I like trains
*Platform 9&3/4*September 1st*10 o'clock*
Harry petted his snowy owl Hedwig on the backseat of the family sedan of the Turpin's who had agreed to let him sleep over with the excuse that he wouldn't have to walk all the way from Privet Drive to Silent Way.
That was of course ignoring that Whale senior would say no to anything he asked, especially concerning Hogwarts.
Ah Hogwarts, the epitome of both wizard stupidity and of magic's greatness.
The first because according to McGonagall there was no semblance of muggle education in Hogwarts, the only thing coming close was arithmancy, the study of numbers and shapes in magic crafts.
The second because even if the standards had dropped since the Blood-war, it still was in the top-three schools of Magic, even if it was the third.
Right there behind Salem Academy and Dumstrang.
Speaking of muggles though, he could feel Becky and George looking to the backseat of the sedan to check if Hedwig had done anything to the car.
As if she would, she was just as smart as he was, if not smarter.
"She is a smart owl" Lily said.
'Of course she is' Harry replied, 'I would not have a dumb animal as a pet, much less a familiar…'
"It would make everyone assume that you are as smart as the animal" interrupted Lily, "I love you sweety, but you are too predictable sometimes"
Harry scowled, 'Thank you, mum' he said sarcastically.
"You know I love you sweety" she said, making the boy sigh
'I know, I love you too mum'
Harry leaned back and let Hedwig perch on his shoulder, his magic reacting by making his skin tougher, even if it wasn't needed as the snowy owl was totally mindful of her considerable strength.
Then Lisa nudged him and he had to lean forward without moving Hedwig, who had tucked her head under her wing, "What?" Harry asked.
"You have school books here" she showed him the index of the many-book, "normal, non-magical school books"
Harry raised his eyebrow at her making her blush in embarrassment.
His eyebrows were sign of either annoyance or interest.
He was raising his annoyance one
"Unlike you," he drawled, "I took measures to ensure our continued muggle education"
Lisa nodded sheepishly nodded before selecting one of his many fiction books.
They were dominant in his shelf after all.
*King's Cross Station*
Harry's mouth twitched in an effort of a smirk at the stupefied and confused glances he attracted.
After the first five minutes, the attention Hedwig received passed from annoying to amusing, especially considering how the owl reacted to different looks.
The most amusing reaction was when she puffed her breasts as a girl said she looked beautiful.
"You are the vainest person I've met" he whispered making sure no one but Hedwig heard.
"Don't compare me to the rest of your species" Hedwig hooted, "The only one you can do that with is with your mate"
"Not my mate, just a friend" Harry scowled, "I have not reached maturity yet"
The white owl let out a hoot that sounded a lot like a scoff, "You are the most mature out of your nest"
That could go without saying on most weekends.
Sometimes he swore that Becky and George were just teenagers trapped in an adult's body with how they acted.
Harry completely ignored the fact that according to his mum, his father was worse.
"Still, you should admit that you let praise go to your head"
Hedwig only dug her talons on his shoulder as response, making his magic harden his arm even more.
He was close to overloading it now.
Soon enough they reached the doorway between the muggle station and platform 9&3/4 and the kids turned to face the adults.
The adult Turpins' keeled down so they could see their children, even if Harry wasn't related he was family with how much time he spent with them, and pulled them into a group hug, little Charlie squirming on his mother's back.
"Take care of each other," whispered Mr Turpin, "don't get in trouble"
"You bought your owl for a reason Harry" Mrs Turpin continued, "send us a letter once a week, more often if you can"
"We will" said both children as they hugged the adults back, tears running down their faces, Lisa's more so than Harry's.
That didn't mean he wasn't crying hard though.
"And please, if you need anything, no matter what, send us a message" Becky finished and they separated.
Harry nodded to Lisa motioning that she cross the barrier first while he went second, but he wanted to do one more thing before crossing.
"Thank you," George and Becky turned to Harry who had his back to them, "for everything, uncle George, aunt Becky," and with that he crossed into the magical platform.
The adults looked at each other, before smiling and shaking their heads.
It was about time he said it.
*Platform 9&3/4*
Harry raised both eyebrows in surprise, before running his hand through his hair; the sheer number of magical people milling about, chatting or saying goodbye.
