Chapter 10 - Train Time
The rest of the school year unfolded with surprising calmness, a welcome reprieve after the underlying chaos that had taken up so much of it. Estelle had made an unspoken vow to herself: she would never leave Hermione’s side again. Since Hermione’s recovery from being petrified, the two had become inseparable, it was as though Estelle feared that even a moment apart might lead to Hermione in some new trouble, and she didn’t want to wait and find out what that could be. Wherever Hermione went, Estelle followed, and Hermione quickly did the same. They were a duo not to be trifled with. Which only caused the students to frankly be more nervous around Estelle, considering there were now infamously two people she would defend with her wand and her life.
About a week after Hermione’s return, Estelle came barreling into the library with a sense of urgency that turned a few heads. Her bag swung wildly at her side and she clamped it down with a hand, her hurried footsteps echoing against the towering shelves. Hermione, already seated at their usual spot by a window that overlooked the Hogwarts grounds, barely glanced up. She was surrounded by a small fortress of books and parchment, scribbling furiously as if time itself depended on her notes.
“Just because we don’t have exams doesn’t mean we shouldn’t study,” Hermione had reasoned earlier. Estelle suspected the girl was simply trying to catch up on everything she had missed while petrified, which Estelle respected deeply. Hermione’s relentless intelligence and pursuit of knowledge was something she admired, even if she didn’t always share the same enthusiasm for such rigorous studying.
“Granger,” Estelle called out as she reached the table, plopping a hefty stack of parchment onto the polished wood with a flourish. Her tone carried an air of dramatic importance, and Hermione still looked up at the name with expectation. “You’re going to love me for this.”
Hermione raised a curious eyebrow, her quill poised mid-air. “What is it?” she asked, her eyes darting to the intimidating pile. She looked equally intrigued and, frankly, concerned. It was rare for Estelle to arrive with notes or study materials of her own accord. Her learning style was more ‘dive in and hope for the best’ than ‘painstaking preparation’.
Estelle crossed her arms, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “It’s a gift.”
Hermione’s brow furrowed slightly. “For who?”
Estelle’s jaw dropped in mock disbelief. “For you, obviously. Who else would I get a bunch of papers for?”
Hermione’s curiosity deepened as she picked up one of the parchments and scanned its contents. Her eyes widened. “Are these… exam papers?”
“Your end-of-year exams, to be precise,” Estelle declared, her tone tinged with pride.
Hermione’s mouth fell open slightly, and a smile began to form. “What? But… but how?”
“I asked the professors for them,” Estelle explained, leaning casually against the table as though it had been no trouble at all. “I noticed how disappointed you looked when Dumbledore said exams were cancelled, so I thought I’d fix that. Turns out, they were more than happy to oblige.”
Before Estelle could react, Hermione shot out of her seat and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she exclaimed, her voice muffled slightly as her face pressed against Estelle’s shoulder.
Estelle chuckled, patting Hermione’s back. “You’re welcome. I figured it’d make you happy.”
As Hermione pulled back, her eyes sparkled with excitement. “When can we start?”
“Right now, if you’d like,” Estelle replied, her grin widening. “We can do them in our own time, but I assumed we’d stick to the time limits. You know, for authenticity.”
“Of course,” Hermione said solemnly. “Integrity when sitting examinations is crucial.”
Estelle smirked, pulling out the first test from the stack. “How do you feel about starting with Transfiguration?”
Hermione narrowed her eyes, suspicion glinting in them. “You put that one on top on purpose, didn’t you?”
Feigning innocence, Estelle placed a hand over her heart, though in reality she was borderline over the moon that Hermione knew Transfiguration was her favourite subject. “Miss Granger, I’m offended you’d accuse me of such manipulation.”
Hermione giggled, grabbing the Transfiguration paper from Estelle’s hand. “One hour on the clock. And don’t even think about cheating, Miss Wolfe.” Her mock-serious tone was accompanied by a playful wag of her finger. “I better not be seeing Nik behind the bookcase.”
