A/N: When Dumbledore said Harry, Ron, and Hermione's `dynamic could be very special' (Chapter Nine), he was referring to their mix of academic motivation and childhood experiences. He was not somehow looking into the future. Just clearing that up… With this chapter, this story is already nearly as long as Philosopher's Stone. Oh dear.
Chapter Ten
Fall Term / Intercession 1991
Snow came to the Highlands with a vengeance in December, and by the second Sunday of the month, the grounds were covered with more than two feet. That morning I woke up after the sun had already risen into the sky-it was a lazy day for all, it seemed, because none of the other girls were up yet-and just stared out our window for a while at the sparkling whiteness. The lake had partially frozen over as well, and I had to shield my eyes against the glare reflecting off the ice.
Movement caught my eye, and I watched as a very bundled up Hagrid plowed his way through the snow toward the Quidditch pitch. I had not talked to him since that evening after the Quidditch game, but that did not mean Harry, Ron, or I had forgotten about our little mystery. Whenever we could, we searched for Nicolas Flamel, but we'd had no luck so far. Between our classes and studying for term finals, we did not have much time for any extra research.
I threw on a warm sweater over my nightshirt and descended to the common room. The fire crackled merrily in the hearth, so I naturally gravitated in that direction to feel its warmth. There were a few students down there already, and they were all eating breakfast.
Since Hogwarts had become truly cold, they had started serving breakfast in the House common rooms so we didn't have to walk through the drafty corridors as much. I filled a plate and took a seat adjacent to the fire. As I munched on the hot biscuits, Harry shuffled sleepily into the common room. I waved him over, and I was suddenly in danger of snarfing my food at the sight of his hair.
"Harry," I said. "Your hair."
He looked up, blinking his eyes blearily. "Huh? What about it?" he asked, taking some food from the serving table and sitting across from me.
"It looks like you…tried to spike one side and forgot about the other side," I told him, through my slight laughter.
He ran his hand vigorously through his hair for several moments, with an amused expression on his face.
"Better?"
I chuckled again. "No, not really, but don't worry about it. It's very you."
He gave me a strange look and eventually just shrugged. Students continued to stumble in for breakfast; Ron was one of the last, but somehow he still managed to finish his meal first. He was like a human vacuum cleaner, when it came to food. One second his plate was full, the next his mouth was full, and the last both were empty. It was like magic!
The portrait opened as we were all finishing up and McGonagall strode in. I'd only seen her in the common room a few times before, so I wondered what she was doing here on a Sunday morning. She had a long piece of parchment in her hands.
"Excuse me, Gryffindors, I need your attention for a few moments," she called out, moving toward the bulletin board and magicking the parchment to stick there. "As you all know, this term ends next week, so the time has come to decide whether or not you are staying at the castle over the holidays. The last day of finals is the seventeenth; the train leaves from Hogsmeade station at nine o'clock on the eighteenth. Keep that in mind as you consider your plans.
"If you are staying at the castle, you need to sign your name to this parchment before next Sunday, the fifteenth. We need an accurate account of how many students will be here during intercession. Please inform anyone who is not here about what I've said. That is all," she finished, and fielded a few questions before leaving.
It was hard to believe that my first term at Hogwarts was already almost over, but here we were, only ten days away from when we'd head back to London. A lot had happened, good and bad, but I thought I was in better place than when I'd started. There were still problems, and nothing was ever going to be perfect, but it seemed like I'd made a good friend in Harry. Ron and I were coming along; we still had our fair share of disagreements, and we clearly did not see eye to eye on a wide range of subjects, but with Harry's tempering influence over both of us and Dumbledore's words still in the back of our minds, we were not cruel toward each other.
Home was very appealing, though, because I'd always loved Christmas. The house just smelled so delicious, and all the lights and decorations were very beautiful. The materialistic side of me loved the presents, as well, but I knew I was going to enjoy just being home more than anything else. I missed mum and dad, and although our letters had been quite frequent during the term, they were nothing like seeing them in person.
