chapter 3: bones, trains, and fame

The Hogwarts Express was a train like nothing Eleanor had ever seen before. Giant, gleaming and golden, she felt it was befitting of the Gods. Her goodbye to her father had been quick. Several days ago she thought of the ride to Hogwarts, and how a long tearful goodbye might start some weeping that she wouldn't be able to stop. The thought of this pitiful first introduction to her future classmates had convinced her not to linger in the farewell.

Instead, Eleanor had steeled herself with a practiced stoney courage, and clambered aboard, her eyes cast forward. As she walked along the train, looking for a cabin full of potential, she ran through her memorized list of goals.

1. Make a friend.

2. Don't talk about your mother.

3. Be yourself! (But, like, the nicest possible version of yourself.) (Like a good version of yourself) (So you end up in a good house) (Not the evil house)

4. Don't become evil.

She knew the goals were a little weak in structure, but they worked for now. She decided that her focus would be on trying to make a friend, first. This seemed the most achievable, and, if she did well, it would probably help make the rest of the goals easier.

She tried to ignore the track record that told her she was never particularly good at making friends. It wasn't for lack of trying, sure. In fact, the trying was probably what doomed her in the first place. There was a time when she had been 8 and desperately wanted to befriend this girl in her neighborhood. She went about it by following the girl around all day. She followed her and the girl's friends to the local park, to the ice cream shop, to the lake. Eventually the girl turned around and screamed at her for being so weird, and told her to stay away from them. It was a spectacular failure.

Her dad told her that later that night that friendships come naturally. If you try to force it, then it probably won't work. He talked about his own time in high school, how much he wanted to befriend all the cool kids who played Rugby and drank beer, even though he didn't play rugby, and hadn't really developed a taste for beer. His pursuits failed because he had been trying to be someone he wasn't, and those kids he desperately wanted to befriend could see right through it.

Eventually, his real friendship came in the form of his coworkers at the grocery store - people that were similar to him, who understood him. He put his efforts there, with the people who already seemed to like him, and people he already had gotten to know. The friendships had already been at his hand, it just took a little bit of growing up for him to realize it.

Eleanor thought that was all well and great for him, but she didn't exactly have a job at a grocery store, so she didn't quite know what she was supposed to do with the advice.

And now, Eleanor was finding the advice even less helpful because she barely understood who she was, so how was she supposed to seek out people like her? Befriend all of the other kids of deatheaters? For one, she didn't know how she'd pick them out from all of her classmates, and for another, she absolutely did not want to befriend deatheaters' kids. She wanted to be good. Not evil.

So she'd seek out the students who were good, kind people. And she would be the kindest version of herself, and then she could be exactly who she wanted to be, and wouldn't have to worry about whether or not she was forcing the friendship. Because they would be kind, and she wanted to be kind. And just because she had planned it, didn't mean she was forcing it.

Finally, she found a compartment empty save for one girl, who wasn't wearing any signature house colors, which told Eleanor that she was a first year too.

"Mind if I join?" Eleanor asked as she slid open the door.

The girl looked up, her curly blonde hair bouncing around her shoulders. She was quite pretty, with red cheeks and deep brown eyes that reminded Eleanor of the seals she saw at the zoo. "Not at all," the girl said, "first year too?"

"Mmhmm," Eleanor said, edging through the door and wrangling her suitcase below the seats. Eleanor's recent growth spurt had left her arms too long and lanky, and she still had trouble figuring out how to maneuver the things about her in a way that wasn't terribly awkward. She hoped the girl wouldn't notice.

"I'm Susan Bones," the girl said, as she stood up to help Eleanor wrangle her trunk into place.

"I'm Eleanor," Eleanor replied, purposefully avoiding her last name and hoping that Susan wouldn't notice. Once the trunk was sufficiently wrangled, Eleanor sat across from Susan's spot, while Susan planted herself back down and waited politely for Eleanor to continue.

"Uh - but my dad calls me Nell, I guess."

This seemed to satisfy Susan, who didn't comment further.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Nell," Susan said.

Eleanor smiled, and looked out at the students rushing by their compartment, dressed in the colors of their houses. "Are you nervous about the sorting?" she asked.

