Chapter 126 - My SI Stash #26 - F_u_c_k_i_n_g Magic by Ashali (Harry Potter) (2/2)
”Neither could young Harry,” Mcgonagall sighs in commiseration with the other professor. Then, as Pomona sucks in a breath. ”Nyup! Not a word, Pomona. For right now, young Harry Potter is just like any other muggleborn student, looking for his school supplies.”
”Oh!” Pomona exhales with delight. ”Of course, of course, dear Minerva. I'll still hope that he'll be sorted into my House, of course.”
Underneath the chatter of the professors, I lean over towards Hermione. ”You love books too, huh?”
”Yes!” Hermione exclaims in a whisper back.
”When school starts, do you want to study together?” I ask.
Hermione beams at me. ”Absolutely!”
”What are you two whispering about over there?” Her dad butts in.
”Oh, he was just asking if we wanted to study together once school starts!” Hermione answers him brightly.
I nod, smiling, and the man glowers at me until his wife pats his arm. ”Now, now, dear, they're hardly old enough for the boy to mean that sort of studying. Anyway, we appear to be taking up the entire path between the back and front of the store, so...”
Oh, you poor, poor woman. I mean that sort of studying too, if I can swing it. I don't intend on dying a v_i_r_g_i_n again, damn it! And with things like ageing potions, I don't need to wait!
”Hmph,” Hermione's dad grunts, but his look softens.
We start shuffling down towards the counter, but I can't help but grin at Hermione. ”I'm going to read all of the year one books cover to cover before the semester starts.”
”Me too,” Hermione says, then she narrows her eyes at me. ”Bet I'll learn more magic than you by then.”
”You're on,” I answer her, then we both break out into giggling laughter.
”Calm down, children,” Mcgonagall says. ”You'll only be allowed to use magic at your homes, under the supervision of your parents.” She nods at me. ”In your case, Harry, in your room, where nobody can see, understand?”
”No need to be so strict on the children, Minerva, even if it is rules,” Pomona says, then she leans towards us and whispers. ”Just don't let any muggles-- non-magical people-- that aren't your family, see you use magic, and everything will be fine. I recommend starting with the repairing spell, reparo, so you can fix any minor mistakes.”
We continue chatting until we reach the counter, and talk until our purchases are complete and we have to part ways.
Oh, I'm so looking forward to this month before the Hogwarts school semester begins!
Chapter 2
With one last glance at King's Cross station, I wade through the concrete barrier between platforms nine and ten, and emerge with a slightly icy sensation onto platform nine and three quarters. Despite coming a bit early, the platform is packed with parents and children, and dozens of cats and owls are wandering about.
Without gawking too much, I step around a crowd of students and work my way over to the train. I catch sight of the curly, frizzy hair of what appears to be Hermione lifting a trunk into the train, and I hasten my steps. We'd shared a letter or two about our magical studies over the past month, including things like reading about 'The Boy Who Lived' in books like A Modern Magical History, and I've been looking forward to seeing her again. As I near, I raise my voice over the crowd. ”Hermione!”
The girl pauses, then peeks back around the edge of the train and grins at me. ”Harry!”
I reach her, and pull my wheeled space-expanded trunk inside, lifting it over the lip with a grunt of effort.
”Have you already got a compartment?” I ask.
”No, but we're rather early, aren't we?” She replies. ”It shouldn't be too hard to get one to ourselves, I'd say.”
”Mmhm,” I agree, and we start walking down the hall with our trunks.
The first door we come across is cracked open because someone didn't latch it properly, and after Hermione peeks inside, she eeps and rears back.
”What's wrong?” I ask, leaning over.
”N-nothing, this one's taken,” She swiftly answers, then starts hauling off down the hallway.
I follow after her for a step… then my curiosity overcomes me and I peek inside… only to see an older girl giving head to a guy.
Nice.
I rap on the edge of the door a few times. They glance up after a few seconds, see me through the crack in the door, and I clear my throat. ”Not to embarrass you, but you may want to latch the door properly.”
It's not a lock, but I assume that they could make it actually lock with magic if they thought about it before they started doing anything. Heh.
Then, before they can do anything, I walk off with my trunk after Hermione at a swift pace to catch up. She's waiting in the doorway to the cabin two doors down, and I smile at her flushed face as she steps inside. Hermione scowls as I close and latch our cabin door.
