Hagrid made his way to Professor Dumbledore's office. He had made up his mind on what he would tell the man. He wanted to go in there and carry on about how the Dursleys threw Harry out into the streets at the age of eight. He ultimately decided that would be for Harry to share, if he wants. Hagrid also figured it would be best to not mention all of the details as well. Dumbledore was a good man, but Hagrid quickly realized after meeting Harry and Jett he was still a man and thus had flaws. Hagrid had thought over everything Dumbledore might do if he found out about Harry. Dumbledore would decide he was right and probably stick Harry with the Dursleys once more. Harry had it really good where he was in many ways and Hagrid wouldn't be the one to disrupt that.
When the giant of a man arrived with Harry and Jett to join in on celebrating Harry's birthday, he realized Harry had everything and more that Dumbledore used as reason for sticking him with the Dursleys. Harry had family. They weren't family by blood, but they were family. Hagrid would be honest, he was relieved to see there were some adults as well in the Street Knights, even if Jett was the Boss. Hagrid also saw few other people with a sister the likes of how Davey was to Harry. She clearly took it upon herself to be Harry's big sister and Harry was more than fine with that.
Harry had plenty of friends as well. Burns was a boy and clearly the two got into just the right amount of trouble without it being too serious with each other. Cordelia was another good friend as well, though one day she may want to be more than just a friend from what Hagrid could tell. There were others around Harry's age as well and it was clear he had their respect and friendship.
Yes, leaving Harry there was clearly the best for the boy. Dumbledore wouldn't see that though. Hagrid was starting to realize the respectable older wizard was very set in his ways. If something didn't go to his plan, then he would make it fit his plan once more. Hagrid hoped the plan for Harry was a rather broad and open one with plenty of freedom to it. He really hoped it was.
"Pepperwheel," Hagrid said to the gargoyle that sprang to the side as the staircase lowered.
"Ahhh. Hagrid. Good to see you have returned. I am guessing there weren't any problems with getting Harry his school things? I did think it a little odd he requested assistance. Then again, he is in the muggle world, so it makes sense," The wizened Headmaster said in greeting.
"Aye. Things went well with Harry," Hagrid started. He then gave a chuckle. "He ain't the little tyke he was last time I saw him."
"Kids do grow up rather fast, as they say," Albus said with a nod. "How did the trip go?"
"It went well. We stayed a night in the Cauldron. Harry liked getting to hear more about his parents. He didn't even know they were a witch and wizard. Seems the Dursleys… decided to leave that out," Hagrid said. He then gave a scoff. "They told him his parents died in a car accident!" There wasn't a reason to let Albus think everything was peachy.
Dumbledore held a frown for a second. "I suppose they took the whole Statute of Secrecy too far," he said out loud in thought.
Hagrid rolled his eyes in annoyance. Luckily it seemed Professor Dumbledore saw that as him showing displeasure at the thought he shared. Hagrid and the others didn't like the idea of leaving Harry in the muggle world. They just couldn't understand, like he did, how that was for the best. It still would have been, even if it wasn't for Lily's protection as well.
The truth of the matter was Dumbledore underestimated the magic Lily left as a way to protect Harry. It was not a blood ward as he thought. It still did keep Harry from being found and tracked as well as protect him from those in the wizarding world who would wish him harm. However, it did not require a blood bond as the professor thought it did. Lily knew her sister would not want Harry at all, in fact she would have been surprised Petunia hadn't thrown Harry out at the age of six. Since Lily knew this, she didn't use magic that would require a blood bond. Harry just had to have a place he considered home or people he considered family; no blood relation required.
"How did the shopping go?" Dumbledore asked.
"It went good. He even might have made a friend already. He talked about a girl starting school this year as well. Her name was Hermione Granger. They came across each other in Flourish and Blotts," Hagrid said with a chuckle.
"That is good to hear. Hermione does seem promising from what Professor McGonagall said about their meeting. It will be interesting to see which houses they end up sorted in," the headmaster said.
"Harry looks exactly like his father, but with his mother's eyes. He also seems to be taking more after her when it comes to his brain and personality as well. He talked a lot about his different friends and all of that. I think the fact he already made friends with Hermione is more proof he seems to be taking after his mom," Hagrid said.
