A/N: To new readers, welcome to chapter one. To old readers, I have changed the chapter a bit… not tremendously but a few tweaks here and there to improve it. The story stays the same
For visual support and update-updates go check out the tumblr I created for HNTBAW: nhstadler. tumblr. com
2
OF HEARTS AND HOMES AND HOGWARTS
Musical Mood:
first aid kid - the boys of summer
"It's going to be brilliant. Trust me, I can feel it."
Thick clouds of steam wafted into the air, blending in seamlessly with the overcast sky. The platform was bustling with people like it only ever did at the end of summer. Towers of luggage piled high in front of the long scarlet train that - despite standing still – was fuming like an angry dragon, and the indignant cries of hundreds of owls that were trapped in their travel cages rose above the crowd.
I had always wondered how it was possible that no Muggle ever got suspicious at seeing an alarming number of people carrying caged animals through King's Cross and vanishing abruptly into a seemingly solid stretch of wall. I knew that people mostly only saw what they wanted to see, but it didn't stop baffling me that waves of people walking through walls had never caught any attention. That no one had ever wondered.
"Write to us, will you?" My mother gave me a small smile and hooked a strand of hair behind my ear, her fingers brushing against the piercing Katie had given me before the end of last year and which still hurt like hell. She had used a particularly pointy quill-tip and all the magical disinfectant in the world wouldn't have been enough to stop the infection.
"Yeah. I will." I tightened my grip on the strap of my backpack, watching a group of children race each other down the platform. Writing to my parents wasn't easy, mostly because I didn't know how - what to share with them without bringing up everything that was weird and strained between us. Hence, my so-called letters usually consisted of a pitiful two-liner, saying that I was doing OK, which really was the literary equivalent to rice cakes: plain, nondescript and mostly consisting of air.
"If you need something-"
"I will let you know," I ended my father's sentence and pulled my jacket a little tighter around me, already regretting that I had opted for sneakers rather than boots this morning as another gust of nippy air swept across the platform, biting at my exposed ankles.
"Right," I finally said after a lengthy stretch of silence, noticing that my mother was oddly staring at the family next to us that was already into their fifth round of bone-crushing hugs and kisses, exclaiming vows of daily letters and care packages. "See you at Christmas?"
"Yes. Christmas." My mother nodded quickly, her composure as immaculate as always as she looked away from the now wildly waving family, and clasped my arms in what might have almost been a hug. "We might come for the Kick-Off this year. We'll -" She cut herself off and bit her lip, her eyes darting to where my father was still standing next to my suitcase, his smart suit and coat looking somewhat out of place between the sea of casual jackets and jeans, and, for a second, I thought she was going to say something else. But the moment passed and she put on a smile before releasing me again.
"So, um, see you soon, then," I said, the words coming out more like a question, and adjusted the strap of my backpack, mostly to have something to do.
The Woodleys were great at many things.
Farewells definitely weren't one of them.
"Take care!" I heard my mother call out after me, just before I had climbed the few stairs of the closest train car, and I paused for a millisecond to turn around and look at my parents one last time. Around them, people had started waving, some were dabbing at their tear-filled eyes, others were blowing kisses, and I felt an odd sort of weight lodge itself in my stomach as I imagined them sitting alone at our oversized dinner table in an entirely empty house.
"I will!" I called back and then took the last few steps, boarding the Hogwarts Express.
The corridor of the ancient train was teeming with students. Voices rose to the ceiling - people calling out to each other, mingling with the feral meows of the gang of cats that was chasing each other down the narrow hallway - and I felt my heart beat faster behind my chest. I had been waiting for this all summer - for this feeling that was both comfort and excitement. For that spark that prickled in the nape of my neck at the prospect of seeing it again; of going back to Hogwarts.
A Quaffle passed narrowly over my head and I ducked just as someone shouted, then laughed. I could see them when I glanced back over my shoulder; a familiar-enough group of seventh years that had occupied the back of the train car, spilling out of their compartment like they owned the place.
They might as well have. No one seemed to mind that James Potter and his glamorous posse had claimed the corridor as their personal playground. On the contrary, everybody seemed to be positively enthralled.