“Yes, Professor Granger,” Estelle teased, pulling out her own quill and parchment. Nikolai was busy doing who-knows-what but maybe she should have stationed him behind a bookcase just for fun.
Hermione collected a timer from the head desk and set it, and the room fell into a comfortable quiet as they began their tests. Occasionally, Estelle’s eyes flicked upward, lingering on Hermione as she worked. The way her brows furrowed in concentration and the gentle way she chewed on the end of her quill- it was hard not to watch. If anyone had asked Estelle why she kept glancing up, she would have lied through her teeth, claiming she was plotting to cheat.
***
Finally they had made it to the last day of the year and, for once, the twins were sat at the Slytherin table, Blaise and Millicent sitting opposite them. When Estelle had come over to sit next to Nikolai, Malfoy had comedically rolled his eyes while Nikolai wordlessly scooted over next to him so Estelle could sit on his left. Estelle tried not to laugh. It was rare for the twins to both be sitting at the Slytherin table, but Estelle really couldn’t care less. For one, the Slytherins all seemed a bit wary of her and Nikolai and didn’t really bother them, and two, Harry and Ron had stayed with Hermione while Estelle went down to breakfast, and considering everyone seemed preoccupied doing something else, Estelle wasn’t about to sit alone at the Gryffindor table. She probably could have, maybe talked to Wood or the Weasley twins, but the people she was friends with, everyone in her year, had seemed to stay up in the dormitories or common room for some inexplicable reason. So instead, she wandered over to the Slytherin table and casually sat in the seat Nikolai had opened up for her, besides, she had been feeling a little guilty that Nikolai had been spending less time with his Slytherin friends since he had been going around with her and Hermione. He was very close friends with Hermione after all, so of course he would also worry about something happening to her. Still, after getting her back, Estelle also decided to work on hanging out with the Slytherins more, if not for anything else, then so Nikolai could spend more time with them, though she also wanted to get closer to them. Millicent was their cousin and Blaise was really cool, Estelle really wanted to be friends with them. Closer friends with them, obviously.
Nikolai didn’t mind Estelle hanging out more with her Gryffindor friends, he understood her specific feelings, even if he didn’t feel them himself, he saw how Estelle looked at Hermione, he noticed how deeply she missed her, and he had spent time with Millicent and Blaise in their common room, so truly he didn’t mind when Estelle wouldn’t hang out with them for long periods of time.
Nikolai had always been good at noticing things about Estelle that most people couldn’t, like for instance, how Estelle was spending more time with the Slytherins so that Nikolai could spend more time with them without feeling guilty for not hanging out with Estelle and Hermione. He thought it was unnecessary but chose not to say anything as this was just another one of the ways Estelle tried to keep him safe and happy, even if it wasn’t a normal type of protection. Nikolai knew it was important to Estelle.
They were discussing their plans for the holidays, and when Blaise said he was going to the Greek island Scopalos, Estelle laughed, she couldn’t imagine Blaise wearing any sort of swimming costume for the beach, and the thought was followed by an image of Blaise wearing a classy black suit, sunbathing on the sand with his usual frown, and she laughed even harder. Nikolai must have been thinking the same thing, considering he laughed along with her.
Millicent was going to France for a few weeks which was fitting, but was also going to stay with the twins for a week later in the holiday. She had convinced her parents to let her stay by explaining how she would teach them how to better represent the Bulstrode family name. In reality, the twins had plans to show her the muggle world and hang out outside Hogwarts and the Bulstrode manor. They invited Blaise if he would be back by then and he gave them a nod, it was hard to tell he was grateful but Nikolai reassured Estelle that he was. “You can tell from his slightly less furrowed brows.” Estelle noticed it as soon as her brother pointed it out.
Other than that week, however, the twins didn’t have any solid plans, they hoped to have their friends over, maybe visit the Weasleys at the Burrow. Their dad had been thinking about going to Germany for a few days to visit their family, which Nikolai and Estelle were really hoping for. Sure, their Opa Jonas always subtly handed them 20 euro notes, which they used to buy their little materials to make inventions, but also Oma Addy and Oma Brigitte were the absolute greatest to talk to. They even helped them with ideas sometimes. The idea of putting more of their ideas into reality made them drool.
