Helen Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

A/N: *looks up surprised* still with me? Awesome sauce! Let's examine some characters deeper flaws, bend some genders, and finish our last scene! A surprising amount of research is going into this, including trying to figure out who the two missing Gryffindor girls are! With no further ado, Chapter 2, take one….ACTION!

Chapter 2
Riches Rails and Rewards

Helen swallowed hard looking up at the statue. She had albums of pictures of her parents, from their pictures as kids to their wedding album that Severus had taken the day he took her, but to see them like this was somehow different. It was an image of them that was glorified to share with the masses and celebrate the sundering of a family… her family. It felt like a violation of the most private aspect of her life to have her parents portrayed in such a private way.

Severus’s hand fell on her shoulders and brought her back to the village square, “It is quite something, is it not?”

“I’m just trying to figure out what. Is this really how people see them?”

“This is why I have kept you out of wizarding England and got your hair cut to cover your scar,” He told her gently. “I wanted to keep you away from the mania surrounding your survival and the fervor of your celebrity. I thought you deserved as much peace as I could give you…I also didn’t want you to be a swaggering prick.”

He took her hand and led her from the square and down one of the lanes of cottages. She had a feeling she knew where they were headed, between their location and the tightening of her Dad’s fingers on her hand, she could feel the tension of the moment. They finally stopped in front of a cottage, a large chunk of it blown away. The yard was overgrown, the bushes in need of a trim, and she didn’t even want to think about the state of the house. She placed her free hand on the fence and watched a sign rise up from the ground. Her fingers ran over the gold letters that explained the events of that October night and the scrawled messages while her eyes misted with tears.

“May I borrow your wand Dad?”

He nodded and withdrew it from his sleeve. They both understood that as of now any magic cast by her using her own wand was traceable. Whatever she needed to do right now he wasn’t going to stand in her way. He recognized the wand movements as she all but bellowed Reparo and followed it with Scrougify. The crumbling ruin shook as bits of it flew back together, broken glass came out of the hedges and reassembled themselves and the whole place was being scrubbed clean as it happened. When it was all done she placed her hand on the latch and pushed the gate open.

When they entered she used the wand one last time to light the candles and stepped into her former home. It felt strange to be here, to be back where her life had so drastically changed directions. She entered the nursery and stopped, her hands shook and tears poured from her eyes as she slowly settled to the same spot her mother had fallen. It was as if she could feel the residual energy left from not only the killing curse, which felt cold and sickening, but also her mother’s love which felt like warmth and joy, especially when her hand took hold of the crib’s bars.

“Why does it feel different…downstairs the cold feels full of loathing for weakness, incredulity toward stupidity, and a malicious joy. Here though, it feels sickening, like fear and determination with the sudden realization of contempt. Why would he feel contempt for my mother? Why would he fear me, Dad?”

Severus sat heavily, his hands bunched into fists on his lap, “She died for love, Helen. It is an emotion he has never felt and can never understand. He has no friends, no family, no mate. There is no one he cares about and no one who cares about him. When he sees love it turns his stomach, he can’t understand how anyone could be willing to place so much of themselves into another that their life becomes secondary.”

“And why was he afraid? What would make him afraid?”

“A prophecy. It foretold his downfall.” She started to open her mouth but he held his hand out, “I can’t tell you the prophecy and I wouldn’t if I could. I know enough about it to give you the idea of what it said, but I don’t want you thinking about that.”

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, their eyes snapping to each other before they both looked toward the front of the house. Severus made his way down the stairs and threw it open with a suddenness that would leave anyone off footed but the slow talking man with the smooth shaven head and the deep chocolate skin on the other side stood stoically on the steps.

“Hello Severus, Helen,” Kingsley said in his smooth rich voice. “You two caused quite the stir. The Aurors wanted to come here in force thinking it was Death Eaters. But since it's you two I think we can avoid that. Can we sit?”

“Hello Shacklebolt, why don’t you step into the sitting room.”