”The-the nerve of those two,” Hermione scowls as I stow my trunk under one of the seats. ”To be doing something like, like that in broad daylight, where anyone could see!”
I can't help but chuckle a little as I take the seat across from her. ”I can't blame them for enjoying themselves,” I say, and then swiftly continue before Hermione can reply with whatever embarrassed outrage she wants to reply with. ”But I can blame them for not making sure their door was shut.”
Hermione stares at me, closes her mouth with a clack, and then glowers for a moment at the wall.
I try not to huff another laugh, and Hermione glares at me for a moment before exhaling and turning back to smiling. ”So Harry, do you think we'll be good enough to pass all our classes? I mean, I've memorized all the books already, and I've got a few spells working, but...”
This time, I do laugh, and I quickly raise my hands in supplication at Hermione as she gives me a frown. ”We'll be fine, Hermione! We've already got a few spells to work, right? That's more than most of the first-years will have done. We'll be the top of the class, easy.”
She reaches up to nervously twirl at her hair. ”But we're not from the magical world, they must be so far ahead of us. I can just imagine that we'll have so much to catch up on.”
I lean to the side, putting my elbow on the window of the room as I think. After a moment, I answer her. ”Did other kids study as hard as you, or even me, when we were in 'muggle' school?”
”I…” Hermione pauses. ”No, but this is magic.”
”To them, it's normal,” I sigh. ”And more importantly, it's school.”
”But they've had magic all their lives,” She retorts. ”They probably know a lot more about using it, I'd say.”
”We'll see,” I shrug. ”But I doubt it. Anyways, what spells did you manage to get working over the summer, Hermione? You didn't say much about what you did and used it for in your letters.”
Though I hadn't told her in my letters that Mcgonagall had returned to the orphanage a few days after we'd first met with Professor Flitwick to ward the orphanage. I'd been surprised that Dumbledore himself hadn't come, but… Maybe the man was beating himself up after 'losing' me when I ran away, perhaps? From what I recalled, he was that sort of person. Eh, details.
”Oh,” Hermione brightens. ”I got Lumos working, of course. It's far easier on the eyes than reading by lamplight, did you know? And my parents were quite happy once I started figuring out how to fix things with the repairing spell.”
”I managed to fix my glasses,” I say with tap at the rims. ”It was a little crooked, before. It's an incredible spell.”
”Isn't it?” Hermione giggles. ”Mum and dad got a bit angry when I was trying out the fire-making spell, so I've been reading about bluebell flames. Haven't quite got it working, yet.”
”I read about it, but haven't tried it,” I admit. ”I've been working on the various telekinesis spells, like the levitation and hover charms… and locking and unlocking spells.”
”Oh!” Hermione gasps, then pulls out her wand. ”Show me yours and I'll show you mine!”
I pause, then give her a lidded look. ”Phrasing.”
Hermione freezes in place for a moment, then turns bright red as I stand and move across the cabin, pulling out my own wand as I sit next to her. She then bops my shoulder twice. ”I didn't mean it like that, you, you-”
”If we're going to be friends,” I sniff, raising my nose in the air mock-pridefully. ”You'll have to get used to innuendo and perversion.”
Hermione stares at me for a moment, and I chuckle. Then she elbows me. ”Shall we show each other… our spells, Harry?”
”Of course, of course,” I chuckle again.
”Hmph,” She scowls, then raises her wand towards the empty side of the room and takes a breath. ”Incendio.”
A jet of flame shoots out of her wand, but she controls it, and the spray of flames shrinks before it can set anything alight. She waves the flame spray around a little, then extinguishes it and turns to me. ”Your turn.”
”Yes, my mistress Hermione,” I hiss, earning another swat for my troubles. Grinning, I turn to the door and make the sharp, nearly square gestures of the locking spell. ”Colloportus.”
The door shuts a little tighter, and the latch locks in place. I stand up and give it a few tugs, my efforts doing nothing more than rattling it on its hinges. With a short bow, I return to my seat next to Hermione, who then uses a variation on Lumos to create a ray of light. After several minutes of showing off to one another, the two of us spend the rest of the train ride practicing the motions of spells and talking about magic… interspersed with the occasional innuendo I slip into the conversation, and instead of getting involved with any of the other students.
Hermione gets used to the innuendo… eventually.
Continue to QQ~~