New Year
Several things leading up to the start of Fourth year had happened.
- Hermione was officially Dating Draco Malfoy
- They had both spent time in the summer with him in America. (Parents did accompany them.)
- Ron hadn’t written to him at all. Ginny, George, and Fred wrote to him once every two weeks.
- Bruce was squib in denial.
- Timothy was a wizard.
- Hari is great at horseback riding
- Charlie was struggling.
It had happened after the Malfoy/Granger visit. Charlie was playing with them on game night, when she started choking on nothing. The lights had begun to flicker and her green eyes were paler until they were all white. Bruce and Alfred rushed her out of the room as it began to drop the air to frigid.
Tim was holding onto him and he did his best to comfort him.
He hadn’t seen Jason for the rest of the night, when he saw him the following morning, he had bags under his eyes, a bruised jaw and some bloody knuckles.
Bruce had pulled him aside and told him a story that night.
Apparently, Jason had run away one day, thinking he found his birth mother. Charlie didn’t want him to go alone, it turns out it was a cruel trick by Gotham's local villain, the Joker. The only reason they had survived that night was because they were magic. It made their bodies stronger than the average muggle, but they were still critical.
A man Bruce knew, named Raj, felt guilty and gave them something to help speed up their healing. Jason seemed to heal fine with some minor side effects, but Charlie received a bigger dose and as a result, she started to develop the ability to see the dead. As she’s gotten older, she has had trouble controlling it. And their American school was at a loss of how to train her, so they’re sending her away. Hoping this next school could train her better.
Jason disappeared for two weeks after that night. Roy returned with him in tow, both looking a little rough, but mostly just Jason pouting.
Tim distracted himself by reading through all of Hari’s Hogwarts textbooks, demanding to be sent to the same school as his siblings. Alfred had to assist Bruce with his panic attack, after the letter confirming his placement came.
Roy had stayed the rest of the Summer to help Jason through the ‘Guilt rage’ as the household called it. While Jason being in a foul mood was unpleasant, having the chance to know Roy was wonderful to Hari.
Charlie finally called after being gone half the summer, returning Jason to mostly normal. Apparently the ghosts moved fast and reported his behavior to her. She gave him a tongue lashing that was from, ‘Your Mother.’
When Hari sat in the compartment on the train he smiled. Helping Tim with his luggage, and having him settle down on the train it hit him that he really was a big brother now.
Hermione found him easy enough, followed by Ginny, and the twins.
“Tim, it's so good to see you again! Which house are you hoping to be sorted into?”
“Ravenclaw! I hear they have the most books, some that aren’t even in the library.” Tim’s face lights up like the fourth of July. “Or maybe Slythrine, Imagine they have books themselves they keep away from the half-bloods.”
Hermione stared at Draco who was eating a chocolate frog, “I can neither confirm nor deny that.”
“Draco!”
“The other Slythrins will have my bed!”
“I think you mean head mate.” Fred chuckled, “bed implies something different.”
“No, I mean Bed. They will take my bed and do something with it. One year, I saw them use an impressive sticking charm to have it on the ceiling.” Draco was a very animated talker when his guard was down, hands flying everywhere.
“Super secret books? I will get them for us, Miss Hermione!” Tim smiled brightly. Hari laughed with the rest of the compartment, “Tim, remember if anyone gives you trouble come to any of us okay?” Hermione expressed, having bounded with him over their love for literature over the summer break.
“Did you guys hear? Peter Pettigrew escaped confinement!” Ginny informed them, “it happened the same day as the Triwizard cup tournament.”
Jason’s tongue clicked, “Well if he gives us any trouble this year at least I can redirect my rage.”
“Don’t worry Hari, will protect you!” Tim punched the air a couple of times, causing the older kids to chuckle. Hari poked his little brother’s cheek, “You're my little brother, it’s my job to protect you, and I always will, Tim. Don’t worry nothing will happen this year.”
The rest of the ride was uneventful, Jason was more quiet, but the brothers chalked it up to not knowing where Charlie is. Tim had explained that Charlie was basically his child, having raised her from such a young age. The fact that Bruce and Alfred were evading his questions made the teenager pretty broody.
The twins kept trying to get the red head to laugh, at most they cracked a smirk out of him.
The gryffindor group sat at their table waited with bated breath as Tim was called up to the sorting hat.
Tim swung his legs as he sat on the stool. “Hello Mister Sorting Hat.”
“Hello Child. What an intellectual mind you have, wonderful for Ravenclaw. You also use your age to your advantage, pretending to be more innocent.” The hat mumbled to the young wizard.
“Slytherin or Ravenclaw, which one do you prefer?”
‘Whichever will get me further.’ Tim thought off handedly.
“Ambition, yes. I know where to place you.”
“SLYTHERIN!” The sorting hat shouted.
Hari stood up cheering, followed by Hermione, George, Fred and Jason. The gryffindor table looked at them bewildered, but they didn’t care. Draco was breaking the Slytherin mold, and showing that to them all the time, even if he was a prat.
Tim smiled and waved at his brothers as he walked over to the cheering slytherin table.
Hari was cheering loudly despite not being in Slytherin. Being proud of someone who just wanted to excel. Tim was a wonderful kid, and if anyone gave him issues he would protect him, just like Jason did for everyone he cared about last year.
When Hari finally spotted Ron it caused him to do a double-take. His long unruly hair engulfed his head, and he was death glaring at Hermione and himself.
“Who let him come to school with that hair?” Hari whispered to Jason, both of them receiving haircuts the week before. “The same one who let Fred and George grow their mops out, too.”
The brothers snickered as the french school walked into the room.
Jason let out a low whistle as he admired some of the older girls. “Now that is a uniform.”
Hari slapped his shoulder, “Roy.”
“Would be looking with me. Remind me to introduce you to Starfire some time.”
Hermione rolled her eyes, “At least Draco has manners.”
Draco did not in fact have manners.
He just feared Hermione more. He was explaining the new schools and their backgrounds to Tim, who snuck over to sit next to him.
When the Durmstrang walked in they commanded everyone’s attention.
And Jason’s drool.
Hari just rolled his eyes, “Your James is showing.” A saying that became popular over the summer, with Charlie. James was a goofball and constantly on timeout. Sometimes if she was particularly bored, she wrote little stories Lily and Reggie told her in a black book and let the brothers read them.
Hari couldn’t shake his worry about Charlie.
“May I introduce you to your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Moody.”