Not only that, but the majestic train on the background of a brilliant, shining red colour so like his mother's own.
It was a great image, one he took care to burn into his mind.
It wasn't before long that he was pulled along by Lisa, who wanted nothing more than to explore the train.
That meant he was the designated luggage boy.
Oh joy.
With twenty minutes to eleven, Harry was able to drag Lisa into an empty compartment by the middle of the train, where he put their trunks on the railings above their heads, Hedwig following soon after of her own accord, allowing his magic to retreat from his shoulder, which was starting to grow numb by the magic flowing through it.
The two watched through the compartment's window as parents came and went while children and young adults boarded the train or waited for someone in the platform.
When only ten minutes for departure were left, the biggest family had ever seen walked through the barrier and Harry could count six people, all of them gingers and only one of them old enough to be out of school, meaning she was probably the mother, and one younger than Harry and Lisa.
He was only interested in the twins of the family however, as there was something interesting in them, something that seemed oddly familiar.
He overheard them as they left came to their mother again a few moments after they greeted a dark boy with long hair, "Oh, are you a prefect Percy?" Harry, who used sarcasm fairly often, recognized it from where he was.
"You should have said something, we had no idea"
"Oh wait, I think I remember him saying something about it"
"Once"
"Or twice"
"A minute"
"All summer"
So that's what he had felt, that sense of mischief, a something only a prankster could have.
He had to meet them.
"Don't worry Ginny" he heard them when the whistle of the train blew-
"We'll send you lots of owls"
"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat"
Oh yeah, he had to meet them soon.
He stood up, making both Hedwig and Lisa turn to him, "I am going to meet someone," he said as he moved to the door.
"No, you are not going to meet up with those trouble makers that you heard over the window" Lisa said.
"I am not meeting with trouble makers," Harry said, making Lisa look at him with a deadpan expression, "I am going to meet with an interesting someone I saw"
With that Hary walked out the compartment, leaving an openly annoyed Lisa in the compartment.
Oh well, at least she had the many-book with her still.
Back with Harry though, he was on a mission; an alliance with pranksters could benefit him greatly, and it would solve his flying broomstick problem if he managed to do everything right in his meeting with those twins.
For nothing more than coincidence, Harry found them three cars up in a compartment with the dark-skinned boy they had greeted on the platform.
He entered the room without knocking and closed the door behind him, ignoring every instinct that told him to leave it open for a possible fast retreat way, "gentleman" he greeted as he sat down on one corner, "I would like to introduce myself"
The three older boys looked at each other and engaged in a silent conversation, nodding or shaking their head almost unnoticeably.
A minute later, the nodded and stood up, leaving the compartment after a curt nod towards him.
"Well then," started the twin on the left.
"Who is it that wants to meet us?" said the twin on the right.
Well, it was now or never, "my name," he started, "is Harry Potter, and I could not help but overhear the farewell you gave who I presume was your sister"
The twins looked at each other and back at Harry, "well Fred, It seems we have a celebrity interested on us," said the twin on the left.
"Indeed George, the great and mighty Harry Potter wants to meet us" said Fred, the twin on the right.
He may be onto telling them apart, but it would take time to prove his assumptions correct
"But I wonder my dear brother," said George
"What could such a great man" said Fred
"Want with us lowly pranksters?" finished the two together.
"Your hand in friendship would be good," he answered, "a deal is the goal though, mutual benefit"
The twins looked at each other again before nodding and leaning in, "do tell" the two said.
"I am a first year," the two nodded and rolled their eyes, silently telling him to move on, "there is a rule that says I can't have a broomstick on the grounds until next year"
"Oh, I get it" said George, adding evidence to his theory.
"You want our help with smuggling a broom" said Fred.
"Not quite," Harry replied, "the whole article of the Hogwarts rule book states that, and I quote 'A first year is not allowed to take a broomstick inside the school grounds, however, he is allowed to borrow someone else's own broom as long as the owner of said broom is supervising'" he saw a spark on both sets of eyes.
"Well dear Harrykins" once again George started the sentence, proving him right again.
"You are lucky that we are part of the quidditch team" said Fred.
