Chapter 104: It's Just a Ride
As Harry stepped through the barrier with Doris on his hip, he exhaled. Even with Fire Squad providing security, navigating King's Cross was a tense affair. Moody promised he would be there to keep an eye on them but that was still a lot of area where things could go wrong.
Hermione appeared behind him with Penelope guarding her while Jeremiah and Johnny-Ray escorted the Grangers. Harry smiled at the red train engine in front of him, its steam offsetting the train's polished exterior. Around him, he saw parents saying their farewells, some tearful and others more hurried. Before he could take the whole scene in, a scream caught the group's attention.
"Hermione!" a voice called out and Nancy Mulligan slammed into her, her curled brown locks bouncing as she rejoiced at seeing Hermione. "You're here!"
"How are you, Nancy?" Hermione asked, a little nervously.
"Wonderful!" she exclaimed. "My mum and dad took me to Spain this summer. I got to see Barcelona and Madrid and Seville. While we were there, we stumbled onto the magical district. It was incredible. I got so many books, I can't wait to show you!"
"So this must be the Hermione we've heard so much about," a man bearing a resemblance to Nancy approached with a raven-haired woman. "Mitch Mulligan and this is my wife Abigail."
"Glad to make your acquaintance," Hermione daintily shook their hands. "This is my boyfriend Harry and my parents Richard and Helen.
"Nice to meet another parent of a first-generation witch," Helen said.
"No kidding," Abigail said. "Wish we would have met earlier. It's tough getting used to this world. At least Nancy told us about the bracelets to allow us to see her off personally. We know Hermione was the one who suggested the idea so thank you."
"Well if you should need anything," Richard held a piece of paper aloft with a couple coins wrapped inside. "This is a way to contact us. Any letter will be sent to the goblins and then delivered to us. We have mobiles but service is spotty."
Richard then leaned in.
"The coin is in case of emergency," he whispered. "If anyone comes after you, press them hard and you'll be transported to Harry's house and we will help you any way we can."
"Is this necessary?" Mitch asked nervously as he eyed the key warily.
"Afraid it is," Helen said with her lips pursed.
Before Helen could explain, Dean Thomas stumbled through the barrier.
"Dean!" Harry ran to keep the boy upright as Dean tried to regain his bearings. His lip and nose were bleeding and his eye black. "What happened?"
"A group of boys jumped me," Dean said. "They wanted to know where I was going. When I wouldn't answer, they followed me. Two of them slammed me up against the wall and then took me to one of the loos. When I didn't have an answer, or at least answers they liked, they hit me. They said 'There's no way a n… a ni… someone like me could afford to go to Scotland. I'm just glad I carved shrinking and notice-me-not runes on my trunk otherwise they'd have taken that."
"Come here, son," Richard pulled Dean's face toward him. "Follow my finger?"
When Dean's eyes followed, even if a little slowly, Richard let the boy relax as he examined him.
"Well nothing's broken, it seems," Richard said. "Your teeth and jaw are fine too. You're one tough lad. Sorry you had to experience that. Where are your parents?"
Dean mumbled something and everyone leaned in to try and hear him.
"Can you repeat that?" Richard said.
"They're dead!" Dean shouted as everyone present gasped. "I came home last week and found them. Death Eaters left a note, telling me I'm next, told me they'd send my body to Diagon, to send a message to all the mudbloods and blood traitors. I thought the Aurors would come and investigate but they didn't. The bobbies couldn't explain why they died so it's a cold case for the muggles. I didn't even have an owl to send you a message and I didn't trust a regular post owl not to be intercepted."
"I'm sorry, Dean," Hermione reached for the boy but he pulled away.
"Thanks," Dean said without any emotion. "I'll go find myself a compartment, I guess."
Dean trudged along, not realizing a pair of eyes that watched him go. He stumbled down the train corridor until a compartment opened.
"Come on in, Dean," Fay's voice soothed him as she pulled him into her compartment. Together they sat down. Fay didn't say anything, she just pulled Dean's head onto her shoulder. Dean took a soothing breath before throwing open his trunk, grabbing some parchment, ink and his favorite quill. Leaning over the parchment, his quill went to work scribbling on the parchment.