Their conversation was interrupted by the resounding BANG of the Great Hall doors being thrown open, silencing the room. The talking started up again just moments later.
Estelle’s head snapped toward the sound, her eyebrows raising in mild awe. "Merlin's beard, someone really pissed off their girlfriend this morning," she muttered to Nikolai, smirking as she imagined the guy who’d face such wrath.
Nikolai hummed in agreement. “Hmm, the poor chump.”
Her amusement evaporated the instant her eyes landed on the source of the commotion: Hermione Granger, striding in with fiery determination and the most terrifying lecture face Estelle had ever seen.
Trailing behind her were Harry and Ron, their expressions caught somewhere between sheepish and horrified. It only took a heartbeat for Estelle to realize who the target was.
“Oh no,” she whispered, leaning toward Nikolai. “I think I’m the chump.”
Hermione’s heels clicked sharply against the stone floor as she stormed toward the Slytherin table, her gaze locked onto Estelle like a curse bound for its target. Estelle’s brain raced to uncover whatever grave sin she’d unknowingly committed. She came up empty. And it didn’t help that Nikolai and Blaise were laughing at her, at least Millicent had the dignity to try and cover her giggles.
Hermione stopped directly in front of her, hands on her hips, her tone sharp enough to rival McGonagall's. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”
Estelle blinked, her voice uncharacteristically unsure. “Um… breakfast?”
“It’s 9 am, Stella! The train leaves in two hours, and you’re not packed!” Hermione’s exasperated tone carried across the hall, drawing the attention of nearby tables.
Estelle’s eyes widened in alarm as realization hit. “Merde! I completely lost track of time!” (Crap!) She bolted up from her seat, panic laced in her tone. “I’m sorry, Genié. I’ll go pack now.”
As she turned to sprint toward the Gryffindor dormitory, Hermione crossed her arms and called after her, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Estelle froze mid-step, her head swivelling around as her gaze darted from the table to her pockets and back again. Her brow furrowed until, suddenly, her face lit up as though struck by divine inspiration.
With a confident stride, Estelle returned to Hermione, leaned in, and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head before pivoting and jogging out of the Great Hall.
Hermione stood there, stunned into silence, her cheeks blooming a deep crimson as her brain scrambled to catch up. It wasn’t until Estelle disappeared through the doors that she managed to shake herself back to reality, again Nikolai’s hysterical laughter did not help.
“Stella! Your wand!” Hermione called, grabbing the forgotten piece of wood from the table. But Estelle was long gone.
Hermione sighed in frustration, glancing down at the wand in her hand. “For someone so clever, she can be as daft as Ronald sometimes.”
“Hey!” Ron interjected indignantly, his mouth half-full of toast. Nikolai glanced at Ron’s toast then at his own plate, realising Ron stole his beautiful marmalade toast.
“Oi!” He exclaimed.
Hermione ignored them both, turning to Nikolai, who was now chewing on the bread he took back from Ron. His calm smile suggested that he was both entirely unsurprised and thoroughly entertained by the morning’s events.
“Please tell me you’re packed,” Hermione said, her voice laced with a mixture of hope and exhaustion.
Nikolai gave a light chuckle, raising a single brow. “Of course I’m packed,” he replied smoothly, watching Hermione with amusement.
“No you haven’t.” All their eyes turned to Malfoy, still sitting next to Nikolai, who was looking surprisingly amused at the whole debacle. Nikolai was certain he had been having his own conversation with his goons. Hermione huffed and rounded back on Nikolai.
“You-” Nikolai glared at Malfoy, slight panic washing over his face, then he turned up to Hermione. “It takes Lea years to pack, but all my stuff is in piles. It only takes me a few minutes.”
Hermione squinted her eyes at him and cocked her head.
“I swear, Mione, I swear.”