Susan paused for a moment, her eyebrows screwed up in thought, as if she hadn't considered worrying at all. "No, I don't suppose so. Almost all of my family has been in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, so I'm guessing I'll end up in one of those. And they both seem alright enough. Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad either, I think, if it came down to it."

"Oh, yeah - I'd love to end up in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor," Eleanor admitted. "That's what I'm hoping for, at least. I mean - I know I'm not clever enough for Ravenclaw, based on what I've read in Hogwarts: A History, so I'm not getting my hopes up about it. And well, nobody really wants the other one, do they? So Hufflepuff or Gryffindor it is. At least I hope."

Susan giggled. "Are you muggleborn, then?"

Oops . "Um, no," Eleanor said, looking at her hands. "I'm half and half, um, my mum was a witch but she died when I was a baby, so it's just been me and my dad, and there's no one else in my family who's a wizard or anything, so I only know what I've read."

Eleanor looked up and Susan was smiling at her kindly. Eleanor knew that Susan would have no trouble being sorted into a good house. "I lost a lot of my family in the war, too," she said, and Eleanor's stomach dropped, because she figured that the side her mom died on probably wasn't the side Susan's family did.

"Yeah…" Eleanor said.

"I'm sure you'll end up exactly in the right house for you!" Susan said with such easy confidence, that Eleanor felt the dread in her stomach ease. She hadn't even realized that the train had begun to chug along and away from London.

"What's the sorting process like? The book wasn't very clear," Eleanor asked.

"My aunt told me there's this dingy old hat involved, but refused to say anything else. I think they like keeping it a surprise," Susan giggled.

Eleanor thought of her father's Yankee's cap, stained with sweat and motor oil. The only magic that had was in giving the wearer horrendous hat hair. "I just hope it's not a test or anything… I tried reading ahead from the books but they made my head spin."

"Oh, me too! My aunt swears it makes much more sense when you get there and actually start classes. But she was so good in school, and now she works for the Ministry, so I don't exactly think her advice will apply to me."

Eleanor giggled. "Well my dad's a mechanic and his only advice was to do my homework and take notes, so that's not exactly a secret winning formula either."

With a smile, Susan asked, "What's a mechanic?"

"Oh!" Eleanor gasped. "I forgot… it's, um, hard to describe. You know how muggles drive cars to get around?"

"I suppose," Susan said.

"Well those cars break sometimes and muggles need mechanics to figure out what broke, cause they're made of like a million parts. So some muggles learn about cars so that they can fix them."

"Are cars complicated?"

"I mean my dad says they aren't once you know what you're looking at, but his customers are always a total mess when they come in - so I think most people don't really get it."

"How fascinating. I wish I knew more about muggles, honestly."

"I'll answer any question you have!" Eleanor shot out, maybe a little too eagerly.

Susan laughed. "Well, alright. I'll let you know when I come up with another one."

Before Eleanor could say anything else, though, the door to their compartment was opening, and a boy was leaning his head in.

"Hi there!" he said with a wide smile that revealed several crooked teeth. "Can I join you two?"

Eleanor looked to Susan quickly, afraid of saying an answer that she wouldn't like. But Susan didn't miss a beat before she said, "Not at all!"

"Thanks!" the boy beamed, sitting beside her. "Name's Seamus," he reached out his hand and she shook it awkwardly. Eleanor hadn't tried for a handshake since her mortifying failure in Ollivander's.

"I'm Susan Bones."

Seamus turned to Eleanor with his hand outstretched again. Eleanor took it and thought that his hand felt warm. "My name is Eleanor."

"Nice to meet you both!" Seamus said with gusto. "You're both from wizarding families, then?"

Eleanor, struck shy again by the boy's easy friendliness, looked to Susan for help. If Eleanor weren't trying so hard to be the nicest possible version of herself, she probably would have asked Seamus how he could possibly guess that from two seconds of interaction, or she might have been snarky and asked him what a wizarding family was, and she thought this was the train to Glasgow.

Susan was at ease though. "Yep! My whole family has gone to Hogwarts."

"Blimey!" Seamus said. "Only me mum's a witch. Dad's a muggle."

"Oh!" Eleanor said. "Me too. I didn't think it was that common…" Maybe her half blood status wouldn't give her away then. Maybe it had only been the shopkeepers in Diagon Alley who knew her mother, saw her in the angle of Eleanor's chin, or the shade of her hair. Maybe her fellow classmates might be none the wiser.