"However," they made sad faces, though Harry could detect a bit of longing there, "our broom are for beaters"
"Slow and manoeuvrable, but not really good for anything outside the game"
"So you couldn't get the most out of an experience" the two finished
'Good, hopefully this will leave me outside the targetable area of the student body' he thought, a small smile playing on his lips, "I'm willing to negotiate with you, in exchange for using them whenever I want, I will give the money needed to buy each of you a broomstick of your choice, as long as it is not the new Nimbus"
Once again the twins locked eyes and Harry prepared himself for what he knew would be a lengthy negotiation.
The twins looked back at him, and he was surprised to see all trace of mischief in their eyes gone, "We will not accept pity Harry Potter, if you want to get on our good sides you will need more than that," if he wasn't shocked into silence, Harry would have made a note on his knowledge of the twins.
"The offer is tempting, we will give you that, but just because we need better brooms doesn't mean we will accept charity," said Fred
"It's not charity when you do it for your own gain," Harry replied as gravely as the twins, "I made the offer to you because you are pranksters, not because you need monetary help," He sighed and leaned back on the couch, "one of the few memories I have of before my parents were murdered, is of me, joyfully riding a toy broom while my mother chased me and my father smiled from the kitchen," a small tear slid from his eye, "I have spent ten years in the muggle world without experiencing the same again and the only reason I made the offer to you was so I could do it whenever I wanted without getting in trouble and to start a friendship with someone who could teach me things not even the teachers could," Harry stood up and moved to the door, "so thank you for assuming things without thinking".
The raven-haired kid tried to open the door, but found it to be locked so he turned to glare at the twins, only to see them smiling at him, "you Mister Potter" started George
"Have got yourself a deal" continued Fred.
"Give us until tomorrow morning" said George.
"We'll tell you what brooms to get by then" finished Fred.
The two twins stood up, unlocked the door and pushed him out, living him in the corridor, blinking in confusion.
'Did they just..?'
"Yes sweety, they pranked you, and you gave them possible blackmail material"
"Bloody hell" he said out loud, before moving back to his and Lisa's compartment.
*With Lisa*
The young dark-haired witch had been sitting at the couch, reading one of the many fiction books Harry had tucked in his shelf when a boy and two girls entered the compartment and looked at her.
"Mind if we sit in here," spoke the boy with a thick Italian accent, "we don't want any more into the train, the purists are down there"
Lisa nodded her agreement and turned her attention from the book to the new occupants, taking in their looks.
The boy was Italian, or at least spent a lot of time there judging by his accent, but his olive skin and eyes and dark hair said that he WAS of Italic descent.
One of the girls made Lisa twitch with a bit of envy, as her features were really regal and defined, which combined with her long black hair and blue made her look as something akin to a princess, a contrast to her own rather plain looks.
The other girl was more like Lisa in the looks department, with a normal-looking face, hazel eyes and wavy brown hair, but like the other girl, she just gave off confidence.
"The owl yours?" asked the boy.
"No," Lisa answered, "she belongs to a friend" the muggle-born said.
"Lucky whoever it is," said the dark-skinned boy, "I had to leave mine at home with my mother"
"Before you start complaining of your mother's habits," the boy was interrupted by the blond girl, "I believe it would be better for you to introduce yourself first" she said coldly, before turning to Lisa, "I'm sorry for his attitude, I'm Daphne Greengrass"
"Lisa Turpin" Lisa introduced herself.
"Sorry, I'm Blaize Zabini" the Italian boy said.
"And I'm Tracey Davis, pleased to meet you Lisa" Tracey said enthusiastically.
The four made light conversation until someone else entered the compartment; it was Harry, rubbing his forehead with a confused look on his face.
Hedwig gave off a questioning hoot, to which Harry spoke, "no, I'm fine, but a bit confused."
"What Happened Harry?" questioned Lisa, already forming a theory on what had happened.
"I met up with the persons I wanted to" the boy, Harry, the others realized, "we ended up striking up a deal, but they made, unconsciously mind you, give them blackmail material"
"As bad as..?" started Lisa, only to be interrupted.
"No, but they will probably be calling favours during the term, until I can get even" he answered.
Blaize chose that moment to clear his throat loudly, making Harry turn to him and prepare both his holly wand and his magic tendrils, "and you are?" the Italian boy questioned.