Taking a deep breath, I deliberately turned away from the ruckus and pushed on through the crowd, holding up Archie's cage to minimise the jostling while trying to not lose the heavy backpack that I had slung over one shoulder. Most compartment doors were still open as people kept trickling in, searching for their friends, and I glanced into each of them in passing, trying to spot Katie's mop of dark red curls.
"This won't work, Demi." A familiar voice drawled and my gaze caught on the group of girls that had claimed one of the larger compartments for themselves. Vala was sitting in the left corner, watching Demeter Notte as she tried to shove her oversized luggage onto the rack above her that clearly had no more available space. My cousin was frowning, looking mildly exasperated before she turned her head and our eyes met.
There was a moment, a slight nod of her head that I reciprocated, and then she looked away again and I moved on down the hallway. It was strange to think that, just yesterday, we had been sitting next to each other, drinking tea. But we weren't friends. We were family; a messy tangle of half-forgotten childhood memories, uncomfortable afternoon teas, and holiday dinners that tied us together only as long as they lasted.
I passed a few more compartments until I finally reached the one at the very end of the train car. It was almost empty except for the girl in a violently pink, glittery top and military-green cargo trousers. Her face was buried in a glossy issue of WitchStyle, a look of concentration creasing her brow while she was kicking her right leg back and forth.
"Hey," I said, knocking on the frame of the sliding door, "Is this seat taken?"
I had barely nudged my suitcase into the compartment and put down Archie's cage before Katie had dropped her magazine and was crushing me in a ferocious hug that practically immersed me in a cloud of curly hair.
"You're here!" She practically shouted into my ear and I inhaled the familiar scent of her coconut shampoo that sometimes lingered in our dorm room at night. She was definitely cutting off my circulation and her wild curls were tickling my nose, but I wrapped my arms a little tighter around her, because all of it felt like home.
"So? How did it go yesterday? Tell me everything." Katie was still holding me around the arms, pulling me down with her as she sat back down on the bench.
I sighed and ran my hand along the edge of the seat where the upholstery was worn thin already. The napped cloth scratched against my palm and I felt oddly comforted by the familiar sensation. "There was just so much weirdness." I said and absently reached for one of the glossy magazines that were scattered all over the seat around us. There was a neon yellow banner across the top, advertising an exclusive interview with the boys from Hey Hey Hippogriff and the chance to win backstage passes for their next concert in London.
"Ah, the woes of being a Woodley." Katie discarded her own issue of With Weekly to give me her full attention. "Let's see… I can smell guilt with a little hint of crippling self-doubt and a dash of ancient Firewhiskey. How are your grandparents?"
"Well, they're great." I had abandoned the copy of Magical People Magazine again, too agitated to actually focus on the perfectly polished boys that waved at me from the centre of the page. "My grandmother wants to shift me off to Madame Esher's."
"Urgh." Katie grimaced like she had swallowed a cat-food flavoured Bertie Bott's bean. "That etiquette place where they teach you when to use which fork?"
"Amongst other vital 21st century skills, yes." I slid lower in my seat, feeling my hair chafe against the upholstered backrest. The train had picked up speed as soon as we had left London and the landscape began to blur beyond the windows.
"Well, since you don't look like a ten year old boy anymore you have to learn how to find yourself a rich husband."
"I never looked like a ten year old boy!" I snorted and then tossed my already crumpled magazine at Katie, but it missed by several inches and hit Archie's cage instead who hooted reproachfully. While it was a wild exaggeration, she wasn't entirely wrong, though; I had always been rather lacking in the curves department and the fact that my nickname was Seth didn't exactly help.
A few shouts echoed from the corridor and I automatically looked up, just to find James Potter and Freddie Weasley racket past our compartment, surrounded by the usual Gryffindor Quidditch dolts. They seemed to have expanded their make-shift pitch, recklessly tossing their Quaffle back and forth, which banged against the window of our door and then almost knocked over a group of fourth years in the process.
Katie sighed and bit her lip as her eyes followed Potter until he was out of sight. "Apparently James threw the most outrageous birthday party for Freddie Weasley in the holidays. It was all over the news."