"Yes. Yes. That is good to hear. James was exceptional, but it was Lily who was even more so. This is all good news, Hagrid. I am glad you were able to help him. Is there anything else you wish to add?" Dumbledore asked.
Hagrid was in thought for a moment. There was so much more he wanted to add, but none of it would be for Harry's benefit. "I think that's about all. Oh yeah. I got him an owl for a birthday present. The two seemed to have hit it off pretty well too," Hagrid said.
"Good to hear. Good to hear," Dumbledore said in a rather dismissive voice. He didn't consider learning about the boy's pet important. "Now then, I have much I still need to work on. Preparations and all. Good day to you, Hagrid," Dumbledore said in dismissal with a smile.
It was clear to the headmaster his plan was working well so far, even better than he hoped. He hoped The-Boy-Who-Lived would use the love in his life as determination to do what will be needed to stop Tom once he returned. Albus really did hope it wasn't as he feared, and the boy would have to die, but he also hoped Harry would be willing to do so for the sake of those he was close to in his life if it couldn't be avoided.
Hagrid left with a frown once he was outside of the Headmaster's office. He knew Dumbledore was a busy man, but the giant of a man felt he was being a little too disinterested in young Harry's life. It was even worse because of how important Dumbledore claimed Harry's life was and that is the reason he had to stay away from all of the fame and such. Hagrid wasn't the brightest and he did have a tendency to run his mouth, especially after enough drinks, but he cared for people. He hoped to get the chance to visit Harry more often and maybe make it up to him for letting him stay with the Dursleys without putting up much protest.
It didn't matter to Hagrid that Harry didn't blame him for it. He still saw it as something he needed to do not just for Harry but also for Lily and James. He could start with something small that would take time. He would try to scrounge up photos of the two for Harry and maybe get in contact with some others who knew them and might have pictures too. Hagrid gave a nod to himself as he headed back to his hut. It was time for a little spring cleaning, even if it was late summer.
[-] [-] [-]
Hermione sighed as she sat on the Hogwarts Express in a compartment to herself. She hadn't even gone too far back into the train and yet no one seemed to want to join her. It was kind of disheartening after Flourish and Blotts and meeting Harry Potter. Hermione gave a different sigh this time. It really was something meeting Harry Potter, those eyes of his were so enchanting. She shook her head. She would not be a silly girl there, though she felt maybe she could be in this case.
There really was something to meeting him though. It was hard for her to explain. She knew it was probably a crush, but it felt much more than that. It was something she would have to investigate further. She might have been being overly romantic, but it felt like he was calling to her or something. Not physically calling to her, but it was like his magic was. She shook her head again as she blushed. "I've been reading too many romance novels," she said muttered to herself. There was no way magical forces were trying to get her with someone. She was just Hermione.
Currently, she only hoped Harry didn't give her an empty promise to be polite when he said he would join her on the train. She had looked in all of the other compartments at least twice to make sure she didn't miss him. She ended up having to pick a compartment. She was planning to save him a seat, but… "Don't need to worry about saving a seat if no one else wants to sit with me…" she said to herself with another sigh and a frown.
"Was it too much to hope for? " she thought to herself. Was there actually something wrong with her? She always figured the reason no one wanted to be her friend was because they were too shallow and didn't like 'Bookworms'. Harry had been plenty eager to talk to her in the book store. She could tell he liked books, but he was not a Bookworm like… like she was… Maybe there was something else wrong with her though. Maybe everyone knew she was a muggleborn and felt she was an outsider who didn't belong. It didn't matter most people were meeting for the first time here on the train. Hermione's mind was running around with the idea everyone somehow knew about her.
Professor McGonagall told Hermione about the views of people regarding muggleborns and such. The Deputy Headmistress said it wasn't everyone who really cared about it. She claimed it was only a select few who were sadly rich and politically powerful. Hermione was beginning to wonder if maybe it was worse than the Transfiguration Professor said. Hermione had tried to seem friendly to a few other new girls as she walked the train, but nothing seemed to come of it even though they had seen her. Whatever the case, Hermione Granger would just do her best to make sure no one could say she didn't belong in the magical world.
