Chapter four: Journey to Hogwarts
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Yannick was standing in front of the Howarts Express. The bright red train was as striking as ever and brought him so many good memories of the few trips he had in it during his two years at Hogwarts. It was still early, just past eight o'clock, and not many persons were on the platform yet. He preferred it that way. Sean would join him with Cynthia at Hogwarts, directly from Hogsmeade as Cynthia worked there. By coming early he was sure to have a good seat and would be able to avoid the flood of old students coming for the reunion.
He walked towards the start of the train, letting his left hand slide on the red carriages, memories flooding him.
"Alex!" someone said behind him, causing him to freeze in his tracks, "Alexander Lockenburn! I can't believe you're here!"
He let out a sigh of relief as a witch passed him, running towards a wizard that was standing a few meters away. He had seen his face somewhere before but he could not place it.
"Well at least some are having joyful reunions," he thought as he moved on, leaving the two friends hugging each other.
His own reunion with Sean and his wife had gone better than he had expected. His friend had done a good job in cooling down Cynthia before he had arrived and she had been grateful for his explanations regarding his disappearance for the last five years. Not that he had wanted to disappear and not give news. These five years cut from the world, including family and friends, had been hard but on the other hand, his magic had matured and he had received training that no one else could have given him, Elven training.
He had found out that Gran was still very much respected in the Elven realms and although he had had to prove his worth before they had agreed to train him in Elven arts and magic. The difference between the Elven culture and the Human one had been a bit of a shock to him but he had managed to adapt and learn. His grasp on Elven had improved markedly, up to a point where he had caught himself thinking in Elven instead of French, or even English. Gran had been very pleased to talk with him in her mother tongue when he had come back, even if the reason for their meeting were not that joyful.
There had been several attacks near the Broceliante forest and Gran was starting to believe that it was in a way related to the recent murders in England. She had told him of her suspicions and while he believed that she had guessed right, he was hoping that in a way she was wrong.
He climbed in the the next carriage and went in to look for an empty compartment. Given the early hour, the train was only going at eleven, he did not expect any trouble to find one. He found one located at the beginning of the train carriage and dropped his bag on one of the seats. He reached to unclasp the brooch that held his cloak but the sound of the door of his compartment opening forcefully caused him to stop.
"Yannick Silverleaf," a voice he recognized said behind him.
He turned to face the one person he had dreaded to see since his return to England. Her arms crossed on her chest, fiery red hair still hanging loose in her distinct style, Alex was looking at him with cold blue eyes from the entrance.
"Alex, I..." he started.
She did not give him the time to continue and suddenly went up to him. Her movement caught him by surprise but then, so did the resounding slap that she administered him when she was close enough to reach him. Holding his stinging cheek, he looked at her. He had never seen her that angry.
"I guess I earned that one," he said.
"You bloody bet you earned it!" she said, fuming.
"Look, Alex," he said, defensively, "I know you are angry..."
"Angry? Angry?" she exclaimed, "I'm not angry, Yannick Silverleaf. I'm FURIOUS!! How could you do this to me?!?"
Yannick was taken aback by her harsh question.
"How could I do what?" he asked, "I..."
He could not continue as Alex had slapped him hard a second time.
"How could I do what?" she mimicked mockingly, "You are telling me that you don't even realize what you've done?" she asked fiercely.
He did not answer.
"You left me!" she snapped, "You had said you would be in touch but I have had no sign of life from you for over five years, Yannick! FIVE BLOODY YEARS!!!" she said, continuing her diatribe, "Were you so damn busy you could not even send an owl?!?"
"No, but..."
"Of course not!" she cut him, "You figured I would sit around, patiently waiting for you to manifest yourself. And now you come back, five years after and hope that I will be and your disposal, is that it? Well news for you Silverleaf, I am not that type of girl."
Yannick looked at her feeling hurt by her last comment. How could she accuse him of this? He never had intended to hurt her.
"I was here when you needed me, at the start of your sixth year," she continued, "I helped you cope with your grief for your loss of Gwendall and where were you when I needed your help? When I settled back after Hogwarts in a life where my parents were gone? I had no more family!! The only ones I could rely on were my friends! And where were you??"
He did not say anything, his gaze to the floor as her words cut through him like knives..
"Nowhere!!" she answered for him, "You were down in France, probably enjoying the good life with your family. Oh, no! Wait, let me quote Gran on that one; you were out on a special assignment and would contact me as soon as you were done. Some assignment! What was it? Saving Silverleaf Manor from impending doom? Tell me Yannick, maybe I'll understand."
"It's a bit more complicated than that," he started.
"Oh, of course! It always is so with your family," she cut sarcastically, "I was struggling to get on in life, feeling betrayed and meanwhile, where were you? Probably fooling around with some beautiful Elven maiden. Your family has a nice record for falling for those."
"Alex," he tried to say.