"You weren't kidding," Abigail said back on the platform as snapped up the coin and stowed it in her purse. "Nancy, you be good. Do your best at school and stay out of trouble."
"I will," Nancy hugged her parents tightly. "I love you."
"I am going to miss you so much," Mitch said as Nancy pressed herself into him.
"You two better get on too," Richard said back. "Keep an eye on one another."
"Will do," Hermione said.
"I'm gonna miss you, Winter," Helen said and she held Hermione tightly.
"I'll miss you too, Mum," Hermione tried to keep tears from flowing. Even with her efforts, a few squeaked out.
"Feels like yesterday we were escorting you onto this train for your first time," Richard gave Harry his own tight hug. "I would ask you to take care of my baby girl but I know I never need to worry about that. Just take care of yourself as well, okay?"
"Will do," Harry said as the whistle sounded. He grabbed Hermione by the arm and together they headed toward the train. Before they could Doris held them back.
"We're going to go investigate Dean's parents. We will see you on the platform tonight," Penelope said. "If you have any issues on the train, send a Patronus."
Hermione nodded and together they walked deeper into the train as it pulled away from the station.
"Hermione!" Lavender waved them toward her. "We got a compartment already."
As usual, the compartment was full with Neville, Susan and Hannah along one side and Parvati on the other. They knew Daphne, Tracey and Luna were on their way and Crabbe and Goyle intended to meet with Fred, George and Lee to plan for the year ahead. Hermione noticed Hannah's annoyed expression.
"Alright, Hannah?" She asked to which Hannah just huffed.
"Oh she's just annoyed," Lavender said. "As we walked down the hallway, looking for a place to sit, it seemed every female head-.
"-And a few male," Parvati said.
"And a few male," Lavender nodded to Parvati as she added her point. "followed Neville wherever he went."
"I know my boyfriend is a bloody stud," Hannah growled. "But do they have to do that? It was like that in Diagon Alley too."
"Hannah," Neville consoled her. "You know they're mostly jealous. They know I'm yours."
"Wouldn't hurt for you to tell them then," Hannah said. "Honestly, sometimes it feels like you're too caught up playing the nice guy. I'd like for you to smack down these girls the same way you would your enemies."
"I can't really do that," Neville said. "I have to be polite."
"You don't have to be polite; you want to be polite," Hannah crossed her arms. "And meanwhile you give them an indication that you're not committed to me."
Everyone in the compartment shuffled awkwardly as the conversation hung thick in the air. Wanting to change the topic, Harry engaged Susan in conversation.
"Susan, do you have your communication mirror on you?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Susan pulled her rucksack up on her lap and extracted the mirror. "What do you need it for?"
"Dean Thomas' parents were killed," Harry said and the compartment filled with gasps. "Death Eaters. Fire Squad is heading there now but I want to let her know, just in case. The Aurors didn't investigate and I am very curious why that is."
"Fudge," Susan said. "He's been on a rampage trying to keep all dark acts quiet. Anyone in the monitoring office who reports any use of dark magic is let go so now the Aurors aren't being alerted and… yeah. A few are pushing to appeal their dismissal but by the time anything comes of it, it will probably be too late. I know Auntie is fuming. Too bad one of the bills Lucius Malfoy got pushed through before he had to flee prevented anyone who wasn't "of age" to vote or even name a proxy in the Wizengamot. The Great Alliance being back helps but we're still way short of the votes to get a vote of no confidence."
"Which means the Death Eaters should be hesitant to go after any magical families," Hermione said. "Naturally, they'll just go after families of those with non-magical parents."
"I hate this," Neville fumed. "Voldemort is back. He's gaining followers and the head of the government is doing everything he can to help him operate in the shadows."
"Mum and Dad are working to make contact with all the parents but there's only so much we can do," Hermione said.
"Well once we're all of age…" Neville growled. "There's so much we have yet to do."
"And we will do it," Hannah laid a soothing hand on his shoulder, her earlier ire dissipating when she saw Neville's frustration.
The train horn sounded and the compartment shuddered as the engine put on more speed the train out of the station. As soon as it reached full speed, Hermione looked at her watch.
