Hi guys, my apologies for a late update. I have been so extremely enthralled with reading 'The Hunger Games' that I haven't even turned my computer on since Monday. Holy smoke that series took my breath away. Two more months til the film comes out! Huzzah!

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE TRAIN

The final Friday before holidays came around quickly, and the school was buzzing with excitement. The Hogwarts Express would be leaving just after lunch, taking those who wanted to spend the time with their families back to London. Harrison, Hermione and Neville were all packed and brimming with anticipation. The thought of seeing their families again after three months without seeing them was more exciting than the thought of Christmas.

The Great Hall was packed with students as they ate heartily before the journey on the Hogwart Express. It was a long trip, and food would be limited to whatever they took with them, and the trolley on the Express that sold mostly sweets.

"I can't believe it's been nearly four months since we've seen them," Hermione said. "I can't decide if it feels like it's been longer."

"Definitely longer," Harrison said. "I'll bet Dud spent his whole time practicing Street Fighter."

"Your brother street fights?" Neville asked incredulously.

Harrison laughed. "No! It's a video game. He never used to be able to beat me, but I bet he can now. I'm really out of practice."

Hermione shook her head. "Boys," she muttered.

Harrison grinned. He was definitely going to miss his two friends, though he knew he would miss Hermione the most. They'd exchanged phone numbers and addresses, and worked out that they didn't live that far part. Too far to walk, unfortunately, but no more than about a twenty-five minute drive. They were certain that their parents would allow them to visit during the two week Christmas break.

"I'll owl you both," Neville promised.

"Maybe I should have got mum to buy an owl," Harrison mused.

"What for? Mine'll wait for a reply," Neville said. "And you guys get to talk on the phone. It's only two weeks."

Harrison nodded slowly. Two weeks didn't sound like long, but he had a feeling that it would seem like ages once he was actually at home. Then again, he did want to see his brother. Letter writing wasn't really Dudley's strong suit.

At the front of the Great Hall, Dumbledore stood and commanded the attention of the entire school. A hush fell over the gathered students as Dumbledore stepped up to the dais.

"Good afternoon, one and all," Dumbledore said quietly. "Now, for end of term announcements, I have only a few. The first being that the students who are staying will be required to partake in meals in the Great Hall, and not just remain in their common rooms. To those whom are leaving us, the Hogwarts Express will be departing in precisely ninety-three minutes. The carriages to Hogsmeade will be departing in front of the Entrance Hall in forty-six minutes. Therefore, to those who have not finished packing, I suggest you go and do so now."

There was a rush from more than fifty students who stood and ran from the room. A light bout of laughter came from the more prepared students.

"To those who are far more organised, I will bid you to gather your belongings and meet in the Entrance Hall. And to all of my students, I wish you a very Happy Christmas."

With that, the student body erupted into motion, students saying goodbye to those who were staying for the holidays, and others dispersing to go and gather luggage.

Harrison, Hermione and Neville drifted up the stairs behind the rest of the Gryffindor group. Once they'd gathered their trunks, Hermione spelled them to be lighter, and they managed to make their way down several flights of stairs. The students were helped into horseless carriages that made their way from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade, the wizarding village that was quite close to the school.

Harrison noticed that Neville kept glancing nervously at the front of the carriage, where horses typically would be.

"What's wrong Nev?"

Neville swallowed nervously. "I don't like the look of the horses, is all."

Hermione and Harrison shared a worried look.

"What horses?" Hermione asked.

Neville pointed a shaking finger at the black winged creature pulling the carriage.

"Nev...there's nothing there," Harrison said.

"T-there is," Neville replied. "Black...winged...it looks like the horse that Death would ride."

Hermione knew that her friend wouldn't lie about something like this, and he seemed far too shaky to be trying to pull a joke on them. She carefully went through her mental knowledge bank, trying to come up with an explanation for why Neville would be able to see something that she and Harrison couldn't.

"Thestrals!" Hermione shouted.

The boys looked at her, startled by her outburst and the volume of it.

"What?"

"Thestrals," she replied, more calmly this time. "They're a lot like horses in appearance, but they have wings, and they can fly. They also can't be seen by people who haven't witnessed a death."

Harrison patted Nevile's shoulder compassionately. "That's really rough mate. Who was it?"

"My grandfather," Neville replied. "About two years ago. He died peacefully, but I was with him to the end."

Hermione patted Neville's arm consolingly. "They may look really frightening, but all the literature I've read said that they're actually very gentle."

Neville nodded, still a little apprehensive, but he firmly put the creatures out of his mind. That was made easier when the carriages pulled in to Hogsmeade, and the students all clambered to get onto the Express.

The trio chose a cabin towards the middle of the train, and settled in for the long journey home.

"Are you going to ask your mum if she knew about the whole BWL thing?" Neville asked Harry.