“You better not be lying.” She stated, pointing at him with an accusatory finger. Then she huffed and began to walk over to the Gryffindor table, Ron and Harry following her again, giggling. As she grew further away, they heard her loudly exclaim “Wolves!”
Nikolai turned back to the table, shaking his head. He smirked at Malfoy incredulously. “You enjoyed that, didn’t you?”
Blaise was chuckling and Millicent was still smiling as Malfoy responded, looking far too proud of himself, “Very much so.”
***
The Hogwarts Express chugged steadily along the tracks, carrying its passengers away from the school and into the summer ahead. In their usual compartment, the twins, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were piled comfortably together, the space already littered with snack wrappers and discarded textbooks. It was a scene of organized chaos, one that felt like home after another eventful year at Hogwarts.
Their conversation flowed as it always did, from holiday plans to potential hangouts, and- less seriously- elaborate plots to finally overthrow the Dursleys. Estelle had enthusiastically suggested a trebuchet last year; Ron still thought an army of garden gnomes would be more poetic.
Then, Harry casually mentioned how he hoped Dobby would visit now that he was freed. The four of them looked at them with slightly confused faces.
“He what?” Estelle prompted. Whatever tale this was going to be, she had a feeling it was going to be good.
“Oh yeah, I never said. Basically, after you guys left Dumbledore’s office to send Hagrid’s release papers, Malfoy- Lucius Malfoy- came in with Dobby, apparently they’re the house he serves. Also apparently, he had threatened a bunch of people to agree to Dumbledore leaving, which isn’t really surprising.” They all nodded in agreement. “I figured Lucius put Riddle’s diary in Ginny’s cauldron that time in Flourish and Blotts and I gave it back to him with my sock in it ‘cause I guessed he’d give it to Dobby to hold and he did, and Dobby opened it, so it was sort of like his master had given him a piece of clothes so, yeah, he’s free now.”
They were all silent for a moment.
“Holy crap, Harry, that was mental!” Nikolai exclaimed.
“Absolutely wicked, Harry.” Ron nodded.
“Honestly, so cool of you.” Estelle agreed, grinning from ear to ear.
Hermione, though also looking stunned into pride, still said, “Dangerous, though, who knows what Lucius would have done.”
“Well, he tried to kill me, so.”
“He what?!” Estelle nearly shouted. They were all gobsmacked and Hermione gasped.
“But Dobby flicked his hand and, like, threw him back and he left.”
What a rollercoaster, Estelle thought. “Hell yeah, Dobby.”
“The guy sounds great.” Nikolai mentioned, “Hope I meet him one day.”
As the hours stretched on, the chatter faded into a companionable silence- or at least, what passed for silence with this group. Hermione was rereading a third-year Transfiguration textbook, the very one she and Estelle had gone through together by the Black Lake during their self-administered exams. Harry, meanwhile, was dozing in the corner, his head tilted awkwardly against the window, while Ron dug into yet another pumpkin pasty with gusto.
Estelle and Nikolai were huddled in the opposite corner, whispering conspiratorially as Estelle scrawled feverishly into her well-worn notebook- the infamous ‘read-it-when-Estelle-is-asleep-to-prevent-disaster’ book. Nikolai occasionally took the book from her, jotting down notes of his own while Estelle absently stroked Nugget, the lethargic feline sprawled across her lap.
“Think about it, Hugo,” Estelle whispered, her voice laced with urgency. “The practical applications of it. After the Chamber, you have to admit how useful something like this could be.”
Nik furrowed his brow, carefully keeping his voice low. “No, I get that part, and I do agree. Just two questions: One, how in Merlin’s name would we even start making it, I can’t feasibly think of where to begin? And two, why does it have to look like a bug? That’s just… gross.”
“Chemically, it’s absolutely possible, trust me. Magically? We’ll figure something out,” Estelle replied confidently, waving a hand as though that detail was minor.
“That’s what you always answer with.” Nikolai mumbled.