"Looks like it's time for the prefect meeting," Hermione said as she was vibrating in her chair from excitement.
"We will see you later," Susan said as she stood. Harry followed them only to link up with Daphne and Padma heading toward the front of the train.
"Ready for this?" Harry asked Padma.
"Oh yes," Padma's eyes glinted. "I already exchanged letters with Terry. We've got some plans for Ravenclaw, assuming the upper years are fine with it."
"Have you talked with him about the other thing?" Harry coyly asked.
"Yes," Padma said. "Terry and Anthony are going to take a bigger role in the DA, and so will Ernie and Justin in Hufflepuff.
"And I know Daphne, Tracey and Millie are working with Greg and Vinny in the dungeons," Susan said. "But that's a tougher task given we know Nott and Parkinson's families have been aligned with Tom."
"Good thing Daphne is an expert at slyly gathering information," Harry said as they reached the door to the prefect's compartment. "You ready?"
"Yes," Hermione couldn't keep the smile from her face as she slid the door open.
"Ah and there's the rest," Roger Davies smiled as the group entered. "Welcome to our new prefects. I know you mostly all know yourselves but take a moment to introduce yourselves.
Susan, Harry, Hermione, and Padma all introduced themselves. Next to them was Daphne and next to her was none other than Theo Nott, Snape's selection for the other Slytherin prefect in their year. The dark-skinned boy nodded politely but said nothing. Susan sat down next to Justin who smiled at them, Padma especially as she sat down next to Anthony Goldstein. The boy's curly blonde hair bounced as he waved at them.
"Alright good to meet you all," Roger said. "To those who don't know me, I am Roger Davies. I am the Head Boy this year."
A girl with white-blonde hair wearing Hufflepuff robes stood up and introduced herself.
"I am Samantha Clemmons," she said as she glanced around the compartment. At Hermione's look, she held up her hand. "Yes, I know. My mother is a bit of a literature fan.
"Yes, I am Samantha. Not Sam, not Sammy and definitely not Mark Twain. Welcome to our new prefects and a welcome back to our returning ones. There will be plenty of time for thorough introductions. Congratulations to all of you for being chosen to represent your year and your house. As new prefects, your first duty will always be to the younger years. You will take them from the Great Hall and show them the way to the dormitory on the first night.
"If any of the new students have questions, you will be there to help them. If I find you are bullying them or giving them false information, I will have McGonagall pull your badge quicker than a Firebolt. You all know the curfew times for years one through three and you will be responsible for ensuring the students abide by that."
Roger picked up where she left off.
"Every prefect will be given patrols. On a given night, six of you will patrol together. Two will be responsible for the lower levels, two for the classroom levels, and two for floors 5-7. If you have any issues, tap your badge twice to alert the other prefects to your location. If someone else taps their badge, the badge will chime followed by dings to correspond with the team. After that, the badge will ping as you get nearer."
"This is rare," Samantha said. "Most nights, the biggest danger you will face most patrols is your own boredom."
"You will also be required," Roger picked up the thread. "To help Alfred clean the castle. You've all known Alfred so I can tell you this is easy. He will tell you what he needs you to do, you do it and you're done. Much better than when Filch was around, I can tell you that."
"Alfred is a good guy," Samantha said. "Very stoic but with a biting sense of humor. You'll love him, I know."
"And if Hagrid has any issues outside of the castle, you will help him as well," Roger finished. "That about does it for me. Does anyone have any questions?"
The group fell silent to which the Head Prefects dismissed them.
"Potter, Granger you have the first watch. Patil, Goldstein after them. See you all at Hogwarts."
The group dispersed and before Harry could exit, a hand held him back.
"Potter," Roger's sky-blue eyes locked on Harry's green. "I got your owl and I agree with your suggestion. I might be Head Boy but the DA is yours. You and Cedric started it; it's only right that you run it."
"Thank you, Roger," Harry tamped down his sadness for Cedric's absence.
"I miss him too," Roger said. "I keep looking at this badge thinking it should be him wearing it."
"You're just as worthy," Harry said. "I made a commitment to myself that I would honor Cedric more than I would mourn his absence."