"BWL?" Hermione repeated.

"Boy-Who-Lived," Neville translated. "BWL's faster."

"Not when you have to explain it, it isn't," Harrison teased.

Neville pulled a face at his friend, and looked at him pointedly. "So...are you?"

"I'll ask," Harrison replied. "I really don't think she knew. When I got the invitation to attend, she told me everything she knew about Hogwarts, which wasn't much, but I didn't get the feeling that she knew anything else."

"She may not have," Hermione said. "Not a lot of wizards would bother explaining things to muggles."

"Well, I plan on explaining just about everything to mum and Dud. I don't think my letters were really doing Hogwarts justice."

"What if they ask to see you do magic?"

"Well, we're not allowed, so it doesn't really matter," Hermione said.

"Weird when you think about it," Harrison said. "I tried a few spells with my wand before going to Hogwarts, and I never got in any trouble for it."

"Me neither," Hermione added. "And I was using it for nearly a year. I wonder if it would be worth trying it anyway to find out what happens."

"My Gran would go mental if she caught me doing magic at home," Neville said. "My wand will probably get locked up in the cabinet it used to be displayed in."

"Displayed in?" Hermione asked.

Neville nodded. "It belonged to my father," he explained. "He uh...he isn't..."

"It's alright Nev, you can tell us," Harrison prompted gently.

Neville sighed. "He's in St Mungo's Hospital. In the Incurable Cases ward. He and my mother were tortured when I was a baby, and they...lost their minds. They've been in St Mungo's ever since. Gran gave me dad's wand to use, but...you've seen me, I'm hopeless."

Harrison tilted his head to the side, remembering a conversation he'd had with a very odd wizard nearly six months ago.

"But the wand chooses the wizard," Harrison said.

"What?" Neville asked.

"It's what the wandmaker, Ollivander, said to me when I was getting my wand."

"He said it to me too," Hermione confirmed.

"So...not everyone's wand will work for everyone else, is that what you mean?" Neville queried.

Harrison nodded. "I tried about a hundred different wands before I found one that would work for me."

Ollivander, being one of the first wizards he'd ever met, had scared the living daylights out of Harrison the day he'd gone into Diagon Alley. The wand that had chosen Harrison was the 'brother wand' of the Dark Lord. His mum had cut the man off before he'd been able to say anything further, but Harrison now wondered what else he'd been going to say.

The information about his wand being the 'brother' of Lord Voldemort's hadn't made too much of an impact on him at the time, but now that he knew so much more about the war, and about his part in Voldemort's downfall, he wondered if it was somehow significant that their two wands be linked.

"If you're using someone else's wand, then it's no wonder your spells aren't as strong as other people's," Hermione said.

Neville stared at them in shock. "I can't believe that. Why wouldn't Gran have known that?"

"Maybe she forgot," Hermione offered. "I suppose it's not really something most witches or wizards need to know after the first time they buy a wand."

"Wow. How in Merlin's name can I get her to take me for a new wand?"

"Well, tell her that you were researching, and came across the phrase 'the wand chooses the wizard', and ask her if that's true," Hermione suggested. "Then, maybe suggest a visit to Ollivander's. If you find a compatible wand, then she may buy it for you."

Neville smiled widely. "Fantastic! This is brilliant. Maybe I can ask for it for Christmas, so she wouldn't feel strange about just buying a new one."

"That's a great idea," Hermione enthused.

"And, if all else fails, I'll have a shiny new wand come first of the new term," Harrison said. "I bet Malfoy's wand would work wonders in the hands of a real wizard."

Neville snickered at the thought of Draco Malfoy's reaction to seeing his wand in Neville's hands.

"You're not really going to take his wand, are you?" Hermione asked.

Harrison shrugged. "Why not?"

"Because it's cruel!" she replied. "It...it feels like bullying."

Harrison's smug expression faded. Now that Hermione had said it, it did seem like bullying. And he hated that. He sighed loudly. "That sucks."

"You have to admit, if Malfoy had done better than Harris, he'd have taken Harris's wand in a heartbeat," Neville pointed out.

"That's true," Hermione conceded. "But, imagine how that would have made you feel."

Harrison sighed. "Like crap."

"Exactly."

"Fine, I won't take his wand," Harrison said. "But, I get bragging rights over the fact that I could have taken his wand."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just don't hold it over his head for all of next year."

"Agreed."

Neville shook his head. "He would never have let you forget if you'd lost."

"Yeah, well, we're better than he is anyway. Can I at least taunt him today and make him think I'll take it come first of the new term? Just think about it as payback for a whole terms worth of being a git."

"That's really mean," Neville said. He paused, and then grinned. "I love it."

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Petunia Evans stood on Platform 9¾, waiting anxiously for the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. Her eldest son Dudley stood beside her, shifting his weight from foot to foot, checking his wristwatch every few seconds.

