Harry Potter and the Ghosts of Hogwarts

Chapter 6

A Tad Surprised

The morning of September first Harry was jolted upright by Ginny walking in the room. Harry reached for his glasses and he looked up to see her, jaw dropped and staring at him in the most bewildered fashion. She blushed furiously and ran back out without saying a word. Harry didn't know what was wrong with how he looked, granted he had to have bed head but it did not warrant a stare like that. He knew that Ginny had a crush on him, but she had gotten over the running and blushing in her first year.

Harry stood and looked at the mirror. His hair was messier than usual but that was nothing to get in a tiff about. Then the mirror talked to him as it had the previous visit.

"You look buff when did that happen?"

This is when Harry realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. At this he himself blushed. Though he did see the change that had been happening that summer. He no longer looked scrawny, but instead muscular. He shrugged. It seemed that all that work hadn't gone to waste.

He pulled on his clothes and checked the room to be sure that he had all of his things in the trunk. Then he walked down to the dinning room where there was a nice breakfast was lain out.

Afterwards they all dragged their trunks down the stairs and Mrs. Weasley checked each room to be sure that they hadn't left anything behind, so that this year they wouldn't repeat what had happened in Harry's second year, when both Harry and Ron ended up missing the train. They had to return three times for forgotten items. To Harry's embarrassment she came down from the inspection to give him a book that he had left under the bed. He had slid it under to avoid detection by someone trying to enter his room and he forgot about it. She didn't wave it in the air she just handed it to him, but he knew that if either of the twins saw it he would never hear the end of it.

This year the ministry didn't give them any cars to transport them to the station. It seemed that they did not care about Harry as much as they used to. This feeling seemed to transcend to the rest of the magical community as well. While Harry was in Diagon Alley he had vaguely noticed that no one ran up to him to shake his hand as they had formerly done. It seemed that most of the wizarding community believed the lies of Rita Skeeter. Harry despised his own popularity so he didn't really mind that people didn't run up to him, but he felt odd not being so admired as he once was. He admitted to himself that he would prefer to be admired if the other option was being hated, but who wouldn't?

The Weasley family ordered a taxi and Mr. Weasley had been allowed to get another car after a few years of pleading. Harry just held the book that Mrs. Weasley found because he wasn't going to repack everything now that he had all his stuff crammed inside, or almost everything. He, Ron, and Hermione rode with Mr. Weasley. He was the first to get in and he sat on the book so that none of his friends would notice it. The ride was uneventful and the car didn't have any special features besides the extra space for their trunks in the back of the car. They parked in front of Kings Cross Station and they piled out of the car loading their things on to trolleys.

When the other car arrived they left in a mass of red hair and went quickly to the area between platforms nine and ten. Harry went after Mr. Weasley and before Mrs. Weasley he could feel that he was being protected. They made sure that no one was waiting on the other side and that he wouldn't be trapped behind them. Harry had been putting up with this over-protection for quite awhile, aware that those around him were closely watching his every move. These actions were making him claustrophobic. It was as though everywhere he turned someone was watching him and that no matter where he went he could not escape their sight.

They got on the train and Harry walked toward the front where the Prefect compartment was located. Hermione was following and then Ron was behind them.

"Hey Harry aren't we lucky! Almost all of the rooms are empty. We have our pick of them," Ron said cheerfully from behind. "Too bad Hermione has to sit up with all of the prefects."

This made Harry feel guilty. He hadn't yet told them that he was the other Gryffindor prefect. Harry hadn't gotten a chance to write to all of his friends after he got his letter and all week he had been evading the subject so that he wouldn't have to break the news to Ron. Harry knew that Ron would be devastated because of his exclusion from his two best friends. Also Ron always wanted to shine brighter than the rest of his brothers being the last of six, but he never really managed it. And now he wouldn't have a chance at Head Boy, not with Harry around.

"Er- Ron I'm sort of required to go to the Prefect compartment too." Harry said bashfully.

"What?!"

Harry had never seen Ron so surprised in his life.

"I sort of forgot to tell you that I am -er- I'm the other Gryffindor prefect."

"You!" Ron said in surprise. "But what about almost getting expelled all those times and all of your detentions?"

"I don't know, but my letter came with the badge in the envelope and I can't do much about it."

"Why didn't you tell me? Me and my brothers have been betting on who the other one would be ever since Hermione got her letter."

"It slipped my mind I guess." Harry didn't sound very convincing, and Ron could tell that he had kept it from him. Ron turned bright red with anger and embarrassment and did an about face, and marched in the opposite direction.

Harry wanted to go after him and tell him he was sorry, but he knew it wouldn't help so he put down his things in the prefect compartment. He looked at Hermione but she seemed pretty mad as well, only she expressed her anger by giving him the silence treatment. Harry felt like a rotten friend. There had been a million times when he could have brought it up but he didn't. He did not even know why he concealed it from them, but he had and that was not how true friends should act with each other.

