Chapter 4
Harry looked out the window, taking in the sights of the passing cars and tall buildings. He was somewhat intrigued, he had never been to this part of the city. Well, it was closed off, mostly owned by Flamel Inc., and was not accessible by the public. A whole chunk of the city, just for the study of Variants. He had to say, the security was tight, guards at every point plus cameras and even A.I.s. It was a very advanced place.
He felt poking on his arm to see it was his best mate. “Harry, get a load of this idiot thinking he somehow will be able to surpass Flamel’s advanced security system and then get his grubby hands on one of their ‘serums’ to become a Variant,” Ron stated, rolling his eyes while pointing over his shoulder at Seamus. “Hey!” Was the indignant response that came from said genius.
Seamus huffed while crossing his arm and leaning back into his seat, haughtily. “I’ll have you know it is possible. How would you know? What if there had been accidents and we don’t hear about it because they literally wipe those people’s existence away. Lockhart has theorized-” his rambling was interrupted by Harry’s snort, the boy turning to glare at the offense.
“Oh yes, how could we forget about lovely Lockhart and his charming pristine smile? A god amongst mere humans. How could we not follow what he preaches, the blasphemy.” Harry all-out mocked, not holding back any punches. Ron lets out a whistle and Hermione rolled her eyes with a smile as she sat with the brochure in hand.
Seamus let out a groan, “I do not sound like that-”
Harry hummed, “of course not,” he gave a very business-like smile that would have the elder Malfoy a run for his money. “Love changes people, doesn’t it?” Harry was still smiling beatifically as he leans towards Seamus, “it makes us,” suddenly his expression changes to a deadpanned one within a second, “desperate.”
Harry leaned back into his own seat while Seamus looked more indignant with a gaping mouth. “Do try to notch it down, our whole compartment reeks of it, and trust me it’s not a good smell.” Seamus let out a disbelieving scoff, “please, you're still fucking sour over that little accident-”
“Accident!” Harry turned disbelieving eyes towards the other teen who had the decency to look a little chastised. “That fucking nutcase of a prickless bastard broke-NO! He literally vanished my fucking bones, Seamus. Gone! All of it, all the way to my elbows. It might as well have been a limp used condom!” With every word the other teen grimaced, internally banging his head for having brought up this very sore topic.
When Harry finished, he was practically red in the face, eyes blazing with fury at the memory. It was quite literally the worst part of his life, dark times indeed. There was one misfortune after another, a neverending curse.
Because of Lockhart's fuck-up. He couldn’t finish the game and in the first game he’s out of commission, the other team wins just because they didn't have enough players. Did that stop that overinflated balloon? No. The blond prat’s bragging could be heard all the way in Pluto and that planet is dead! That bleach-filled brain's team only won by default but they did and it was the talk of the whole city not just school for months. Then, of course, Oliver was on his case about the whole team losing, just him…what the hell was he supposed to catch the snitch with? He had to go through grueling torture under that quidditch-obsessed psycho, was his torment over? No, of course not, it ain't Harry’s life if it’s that easy. Then he had to deal with Snape as well as that toad woman, Umbridge.
The detentions were endless, it felt like he was stuck in detention every single moment. If that wasn’t bad enough, he had to go through the whole ordeal while being stuck living with his miserable relatives. No, living was putting it lightly, it’s more like he was their personal servant. Why in the nine realms of hell was he living with those awful scums? His whole family, from his parents to godfathers were stuck in a lockdown on a whole nother continent and they couldn't make it back. To this day he still does not know why he was stuck with those heartless people instead of Hermione's, Ron’s, Seamus’, or Dean’s family. Something about some random unknown law dealing with lockdowns.
His life sure had been bleak then and the whole domino was started by the one and only fuckass that goes by the name of Lockhart. Hate would be putting it not even mild but vanilla. If he ever sees that asshole, he’s going to knock every single last one of his perfect prissy annoyingly straight teeth out.
“He’s verified now,” Seamus added quite unhelpfully with a round of groans from the people in the compartment. Harry let out an exasperated groan as he just let his head fall back, rubbing at his temple. Ron making some noncommitted sound from having his face stuffed with chocolate, giving him a kick to the feet. He had opened his mouth to retort with something as well before something was thrown at him, it was a piece of chocolate. His nose scrunched away in distaste, some weird fucking vegan stuff Nev had been raging about. Nev? It was freaking Neville who threw it at him and not even decent chocolate but a shitty one. “That mouth needs to stop moving, just silence please.”
Harry gently rubbed his forehead to ease the tension that was building the longer he stayed near Seamus. He looked up in time just to see fucking Hermione open her mouth and just as quick he pointed an accusing finger at her, glaring, “you don't get to say anything.”
“What!”
“NO!”
“Ugh, I didn’t even get the chance,” she exclaimed with her hands in the air.
“Yes, that’s exactly the point,” Harry basically hissed out, narrowing his eyes at her. “But,” she started and he was having none of that. “You,” he emphasized, making her recoil a bit in a grimace, “chose him, of the male species over me!”
“You’re a male as well.”
Harry let out a scoff waving off her attempt at a defense, “please, Hermione, you know I am not of the same species as those. You betrayed us siding with that thing, and me! You betrayed your best friend, your platonic soul mate for that atrocious thing that looked like the byproduct of a pig slum and shit.”
“First of all, eew. That was disgusting, thank you very much. Secondly, I was twelve!”