"You're a good chap, Potter," Roger smiled and slapped Harry on the shoulder, just the way Cedric would. "Now I won't keep you from your girl any longer."
Harry exited the compartment to find Hermione tapping her toe impatiently.
"You ready?" She huffed.
"Sorry, Roger wanted a word about the DA," Harry said, trying not to react to her testy tone. "You ready for patrol?"
"Been waiting my whole life," Hermione said.
Together they walked down the train, moving from car to car. They helped a couple first years settle a dispute over the houses, and interrupted a couple of fourth years who were wrapped up so tightly Harry thought someone used a sticking charm on them.
Near the end of their patrol, they encountered a little girl crying.
"What's that matter?" Hermione kneeled down next to the girl whose black hair hung over her face.
"My cat," she said. "I let her out of her carrier. When my friend opened the door to head to the loo, she ran out. I can't find her! What if jumps from the train?"
"It's okay," Hermione said. "I remember a student in my first year lost his toad. We found it then and I know we'll find your cat. What does your cat look like?"
"She's a black short hair named Snowball," the girl sniffled.
"Snowball," Harry repeated.
"My younger brother thought it was clever," she giggled slightly between sniffles.
"Alright well let's see," Harry drew his wand and felt his magic resonate with the instrument in his hand. "Accio Snowball."
A short while later a screaming black blur flew toward him.
"Finite," Harry cast as Hermione caught the cat with her own spell and gently wrapped her hands around the cat.
"There there," Hermione cooed as she stroked the cat's ears. "You probably didn't like that, did you? Mean old Harry summoning you. You were off having an adventure, weren't you?"
As if the cat could understand her, the cat meowed in Hermiones arms in between the purrs from Hermione's petting.
"Well I'm sorry, Snowball," Hermione lowered the cat toward the girl. "But there's a girl here who was very frightened and missed you terribly."
"Snowball!" The girl brightened and held out her arms. "Thank you!"
"You're most welcome," Hermione said. "Better keep her in your carrier until we reach the castle, okay?"
"I will," the girl beamed.
"What's your name?" Harry asked as they escorted the girl back to her compartment.
"Abigail," the girl said. "Abigail Winters."
"Nice to meet you, Abigail," Harry smiled as the girl smiled at him.
"You too," she said. "Good to meet you both."
As Harry backed his way out of the compartment, he heard Abigail's friends squeal something about her meeting THE Harry Potter. Harry smirked as he backed out of the compartment. As Harry stepped back into the hallway, he bumped into someone. When Harry turned, he spotted the blonde locks of Draco Malfoy backpedaling.
"Watch yourself, Potter," Malfoy said. While he tried to sneer, Harry could tell the boy wasn't committed to it as he had been in the past.
"Sorry, Malfoy," Harry said, trying valiantly to stem the blonde's oncoming tirade. Malfoy instead stepped close and dropped his voice as he ran his thumb over the badge on Harry's chest.
"So they gave you the badge," Malfoy said. "Predictable. Just don't expect this badge to save you, Potter. You know what's out there and what's coming for you. Better watch your back."
Malfoy snapped his hand back as if burned and stalked away before another word could be said.
Harry shook off the encounter and followed Hermione into their compartment. Inside, he found Luna, Tracey and Daphne had joined them. Luna sat in Tracey's lap reading while Susan and Daphne played a game of chess.
"What kept you?" Neville asked. "Your patrol ended 20 minutes ago."
"A little girl needed help finding her cat," Hermione said. "Harry here summoned the cat and almost scared her to death."
"I didn't want to search every part of the train," Harry said. "It seemed like the best thing to do and you calmed the cat down wonderfully."
"And then we escorted the girl back to her compartment," Hermione continued as if she didn't hear Harry. "Then we literally bumped into Malfoy. He gave his usual sneer and a vague threat before moving along."
"What part of him?" Parvati asked. "Because if it was his hair, you need to get out. I can't take the smell of that product in this compartment."
"Just his shoulder," Harry said.
"Did he said 'wait til my father hears of this'?" Hannah asked as burrowed deeper into Neville's side.
