“So we're about to hit the Hogwarts chapters,” Hermione said.
“I was wondering when that would happen,” Luna said. “The non-Hogwarts chapters were taking a while to stop.”
There was a definite end-of-the-holidays gloom in the air when Harry awoke next morning. Heavy rain was still splattering against the window
“Lovely,” Hermione said.
“It's going to be fun getting to the station,” Harry said.
as he got dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt; they would change into their school robes on the Hogwarts Express.
He, Ron, Fred and George
“Basically, all of us who go to the school, minus the females,” Harry said.
had just reached the first-floor landing on their way down to breakfast, when Mrs. Weasley appeared at the foot of the stairs, looking harassed.
“Arthur!” she called up the staircase, “Arthur! Urgent message from the Ministry!”
“So someone else is there,” Hermione said. “I wonder who.”
Harry flattened himself against the wall as Mr. Weasley came clattering past with his robes on back-to-front, and hurtled out of sight. When Harry and the others entered the kitchen, they saw Mrs. Weasley rummaging anxiously in the dresser drawers – “I’ve got a quill here somewhere!” – and Mr. Weasley bending over the fire, talking to –
Harry shut his eyes hard and opened them again to make sure that they were working properly.
Amos Diggory’s head was sitting in the middle of the flames like a large bearded egg.
“Oh, floo call,” Cedric said.
“Floo call?” Harry asked.
“Basically like flooing somewhere, but you only stick your head in the fireplace,” Cedric said. “So only your head goes through it.”
“Interesting,” Hermione said.
It was talking very fast, completely unperturbed by the sparks flying around it and the flames licking its ears.
“That doesn't hurt or do anything to the person floo calling,” Cedric said.
“... Muggle neighbours heard bangs and shouting, so they went and called those what-d’you-call-’ems – please-men. Arthur, you’ve got to get over there –“
“Here!” said Mrs. Weasley breathlessly, pushing a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink and a crumpled quill into Mr. Weasley’s hands.
“I wonder who they're talking about,” Luna said.
“– it’s a real stroke of luck I heard about it,” said Mr. Diggory’s head, “I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off – if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Arthur –“
“I wonder if that's why your father is getting a hold of Mr. Weasley,” Hermione said. “I mean, it doesn't seem to have to do with him, then, does it.”
“What does Mad-Eye say happened?” asked Mr. Weasley,
“Mad-Eye,” Cedric said. “What's going on with him now?”
“You know who that is,” Hermione said.
“He's one of the most famous Aurors,” Cedric said. Neither Hermione or Harry asked what that was, since Cedric had told them what “He's retired now, partially because he's so paranoid and partially because, well, actually, I think it's all because he's paranoid. But, considering how good he was at his job, he has a right to be paranoid. I mean, he made a lot of enemies in his line of work, mostly of the families that arrested someone from.”
“Yeah, I can see family members not liking him because of that,” Hermione said.
unscrewing the ink bottle, loading up his quill and preparing to take notes.
Mr. Diggory’s head rolled its eyes.
“My dad's among those who think he's cracked,” Cedric said. “And, in all honesty, I can understand why he thinks that.”
“That doesn't mean that he's incapable of spotting a dark wizard, though,” Luna said. “It's just that no one tends to believe him any more.”
“It doesn't help that he probably hates that fact that Death Eaters get to walk free and all as well,” Cedric said. “Fudge kind of forced him to retire several months ago.”
“Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says they were creeping towards the house, but they were ambushed by his dustbins.”
“Which he probably charmed to do himself when he first heard them,” Luna said. “Though I don't know why. I mean, if he wants to catch them, then it would have been better to let them come into the house and trap them than scare them before they're in the house.”
“Which he would know, meaning that, chances are, he either just didn't want to be bothered, or there's something more going on,” Cedric said. “Or, he heard an animal and over-reacted a bit when he saw it, since he might've thought it was an Animagi.”
