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He wasn't expecting a very eventful morning, on September first. The novelty of going to Hogwarts usually wore off after the first year and for him, it had never existed in the first place. For him it was usually a peaceful day. Under Andromeda's supervision, one could never afford to be late.
Ophiuchus had forced open one of the the few dusty, almost jammed windows in the house, to see the outside world. The September air, was pleasant and cool. The dry leaves, tinted in bright reddish orange and brownish yellows, were blown here and there with the sudden strong gusts of wind, before gracefully landing on the grass, which in turn was bathed in dew. Ophiuchus had always preferred autumn over spring. There was something in the air which made him feel almost excited. Spring was vibrant and beautiful. But Autumn was serene. He felt joy in Autumn and comfort in winter. They felt wiser they reminded him of how everything must pass.
But his hope for a peaceful morning was completely shattered a few hours later when the screaming and falling and destroying began. Mrs Weasley and his grandmother shouted at the top of their lungs, his father acted like his usual self and the Weasley children for Merlin's sake could not behave properly. Or maybe he was rather stoic. While he did like pranks, he would rather save them for better occasion rather than causing trouble at any point of the day.
It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross on foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for Harry's entertainment. Ophiuchus had to restrain himself from pointing out how stupid it really was. Perhaps give it a pass for more dog-like behavior ?
Ophiuchus saw Sirius in his animagus form, hurrying into an empty room. For that once, he let his curiosity get the best of him and followed after Harry just till the door of the waiting room. He saw Sirius transform back into his human form through the translucent glass. He wanted to follow them in, but he couldn't bring himself to enter. He reached for the handle but his hand balled itself into a fist before he could even touch it. He did not belong there. He did not belong between them.
He bit his lip and turned on his heel to join the others. What he was feeling was hardly explainable. Mrs. Weasley was still complaining to Tonks about Sirius's recklessness, but Ophiuchus could tell the the younger witch couldn't have cared less.
Once Harry joined them again, they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through on to platform nine and three-quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families. Ophiuchus ignored the pang of jealousy he felt when he saw parents kiss their children goodbye. He reminded himself almost like a prayer, this silence is golden. This freedom is precious. I'm an almost boundless orphan, walking barefoot on the sand.
Tonks hugged Ophiuchus, Ginny and Hermione goodbye. Andromeda hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. "Be good," she said into his ear and pinched his nose. They way she scrunched her nose in a loving motherly fashion made his heart warm up. He may not have his father. But he had Andy.
A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying on to the train. "Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random and catching Harry twice. "Write... be good... if you've forgotten anything we'll send it on... on to the train, now, hurry..."
He gave Andromeda a mischievous smile, before he ran to board the train.
"See you!"he heard Harry call out of the open window as the train began to move, while Ron, Hermione and Ginny waved beside him. The figures of Andromeda, Nymphie, Lupin, Moody and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, then they rounded a bend, and Sirius was gone.
"He shouldn't have come with us," said Hermione in a worried voice.
"Oh, lighten up," said Ron, "he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke."
" It looks like he wants to get caught," Ophiuchus drawled.
"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later," and he and George disappeared down the corridor to the right.
The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past, and they swayed where they stood.
"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked.
Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.
"Er," said Ron.
"We're - well - Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.
Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.
"Oh," said Harry. "Right. Fine."
Ophiuchus could tell that he was very disappointed, but was doing his best to hide his feelings.
"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time." "Fine," said Harry again. "Well, I - I might see you later, then."
"Yeah, definitely," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather - but we have to -I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy," he finished defiantly.
"I know you're not," said Harry and he grinned. But as Hermione and Ron dragged their trunks, Crookshanks and a caged Pigwidgeon off towards the engine end of the train, Ophiuchus could almost see the odd sense of loss in Harry's mind.
The bespectacled boy now turned around to face Ophiuchus. "So you'll be joining your friends?" he asked awkwardly.
"I would've," said Ophiuchus, " If I had them."
" What do you mean that you don't have them?" he said as they walked down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment. Ginny had already gone to the opposite direction.
"I've people who are civil to me," Ophiuchus sighed. " Who wants to be friends with a murderer's son ?"
Ophiuchus ignored the uncomfortable silence that descended between them. Once they were inside a compartment, he pushed his trunk under the seat and helped himself to one of the seats nearest to the window.
" Got a gift ?" he asked Harry when he saw a piece of paper peeking out of his pocket.
Harry reached for his pocket and offered him a very old piece of paper, which Ophiuchus opened to find a group of people looking up at her. "Ah," Ophiuchus looked at Harry, with a glint of excitement in his eyes, "Original Order of the Phoenix. Mother used to have a copy of this."The picture was full of dead people. Young and hopeful lives claimed by war. Ophiuchus had to stop himself from flinching back when he saw his mothers face, smiling up at him untainted by the atrocities of war, yet to learn how cruel the world really was.
Another very uneasy silence descended between them. In retrospect, Harry and Ophiuchus were not that different. They had both didn't get to have proper families. And while the latter had a much better childhood and was raised in a loving home. They had both been something untouchable and somewhat outcast by the rest of the Hogwarts student body. Harry had a much easier time interacting with them as compared to Ophiuchus. Most people would rather go camping into the Forbidden Forest than be friends with him.
He reminded himself again. This silence is golden. This freedom is precious. I'm an almost boundless orphan, walking barefoot on the sand.