"It's due in less than a minute," he reminded her.

"I know, Dudders."

It had been a long three months for the Evans family. Letting her youngest son go away to boarding school hadn't been an easy decision for Petunia Evans, even though she knew how much her own sister had enjoyed the experience of Hogwarts.

But having Harrison attend wasn't something she'd really prepared herself for. Perhaps she'd been purposefully ignoring the idea ever since she'd formally adopted the boy, but when the Hogwarts letter had arrived by owl, she'd been stunned.

Harrison had been an even-tempered child, and hadn't displayed too many bouts of accidental magic. Besides the incident with his teacher's wig, and the shrinking jumper from Aunt Marge, Harrison hadn't shown any other signs.

When Petunia had stopped to truly think it through, she was almost a little surprised that Dudley hadn't been accepted into Hogwarts as well. In fact, the very reason that her former husband, Vernon Dursley, had been so against Harrison becoming part of their family was because he was worried that Dudley would be 'infected' with magic.

Petunia looked at her eldest son, who suddenly smiled as widely as she'd ever seen. The train was in view of the platform and Dudley pointed at it frantically.

"It's nearly here!"

Harrison had changed her family so much. When he'd first been dropped on her doorstep ten years ago, she hadn't been prepared to accept him into her family. There had been so much animosity between herself and Lily after it had become clear that Petunia was not magically inclined. Between Lily's gift and Petunia's jealousy, the rift between the sisters had come to such a point that neither had attended the other's wedding.

News of Harry Potter's birth had been filtered through their parents, much the same as Dudley Dursley's had gone to Lily and her new family. Petunia hadn't given much more thought to her nephew until the night he was left on her front doorstep.

Shamefully, she recalled the way she'd allowed her former husband to treat the infant boy. He'd been given Dudley's cast-off clothing, despite the fact that they were usually too big, and on the verge of needing to be thrown out. Harry's cot had been a laundry basket with a pillow, and Vernon had never once held the child in his arms.

Petunia had followed Vernon's lead, allowing her jealousy of Lily to transfer onto her infant son. She'd barely acknowledged the child, and had paid him only scant attention. She'd fed and clothed him, but the neglect that she'd been guilty of was atrocious. Looking back on those first few years of the boys presence in their house was agonising to think of.

When it had become clear that Dudley was extremely sick, everything had changed. Petunia had taken him to doctors, and then to oncologists, learning of her sons' leukaemia and the very real threat that he could die if not treated immediately.

Petunia and Vernon had been tested to see if they would be matches for blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants, but neither of the Dursley's had been Dudley's perfect match. When the doctor asked if there were any other blood relatives, though, Petunia had thought of Harry.

She'd taken him in for testing straight away, not even bothering to tell Vernon that she was doing so. She'd been surprised to learn that Harry was Dudley's perfect match. He could donate blood, bone marrow and even stem cells to help in Dudley's recovery. She'd told the doctors to do whatever was necessary, starting that very day.

Vernon, however, was furious.

No child of his was going to take blood from 'that freak of nature'. What if the 'freakiness' leaked into Dudley? What if their son ended up like Lily and her slacker husband? He would never let Harry's blood 'contaminate' Dudley.

Petunia, however, didn't care. If Dudley could get better with the help of blood and bone marrow taken from Harry, then, she would do anything to see that happen.

That had been the beginning of the end for the Dursley family.

But, it had also been the start for the Evans'.

"Mum!"

The train had pulled into the station, she could see an indigo bandana on the head of her son, who was racing towards her at full speed. She barely had time to brace herself for impact as her eleven year old son crashed into her, hugging her tightly. Her arms went around him, squeezing him tightly. She pressed a kiss to his bandana and indulged herself in a long hug.

"I missed you!" Harrison enthused. He stepped back and looked up at her, a grin on his lips.

"I missed you too Harrison," she replied.

He hugged her again fiercely and then stepped back. He and Dudley exchanged a complicated looking handshake that ended in a hug.

"D."

"H."

The boys slung an arm over and around the others' shoulders, and looked for all the world, like regular brothers.

"Harrison!"

Petunia turned at the sound of her sons name on the lips of a girl who looked about twelve.

"Hermione! Come meet my family," he said brightly.

The bushy haired pre-teen dodged around the crowded platform, and came to rest in front of the Evans trio. She huffed and put her hands on her hips. Petunia stifled a smile. The girl reminded her of a very young Lily.

"You shouldn't run off like that," Hermione reprimanded her best friend. "You could have broken your neck. Honestly!"

Harrison grinned and Dudley punched his brothers arm. "How many times does that make it this week?"

"Seven," Harrison replied.

"Seven what?" Hermione demanded.