“What did the dustbins do?” asked Mr. Weasley, scribbling frantically.
“Made one hell of a noise and fired rubbish everywhere, as far as I can tell,” said Mr. Diggory. “Apparently one of them was still rocketing around when the please-men turned up –“
“Oh, that's not good,” Cedric said.
Mr. Weasley groaned. “And what about the intruder?”
“Probably gone if there was one, meaning that there is no chance of someone believing that there was someone,” Hermione said.
“That's probably true,” Cedric said.
“Arthur, you know Mad-Eye,” said Mr. Diggory’s head, rolling its eyes again. “Someone creeping into his yard at the dead of night? More likely there’s a very shellshocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings. But if the Improper Use of Magic lot get their hands on Mad-Eye, he’s had it – think of his record –“
“And Fudge would most likely enforce it,” Cedric said.
“Why?” Harry asked.
“Because Fudge doesn't care for him,” Cedric said. “At least, that's what my dad told me, when he mentioned that Fudge had Mad-Eye retire rather forcefully.”
“we’ve got to get him off on a minor charge, something in your department – what are exploding dustbins worth?’
“Well, since it was dustbins, that could work,” Luna said.
“Might be a caution,” said Mr. Weasley, still writing very fast, his brow furrowed.
“Why is Mr. Diggory working hard to do this for this Mad-Eye?” Hermione asked.
“I don't know. Well, while I know that Mad-Eye doesn't deserve jail, I'm not sure why my father is working hard on this. In all honesty, while Fudge would enforce Mad-Eye being put into jail, others will not let him, and, unfortunately for Fudge, he can't just have someone go to jail because he wants it,” Cedric said. “He could try, but he'd be booted out of office before he even had a chance to finish giving the order.”
“Mad-Eye didn’t use his wand? He didn’t actually attack anyone?”
“I’ll bet he leapt out of bed and started jinxing everything he could reach through the window,” said Mr. Diggory, “but they’ll have a job proving it, there aren’t any casualties.”
“So it's just the dustbins, which means that whatever charge for that is what'll most likely go,” Luna said.
“All right, I’m off,” Mr. Weasley said,
“I really hope that Mrs. Weasley can get us all to King's Cross without problem,” Harry said.
“Well, in all honesty, there's only one extra person to carry around than what she did back in the first book,” Hermione said. “I mean, she no longer has to bring Percy, and one of the two of us pretty much takes his spot, so...”
“And I have the feeling that both of you two would have made sure that everything you needed was packed and ready to go the night before, so you probably won't have much to do,” Cedric said.
“But she had everyone do that in the last chapter,” Hermione said.
“Making them do it, and them doing it is a different thing,” Luna said. “Knowing Ginny like I do, I doubt she really made sure that she had everything. You should have seen what it was like having a sleepover with her. She always came to my house an hour after she'd say she'd be there because she'd procrastinate in packing for it.”
and he stuffed the parchment with his notes on it into his pocket and dashed out of the kitchen again.
Mr. Diggory’s head looked around at Mrs. Weasley.
“He'll probably apologize to her for causing Mr. Weasley to need to leave,” Luna said.
“Sorry about this, Molly,” it said, more calmly, “bothering you so early and everything ... but Arthur’s the only one who can get Mad-Eye off, and Mad-Eye’s supposed to be starting his new job today. Why he had to choose last night …”
“I don't think he chose it, though that does explain why my father is doing that,” Cedric said.
“I wonder what job he's starting,” Harry said.
“Well, honestly, considering what today is, and the fact that he's mentioned at all,” Hermione said, “I'd say that he just might be the new DADA teacher.”
“That would make sense,” Cedric said. “Though he could just be mentioned because Harry was interested in knowing what was going on.”
“True,” Hermione said. “Still, I wouldnt' be surprised if he's the DADA teacher.”
“Which means that we'll be in for a treat if he is,” Cedric said. “Considering who he is and all.”
