Weighed & Measured {HP}

7. the hogwarts express

Harry found Draco compartment's about five minutes later. He was sitting with two boys and a girl.

"Harry!" he exclaimed as Harry slid the compartment door open. He grinned. "I was just about to go look for you."

"Well, I got impatient," Harry said jokingly, not wanting to bring up Ron. "Who are your friends?"

"This is Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle," Draco said, gesturing to the two boys. "And this is Pansy Parkinson. Guys, this is Harry Potter."

"Nice to meet you," Harry said, moving to sit down next to Pansy, who smiled at him.

"And all this time I thought Draco was lying about meeting the Harry Potter," she said. "It's nice to meet you, too."

The two boys, Crabbe and Goyle, both grunted their greetings, and Harry smiled at them. Draco had mentioned them in his letters. He had said that neither spoke much, but they had been his friends for nearly as long as he could remember.

"Do you really have a pet snake?" Pansy asked, clearly interested. Persephone slithered out a moment later, apparently having heard Pansy's question.

"Oh, it's beautiful," Pansy said with a sigh. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Persephone is a girl," Harry said, and watched Perse preen at the praise with amusement.

"What a lovely name, too," Pansy said. "What kind of snake is she?"

"A grass snake," Harry said. "Or at least, I think so. I found her in my relative's garden when I was nine."

"She's big for a grass snake," Goyle said, peering at Persephone. "More pretty, too. Look, she shimmers in the sun."

Harry was a little bit surprised the Gregory spoke so much. From what Draco had said, he didn't expect to hear anything from him, at least not until they knew each other better. He looked at Persephone, wanting to see what Goyle was talking about, and noticed it immediately. Persephone had moved to sun herself in a beam of light, and as she shifted, her scales were iridescent.

How had he not realized that before? He was certain her scales hadn't done that when he had first met her and spent so much time in the garden with her. So she must have changed, and slowly enough that he hadn't seen it happen.

He wondered if it was the familiar bond that Professor Snape had told him about. Was it that powerful?

The thought was comforting. He had read in one of his books about familiars, and though it had only been half chapter, he knew that he was now hers as much as she was his. She would never leave him, and he would never leave her. And his magic would protect both of them.

"I guess she does," Harry said with a smile.

"Can I pet her?" Goyle asked, almost shyly. Harry bit his lip. He wanted to ask Persephone if it was okay with her, but he didn't dare speak to her, not now. Not when he was around people he didn't know yet. Goyle must have seen his hesitation, and looked disappointed.

Before Harry could apologize, Persephone slithered onto the other boy's lap. Goyle looked delighted, and Harry laughed.

"Of course you can," he said.

With a wide grin on his face, Goyle stroked Persephone's head with a large finger. She tasted the air before coiling up, apparently content to stay where she was.

"Cool," Goyle whispered, almost frozen in his seat, so that he wouldn't disturb the sleeping serpent.

"So, Harry," Pansy said, clearly ready to change the subject. "Draco told me you live with muggles. What are they like?"