26 The Train

Hermione Granger was a bit nervous. She had been tasked by a prefect of the school to help another student find his lost familiar. She thought that was a bit odd, especially since she didn't know anyone. Going into people's compartments and asking if they had seen a toad was a bit embarrassing for her, considering her bushy hair and her buck teeth. She had even bumped into a redheaded boy that was looking for someone wearing glasses.

She frowned at the question, since she hadn't seen anyone wearing glasses at all. Not on the train platform, not in any of the visits she had with her parents in the shops to buy her things, and definitely no one on the train. In fact, there seemed to be an inordinate amount of what she considered 'good looking people' in the wizarding world. It actually made her a little sad.

Hermione attributed it to having access to magic and she had been sorely tempted to buy some of the potions at Madam Primpernelle's herself when she and her parents had walked by the beauty shop. That really handsome boy's picture had almost convinced her mother that it was a good idea, and it wouldn't hurt to try at least one thing, then the prices were revealed and killed the flight of fancy.

With the gold conversion to galleons, her parents had already spent a lot of money to get her the essentials. The wand alone was seven galleons, or almost a hundred British pounds. A beauty potion that would only last for a week was three galleons. It wasn't worth the cost. The books... well, she went a little overboard with the books. It was all so interesting that she couldn't get enough of them and she had promised that she would pay her parents back for them.

Her parents had just smiled and paid the money for her to get what she wanted. They loved their daughter and knew that the only real thing that made her happy was books. Even though she was a very nice girl, she didn't have any friends and her personality was occasionally abrasive and hard to deal with sometimes. In their minds, they hoped that a new school would be just the thing for her to come out of her shell.

Hermione opened the next compartment without so much as a knock or a hello. “Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one.”

“No.” An older boy spat at her and slammed the door shut. The glass cracked and a few people gasped.

“That was rude!” Hermione said in frustration and waved her wand at the broken window. “Reparo.”

The window was mended and she moved to the next compartment, then opened the door.

“Has anyone seen a toad? A boy...”

“You know, most people knock first.” A calm voice said. “Even when I was home where my family hates me, they still knocked on the door to my cupboard... I mean, bedroom.”

Hermione was a bit taken aback at the rebuff and stared at the handsome boy. “I was just... a prefect asked me...”

“They didn't ask you to be rude, surely.” A girl's voice said with a chuckle. “Then again, if they were from Slytherin...”

“I think it's against their rules to be nice to others.” Another boy said and then laughed. “No wonder everyone hates them.”

The handsome boy frowned slightly. “I don't understand why people do that.” He said. “Just because someone is smaller or weaker than you, why attack them?”

“Because they can.” The girl said. “There's not a lot going on upstairs, if you know what I mean.”

The handsome boy smiled and had to nod. That was definitely his experience.

“I'm sorry.” Hermione said, sincerely. She had been picked on a lot at her last school, so the last thing she wanted was to be seen as a bully or being mean. “I don't know why they asked me to help. I don't know anyone at all and this is all new to me and I've been halfway through the train already and I swear the toad must be invisible and...”

The three people in the compartment started laughing and Hermione's face flushed red from embarrassment.

“It's not funny!” Hermione spat. “I'm only a first year!”

“Me, too.” The handsome boy said.

“We weren't laughing at what you said, it was how you were saying it.” The girl said.

“Yeah, without breathing.” The boy said with a chuckle.

“I can hold my breath for almost a full minute.” The handsome boy said. “My cousin sat on me once.”

The three of them gave him surprised looks and he had to chuckle.

“I was lucky that he used a pillow.” The handsome boy said and made a gagging sound.

“He sat on your face! Ha hahaha!” The boy laughed. “Oh, the fat slimy git!”

“I still haven't cursed him yet.” The handsome boy said with a sigh. “I was too busy studying.”

“Studying?!?” Hermione asked loudly and stepped into the compartment. “I love studying!”

“No kidding?” The boy asked with a grin. “Harry, you finally found someone else who read their school books before school!”

“I am definitely not going to be a Hufflepuff like you.” Harry said with a grin.

“Oh, no!” The boy pretended to faint. “Harry won't follow in my footsteps.”

“That's because you have dragon dung on your shoes!” His sister said and they both laughed.

Hermione walked over to Harry's seat and sat down. “What was your favorite book?” She asked with a particular intensity in her eyes.

“Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling.” Harry said. “I wanted to say the Book of Spells Grade One, except that most of the spells have better versions in the second year book.”

Hermione gasped and covered her mouth. “You bought the next year's books, too?”

Harry shook his head. “Only the spell book.”

Hermione let out a sigh. “I thought... I had hoped that...”

“I bought all seven years of the spell books.” Harry said, guessing that was what she wanted to hear.