Hermione gave a frown as she looked out the window. She wasn't sure why it was things seemed less colorful to her the last few days on top of everything else. She didn't think she was that deep into crushing on Harry Potter. One would think it was normal for her to be crushing like that given he was The-Boy-Who-Lived! That wasn't the case though. She had read the books about him and realized he was right there and she honestly liked Harry more than this Boy-Who-Lived. She couldn't really see him as the legendary figure after meeting him and how they interacted. She had talked to him and gotten to know him decently well it seemed to her.
She sighed yet again. Hermione really hoped that anecdote she read in a few books about every time you sigh you let out happiness, wasn't true. She would probably be in the negative if that was the case. She had enough negatives in her life as it was. Her frizzy hair? A negative. Her large front teeth? A negative. She did not need a deep negative in happiness as well.
"It seems you beat me to the train, Hermione," a voice said that caused Hermione to beam in happiness. Things didn't seem so dreary now.
She turned to face him and was so happy to hear his voice that she didn't even bother to hide her front teeth like she usually did when she smiled brightly. "Hey, Harry! I'm glad to see to you again. I saved us a compartment," she said cheerfully. She was trying hard to suppress her urge to run up and give him a tight hug. They hadn't really known each other that well yet.
"I see," Harry said as he put his trunk up next to her's. He then let out a breath. "I sure am glad you told me how to get on to the Platform, Hermione. Hagrid's nice and all, but he forgot to mention about going through the barrier." He then sat down opposite her.
Hermione was still beaming. She didn't get why it was she suddenly felt so super happy. "Well I'm glad I could help then," she said. She felt that pull again. It wasn't just a crush. She was certain. She blushed as she admitted to herself that there was for sure a crush there though as well.
"So. I know you said not to bother with reading books about you, but I couldn't help it after you said that," she started.
"And?" Harry asked almost knowingly.
She gave a giggle. A giggle! She was giggling! That was something new, but she didn't care. "You were right. All of them make it sound like you had some huge great big magic battle using wandless magic or other forms of ancient lost arts," she said.
Harry laughed out loud to that. "Surely, a very impressive feat for a toddler," he said.
Hermione giggled louder. "Yes, it is! I'm sure if the wizarding world had movies. The movie version of the fight would have one of the biggest special effects budgets in years," she said.
"They'd probably go even further and get some really famous actor to play an adult version of me that my baby self somehow conjured up or something," Harry said as he and Hermione shared a laugh.
"It almost sounds like you read the books as well," Hermione said in an almost teasing voice. She really was acting kind of like a silly girl in her mind, but she again agreed that maybe it wasn't a bad thing here. It was just so nice that Harry remembered her and how they promised to meet up on the train. She really did have a friend! Her friend just so happened to be good looking and have intensely wonderful green eyes. There was a part of Hermione that already seemed to realize her heart was doomed. Harry already seemed to have it or would soon enough. That same part didn't think that was necessarily a bad thing though. Her magic also really seemed to like his as well, even though the frizzy haired girl didn't fully realize this despite her guesses that might be the case.
The two then started talking about all kinds of things including more about their magical world guides. Hermione really liked the sound of Hagrid, even if he was a bit absentminded, since he didn't tell Harry how to get to the platform. Hermione would later be surprised to realize for the first time in her life, she didn't open a book to read or even think about doing such a thing during a long trip.
After some time, their compartment door opened. This time it wasn't the refreshment lady. They had taken quite a few treats the first time. Hermione was not about to pass up the opportunity to enjoy sweets now that she wasn't under the roof of two dentists all the time. Both Harry and Hermione learned chocolate frogs were tasty, but you had to stop them from escaping first. They even had cards with them. Harry got Dumbledore and Hermione got Artemisia Lufkin, who was the first witch to be come Minster of Magic.
This time it was a boy who opened the compartment door. He was round faced with brown hair and brown eyes. He was also a bit short and slightly chubby. "Have any of you seen a toad?!" he asked desperately. "I've lost Trevor and can't find him."
"No, we haven't," Hermione answered.
"Like she said," Harry replied in agreement.
"Ohhhh… Sorry then!" the boy said as he left quickly.
"He didn't even give us his name, did he?" Hermione asked.
"Nope. Hope he finds his toad. Feel a bit sorry for him though. Hagrid said everyone will make fun of you for having a pet toad," Harry said.
Hermione frowned. "That isn't right. If he likes his pet, he shouldn't be made fun of," she said.
