Harry Potter and the Cracked Reservoir
Chapter 16: Hogwarts Express
By Musings of Apathy
Chapter 16: Hogwarts Express
Thank you to my Beta’s Donalddeutsch, Cateagle and Sparky40sw.
"So, Ron," said Harry, "How’s it going with Hermione?"
Ron and Harry were sitting in the living room playing chess the night before the Hogwarts Express. Ron was, of course, winning.
"Pretty good," Ron responded. "We do the normal couple things…you know…kissing…"
"Yeah, I got that."
"But, anyway," said Ron nervously, "I worry that we don’t have that much in common. She likes to read and study and I…don’t."
"Ron," advised Harry, "You need to make an effort. Find something that you are interested in reading while she is in the library. Do your homework early for once."
"But, Harry, that just seems wrong," Ron said with disgust, "the whole ‘homework early’ thing."
"It really makes no difference if you take an hour to do an essay the first night or an hour the last night, you’ll be taking the same time," Harry told him. "You’ll just make Hermione happier and a happy girlfriend should be your goal."
"Yeah, I guess," Ron said half heartedly.
"Ron," admonished Harry, "Do you like seeing your girlfriend happy?"
"Yeah," said Ron shyly, rubbing his hand through his hair, "that is a pretty cool thing for me to make her smile. I feel like the world got brighter when she smiles and it feels good to know that I made it happen. But…"
"But…"
"But we argue so often," Ron complained. "How can she be happy if we argue? I don’t understand."
"Well…" started Harry, trying to figure it out in his own head. "Look at it this way. She is intelligent…"
"Got that right," said Ron proudly.
"And you are stubborn…" prompted Harry.
Ron grumbled.
"Not a bad thing…necessarily," Harry tried. "It’s just that when the two come together, you just get a spirited debate. And you are both…passionate about what you take on, so that just adds to it."
"Hmm," considered Ron, "Yeah, I guess you’re right."
"Just remember, Ron," Harry reminded his friend, "Don’t use your big guns in an argument. Make sure that you don’t say anything that insults her or can’t be taken back."
Ron nodded.
"Make sure that you can kiss and make up," Harry said.
Ron smiled.
"And you and Ginny?" Ron asked, torn between being a good brother and a good friend.
"Oh, it’s good," Harry said. "Our relationship is different than you and Hermione. Different problems, different rewards."
"Yeah, mate. Gotcha," said Ron, "By the way, what classes are you taking this year?"
"Potions, Transfiguration, Charms and Defense. You?"
"Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. Same as last year but I missed on Potions."
"Try not to sound so pleased," Harry smiled. "Why Divination?"
"Mum," Ron explained, "she wouldn’t let me drop it after my ‘E’."
"Oh," Harry acknowledged.
"What about you?" Ron asked. "How are you only taking four classes?"
"Oh, I’m doing a lot of…independent study," Harry said carefully. "After last year, I know that I need training, so I’m taking it in my own hands."
"Hope we have a good Defense teacher this year," Ron said in earnest. "Otherwise, you’re going to have a terrible year."
"Yeah, let’s hope," agreed Harry, "Hey, look…we better go pack or the girls will be mad at us tomorrow morning."
"Yeah," a resigned Ron said.
Harry was hopeful. If Ron could pack early, perhaps he could do his homework when Hermione wanted.
The morning of September the First was as frantic as previous years. Despite everyone packing the night before, they were still running all over trying to find the last minute stuff.
"Ron, get down here. The cars will be here shortly," Mrs. Weasley screamed up the stairs.
Ron came running down the stairs at a dangerous speed, his Chudley Cannons shirt clutched tightly in his hand, followed by Harry and the girls.
"Oh, good," Mrs. Weasley said, "Harry, dear, did you find what you were looking for?"
"No, Mrs. Weasley," he responded.
"What were you looking for?" she asked.
"Three pair of my socks and my Gryffindor T-Shirt from last year," said Harry.
Ron’s head came up immediately.
"Socks?" asked Ron suspicious.