We all sat in silence for a few minutes, watching several students make their way to the parchment and sign it. Eventually, Harry pushed himself out of the armchair, sighed, and headed for the bulletin board. I cinched my eyes in confusion.
"Harry?"
He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me with a questioning eyebrow.
"What are you doing?"
He gave me a what does it look like I'm doing look. "Putting my name down on the parchment," he said.
"You're not going home over hols?" I asked. For some reason, Harry frowned. Ron cleared his throat and shook his head slightly, but I ignored him. Why was Harry reacting like this?
"No, I'd like to stay at the castle," he said, and turned away from me. His tone was very curt, as if was I meddling in things he did not want me to know. But I was not about to let him get off that easily-I pushed myself out of the chair and intercepted him on his way to the parchment. He stared at the floor as I stood in front of him.
"You don't want to go home for Christmas?"
"Not particularly, Hermione. Is that alright with you?" he asked, looking up at me. His eyes were hooded, brooding. He was unhappy about something.
"Why not?" I persisted. I wasn't trying to nag, but he was obviously really bothered about this whole thing. I had to find out more.
"Because Christmas won't be much fun if I do," he eventually said.
"What-" I started to question, but he cut me off with a wave off his hand. I could sense some anger radiating off him now, or maybe it was hurt.
"Just drop it, please. My aunt and uncle would much prefer if I stayed here for Christmas, and I'm fine with that." He stared into my eyes for another few seconds, waiting for me to say something, but I just listened to his words as they reverberated around my head. He stepped around me and signed his name on the parchment.
Something was way off here; Harry was not telling me something about his home life, but whatever it was caused him a great deal of stress. But foremost on my mind was a determination to take him away from Hogwarts for the holidays. The castle was cold and impersonal, and he deserved to be with family or friends on Christmas day. I continued to mull this over as we sat back down with Ron.
"What are you doing for Christmas?" Harry asked Ron, who had been silent so far.
"Mum and dad are taking all of us to Romania to visit Charlie this year. Bill might even meet us if he can get away from Egypt."
I knew Charlie was his older brother and worked with dragons in Romania, but I did not know who Bill was or why he was in Egypt.
"Is Bill another older brother?" I asked.
Ron nodded. "Yeah, he's a curse-breaker for Gringotts," he told me. "Been working at the pyramids for a few years now."
"That sounds like fun," Harry said, quietly. He sounded so incredibly sad in that moment…oh, I just wanted to hug him! A glimmer of an idea started to take shape in my mind.
"They've been saving for the trip for two years," Ron said, smiling a bit. He was looking over our heads, probably imagining what Romania and dragons would be like. "We're leaving right from King's Cross when we get back."
"Tell me all about the dragons," Harry said, smiling. I knew it was a false smile, though.
"Sure," Ron agreed, and he asked Harry if he wanted to play a game of wizard's chess. Harry agreed and Ron went to get the board and the pieces.
"What about you?" Harry asked, turning to me. Ron hadn't come back yet. "What are you doing over the holidays?"
"Going home," I said, simply. "Spending Christmas with my parents at my house."
"Ah," was all he said, and I wondered if he was thinking about being alone for the entire break. By the way he slouched into the chair, it was a distinct possibility. That glimmer of an idea had been growing, and now I knew what I had to do. When Ron came back with the game, I excused myself. I went up to my dorm and pulled out two pieces of parchment and a quill.
Dear mum and dad,
The train drops us off at King's Cross on December 18th around three or four o'clock. I can't give you an exact time because they haven't given us one. I'm looking forward to coming home and seeing you guys again! Christmas is going to be great this year.
I do have something I need to ask you, though: is there any possibility my friend, Harry Potter, could come home with us over hols? He said something about his relatives (he's an orphan, so he lives with his aunt and uncle) not caring about having him or wanting him home for Christmas. That doesn't sound right. He should be with friends, at least, for Christmas. So what do you think? I'll talk to Headmaster Dumbledore about it while I await your response.