Helen came down the stairs and took the couch but quickly jumped up. She turned and moved the cushion to discover a wand wedged in the couch. Looking around she spotted a second that had rolled under a chair. She went and grabbed it then looked at the two wands trying to keep reign on her emotions. They hadn’t even had a proper chance to fight back. Everything she had heard about her parents and they didn’t get their chance to actually fight back and that bothered her. She could feel her dad’s growing concern as she looked at the wands silently, stuck in her own head.

He looked to Kingsley, “What exactly can we do for you?”

“Well, this is a strange situation Snape. The Ministry took possession of the house after the Potters’ death and turned it into something of a memorial. However, Amelia Bones informs me that the statutes used to do so weren’t exactly what they were supposed to be. On the grounds that this was the sight of dark magic the Ministry technically seized the property, but according to the law they really didn’t have the right. The next minister decided to place the house into escrow until Helen came of age, again though, he didn’t have the legal authority to do so.”

He turned to Helen, “We would like to offer you the value of the property with adjusted interest for the ten year loan of the cottage. People still visit and we would like them to be able to, to understand the history of the event.”

She waved her hand at an empty frame on the mantle, “You mean like they do with that statue? Come around like a bunch of voyeurs? My mum and dad didn’t die for the wizarding world, they died for me, they didn’t die to be statues, they died to keep me alive. Yet you want me to sell you their home, and expect that I am not going to blast that statue on the way out?”

“Easy Helen,” Severus warned.

“To hell with that dad! I want that picture back, I want that statue gone, and if I decide to sell them my parents’ house I expect it to actually be cared for! My life isn’t some show for the curious to gawk at…they…they were my parents. Dad, take me there.”

He knew what she meant and as soon as she asked Kingsley was forgotten. He took her hand again and walked her back toward the church and the graveyard attached. Her hands trembled as she pushed open the kissing gate, it was as if opening it had suddenly made this moment a reality. Was she ready for this? But more than that, would she ever be? These were her parents and they were gone, and it honestly hurt every day. She loved Severus, he was the best, but she had never gotten to find out about her own father and mother. She hadn’t gotten to learn to cook and bake at her mum’s side or ride a bike with her dad chasing along on his broom to keep her safe. There were no birthdays with her parents doting on her, and her mum’s homemade cake. Her breath caught in her throat, she could have been an older sister. They were young, only twenty-one when they died, that meant they had plenty of time to have a family. Did they have plans for that? How many siblings would she have had? Would she have been a good sister?

Then they were there. They were standing before two white marble headstones, and her thoughts wouldn’t stop. The images of picnics in the park and days at the beach and trips to foreign places and their smiling faces filling every moment cut like a knife into her very soul as she collapsed to the ground and sobbed. He hadn’t just killed her parents but their future, and her future with them. Lord Voldemort had stripped away a million what-ifs in the blink of an eye and sent her and her future down this path, the path that held Severus as her dad and her intent to one day face him and repay him for all that he had done to her and all the kids just like her.

When she looked up the two headstones were gone, in their place was a single white marble stone with both of her parents’ names and dates on it, the foolish line about death rubbed away by the weight of her feelings. The grass over them was a field of verdant green and two lilies grew on either side of the stone. The line about death had been replaced with the word ‘Beloved parents, taken to soon’. She let Severus pull her into the fold of his arms and rested her head against him.

She suddenly realized just how hard this must be for her dad. Sure, he wasn’t her birth father, but he had raised her for the better part of ten years now and to bring her here, to see her real parents must have hurt him on some level. He had done everything he could to make her childhood happy. He had even insisted that she call him Severus until he realized it was a battle he wasn’t going to win. She saw him as her dad, he had done his job of raising her well enough that she saw him in a light he had never intended.

“Daddy, take me home. I want to go back to Spinners End.”

He stood with her cradled in his arms and turned on the spot. She was going to have more days like this one as time went on, and there was nothing Severus could do to protect her from them. But he could teach her how to pick up the mess when it was over. That was something he was very good at.