"True. That's how people are though. I won't make fun of him for it myself. At the same time, if he likes his pet, it shouldn't matter what others say, even if it isn't right. So long as they just keep it to words, he should get used to it and not let it bother him," Harry said.
"I guess you have a point," Hermione said in thought. It seemed a bit callous the way he said that, but he was right. "Do you have a pet?" she then asked.
Harry smiled. "I do. A snowy white owl. Her name is Hedwig. Hagrid got her for me as a Birthday present," he said.
"Oooo… She sounds pretty! I wanted a cat. There was this one I really liked even with his odd legs, but my parents said I wasn't ready for a pet yet…" she admitted with a frown.
"Sorry to hear that. I'd say you seem ready enough. You seem pretty smart, so you know it would be a responsibility. Maybe next year they'll let you get your pet," Harry said.
"Thanks! I hope so. I hope someone else doesn't get him instead, even if the store owner seemed to think that wouldn't happen. He looked so cute though with his squashed face and his orange and white fur," she was smiling as she talked about the cat and then she frowned for a moment and gave a sniff at not having the pet. She feared it would be one of those things her parents would always tell her she wasn't ready for yet. It didn't help that her parents weren't exactly pet people.
"When is your birthday, Hermione? Mine was July 31st," Harry said hoping to get her mind off the pet she wasn't allowed to have.
Hermione seemed to brighten again. "September 19th. I'll be turning 12 then. I barely missed the school cut off date," she said.
Harry was about to say something when the door open again. It was the same boy from before, "Are you sure you haven't seen Trevor?" he asked almost more desperately than the first time.
Harry gave a sigh. "Will you at least tell us your name this time?" he asked possibly sounding a bit more offended then he meant to sound.
The boy's eyes widened. "I-I-I'm so sorry. My name is Neville Longbottom. I'm so sorry for not saying it the first time," Neville said.
"Good to know, Neville. I'm Harry Potter," Harry said with a smile.
"Y-Y-You're Harry P-P-Potter?! I'm so sorry!" Neville said with a bow in apology.
"Is it always like this?" Hermione asked Harry quietly.
"I don't get it either. The Leaky Cauldron was something though. Everyone insisted on shaking my hand," Harry said to her.
"Hmmm," Hermione said in thought. She then turned to the boy who was still apologizing over and over again. "I'm Hermione Granger," she said.
"I'm sorry to you too," Neville said bowing to her now. Hermione didn't get it. There wasn't a reason for him to bow like that.
"How long have you been looking for Trevor?" Harry asked.
"A good while now…" Neville said.
Harry was about to say something, but it seemed Hermione already had an idea what he was going to say. She said to Harry quietly, "We should probably change first."
"Good idea, Hermione. It might take a while. I'll wait outside while you change and then I'll change," Harry said standing up. He gave Neville small smile. "Then we'll see if we can help you find your toad," Harry said.
"Thank you so much!" Neville said. He then blushed and quickly stepped outside. "Sorry Hermione! I forgot you were going to change!" he said.
"I haven't started yet…" Hermione said to herself with a slight frown.
Harry gave her a smile she didn't see as he left the compartment and closed it behind him. He really did think she was cute. She was a nice friend too, even if he already realized she would get excitable when talking sometimes. It was hard to describe, but the way she first smiled at him when he found her on the train really was something. She had large front teeth, but they seemed to make her smile really cute when she was beaming like that. He noticed she sometimes tried to hide them after that first smile though. He hoped she wouldn't keep doing that, or if she did maybe he could help her to stop trying to hide them.
Harry soon noticed, as they were waiting, Neville was trying to look over to him without being caught for some reason. "What is it?" he asked.
Neville seemed to clear his throat and feel embarrassed. "Sorry… I'm just surprised I met you already and you're offering to help me look for Trevor," he said.
Harry sighed. "I'm just a guy, Neville. I didn't even know I was famous for something I supposedly did that no one witnessed when I was just a year old. You haven't read books on me as well? Have you?" he asked.
Neville blushed and looked away and pointedly didn't answer the question.
Harry was about to say something when the door opened and Hermione said in a sweet voice, "Finished!"
Harry then entered and changed as well. He shortly returned and turned to Neville to ask, "Alright. Where was the last place you saw Trevor?"