“And practically? That’s your department. And the bug thing, that’s cool. Non-negotiable. If it’s not shaped like a bug, then why call it an Earbug?”
Nikolai sighed, leaning back in his seat. “You’re impossible sometimes, you know that?”
“Yeah, well, I think it’s great. Besides, we’re identical, dingus,” Estelle quipped with a grin.
“Not that identical,” Nikolai shot back, rolling his eyes.
“If you say so, little brother,” Estelle teased, her tone infuriatingly smug.
“I do,” Nikolai retorted firmly, locking eyes with her in a battle of wills. “I do say so.”
For a moment, the compartment was filled with palpable sibling-vs-sibling energy as they stared each other down, neither willing to break first. Eventually, Nikolai abruptly stood, causing Harry to wake with a startled snort.
“Sorry, Harry,” Nikolai said, his tone apologetic but distracted. Then, addressing the group, he added, “I’m going to the toilet,” before stepping out into the narrow corridor.
The faint sound of Estelle’s unmistakable laughter echoed behind him, her victorious cackle carrying through the train carriages. Nikolai rolled his eyes with a small smile, shaking his head as he made his way to the bathroom, before the thoughts of how the hell they would make an Earbug slithered their way back into his head.
As he reached the end of the carriage, he noticed a familiar figure already lingering there: Draco Malfoy. The blonde was now dressed in a sharp, tailored suit, his usual smirk replaced by a neutral, guarded expression. If Nikolai was a lesser man, he would have felt severely underdressed in his jeans and cozy- oh so cozy- maroon hoodie.
“Hey, Malfoy!” Nikolai called out on impulse. If asked later, he wouldn’t be able to explain what compelled him at that moment- maybe it was all the unanswerable questions about the Earbug that led him back to the itch of an unanswered question that had nagged at him all year.
Malfoy turned, his pale features arranged into their usual mask of disdain. “Wolfe,” he said curtly. “What do you want?”
Nikolai approached, unfazed by his icy tone. “You never answered my question,” he said simply.
Malfoy arched a brow. “Which one? You ask too many.” His words were sharp, but his tone lacked its usual venom, as though he were simply too tired to muster it. Nikolai tucked that thought away for later.
Nikolai crossed his arms. “You never told me why you ripped that page out of the library book.”
For a moment, Malfoy stared at him, his grey eyes unreadable. He seemed to be weighing his options, deciding whether or not to divulge the secret that had lingered between them for weeks. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the trolley lady appeared from seemingly nowhere, pushing her cart and cheerfully calling out, “Anything from the trolley, dears?”
Nikolai turned to her, polite as always. “No, thank you.”
When he glanced back, Malfoy was gone, striding briskly down the corridor as if he’d been handed the perfect excuse to escape. Nikolai groaned in frustration, watching the blonde disappear into the next carriage.
So much for answers.
The rest of the train ride passed in a calm, uneventful haze, the hum of the train wheels on the tracks creating a steady rhythm that matched the mood in their compartment. As they neared King’s Cross, Nikolai began to notice the subtle changes in Estelle’s demeanor. Her usual vibrant energy, the spark of mischief and cheer that always lit up her expressions, was slowly dimming. To anyone else, it might have seemed like she was just tired from the long journey, but Nikolai knew better. He knew she was thrilled at the idea of seeing their parents again, eager to return to the comfort of home and to her ‘godly’ new guitar and trusty record player. But that excitement was tempered by the looming reality of saying goodbye to her friends and especially to Hermione. After spending so much time apart during the school year, it seemed cruel to part again so soon.
Nikolai had anticipated this. He’d already spoken to Hermione, and together, they’d hatched a plan to surprise Estelle in the second week of the holidays. It wasn’t easy keeping it a secret, though. Watching Estelle’s quiet disappointment was a challenge for them both, but they knew the surprise would make it all worthwhile.