Love,
Hermione
I moved that finished letter aside and set my quill to the second parchment. As I was just about to write, another completely separate thought occurred to me. There were two things I needed to ask the Headmaster.
Dear Headmaster Dumbledore
As the holidays are quickly approaching, there are two matters I would like to discuss with you, if possible. Both concern students in my class and house, and I think your input would be invaluable.
Please advise,
Hermione Granger
I bundled up and headed for the owlery. I wasn't sure how letters reached Dumbledore, so I took the failsafe choice and used a school owl. I attached the letter for my parents to a different owl, and watched them both wing away over the sunny grounds. The one with Dumbledore's letter wheeled around a few tall turrets and flew directly into a window that must have been Dumbledore's office. Upon further inspection, it was close to the Gryffindor tower. Definitely the Headmaster's office.
I headed back to the castle through the worn path in the snow between the doors and the owlery, stamping my boots and shaking the cold out of my limbs just inside the entrance hall. I looked up as I heard someone coming down the magnificent marble staircase, and I was surprised to see Dumbledore.
"I thought I might find you on your way back," he said, smiling down at me. He was wearing robes of the deepest blue, with just the hints of silver lines throughout. "It does not take long for an owl to travel from the owlery to my office."
"I suppose so, sir."
"Now, what can I do for you?" he asked, as we headed back up the stairs together. He clasped his hands behind his back as we moved slowly in the direction of his office.
"What do you think about students staying at Hogwarts over the holidays?"
He tilted his head to the side, pushing his spectacles up his nose slightly. "It is a service we provide for students who find it easier or more convenient to remain at the castle between terms. I would prefer students spend Christmas with their families, but sometimes that simply is not an option."
"But if students don't have family they want to go home to, do they have to stay here?"
"No, but of course then it is a question of where else they would go; why do you want to know, Hermione?" he asked.
"Well…Harry signed up to stay at the castle today, and when I asked him about he closed up and got all defensive about his relatives," I explained. "It seemed like something was wrong, but I didn't want to press. I like Hogwarts, but I don't think he should have to celebrate Christmas here because he doesn't want to go home."
"And…" Dumbledore prompted. It sounded like he knew what I was going to ask. We had reached the gargoyle and rather than having to give the password, it moved aside for us.
"Would it be possible for him to come home with me? I'm sure my parents will love him and I've already owled them to ask for permission," I said, all in rush.
"I thought you might ask just that question," Dumbledore said, directing me to another squashy armchair and sitting behind his desk. "Do you think your parents will agree to have another child in their home for the entirety of break?"
"I don't see why not," I told him, and that was a very truthful answer. There was no reason I could see why my parents would turn down my request. He twirled the end of his long white beard around an index finger for a few moments.
"I admire you for taking the initiative in this matter, but unfortunately I cannot give you a sure answer yet. I can tell you there is a strong possibility this could happen."
"Why wouldn't he be able to come?" I wondered. Dumbledore chuckled then, probably at my inquisitiveness.
"There are some issues that need to be resolved first, but none of them concern you directly, so do not worry about them," he said, rather evasively. But I knew enough to drop it at that point. "Soon enough I will be able to tell you for sure, but until then, don't say anything about what you have planned to Harry. Getting his hopes up just for a letdown in the end is not a wise course of action."
I nodded. "Ok." I'd already raised my own hopes-it would be so much fun to have Harry at home over hols!-but I didn't tell Dumbledore that.
"There was something else you wished to speak to me about?"
"Yes, sir…has there been any word on Sally?" The way his fine white brows crept up his forehead suggested that this was not what he had been expecting.
"Miss Sally-Anne Perks, you mean?"
"Yes-Professor McGonagall told me the staff would do everything they could to get her back, but I haven't heard anything since the day she left, and that was three months ago."
Then the grandfatherly wizard, the Headmaster with incredible amounts of power and knowledge, leaned forward and sighed like he was very tired. Everything in that noise sounded like he was stretched thin, and I wondered at that moment how many other responsibilities he was thinking about.