"I don't want to hear it, Yannick," she cut harshly, "I am not interested to know and I do not care anymore for your reasons. Just know one thing, I managed to live on and I am now doing what I like to do. But I achieved this with my friend's help and at no time have I needed yours."
The harshness with which she said that left him speechless.
"Have a nice return to Hogwarts," she said, "I don't think I will be seeing you around," she added, going out of the compartment and closing the door, leaving him standing there.
He had a moment of hesitation, being still startled by the harshness of her words. He then rushed in the corridor in an attempt to catch her and explain, but she had already disappeared and he was sure that he would not find her until the train arrived in Hogwarts. He went back to his compartment and closed the door forcefully.
This was even worse than he had thought. She was not just angry with him. She hated him. But he had never intended to hurt her. He was aware that he should have let her know and that was his mistake, but there had been literally no time to do so. Once he had been in the Elven kingdom, he had been cut from the world. He did not just loose touch with her. He lost touch with everyone, even his family. The only person that had been able to keep contact with him had been Gran, because she was a respected Elf.
He sighed and let himself fall in his seat next to the window. How the hex was he supposed to explain it to her now? She had not given him a chance and right now, he doubted that she would be willing to listen to him for a while.
"You're lucky to be alive, Silverleaf," he thought sarcastically, "She probably hates your guts now."
He looked at the compartment door, trying to think of a good spell to keep it shut. Company was the last thing he wanted right now.
He got out of the train when it arrived in Hogsmeade and followed the flow of graduates to the carriages. He was again a little surprised to see the Thestrals that were pulling them. The first time he had seen these winged horses was at the end of his seventh and final year at Hogwarts. The Slytherin rebellion had caused a lot of trouble and quite some pain. He had seen a fellow student get killed before being able to act and the mere thought of it still enraged him.
He blocked the painful memories from resurfacing and forced himself to remember the good times he had spent during the two years he was at Hogwarts. The carriages stopped before the great door of the Castle. And on the top of the short stairs, smiling broadly, stood the most renown wizard of the Century.
Albus Dumbledore greeted them cheerfully.
"Welcome back in Hogwarts, dear graduates," Dumbledore said. "I'm glad to see so many had been able to make it here. I'm really happy to see familiar faces and I'm even glad to see you again, dear misters," he added, staring intently at two young men with fiery red hair. Yannick did not know really who they were but he supposed they were related to Ron and Ginny Weasley.
"We, teachers of Hogwarts expect that all kind of experience would be a good thing to share with your young successors. Even the most unusual ones," Dumbledore added. "So before you join us for the first feast of this Reunion, I will explain how we are going to proceed. We asked you to wear the colours of your Houses. When you'll get to the feast, I'll ask you to get to your House table, grouped by year. You'll find of course, that we have made some arrangements with the great Hall so don't be surprised. You will be joined then by the current students. They will be mixed with you, so they can begin to ask questions to you, in order to make them more comfortable. But before that feast, you may want to take a walk and a look around in the Castle. To meet some people, and that kind of things. So we'll meet for the feast at nine. And for now, the place is all yours!"
At these words, the Doors of the Castle opened and there was a huge cheer from the crowd of guests.
"Ah, one more thing! The passages to your ancient Common Room has been warned of this event. So any password from your years in Hogwarts will grant you the access. Have a good evening!" and the headmaster stepped aside, to let the flow of people enter the gate.
Yannick saw that Alex had joined Sean and Cynthia. He pondered whether to go and join them but decided that after his encounter with Alex, it was best to stay away. He would join Sean and his wife afterwards. For now, it was best to meet with his former house's head, Professor Sprout. He had just started in the direction of the green houses when he heard a young voice calling him cheerfully. He turned and smiled as he recognized who it was.
Dressed in the black, red and gold robes of her house, her honey-blonde hair flying, Alwena was running towards him, looking positively thrilled to see him.
"I don't believe it!" she said as she flung herself in his arms, "You really came!"
"Wena!" he said, spinning her around and kissing her on both cheeks, "Merlin! It is so good to see you Little Devil!"
"Hey!" she complained, hitting him playfully on the arm, "Devil, yes. But not little anymore. I'm almost catching you up," she added, standing on tip toes to make her point.
"That is true," he said, smiling, "You sure grew a lot in these five years. How's school doing?"
"I love it!" she replied eagerly, "There is so much to learn! I hope we get to study dragons soon."
"I think you will need to wait a few years before that," he told her, "Dragons aren't really a subject for second years."
"Still, I can't wait."
"I bet," he said laughing, "and that reminds me, I have something for you."
"You do? Really?" she asked surprised, "Oh, what is it? Show me. Please!" she added, tugging his arm affectionately.
"Well at least give me a chance to take it out of my bag," he said.
She let him go and he reached in his bag. He took out a parcel and gave it to her. Sitting down eagerly on a nearby bench she tore off the red packing paper and revealed a wooden egg standing on a silver stand. It was of medium size and its light honey color gave it a golden look.
"Wow," Alwena said, mesmerized by the beauty of the artefact.