"Yeah," confirmed Harry, "What do you know?"
Ron turned to Ginny who had the decency to blush and lower her head.
"I don’t know," Ron said, "Ginny, what do I know?"
Harry turned to his girlfriend, "Gin?"
"What?" she asked innocently, but wilted under his glare, "Okay, I have your shirt. It’s in my trunk."
"Why is that, Gin?" Harry asked. "It can’t fit you."
"Well…" she said shyly, "I…I like to sleep in it."
Harry blushed, "Oh, okay, fine. I have others."
"Thank you, Harry," she said, suddenly bright and cheery as she hugged him.
Mrs. Weasley came back into the living room to usher them out to the waiting cars.
"Come on you lot," she told the teenagers. "The cars are waiting."
They made it to the station at the usual Weasley Clan time of fifteen minutes before departure. They all found a compartment at the back of the train as normal, where they all stowed their trunks before Ron and Hermione had to leave for the prefect meeting. Harry sat quietly with Ginny leaning into his chest for a couple of minutes before she broke the silence.
"Harry, how are we going to find time together this year?" Ginny asked, "You have your training and I have my OWL’s. We won’t be together at all."
"Gin, we’ll have to work at it, but I don’t see a problem," Harry said, "You help me during my training and I will help you to study for your OWL’s."
"Oh, Harry," she said sarcastically, "how romantic."
"Laugh it up, Ginevra," Harry teased. "I’ll show you romantic."
"Ginevra…Why I aught’ta…" she said, launching herself onto Harry to tickle him relentlessly.
Ron and Hermione came back to the compartment after the long prefect meeting tired. They entered to find their friends and sibling in an…interesting position.
"Harry Potter…get your hands off of my sister!" yelled Ron.
They sprung apart at the volume.
"What? We didn’t do anything!" Harry claimed quickly.
Ron eyed him suspiciously.
"Ron!" admonished Ginny, "We didn’t do anything wrong. We were just kissing."
Ron looked skeptical.
"Sure, that’s all you were doing now."
"Ronald Billius Weasley!" Ginny shouted in a fair impression of her mother. "If you don’t leave Harry and me alone, I will make sure that I return the favor."
"Yeah, right," said Ron, "Ginny, you’re my little sister. It’s my job to protect you. Besides, what can you do?"
An evil glint came to her eye.
Softly she answered him. "Simple Ron. Until you realize that I am a person unto myself and can look after myself, Harry will be lending me his map and cloak and wherever you and Hermione, sorry Hermione, have…privacy, I will make sure that you are interrupted in the most embarrassing way I can."
Ron looked from Ginny to Harry, scared. "Harry you wouldn’t. We’re your best friends. You wouldn’t do this to us, would you?"
"Ron," said Harry, "I’m sure that Hermione can understand, and until you do, just remember…I, and therefore, Ginny are the only ones that can hide from the map."
"But…But…But…" stammered Ron.
"Ron," said Hermione, "Just leave it."
"Hmmph," was all of Ron’s response.
"Well, if it isn’t the Scarhead, the Weasel, the Mudblood and the Pothead Devotee," came a whining drawl from the door of the compartment. "Thought that you wouldn’t have showed your face with the Dark Lord wanting your necks."
Draco Malfoy stood outside the open door to the compartment with his two goons and a scowl on his face.
"Gregory, Vincent, why do you follow this sycophant around like guard dogs?" Harry asked in an engaging voice. "Is it a family tradition? Or do your fathers worry about his mouth getting his body into more trouble than he can handle. Can’t say that I blame them. He didn’t learn his lesson a few months ago, but I hope that you two won’t be dragged down by his lack of common sense."
Malfoy was livid. ‘How dare this half blood muggle lover insult me, the Malfoy heir? His blood will stain my boots as I walk victoriously next to the Dark Lord off the last battlefield.’ Malfoy screamed in his head.
His companions, however, had a look of confusion on their faces. Oh, well, lost cause.
"Potter, if you don’t hold your tongue," Malfoy declared, "you won’t live long enough to meet your end by the dark lord."