That night was difficult at best. There was little doubt that Helen was angry, but her moods came in waves. Severus did his best to care for her while she cried and braced while she screamed. He had tried to prepare her for this day, for the day she confronted her parents’ deaths, but instead it seemed as if he had only scratched the surface of those feelings.

She could feel the weight of his mind as he tried to calm her. He had taught her to layer her mind, in fantasy, in history, and in a hundred lies. The deeper the layers the deeper the protection before a legilmens could reach the layers of emotion and fact. He didn’t need to penetrate her mind to find her emotions. They were raw and bleeding right now. Like road rash they were on the surface and painfully open.  But he couldn’t get to her thoughts, her vault was still locked and secure. He had taught her well. Just like her dad she was controlled, practiced, and patient. She could get through this, she would get through this.

They had made a mockery of her life, made a mockery of her parents death, a death she still didn’t understand. Why would the Dork Lord personally kill her parents, what could have caused him to hate them so that he would go out and hunt them down personally? More than that though, how did he find them to do it? There were so many questions, and yet there were answers that her own family refused to give her.

She could feel Severus’s mind, his calm, his care, and most of all his love. Everyone thought he was a cold uncaring man. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once he let you through the layers of black wool and you found his heart, he was warm and loving, even if it was in his own ways. Her dad was sarcastic, snarky, often times a git, and more often than not harder to read than Chinese stereo instructions. But she could honestly say she wouldn’t have him any other way. Who else would be sitting with her, at three o’clock in the morning, gently stroking her mind and back while she went through all of this.

As the old grandfather clock in the sitting room struck four she finally looked up at her father, “I need to know.”

“That is far to open ended of a question Helen, I thought I had taught you to focus those questions. But let us talk. If you are going to ask such a broad question perhaps it's time. Come, we will go down to the kitchen, make a cup of tea, and sit on the couch. My back is unhappy with your bed.”

They didn’t do teabags here. Severus Snape believed that if you were going to enjoy a cuppa then you should do so properly. Much like his profession each brew was carefully prepared for its user. The water was set to the flame and he pulled down the tea caddy. His practiced hands pulled drawers and added pinches of whatever it was he was looking for. Normally she would have paid attention to what he was adding, but at this point she just didn’t care. When the water reached the proper temperature he swirled the teapot before adding the heated water and infuser to allow it to brew.

“I met your mother in the playground, the one that you enjoy so much. Perhaps that is why you spend so much time there when we are home. She was a muggleborn, so she didn’t have the experience that goes along with a magical parent. I had learned to control my wild magic and together we played. We discussed magic, we played on the playground, and we experimented with our own magics. She was my best friend.”

He poured the tea and added four sugar cubes to hers, “Things started to change when we got to Hogwarts, she met new people and she met your father and his friends. Our closeness seemed to begin to fade away, but each summer we would return and our relationship would renew and grow. I started to believe that we were meant to be together. As the years wore on I started to harbor feelings for her. But I hated your father. He and his friends thought I was a threat, to dark, to greasy, and to much unlike them. We clashed, often. But your mother had little use for James. He began to profess his love for her, strutting around like a peacock.”

He looked at her sheepishly, “I have to admit at this point that I was less than pleased. I began to ramp up our confrontations and before long I was spending more time watching my back than watching my homework. We had just finished our OWLs when things came to a head. There was a confrontation and I lost. When your mother came to help me, I did not accept her help gracefully. I called her something I never should have and our friendship fell apart.”

Helen set her tea cup on the table and folded her legs under her, “You were angry, embarrassed, and I am sure you felt a little emasculated.”

Severus nodded, “All of the above. But I let my pride get the best of me. I apologized, but when she rejected it I decided I was better off alone. Over time she decided that I had meant my apology, and when she came to me I rejected her. By that point I was too proud to accept, to sure she was better off without me, and she was with your father.”

“You really hated him that much?”