"Nothing, 'Mione, nothing. This is my mum," Harrison gestured.

Hermione's scowl dropped instantly, and she smiled up at Harrison's mother. "Mrs Evans, it's a pleasure," she said politely, and held out her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Granger," Petunia replied, smiling fondly. Harrison's letters had been filled with talk of his new best friend. She was a little surprised to keep reading the name Hermione, and wondered if her son was developing his first crush. She was just glad that this girl seemed to be enough to keep up with her son.

"And this is Dudley," Harrison continued.

"I've heard everything about you Dudley," Hermione said, shaking his hand.

"Same here," Dudley replied. "Haitch doesn't talk about anything else."

Hermione blushed lightly. "I'm sure he has better things to write about than me."

"Oh, I doubt that," came the voice of a puffing pre-teen as he came up behind the group.

"Neville!" Harrison chastised. "I write about other stuff. I wrote about Quidditch the other day."

"You did too," Dudley said. "How'd it go again?...oh yeah. 'Dear Dud, Hermione came to watch our first Quidditch game against Slytherin today.'"

"That's not at all what I wrote," Harrison argued, his cheeks blushing bright pink

"Stop teasing your brother," Petunia refereed. "Neville, it's nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Mrs Evans. Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas to you too," she replied. "Are your parents here?"

Neville's face fell. "Uh, no," he replied softly. "My grandmother's over there. She's the one with the stuffed vulture on her hat."

Petunia glanced across the platform and found the unique headwear. She waved to the older woman, gesturing for her to come join them.

"And your parents, Hermione?"

"I haven't found them yet," she admitted.

Harrison knelt down and patted his shoulder. "Hop on, and see if you can spot them."

"Harrison! No!"

"Come on, it'll be faster," he insisted.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but stepped towards him. Dudley and Neville helped to steady her as she straddled the back of Harrison's neck. He slowly got to his feet, and Hermione scanned the platform for her parents. When she spotted them, she waved frantically until she caught their attention. She patted Harrison's shoulder to let him know they had seen her and were coming to meet her.

Dudley and Neville helped her off Harrison's shoulders and the group greeted Mrs Longbottom and the Doctors Granger as they arrived.

As the adults introduced themselves, the pre-teens huddled in a circle, awaiting the moment they would be split up.

"Which one's Malfoy?" Dudley asked curiously.

The group looked around the platform and spotted the Slytherin's signature white-blond hair.

"We're just going to say goodbye to a classmate," Harrison called out to the adults. The foursome waved the group off, and the newly formed foursome darted through the crowd and headed towards Draco Malfoy who stood a little apart from a group of adults, two of whom every obviously his parents.

"Hey Draco," Harrison greeted cordially.

Malfoy's nose turned up in a sneer. "What do you want, mudblood?"

"Just thought I'd say hello," Harrison said with a grin. "And to say to enjoy your last few days with my wand."

"What are you on about?" Malfoy demanded.

"Don't you remember?" Harrison taunted. "First day of term. We bet that whoever was coming ahead of the other would win their opponents wand. Well, I decided to let you keep it over the holidays. Come first day of next term, that wand in your pocket will be mine. Consider it my Christmas gift to you."

Draco's face paled significantly. He swivelled his head to ensure his parents hadn't heard them. Neither of the adults had twitched, and he turned back to Harrison, hatred in his eyes.

"You'll have to pry it from my dead hands," Draco said.

Harrison laughed lightly. "Oh don't worry, Malfoy. Once it gets around school that you welched on a wizard's bet, you'll wish you'd given it to me."

Draco's lips twitched angrily.

"See you at school," Harrison said, before turning and walking away.

The group barely made it seven steps before stopping and bursting into laughter.

"Sweet Merlin, did you see his face?" Neville chortled happily. "He looked like he'd swallowed a turd."

"Neville! That's disgusting," Hermione said. She held out for a moment before giggling a little. "Accurate though."

Dudley shook his head. "You were right about his shiny hair," he told his brother. "And his shiny shoes."

"Told ya," Harrson replied.

They made their way back to their parents and guardians, and sadly said their farewells. Hermione and Harrison promised to keep in touch by phone, and Neville promised to owl the both of them. Sadness tinged with excitement at seeing their families, and the Gryffindor trio parted ways for the first time in weeks. Hermione took a final look at her best friend, and sadly waved goodbye to the first true friend she'd ever had.

"Happy Christmas," she whispered as she finally lost sight of him in the crowd.

She only had to make it through two weeks before she would see him again. She was fairly certain that it would be the longest two weeks of her life.

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A/N: So, next chappie is Christmas at the Evans' place. I'm doing a little re-writing of a few bits and pieces, so I apologise if the next update isn't tomorrow after all.

Also, Happy Australia Day for tomorrow to everyone who hails from my homeland.

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!