“Never mind, Amos,” said Mrs. Weasley. “Sure you won’t have a bit of toast or anything before you go?”
“I'm sure that my dad won't mind that,” Cedric said.
“Oh, go on, then,” said Mr. Diggory.
Mrs. Weasley took a piece of buttered toast from a stack on the kitchen table, put it into the fire tongs and transferred it into Mr. Diggory’s mouth.
“Fanks,” he said in a muffled voice, and then, with a small pop, vanished.
Harry could hear Mr. Weasley calling hurried goodbyes to Bill, Charlie, Percy and the girls.
“Which means that everyone will be up,” Cedric said.
Within five minutes, he was back in the kitchen, his robes on the right way now,
“That's good, it most likely would have been embarrassing if they weren't,” Hermione said.
dragging a comb through his hair.
“I’d better hurry – you have a good term, boys,” said Mr. Weasley to Harry, Ron and the twins, dragging a cloak over his shoulders and preparing to Disapparate. “Molly, are you going to be all right taking the kids to King’s Cross?”
“Of course I will,” she said. “You just look after Mad-Eye, we’ll be fine.”
As Mr. Weasley vanished, Bill and Charlie entered the kitchen.
“Did someone say Mad-Eye?” Bill asked. “What’s he been up to now?”
“I take it that this Mad-Eye is well known around their house,” Harry said.
“My house as well,” Cedric said. “In fact, he's probably known around most wizarding households, particularly those that have someone working at the ministry in them.”
“He says someone tried to break into his house last night,” said Mrs. Weasley.
“Mad-Eye Moody?” said George thoughtfully, spreading marmalade on his toast. “Isn’t he that nutter –“
The four snort at that.
“Well, I think we can see what George thinks of Mad-Eye,” Hermione said.
“In all honesty, it kind of makes sense that he's like that, because he's most likely mostly heard of how Mad-Eye is now over what he did during the war and all,” Cedric said. “I've mostly heard that as well, but my mother also told me a bit about his glory days as well.”
“Your father thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody,” said Mrs. Weasley sternly.
“Yeah, well, Dad collects plugs, doesn’t he?” said Fred quietly, as Mrs. Weasley left the room. “Birds of a feather ...”
“Is he saying that his father's a bit of a nutter as well?” Hermione said.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Cedric said. Hermione just shook her head, mostly because she kind of could understand where Fred was coming from.
“Moody was a great wizard in his time,” said Bill.
“He’s an old friend of Dumbledore’s, isn’t he?” said Charlie.
“Dumbledore’s not what you’d call normal, though, is he?” said Fred. “I mean, I know he’s a genius and everything ...”
“But he actually is a nutter,” Hermione said.
“Who is Mad-Eye?” asked Harry.
“He’s retired, used to work at the Ministry,” said Charlie. “I met him once when Dad took me into work with him. He was an Auror – one of the best ... a Dark-wizard-catcher,” he added, seeing Harry’s blank look.
“Well, since my book self hasn't heard that term before, it makes sense,” Harry said.
“Half the cells in Azkaban are full because of him. He made himself loads of enemies, though ... the families of people he caught, mainly ... and I heard he’s been getting really paranoid in his old age. Doesn’t trust anyone any more. Sees Dark wizards everywhere.”
“Well, with people like the Malfoy's out, and with what happened during the cup, you can't really blame him, can you?” Hermione said.
“No, I don't think you can,” Cedric agreed.
Bill and Charlie decided to come and see everyone off at King’s Cross station,
“So they'll be able to help,” Luna said.
but Percy, apologising most profusely, said that he really needed to get to work.
“I just can’t justify taking more time off at the moment,” he told them. “Mr. Crouch is really starting to rely on me.”
“Yeah, you know what, Percy?” said George seriously. “I reckon he’ll know your name soon.”
There were some snorts at that from the four readers.
Mrs. Weasley had braved the telephone in the village Post Office to order three ordinary Muggle taxis to take them into London.