"You haven't heard anything, Hermione, because there has been nothing to report. Professor McGonagall visited with Sally's parents, but they would not relent. I then went myself, on two separate occasions, to try and persuade them to allow Sally back into Hogwarts."
"And they still won't let her back?"
"I'm afraid not."
"But why, sir?" I asked.
He took off his glasses and set them on the desk. There were pouches under his eyes I'd never noticed before. "It's difficult to say, really," he started. "Many times, Muggle parents are hesitant about allowing their magical children to attend Hogwarts because it is so far away from home. Parents do not want to miss out on their son's or daughter's childhood, and as you know, Hogwarts students are at school nine months out of the year.
"But that is not usually the only reason why a student is withdrawn by their parents. There can be a certain type of fear associated with Hogwarts, and the magical world in general; fear of the unknown, if you will, but some parents do not want their children exploring areas of knowledge they do not nor could they ever have access to.
"That sounds selfish, and it partly is, but in their minds, Sally's parents are doing what they think is best for their daughter. They are trying to protect her, but in my mind what they are really doing is denying a very significant part of who she is. I'm always very saddened when this happens, but unfortunately there is nothing more I can do. She is underage both in the Muggle world and in the Wizarding world, so her parents have complete control.
"I wish," he said, and then faltered. His blue eyes shifted to the space above my head, and they unfocused a little bit. "I wish we did not have to exist behind this cloak of secrecy, because there is much we could offer them and much they could offer us. But in the end, it is you Muggleborn students who suffer the most, because you somehow have to live in two worlds with total separation between them."
I sat quietly for some time after his words, thinking about what he'd said. I had never quite looked at it from that perspective, that I was someone who had to go back and forth between the two worlds in order to have any contact with my family, and that there was this absolute gulf between those spheres of existence.
"So," I said, after a little while, "there's no chance of trying again?"
He looked at me blankly, and then gave me a woeful smile as he put his glasses back on. "The second time I showed up at their house, they threatened to call the Muggle authorities. Now, I could have disposed of that situation quite easily, but I thought it best not to provoke them further."
"You're right. That wouldn't have ended well."
"Indeed, Hermione," was all he said.
I took a deep breath. "Sir…do you suppose I could attempt to see her over hols?" He sat up a little straighter. "She only lives a few kilometers from me-I'm not sure how we didn't go to the same primary school, really-so it wouldn't be any trouble at all. I could try to talk to her parents, explain to them what they're making their daughter miss, that she's only half a person."
"I would never prevent you from trying your best in something like this, because if you can get Ms. Perks back at Hogwarts, I would be eternally grateful. Every student we lose to attrition cuts deep, and bringing one back would be a balm for my weary soul," he said, quite melodramatically I thought. But he had a point-why not try at least?
"So yes, you have my best wishes in this endeavor."
"Thank you, sir."
"Is that all for today?" he asked. I sensed a dismissal.
"Yes, thank you again," I said, standing. He stood as well and walked me to the door.
"My pleasure, Hermione. Remember what I said, though: not a word to Harry until we know for sure."
"I will," I assured him, and left. I was excited at the possibility of killing two birds with one stone over break, so to speak. I might get Harry to open up a little and I would be able to see Sally again, maybe even get her back at Hogwarts! Of course, one half of that depended on Dumbledore, but I crossed my fingers and hoped I could count on him to come through.
---
After Charms ended on the seventeenth, we were finally free of classes and exams. All we had between us and vacation was one more day. I still hadn't heard from Dumbledore about Harry, and I intended to find the Headmaster that day and talk to him about it again. My parents had responded two days before saying they'd be delighted to have one of my new friends over for the holidays (mum wrote on the bottom `PS: Even if it is a boy!').
I was not worried about my exams; I had been at the very top of my class all term, and I knew first year material so thoroughly that every test had seemed very easy. Harry was right there behind me, academically, but something seemed to be weighing more and more on his mind of late. I was pretty sure it had something to do with staying at Hogwarts over the break while most other first years went home.
