CHAPTER 5: WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE
When they finally arrived at Hogwarts without America finding a trace of Harry or Ron, Canada was feeling worried. Either they were trying to avoid America (which he couldn't blame them too much for), or they'd missed the train. The latter possibility was more probable, Canada thought. They might find America a bit annoying at times, but Harry and Ron still thought of him as their friend. They'd been so excited to see everyone again at Hogwarts in their letters, there was no way they'd start avoiding one of their best friends, was there?
Canada (with Kumachimchim in tow), America, Hermione and Ginny stepped onto the platform and took in their surroundings. It was exactly as Canada remembered it. "Firs' years, over 'ere! Firs' years… Hey there, Hermione, Alfred! Oh, an' Matthew!" Hagrid, as huge and hairy as always, was carrying a lantern in one great hand and waving at the three of them with the other. They waved back, America letting out an inarticulate yell that could have been a greeting.
Ginny was looking very nervous. Her eyes kept flitting around the platform, probably looking for something familiar to anchor herself with. She almost jumped out of her skin when Canada put a hand on her shoulder. "Just go with Hagrid, eh," he said in the most encouraging voice he could muster. "He's really nice, there's nothing to be scared of."
Ginny stared down at her feet and mumbled, "That's not what I'm scared of."
"What's scaring you, then, eh?"
Ginny looked around, as if to make sure nobody else was listening. America and Hermione had gone on ahead, following the crowd of older students towards whatever form of transportation they took to the castle. Determining that it was safe to talk, she looked up at Canada and said in a rush, "What if I'm not in Gryffindor? Everyone in the family's been a Gryffindor, they'll all be so disappointed if I'm in… Hufflepuff, or something… er, not that there's anything wrong with being in Hufflepuff, sorry…"
Ignoring the insult to his house for the moment, Canada put his other hand on her other shoulder and turned her so that she was looking him straight in the eyes. "Ginny, even if the Sorting Hat puts you in Slytherin, your family will still love you. That's what family is. Even if you fight a lot, or do really idiotic stuff, or don't see them for years, even if you all say you hate each other, deep down in their hearts, some part of them will still love you. And if you do end up in Hufflepuff, they're all really nice people, and I'll be there to answer any questions you have, eh. Okay?"
Ginny seemed surprised by this sudden speech, but she did seem reassured. She nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Michael."
Canada winced slightly. "I'm Matthew." Well, it's better than Alfred, I suppose.
"Oh. Er, sorry. Thanks, Matthew." Canada released her and she nearly ran over to Hagrid. The crowd of students had dispersed quite a bit, but he could still see the general direction those in the second year and above were heading in. He joined the crowd, Kumaneko following and occasionally asking 'Who are you?'
As he got closer to whatever method of transportation they'd be using, he heard a familiar voice shouting, "NO! NUH-UH, NO WAY, DUDE! I AM NOT GOING NEAR THOSE THINGS! THEY'RE TOTALLY WAY TOO FREAKY!" Sighing, Canada broke into a jog to see what America was screaming his head off about.
He saw soon enough. They'd be travelling by carriages, pulled by what looked like slightly reptilian-looking, winged, skeletal horses. They did look, to use America's words, 'totally way too freaky'. Why would anyone use such scary creatures to transport students? But, looking around, he realized that almost nobody else seemed freaked out by them. In fact, he could only see two people staring at the 'horses'; Neville Longbottom, from Gryffindor, was staring at them in silent horror; and a weedy-looking Slytherin boy whose name Canada didn't know, who was staring at them with distaste, as if he'd just smelled something bad. Most people, however, didn't even seem to see them – their eyes passed over them without pausing.
So it seemed that everyone was confused as to why America was refusing to budge an inch towards the carriages and screaming about freaky creatures while Hermione was trying unsuccessfully to drag him over. "NO, HERMIONE, DUDE, CUT IT OUT! THOSE THINGS ARE PROBABLY GHOSTS! GHOST –BAT-HORSES!"
Hermione was looking extremely confused, and also slightly out of breath. She seemed to be pulling at America with all her might, but Canada knew that if his brother didn't want to move, he wasn't moving. "Come – on – Alfred, there's nothing – there! Why are you – always – trying to get – attention?" she panted. Ah, so they really can't see them.