I thought about the picture on the magazine cover, the group of boys stumbling out of some pub and the gaudy headline that had some dumb alliteration in the title like Party Potter or Potter goes Pub or something equally absurd. It seemed that the papers had a field day with Potter whenever he was home for the summer. "OK, but what exactly is he famous for? I mean, who wants to read about that?"
"I do!" Katie slapped my knee with a rolled up copy of Teen Witch. "Like all of Britain. He's the son of a wizarding legend."
"Yeah, but he didn't save the world."
"No." Katie shrugged, her lips quirking to a grin. "But he's fit. Very."
I groaned and let my head fall against the backrest before dropping it on my best friend's shoulder, watching her flip through the Teen Witch magazine. There was a photo series on autumn fashion must-haves and the boots looked cute.
"What else is new in the world of scandal?"
"Not as much as I'd like." Katie sighed and slouched down before leaning her head against mine. "I missed you."
I smiled even though Katie couldn't see it. The glitter material of her T-shirt felt scratchy against my cheek and there was a spasm developing in my neck from the awkward angle, but I didn't care.
"I missed you more."
The ride up to the castle in the ancient carriages had been unpleasant; hard rain was lashing from the black sky, shaking the magical vehicles so roughly that everyone was relieved when the turrets and towers came into view, their windows glowing in the dark like bright jewels. The mass of black-cloaked figures that ferociously pushed through the wide front doors of the castle, all with their hoods pulled tightly into their faces against the heavy downpour, was no joke, though. There was proper shoving and pulling the closer we got to the door where people were practically fighting their way in.
Katie and I had fallen to the back a little, wedged in between a group of loudly chatting people that, by the sound of it, were bubbly second year Hufflepuff girls who had been riding the Thestral-drawn carriages for the first time this year and thought they were marvellous. It didn't seem to bother them that they had gotten stuck in the mud along the way.
"I can't believe this!" Katie shook the thin silver object in her hands so violently that it almost slipped out of her grip. "This is such bullshit."
I grinned and shook my head. Every spark of familiarity made me feel overly fond and gushy today. "You know that technical devices don't work at Hogwarts."
"Yeah, well, I thought they might have fixed that by now. The internet could save us so many hours in the library." She let her phone slip back into the pocket of her cloak, looking agitated as a wave of people finally swept us into the warm Entrance Hall.
"Probably that's why they keep it that way." I pulled off the thick hood of the ceremonial cloak and loosened the ribbon around my throat that held it together. The thing always felt too heavy, digging into my neck, and I was glad to be rid of it for the entire year after tonight.
"Over there?" Katie asked over the general clatter that had carried us into the Great Hall, pointing to a free spot at the long Ravenclaw table. I nodded wordlessly and followed her through the throngs of students until we had reached the empty seats in between Sam Henderson, a fellow sixth year and Ravenclaw Prefect, and Milina Jacobson, a perky seventh year who I knew from Potions Club.
"I hope the sorting goes fast," Katie sighed as we sat down next to each other, the soaked bottoms of our cloaks tumbling to the floor behind us. "I'm starving."
"Um, Seth?" The voice came from my right and I turned my head to find Sam Henderson leaning over the table, his uniform tie piling on his empty plate as he gave me a smile.
"Yes?" I replied, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as I realised how weird my voice had suddenly become. Without meaning to, I had sounded like my Grandmother.
Sam laughed – rather uncomfortably – but continued to smile. He seemed determined to have a conversation with me, no matter how incompetent I was.
"Um, I wasn't sure if-" he trailed off mid-sentence but continued to stare at me with a bizarre half-smile on his face, "I like your hair like this."
"Oh." I stared at him for a moment, feeling Katie's leg pressing against my shin underneath the table as I desperately tried to think of a suitable reply.
"Okay," I finally produced and practically felt Katie's eyes roll in their sockets as she quietly groaned to herself. This was uncharted territory; although we had known each other for more than five years, Sam's and my conversations usually never extended beyond our Prefect duties and maybe the latest Ravenclaw riddle, but that was about as deep as it got.
"Um, right." Sam cleared his throat. "Well, then – um – I'll just…" He pointed vaguely at the knot of people sitting beside him. "I'll see you around."