“Oh, dear,” Cedric said.
“Somehow, I don't think that is going to go very well,” Luna said.
“I don't think it will, either, particularly since we'll be having our animals with us,” Harry said.
“We should have Charlie and Bill take the animals on ahead, and have our trunks shrunk down,” Hermione said. “This way, it's easier to get us all there with minimum trouble.”
“Arthur tried to borrow Ministry cars for us,” Mrs. Weasley whispered to Harry as they stood in the rain-washed yard, watching the taxi drivers heaving six heavy Hogwarts trunks into their cars.
“Which is another reason to shrink the trunks. They most likely won't all fit into the trunk of the cars,” Hermione said.
“But there weren’t any to spare ... oh dear, they don’t look happy, do they?”
Harry didn’t like to tell Mrs. Weasley that Muggle taxi drivers rarely transported over-excited owls,
“You probably should of, though,” Luna said. “It would might give her the idea of sending the owls on ahead to Hogwarts.”
and Pigwidgeon was making an ear-splitting racket. Nor did it help that a number of Dr. Filibuster’s Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks went off unexpectedly when Fred’s trunk sprang open,
“Oh, dear,” Hermione said. “That's going to be hard to explain.”
causing the driver carrying it to yell with fright and pain as Crookshanks clawed his way up the man’s leg.
The journey was uncomfortable, owing to the fact that they were jammed in the back of the taxis with their trunks. Crookshanks took quite a while to recover from the fireworks, and by the time they entered London, Harry, Ron and Hermione were all severely scratched.
“I don't think I put him in his carrier,” Hermione said.
They were very relieved to get out at King’s Cross,
“And I'm sure that the taxi drivers were glad to see us leave,” Harry said.
even though the rain was coming down harder than ever, and they got soaked carrying their trunks across the busy road and into the station.
Harry was used to getting onto platform nine and three-quarters by now. It was a simple matter of walking straight through the apparently solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. The only tricky part was doing this in an unobtrusive way, so as to avoid attracting Muggle attention. They did it in groups today; Harry, Ron and Hermione (the most conspicuous, as they were accompanied by Pigwidgeon and Crookshanks) went first;
“Hopefully, no one is watching you too closely,” Cedric said.
they leant casually against the barrier, chatting unconcernedly, and slid sideways through it ... and as they did so, platform nine and three-quarters materialised in front of them.
The Hogwarts Express, a gleaming scarlet steam engine, was already there, clouds of steam billowing from it, through which the many Hogwarts students and parents on the platform appeared like dark ghosts. Pigwidgeon became noisier than ever in response to the hooting of many owls through the mist.
“That owl is really crazy,” Harry said.
Harry, Ron and Hermione set off to find seats, and were soon stowing their luggage in a compartment halfway along the train. They then hopped back down onto the platform, to say goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charlie.
“I have to admit, it would be nice to meet those two,” Hermione said.
“I might be seeing you all sooner than you think,” said Charlie,
“I'm hoping he means as something outside of his work, because otherwise...” Harry said.
“Otherwise there is going to be a dragon up at he school if his coming has to do with that,” Hermione finished, frowning. “I agree with you as well, because I really don't want to see another dragon.”
grinning, as he hugged Ginny goodbye.
“Why?” said Fred keenly.
“You’ll see,” said Charlie. “Just don’t tell Percy I mentioned it ... it’s 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it', after all.”
“Yeah, I sort of wish I was back at Hogwarts this year,” said Bill, hands in his pockets, looking almost wistfully at the train.
“Hmm,” Cedric said, thinking. “There's really only one thing I can think of that would cause anyone to wish they were back there, but I don't think they'd resurrect it...”
“What?” Harry asked.
“The Triwizard Tournament,” Cedric said. “It's a tournament between three magic schools where they perform three tasks and try to outdo one another to get a grand prize of money, honour for their school, and eternal glory. It was discontinued because the death toll got rather high.”
