A Hufflepuff heart | Hermione Granger

LXXIV

Bea barely strayed from Mattheo's side, her steps in sync with his as they navigated the bustling platform. She moved like a shadow, silent and composed, her expression unreadable beneath the weight of the past summer. Dressed in all black, every inch of her skin covered, she felt the stares of curious students lingering on her, but she ignored them. She wasn't ready for this.

Usually, she would've searched for her friends the moment she boarded the train, slipping into the safety of their laughter, their normalcy. But normal was no longer an option. Not after what she had done. Not after what she had become.

So instead, she followed Mattheo and Draco without question, letting them lead her through the narrow corridors of the Hogwarts Express. She kept her head high, her movements deliberate, but inside, her stomach churned.

They reached their compartment-one already occupied by familiar faces. Daphne, Pansy, Theo, and Blaise looked up as they entered, their expressions shifting the moment they saw her. No words were exchanged at first, but there was something heavy in the air. Not shock. Not confusion. Understanding.

Because they weren't stupid. Their families were like hers. They knew exactly what kind of summer she must have endured.

Bea sat down next to Mattheo, staring out the window as the train began to move, leaving the station behind. She clenched her jaw, bracing herself.

The train ride had settled into a tense sort of normalcy. No one asked them any questions they wasn't ready to answer, and she was grateful for it. Conversation drifted from topic to topic, none of it important enough for her to focus on. She just sat there, quiet, her fingers absently tracing the fabric of her sleeve, making sure not even a sliver of her skin showed.

At some point, Blaise was invited to some Slug Club gathering or whatever nonsense the new professor had come up with. He had rolled his eyes but went anyway, leaving the compartment behind. The resto of them barely noticed, lost in their own thoughts.

It wasn't until he returned that something felt... off.

Blaise slid the door open, stepping inside with his usual composed indifference, but as soon as he did, the door shuddered violently before sticking halfway open. A sharp creak filled the compartment, like something was forcing it to stay ajar.

"What the hell?" Mattheo muttered, standing up and giving it a hard shove. It didn't budge.

"What's wrong with this thing?" said Zabini angrily as he smashed the sliding door repeatedly

The door jerked once and then, as if nothing had happened, slid smoothly back into place.

Silence settled for a moment.

Blaise, unfazed, sat back down in his seat like nothing had happened.

"So, Zabini," said Malfoy, "what did Slughorn want?"

"Just trying to make up to well-connected people, Not that he managed to find many." This information did not seem to please Draco.

"Who else had he invited?" he demanded.

"McLaggen from Gryffindor," said Zabini.

"Oh yeah, his uncle's big in the Ministry," said Malfoy.

"- someone else called Belby, from Ravenclaw -"

"Not him, he's a prat!" said Pansy.

"- and Longbottom, Potter, and that Weasley girl," finished Blaise. Draco sat up very suddenly, knocking Pansy's hand aside, who was caressing his hair.

"He invited Longbottom?"

"Well, I assume so, as Longbottom was there," said Blaise indifferently.

"What's Longbottom got to interest Slughorn?" Blaise shrugged.