“Oh, absolutely. He was a swaggering prat, all the girls loved him, all the boys wanted to be like him, and he had her. Your godfather wasn’t much better…I take that back, he was worse. Not only did the girls love him, but he also took advantage of that far too often. Lupin was the only one that seemed like he had an ounce of redeeming quality.”

“So what about after Hogwarts?”

Severus hung his head, “I went to work for Lucius. He needed someone to brew for him, and I needed money. I couldn’t go back home. My father had gotten worse, he had been injured and couldn’t work any longer. He spent his days drinking and I was not putting myself back in that situation. Lucius said he had friends who could help set me up for life after Hogwarts.”

He walked up the gravel path to the manor. Lucius was throwing a party and for the first time he was invited. His friend had told him that this was a gathering of likeminded individuals, people who were like them. Severus wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, Lucius was a pureblood, Severus a half-blood. In almost every way they were quite different. Except the most important. They both believed that the only way to navigate this world was to be at the top of the chain of power. Severus wanted to be at the top of that pyramid.

The guests were dressed in voluminous black robes, the only color a silver mask that a handful wore. The room was dimly lit and elves passed through the crowd with trays of appetizers and drinks. Lucius introduced Severus around the room, he was the only one not dressed in velvet robes. Instead he wore his standard wool and he stuck out. His presence seemed to excite those he met. As the hour drew to a close all conversation came to a halt.

Lucius drew Severus back to the edge of the room and smiled. He knew the figure who entered, he had seen him before, had read news articles, had heard the whispers. His lips were a thin line and his head was smooth. His fingers were long tipped with sharp nails, and his skin was a sickly grey. He wore black robes like his followers, but his were trimmed in embroidery in more black.

“Lucius, my son, where is he?”

Lucius stepped forward and knelt, “My lord, I present to you Severus Snape. He has been brewing our potions for us.”

Voldemort nodded, “Very good.” He looked around the assembly, “Continue the party my Death Eaters.”

He took Severus’s arm and guided him to a dais with a single chair, “Tell me child, why does Lucius think you are fit for our ranks?”

“I don’t know…my lord. Lucius and I have been friends for many years. He knows me as well as anyone else.”

“Yes, he does. You seek power, prestige… to be valued. If you walk with me you will have everything your heart desires. I can teach you all those things that Dumbledore denies his students. I can teach you to become darkness, to harness nature, and to wield powers the likes of which you have never seen. No one will ever hurt you again.”

That was the key. He remembered it, all the times his father had taken the belt to him, the times James and his friends had hexed him repeatedly, the times his own housemates had sneered at the lowly half-blood. He had wanted that power, needed it…

Severus shook his head to clear it, “He used my pain and hatred against me. Then he did something…he killed my parents. He thought he was giving me a gift you see. He brought them into the circle and I felt nothing as he killed my father. But when he turned his wand on my mother… she was a cold woman, but she loved me.”

“You’re like me.”

“Yes little one, I am. I barely managed to keep my composure and when the meeting was over I left. I went straight to Hogwarts and Dumbledore. It took months of spying before he trusted me. One day I found a secret. I found out how to remove the magical leash that tethers to the Dark Mark.” He refilled his tea cup and offered her a second cup, “Death was required to take the mark and a life was required to sever it. The war was in full swing so it wasn’t difficult to find a life to save. I chose Lucius’s. He balked at killing a child and the Dark Lord wasn’t pleased. I took the punishment for him since he had already taken a hell of a beating. But it was enough to sever the connection. I could feel the call, but it no longer affected me.”

“You’ve gone off topic.”

“Not entirely. As I set up my ring of informants I started to attend Order meetings. That is how I was reunited with your parents. James had changed. Aging, war, and marriage had matured him. The same was true for myself. I apologized to your mother, and she to me. We rapidly rebuilt our friendship, in and out of battle. But she wouldn’t leave it there. Your mother was very… persuasive. Before long she had me spending time with Lupin, then your father, and before I knew it Sirius Black. Nothing they could do could get me to spend time with Peter. I never could stand that little rat. Something about him just didn’t rub me right.”