“Well, I really hope that's not it, then,” Hermione said. “Not only because of the fact that the fact that there was a death toll, but because Harry's there, and, knowing his luck, he's somehow end up having to compete in it.”
“Yeah, I can see that happening,” Cedric said.
“Why?” said George impatiently.
“You’re going to have an interesting year,” said Bill, his eyes twinkling. “I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it ...”
“Okay, that definitely sounds like it's the tournament. I mean, that's the only thing I can see that would have him wanting to come watch,” Cedric said.
“Great,” Harry said dully.
“A bit of what?” said Ron.
But at that moment, the whistle blew, and Mrs. Weasley chivvied them towards the train doors.
“Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs. Weasley,” said Hermione, as they climbed on board, closed the door and leant out of the window to talk to her.
“Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley,” said Harry.
“I'm sure that she really didn't mind it,” Luna said. “Since she probably wants you two in her family – and I have no doubt that she might have started having plans of having Ron with you, Hermione – she's got to start treating you properly and all.”
“But, so far, she's been treating me alright,” Hermione said.
“You're Ron's only female friend that he's not related to, and I wouldn't be surprised if she started thinking this after meeting you officially during the summer before second year,” Luna said. “Add in that you probably exchanged a lot of letters with Ron during that time, and you probably didn't send any to Harry during that time either, and, well...”
“And it would appear that I like Ron a bit more than Harry – despite the fact that I really don't see myself even being Ron's friend if Harry wasn't his friend when we started our friendship – which in turn would make her wonder if I was suitable with him, and then, when she decided I was, had her being nice to me the next time we saw each other,” Hermione said. “Great.”
“Oh, it was my pleasure, dears,” said Mrs. Weasley. “I’d invite you for Christmas, but ... well, I expect you’re all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with ... one thing and another.”
“Now they're being mean to you,” Luna said. “Shame on them.”
“Mum!” said Ron irritably. “What d’you three know that we don’t?”
“You’ll find out this evening, I expect,” said Mrs. Weasley, smiling. “It’s going to be very exciting – mind you, I’m very glad they’ve changed the rules –“
“I doubt that's going to really matter when it comes to Harry, though,” Hermione said. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Harry said. “Considering my luck, I'll most likely be in it, despite what I may personally want. Of course, as a male, I'll probably dream about being in it.”
“Oh, yeah, I'd probably dream as well,” Cedric said. Of course, considering when it is and what these new rules are, I might just try and enter in it myself he thought. Of course, he wasn't sure what his book self would do, but he was interesting in at least attempting to become the Hogwarts champion. He doubted he would even be chosen, though. There were quite a few others who were better than him.
“What rules?” said Harry, Ron, Fred and George together.
“I’m sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you ... now, behave, won’t you? Won’t you, Fred? And you, George?”
“Really doubt it,” Luna said. “I mean, it is the twins.”
The pistons hissed loudly, and the train began to move.
“Tell us what’s happening at Hogwarts!” Fred bellowed out of the window, as Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charlie sped away from them. “What rules are they changing?”
“If they weren't told yet, then they're not going to learn yet,” Cedric said.
But Mrs. Weasley only smiled and waved. Before the train had rounded the corner, she, Bill and Charlie had Disapparated.
Harry, Ron and Hermione went back to their compartment. The thick rain splattering the windows made it very difficult to see out of them. Ron undid his trunk, pulled out his maroon dress robes, and flung them over Pigwidgeon’s cage to muffle his hooting.
“I have the feeling that's going to backfire on him,” Luna said.
“Bagman wanted to tell us what’s happening at Hogwarts,” he said grumpily, sitting down next to Harry. “At the World Cup, remember? But my own mother won’t say. Wonder what –“
“Shh!” Hermione whispered suddenly, pressing her finger to her lips and pointing towards the compartment next to theirs. Harry and Ron listened, and heard a familiar drawling voice drifting in through the open door.