"Sure," I said quickly, feeling a mixture of relief and mortification as he gave me one last smile before turning away again.
"'Okay'?" Katie groaned, her cloak billowing out behind her like the cape of a superhero in action as she hurried along next to me. "Are you kidding me?"
"I know. I'm pathetic," I sighed, feeling a whole new wave of mortification as I replayed the conversation I had just had with Sam Henderson in my head. "Watch out for the stairs – they move!"
The first-year Ravenclaws behind me exclaimed in awe as one of the seemingly solid stone staircases suddenly lurched and disconnected from the landing it had led to, swinging out of sight. There was something amazing about witnessing this Hogwarts-specific quirk for the first time; after a while – and a couple of unnecessary detours – however, you started questioning the practicality of the whole thing.
"You know that's why people think you're stuck up."
I looked at my best friend, only just dodging a low flying, cackling Peeves who had swooped from the ceiling. "People think I'm stuck up?"
"Seth," she said with a sigh, "you barely talk to most people."
"Well, I don't like most people. EXPULSO!" I pointed my wand at Peeves, who had begun to flick the first-years' hats from their heads, and although spells could not actually hurt the poltergeist, it was enough to get him to leave, his curses echoing from the ceiling even after he had gone.
"Are you sure the sorting hat didn't say Slytherin?" Katie raised her eyebrows at me as we climbed the last flight of stairs to Ravenclaw Tower, before stopping at the tall door that was bare except for a brass door-knocker in the shape of an eagle.
The crowd of first years now pooled around us and I noticed Sam Henderson and two fifth-year Prefects ploughing their way through the crowd to get to the door for the grand demonstration; it had become quite the ritual – answering the first riddle of the new school year.
"Ooh," Katie sang into my ear quite suddenly, making me jump a little. "Sam is checking you out."
"What?" I glanced up, shocked to find Sam Henderson looking at me as he passed by and – in an attempt at taking a casual step backwards – I trod on something small and soft, causing the first year behind me to cry out in agony.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I bit my bottom lip as I tried to pacify the little boy on whose foot I had just stepped, ignoring the snickers and snorts that issued from the crowd around me.
I might have mildly injured a kid on his first day at Hogwarts, but at least no one could call me stuck up.
As usual, suitcases were already piling on the wooden floor of the small dormitory and I couldn't help a smile as a familiar warmth surged through my body. The four four-poster beds had been made to perfection, looking cosy and inviting, and the lit candles dipped everything into an appealing glow. Without hesitation, I made my way through the pieces of luggage to the bed on the far left and let myself fall onto the soft mattress, arms and legs outstretched.
"You know, you might suck at flirting, but at least you made a lasting impression on that poor first year."
I laughed as I felt Katie sit down next to me. "Oh shut up."
"I love you," she said, sinking into my bed as well so that we were lying next to each other. "But you have rotten social skills."
"I'm just not good at small talk," I sighed, turning my head to look at my best friend. "What does small talk even mean? I mean, what is small in terms of a conversation?"
"You're overthinking this, mate." She had produced a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from her cloak pocket and popped a few into her mouth, releasing a distinctive fragrance of strawberry and pine.
"Maybe." I held out my hand to Katie and she immediately shook a handful of sweets out of the bag into my open palm. I regarded them for a moment, spotting a few suspicious khaki coloured ones, but then decided against sorting them out and simply thrust them all into my mouth.
"I'm not stuck up," I said after a while, grimacing at the strange taste of avocados and chocolate that still lingered on my palate as my thoughts inevitably strayed to my family. "Am I?"
"Of course you're not!" Katie exclaimed so fiercely that it made me smile. She had turned her head to look at me and I could tell that her handful of beans had definitely contained one or two onion ones.
"I can't believe we're back," I sighed, taking in the ceiling of the room with its elaborate bronze pattern. "Sixth year."
"It's going to be brilliant," Katie said, her voice echoing strangely from the walls, mingling with the shuffling of feet that was clearly audible through the door. "Trust me, I can feel it."
A/N: Dear lovely readers, I hope you've enjoyed chapter two. As usual, I would love to hear what you think about it. I can't even tell you how excited I am about every little review I get :)