had a chance to have a sister before, and I'm not going to lose you now that I've got one."

"O-okay. Thank you, Harry."

"No problem. Now, I've got to get to class, and so do you." Flashing her a sudden grin, Harry picked up his bag and moved to rejoin Ron, calling back over his shoulder, "Hey, what are big brothers for?"

"Seriously, mate, what's up with you?" Ron demanded as they entered Professor Binn's classroom. "First you defend Granger, then you rescue your sister…what happened to you?"

"Nothing. Is it a crime to help your family members?" Harry retorted. "I just grew up this summer, okay? I don't like the way I've been behaving, so I'm changing. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Sheesh; no need to snap," Ron muttered. "If you want to act all heroic, be my guest. You are the Boy-Who-Lived, after all."

"Don't remind me," Harry grumbled. "I wish I could just be normal."

This comment made Ron frown. "I thought you liked being famous." Harry merely shrugged and settled down to do his Potions essay while their History teacher droned on and on.

After what seemed like an eternity, it was time for lunch. Instead of sitting with Ron, Dean, and Seamus, Harry paused by Neville, who was alone at the far end of the Gryffindor table. "Hey, Neville, can I sit with you today?"

Again, the other boy seemed absolutely terrified, but managed a slight nod. "S-sure, H-Harry, whatever y-you w-want."

"So what'd you think of classes so far?" Harry asked, as he began eating. "I thought Snape was simply awful. He told Ron and I that we were crushing our lacewing flies the wrong way! I wasn't even aware there was more than one way to crush something!"

As he had hoped, his indignant exclamation helped Neville relax a little. "Yeah, he always m-makes me nervous in Potions."

"I'd do loads better in that class if he weren't there," Harry grumbled. "I can't believe he took points off for 'breathing loudly.' I can't help it if he seems to think I breathe louder than everyone else! If I don't breathe, I'll suffocate!"

"Maybe that's what he w-wants," Neville suggested.

"I don't doubt that…slimy git!"

"Oy, Harry, why are you sitting here?" Ron inquired, coming up to the pair. "We sit at the other end, remember?"

"Go ahead," Harry urged, "I'll just keep Neville company."

Ron complied, though he gave Harry an odd look, leaving the two Gryffindors alone again.

"Harry…" Neville said suddenly, seeming to gather his courage for a question.

"Yes?"

"Why…why are you acting so different?"

"Different? In what way?"

"Well…you're a lot…n-nicer…"

Harry sighed. "I've done a lot of thinking this summer and I've decided to change my behavior. I…I've been pretty mean to you in the past, I guess, and…well, I'd like to apologize and start over." Inwardly, he winced; that was almost exactly what he'd said to Hermione!

However, it seemed to satisfy Neville, who beamed with pleasure. "Really? I'd like that!"

They spent the rest of lunch talking amiably, and even walked to Charms together, where they parted, Harry going to sit with Ron, and Neville, with a Ravenclaw whom Harry didn't know.

"Okay, class, we're going to review some charms today, just to refresh your memories and get you into the school mode," Professor Flitwick announced. "We'll start with the Summoning Charm. Pair up, please, and not with your usual partners. Try to go with someone new this time."

Glancing around, Harry noticed Hermione looking a bit lost as her housemates paired off around her, and quickly made his way across the room. "Want to be my partner?" he offered.

"Um…sure," she agreed hesitantly, though whether it was because she was wary of him, or because she thought he was terrible at Charms, Harry couldn't tell.

"You first or me?"

"I'll go," Hermione volunteered, pointing her wand at the cushions they were using. "Accio cushion!" It zoomed into her hands, making Harry clap.

"Nice!"

Hermione flushed slightly and floated it back to its original position for Harry to try. Luckily, he still remembered the charm from the First Task and managed it easily.

"My, your spellwork has improved greatly, Mr. Potter," Professor Flitwick commented as he passed by. "Excellent work!"

Since both Harry and Hermione had both mastered the charm, they moved on to other things, trying to outdo each other. Naturally, Hermione knew more spells, but Harry was pleasantly surprised at how many he did know.

When the class ended, Hermione gave Harry a timid smile, prompting him to ask if she wanted to work on her homework with him that evening. To his delight, she agreed.

On the other hand, Ron was becoming increasingly frustrated with his best friend, who had changed so much that he felt like a stranger. Sensing a confrontation, Harry disappeared somewhere after Charms, and Ron was unable to locate him. As a matter of fact, Harry went to the Muggle Studies classroom to spend some time with his mother.

Lily was delighted to see her son. "Hello, Harry, come in! How was class?"

"Good, except for Professor Snape. He's really driving me crazy!"

"Do you want me to have a talk with Professor Dumbledore about him?"

"Thanks, but no," Harry declined. "I can handle it. Do you need any help? I haven't really got much homework, and I have a free period right now."

"It's sweet of you to offer, honey, but it's only the first day. I'm hardly swamped with assignments yet," Lily pointed out. "Why don't you go flying?"

"That's a great idea," Harry agreed, his eyes lighting up. "Thanks, Mum! I'll see you at dinner!"

Laughing at her Quidditch-obsessed son, Lily returned to her work, pushing aside the thoughts that had haunted her all summer of how Harry was so different. After all, he had only changed for the better. Surely there couldn't be anything wrong…right?