Chapter 4: The exasperated toad

Summary:

Neville is hesitant to send Trevor to his adventure.

Naturally that annoys Hermione.

The trolley lady really has an awful timing, that poor woman.

Trevor and Hermione have a little chat.

Neville will hear a few complaints later, that's for sure.

Notes:

Did i mention that the pace of the story is not rushed at all? No? Oh, well.

The pace of the story is not rushed at all lol.

I really enjoy writing good interactions and creating those intricacies in the relationships that add to the nuances between the characters.

Thank you for all the love guys, just bare with me, it's a long ride full of shenanigans.

Happy reading!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

"I-I don't know Hermione, what if he gets lost?"

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, 'I knew shaking his hand would give him a sense of liberty with my person, how crass.'

"Do refrain from calling me by my first name, Longbottom, you have not earned that privilege. Secondly, him getting lost is the point of this exercise. If he doesn't get lost, there is no reason to look for him."

Neville pressed his hand over the pocket where Trevor was resting, as if trying to hide the amphibian from the eyes of an ever hungry predator. Which admittedly he didn't feel like did much difference, with the way Addams' eyes narrowed in warning.

"Longbottom, he is a toad, he's not completely brainless, isn't he your familiar?"

"Well, yes but-"

"Then he will know how to get back to you."

"You don't know that, he could get scared and never find his way back again."

"Then he never truly was your familiar and I'll buy you another toad."

While he couldn't argue with that logic, he couldn't help himself but to try. He didn't want to give fate a chance, Trevor was his toad, he could feel him in his magic, Neville was sure that if needed he could find his way towards the amphibian with his eyes closed. Suddenly he was struck with the realization that Hermione was not trying to kill his pet for the sake of gathering information, she was just telling the truth. Trevor was his familiar and he could very well find his way back to him just like he could find Trevor through their bond.

As if sensing that he was the center of his thoughts, Trevor popped his head out and looked up to him. Giving out a soft croak in a soothing way, making Neville feel calm enough to look back up to apologetic smile Longbottom sent her way after finally understanding what she had been telling him for the last thirty minutes just made her sigh in frustration in an effort to stunt a groan. Magical children or not, she realized she would always be surrounded by idiots.

Before she could finally explain how they would go about searching the train after letting Trevor loose, someone knocked on the door of their shared compartment and the glass slid open smoothly, just for an old witch pushing a cart loaded with too many sweets, pastries and beverages that looked like it was about to have all its products toppled to the ground, stick her face into the compartment looking at the children fondly despite the glare aimed at her by the girl for being interrupted. The smell of sugar, pumpkin, chocolates and every sweet in existence that both she and Wednesday spent their whole lives avoiding, assaulted her nose overwhelmingly, making her want to vomit her two black coffees that she had had as breakfast this morning.

"Anything from the trolley, dearies?"

The witches voice and smile were just as sweet as the sugary monstrosities that she was selling on her impossibly overflowing cart of diabetic nightmares, Hermione wanted to smother her with her pretty little apron and bury her corpse under a mountain of those abomination society liked to call sweets. A just dessert if there ever was one.

"I'd rather choke on a hundred rusty razor blades." She deadpanned, shocking Neville and the nauseating saccharine witch into silence, the smile quickly sliding off her face as fast as a jelly slug would slip from a gluttonous child's meaty sticky fingers. Creating space for a horrified expression to take residence on her face, which would normally delight Hermione, knowing that she was the cause of that expression and the slightly green tinge slowly making its way into the older witch's usually cheery disposition, but now it only annoyed her.

As the uncomfortable silence stretched making Neville shift uneasily and avoid eye contact altogether when after opening and closing his mouth multiple times, he couldn't come up with anything to say. Hermione creased her eyebrows in displeasure at the older witch's inability to grasp that she wasn't wanted there, since she was still standing in front of their opened door trying to formulate something to say.

"It means we don't want anything, if it wasn't obvious."

Flustered, the trolley witch tries to get ahold of her expression and herself as a whole, whilst closing the door quickly and moving to the next compartment, leaving a trail of sweets behind that fell off the trolley that she decided that she was unwilling to turn back and pick it up lest she has to deal with the unnerving child once again. Neville turned towards Hermione with a dejected look on his face.

"I really wanted something."

"Save your money Longbottom, or pick whatever she left behind on the floor as long as you stop whining, we have things to do and she interrupted. We may as well move on with it now."

She gestured towards the pocket where Trevor was and looked at him expectantly. Sagging his shoulders in a defeated sigh, Neville reached into his coat bringing the sleepy amphibian out that immediately woke up feeling himself in danger, looking around wildly the toad saw two black holes staring at him in a predatory coldness that made his survival instincts kick in and he froze on the spot trying to blend in, which admittedly was a bit hard giving where he was sitting. Unfortunately he wasn't given the choice to hide himself away from the obvious danger in front of him.

"I believe, Mr. Trevor. That we have a little mission for you, that given your predisposition in making a hasty retreat in the direction of the unknown, you will excel without many complications. What say you?"