"Oh no, it's plenty common," Seamus continued. "Less o'course if you're in one o' those families who are trying to keep their bloodlines pure or whatever," he turned to Susan. "No offense, o'course."

Susan only giggled. "I don't think my family has cared much about blood purity."

"Anyway, have you two heard the news? I just heard from a couple of third years that Harry Potter is on the train this year! I mean… my mum told me all about him. I knew he was my age, but, blimey, I don't know why I never thought it meant we might be in school together."

"Oh wow!" Susan said. "I wonder if he actually has that scar?"

But Eleanor didn't hear the rest. So, he was here too then. The little boy who lived - survived the curse that killed her mother. The tiny child who brought down Lord Voldemort before he could even speak. The one whose tragedy guaranteed the safety and the freedom of Eleanor and her father, and the rest of the wizarding world. It had been Harry Potter's defeat of Voldemort that meant she and her dad could move away from America and back to England so her father could get back to the life he had once lived.

Harry Potter, the boy whose parents had been killed by Voldemort like her mother had. But his parents had never been on Voldemort's side. He was good from the day he was born. Eleanor wondered if she would get a chance to thank him before he learned who she was. Eleanor wondered if she could ever let herself feel sad about her dead mother when he was around, because he had lost both to a man her mother once supported.

"Nell, you've heard of Harry Potter, right?" Susan asked, which wrenched Eleanor from her internal spiral.

"Oh! Um, yes," Eleanor admitted, skirting the details. "Dad knew about… well about all of that. Horrible isn't it?"

Susan looked confused. "Horrible?"

"Well, I mean his parents," Nell said. "He was only a baby."

"Oh," Seamus said, as if he hadn't considered that part of the story.

"Yes, that was quite sad," Susan said.

Before more could be said, though, a trolley came by. Seamus jumped up immediately and purchased three chocolate frogs and some licorice snaps. Susan bought herself a pumpkin pasty.

"Anything for you, dear?" the old witch asked. Eleanor smiled and shook her head. Her dad had given her some granola bars from their pantry for the ride. After everything they had to buy at Diagon Alley, Eleanor didn't exactly have spending money left.

In the end, though, Susan claimed her pasty was too filling, and gave the rest to Eleanor, saying she's had them loads of times, and Eleanor really ought to try it.

It was the best thing she had ever eaten.

Seamus filled their quiet compartment with stories about quidditch and his favorite team, pausing to lament that first years weren't allowed brooms, and since he lived in the city, he never got to practice flying except for when he visited his cousins. Susan said she's tried it a few times, but got nervous going any higher than about eight feet.

"I love flying!" Eleanor said, so excited to be able to talk about it. It was the one thing about being a witch that she already had loads of experience with. "I hate when I can't. I only get to do it when we go camping or when we go out of town to the country. But what do you mean by-"

Before more could be said, though, their compartment door opened again to a teary eyed boy and a girl with wild bushy hair.

"Have any of you seen a toad?" the girl asked, her face concerned.

"No-"

"His name's Trevor!" the boy added, as if that was the missing clue. Eleanor thought, if she weren't trying so hard to be nice, that she might have commented, well we did meet several toads, but none of them were named Trevor. Better luck elsewhere!

"Sorry, mate," Seamus continued, and Susan shook her head.

"Oh, he's going to be squished, I know it!" the boy choked out. "Did you see that massive trolley? Oh Trevor's never been on a train before!"

The girl with him sighed and patted him on the shoulder. "There, there, Neville. I'm sure he's alright. He's surely around here somewhere."

But now Eleanor was thinking of the hopping toad, frightened, and at the mercy of the thundering feet of excited children. She felt a pang of guilt, and she was up, standing, before she could think twice.

"Do you need any help?" she asked.

The bushy haired girl turned to her, "I suppose it couldn't hurt having another person looking. Neville has been just absolutely beside himself. I don't think he's searching very well, you know. He's ever so panicked."

Eleanor smiled apologetically at Susan and Seamus as she left them and entered the busy hallway.

"You're Neville?" Eleanor asked the red faced boy.

"Uh-huh. I'm Neville Longbottom," the boy said, leading the party down the corridor.