For her part, Estelle tried to hide how she felt. She wasn’t one to openly share negative emotions unless they came out as anger, so she buried her sadness beneath a thin veneer of humor and conversation. It worked on Harry and Ron, whose courage and strategic minds when it came to chess didn’t quite extend to noticing the subtle shifts in mood. But Nikolai and Hermione had spent enough time with Estelle to see through the mask. Even Nugget, now perched on Hermione’s lap, seemed to sense Estelle’s change in mood. The little furball, who had once been Estelle’s sole companion in everything, had formed a deep attachment to Hermione. Estelle watched as Nugget sprawled contentedly across Hermione's lap, his tiny snores audible above the soft murmurs of the train. Estelle was sure it wasn’t just because of Hermione’s warm lap or frequent snacks- Nugget genuinely adored Hermione, so much so that Estelle had jokingly started calling her a co-parent.
Estelle leaned back against the seat, her arms crossed as she gazed out the window, her expression bittersweet. She was going to miss Hermione. They all were.
When the train finally pulled into King’s Cross, the bittersweet feeling in the compartment became almost tangible. Despite this, Estelle and Nikolai’s faces lit up when they spotted their parents on the platform. Grinning ear to ear, they shot out of the train, abandoning decorum entirely as they ran straight into their parents’ arms. The group hug was warm and full of laughter as the twins began talking over each other, eager to recount their adventures from the year. Once they parted, Nikolai looked to the right and saw Malfoy starting to walk towards the exit with the unpleasant Lucius Malfoy and whom Nikolai assumed was his mother. His parents were talking, not watching their son- which Nikolai frowned at with confusion- and they locked eyes. Nikolai smiled and gave him a small wave. A little unsure, Malfoy shot a slip of a smile back, before his parents turned back to him and they carried on walking.
“Are you friend’s with Lucious’ boy?” Valentina asked quietly. Nikolai flinched, not realising she had been watching.
He thought through his possible responses and answered truthfully, “Not really. I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“Maybe I should ask Stell.” Valentina suggested jokingly, giving a chuckle after, but once she saw Nikolai’s cringe, she looked moderately muddled. Before she could ask more, their father started to speak.
“Are you ready to go?” Henrik asked, lifting their luggage with ease.
“Just a sec,” Estelle said quickly, scanning the platform. She spotted Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Granger chatting nearby as Harry, Ron, and Hermione said their goodbyes. Grabbing her brother’s hand, Estelle dragged him along as they approached the group.
“Hello, Mrs. Weasley! Hello, Mrs. Granger!” Estelle greeted them brightly before pulling Hermione into a tight hug.
“Goodbye, Genié. I’ll see you next year,” Estelle said softly, her voice tinged with melancholy as she pulled back.
Hermione smiled, though her eyes shone with unspoken emotions. “Goodbye, Stella. Take care of yourself, okay?”
Estelle nodded, then moved to hug Harry and Ron in turn. Nikolai stepped forward, wrapping Hermione in a gentle hug.
“See you next year, Mione,” he announced.
Hermione pulled back, a warm smile lighting up her face as Nikolai smirked. He gave Harry a quick hug and turned to shake Ron’s hand.
“Come on, mate,” Ron said with a grin, pulling Nikolai into an enthusiastic hug. Nikolai blinked in surprise but returned the gesture, a rare moment of camaraderie between Slytherin and Gryffindor.
As the twins returned to their parents, Estelle turned back for one last wave at her friends. Harry, Ron, and Hermione waved back, their figures growing smaller as the family walked away, floating luggage following them. The twins’ smiles lingered as they left the station, their parents’ voices filling the air with plans for the summer. It sounded as though their parents had definitely decided to go to Germany, and the twins pumped their fists in the air.
As they neared the Floo stop, Estelle leaned over to Nikolai, voice slightly lower. “What if we learnt how to fight?”
“We were already learning how to duel.” He responded, watching behind them for no real reason other than for dramatic effect.
“No, I mean fistfight, scrap, hand-to-hand combat.”
Nikolai turned to her fully, a grin gradually appearing on his face. “God, I was waiting for you to suggest that.”
Clearly, they hadn’t been talking quietly enough because as they continued to conspire about other things, their parents slowly paled.