"Tap the top with your wand," Yannick said as he sat by her on the bench.
She took the egg gently and set it between them on the bench. She took out her wand and hit the egg lightly on the top. The egg gave a clicking noise and opened like a flower. Inside stood a little statue made out of wood. It showed a Chinese Fireball dragon, in the process of taking flight in a spiral movement. Its front paws were extended and in its mouth was small crystal ball.
"Where did you buy this?" Alwena asked, looking at her cousin.
"I did not buy it, Wena," he said, "I made it."
"You did?"
"It was part of one of my assignments during my training," Yannick said, "A test to see if I could use my tresshaping power to make something as delicate as this."
"This is amazing," she said, touching the wooden statue and feeling its scales.
"But it is not all, Wena," he said, "Gran added a little plus when I showed it to her. Touch the ball with your finger."
Alwena gently touched the ball in the dragon's mouth. The ball suddenly flashed with a green light and a little click was heard. The statue slid in a circular motion to the left, revealing a hidden receptacle in the base of the metal stand.
"In case you need a place to put your jewelry or other precious things in," Yannick said as Alwena was touching the black velvet that was inside the receptacle.
"Wow," Alwena said, "My own little secure space."
"That's right. Gran put in some little spells in it. The egg can still be opened by the Alhorama spell or a wand touching it on the top, but not the receptacle. I'll show you," he added, sliding the statue in place again and then touching the crystal ball.
This time it did not flash green, but instead flame red. The growl of a dragon was heard and some white smoke came out of the statue's nostrils for a few seconds. Yannick smiled and winked at Alwena as he went on to touch the ball a second time. The growl was heard again but this time a little burst of flames came out of the dragon's snout, enveloping the crystal ball in it and the dragon's eyes flashed red.
"Won't it burn the statue?" Alwena asked.
"Not at all," Yannick said, "I used a fireproof spell on the wood so it would be safe. The fire is just to look cool and kind of back off someone who would want to open it. If the person tries to force it open, he will get an electric shock and get stunned in the process. Courtesy of Gran again."
"This is totally like her," Alwena said grinning.
"So I take it that you like the present?" Yannick asked her.
"I don't like it, Yannick," she said standing up, "I absolutely love it!!" she added coming to hug him warmly.
"Well I am glad then," Yannick said, returning her hug, "At least something does go right today."
"Let me guess," Alwena said, "Your reunion with Alex did not go well?"
"Am I that readable?" he asked.
"Come on Nick!" she laughed, "It was not secret that you two loved each other. I saw that when you brought her back to Silverleaf Manor on the Christmas of your seventh year. You did all you could to cheer her up."
"She needed that."
"I agree. And you did a good job," Alwena said, "I could see that when I talked to her. I thought that you two would move in together after Hogwarts."
"Well we never actually finalized that but I helped her to move in her new apartment in London," Yannick said, "But then I had to go back to France and then you know what happened."
"Why did you not ask her to come with you?"
"I could not take her to the Elven realm, Wena," Yannick said, "You know that."
"Of course I do, you idiot!" she said, swatting his arm, "I am right behind you and Gran in Elven knowledge. I meant, ask her to stay at the Manor."
"I just could not," he replied.
"Why not? You two were a couple already."
"It is a bit more complicated than that, Wena," he told her.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"All right. I wont force you too," she said, "But maybe you should tell her."
"She's liable to kill me on the spot if I try," he said sarcastically.
"So let her cool down a bit and then tell her," she said helpfully, "She can't stay angry at you for her whole life."
"Yeah. I guess not."
They stayed silent for a little while, Yannick being unwilling to go further into the subject.
"So where were you actually heading before I caught you?" Alwena asked.
"I was planning to see Professor Sprout," Yannick said, "Then maybe pass by the Hufflepuff common room."
"Always the Hufflepuff, huh?" she asked, "What do you see in that house anyway?" she added, grinning.
"Talk for yourself Gryffindor," he replied, hitting her playfully on the arm, "You should go and put your present in your room. I should still be with Professor Sprout when you get to the greenhouses. Meet me there."
"You better not be gone from there when I get there," she warned him as she stood up and gathered her present.
"Don't worry, Wena," he told her, "I'll be there still. I don't want to have another person mad at me today."
She smiled at this and headed back to the castle. He looked at her until she disappeared in the doors of the entrance hall. His relationship with Alwena had always been very enjoyable. She was the closest person he had for a sister and he was very happy to see her in Hogwarts, the school where he had learned many fascinating things and had some of his best memories.
She had changed during the five years that he had been away. The little girl that he had left was now in full growth and already was quite striking in her looks. He suspected that the Silverleaf Elven parentage had something to do in that. It would not be surprising if in her later years in school, Alwena would start breaking a few hearts.
He chuckled at the thought and stood up. It was still good to be back at Hogwarts. He wondered in which greenhouse he would find his former Head of House as he headed towards them.
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Next: Chapter five: Reunion Feast