"And I'm Hermione Granger," the girl added, reaching her hand back toward Eleanor. Eleanor realized now that they were both standing, that she had a few inches on Hermione, which made her feel much too tall and out of place.

"I'm Eleanor," Eleanor responded. Hermione waited. "But, you can call me Nell."

"Eleanor what?" Hermione asked, and Eleanor realized she had made a mistake.

She paused, trying to think of any way out of this. Her eyes glazed over the cabinet they were passing full of older kids who seemed to be trading wizarding money for little vials of potion ingredients.

When she could procrastinate no more, she said, "Eleanor Capulet."

Hermione stopped briefly, and in the reflection of the glass, Eleanor could see the girl's eyes widen.

Hoping to rush past it, Eleanor asked, in what could be an attempt at an impression of Seamus's easy cadence, "Are… are you from a wizarding family then?"

But it didn't have the same effect that Seamus had. Hermione seemed to stiffen, her back rigid. She muttered back a terse, "No."

Eleanor felt herself already missing the reassuring smile of Susan Bones, but she figured that abandoning the search would only make things worse, so she continued on. Maybe it had been her imagination, anyway.

The next compartment they came upon was absolutely littered with sweets wrappers. Hermione nearly hurtled herself through the door. Eleanor hoped it was eagerness, and not an escape attempt.

"Has anyone seen a toad?" she asked. "Neville's lost one."

Eleanor couldn't quite make out the red haired boy's reply, so she shuffled forward into the cabin.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then," Hermione said as she sat down across from the red haired boy. Eleanor thought she was very pointedly not looking back at her, which made Eleanor begin to feel quite awkward.

"Er – all right." The boy responded. He cleared his throat. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." He waved his wand, but nothing happened.

"What are you doing to that poor rat?" Eleanor asked and the two boys looked up at her, as if they hadn't noticed her.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" Hermione asked. 'Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard – I've learnt all our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough – I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" She said all this very fast.

"I'm Ron Weasley," the red head muttered.

"Harry Potter."

Eleanor felt her throat close as she looked at the small boy with a mess of black hair. Had it really been him then? He looked so skinny and small. And yet he had survived when her mother hadn't.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century ."

Well, that confirmed it, then. Hermione definitely knew about her, if she had read all of those books. She must have seen the name Capulet, the muggle man with whom the infamous Ottilie Hemlock had attempted to run off, before she stupidly tried to face Voldemort alone, only to die, and leave behind a single daughter named Eleanor.

"Am I?" said Harry.

"And what's your name?" asked Ron, looking up at Eleanor, still haunting the cabin's doorway.

"Eleanor."

Hermione continued, "'Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best, I hear Dumbledore himself was one, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad… Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

Eleanor hung back though, lingering in the doorway as Hermione moved on. This might be her only chance to thank Harry before he learned who she was. But, standing in front of him under the stare of his bright green eyes, she felt stuck, and shy.

"It's nice to meet you, Eleanor," Harry said, looking up at her, smiling. Eleanor walked further into the cabin, and prepared to speak.

Before she could even start, they were interrupted by the arrival of three more boys. One was pale and skinny, with a sneer on his pointed face. The other two were much larger, bulky boys, that Eleanor wouldn't have believed could be only first years, if it weren't for their plain black robes.

"Is it true?" said the pale one. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the other boys.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a laugh.

Draco Malfoy looked at him. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford." Draco turned back to Harry "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks,' he said coolly.

Draco's ears went pink, and Eleanor thought he'd say something cruel to Harry, but his eyes instead turned on Eleanor. "And who are you then? Are you even from a wizarding family? Or are you the other sort?" His cold gray eyes felt like they were examining straight through Eleanor, searching for her weakest points.

Eleanor's temper began to rise. First she had to deal with Hermione's snobbish rebuff, and now she'd have to expose her name to Harry Potter, which would ruin any chance for her to ever thank him.

But, another part of her deep down figured that this had been inevitable. There was nothing she could do about it and Harry Potter probably never would have liked her much in the first place.

"I'm Eleanor Capulet."

Draco laughed, loudly in her face.

"See, Potter? You clearly can't recognize the wrong sort very well can you? I'd be careful if I were you," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riff-raff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, or cowards like Eleanor Capulet, and it'll rub off on you."