Neville doesn't think he would ever see someone behave and speak to a toad so politely like Addams just did. Of course, she was not giving many, if not any, options for Trevor to deny her. The question was mere formality to give the illusion of having choices, nevertheless, she treated Trevor like an actually sentient being, which many wouldn't do since he was merely a toad. Being a familiar made any animal exponentially more intelligent than their counterparts, elevating them above their basic instincts and permitting them to counsel their masters through their bond when it was pertinent. His toad saved him from many nasty plants that he, in his haste and excitement, would try to pick up without protection.

Trevor seemed to weigh his non-options and wiggled his whole body in a way that Neville sensed was curiosity and nervousness, if amphibians were able to turn their necks, without a doubt Trevor's head would be tilted sideways like a curious owl. He let out an inquisitive croak making Addams' eyes seem to shine in victory and a smirk pulled itself in the corner of her mouth against her will.

"Oh why, Mr. Trevor, I'm so glad you asked."

Hermione brushed invisible lint from her sweater and crossed her legs at the knee, folding her hands over it.

"You see, your master has made the mistake of trying to stalk me when his skills are not up to par. His willingness to walk into danger to obtain whatever he desires, ignoring the risk to his general health however has given him an opportunity that not all have the desire to be presented with, he got my attention."

Neville felt his toad shift on his hands, lowering his gaze he could see the toad staring at him. He felt judged somehow and he could hear a tiny voice that he came to associate with Trevor, in the back of his mind yelling at him 'Are you insane? Why are you trying to kill us both? She's gonna eat us alive, you idiot!'.

"Now, he has the opportunity to prove himself to me. He knows many of those present on this trip, he knows the faces of those who I've only read about in books. So he agreed to show me around and teach me. I refuse to give away the real purpose of our impromptu stroll throughout the train, after all that is not how one creates an advantage for themselves. That's where you come in, Mr. Trevor."

She pinned them both to their spot with the way her eyes landed on them.

"I require that you put your adventurous spirit to good use, and get yourself a bit lost. We, of course, will look for you, your job is to hide and make sure you are not seen, at least until we arrive at Hogwarts. Are we understood?"

Trevor nodded, making Hermione gain an air of smugness somehow without changing neither her demeanour nor posture. She looked at the boy eagerly, waiting for his next moves. Neville took a deep breath to calm himself down, letting it out slowly, after centering himself he brought the toad up to his lips to whisper instructions about being careful whilst getting lost so he wouldn't get hurt. 'Please come back to me safely.' Was the blond's last words that echoed down the bond he shared with his familiar.

He chanced another look to the brunette sitting across from him, she was perfectly still watching him with a blank look on her face that did not give him anything to try to read. After a few more moments of hesitation, Trevor was deposited gently on the ground and the glass door was opened just enough for the toad to squeeze through.

Trevor croaked a 'See you later.' to Neville and made his way out. Just before the door could slide close, Hermione's voice rang out.

"And Mr. Trevor." The toad froze, feeling the predator's eyes on his back once again. Hermione raised one eyebrow in a silent threat.

"Do not disappoint me."

Trevor was sure that if he could sweat, there would be a puddle around him at that exact moment. He was going to have a few choice words with his idiot of a master later, they were both so incredibly dead because of Neville's incredibly reckless stupid curiosity. Trevor even tried to distract him away from that family by hopping away when Neville got too close, but no, he got caught by the pudgy boy and his master stubbornness brought them straight into the girl's claws. And he was sure as his paratoid glands, she would never let them go now that her teeth have sunken in. They either try their best to reach her expectations or they would die before being set free. He quickly nodded his affirmation and did his best to skedaddle away as fast as he could.

Neville shuffled nervously on his seat, beating his fingers rhythmically on his knees while Hermione simply picked her book up again, opening where she stopped and resumed her reading. After only two minutes he had decided that he couldn't take it and got up to search for Trevor, he only took two steps towards the door when he heard.

"Kindly sit down, Longbottom. Do not force my hand."

He looked back at her over his shoulder, just to see that she wasn't looking at him. He watched her turn the page calmly, reclining on the seat. Suddenly her eyes turned a sharp glare in his direction, she didn't need any words for him to hear a loud and clear 'Sit down or I'll make you sit down.'.

Her eyes followed him as he reluctantly lowered himself back on his seat feeling relieved when her eyes went back to the book on her lap. As the minutes went by he tapped his bond with Trevor multiple times wondering if his familiar was alright, which undoubtedly annoyed him endlessly, but he couldn't help himself.

When his knee started to bounce nonstop and his eyes would dart to the door with every little sound, Hermione abruptly closed her book with a frustrated sigh and an annoyed look on her face.

"Let's go."

He could've screamed 'FINALLY.', but he had discovered quite recently that he had a very big self preservation instinct. All he needed was actual proper danger, so he just nodded enthusiastically and jumped to his feet, eagerly reaching for the door and holding it open for Addams to go first, it was show time.

Notes:

Beetlejuice voice* It's show time!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I think Hermione has traumatized the trolley lady, that poor woman xD

Neville needs a better self preservation instinct, Trevor will totally read him to the ground.

See you next time yall.