Chapter 2
“I heard you went to live with Muggles,” Ron said. “What are they like?”
“Horrible. Well, not all of them. Most of them are, though. Wish I’d had three Wizard Brothers.”
“Five,” Ron said. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. “I’m the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I’ve got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left. Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was Quidditch Captain. Now Percy’s a Prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they’re really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others but if I do, it’s no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five Brothers. I’ve got Bill’s old robes, Charlie’s old wand and Percy’s old rat.”
"So you feel inadequate and overshadowed?" I asked gently.
"Well... Yes but..." Ron turned red.
"You can shine, you know. If you do something different from your Brothers, something unique. You can be known as your own person," I pressed.
"Well, that does seem like a good idea but what am I going to do? How am I going to be different?" Ron asked, all embarrassment forgotten. I opened my mouth to speak up when the compartment door slid open. It was a girl with curly black hair and bright green eyes.
"Have you seen a toad around here? That boy, Neville, has lost his pet toad, Trevor. You’re Harry Potter, aren't you? I'm Hermione Granger," the girl said, somehow all in one breath. Ron opened his mouth but the girl continued on. "Why such a tense atmosphere? What are you two doing?" She questioned curiously.
"We were just talking about how my friend, Ron, could be different from his Brothers and not be overshadowed. You're welcome to join us if you want to." I shrugged. I sense good vibes from the girl and can tell that she is a lot like us, wanting to spread her knowledge, wanting to shine.
"First, we find the toad, though," Hermione stated. Ron and I nodded, shrugging. Percy the Prefect was passing by.
"Oi, Percy," Ron called out. The Prefect came to the compartment door.
He asked, "What is it, Ron?"
"This boy, Neville Longbottom, has lost his toad. Could you summon it and give it to him?" He asked. Percy sighed but nodded, leaving us alone in our compartment.
"Problem solved. So what was it that we were discussing?" I asked.
Hermione's POV
"We were talking about how to be different, as you two told me and I know the perfect way for us to be. What would happen if a Muggle-Raised girl, a Weasley and the Boy-Who-Lived went to Slytherin? Break all the prejudices and stereotypes," I suggested with a smirk, filing away the look Ron had on his face when I said I was Muggle-Raised for later.
"Wh- What!? But... But... But my Brothers always said that Slytherins were evil, slimy snakes."
"Nonsense! Wouldn't they have removed the House if that was the case, sent everyone Sorted into Slytherin to Azkaban?" I frowned.
"Well, I don't see any harm in what Hermione is suggesting. I'm up for it. Are you, Ron?" Harry asked. Ron sighed.
"I'm in," he said, causing mine and Harry's smiles to widen.
"Shouldn't we come up with a name for our little group, along with codenames for each other?" I suggested.
"Yes, we should but I can't come up with anything. I've always been hopeless with making up names," Harry said, shrugging.
"Me too," Ron said before he shrugged.
"Well, I do have a few names in mind but I can't decide on one," I said with a frown.
"But all that matters for now is that we're friends, right?" Ron asked, grinning, to which Harry and I nodded.
"You're too naïve, Ron. But we'll work on it." Harry and I exchanged looks. The compartment door slid open once more but this time it was three boys who entered. There was a pale boy bookended by two massive ones.
"Is it true?” The pale boy asked. “They’re saying all down the train that Harry Potter’s in this compartment. So it’s you, is it?” He asked Harry.
"Yes. He is. But don't you have any manners? You should introduce yourself and ask the person about them, instead of just jumping them," I sniffed.
"And, who might you be?" He sneered.
"Hermione. Hermione Granger, a Muggle-Raised girl," I answered, coolly.
"A filthy little Mudblood!" He turned and looked at Ron. "Red hair, freckles and a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley. My Father told me all about you," he said to him. He turned back to Harry. “I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. These two are Crabbe and Goyle. You’ll soon find out some Wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” He held out his hand to shake Harry’s but Harry didn’t take it.
“I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks,” he said, coolly. Draco Malfoy didn’t go red but a pink tinge appeared in his cheeks.
“I’d be careful if I were you, Potter,” he slowly said. “Unless you’re a bit politer, you’ll go the same way as your Parents. They didn’t know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys, that Hagrid and Mudbloods and it’ll rub off on you."
"Oh, really? Are we that horrible? You're the one who probably still wets his bed when he has an ickle nightmare," Ron mocked.
"How dare y--" Malfoy was cut off before he could finish what he was saying. He found his hair turned a bright pink and me with a raised wand, smirking. Malfoy growled but to protect whatever dignity he had left, he left the compartment with Crabbe and Goyle. Ron, Harry and I glanced at each other and the minute our eyes met, we burst out into a roar of laughter. Our laughter rang in the compartment, only dying down when the sky began fading to black and even then, snorts and giggles could be heard.