Ron, Harry, and I headed for lunch in the Great Hall after dropping our books off in the common room, and when we got to the entrance hall we saw a massive fir tree mostly blocking the entrance to the Hall. As we came close, we saw Hagrid's huge, worn work boots under the piney branches.
"Want any help, Hagrid?" Ron asked, attempting to look up at his face through the branches. None of us had spoken to Hagrid in quite awhile. I wondered how Hagrid would act.
"Nah, I'm all right, thanks, Ron," Hagrid responded, wrestling with the tree some more, trying to get it through the doorway into the Great Hall.
"Would you mind moving out of the way?" a high, drawling voice asked. I closed my eyes briefly, willing Malfoy away. Nothing good ever came out of encounters with that unpleasant child.
"Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley?" Malfoy asked, and we all turned to look at him. I noticed that Hagrid stopped fighting with the tree so he could listen to the conversation as it played out.
"Bugger off," Ron said, tiredly. I didn't even want to admonish him for his language.
"Hoping to be gamekeeper yourself when you leave Hogwarts? That hut of Hagrid's must seem like a palace compared to the Burrow," Malfoy continued on, sneering out the name of Ron's house.
"Malfoy, really-" I started.
"Shut up, Granger," he said, without looking at me. "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Weasley here, telling him about how he might earn some of that money his father's been looking for all his life-"
Ron lunged at Malfoy, and would have tackled him to the ground, but Snape stalked into the entrance hall just then. He narrowed his eyes at the scene. Other students had begun to crowd around, waiting to get into the Great Hall for lunch.
"WEASLEY!" Snape barked.
Hagrid cleared his throat. "He was provoked, Professor Snape. Malfoy here was insultin' his family and his home."
I cheered Hagrid for standing up to both Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy. I would have had points taken away if I'd said anything, but Snape couldn't take points away from Hagrid.
"Be that as it may, Hagrid, fighting is against school rules. One point from Gryffindor, Weasley; now, move along, all of you!" Snape ordered, just as Hagrid finally got the tree clear of the doorway. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Snape pushed past the tree into the hall. Everyone else was slower to follow.
"One of these days, I'll get him…" Ron threatened. I just shook my head a little at him. There was nothing he could do.
"I don't like either of them," Harry said, looking into the Great Hall. "Malfoy and Snape-Snape because he's a royal git and he favors everyone in his house and Malfoy because he's a sycophantic pain in the arse."
"Whoa, Harry, big words. And watch your language, please," I admonished him. He looked defiantly at me for a moment, and then mumbled an apology. "As much as I agree with you, we have to live with them. Might as well get used to it."
"Come on you three, cheer up," Hagrid said, returning our attention to the task at hand: getting lunch. "It's nearly Christmas. Come and see the Great Hall, looks a treat," he said, moving the tree entirely out of the way so we could see the Hall as we entered.
And he was right. Flitwick, I assumed, had charmed the floor to look like solid ice, though it wasn't slippery at all. Snowflakes fell from the magical ceiling and disappeared around eye level; there were iced strings of garland, at least a dozen other magnificent fir trees all decorated with moving ornaments, and icicles instead of the hundreds of floating candles. Amidst all of the students eating lunch, Flitwick and McGonagall, and even Dumbledore, supervised the placement of decorations.
"Ah, Hagrid, the very last tree," Dumbledore said. "Please put it in the far corner," he instructed, pointing to where he wanted it. Then he turned to help Flitwick charm the icicles so they wouldn't melt when lit. It was incredible watching them cast spells together. It was like a well-choreographed dance. I tried to make eye contact with Dumbledore during all of this, but he was rather preoccupied.
"How many days you got left until yer holidays?" Hagrid asked.
"None, really," I responded. "Classes just ended, and we're leaving tomorrow on the train." I paused, wondering if we had any time left for our search for Flamel. "Think we should eat lunch and head on over to the library?" I asked them. "We could look for a few hours."