Canada walked over to America and Hermione. America spotted him and ran over, making Hermione nearly fall over backwards due to the sudden lack of a counterweight. Canada would have pointed this out, but America had run around behind him and wrapped his arms around his stomach in a grip so tight it would have likely snapped a normal human in half. "C-Ca-Matt! You can see them, too, right, bro?"
"C-can't… breathe…" Canada gasped. Sadly, America didn't seem to hear him, because his arms didn't give an inch.
Kumaginger, thank God, decided to swoop in to the rescue. "Whats-his-name's-brother," said the bear. "Let him go. He can't talk if he can't breathe." The people surrounding them stared at the talking polar bear.
"Huh? Oh, crap, right! Sorry, bro!" America released him, stepping back.
Canada took in a few huge gulps of air before saying, "I can see them, too, Alfred, but I don't think the others can."
America stared at him incredulously. "What?! B-but, they're RIGHT THERE! THEY'RE FREAKING FREAKY GHOST-BAT-HORSES!" He pointed at them. Nearby students looked at where he was pointing, then looked back at him, their confusion obviously mounting.
Okay, how do I calm him down… aha! I think I've got it, eh! "I don't think they're ghosts, eh," said Canada. "They're too solid. Ghosts are transparent, right?"
America gave the horses a dubious look. "I… guess so… so they're not ghost-bat-horses? Just bat-horses?"
Canada nodded, relief flooding his veins. "Yes. Now, let's-"
"THEY'RE STILL SUPER CREEPY AND I DON'T WANNA GO NEAR THEM!"
Canada sighed, the relief turning to frustration. Another idea popped into his head. If this didn't work, he didn't know what would. He let his shoulders sag, bit his lower lip, and started trembling. "I-I don't want to go near them either, b-but we have to, even if it's scary, eh."
America stared at him. "Wait, you're scared?"
Canada could almost see the gears switching in his brain. They just needed a little more grease… "Y-yes… I mean, those things are r-really scary. What if they hurt us or something? Th-there's nothing to stop them…"
Ah, there it was. That did it. A fire lit up in America's eyes. "Nothing except THE HERO! DON'T WORRY, MATTIE, THOSE BAT-HORSES DON'T STAND A CHANCE! LET'S GO!" He charged over to the nearest empty carriage, wrenching open the door and giving the horse pulling it a death-glare.
Canada dropped the act and picked up Kuma, smiling. Hermione was staring at him with a mixture of surprise and admiration. "You were faking?!"
Canada shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Well, you know Alfred, eh. He always wants to play the hero. I just had to take advantage of it." He gestured to the carriage. "Let's go. Our fearless defender awaits, eh."
*time skip*
Canada's worries about Harry and Ron only increased when the Sorting ceremony started without any sign of the two. He could just be sitting somewhere he couldn't see, he supposed. It was a bit hard to see what was happening at the Gryffindor table from the Hufflepuff table, but he could clearly see America and Hermione, so you'd think Harry and Ron would be sitting next to them. There'd been quite a bit of whispering about the absence of the famous Harry Potter among the house tables before the first-years had walked into the Great Hall in their queue.
Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on the stool. Even when it began to sing a different song than last years', Canada just couldn't concentrate on it. What had happened to Harry and Ron? Ginny had said they should have crossed the barrier just after her, and they definitely wouldn't have purposefully missed the train. They'd both been looking forward to school very much, which was a rarity in young people in almost any day. But for whatever, probably sinister, reason, they hadn't turned up.
Suddenly everyone was clapping, and he realized the Sorting Hat had finished its song. He clapped along with them, hoping it hadn't sang anything too important. As the first years began to be sorted, he found it more and more difficult to concentrate. He glanced up at the staff table. Professor Dumbledore was there, of course, looking as stereotypically wizardy as usual. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting a few places away, wearing a self-satisfied grin that filled Canada with the uncharacteristic urge to punch him in the face. America must have been rubbing off on him. Curiously enough, there was one teacher missing.
When 'Lovegood, Luna' was sorted into Ravenclaw, Canada leaned over to Hannah Abbott, a nice if somewhat high-strung girl who remembered who he was slightly more than half the time. "Where do you think Professor Snape is, eh?"
Hannah jumped a bit in surprise, but she seemed to remember who he was quickly and looked at the staff table. "That is rather odd," she whispered. "You don't suppose he's been sacked, do you?"
Canada shook his head. "Probably not. His replacement would be sitting in his place, wouldn't they? It's not like many people would miss him, though, eh?"