Harry knew it was going to be a long train ride, so he turned to grab his book. He no longer cared if everyone knew that he had started to like reading in his spare time. That was when he realized he had left his book in Mr. Weasley's car, and the book was a library book from Hogwarts. He left the compartment knowing that he had plenty of time to retrieve it and he found Mr. Weasley on the Platform talking with another wizard.

"Mr. Weasley," Harry said after he walked up to him, "I hate to bother you, but I left a book in your car by accident. Could I get the keys?"

Mr. Weasley turned to him and looked around for Ron or Hermione.

"Is someone going to go with you?"

"Of course," Harry lied, feeling the need for freedom of wizard watchfulness, "I'm meeting them at the entrance. We spread out to look for you."

"Here," he handed Harry the keys and went back to talking with the wizard in front of him about how useful cars were.

Harry went through the wall and came out to the Muggle side of the King's Cross. He ran up to the street and pulled out his book that was wedged in the crook between the two cushions. Then he headed back for the train, holding the book at his side, and checked his watch to be sure that he was making good time. He wanted to be there with time to spare and he found he had ten minutes to get into the compartment so he wasn't too worried.

He walked toward the area between platforms nine and ten and enjoyed the idea of not being watched.

"Harry!"

Harry turned to see who was there and got a shock. Tad Rankle jogged up to him with a wide smile on his face.

"Hey!" Harry said thinking of how coincidental the situation was. "Why are you here?"

"I'm getting sent off to school. You?"

"Same."

"Where have you been all summer? I called and asked for Dudley so that your aunt wouldn't know that I wanted to talk to you, but every time that I called Dud said you weren't there."

"Oh, at the end of most summers I go to stay at my friends houses," Harry explained.

Just then Tad's family caught up with him. Harry glanced down at the old beat up Muggle watch around his wrist. He now only had five minutes to get on the platform and up to the front of the train.

"Harry," Tad said, gesturing to his family, "you know my mom, and this is my dad,"

Tad looked quite a bit like his father, "And this is my sister Tori."

The sister lifted her eyes with a look of pure disgust. Harry remembered Tad telling him that she was snobbish.

But as she reluctantly reached out her hand to shake his she froze and her mouth dropped.

"Wha-what is your name again?" Tori stuttered.

"Harry," he said, giving his friend's sister a questioning look, "and although I would love to stay and chat I must be going. My train leaves in only a few minutes."

At this point Harry became keenly aware that he had a magic book in his hand and a wand in his pocket. If Tad saw either he wouldn't know how to explain. He was happy to see his friend but it was bad timing.

"What platform are you going to? We'll walk you."

The answer Harry debated- if he chose nine or ten and that was where Tad was going there would be a problem.

"I wouldn't want to bother you, besides we probably aren't going to one near each other."

"We seem to be going in the same direction. We can see you off."

"We don't have time for that Tad," his father said, glancing at his own watch.

"Right, then we'll walk and talk. We're going to platform ten," Tad said.

"Oh, I'm going to platform nine, so we can drop each other off."

Harry chose a quick pace and marched the Rankles toward their destination. Tad talked about possibly writing letters to each other during school, but Harry had to excuse himself because Tad would wonder why an owl delivered Harry's letters.

When they reached the area between their platforms they said a quick good-bye and Harry dashed around the other side, knowing that he only had a minute to get himself on the train. He didn't check to see if anyone was watching. He just ran straight through the wall and then through the crowds of parents and up to the front of the train where the prefect compartment was. He sat himself down, book in hand, and wiped the sweat off his brow. He was on time to the meeting, so McGonagall would have nothing to complain about. Then he realized he still had Mr. Weasley's keys in his hands. He got straight up and ran to the door. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing by the edge waving to Ginny. Harry pressed for the door to open.

"Mr. Weasley!" he yelled just before the whistle blew. Both the parents looked over at Harry and he held out the keys. Harry tossed the keys into the air as the train began to move but in a small gust of wind made it head for the rail.

Luckily Mrs. Weasley was a quick thinker.

"Accio!" she said and the keys went flying into her hand. With that they waved him good-bye and with a quick wave back Harry rushed up toward the Prefect compartment once again.

"Glad you decided to join us Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said disapprovingly, and then she continued, "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted you are all considered to be models for the younger students in your house. You were chosen because each of you has shown yourselves to be those types of people that we wish all of the students at Hogwarts would be. Being named a prefect is not just a title though. All of you are expected to report promptly to each prefect meeting that is held in my class each Wednesday after dinner. Also you are expected to patrol the hallways in your free time to make sure that the other students are following the rules. If they are not you are to report them to the head of your house and they will be duly punished. You are also expected to be leaders to those around you. Set a good example. It is possible to lose your badge if you are found doing things unfitting of your station. As for the passwords, I will come around and tell each of you in turn so that you can show the younger students how to enter your respective common rooms."