"No, actually," Harry said as he pondered the exchange from Malfoy. His words rang between his ears and they felt more like a warning than a threat. "Haven't heard him mention his father in a long time, now that I think of it."
"Guess he learned daddy isn't going to always be there," Daphne said.
"Or daddy isn't there at all," Luna supplied. "We don't know what happened to him since that night. It's curious. You'd have figured someone would have seen him."
"Well, whatever it is, we should keep an eye on Draco," Harry said.
"Him, Nott, Parkinson has been quiet and that's always dangerous," Hermione said.
"But we can't confine our suspicions to Slytherin House," Neville said. "McLaggen won't be back but Pettigrew taught us we should be wary of Gryffindors too. Voldemort needs followers and he especially needs spies. He'll work every angle he can to get them."
At that moment, someone knocked on the window to the compartment. They opened to see a wide-eyed second-year standing there.
"I have invitations for Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown?"
"That's us," all five said.
"Professor Horace Slughorn is hosting a lunch at the head of the train," the student said. "He would like to invite you to join him."
"Thank you," Hermione said simply as she took the five envelopes the girl was holding.
"Be on your guard," Harry said. "Sirius warned us that Slughorn likes his connections. He's here because Dumbledore wants some information from him."
"Mum warned us as well," Lavender said. "She said Slughorn rubbed her the wrong way."
"Hopefully Dumbledore knows what he's doing," Neville said. "As it stands, I don't trust Dumbledore or Slughorn."
"All the same, the information has to be valuable," Harry said. "Let's go find out."
As one, the group sauntered toward the front of the train, just behind the engine. As they reached the door, Hermione knocked lightly.
"Enter," a muffled voice called from the other side.
Harry slid the door to the side and the group stepped into the compartment which had changed itself to become a large sitting room.
"Ah, come in come in!" Slughorn waved them in energetically. Harry studied the man. He was a short, rotund man whose high cheekbones gave him a permanently upbeat look. His gray eyes matched his receding hairline though his handlebar mustache had long since turned white. He sat in the center of the room in a cushy chair that Harry noticed put him within arm's reach of every seat in the compartment. Furthermore, Slughorn had the chair on a pedestal so he was above those sitting.
"This must be the five we were waiting for!" Slughorn said. "Come in! Sit down!"
The group of five slowly filed in and sat.
"Ms. Brown and Ms. Patil, I assume? Yes, you've become quite renowned for your cosmetics products. Then we have Mr. Longbottom. You look just like your dad, young lad. I also know you Uncle Algie. He's an Unspeakable now, yes?"
"Uh, yes," Neville rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness. "We… don't really talk to him anymore."
Neville remembered the last time he had seen Algie when his uncle dropped him from a window. It was then that Neville learned just how formidable his grandmother was as she bounced him down the path that Neville had just bounced. She followed that up by telling him to get out and never come near Neville again.
"Ah well, that's too bad," Slughorn's smile faltered a little. "Then of course we have Miss Granger, one of the youngest Charms apprentices in the last century. Word of your brilliance has reached far and wide, I assure you."
"Thank you, sir," Hermione couldn't help but blush. "Professor Flitwick has been a good master for me."
"Yes, he does know how to pick them." Slughorn's eyes glinted and Hermione felt like she needed to put on an extra layer of clothing. "I remember when I was last at Hogwarts, he set his eyes on another promising witch. She was one of my absolute favorites. Which brings us to our final guest."
"The Boy Who Lived," Slughorn's words drew every eye onto Harry. "Youngest Seeker in a Century, Youngest to gain his Charms NEWT since Dumbledore, founder of two crucial Hogwarts clubs. Investor in two thriving businesses. The man who even the Dark Lord- yes I know he has returned and everyone else should know as well- fears. The man who took on a dragon, a sea serpent and a Minotaur and walked away from it- all before the age of 15. The Youngest Triwizard Champion. You, Harry Potter, are everything those stories claimed you to be.