Helen leaned against her dad, “You should tell me more about them.”

He started to stroke her hair as he watched her eyes starting to grow heavy, “You’re right, I should have been telling you about them for a long time now. Even the parts that I’m not fond of. You would be amused to…” Severus smiled at the sleeping girl, “Well, perhaps another time.”

“Helen, Kingsley is here, he wishes to have a word with you and then we need to get to Kings Cross.”

She grabbed hold of her trunk and gave a tug but promptly fell on her butt. She laughed and shook her head, she could barely lift the trunk empty, she guessed full was out of the question. Shaking her head she made her way down the stairs and opened the secret door behind the bookcase. She found Kingsley and Severus in the kitchen, a pot of tea between them.

“I’m all packed dad, but I’ll be chuffed if I can carry the thing.” She grabbed her mug and tested the temperature before smiling at Kingsley, “Kingsley, how are you today?”

“I am well Helen. I have here your parents will and Severus has finally agreed to allow me to tell you about the contents. Your parents have left you their vault and all their possessions minus a single photo which they have left to Severus. Furthermore, there is also the matter of your grandparents. You have a vault at Gringotts…” he rummaged in his pocket before pulling out a single key, “ah here it is. As to the house, the ministry has agreed to remove the statue and commission a piece that is more sensitive to you, they are also willing to seal the house in a moment in time so that it remains exactly as it is and seal it so that none but you and those you bring with can enter.”

“That’s fine, work out the details with dad and put whatever the profits end up being in my vault please.” She hesitated then pushed ahead, “If you could shrink the statue I would rather like it for my room.”

Kingsley smiled, “Done and done. Now, I have to run, I have a meeting with the ministers. Have a safe trip.”

Severus grunted as he tried to come down the stairs carrying her trunk but he gave it up and waved his wand, “What the bloody hell is in here?”

She grinned unrepentantly, “My library.”

“You borrowed my wand again, didn’t you?”

“Nope, used mums. They have no clue it still functions and since it isn’t mine they can’t track it to me.”

“Just be careful, unregistered wands can get you in quite a bit of trouble, and you’re trouble enough already.”

“Less talk dad, more moving! We’re going to be late otherwise, and you are always cranky when you are running late.”

“I am not cranky. Now, take my hand so we can get there and then I can throw my back out moving this thing.”

Helen laughed before unfolding a small two wheel trolly with straps, “Why don’t you just put it on this then?”

“Smart ass. Let’s go, the train leaves soon.”

They apparated to a spot behind the station and quickly made their way inside. They found platforms nine and ten and Severus led the way to a point between them. He took her hand without any preamble and made his way straight at the wall. Helen felt her heart start to beat faster as they got nearer and showed no signs of stopping. In the past she and Severus had always flooed or apparated to Hogwarts, but she now expected to take the train. Then they were at the wall and just as quickly through it. Helen stopped in her tracks, her eyes taking in the teaming platform and its glistening scarlet train. There were parents hugging their kids, owls and cats, and toads in cages. And sitting on the tracks was a gleaming red steam engine with gold fittings that matched its cars smartly.

Helen hadn’t been around many crowds, it was rather intimidating for the girl who spent her time alone or in the outdoors. But more than that was the knowledge that these people would faun over her if given half the chance. Her parents’ sacrifice meant that they saw her as some kind of savior and she wanted to avoid that at all costs. She was truly wishing that her dad had changed her last name when he adopted her. At least then people would only know if she told them. But here was a platform teaming with people and there was a fairly good chance that someone would find out. A stray gust would ruffle her fringe and flash her scar for all and sundry to see.

Severus got her trunk onto the train then returned to her on the platform, “You have everything you need? You didn’t forget anything?”

“I don’t think so, but how important can it be if I forgot to pack it?”

“Very well, behave on the ride.” He pulled out a small sack and handed it to her, “For the lunch trolly, there should be enough there for you to stuff yourself on sweets.”

