Sparks Fly || A George Weasley Story

Year 4: Reunion

I rode the rest of the way with Hermione, being unsure if she would want to come and sit with the rest of us upperclassmen. We talked about books, classes, quidditch, muggle school curriculum, regular girl things, and even a bit about boys. It was mostly about how much they'd been getting on our nerves recently, even though we hadn't even made it to the school yet. 

I could tell by the way that she just let the words flow out that she had wanted someone to talk to about this sort of stuff for a while now. I would imagine it very hard to talk about spells and magical creatures with muggle parents, and I didn't imagine Hermione having very many friends from her days at her primary school by the way she had talked about it. 

I didn't mind the conversation. It was all fine and dandy talking to Oleander about quidditch, but I couldn't exactly talk to him about how odd it felt to wear a skirt without tights, or how hard it is to control my ghastly curly hair. The closest person I had at home to talk about this sort of thing would have been Leilani, but I couldn't even imagine how that sort of conversation would play out...

This meant that I had to hurry back to the compartment to get my things when the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. I offered to ride in the carriage with her, and she agreed with a smile as she began to get her things. 

"Where in Merlin's name have you been?" Fred asked as I popped back into the compartment, seeing the little bag that held a small dragon and - hopefully- the snacks Gardenia had packed for me, still sat on the seat. 

"I stopped by to talk to Hermione for a bit. Did Ron and Harry get on the train with you guys?" I asked, assuming that they would know what had actually happened. 

"I assume so," George shrugged, "Don't know where else they would've gone. Why?"

"They never came looking for Hermione, and she was really upset about it." I said, shaking my head. 

"That can't be right, the only names we heard come out of Ron's mouth this summer were Harry, Hermione, and Juniper. The little git was real annoying with it too." Fred shook his head, passing my trunk over to me. 

"Well, then why was she sitting alone?" I asked as a rhetorical question. 

It was clear that something had happened with the boys, and I could tell that it was bothering the twins now that they were made aware of it. I worried for a few minutes that Leilani had possibly missed the train as well, until I heard her pushing her way through the crowd out in the hall. 

"They must have just missed the train," George said, "Mum and dad are probably bringing them here in the car. Tell your little friend there's nothing to worry about."

I knew that you couldn't aparate or floo to Hogwarts, but I hadn't even thought about the of-age Weasleys using the flying car. With it, they could have easily kept up with the train. They were probably dropping the boys off as we speak. 

"I guess you're right, there's no reason for me to worry," I said as we made out way off the train, everyone lugging their stuff with them. 

I had to use a bit of magic to make mine a little lighter so it was easier to carry, which I didn't think was breaking any rules. The train was technically school property, so I wasn't really doing magic outside of school. 

The five of us loaded down the nearest carriage, and got comfortable while we waited for Hermione. I spotted her easily in the crowd, rushing over to us, her brown curls bouncing around her smiling face with every stride. We helped her get her stuff on board, and she quickly hopped up herself. She sat next to me as though she didn't know anyone else. 

Honestly, by just looking at us, you'd think I was the one who didn't really belong. I was surrounded by students clad in red and gold while I sat in my yellow and black. The only thing that really made Hermione stand out was just how small she was compared to the rest of us, who were all quite tall, even for our age.