Hannah giggled, resulting in the two of them being shushed by a prefect. "Sorry," they both whispered, and turned their attention back to the Sorting. Canada still couldn't concentrate very much. Now he had another mysterious absence to worry about. He barely registered who got Sorted into which house, mechanically clapping whenever a new Hufflepuff joined their table. He did remember that Ginny Weasley ended up in Gryffindor, with Fred, George and Percy all cheering louder than for any other Gryffindor. It looked like she'd gotten her wish.
He was still trying to come up with believable scenarios that would explain Harry' and Ron's absence (currently he was wondering whether they'd been imprisoned by animal activists who thought Harry wasn't treating Hedwig properly) when, partway through dinner, the doors to the Great Hall banged open. Everyone turned to see Professor Snape striding towards the staff table, as bat-like as ever, with a very nasty smile on his face. Canada felt his stomach plummet. Anything that made Snape look that happy was not a good thing.
Everyone else in the Great Hall seemed to be thinking the same thing, because the noise levels suddenly skyrocketed as everyone started gossiping. Canada saw that he was heading straight towards where Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall were seated, rather than his own seat. Canada leaned down to Kumakiki, who was under the table, eating any scraps of food the students dropped. The bear looked up at him. "Who are you?"
"I'm Matthew. Kuma, I need you to go listen in on what Professor Snape is saying and report back to me on your findings."
The bear nodded in understanding and started navigating the maze of legs underneath the table. Canada sat back up, hoping Kumagigabyte would do as he was told. He looked over at the staff table to find that Snape was indeed speaking with Dumbledore and McGonagall. The Great Hall had mostly gone quiet, everyone trying to listen in on what the professors were saying. Canada was glad he'd sent Kuma. From where he was sitting, he couldn't hear a thing. Eventually Professor McGonagall stood, looking very, very angry, and walked out of the Hall with Snape. Everyone started talking again, most of them saying something along the lines of, 'Did you hear what they said?'
Something bit Canada's leg. He leaned down under the table and saw Kumatigger sitting there, looking pleased with himself. "Who are you?"
"I'm Matthew."
"Matthew. The bat-human said that Harry Potter and Ron Weasley arrived in a flying car and crashed into a Whomping Willow. He asked the human with long silver fur and the human who smelled like cats to come with him to decide on their punishment. Silver-fur-human said that he wanted to finish his plate first." The little bear looked at him expectantly. "I want a treat."
Canada reached into his pocket and pulled out a home-made seal blubber treat. Kumachickadee nearly bit his hand off in his eagerness to get it. The northern nation sat up again, thinking over what he'd just heard. Well, at least Harry and Ron were still alive. They would quite possibly be expelled, but they were alive. At least some of his questions had been answered, but Canada still had quite a few that remained unanswered. Why hadn't they been on the train in the first place? Had they not been able to get through the barrier? How did they even get a flying car? What was a Whomping Willow?
He listened in to what his fellow Hufflepuffs were saying. He was sitting at about the midway point of the table, so he figured he'd get a version not quite at farcical levels of ridiculousness yet, but still not quite the truth. Hannah was telling everyone that Harry and Ron had arrived in a flying limousine, complete with a chauffeur and mini-fridge, and when they couldn't pay the driver they were thrown into a pit of Devil's Snare. The people at the end would probably be hearing that they'd come in a flying submarine piloted by otters and nearly suffocated from landing in a pile of seaweed.
Suddenly, the air was rent by a heart-wrenching cry. "NOOOOOOOO! HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO MEEEEEE?!" Canada looked over at the Gryffindor table, along with everyone else, to find America standing on the bench, shaking his fist at the ceiling with tears streaming down his face. All of the Gryffindors, second-years, and other people familiar with his outbursts turned back to their food, having become desensitized to it. Everyone else, however, stared at him as he continued shouting. "DAMN YOU, SPACE TREE-PEOPLE, ABDUCTING MY FRIENDS AND IGNORING ME! STOP HAVING ADVENTURES WITHOUT ME, DAMNIT!" America had been sitting near the end of the table.
A/N: This chapter ended up being MUCH longer than I thought it would. Ah, well, HAVE A HUG, EVERYONE! \(^-^)/ Poor America is feeling left out again. No questions this time, so short Author's Notes. NEXT CHAPTER: America meets the wonder that is Gilderoy Lockhart. See you all next time!