“Ew,” Harry said. “Why are you making us listen to him?”
“I'm probably wanting to make sure that we didn't attract his attention,” Hermione said.
“... Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the Headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore – the man’s such a Mudblood-lover – and Durmstrang doesn’t admit that sort of riff-raff.”
“That he knows of,” Cedric said. “Though, from what I've heard of the last few years, that is true. I believe that the headmaster is the reason for that.”
“But Mother didn’t like the idea of me going to school so far away Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defence rubbish we do ...”
“Honestly, I have the feeling that if he did go, he wouldn't last a week,” Luna said. “With what my grandfather said about the school – he went to it, after all – someone like Malfoy – who acts like he's on top of the world – would end up dead before the second weak. They don't like riff-raff like him there. And, why they do put an emphasis on the Dark Arts, it's mostly because you need to know them in order to defend against them. At least, that's what Grandfather always said about it. Then again, it does have a new headmaster, so that might have changed.”
“Which Grandfather?” Cedric asked. Outside of her parents, he really didn't wonder much about the rest of her family. He knew that they were distantly related, but that was about it.
“My mother's father,” she answered.
“Oh,” he said.
Hermione got up, tiptoed to the compartment door, and slid it shut, blocking out Malfoy’s voice.
“So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he?” she said angrily. “I wish he had gone, then we wouldn’t have had to put up with him.”
“And he'd end up dead somehow, thus ridding the world of his worthlessness,” Harry said.
“Durmstrang’s another wizarding school?” said Harry.
“Yes,” said Hermione sniffily,
“I don't think that I like Durmstrang all that much, most likely from what I've read about it,” Hermione said.
“Which will probably not be all the information about the school,” Luna said.
“and it’s got a horrible reputation. According to An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe, it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts.”
“I think I’ve heard of it,” said Ron vaguely.
“He probably has,” Cedric said.
“Where is it? What country?”
“Only those who go there can give you a hint,” Luna said. “And they mostly don't.”
“Well, nobody knows, do they?” said Hermione, raising her eyebrows.
“Er – why not?” said Harry.
“There’s traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets,” said Hermione matter-of-factly.
“Doubt that it's all that worth trying to do so,” Harry said.
“I really don't see why anyone would want to,” Cedric said. “We have our own school that's probably better than there's. Of course, students from there probably think the same of their school.”
“Come off it,” said Ron, starting to laugh. “Durmstrang’s got to be about the same size as Hogwarts, how are you going to hide a dirty great castle?”
“It's not a castle,” Luna said. “Grandfather did tell me that much.”
“And Hogwarts is hidden,” Cedric said.
“But Hogwarts is hidden,” said Hermione, in surprise,
“I probably would have thought that he would have known that,” Hermione said.
“everyone knows that ... well, everyone who’s read Hogwarts: A History, anyway.”
“So go on – how d’you hide a place like Hogwarts?”
“It’s bewitched,” said Hermione. “If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a mouldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE.”
“So Durmstrang’ll just look like a ruin to an outsider, too?”
“Probably not,” Luna said. “The different schools do have their preferred methods of hiding things, and, besides, how it's hidden should also fit in to what the area is like as well. After all, there are certain places where you can't have a ruin at, not without attracting a lot of attention.”
“Maybe,” said Hermione, shrugging, “or it might have Muggle-Repelling Charms on it, like the World Cup Stadium. And to keep foreign wizards from finding it, they’ll have made it Unplottable –“
“Come again?”
“Well, you can enchant a building so it’s impossible to plot on a map, can’t you?”
“Yes,” Cedric said. “And you probably shouldn't have phrased that as a question like you did, since you'd most likely know better than the other two.”
“Er ... if you say so,” said Harry.
“But I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the far north,” said Hermione thoughtfully. “Somewhere very cold, because they’ve got fur capes as part of their uniforms.”
“That's probably true,” Cedric said.
