The Mastermind

Return to Hogwarts

September couldn't come soon enough for me. Yet when it finally came, I was completely unprepared. A morning of throwing all my belongings into my trunk ensued. I made sure to grab all of my plans.

At the platform my Mother promised to send me anything I'd forgotten as I hugged her goodbye.

"I'm not sure we have enough Owls for that love." I heard my father's voice from behind Mum. I used one arm to swat behind her in the general area of where I thought Dad was, but kept the other around her neck. I heard a chuckle from Dad and a rather weepy laugh from Mum. I pulled back.

"Right, none of that now. I'll see you for Christmas break and I promise to at least attempt to write once a month." I told her, ducking her swiping hand as she mumbled something about you'd better. I bear hugged Dad too.

"I'll miss you Dee."

"You too Dad."

I left the tender moment there for all of three seconds before I continued.

"I mean who else are you going to argue about the point of lampshades with?"

He drew back and I instinctively ducked another playful swat.

"Alright I'll actually miss you guys and all that, you know I will."

I picked up my trunk and stood before them as people moved like a stream around our little island of stillness. They both stared at me for a moment before nodding their heads and pulling me into a final hug. I only protested for show. They let me go and I turned to the train waving goodbye. I refused to acknowledge my mother's watery eyes.

I soon found an empty compartment. I'd seen Sam and Tessa catching up on the platform together out a window and motioned for them to come find me. I settled in with my trunk stored above me and my sheets of parchment I'd been working on all summer spread on the seat next to me.

It was these I was poring over when the ever sarcastic Sam made a witty appearance.

"I didn't realise we'd been set homework over the Summer holidays. Or that you of all people would actually do it." I looked up to see her grinning at me from her place against the doorway, her hair was noticeably longer now, and she was wearing it loose instead of it's customary tight braid. A matching grin soon spread across my own face and I stood up to hug her.

"I missed you blondie." I admitted, before pulling back.

"As much as I loathe to admit it," She drawled "I missed you too Leppy."

We grinned at each other for a moment before Tessa cut in.

"Please do continue standing in the doorway, I love blocking the hall." I dodged around Sam and hugged Tessa's small frame as well.

"Missed you Tess."

"Same here Dee."

I held the stained wood frame of the sliding door open as she struggled in with her matching set of luggage. When she'd first turned up with the collection three Septembers ago, Sam and I had given her no respite. We had rather quickly stopped the teasing when she finally snapped and hexed us both soundly. Besides, I never seemed to have everything I needed to get through the year, and Tessa always did, so I could hardly criticize if I intended to benefit. Sam and I helped her lift her bags onto the racks with minimal grumbling.

"Bloody hell Squirt, have you done a space expanding charm and taken your entire bedroom?" Sam's face was mushed into the side of the largest suitcase as she attempted to leverage it off the wall.

"No I actually filled it with your collection of Star Wars action figures." Tessa adjusted a stray dark strand neatly back into her perfect bob. "Took them all out of their nice boxes and just shoved them together, I bet they're nice and scuffed..."