"Oh yeah," Ron said, as he and Harry turned to me. "Probably should."
"The library?" Hagrid asked, sounding surprised. "Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren't yeh?"
Harry chuckled, and I knew he was going to tell Hagrid exactly what we were doing. Harry never was very afraid of a confrontation. "Oh, we're not working!" he said, false brightness in his voice. "Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we've been trying to find out who he is."
Hagrid let go of the tree quite abruptly, and it almost toppled over ontp some students walking by. He caught it just in time. "You what? Listen here-I've told yeh-just drop it. It's nothin' to you what that dog's guardin'."
"But we just want to know who Flamel is," I said, trying to sound quite innocent. I even grasped my hands behind my back and twirled a toe against the floor. I thought I might have pulled it off, until I heard Harry's strangled chuckle behind my back.
"Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?" Ron wondered, and though it was a well-placed question, I knew he just wanted to savor one of his last Hogwarts meals of the term.
"Yeah, we must have been through hundreds of books already and we can't find him anywhere," Harry said. I could still sense the laughter in his voice. "I know I've read his name somewhere-just give us a hint, Hagrid."
"I'm sayin' nothin'," Hagrid said, and turned back to the tree.
"I guess we'll just have to find him ourselves, then," I sing-songed, and we left Hagrid for the Gryffindor table. Harry imitated my impression of an innocent school girl, and I had tears in my eyes I started laughing so hard. Ron then fluttered his eyebrows coquettishly, which didn't help matters, and I told him he better not let Malfoy see him do that.
"Why not?" he wondered.
"He'll think you're some kind of nancy boy!" I told him. He looked like a fish out of water for a moment, and then Harry started laughing, and that got me laughing again, and it was all downhill from there. It was a very merry lunch.
Toward the end, I finally managed to catch Dumbledore's eye, and he winked at me! It was surprising, and I watched as he made his way through the Hall toward us, perfecting decorations as he came.
"I noticed that you all have been enjoying your lunch," Dumbledore said, coming to a stop at our end of the Gryffindor table. The other first years and Gryffindor students looked up with varying degrees of awe at having the Headmaster at the table. Perhaps my perspective had shifted in the past month, but I could no longer look at him like that. And that was a good thing, really.
There was a smattering of replies, most of them decidedly meaningless, and then Dumbledore came around the table. He leaned over Ron and Harry.
"Might I speak to Miss Granger and Mister Potter for a moment?" he inquired, using our last names presumably because other students could still hear. Harry looked at me, inquiring with his eyes if I know what this was about, and I nodded to him. We stood and followed Dumbledore toward the exit.
"Quite the eventful term, no?" he said, pointing his wand at the masonry above the doorway. Golden bubbles shot from his wand and splattered in perfect rings on the curves and arches. "That's nice, I think," he commented, absently. Then he turned to us.
"Harry, you are planning to stay at Hogwarts during intercession, are you not?" Dumbledore asked him. Harry nodded slowly.
"Hermione noticed this and came to me with a request," Dumbledore explained. Harry looked at me, and his eyes were doing that thing again where they became really intense.
"What request, sir?" Harry asked, rather warily.
"Hermione?" he asked. He wanted me to explain it to Harry. I had no problems with that.
"I thought you might like to spend Christmas with a friend instead of all alone here at Hogwarts, so I asked my parents and Dumbledore if you could stay with us over the holidays," I told him, and waited for his reaction. None was immediately forthcoming, however. He just looked at me.
"And I agreed. After I looked into it further, it seems like it would be ideal for all parties involved. Your parents approved, Hermione?"
"Yes, and I have the letter if you need to see it…"
"No, no, that's alright, my dear. I trust you." Dumbledore looked closely at Harry just then, who was still staring at me. I just raised both my eyebrows at him. I wanted some kind of reaction. "Harry, what do you think?"
He swallowed (I saw his throat bob up and down) and blinked twice. "So-ounds," he started, and then cleared his throat. Had his voice just caught? "Sounds great," he said.