At that time the compartment door slid open and two people looked inside.

"You may enter. This is the right room," Professor McGonagall said and in came two students dragging their school trunks, "This is something unique that has come by as your responsibility as well."

As Professor McGonagall talked Harry had been staring down to avoid the stern, disapproving gaze she had turned on him for being late.

The professor continued, "May I introduce our two transfer students from America that will be entering as fifth years. Victoria and Thaddeus Rankle."

With that Harry's head whipped up from his hands to the two people in front of him.

"Tad?" Harry said loudly in his surprise, and then Tad looked over at Harry.

"Harry?"

"But I thought you were a Muggle!"

"I thought that you were a Muggle!"

Then they stared at each other for a long silent minute and burst into fits of laughter, Everyone else in the room was watching them and wondering what was so funny, especially Draco Malfoy the Slytherin prefect.

"Am I to understand," Professor McGonagall said when their laughter calmed down, "that you two already know each other?"

"We met this summer," Harry explained to the teacher that was obviously waiting for an explanation.

"I suppose that takes care of who will show them around the train. Once you get your passwords you can leave."

She gave it to Harry and Hermione first because they were showing around the new kids, and then they were left to themselves.

"Harry," Hermione said to him while Tori and Tad stowed their things. "How could you know them?"

"Tad went to Muggle summer school with me," Harry explained, "I didn't know that he was a wizard until now though."

Tad and Tori returned and sat down next to them.

"So you are the Harry Potter?" Tori asked wistfully.

"Er- yeah," Harry responded, looking at his friend's sister oddly.

"I can't believe that Tad's Muggle friend from school is actually the Harry Potter!" She said, as though it was the most amazing thing that she had ever heard. Then she turned to her brother.

"How could you have been so stupid as to not recognize the most famous boy wizard that ever lived?"

"I haven't been staring at his picture in all of those girly magazines, that's how," Tad answered, aggravated.

"Why in the world were you going to Muggle school?" she asked, as though it was the most ludicrous thing that she had ever heard.

"My relatives made me. They're Muggles and they wanted me to have an education in case this wizard training didn't work out."

"How could it not?" she said with inflection that pronounced her astonishment, "you're going to be one of the most powerful wizards that ever lived."

At that Harry blushed deeply. These ideas weren't new ones in those that he met, but no one had ever called him one of the greatest wizards who ever lived to his face. Harry had strong doubts about his prospects for greatness. To become great he would have to survive through the next year.

"I don't know what people have been telling you, but I am not the best of the students here at Hogwarts. If you want to know about someone who will be a great wizard in the future talk to Hermione. She's the top of our class at Hogwarts."

For the first time since their introduction Tori gave Hermione more than a glance. Tori sized her up, making Hermione uncomfortable. "You are the head of your class at Hogwarts?"

"Yes," she responded with un-Hermione like modesty. In her first year she would have started a conversation about the hardest spells that she had ever performed.

"Well, be prepared to be second. I was the top of my class last year and I don't intend on losing that position just because I changed schools." This statement was followed by an uncomfortable silence. Hermione looked at Harry and Harry looked to Tad. Tad just shrugged his shoulders. He had seen his sister's high and mighty attitude plenty and it didn't surprise him in the least that she was so openly hostile to a person she had never previously met.

"So," Harry began, trying to cover up for Tori's rude indignation, "Are your parents wizards or Muggles?"

"Wizards of course," Tori answered, "if they weren't I would die of shame."

"God Tori, you can be so stuck up. I don't think there's anything wrong with Muggles. They're fascinating." Tad said.

"Of course, I could die of shame from having such a Muggle lover as a twin."

"So do you play Quidditch?" Harry chose the safest topic he could think of and blurted it out before someone noticed Hermione's red cheeks.

"Oh, in the States we don't play Quidditch. That is a European game in America we play Cravel Ball, though I do think that it would be fun to learn your game as well." Tori looked discontented after Harry switched topics so quickly, she obviously didn't have much of an interest in sports.

"Another wizard game? I have never even heard of it, how do you play?" Harry was intrigued he thought that Quidditch was the popular professional sport throughout the entire world.

At Harry's prompting Tad began to describe the American game. One starts out with eleven players on a team and there are two sets of eight different stones in ranging sizes. The stones went from twenty pounds to two ounces in weight and they each had a different point value. The game was played in an orb shaped magical field that allows objects and people to go out but not return in. The point of the game was to force one's opponents out of the field as well as all of their stones. The game was timed so it ended either when the stones of one team were eliminated or when the time ran out. If the time ran out the stones remaining would count for points and whoever had the least points would win. The point system was rather complicated as well, and the strategy was fascinating. One had to try and force others out of the field without going themselves.