"In my compartment. I know we were supposed to leave our pets to be packed, but he got out of his tank and so I was holding him instead," Neville said. He then pointed towards the back of the train. "My compartment is back that way…"
Harry looked the opposite way to better understand where they were on the train. Hermione actually picked a compartment for them close to the front. "Might as well look while we head back there," Harry said.
"Don't you want to look in the front first?" Hermione asked.
"We have to come back this way anyways. Figured going to Neville's compartment first would be the best idea. If we don't find it, or any clues. We can quickly check the front once we get back," Harry said with a shrug.
Hermione seemed to be in thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. It probably didn't really matter too much anyways. They then started their trek through the train in search for Trevor.
[-] [-] [-]
Harry supposed he should have realized this would happen. They tried every compartment on the way towards the back. People at first laughed or said something along the lines of, "Ha ha! Just forget about him and get a better pet next time!" Harry in reply would look to them unimpressed and they would freeze for a moment. They would then open their eyes wide and stare at him and his scar. They would stutter out something similar to Neville earlier and then suddenly they would be a bit more polite.
Harry gave a huff as they just received another negative from a compartment. "At least I'm getting the first round of gawking out of the way," he said with a shake of his head. This was going to be annoying after a while. He wouldn't mind it so much if the situation was similar to how the newer members of the Knights were when first meeting him. At least in that case, he had earned their respect and awe for something he did that he remembered.
"Honestly…" Hermione said with a bit of a huff and her cheeks puffed up a little in anger. Harry found it kind of cute, but only because he wasn't the one receiving her ire. She did not appreciate the things they told Neville. She also, unknown to Harry and Neville, did not appreciate the way other girls fawned over Harry. If anyone asked, she would claim she didn't know why that was the case and probably would have blushing cheeks while doing so. Harry gave a bit of a smile as Hermione led them to the next compartment.
She opened the door and in a bossier than her usual tone voice said, "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost his."
"Bloody Hell! For crying out loud! We already told him we haven't seen his damnable toad!" a boy with flaming red hair and an equally red face pretty much shouted at her.
Hermione first looked shocked but then narrowed her honey brown eyes in anger. She was about to reply, but Harry spoke up. "Hey now. No need to be that way," Harry said in a calm voice.
He then placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder which caused the girl's breath to hitch quickly before she blushed a little and suddenly seemed to be a little shyer in her stance. Harry hadn't expected that reaction from her, but he wouldn't lie. He really liked her reaction.
He focused on the flaming red-haired boy though. "Hermione may have been a little heated in asking her question, because she's stressed..." he said.
"Sorry," she said to Harry in a quiet and sweet voice.
"But there was no reason for you to bite her head off like that," Harry said. This time his calm voice was laced with power and his expression wasn't so easy going either.
The boy with flaming red hair didn't know what to do in response. He wanted to snap at this other guy for getting on his case. Couldn't he see the girl was being annoying? If the guy's been around her for a while, surely he would notice this. It had taken just her question for him, Ron Weasley, to realize she was bossy and annoying. The other part of him was actually warning him to just apologize already and answer more politely.
Ron instead settled for something in the middle or at least that's what he thought. "Haven't seen the toad," he said dismissively. The two guys in the compartment with him looked to Ron as if he was mental for acting that way. He had snapped at her unnecessarily just like the boy said. He shouldn't just dismiss them like that.
It was in fact Dean Thomas, a dark-skinned boy with dark hair, that replied. "Sorry for Ron here… We haven't seen the toad though. Neville came by earlier asking the same thing."
Harry nodded to him and said, "Thanks for answering civilly. Let's try the next one, Neville."
"Okay. Sorry for the interruption," the other boy said as he left the compartment again.
Hermione was still blushing as Harry seemed to guide her out of the compartment. He then let go of her shoulder. She relaxed a little, but her cheeks were still a pretty pink color. She also hated how her shoulder suddenly felt cold without Harry's hand on it. She really was going to have to figure out what was happening to her. This seemed a bit much for just a simple crush.
[-] [-] [-]
In the end, it turned out either Neville hadn't bothered to first look through his own compartment, or Trevor had returned of his own accord. Harry and Hermione would have asked, but seeing the boy so happy again, they just left after he thanked them profusely for helping. Hermione sighed as they sat down again, this time on the same seat, she then said, "We should have just looked there first!"