Harry assessed the additions to the compartment, taking extra time to look over the boy, who looked like the most dangerous of the three, the blond being a really close second, "Harry, I won't say a surname until you prove worthy" he saw the blonde girl nod in what he thought was approval, but as she was wearing the same apathetic face he did he could not really tel.
Introductions came from the three, and Harry received a reproachful look from Lisa, who was most likely annoyed that he refused to be polite.
Hey, he didn't know any of them; they could be bullies for all he knew.
But he still tried to be polite, or as polite as a boy with apathy towards the world and terminal disrespect for any new person he met could be when conversing.
Harry could say by lunch time that he had a good read on the other three personalities: Davis was enthusiastic; much like Lisa had been back when they met, but more so, as the Turpin had mellowed out once she started reading.
Zabini was a rich kid, no way around it; his parents, mother only if he read between the lines well enough, were filthy rich and never denied him anything when he asked, but he had made an effort to not let himself get spoiled, like his little sister, who was five years younger.
Greengrass was the hardest to decipher because of her own apathetic persona, but he managed to gather that much like him, she was protective of her own person and the two close to her, three if he counted her sister.
He could eventually get close to them, but it would take a lot of time, probably two school years, though one and a half were most likely.
His relative piece was interrupted when a girl with bushy brown hair opened the door without knocking, completely ignoring etiquette rules, "how rude" he was ignoring the fact that he had done the same not three hours ago.
"Excuse me, but have any of you seen a toad? Neville has lost his" the bushy haired girl nodded towards a chubby boy that looked like he wanted nothing more than to sink on the earth.
"Hey, that's Alice's kid" Lily shouted, "The years were better to you"
'You mean to tell me that that kid is my god-brother' he heard the negatives from everyone on the room, but he held his hand out to motion the two outside to wait, 'He looks like fright would send him over the edge'
Harry raised his head and looked at the two, "No, I'm afraid I haven't seen a toad, you are however, feel free to join us when you finish your search, Mister Longbottom"
That was apparently the right thing to say as the boy gave him a big smile and a nod.
Another hour passed in light conversation, only changing when the kid from before, Neville Longbottom joined them, though it was painfully obvious that he lacked confidence.
Once again they were interrupted by a blonde haired kid that looked remarkably like an albino weasel, "I heard that Harry Potter is on the train, have any of you seen him?" the boy asked.
Harry spoke before anyone else could, "I'm afraid I haven't seen Harry Potter today" that was true, he hadn't looked in the mirror today, "but I'm sure he is somewhere away from the animals, and that he would like to stay that way"
He heard two of the girls snort, probably Lisa and Tracey.
How nice, they got the play on the appearance of the ponce.
"How dare you speak to me like that" said the ponce, "do you know who I am?"
"A boy with arrogance issues," his eyes looked at the goons the ponce had behind him, "and a questionable sexuality"
This time Blaize made no effort to hold on a guffaw of laughter, and even shy Neville chuckled a bit, "How dare you, I am a Malfoy, Draco Malfoy"
Harry, not to let the opportunity go, put his hands behind his head and stretched his feet, crossing them as he said, "and I am Bond, James Bond"
That made it for Lisa, who was now close to collapsing from the laughter and had several laugh-tears running down her cheeks.
"Wait 'till my father hears of this…" he was once again interrupted by Harry, who made a motion towards Neville.
"Make sure to add 'Daddy Issues' to his psychological report" he said with the air of a doctor, making Blaize join Lisa on the floor, "I believe that some more sessions of therapy will cure this patient"
The blond left the room with an enraged shout, and Harry allowed himself an amused scoff.
It was so fun to get inside the mind of arrogant idiots.
It was apparently a common opinion, as he saw that even Daphne, who he had pegged as cold as ice, had an amused smile on her face.
Let's try again, they would probably grow on him during the year.
WOOOOOOO, I'm back baby, and I bring presents.
It has been almost thirteen days since I've posted anything, but I bring you an update for my three mst-liked stories and a new one, a crossover with Naruto and BioShock, be sure to check it out in my profile.
To the fans I had on The Hybrids, I am sorry to say that I've deleted it, as inspiration for it never came back ever since my last update nearly a month ago, but I have the documents and when the inspiration comes back I will repost it.
I was inspired in this chapter, as shown by the 3.5K words on it and the rather funny, in my personal opinion, ending scene.