“All I know is that they take students from Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, and Poland,” Luna said, shrugging. “And I only know that because my grandfather was a Romanian.”
“Ah, think of the possibilities,” said Ron dreamily. “It would’ve been so easy to push Malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident ... shame his mother likes him ...”
The rain became heavier and heavier as the train moved further north. The sky was so dark and the windows so steamy that the lanterns were lit by midday. The lunch trolley came rattling along the corridor, and Harry bought a large stack of Cauldron Cakes for them to share.
Several of their friends looked in on them as the afternoon progressed, including Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, extremely forgetful boy who had been brought up by his formidable witch of a grandmother. Seamus was still wearing his Ireland rosette. Some of its magic seemed to be wearing off now; it was still squeaking ‘Troy! Mullet! Moran!’, but in a very feeble and exhausted sort of way.
“That sounds like shoddy work,” Hermione said.
“It most likely was,” Cedric said. “The Cup sales, for some people, are actually just a way to rip people off.”
After half an hour or so, Hermione, growing tired of the endless Quidditch talk,
“I really need some friends who are not Quidditch nuts,” Hermione said.
buried herself once more in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4, and started trying to learn a Summoning Charm.
“Which most likely means that you will have it down pat before you even get to the school,” Cedric said.
“Thanks for the confidence,” Hermione said, blushing a bit.
Neville listened jealously to the others’ conversation as they relived the Cup match.
“Gran didn’t want to go,” he said miserably.
“You've got to feel sorry for him,” Cedric said. “He doesn't get to go to the cup because his gran doesn't want to go, and because he's not really close to anyone who would think to invite him.”
“Wouldn’t buy tickets. It sounded amazing, though.”
“It was,” said Ron. “Look at this, Neville ...”
He rummaged in his trunk up in the luggage rack, and pulled out the miniature figure of Viktor Krum.
“Oh, wow,” said Neville enviously, as Ron tipped Krum onto his pudgy hand.
“We saw him right up close, as well,” said Ron. “We were in the Top Box –“
“For the first and last time in your life, Weasley.”
“Great, Malfoy's there,” Luna said.
“You know, I don't think Malfoy should assume that Ron will never be up there again,” Hermione said. “There is nothing to suggest that he never will or anything like that.”
“That's true,” Cedric said.
Draco Malfoy had appeared in the doorway. Behind him stood Crabbe and Goyle, his enormous, thuggish cronies, both of whom appeared to have grown at least a foot during the summer. Evidently they had overheard the conversation through the compartment door, which Dean and Seamus had left ajar.
“Shame on them,” Hermione said.
“Don’t remember asking you to join us, Malfoy,” said Harry coolly.
“And he doesn't care, since he thinks he has a right to do whatever he wants,” Cedric said.
“Weasley ... what is that?” said Malfoy, pointing at Pigwidgeon’s cage. A sleeve of Ron’s dress robes was dangling from it, swaying with the motion of the train, the mouldy lace cuff very obvious.
“Knew that it wasn't a good idea to do that,” Luna said.
Ron made to stuff the robes out of sight, but Malfoy was too quick for him; he seized the sleeve and pulled.
“Look at this!” said Malfoy in ecstasy,
“I really hope that something bad happens to Malfoy, really do hope,” Hermione said. “He'd deserve it if something did.”
holding up Ron’s robes and showing Crabbe and Goyle. “Weasley, you weren’t thinking of wearing these, were you?”
“No, he actually wasn't,” Luna said.
“I mean – they were very fashionable in about 1890 ...”
“Eat dung, Malfoy!” said Ron, the same colour as the dress robes as he snatched them back out of Malfoy’s grip. Malfoy howled with derisive laughter; Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly.
“So ... going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There’s money involved as well, you know ... you’d be able to afford some decent robes if you won ...”
“Damn, he knows, which means that you can't let it be known that you don't,” Cedric said.
