"This is really nice," Steven said as they took their seat. "Much nicer than sitting on hay."
Harry gave him an odd look, then grinned. "It's fantastic."
They hadn't seen each other since they'd met in Diagon Alley, but Harry's face had lit up when he'd seen Steven.
It was good to have friends, even if it hurt when you had to leave them.
A family of redheads was outside on the platform, the mother saying her last goodbyes to the children. Steven felt a pang and he looked away. Even after all these weeks the pain of losing his family was still fresh in his mind.
Mr. Ollivander's comparison between gems and Phoenixes came to mind, and Steven felt himself once again relieved by the comparison. Gems lived lives that lasted thousands or tens of thousands of years. A few weeks would be nothing to them, especially from within their gems.
If only it wasn't an eternity to an eleven year old boy.
He forced himself to smile. "It's great, really."
He felt uneasy about leaving London. The gems were here and it felt wrong to leave them. What would they do if they woke up in a new world and didn't know where he was?
He'd written a note and given ministry officials explicit instructions about how to handle the gems. He just hoped the gems would give the ministry time to explain.
The train began to move, the platform sliding away slowly.
The compartment door slid open, and a redheaded boy stepped inside.
"Is it all right if I sit in here? All the other compartments are full."
Harry shrugged.
"Are you really Harry Potter?"
Steven looked up. Harry had seemed embarrassed about the whole fame thing. Steven wasn't sure why; everyone at home knew him, and privacy had never been a thing the gems had bothered to give him.
"Nope," Steven said. "Nobody's ever accused me of being Harry Potter."
The boy flushed. "Sorry, mate. I'm Ron. Ron Weasely."
"It's nice to meet you, Ron Ron Weasely," Steven said.
"No, it's just...are you having me on?"
Steven grinned.
"Hey, you're American! I thought Hogwarts was just for British kids."
Steven shrugged uncomfortably. "I live here now."
Harry leaned forward. "Yeah. I'm Harry."
Steven was grateful. He'd been trying to save Harry embarrassment and instead Harry was coming to his rescue.
"Do you really have the..."
Harry sighed and pulled his hair aside to show his scar.
Friends required sacrifice. Steven could only hope that no one else would have to do anything greater than this for him, not again.
Thoughts of Lapis and Lion danced at the edges of his thoughts.
"It snows occasionally," Steven said defensively. "Almost every year."
His perpetual tan hadn't faded, even though the Ministry had been keeping him indoors for weeks. Steven wondered if that was just his natural color. After all, his mother had been sort of...pink. It wasn't any different than Amethyst having lilac skin, or Pearl being pale white. It was just part of who they were.
Of course, the Ministry had suggested that he not tell everyone his full story.
"Still, it sounds nice. Living on a warm beach..." Harry said.
From what Harry had told him, it sounded like they came from opposite backgrounds. Steven had grown up with vast amounts of freedom, surrounded by people who loved him.
Harry had been locked away by people who didn't care for him at all.
"It was great," Harry said. "I wish we hadn't had to move."
Hogwarts had to be better for Harry than what he'd had at home. Steven, despite his innate optimism didn't hold that same hope.
Nowhere was like Beach City. He could only hope that he made new friends.
It would be the only thing that would make the wait for the gems bearable.
"My name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."
"Do all British people talk like James Bond?" Steven asked Harry in a low voice.
Ron sniggered, although clearly not from Steven's comment. Steven had the impression that Ron didn't know a lot about non-wizarding popular culture, although from his smirk Harry clearly did.
"Think my name is funny? My father told me all about the Weaselys. Red hair, freckles and more kids than they can afford."
Steven frowned, especially after Ron stiffened.
"That wasn't a very nice thing to say."
"He told me about you too. You're not a wizard. You aren't even human. You shouldn't even be on this train."
"I am too human...on my father's side," Steven said.
"So a half-breed and poor wizarding trash. There are better friends you could make, from decent families, Potter. You wouldn't want to get associated with the wrong sorts."
Draco leaned forward with his hand out.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sorts are," Harry said quietly. He didn't take Draco's hand.
"Be careful Potter," Draco said. "Or you'll go the same way your parents did. Hang around this sort, and it'll rub off on you."
Ron stood up, scowling. "What did you say?"
Harry followed a moment later. He looked anxious, probably because of the two hulking boys standing behind Draco.
"So you are going to fight us, are you?" Draco smirked.
"Unless you leave now," Harry said.
"We don't want to leave. We've eaten all our food and it looks like you have a lot here."
"Nobody's fighting," Steven said. He sighed and stood up.
"Afraid?" The boy to Harry's right lunged forward.
Steven stepped forward and caught the boy's hand. He squeezed slightly. "Not really."
The bigger boy tried to push forward, but it was like trying to push a brick wall. Steven slapped him on the back, and the boy almost fell to his knees.
"It's important for people to get along," Steven said. "We're here to make friends, aren't we?"
The other boy tried to rush forward, but Steven had spent too many afternoons first watching Connie train at sword fighting and later learning it on his own. His time as Stevonnie had only improved his skills.
His stance was wide, and neither boy could as much as budge him, even though they each weighed half again as much as he did.
"Still," Steven said. "It's getting a little crowded in here. Maybe you'd better find another car."
He shoved the first boy slightly and he went flying, hitting the wall and slumping to the floor. The second boy followed, almost hitting Draco.
Draco stared at Steven, his face almost as white as his hair.
"I'm only human on my father's side," Steven said. "It wasn't very nice of you to talk about Harry's parents like that, and I'd be really upset if you said anything about either of mine."
The boy was gone so fast Steven almost didn't see him go. His cronies scrambled to their feet and ran limping down the corridor.
Steven turned to find the other two boys staring at him.
"You're only half-human?" Harry asked.
"On my dad's side," Steven said.
"Blimy," Ron said. "Who was your mum? Hercules?"
Apparently Ron actually knew a few Greek myths.
Before Steven could respond, a bushy haired girl stepped into the room. "What's going on?"
Steven had seen her earlier; the girl talked fast and apparently read a lot. She reminded him a little of Connie, although she seemed a lot more pushy.
"You boys haven't been fighting? You'll be in trouble before you even get to school!"
Steven shrugged. "I haven't been fighting."
It was true. Fighting was being smashed in the face by Jasper, struggling against an entire ocean sent by Lapis...being struck by Malachite. Fighting meant someone was at a risk for dying.
Schoolboy scuffles were nothing.
"I only came because people outside are behaving very childishly, running up and down the corridors," the girl said with a sniff.
"I think it's nice that you were worried about us," Steven said. The girl was lonely; it was clear to Steven that like Connie she hadn't had many friends.
The girl's face brightened, and despite her teeth for a moment she looked beautiful.
"We need to get dressed," Ron said, somewhat rudely. "So if you could just..."
"Are you Harry Potter?" she asked suddenly. "I've read all about you."
Behind him, Harry sighed.