"Maybe, but we don't know if Trevor had been there the whole time or not. It is kind of frustrating though," Harry admitted.
"I know. I am not going to get a toad when I have my own pet," she decided.
Harry gave her a smirk, which caused her heart to beat faster, as he said, "I didn't take you for a pet Toad kind of girl."
She blushed. "I-I-I'm not. I just have even less reason to get a pet toad. I kind of think their icky, even if I don't hate them," she admitted.
Harry would have talked to her more, but their compartment door opened again. This time it was three boys. The one in the center had slicked back blonde hair and an arrogant look to him. "Some people having been saying Harry Potter is here," he said in a drawing voice that just added to his arrogant feel in case the look wasn't enough.
"Yeah," Harry replied naturally.
"I'm Draco Malfoy. This is Crabbe and this is Goyle," he said before pointing to the two large boys next to him in turn. They tried to look menacing and intimidating.
Harry looked to them each in turn in the eyes unimpressed. The two large boys actually flinched a little at his look. They also unintentionally eased up on their attempts at intimidation. Harry gave the slightest twitch of his lips that caused them to blink. He then looked to Draco again and asked, "So. Is there a reason you decided to come here and not even bother knocking on the door first? You aren't looking for a lost toad too, are you?"
Draco looked disgusted at the notion of having a pet toad. "No. I am not," Draco answered.
"Then you should have been well mannered enough to knock first. It is just common courtesy," Harry said as he stood up.
Draco wanted to be angry, but he couldn't really refute what Harry said. He could also feel something about the boy. The fact that both Crabbe and Goyle seemed to have flinched earlier also said something. There were also his father's instructions to try and meet with Harry Potter and get to know him.
"Duly noted. I guess… You said you were looking around earlier on the train?" Draco then asked to try and move the conversation onward.
"You also didn't bother to introduce yourself to Hermione here either. It is after all only proper to introduce yourself to a girl," Harry said.
Draco was frowning but gave Hermione a slight nod as his introduction. Hermione gave him an uneasy smile and wave in return.
"To answer your question. Yes, I was going up and down the train helping someone find their toad. It was very illuminating to say the least. Some were rude. Some were dismissive. Some just gawked. A rather general lacking of common courtesy really. Though that one boy with the flaming red hair was the worst," Harry mused causally.
Draco gave an arrogant smile that didn't reach his lips as he said, "Ahhh yes. No doubt that was a Weasley. I apologize for forgetting my manners earlier. You are right, too many do. I seem to have let them rub off on me. You will soon learn that some wizards are better than others. I can help you there."
He was about to offer his hand in a shake, but Harry answered quickly. "I appreciate the gracious offer. However, I would rather figure that out on my own. I prefer to see for myself what people are like. See who they are when they aren't wearing their social masks," Harry said.
Draco blinked in surprise for a moment. That was rather… interesting of Harry to say. It was odd that he seemed to have a bit of an idea of how to play the game and what not. Draco couldn't really think of an appropriate response. It seemed Harry Potter was neither a naïve little brat nor a gullible do-gooder. "That is a very good approach, Harry. My offer stands should you ever wish to try a different approach," he said with a bit of respect in his voice this time.
"Come, Crabbe. Come, Goyle. There are others we need to see before arriving at Hogwarts," Draco said as he left with his two henchmen in training following him.
Once they left and closed the door, Hermione let out a sigh of relief. Harry went to the door and asked, "You don't mind if I lock it this time, do you?"
"If it will keep more people like him from just storming in here, go ahead," she said relaxing a lot more than she usually would. That was really intense. She never knew things could get like that.
Harry did so and sat back down next to her. "Sorry about that," he said offering her a sugar quill.
She gladly took it. She had no idea why Sugar Quills were her favorite candy but they were. She happily started to suck on it. She then said, "I'm just surprised by all of that. You really seemed to do well in that exchange at least."
"Boss always says the way you say words are more powerful than the words themselves. Had I said those same words differently they would have had a different effect," Harry said.
Hermione accidentally sucked a little louder than was polite. She blushed at realizing her mistake and then smiled as she pulled the sugar quill out and said, "Then there were those two… Bodyguards… They seemed kind of scary to me. I'm glad I wasn't alone on this trip."