"I would have thought that you would have known that Voldemort wants to kill me himself to prove that a child doesn’t scare him," Harry said. "Funny, I may or may not scare him, but he still has…performance problems. Fifteen years of attempted murder and he still hasn’t been successful. Yay me."
"You’re living on borrowed time, Potter," Malfoy answered.
"Whatever," Harry said dismissively.
He waved his wand a few times, causing the door to the compartment to slam shut and lock. The final wave let Malfoy hear from the hallway the next statement.
"So, I wonder who will be the Quidditch Captain this year?" Harry asked his friends.
Another wave of the wand and the compartment was private.
"Probably you, Harry," answered Ron.
"Frankly, I don’t want it," Harry declared.
"Why?" Ron asked.
"Takes too much time," Harry answered, "and, as a seeker, I don’t watch the game much. Even during the World Cup before our fourth year, I, pretty much, just watched the seekers. Now you would be perfect for it."
"Really?" asked Ron.
"Yeah. As keeper, you’re watching the game and you have a lot of interest in the plays and strategy. Me," chuckled Harry, "my only strategy is to catch the snitch. As long as you let me do that honestly, I’m in favor of you taking it."
"Thanks," he said, beaming. Hermione sat next to him, smiling at her boyfriend’s good fortune to have such a good friend.
"Fact, I think that I will go up to McGonagall and recommend you tonight," Harry decided, "if you don’t mind."
"Mind?" Ron exclaimed. "That’s great! There is so much that I want to do. Oh, and I can hold tryouts right away. And…"
"He means, Thank you, Harry," said Hermione with a thankful smile on her face as well.
With a warm greeting for Hagrid, everyone’s favorite half giant (Well, everyone’s except for Rubeus Hagrid himself, he liked a certain French Headmistress better) the group was on their way to the great hall for dinner.
They exited the carriages and proceeded inside only to run into Hermione’s back as she stopped stock still staring at the entrance hall floor.
"What is it, Hermione?" asked Ginny.
"It’s…it’s…beautiful," Hermione said in awe. "Look at it."
They all spread out shoulder to shoulder to look at the object of her appreciation.
"Wow," said Ginny, "You’re right, it is beautiful."
"Wonder why they did it?" puzzled Ron.
"Probably just wanted to dress up the school," Harry said, feigning ignorance, "After all they haven’t changed it in all of the time that we’ve been here."
"Harry," said Hermione, going into library mode, "There haven’t been any modifications of this scale to the school in more than a century, and that was to install flush toilets."
"Hogwarts: A History?" Ginny asked.
"Well," said Ron, "I would say that flush toilets were a necessary and significant modification, and, no Hermione, I don’t want to hear about various methods predating them during, or before, dinner," he said jokingly.
"Okay, promptly after dinner, then," Hermione said with an evil smirk.
Harry looked at Ron cautiously, "Ginny, would you go grab Rosary Beads and a sword, preferably sharp, immediately."
Ginny edged behind Harry, hanging on his shoulder, "Why, Harry?" she asked, playing along.
"Ron just said two four syllable words followed by a five syllable word. I can’t remember if this means that he is possessed and I’ll have to exorcise a demon from him or if this is a sign of the apocalypse."
The confusion that crossed Ron’s face was enough to make the two burst into laughter. Ginny used her position, hanging on Harry’s shoulder to her advantage, holding herself up in her gales of laughter.
Hermione looked torn between coming to her boyfriend’s defense and busting out in laughter. Seeing as how she could not honestly refute the claim without sounding hollow she compromised by hiding her giggles behind her hand.
"Hey," Ron defended himself, "I’ll have you know that I know plenty of big words."
Harry recovered himself to continue the tease, "Ron, spells don’t count as big words."
Ron held his finger up and his mouth open as if to counter this but Ginny beat him to the punch. "Yeah, but it’s not like he knows plenty of those either."
Ron’s jaw snapped shut and he decided to attempt the ancient art of the death glare only to be disappointed with the complete lack of sizzling and people entirely failing to run for the hills.