“Somehow, I don't think any of us are going to think about that,” Hermione said.
“What are you talking about?” snapped Ron.
“Are you going to enter?” Malfoy repeated. “I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?”
“Harry doesn't show off,” Hermione said, glaring at the book as though it was Malfoy.
“Either explain what you’re on about or go away, Malfoy,” said Hermione testily, over the top of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4.
“So you're the one who gives away the fact that you guys don't know what's going on,” Cedric said.
“Apparently,” Hermione said.
A gleeful smile spread across Malfoy’s pale face.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know?” he said delightedly. “You’ve got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don’t even know? My God, my father told me about it ages ago ... heard it from Cornelius Fudge.”
“Which, as he is not a member of the Ministry, he should not have been told at all,” Cedric said, shaking his head. He really wished that the Minister had some common sense.”
“But then, Father’s always associated with the top people at the Ministry ... maybe your father’s too junior to know about it, Weasley ... yes ... they probably don’t talk about important stuff in front of him ...”
“His father is a lot more important that Malfoy's worthless father is,” Luna said.
“And, unlike Malfoy's father, Mr. Weasley most likely knew that no student was to know, and therefore didn't tell his younger children for that reason,” Harry said.
Laughing once more, Malfoy beckoned to Crabbe and Goyle, and the three of them disappeared.
Ron got to his feet and slammed the sliding compartment door so hard behind them that the glass shattered.
“Ron!” said Hermione reproachfully, and she pulled out her wand, muttered “Reparo!”, and the glass shards flew back into a single pane, and back into the door.
“Well ... making it look like he knows everything and we don’t ...” Ron snarled. “Father’s always associated with the toppeople at the Ministry ... Dad could’ve got promotion any time ... he just likes it where he is ...”
“That is true,” Cedric said.
“Of course he does,” said Hermione quietly. “Don’t let Malfoy get to you, Ron –“
“Him! Get to me! As if!” said Ron, picking up one of the remaining Cauldron Cakes and squashing it into a pulp.
“Because that makes it seem as if he's not getting to him at all,” Harry said, rolling his eyes.
Ron’s bad mood continued for the rest of the journey. He didn’t talk much as they changed into their school robes, and was still glowering when the Hogwarts Express slowed down at last, and finally stopped in the pitch-darkness of Hogsmeade station.
“Where almost there,” Hermione said.
As the train doors opened, there was a rumble of thunder overhead. Hermione bundled Crookshanks up in her cloak
“Why am I taking Crookshanks in with me?” Hermione asked, shaking her head. She didn't do it the last time, so there was no reason to do it this time.
and Ron left his dress robes over Pigwidgeon as they left the train, heads bent and eyes narrowed against the downpour. The rain was now coming down so thick and fast that it was as though buckets of ice-cold water were being emptied repeatedly over their heads.
“I have to admit, I am not looking forward to that,” Cedric said.
“I'm not either,” Hermione said.
“I'd hate to be a first year that year,” Harry said.
“Hi, Hagrid!” Harry yelled, seeing a gigantic silhouette at the far end of the platform.
“All righ’, Harry?” Hagrid bellowed back, waving. “See yeh at the feast if we don’ drown!”
First-years traditionally reached Hogwarts castle by sailing across the lake with Hagrid.
“Oooh, I wouldn’t fancy crossing the lake in this weather,” said Hermione fervently,
“I agree,” Luna said.
shivering as they inched slowly along the dark platform with the rest of the crowd. A hundred horseless carriages stood waiting for them outside the station. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville climbed gratefully into one of them, the door shut with a snap, and a few moments later, with a great lurch, the long procession of carriages was rumbling and splashing its way up the track towards Hogwarts castle.
“That's the end of the chapter,” Harry said, handing the book over to Hermione. Before she turned the page, she looked at the clock with the others.
“I think we can fit in a chapter or two more,” Cedric said.
“Yeah, I guess,” Hermione said, turning to the next chapter.