Xerosis

Never As It Seems

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Never As It Seems
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Vernon stopped outside of King's Cross and gave Harry a beady glare as the boy took his time about getting out of the car. He didn't even have any apparent luggage, since it was all inside his shrunken trunk. Really, Harry was being slow just to see if his uncle would have an aneurism, which would be an awesome thing to happen just before he went off to Hogwarts.

Alas, no luck. Harry sighed to himself and started into the station as Vernon's car squealed loudly away. Perhaps for his twelfth birthday, then. Or his thirteenth. Oh, yes. Thirteen. Harry mentally added that to a list in his mind.

A few people eyed him a bit oddly, but Harry ignored them as he slipped through the early morning crowds to platforms nine and ten. At the barrier, he took a cursory glance around, then leaned back through the wall and onto the other side.

The Hogwarts train with its scarlet engine had ceased to inspire any sort of excitement in Harry by Lily's final year, but seeing it again after having walked through the wreckage was... amazing. Harry stopped for a moment and just smiled at the train, feeling a bit like he'd just come home.

He wondered how seeing Hogwarts would feel.

A bump from behind him reminded him that he wasn't that far from the barrier. He'd been lucky the next person coming through hadn't been running, honestly. "Sorry about that," he offered, turning to smile at the person.

"D-don't worry ab-about it," Neville Longbottom stuttered as his Gran stepped through behind him.

Harry's smile widened at his old friend. "Completely my fault," he assured the boy, "I stopped and stared instead of keeping on. Here, I'll help you with your luggage, hm?"

Neville seemed completely thrown for a loop, but there was no way he could refuse Harry when he'd already started off with Neville's trunk, so the boy grabbed his sack and Trevor and dashed after the other boy, calling, "Bye, Gran!" over his shoulder as he dove into the crowd.

Augusta Longbottom sighed and shook her head, then turned and wheeled the trolley back towards the entrance of the station. Boys would be boys. She just hoped that new boy wouldn't be too cruel to Neville.

On the train, Neville finally caught up with the thief of his trunk as the boy hefted it up into the luggage rack without any apparent trouble, leaving Neville staring like an idiot.

Harry dusted his hands together and turned to grin at Neville, who was standing in the doorway with his mouth hanging open. "Hey, you'll catch flies that way," he teased, gently pushing up on Neville's chin. "I'm Harry, by the way."

"N-Neville," the other boy stuttered a bit.

"Well, N-Neville, it's nice to meet you," Harry replied, flopping down in one of the chairs. "Come on in and sit down, huh? No point in blocking the door."

Neville shuffled over to the seat across from Harry and plopped down, clutching his toad and sack to his chest as if he was afraid Harry would steal them as well.

Harry rolled his eyes and shifted enough to pull Hogwarts, A History out of his back pocket – which was bigger on the inside than the outside so he could hold books and other toys in there. He stretched out over his bench and popped the book open to read, for all intents and purposes deciding to ignore Neville.

Neville was just starting to relax when the compartment door slid open and a girl with wild brown hair filled the opening. "Oh," she said, looking crestfallen.

Harry glanced over his book and took note of her trunk behind her. "Looking for a place to sit?" he asked, inwardly jumping for joy. He'd found Hermione!