Harry was glad that he remembered to leave the crests in the ‘off’ position; he didn’t want to think about all of the hundreds of children currently walking across it disappearing to places around the castle. He still had several places to add the crests to and he had to figure out if he was going to add them outdoors for Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. He figured that no one would figure out how to use the crests anytime soon, but he wanted it complete anyway.
Harry was jolted out of his musings when Hermione asked him a question and he had to ask her to repeat it.
"I asked," repeated Hermione, "Do you know what the crest in the entry hall is for? You were here over the summer, after all."
Harry tried not to lie to Hermione, "They were put in at night Hermione, and I get the feeling that whomever put them in didn’t want to be known. I suspect that Dumbledore is aware of who did it, though."
"They?" asked Ron.
"Yeah," Harry said, "there are more throughout the castle. I saw one in front of Professor McGonagall’s classroom and one in the hall by the library."
Well, he didn’t lie. He had seen one there, right after he put it there and ever since.
"I wonder if they’re more than a decoration," mused Ginny.
"Hey," Harry said for a distraction, "there’s McGonagall. The sorting’s starting."
The sorting and feast went as expected and only after a well-appreciated feast did the Headmaster stand to make his announcements. The Gryffindors noticed a figure in a concealing robe to the right of McGonagall that had every student curious. Throughout dinner the whispered conversations and overt glances were directed at what could only be the new Defense teacher.
"Now that everyone is well fed and watered, I would like to welcome the new students and welcome back the returning students," the Headmaster said to the droopy-eyed audience. "I have a few standard start of term announcements. First of all, the Forbidden forest is off limits to all students. Some students," he said while making eye contact with some select Gryffindors, "have found need to enter the forest each year of their tenure and I hope that this pattern is broken," he said with a smile through his beard, "Secondly, the caretaker, Mister Filch, has requested that I, once again, inform you that magic is not to be used in the hallways between classes, as this usually results in something for him to clean or repair."
"I always wondered why it was Filch that had the Headmaster say that," said Ron in a low voice.
The Headmaster smiled as if he had heard the comment during his pause.
"Third, the list of contraband items can be found on the caretaker’s door and adjoining wall as Professor Flitwick insisted that each item be specifically listed instead of just the entire inventory of Zonko’s and Weasley Wizard Weezes. Anyone curious as to whether you are violating school rules, may view the list there."
Many of the Gryffindors smirked at the Headmaster’s seeming to not care about catching any such contraband.
"Finally, as is a recent tradition, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Nym…"
Dumbledore was cut off with a well-timed silencing spell.
"Tonks?" clarified Ginny, in a whisper to the trio, "She must have been ready with that Silencio. Only the Headmaster would dare to introduce her like that."
Professor Dumbledore retrieved his wand quickly and cast the counter-curse to free his speech.
"As I was saying," said the Professor with a glance and smirk to the hooded figure, "On loan from the Auror division of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, we have Professor Tonks."
The young professor stood at Dumbledore’s urging and lowered her hood to reveal what was a surprise to most in the hall, except for the four Gryffindors who had met her in the recent past. Standing there was Tonks sporting her trademark bubblegum-pink hair and violet eyes. She’d gone for pale, alabaster skin today to make a good impression on the student body.
"Now if the prefects will escort the first year students to their appropriate dorms, you may all enjoy a fine rest as we have a rare treat, the first day of classes will not be for three days as tomorrow is Saturday. I would suggest to the new first years, that you find an older student to show you around the school. You are all dismissed," said the Headmaster, "Oh, and Harry, if I could see you up here."
Harry looked up from his seat and nodded to the Headmaster.
"Well, guys," Harry said to his friends, "looks like we have differing duties to attend to. Ginny, care to come with me?"
Ginny looked up at him, almost a surprised look in her eyes to be invited to speak join Harry in speaking with the Professor, even though she had not been asked to the table with him. She did, however, nod and smile before getting up to follow Harry to the head table.