Harry could see Rose growing more excited each day as they waited for September 1st. She was the only one, as Petunia and Dudley had finally realized that Vernon wasn't coming back.
Petunia had already used all of their saved money, and was quickly looking for a job. Since she had been barely more than a trophy wife, she was stuck looking for minimum wage jobs.
Luckily, Vernon had been a decent budgeter and Rose had been saving money by... them not spending any money on her, so their house was paid for as was their car.
By cutting down on food, their priciest slot, and cutting down on power usage, Petunia could make things work.
At least, until Rose helpfully informed her that she was heading to Hogwarts to learn magic, and disappeared without a trace thanks to her friend, the dangerous bird that could fry people it hated with a wave of one of its' wings.
Petunia soon rediscovered anew how much work Rose had put into the Dursley household, now that she was completely gone. Dudley whined about food often, and was soon getting subsidized lunch at school.
Rose, however, was feeling her heart raise as she walked through a massive crowd of oddly dressed people and onto the train labeled, The Hogwarts Express.
From Privet Drive, it had seemed like it could still be a dream, and sahe had nervously checked her mokeskin pouch every day we she woke up. Now, she was here and it felt so real. The smell and sound, the taste, the sights.
Harry sat on her shoulder comfortably, and she always forgot to as how he could be so gentle, as she stepped onto the train.
As she peered into compartments, Harry would nod or shake his head at the students, and Rose would move on from each shaken head.
Finally, she found a compartment with a couple of girls who Harry nodded at. So many she had passed, that she almost left this one too before Harry's nod registered fully.
She knocked on the door gently, to which they invited her in.
She opened the door and stood for a second, frozen.
"Hi, I'm Susan Bones. This is Hannah Abbot. What's your name?" the dark haired girl asked.
"Rose. Rose Potter." she replied hesitantly.
"Woah." Susan gasped. "What made you want to sit with us? You're pretty famous."
"I don't feel famous. I grew up with my aunt and uncle, and they hated magic."
They looked surprised, and suddenly ashamed.
"And I came in here because Harry says you guys would be good friends."
"Harry?" Susan asked, before they finally noticed the bird on her shoulder. "Merlin, that looks like a thunderbird!"
"He is. His name is Harry."
"He blends in with your hair." Hannah noticed, speaking shyly.
"And his eyes are the exact same shade!" Susan exclaimed. "Where'd he come from?"
Rose shrugged, making Harry flair one of his sets of wings to stabilise.
"Oh, have a seat. Join us, please." Susan said with a blush.
Rose agreed and sat down. "He just showed up in my room one night. He made a thunderstorm and scared my relatives."
"That's crazy. They are a real good judge of character, because they can sense danger."
"Oh, really?" Rose asked. "I wonder what else they can do?"
Harry cocked his head and vanished in a burst of static, making her hair frizz like crazy. Before she could even start to fix it, Harry dropped a book in her lap and sat in the seat next to her.
"It's a bestiary." Rose noted. "Harry, where'd you get this?"
Harry didn't move much, just watched her.
She sighed. "You'll return it, right?"
He nodded.
She cracked open the book and thumbed over to the entry for Thunderbirds.
"Thunderbirds are cousins to the Phoenix, and are considered to be closely tied with the power of lightning. They can sense danger and a single flap of their wings has enough power to create a thunderstorm. Thunderbirds, like Phoenixes, are immortal, though Thunderbirds derive their immortality from an incredible healing ability, spell resistance, and the ability to restore energy from thnderstorms. As long as a Thunderbird has energy, it will not die. It has been observed that they are intelligent, and also possess the ability to manipulate wind currents and even other forms of weather. Thunderbird feathers are excellent for tranfigu-"
Harry cut her off by covering the text with his wing.
"Is my wand not suited for transfiguration?" Rose asked him.
He waved his wing in a so-so motion, and she closed the book.
"What is it better at, then?"
Harry looked at her then, and she blushed. "Sorry. Is it better at Charms then?"
He shook his head.
"Defense against the Dark Arts?"
Harry nodded definitively.
"Why isn't your feather the same as the others they mention in the book?"
Harry gestured at the Bestiary again, and Rose obediently opened it.
Harry pointed. "Thunderbirds are often gold, blue, silver, and white." she read. "But you're black." she pointed out.
He nodded and stuffed his chest out.
Hannah giggled. "I think he's saying that he's special." she said.
Harry nodded proudly and Rose and Susan laughed as well.
The door wrenched open, and a bushy haired girl leaned in. "Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville has lost one."
Rose turned to Harry for guidance, who nodded.
"We haven't. We'll let you know if we find it." Susan said politely.
The girl nodded and left, presumably to continue asking people.
After the door closed, Susan grunted. "She didn't even knock." she complained.
Hannah nodded.
"Harry said she would be a good friend." Rose felt she needed to point out.
Harry brushed one of his wings on her arm and shook his head.
"But you said she could be..."
He nodded.
"Could, not would." Hannah figured it out. "She could be a good friend, it's not a guarantee."
Rose nodded her understanding. "I wish we could communicate better." she said with a sigh.
Harry decided he would comply as he always did, and brushed her again.
It was something he tended to avoid, but he felt attached to Rose by now, and looked deep into her eyes.
'Can you hear me now?' he thought to her.
She jumped back, startled. This, in turn, startled the other girls too.
"What the bloody hell?" she asked.
'I'll assume yes.' he thought to her, amused.
"He can talk?" she asked.
"I think he allowed you to bond to him as a familiar. The really smart animals can talk to you in your head, if they want." Susan told her.
"Woah. Does that mean I can talk in his head too?" she asked.
Susan shrugged. "Most likely. It doesn't really matter for him, since he can understand english anyway."
They decided to change into robes, so they locked the door and closed the blinds and changed.
They were ready to start first year.