Hermione gasped again. “I didn't know you could buy them all!” She nearly yelled. “The man at the bookstore said I would have to check the library at the school for the other standard textbooks.”

“I didn't even think about asking for a library.” Harry said and almost slapped himself on the forehead for being so stupid, then remembered the cream covering his scar. “I just bought the books I wanted and...”

“Ooo! What ones?!?” Hermione asked, excitedly.

“I'd say she's definitely a Ravenclaw.” The girl said with a smile.

“I don't know.” Her brother said. “She has a terrible memory. She's totally forgotten that she's looking for a toad.”

“THE TOAD!” Hermione jumped up from the seat. “I need to keep looking!” She reached out for the door handle and felt someone take her hand. Her face flushed red for some reason and she turned around to look at the handsome boy.

“Do you know the frog's name?” Harry asked.

Hermione shook her head and her bushy hair shook from side to side.

“I doubt a summoning charm would work, unless we want a ton of toads to show up.” Harry let her hand go and then chuckled. “That might be fun to see, actually.”

“You can cast a summoning charm?” The girl asked, surprised. “That's a fourth year spell!”

“Madam Malkin gave me the idea when I was taking things from my trunk and I wanted to see if it would work.” Harry said. “It won't work unless I know what I'm summoning, though.”

“I can ask Neville.” Hermione said.

“We've got a few hours before we get to school.” The girl said. “We can have a bunch of people searching by then.”

“Hey, what would happen if two people tried to summon the frog at the same time?” Her brother asked. “Froggie bits everywhere!”

“Ugh!” The girl gagged. “Then that's not a good idea.”

“We should stick to the old fashioned way for now.” Harry said.

“We?” Hermione asked, surprised.

“Do you want a hand?” Harry asked.

Hermione wasn't sure why her blush returned and her hand twitched. “Yes.”

“Then let's go.” Harry said and the two of them left the compartment. With the two of them looking, they quickly tracked down the errant frog after half an hour and returned it to Neville.

“Thank you, Harry.” Hermione said, then she felt a little awkward. “Can I... would you mind showing me...”

“My books are in my trunk.” Harry said, accurately guessing what she wanted.

Hermione smiled a huge smile and her two front teeth jutted out. They walked down the hallway and a few people gave her the same looks that everyone at her old school gave her, so she closed her lips to hide her teeth.

“Why don't you shorten your teeth if you don't like them?” Harry asked.

Hermione took in a sharp breath and looked sheepishly at him. “My parents are dentists.” She said, then she remembered she wasn't talking to a normal person. “They are people that use muggle tools to work on people's teeth and...”

Harry laughed. “I know who dentists are.”

Hermione sighed in relief. “Are you a muggle born? I thought you were from a wizard family.”

“I'm both, I guess.” Harry said with a shrug. “My parents were a witch and a wizard; but, they died when I was a baby and I grew up with my muggle aunt and uncle.”

“Harry, I... I'm sorry.” Hermione said. “Losing your parents...”

“I didn't know them.” Harry said and shrugged again. “I always thought they died in a car crash. I didn't find out until recently that you-know-who killed them.”

Hermione gasped. “H-Harry! You're Harry Potter!”

“Ta-da!” Harry said and opened the compartment he was in before. “The one and only famous boy who lived.”

“Ha! I knew you couldn't resist telling her!” The girl's brother said when they stepped into the compartment.

“Tell me he didn't brag about it.” The girl said. “Be honest.”

“No, he... I just...” Hermione wasn't sure how to explain.

“She figured it out.” Harry said and took his trunk down from the rack, put it on the floor, then opened it.

“Blimey!” The girl's brother exclaimed. “Look at that!”

Harry ignored the shout and climbed down the ladder, then he told Hermione the titles of the books he had. “What one do you want?”

“Where There's A Wand There's A Way, please.” Hermione said.

Harry took it and the book Curses and Counter-Curses from the shelf and climbed up the ladder, handed her the book she wanted, and closed the trunk. He then took out his fancy timepiece.

“We've got three hours, ten minutes, and eighteen seconds until we get to the station.” Harry said and noticed everyone looking at him. “It's just a watch.” He said and tucked it away.

“That's like saying your trunk is just a trunk.” The girl said. “And you just climbed out of it.”

“Are you sure you didn't grow up in a magical household?” Hermione asked, because the things she had seen seemed like the things only rich families had.

“I'm positive.” Harry said and his face became a mix of both sadness and anger. “They are the biggest bullies I know and I know a lot of bullies.”

Hermione touched his hand and he looked at her. “I've been bullied a lot, too.”

Harry took a deep breath and let it out, then he motioned to the seat. They sat down and they both started to read.

It was the start of a friendship that the both of them would cherish for the rest of their lives.