Eleanor gasped. She never knew someone to be so cruel. Standing here, dumbstruck in the middle of this cabin, she seemed to be caught amidst a brewing war, and she didn't feel like she much belonged on either side.

Both Harry and Ron stood up. Ron's face was as red as his hair.

"Say that again," Ron said.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.

"Unless you get out now," said Harry, bravely, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron. And like Draco said, Eleanor was probably a coward.

"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Goyle reached towards the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron – Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.

The rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle – Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.

"Your rat!" Nell gasped, dropping to the ground and cradling the small thing in her hands.

"What did she do to your rat?!" Hermione gasped.

Eleanor turned, hard faced, before gingerly depositing the rat into Ron's open hands.

"Is Scabbers alright?" Harry asked.

Ron looked down, and said, "Oh, it's alright. Look, he's just fallen asleep. Unbelievable."

Hermione's eyes remained steady on Eleanor.

Eleanor stared back, before her temper hit too high, and she brushed past her in a huff. She wanted to be back in the cabin where things had been easy, and people had been kind, and nobody knew Eleanor's last name.

Susan Bones and Seamus were still there, a lovely sight, still chattering excitedly. Eleanor reached up to her trunk, and began to pull out the robe she had packed.

"Did you find it, then?" Susan asked.

Eleanor turned to her. Susan was still smiling, and her face was so calm. Briefly, Eleanor wondered if she would have to fear either Draco Malfoy or Hermione Granger going about the train, announcing her presence here. Would Eleanor ever get a chance to explain?

"No," Eleanor responded.

"That's unfortunate," Susan responded.

"But I did meet Harry Potter."

"You're joking! So he actually is here!" Seamus said.

"Yeah he was sitting with a boy named Ron Weasley. And then this boy Draco Malfoy came along and-"

"Oh, I've heard those names! I think my aunt has mentioned an Arthur Weasley. And everyone knows about the Malfoys of course…"

"Really?" Eleanor said, turning to face Susan.

"Oh yeah - didn't you know?" Susan asked.

Eleanor shook her head.

"The Malfoys were rumored to be big supporters of you-know-who… never got caught of course. Claimed they had been under a curse, and all, and weren't true supporters. Nobody really believes that of course, though," Susan said.

"D'you think they support him, then? He was going on about the right and wrong sorts of wizarding families…" Eleanor explained.

"I only know what my aunt thinks, I guess. She doesn't much like to speculate, especially since they already had a trial once you-know-who fell. But if I had to take a guess, I doubt the apple falls far from the tree."

"What do you mean?" Seamus asked.

"Look, it's just a guess, but I reckon the Malfoys at least have some of that pureblood ideology. Most old families do, you know. And it would be surprising if their son didn't think the same way."

"That… that was the deatheater stance, wasn't it?" Eleanor said, desperately wanting to know more after a lifetime of half-answers, but terrified of revealing anything that might implicate her.

Susan nodded. "All about blood purity and all that. Obviously, my family fought against it. Even though we're pureblood and all. But some wizarding families, like the Malfoys, for example, well… most people think they've still got a long of the same ideas, even with their leader gone."

"Is that what you think Draco meant? When he was talking about the right and wrong sort of wizards?" Eleanor asked.

"Probably."

"But you've heard the name Weasley before? Said one works at the ministry?" Eleanor asked.

"Oh, yeah. Well, the Weasley family is kinda like my family, I s'pose. Pureblood, but actively against you-know-who during the war. Those kinds of attitudes can annoy other pureblood families who don't think that way, as you can imagine. My aunt says it's all politics at this point, though. She reckons that everyone will move on the further we get from the war."

"Oh."

"Your father never told you any of this?" Susan asked, genuinely.

"I don't think my mum told him much before she died," Eleanor said, very carefully. "She told him there was a war and that you-know-who was after- or… was a danger and all that. She, well… I don't think they knew each other for very long before everything happened."

Susan nodded gravely.

"My mum was an absolute mess back then, according to my dad," Seamus explained. "She was so afraid, marrying a muggle and all that. She doesn't seem so bothered now but she certainly doesn't like to talk about back then. Maybe your mum was the same way?"