He looked around the platform awkwardly before finally stepping forward and enfolding her in his layers of black wool. She knew he was trying to keep a level of privacy but the ice broke as he felt her kiss his cheek before dashing onto the train. She looked out the window and waved as the train began to make its way down the track. Severus waved back and watched her turn the corner and then he was gone.

She found a compartment and gave her wand a wave just like Severus had taught her. Her trunk sprang from the ground and lifted itself onto the luggage rack. She was rather thankful they were on the train and magic was allowed, she would have needed to find help otherwise. Mia had gone with Severus, she was just too big to ride the train in anything less than a large box. She pulled out a copy of Potions Potential and started to read through this month’s articles on hair care potions. She rolled her eyes at the article on page seven, Severus had again put her down as the author of note on one of their cosmetic’s potions. She would never understand why he refused credit, what was so wrong with a man making cosmetic potions, her grandfather was famous for them.

She looked up as the door slid open and a young redheaded boy entered, “Is this seat taken?”

“No, help yourself.”

“Ron Weasley,” the boy introduced himself with a smug smile.

He was wearing what looked like new jeans and a jumper in deep purple. He was well groomed and had the general air of someone well connected with the ministry. Helen found it a bit off putting, but she wasn’t going to make snap judgements. She took his hand and shook it.

“Helen Potter, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Helen Potter…You mean the Helen Potter? The one that defeated You-Know-Who?”

Helen shook her head, “My mum did that, I was just his target.”

“I thought as much, I mean who could believe a baby could defeat him?” He pulled a sack from his trunk and offered her one of the cookies within, “No familiar?”

“I couldn’t bring her on the train, she is too large. I had to make other arrangements.”

“To large, what did you get, a cat?”

Helen grinned, “No, Mia is a six foot long boa constrictor. I have no clue how I would tote her along on the train short of wearing her like a scarf. She rather enjoys that, but I thought others might find it a bit alarming.”

“Well, this is Scabbers, he used to be my brother Percy’s, but he made prefect and my parents bought him an owl,” he rolled his eyes. “Now that my father is head of a department you would think he could do a little more. But no, we still live in the same house, my mum still makes the same food, and my dad still acts like he is in his tiny office. I mean honestly, would it have hurt for them to buy me something better than this rat?”

She found his attitude off putting, he seemed angry that his parents hadn’t bought him a new pet, never mind the price. From what she had seen on the platform he was one of several children meaning all costs would be magnified. There was also the simple fact that he kept preening while talking. He continually adjusted the way his jumper sat, recrossing his legs and checking that the logo of his trainers was properly visible, it was all a bit much.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me,” she said standing, “I think I’ll go and stretch my legs a bit. I’ll be back.”

She stepped into the hallway and bumped into a girl with thick curls and an overbite. She was pretty in a bookish kind of way and Helen smiled. She was sure that with her glasses and thick red hair that she probably wasn’t that far off of looking bookish herself, and since she was rather bookish that seemed appropriate.

“You haven’t seen a toad have you? I am helping a girl try to find hers.”

“Sorry, I’ve only seen a toad of the human variety. But I can help you look if you like.”

“Thanks, Nina is besides herself. I’m Hermione Granger, and you are?”

“I’m Helen Potter, nice to meet you.”

They set off down the aisle checking cabins as they went. There were plenty of toady boys, but they didn’t find a sign of an actual amphibian while they talked. Helen found she didn’t mind, Hermione was intelligent and insightful.

“It was something of a shock when Professor McGonagall knocked on our door, but my parents were so pleased. What about you?”

“My dad is a professor at Hogwarts, he teaches potions. I kind of grew up there.”

“You must know loads about the castle then. I’ve read Hogwarts: A History a couple of times, it sounds fascinating.”

“It is, it’s also dreadfully easy to get lost. The staircases move, there are secret passages all over and some of them let out in the oddest spots, and there are whole sections hidden behind secret doors. The dungeons and basements are fun to explore, the dungeons more than the basements, unless of course you’re looking for a barrel of apples or a case of butter beer. I wasn’t allowed up into the main castle too much, but I spent a fair amount of time running around the dungeons.”

