Chapter Text
—blink, and you miss it—
The thought crossed Aaralyn’s mind the day she found herself heading off to Hogwarts, her mind wandering all over the place, trying not to think about how her mother wasn’t there to see her off, while rejoicing that she wouldn’t be seeing that Dudders boy until winter break.
But, she thought for a moment that she saw Dudley’s cousin, there out of the corner of her eye, yet that couldn’t be true because she’d been informed that he was going to a reform school, of all things, and he’d said that was as much, so why would he have lied to her?
Getting to the train station was another task entirely, particularly since she found herself leaving her father behind, as he couldn’t step through the barrier. Yet a part of her found herself wishing her older brother were still around so he might take her through, particularly after seeing all the other children.
A girl with curly brown hair caught her attention, and Aaralyn hurried over, keen on making a new friend, but the girl looked to be a first-year like her. “You seem like someone my mum would approve of.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” the girl asked, brown eyes staring at her, looking rather perplexed.
“Or not?” and then her eyes blinked. “I’m not intending to insult, really.”
“Okay?” the girl said slowly.
“Do you like books?”
“Most certainly,” the other girl cheered, a grin breaking out across her face, and then she paused. “Oh. But, I kind of…” And then, “I just started reading books not read by Muggles. See…”
“Oh! Me too!” Aaralyn let out a breath of fresh air. I honestly thought I would be the only one, to be honest. “Although my older brother got to go. He kind of…” She paused. “Mum doesn’t like me going, and he’s not been home, so I don’t know regarding…”
The girl’s eyes blinked, and then she held out her hand. “Hermione Granger, by the way. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Aaralyn Rabanal,” she said. “Uh, I kind of rather like romance.”
Hermione frowned, shaking her hand. “Not especially. But if you can’t find another person to talk about them, I’ll go ahead and read them myself. I kind of like, well, my name comes from Shakesphere.”
“Romeo and Juliet is a Romance.”
Hermione’s eyes blinked. “It is not.”
“What? Isn’t it?”
“It’s actually a tragedy about the folly of youth,” Hermione said. “But I guess you could say that the folly is really brought upon by the adults who couldn’t let go of past prejudices.” She glanced around. “So, I don’t know how much you’ve read of your books, but do be careful to whom you mention that you’re, uh, we’re…”
“Muggleborn?” Aaralyn let her voice drop to a whisper, nodding her head. “Understood.
“Here. Let me,” Hermione said.
Aaralyn’s eyes widened. “You can do magic already?”
“It won’t hurt to practice,” Hermione said, “But I paid close attention to what the book said about wand movement and pronunciation.”
Aaralyn stared, eyes wide, as Hermione sounded—
—she sounded—
“Smarter than…”
But then, Hermione successfully got their trunks in. “Le pere said to be resourceful, and proud of who I am, but studious to keep up.”
“Oh. Isn’t that French?”
Hermione tilted her head. “Yes? I think his family heritage goes back to France. We vacation there a lot during the summer. He doesn’t really talk about his side of the family, though.”
“Oh,” Aaralyn said. “I don’t know anything about either side of my family, and my brother’s kind of not been in my life.”
“You should write to him, using an owl,” Hermione said. “I mean, if the reason he’s lost touch is because of your Muggle parents…”
“Just mother, not father…”
“Then utilize the school owls to contact him, let him know you’re doing well. We can’t very well arrange to see such relatives until our third year, and we get trips to Hogsmeade, but maybe he can meet up and help you get school supplies? I’d love a relative you could point me to where to go and what to do, although my parents say they’re going next time.”
Aaralyn nodded her head. “I’ve been quite excited about school and getting away. Our neighbors aren’t that nice. They have this nephew named Harry…”
Hermione tilted her head, a curious gling in her eye. “Wouldn’t happen to have the last name of Potter?”
Her eyes blinked. “I don’t recollect. Why do you ask?”