“You’ve met Malfoy before?” Harry explained about meeting Malfoy in Diagon Alley.
“I’ve heard of his family,” Ron darkly said but I could see the look of slight awe and disgust in his eyes. “They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they’d been bewitched. My Dad doesn’t believe it. He says Malfoy’s Father didn’t need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side.” He turned to me. "People like him think of people, like you, Muggleborns and Half-Bloods, to be inferior, but that's not true. In fact, Professor Dumbledore, the most powerful Wizard in the world is a Half-Blood." I can tell he doesn't believe what he's saying about Dumbledore. So, why is he...? Oh, he thinks I'm a Mudblood and because he knows about Harry being the Boy-Who-Lived, he thinks that his true views wouldn't be accepted.
"Ron, you know I'm not a Mudblood, right? I'm Muggle-Raised but I don't have Muggle relatives. My Mother was Lyra Black, the younger twin of Regulus Black and the younger Sister of Sirius Black, and my Father was The Dark Lord," I said. Harry and Ron stared at me in shock.
"What!?" Harry exclaimed in anger.
"Harry, your Parents were spies for my Father. James found out Lily was actually adopted by the Evans family. She was a Pureblood from the Lestrange and Rosier lines. Axel Rosier, the Uncle of Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's Mother, got Rigel Lestrange pregnant. Rigel had two nephews called Rodolphus and Rabastan and Rodolphus married Narcissa's older Sister, Bellatrix. Lily only started dating James after the two found out the truth. James and his friends, Sirius, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, always believed in Blood Purity. They just pretended otherwise at school so they could spy on Dumbledore when they got older for my Father. Dumbledore is the one who killed Lily and James. My Father went there to save them. Dumbledore used you as a shield against my Father and the Killing Curse my Father aimed at Dumbledore hit you instead before rebounding off you and hitting my Father but leaving you with that scar."
"How do you know this?" Harry asked.
"Sirius Black is your Godfather as well as my Uncle, Harry," I said. "And your Father's Mother was a Black, so we're related. The Black Family has a House Elf. Once my Father died, Dumbledore took me from my Mother and killed her. I don't know how he knew about me since everyone knew my Mother had married my Father but not that they had an heir. The House Elf was ordered by my Mother's Mother to find me and tell me about who I am whenever I'm alone so I could spy on Dumbledore since he must've put me with Muggles for a reason."
"But why tell us?" Ron asked.
"I trust you," I said. "Your Parents were useful spies for my Father, Harry. We should never be enemies and you deserve to know the truth about their death... And I saw the way you looked at me when I said I was Muggle-Raised, Ron. You're not a Blood Traitor like the rest of your family."
"To be fair, I'm 90% sure the twins aren't either," Ron said. Harry got a look of determination on his face.
"My Parents followed your Father," Harry said. "So I will follow you." Ron thought for a second before he nodded.
"Me too," Ron said and I grinned at them.
"But... What's a House Elf?" Harry asked. I explained House Elves to him and then summoned Kreacher so Harry could see one himself. Once Kreacher left, Harry, Ron and I peered out of the window. We could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down. Harry, Ron and I took off our jackets and pulled on our long black robes. Ron’s were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them. Frowning, Harry concentrated really hard and the next thing you know, Ron's robes looked brand new, and they were the length required. Ron and I looked at him, gobsmacked.
"How did you do that?" Ron asked, his baby blue eyes sparkling with wonder.
"It's easy," Harry shrugged.
"Wandless Magic, especially Non-Verbal Wandless Magic, is actually supposed to be very hard," I said. "But Legilimency, Occlumency, Wandless Magic, Non-Verbal Magic and Wandless Non-Verbal Magic are all talents found in the Black Family. And being a Metamorphmagus is only a trait found in the Black Family."
"What's a Metamorphmagus? And Legilimency and Occlumency?" Harry asked and I explained them to him and that I had each of them. "I can do all of that as well, Hermione."
"Unfortunately, being a Metamorphagus isn't something you can learn," Ron said. "But the rest is."
"We'll teach you," I promised Ron and Harry nodded in agreement.
"All you need to do is concentrate and really intend for something to happen and it will but harder things tire you out," Harry said. Ron looked thoughtful and then gently took his pet rat out of his pocket. He scrunched up his nose and closed his eyes and now the rat is a bright yellow. "But don't tell this to anyone else."
"What do you take me for, Harry? I won't go around telling this to the first person I see," Ron scoffed. I rolled my eyes.
A voice echoed through the train: “We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.” The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out onto a tiny, dark platform.