"And a spitting image of your father as well," Slughorn said. "Though I am pleased to say you got more of your mother in you and I'm not just talking the eyes. You stand like her, examine the room like her. I still miss her dearly…"
As Slughorn stopped talking, Harry wanted to be anywhere else. Silence hung in the air like a steel beam, pressing the compartment deeper into the earth. Only the rhythmic sound of the train wheels clickity-clacking on the rails broke up the quiet.
"Anyway," Slughorn shook off the malaise, his jowly cheeks wobbling as he did. "The others here, I'm sure some do not need your introduction."
Slughorn gestured to Fred and George who looked uncomfortable in the corner, though that might be because of their sister who angrily tapped her wand against her thigh. Next to her was a dark-skinned boy whose wavy hair hung down to his shoulders. Next to him was a boy with chestnut hair and cerulean blue eyes.
"Fred, Georgie and Virginia-"
"Ginevra," Ginny corrected with a growl. "But call me Ginny."
"-Ginny, of course!" Slughorn tapped her leg genially. "Gentlemen be wary of this one. I saw a boy try to reach for her. She didn't like it and the boy was last seen retreating from his own bogies like they were the boogeyman. Such creativity, such power! I love your fire, Ginny."
"Prat had it coming," Ginny huffed.
"Indeed he did," Slughorn cajoled. "And last we have here is Marcus Belby. Your uncle Damocles… order of Merlin winner, isn't he?"
"Maybe," Belby said as he shuffled his feet. "He and my dad had a falling out. Seemed my uncle thought my mum wasn't good enough to spend time with an Order of Merlin winner. Doesn't matter that my mum can brew better than my da, Uncle Damnedocles- as my da' calls him- wouldn't let the wards accept her onto the grounds of his mansion."
"Ah well that's too bad," Slughorn said without any conviction. "Well give my best when you next see him. Harry! May I call you Harry?"
"Sure…" Harry said, uncertain how hard to push Slughorn, considering the information Dumbledore needed him to get.
"You've had quite the life, haven't you?" Slughorn said. "Of course, I'm not talking about the events of '81. I looked into your records. Near the top of your class in grades, entrepreneur, investor. How'd you do it all? How is it that everything seems to happen around you?"
"Wish I knew," Harry scoffed to which the Weasleys, Parvati and Lavender snorted. "Guess I'm just fated to be in the center of everything, regardless of what I want. How I do it though? I wouldn't have done it without help, a lot of it from the people in this room."
"Yes, yes," Slughorn picked up the thread and jabbed his finger excitedly into Harry's chest. "We can't get by on our own, can we? See that's why I called you all here. When I was at Hogwarts, I had this club- its members called it the Slug Club- whose purpose was simply to build and reinforce connections.
"Tell me, any of you, do you know about Gwenog Jones?"
"The head of the Holyhead Harpies?" Ginny's eyes widened comically large. "The chaser extraordinaire? The one woman no man wants to chase?"
"Just the one!" Slughorn's meaty index finger pointed upward. "Well, wouldn't you know she was a member of the Slug Club all those years ago? And who would happen to have the contacts to get her in front of Osawald Cotton, the owner of the Harpies. Now, at this time the Harpies were known as... help me out, Ginny?"
Ginny scrunched her brow in thought.
"Oh they were the Holyhead Hunters, weren't they?" Ginny shouted.
"Correct!" Slughorn shouted. "10 points to Gryffindor when we arrive. Yes, Oswald's club was all-male and all-loser, as he once put to me. After ten minutes with Gwenog, he decided to see the merits of an all-female team. Now the Harpies are one of Britain's best, routinely in the European Champions Cup, winning it six times, though Krum and Bayern might have something to say about that, it seems. That is if he'll ride his broom as often as he does his dragon.
"Yes, I know about Mr. Krum and the dragon," Slughorn spoke to Hermione who was about to speak. "I also know about a certain Veela champion whose father is rather connected to the French Ministry of Magic. You, Harry, have already seen the benefits of establishing and growing strong connections."
Zabini scoffed at this.
"Have something to say Mr. Zabini?" Slughorn challenged. "Your mother is rather connected in Italy, yes?"
"She is," Zabini's gaze locked on Slughorn, his voice dark and cold. "And if you know what's good for you, you won't poke any further."