“Because there’s a boy who I heard is likely to be in our year, the one who is the reason You-Know-Who is gone.”
“You…” Aaralyn stared. “I’m really not following.”
“I, oh,” Hermione said. “I’ll lend you my history book…”
“Really,” Aaralyn said, sounding disappointed.
“Don’t sound so disappointed. You’ll want to know this stuff. That way, certain people are less likely to pick up on our blood status and be prejudiced towards us right away.”
“Really a thing?” came the gasp.
“Really a thing.”
“Then…”
A boy is going through the hall, looking for a toad, but is unable to find it. Hermione stepped over. “A toad?”
“Trevor,” the boy said. “My name is Neville.”
To which Hermione took her time sticking her nose into every compartment looking to find the toad, and—
“Oh,” Aaralyn said. “You!”
“You,” Harry said. And then he swallowed. “Apologies about saying I was, you know. Reform school?”
“Huh?” the red-haired boy said, frowning. “What’s that about?”
“It’s what my aunt and uncle are telling the neighbors.”
“That’s cruel! And it should be your cousin who’s sent off to one of those! He’s such a bully.”
Harry laughed. “Right. Yes. So you’re a witch.”
“And you’re a wizard!” Aaralyn said. “I feel better having someone I know and a new friend.”
“This busy body?” the redhead said, glaring at Hermione, who simply gave him a wide-eyed look.
“That’s not nice,” Harry said.
“Anyways…”
“Sorry, no toad,” Harry said.
“Alright,” she said. “And don’t forget to change into your robes.”
“You’ve kind of forgotten, haven’t you?”
“We’re helping Neville to find his toad,” the girl said, “You’re kind of, what are you doing?”
“New spell,” which turned out not to be a spell, to which Ron complained about his older brothers.
“At least your older brothers are in your life,” Aaralyn said.
“What’s your problem?” Ron said.
“Ron’s been complaining about, uh?” Harry’s eyes blinked. “I know you got the rat from one of your brothers.”
“My want, my robes, and a yucky spell as well.”
Hermione stared, her mouth forming a circle.
Ron turned to look at her, “What?”
“You know, it’s pretty bad when I happen to know the significance of someone in your family giving you their wand, and you don’t,” she said.
“Excuse me? It’s worn and busted,” Ron said.
“And what’s the history?” Hermione said.
“It was my brother Charlie. He graduated last year and got a new wand.”
“Then it’s meant for good luck,” Hermione said, “But how can you not recognize the number seven is tied to it?”
“That’s just superstitious nonsense,” Ron said.
“I think as a Muggleborn I’m fully aware of superstitious nonsense,” Hermione said. “That’s not the point. It’s him wishing you well at school.”
“That,” Ron said.
“And if the rat belonged to your brother,” Aaralyn pointed out. “Maybe he thought you’d take good care of it and entrusted it to you?”
“Well, yeah. I guess you can’t trust Fred and George. They’re pranksters.”
“Are they the ones who gave you the spell?” Harry said.
Ron frowned. “Right. I’m not fond of their way of brotherly bonding, if that’s what you’re implying. They turned my teddy bear into a spider when I was little.”
“How dreadful!” Aaralyn said.
“Yeah. I’m still afraid of them,” Ron said.
“See, not so bad,” Hermione said.
“Mum still makes me cornbeef sandwiches instead of remembering that I like bacon,” Ron said.
Hermione stared. “I’ve been shopping with le pere. Bacon is more expensive, you know.”
“That,” Ron said. “I’m not ungrateful. At least, I’m not intending to sound ungrateful.” And then he paused. “I literally sounded ungrateful, didn’t I?”
Harry let an eyebrow go up, then, “Yeah.”
Ron let out a sigh. “Guess I need to work on that, along with everything else I’ve got to work on.”
“Right,” Hermione said. “Let’s go and find a toad, but first…”
“Change into our robes,” Aaralyn said, Dudders to the back of her mind.