Helen looked in the next window and froze, sitting with a couple of people was Draco Malfoy, with a toad in his hand. Helen shook her head at seeing her friend having the source of their search and knocked on the door. Leave it to Draco to find a wayward animal and take care of it.

“Helen! How was your summer? Did Severus take you hunting ingredients again?”

“Hello Draco. It was fun. We even spent some time just sitting around the house for a change of pace. Draco, this is Hermione Granger, and I see you have already met Trevor.”

“So that’s who this little guy is. He came hopping in here a while ago. Is he yours?”

“Goodness, no. Mia would swallow him whole. He belongs to a girl named Nina.”

“Well, she should really keep a closer eye on him. Allow me to introduce Terry Boot, Michael Corner, and Anthony Goldstein. Guys this is Helen Potter, and her friend Hermione Granger.”

Helen didn’t miss the look on Hermione’s face being introduced as her friend. Hermione was a girl that had grown up alone, just like she had. More often than not her dad was her only companion, she wondered which of Hermione’s parents sat reading with her.

“We only just met,” Helen informed him, “but I rather like her. I see you are making some new friends as well.”

“Yea, I tried sitting with Crabb and Goyle, but they only grunt and laugh at people. Now, why don’t you take this little guy back to his friend.”

“Thanks Draco, see you later.”

They grabbed Trevor and made their way back up the walkway. Hermione kept glancing at her and Helen found herself curious what the other girl was thinking. She had a feeling she had a good idea of what was going on in her head, but she wasn’t big into guess work. It would tumble out when she was ready though.

Sure enough, “So, we’re friends?”

Helen shrugged, “Do you want to be friends? I’ve only got Draco and he kind of came with my dad, so I don’t have a lot of experience making them.”

“You don’t think I’m to bossy, or bookish?”

Helen laughed, “Listen Hermione, my dad is probably the bossiest most bookish bastard alive, and I adore him, so why would I have a problem with you? Besides, strong women are awesome!”

They reached a compartment and Hermione opened the door. Inside was a boy with an Irish brogue thick enough to cut, talking to a black boy who was laughing at the off color joke the Irish boy was telling, and a mousy girl with brown hair and cherub cheeks who looked dejected. Hermione walked up to her and held out the escaped toad.

“We found him, Nina. He managed to make it a good way down the train. You really should keep a better eye on him though.”

Nina took the toad and hugged him, “Thanks so much Hermione! I just got back from the front of the train and I thought for sure he was gone.”

“Nina, Dean, Seamus, this is Helen.”

They exchanged greetings and spent some time talking. Seamus seemed rather obsessed with turning water into alcohol and had the group laughing with the tales of his failed attempts. There was one thing bothering her though, everyone who now knew her name kept trying to glance at her scar. There was a reason she kept the fringe she wasn’t exactly fond of. It was a pain to keep out of her eyes, it needed lots of maintenance or it would get too long and there was no telling what it would do on a broom. But they thought nothing of trying to see the scar that set her apart from others.

Hermione came in and told them they were getting close to the castle so Helen finally excused herself to return to her belongings, and the cabin they were in. She found Ron talking to another boy about his best friend and stopped dead when she heard her name. They had talked for a few minutes, in what world did that make them best friends? More than that though, her trunk had been opened and her neatly packed possessions pawed through. Since Ron wasn’t sporting any spots or boils she knew everything was still inside, but next time she was going to use a lock. She grabbed her robes and spun to face him.

“First of all, we are not best friends, we aren’t even friends. I can tell you that by the disrespect you have shown me. Secondly, I hope you had a good time going through my possessions because the next time I catch you near them I’ll hang you upside down over the lake so the giant squid can play ball with your head!”

With that she gave a wave and she and her trunk stormed from the cabin. She found a bathroom and quickly got changed. What was it with people and their obsession with her.