"But where would she be without her connections?" Slughorn shot back. Zabini folded like off-the-rack dress robes as Slughorn turned away. "Yes connections, you will find, separate common wizards from those who make headlines and history. That is the goal of this club. I want to help everyone here position themselves for success outside of the walls of Hogwarts.
"Fred and George, I want Weasley Wizarding Wheezes to go from a single owl-order service to a franchise with storefronts from here to the Americas and Australia. I want Lavender Petal to be the name in cosmetics the world over."
"Well, the goblins are already," Lavender spoke up and was promptly interrupted.
"Yes, yes, the goblins," Slughorn leaned back in his chair, making the chair creak and groan in protest. "Magnificent creatures. If you want your gold to breed, they are the ones to talk with. However, if you want things outside of gold- like business connections and growth, referrals, and press coverage- you need to work with humans. This is not to disparage the goblins, they are wonderful creatures but, if you'll forgive me, many of wizardkind are far too distrustful to really trust them beyond banking.
"With this club, we will take what you've been doing and soon you will find yourselves in front of people you couldn't even imagine. For some, like the four of you, your businesses will grow beyond your wildest dreams and for some like young Miss Granger…"
"Yes sir?" Hermione couldn't help but lean in.
"Well a witch of your brilliance and drive," Slughorn's eyes found hers and pinned her in her seat. "I see anything short of Minister for Magic as a disappointment."
"You mean that?" Hermione asked a picture of herself as the first muggleborn Minster for Magic playing in her prodigious mind.
"Oh yes," Slughorn said, his smile dropped and she looked at her with intensity and seriousness. "You, my dear have all the tools to succeed where few have."
"T-th-thank you, sir," Hermione stuttered.
Before Slughorn could continue the train shuddered and started to slow.
"Well look at the time," Slughorn startled himself. "Amazing how time flies when we have our little meetings. It looks like we have almost arrived. Everyone examine your schedules when you arrive and let me know when would be a good time for meetings. I would love to have one every month.
Hermione's feet carried her out of the carriage back toward their friends. She had thought about her future before but never before had she considered anything that high.
"You okay?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I'm fine," Hermione said distractedly. "Do you think he's right, Slughorn that is?"
"About Minister?" Harry asked to which Hermione nodded.
Harry pulled on her elbow and pulled her into an empty compartment.
"I have known you for four years and I've been blessed to be your boyfriend for two of them," Harry said. "The word impossible is not in your vocabulary when it comes to achievement, Hermione. You have intelligence and drive. If you want to become Minister, I would wholeheartedly support it and you."
"Thank you," Hermione sounded grateful. "I honestly thought he was blowing smoke to get closer to you. I didn't think he meant it."
"Even if he didn't," Harry rubbed her arm in soothing circles. "That doesn't mean you couldn't do it. If you want that, I'll gladly help."
"But there's a lot of steps between here and now and that mountain looks insurmountable right now."
"Well, you don't climb a mountain by looking at it," Harry said. "We have two years of schooling and then masteries to complete. Oh and a Dark Lord to finish, and breaking the whole cycle of darkness that Britain seems stuck in. And maybe one day a husband… and kids?"
"When you put it like that," Hermione said with a saucy glint in her eyes. "Want to start on the last part first?"
"Oh, we don't have to worry about that," Harry said with a smirk. "In about two hours, we'll have eight kids of our own to worry about… and I think there's a whole lot more who need us right now."
"Spoilsport," Hermione pouted. "You owe me."
"Room of Requirement," Harry said. "When all the kiddos are in their dorms and the tower is quiet…"
"As future Minister," Hermione said as she leaned in toward Harry. "I do demand that those around me keep their promises."
"Cross my heart," Harry said with a smile and kissed her. "Come on, we have first years to herd."
Together, they stepped from the train onto the platform as a sea of black robes flowed around them.
(A/N: Sorry for the long layoff. Life the last two months... got in the way. Every moment was either work or work-related drama. However, I do have an excellent personal example of real-life villains that I can't wait to incorporate into my writing someday. I don't know when the next chapter will come but most of this story is planned out to its conclusion, as is the next one behind it. Hope you all are well.)