For several more hours he sat there in comfortable silence. The clackity-clack of the train going over the rails almost lulled him to sleep. He would have gone had his door not suddenly opened.
...
"Uh, excuse me?" a girl's voice said.
Harry's head snapped to where he'd heard a familiar voice. "Yes?" he returned.
"Do you mind if I come in here for a few minutes?" Harry could see she'd been crying.
"Sure," he replied, finally remembering his manners and moving his large trunk out of the way so she could come in. It was Hermione.
Emotions shot through his head, his heart, his stomach, but fortunately bypassed his spleen. While she made herself comfortable on the seat across from him, he came to grips that this was an entirely different Hermione than what he'd left. He hadn't really ever wanted to throw his friendship with his old friend away but the mean things she had said during the time she and Ron had thought he was going dark as the inside of a filled oil drum had hurt him deeply. But this Hermione was a clean slate. She didn't have any preconceived prejudices.
"Hello. Are you ok?" Harry asked quietly while giving her a smile.
"I'm fine," she sniffed, her head tilting down as she didn't want him to see the tears welling up in her eyes. It didn't matter. He still saw.
Harry's mouth thinned and he vocally conjured a tissue for his friend. When did she become my friend again? he asked mentally. Now, I guess, he answered himself.
"Here, wipe your tears. Pretty girls like you shouldn't cry," he said, giving her an encouraging smile.
Hermione's head had come up when Harry had conjured the tissue anyway and now she looked on in awe as she wiped the near-tears from her eyes. Sniff "Thank you."
"You're more than welcome," Harry soothed.
"How did you do that?" Hermione asked, dabbing the last of the leakage out of the corner of her eyes.
"Do what?" Harry said smiling.
"Make this tissue," she replied, holding up the now obviously used white ball of paper.
Over the past few months Harry had plenty of time to figure out his next move. Obviously if he announced to the world who he was, his new parents would press for the return of their original son (if he were still alive that is - and Harry hoped that he was), and they would probably not get rid of him. But they would look at him differently and that was something he was hoping he could delay a little longer at least. Eventually he'd have to tell them the truth. He owed them that much.
Still, he needed to figure out what he was going to do with the rest of his life. He couldn't sit at home and say he didn't need school like Leon. He had to go if only to keep up the charade. Besides, as long as he was honest with himself, he found himself looking forward to going to school and learning things he didn't get a chance to the first time around. That being said, he knew that going to school would probably mean he'd display knowledge now and again that was advance of what they were learning on any given subject. Therefore he decided to advance his reading (which he'd started with in August), and also put on a public show now and again indicating that he was a smart wizard, one not to be trifled with. Unless someone had a truffle, since those were tasty. Especially chocolate truffles, but that's beside the point.
He wasn't going to show anyone, no matter who they were, ALL of his powers, but he was going to let on that he knew more than the average student of his age. He could even start… now.
"Oh, well it's conjuring. It's a type of transfiguration."
"I thought I read it was more related to Charms?" she replied, wiping her face dry.
Damn alternate dimension differences!
"You say potato, I say pot-tah-to."
She smiled in return. "I've read about all the subjects in school. I thought Transfiguration and Charms sounded the most interesting." My, this boy certainly was actually nice to her. That was nice in and of itself for a change.
"They're certainly more interesting than history or Herbology, but each to their own I always say," Harry partially joked.
"Do you always say that?" Hermione grinned back.
"I do now. Hey, I don't mean to pry, but can you tell me why you are crying? No one was making fun of you, were they? If so, I'll go teach them a lesson not to mess with pretty girls."
"Oh, I wouldn't want you to get in a fight. That's not proper."
"What fight? I'd just inform them of the error of their ways is all," he replied kindly, not bothering to tell her that informing people could entail words as well as a couple well-placed blows to a face or gut.
She giggled and gave him a smile. It was rare for her to see someone being so nice and friendly to her, unlike some guys she met on the train earlier. "Yes, someone was calling me names I think, but it's okay, you don't have to teach them a lesson," she said seriously.
Harry smiled. He immediately cast an advance transfiguration on his robes into armor and conjured a sword. "I am Sir Harry Potter! I am here at your request my royal princess," Harry said talking gallantly while bowing at her like she was royalty.
That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do as the weight of the armor overbalanced him and he fell flat on his face.
"Ow."
Hermione's giggle turned into full-blown laughter as it became apparent that Harry was okay and even partially amused at his own antics. As Harry dispelled the armor, Hermione remembered reading that transfiguration was really difficult, and that the bigger the transfiguration, the harder it was to retain the energy in place to keep it there. She was impressed that a boy her own age could do transfiguration, and advanced level work at that as the armor had had plenty of detail.
She knew she would have to study really hard if she wanted to become close to his level.
Soon they began talking a bit in order to get to know each other.
....
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