Eleanor nodded, which was a lie, because she knew the reason her mother didn't tell her dad much. Afraid that her face would reveal too much, she turned around, and tried to sort through her trunk instead.

"How did Harry Potter take everything?" Susan asked. "You know… everything that the Malfoy boy was saying."

"Oh, he sounded mad. I swear they almost got into a fight right there," Eleanor giggled, because, so far away from that compartment, it all seemed rather funny now.

"It's pretty bold to say something like that to the boy whose parents are so well known to have died at the hands of you-know-who," Susan said. "Talking about the wrong sort. I bet that boy goes right into Slytherin."

Eleanor was glad she was still looking through her bag, so that they couldn't see her face.

"I dunno… maybe he thought Harry Potter would have been on his side. I mean… the boy did bring down you-know-who when he was only a baby! My mum always thought that for something like that to happen…" Seamus trailed off.

Eleanor didn't want to talk about this anymore. It was too much trying to avoid revealing anything, so she switched course. "What class are you most looking forward to?"

"Definitely Herbology," Susan said. "Or maybe Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Blimey, we're close!" Seamus interrupted and Nell looked out at the darkening sky. Her stomach jumped. In the distance, she could see lamp lights, and the shimmer of a lake.

In what felt like no time at all, the train came to its screeching halt. Susan and Eleanor wrestled their trunks from the cabin, and Seamus darted off to get his, forgotten in the cabin he originally had been in.

Together, they left the cozy train, meeting the rush of the crisp night air outside. Eleanor could smell the far off lake, and the fresh bright smell of all of the nature around them. In the distance, a booming voice called for first years, and Susan turned back to wink at Eleanor in the flickering candlelight, before they took off together.

In that moment, Eleanor saw the bright glimmer of her potential path. She and Susan, best friends, sorted into the same house together, either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. When Susan finally found out Eleanor's full name, she wouldn't have heard of Eleanor or her deatheater mother, and, once Eleanor told her the whole sordid history, she'd smile that same smile and say she didn't care either way. Susan would say that Eleanor was clearly good, not evil, and she had absolutely nothing to worry about. Together, they'd be strong, and they'd fight back against bullies like Draco Malfoy. They'd leave Hogwarts together, get a flat in the city while they both worked for the ministry. Eventually, one of them would marry Seamus, and the other would be with her for every step of the way. In the end, Eleanor would have avoided the dark path ahead of her. Eleanor's mother would be nothing but a footnote in a book about Eleanor herself, a truly good witch, who had a best friend named Susan Bones.

Eleanor was so enveloped in this fantasy, that she nearly missed the glory of the vast castle, as it was revealed in front of her, twinkling its warm light against the velvet night sky.

"Four to a boat!" Hagrid called, and Eleanor felt Susan's small hand grab hers, pulling her to sit beside her in the little wooden boat nearest.

Before Eleanor sat down, though, she noticed a dark lump on her seat. She bent forward and picked up a lumpy fat toad.

"Look! It's a toad!" Nell gasped to Susan, holding it up for her to see.

"Is it Trevor?" Susan asked.

But from the darkness, Eleanor heard a shout of "Trevor!" come from Neville, who had clambered into the boat just ahead of theirs. Nell leaned forward across the water, and delicately handed him the small creature.

Eleanor sat back down next to Susan, who giggled with her at the absurdity of it all. The memory of what had happened in Harry Potter's cabin felt distant and unreal. This here was real, her and Susan.

"Look at you! Hogwarts hero already," Susan said, gently nudging Eleanor with her shoulder.

Seamus joined their boat, sitting behind Eleanor. He was with another boy, who introduced himself as Justin Finch-Fletchley in a voice so excited, it was probably a bit louder than necessary.

All at once, the boats set off, propelled by some sort of magic, and the castle grew larger in front of them. Eleanor felt herself go quiet as she gaped at the towering turrets and the stone that seemed to glow against the moonlight. She turned to glance at Susan, who looked just as awestruck. The lake around them was inky black in the darkness of the night, and Eleanor trailed her hand through it, delighted with the way the cold water rushed through her fingers. She'd want to explore this lake, one day, and learn all of its mysteries.

"Heads down!' yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff. They all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. Eleanor and Susan stood side by side as they approached the gigantic door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.