"Really?" I squeaked, already super excited about the possibilities. Then he smiled at me.
"Really…thanks, Hermione."
"Not a problem!" I said. "Oh, just wait until my parents meet you, they're going to love you; I just know it!" I gushed, much to the amusement of Dumbledore and Harry. Looking back, they had similar expressions on their faces, though Dumbledore's was no doubt colored by decades of experience in dealing with excited females.
"I wish you good luck on your other mission," Dumbledore said, winking at me again. "You both enjoy your holidays. Come back rested and refreshed!" We thanked him and told him we would, and then he left.
All along, even though Dumbledore had said this might not be possible, I had been hoping desperately for Harry to come home with me. He didn't need to stay at the castle and I wanted to have my friend meet my parents, and enjoy the holidays with us. I also wanted to get to know him better, to understand more what made Harry Potter tick, and the time we were going to spend together seemed like the perfect opportunity.
Harry was much chattier than he had been in a long time that evening, as we all talked about our plans for the holidays. Ron was quite enthusiastic about seeing dragons, but I could tell he really wanted to see his brother Charlie. From what Ron said, it sounded like it had been quite some time since he'd seen either of his older brothers. I hoped for his sake Bill was able to show up, as well.
Harry asked a lot about what my house was like, and how my parents were, and what we might be doing, but I was as mysterious as I could be, which frustrated him in a good way, I think. I wanted things to be a surprise for him. I wanted him to have no expectations, to just enjoy whatever came his way instead of worrying about it. He'd saved my life, after all; it was the least I could do.
So the next day, December 18th, we all boarded the train around nine o'clock. I watched as Hogwarts faded into the snowy distance, thinking about how much it had changed my life in four short months. There was something exquisite about facing the days, months, and years ahead with new friends, though I've never been able to articulate exactly what I was feeling that day.
Dean, Seamus, and Lily joined us in our compartment, and conversation was filled with stories and tales of our first term at Hogwarts; some of them were fantastical, too much for even the magical school, and some of them were true to life, but it was the telling of the tales, the camaraderie they created that was the true magic.
Neville even joined us about twenty minutes into the journey; though he was very quiet for much of the ride, I was glad that he had at least initiated contact. Perhaps the right time to open him up was coming nearer.
Crowded as the compartment was with seven of us, I did not mind and didn't think any of the others did, either. It was almost like we were all trying to hold onto some fading memory, some experience that bound us together for the first four months of school, and by reliving those memories the feeling would last a little longer. It was an ephemeral kind of thing, in the pit of my stomach as I laughed at something truly ridiculous Ron said; all the while remembering how he had treated me, of course. Mixing sadness and happiness like that created a kind of nostalgia that's hard to forget, and I wonder if all the others felt it as well.
In any case, the journey passed quickly, and at 3:45 we pulled into King's Cross, Platform Nine and Three Quarters. The station was full of waiting parents and siblings. I spotted mum and dad standing by the archway to the Muggle part of King's Cross.
"See you in a few weeks!" Dean said, waving to us as he left. Seamus and Lily followed him after they'd said goodbye.
"Have a good Christmas all," Neville said, his first words in more than two hours.
"You too, Nev," Ron said. Neville looked shocked at Ron's shortening of his name, but not displeased.
"Thanks," he said, and left after Harry and I had said goodbye as well.
"We should get going as well," I said, hefting my suitcase out from under the seat. Harry carefully took down his trunk from the overhead compartment. Ron had only brought his backpack with him.
We stood around for a few moments, three first year Hogwarts students returning home after their first term, unsure of what to say. There was so much we each could have said.
"Don't just read books to each other," Ron said, joking half-heartedly.
"Don't come back extra crispy," Harry returned, grinning at him.
"I'll try," Ron agreed.
"Enjoy Romania," I said. Ron didn't quite meet my eyes.
"I will…thanks."
Ron left soon after that, and I turned to Harry. His green eyes had sobered a bit from the playful banter with Ron.
I smirked at him. "What do you say, Harry-time to meet the parents?"
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