Ron shook his head already knowing what's coming, Harry looked pleased and Hermione felt like a fish who fell for the bait. “Hermione,” he started with false pleasantness, “is it not you that always preached age should not be a reason why you are uneducated.” Harry and Ron fist-bumped, Harry not breaking eye contact with her for a second not even to blink. Hermione nodded her head, giving a small smirk, “touche, my friend, touche. Well played.”
Harry gave a pleased grin at the praise, “don’t be shy Hermione. Your brain is basically the child of a dictionary and an encyclopedia, with that many varieties of words in your head, don’t be bashful to use them all to compliment me. Please, use all the words you know, go ahead don’t be shy.” Hermione took one of the fun-sized chocolate from Neville and threw it at Harry, who was able to catch it before it hit him straight in the forehead.
“I’m afraid I will no longer be invited to the Potters' and Blacks' parties if I was the cause of you being blown away from your inflated head.”
Harry playfully rolled his eyes, “please Hermione do you know who I have to live with? Two of the most egocentric people there are, like if ego and conceit were people they would be the embodiment of it. I have no clue how my mother and Remus deal with the two.” There was a round of laughter from Hermione and Ron.
“Harry, mate. Imagine having to put up with Percy,” Ron blew out a gust of air, “torture I tell ya and with the addition of the twins. Don’t even get me started on when the older two visits, family dinners are really something.”
Neville nodded along in agreement, “tell me about it. When my nan comes over for the holidays,” Neville let out a shudder, “that woman is truly something else,” Harry grimaced, remembering the time he had the misfortune of meeting the woman. It would be world-ending if Dudley’s aunt Marge and Neville’s nan ever met.
“It gets hectic in my family. Quite literally all my family comes over, even some tenth removed cousin of our sixth removed cousin or something so basically strangers. I always leave before the clean-up time, don’t want to be stuck with that mess.”
“Yeah, you come over to bother me,” Dean gave a shove to Seamus, the latter giving him a shit-eating grin. “Having family come over from America is a pain and this asshole,” Dean wrapped an arm around Seamus’ neck, bringing him down, “doesn’t make it any better. He goes outta his way to cause more confusion to my relatives from overseas. This idiot literally somehow got one of my cousins to actually drive on the right side here. He’s lucky no one got hurt. Thin ice, I tell you, real thin ice.”
Seamus laughed, “you love me too much to turn me away,” he stuck out his tongue, Dean pinching his nose. “Is that a challenge?” Seamus hummed, “hmm, I don’t know. Think you can?” He taunted playfully.
“Ugh, stop. You will get kicked out of this compartment for public indecency.” Harry stuck out his tongue, his face twisted as if he smelled something utterly disgusting. “Public indecency?” Seamus spluttered, Dean, laughed while hugging his boyfriend tighter making kissy faces. “Oh Gods of the universes please save my eyes from these vile acts. This is hell.” He dramatically exclaimed while clawing at his eyes.
Hermione snorted, shaking her head, “hell is your family’s gathering Harry.”
“That bad?” Neville asked.
She nodded, “it’s crazy. When I say gathering, it’s just five people but the troubles that happen are beyond chaotic.”
“I have no involvement,” Harry boldly stated, confident in his stance.
“Ha! Bullshit!” Ron called out, slapping his thigh and pointing an accusing finger at him, “anywhere you are, there’s bound for trouble to be there.” Harry looked sorely offended, “I am no-”
“You do,” he whipped around to face his best friend-the first one, betrayed and insulted. “Harry. Let me put it this way, you’re basically Daphne.” Before he could even get the notion into his head, there was boisterous laughter erupting from his friends at the comparison. Harry then remembered what Sirius always called him, then it all clicked into place, “Fucking danger prone Daphne.”
“So because I mostly celebrate the holidays with Harry’s family, there is never a dull moment. James, Sirius, and Harry are basically Hermes, Loki, and Eris. Specifically in that order, drama is something that is never lacking at the get-togethers.”
“So basically every day,” Ron stated with a chuckle, Hermione concurring with, “every day.”
Harry was not pouting most definitely not puffing out his cheeks like a child. He then turned back to Seamus, “what about him?”
“Me?!”
“Yes, you. Who else?”
“You definitely picked me because of that Lockhart comment.”
Harry waved him off, “as if,” he gave a smirk, “you can thank your boyfriend for the info, he did that all on his own. Seriously, the right side of the road?”
“Ugh! It was a spur-of-the-moment prank…”
“Poorly thought out, indeed.”
Seamus, to get back at Harry, cuddled against Dean, “he’s bullying me.” He said with overly dramatic puppy eyes and a very whiny baby voice. Dean decided to play along, hugging his boyfriend, “aww, there, there.” He patted his boyfriend. Harry’s face of revulsion was totally worth putting up this cringy act.
Harry recoiled back, “disgusting creatures be gone. Hermione, do you know any exorcisms, spells? Anything! They’re possessed, it’s terrifying, I’m gonna puke. I vote to kick them out of our current humble abode.”
“Pft, like you can. You’re the only one who's gonna be voting.”
“I am not the only one who is repulsed!”
“I must agree with Harry here, that was overboard…”
“I cringed so hard, I almost lost my food.”
“That made me forget everything I was reading.”
“You guys are terrible friends. I should just rescue my prince from this prison, what’d you say Charming wanna ditch these trolls for our own little compartment?”
“Suddenly I’m a troll, so go do those deplorable acts elsewhere.”
“Maybe, we’ll actually stay to agonize you some more.”
“Even Dante didn't come across this in all of the nine circles of hell so why am I?”
“Amazingly done book reference, Harry.”
“Why, thank you.”
“Nooo, my best mate has been converted!”