Harry frowned a little for a moment. Did Hermione think he wouldn't have at least said hi, even if he for some reason didn't hold his promise? He put that to the back of his mind for the moment. "They are physically strong. But they aren't truly strong. I've seen plenty of people tougher than them. They're all about intimidation. I can tell they've never really been in a fight. Things are actually different in the magical world though. We all have wands. You have a lot of magic power yourself, Hermione. You could probably take them with ease once you learn a few spells," he said.
Hermione blushed to that. "Thanks. I'm not really looking to start fights though," she said.
"No one should. I was just pointing out you could probably do a very good job taking care of yourself should you need to," Harry said.
Hermione gave a thoughtful look there. "I'll keep that in mind," she said.
"What house do you think you'll be in, Hermione?" Harry asked to change the topic to something he knew she would enjoy more.
"I don't know. No one really does until they're sorted. I could see myself in Ravenclaw I suppose. I kind of want Gryffindor because Professor Dumbledore was in Gryffindor! Which house do you want?" Hermione asked.
Harry was in thought for a moment. He then gave a small smile as he said, "Both of my parents were in Gryffindor. But I think I would like Hufflepuff."
"Really?! Everyone says it's the worst house though," Hermione said surprise.
"They aren't thinking enough, in my opinion then. Hufflepuff is about loyalty and being hard working. Gryffindor is about being bold and brave. Perhaps even recklessly so. Slytherin is for the cunning and ambitious. Which also means a potential for a lot of backstabbing. Ravenclaw is for the studious and intelligent. They are about academics, but there is a lot more to life than just school books. To truly be intelligent, you need to actually get out there and experience life," Harry said.
Hermione was looking to him with her honey brown eyes brightly lit as she drank in all of his words. She had never really thought about all of this so far.
"To me. Hufflepuff is the best choice. It is not extra focused on certain attributes and thus it is the house with the most potential. There is little you can't eventually accomplish with hard work. You can be the smartest of the bright and still in Hufflepuff. You can be cunning and ambitious as well. You just won't stab others in the back to fulfill your ambitions and you will have people there with you the whole way you can actually trust. Being brave and bold? If you have loyalty to others and they you, then you can't be anything but that in first place really. With strong loyalty to those you care about, you will stand up to any challenge you might face," Harry said.
Hermione was now thoughtfully sucking on her sugar quill. She was mulling over his words. Hermione looked to him again. She blushed when he looked to her in return. She closed her eyes to think clearer. As she sat there with her eyes closed sucking on the sugar quill, she felt that pull again. It was as if something was telling her he had the right of it. That going with him to Hufflepuff would give her even more than she hoped for at Hogwarts.
Hermione wanted Hogwarts to be a new start for her life. She couldn't help but feel that new life had already begun and Harry was going to be a big part of it. That pull was telling her she needed to be with Harry for things to be right. It was a really odd feeling all of this stuff and it had been going on for the whole month after meeting him in the book store.
Hermione gave a soft sigh. "I wish I knew where you were going to end up… That way I could go there too," she said louder than she thought.
Harry was looking her over. He then said, "I'm pretty sure I'll end up in Hufflepuff. I don't know how this sorting works, but I know a lot about myself. I have traits of all the houses pretty much, but more than anything loyalty and hard work matter to me the most."
"I think I like your view on the houses. It is different. If I can try to influence where I go, I want to go there too," she said with a nod. She would prove to everyone she belonged in the magical world, but it would nice to have others who are there with her along the way. It seemed like Hufflepuff was the place where that could most likely happen.
"Ten minutes until we arrive at Hogsmeade Station. Be sure to put on your uniforms and leave your trunks on the train. They will be moved to your House, or new house for all of you first years," A voice seemed to call through the whole train.
"Oooo! You hear that, Harry?!" Hermione said excitedly. "We're almost there, finally!" she then without realizing it gave Harry a friendly hug in here excitement at finally being almost to Hogwarts. She then blushed, but held the hug a little longer in shock.
Harry gave a smile and returned the hug. Hermione's blush intensified. She felt something more than just the regular connection of hugging someone in that moment. She would later realize it was that pull acting on its own. At the moment, she was too happily overwhelmed by the fact she had just received her first hug from a boy! Her dad and relatives didn't count there.
Harry then said, "I'm happy too, Hermione. I really can't wait to learn all about magic!" They waited as the train finally came to a stop. Their magical school life was already beginning.