"I don't think that I would be very good at that game," Harry concluded after he learned how to play, "I would be forced out of the field at the beginning of the game."

"That isn't necessarily true," Tad consoled him, "the smaller guys are usually swifter and harder to catch, and besides you aren't that small."

During this time both Hermione and Tori had just sat and let the boys talk about sports and looked rather bored. Harry noticed and though he wanted to know more about the game he figured that they should go and find Ron.

Together they exited the prefect cabin and stopped in each compartment looking for Ron. As they went along they introduced the guests to those people that they knew. Harry made the mistake of walking in on Colin Creevey and his brother Dennis. Colin grabbed his camera and took a picture of him. Harry blushed and then tried to turn and leave, but Colin started to quiz him about what happened during his summer and continued to take pictures. Then Colin got interested about who Harry's new friends were.

"I haven't seen you two around much are you in Ravenclaw?" he asked continuing to catch every moment of the meeting that he could.

"No," Tad answered trying to be patient, "we are exchange students from America."

"And," Tori added in anger, "we did not come here to be blinded by your camera! Get away from me before I curse you!"

Colin was shocked no one that hung with Harry had ever threatened him so seriously before. He looked at the girl that he had been taking pictures of more carefully and saw in her eyes that she would follow through with her threats. He backed off and went very un-Colin-like; he became obedient to the commands for an end of his bothersome photography.

They moved more quietly and more quickly from cabin to cabin after that. Harry didn't stay long enough for Tori to alienate any of his other acquaintances. He looked for Ron and left only ever stopping for a quick hello if that. At the far end of the train he entered a cabin finally finding Ron and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team talking about that summers World Cup Match that had happened in Bora Bora. Ron looked up to see who had entered and then turned away with an angry expression on his face. However, the Gryffindor Quidditch team knew nothing of their problems and thus welcomed Harry, and those with him, in.

"So, Harry we have been talking about who we were going to name Quidditch captain this year. We are going to need to predetermine who it is before tryouts otherwise there could be an even vote so one person's vote has to count for two for ties." Angelina said.

Harry wondered which of the seventh year players would get chosen. He liked Fred and George a lot but he didn't think that they were captain material. So that left they three chasers Katie, Angelina, and Alicia. Alicia had been chosen as Head Girl so she was out; she already had too much on her mind. Angelina hung around Fred and George too much to be strict enough to run a team the way that Wood did. So that left Katie. She wasn't that outspoken but after looking at the other possibilities that was were Harry was putting his vote.

"The only way to do it is to give our votes to McGonagall and she will tell who wins. She will make sure the right person becomes captain," Katie said very sensibly. Everyone agreed with the plan and decided by the end of that night they would have given McGonagall their vote. The conversation turned back to the Quidditch World Cup and since Harry had only heard biased accounts from the Weasley's he could not add in his own opinion of whom the best player was or who should win the golden broom award. Though Ron had seen the match he did not participate in the conversation raging between the older Gryffindors. All he did was glare at Harry telling him with his eyes to get out.

Harry could not beg Ron's forgiveness in a room full of people so he decided to try and find out more about Tad's family.

"So what does your father do?" Harry asked.

"Oh, Daddy has a very important job with the Confederation of North American Wizards," Tori answered making what he did sound important and impressive, "We moved because he is the new ambassador from the States."

"What happened to the old one?" Harry asked.

"He was too nervous and not a good negotiator. Daddy was sent specifically because he is perceptive and he meshes well with foreign cultures. He is very talented and is always sent to the most important countries."

"Do you always move schools when your father changes country?"

"Until this year we have always gone to our school back home," Tad said and he got a longing look on his face as though he wished he were there then.

"Then why did you change schools this time?" Hermione asked Tad curiously.

"Our school was always the better than any within the countries that he lived in and thus we saw no reason to change with him we would only see him during breaks anyway," Tori answered taking control of the conversation once again, "but Hogwarts was open to transfer students this last year and it out does our old school by a little so mom and dad decided to switch us in."

They then went on to talk about what sort of things the two new students could expect at school and tried to explain the house system that they did not have in the United States. Tori was especially interested in what house Harry was in. They talked until the end of the train trip when they announced that they should get back to change into their school robes. Soon after the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. The two new students were directed to go with the first years much to Tori's dislike. Harry climbed into a carriage with Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom. Ron and Hermione were still too angry with him to share a coach with him on the way to Hogwarts. Harry looked up to the castle that had not changed since he left it a week before and wondered what this school year would bring.