The Confectionary Chronicles || HP/SPN

Sweets and Studies- CH2

CHAPTER TWO:

The houses outside the train's windows quickly gave away to lanes and fields as the Hogwarts Express swiftly left London and their old lives behind them, taking them onward to their brand new adventure.

It was Fay who suggested they change into their school robes, and they all agreed with her, excited to feel like 'real' Hogwarts students. The boys changed first, while the girls waited outside in the corridor, before trading places so the girls could change.

Hermione startled the other two girls slightly with her lack of awkwardness as she simply slipped out of her dress, unashamed of her body, but she'd learned a great deal of body confidence since her time in Henningsvær. She was strong and tanned from her time under the sun, with muscle definition that most children lacked from her training with Váli and Hati, and she was confident in herself, and in what her body was capable of.

She was also armed wherever she went, though she doubted that Fay and Sally-Anne had any idea that the black straps around her thighs were actually sheaths for a pair of throwing knives, or that hidden under the singlet she was wearing was another sheath, this one to strap her favourite pair of karambit daggers against the small of her back.

She'd had to make a few alterations to the Hogwarts uniform to allow her ease of access to her weapons, including subtle slits in her shirt, skirts and cloaks so that her blades were accessible, while making sure that the slits weren't obvious. Thankfully Eris, the Greek goddess of Strife and Discord, had been happy to get Hermione into contact with her tailor, one of Arachne's descendants, who excelled in such modifications. Mister Metaxas had done a wonderful job and Hermione was very pleased with the results.

After they'd all changed into their robes, Fay brought out her wand to show the compartment her lumos charm. It wasn't long until Sally-Anne, Kevin, Justin, and Dean were pulling out their wands to try the charm too, all eager to learn their first magic spell. Hermione, having long-since mastered a wandless, wordless version of the lumos charm, faked about a minute or two of trying before achieving the charm, then returned to her translation work.

Fay, seeming annoyed that Hermione had mastered the charm so quickly, looked away from her 'students' and took a moment to comment on Hermione's jewellery, 'complimenting' it in a backhanded sort of way. "I thought you'd be more the type to follow the rules to the letter," she said, gesturing to Hermione's wrists, "but I can see why you're keeping them on, they're pretty."  

"Thank you," Hermione said, beaming at Fay as if she thought the other girl had genuinely complimented her, knowing from experience that it often just annoyed people more. And besides, she was genuinely proud of her bracelets and refused to be ashamed of them.

The one on her left wrist was the first gift her god had given her, after Loki saved her from drowning; it was a knotted braid of leather, silver thread and golden feathers, in an Ancient Norse design. She loved it, and had rarely taken it off for more then a minute or two while changing since she'd first been given it.

On her right wrist she wore a charm bracelet given to her by her god for her birthday the previous year. It was beautiful; crafted of gracefully interlocking links of silver and gold, with charms that were a clever mix of pretty, practical and playful, including runes, such as kuanaz, sowilo, and hagalaz, and protection runes in Enochian that Loki told her were some of the most powerful protection runes against demon-witches and demons, celtic charms, a devil's trap, a shark tooth, a lily for remembrance, a bell, and a small Loch Ness Monster. Some of the charms were gold, some silver, others iron, and some made of a brilliant silvery-blueish metal that shivered with power– basically, it was beautiful and functional, filled with memories and mementos, and she wore it everywhere she went.