I'll Leave the Light On

1

Hermione finds Ron and Harry in their usual train car on the way to Hogwarts to start their sixth year. Ron is shoving the sandwiches his mother made him for the trip under the seat and Harry is sprawled across the seat complaining about something his cousin did. Hermione puts her nose in the air and walk into the compartment with a sniff. "You know, we only have three hours left and you lot take so long getting changed you should already be in your robes or risk being late."

Ron jerks up, hitting his head on the seat as Hermione take a seat next to a grinning Harry on the bench across from him. "Oi! Hermione what are you doing!" Ron grumbles as he sits up slowly.

"How was your summer?" Hermione asks primly, ignoring Ron's grumbling.

Harry groans and throws and hand over his eyes dramatically. Ron rolls his eyes and says, "Fred and George drove mum mad as usual. Ginny spent the summer holed up in her room and I was left to do all the chores."

Hermione rolls her eyes, then nudges Harry's leg. "How about you?"

He groans again, but grudgingly answers. "The usual. My aunt and uncle were about as bad as usual. How was yours?"

"It was good! I got all the reading I planned to do and even had time to start on extra credit reading."

"Sound thrilling." Ron grumbles, finally sitting back in his seat.

"Hi guy!" Neville says bouncing into the compartment. "How were your summers? Mine was great! Except when it wasn't, but I didn't lose Trevor once! Look, here he is!"

Neville holds Trevor out victoriously and promptly drops him on Ron's lap. "Bloody hell Neville, if you want to keep that streak you might want to hold onto him a little tighter." Ron says handing Trevor back a little apprehensively.

Before anyone can say anything else the compartment door is wrenched open by a third-year girl. "I'm supposed to find Harry Potter and give him this message!" She declared staring right at Harry. "Are you Harry Potter?"

Harry sits up a little straighter and reaches out a hand for the letter gripped tight in her hand. "I am."

The girl bounces across the room to him and drops the letter in his hand. Alost as an afterthought she turns toward Neville. "You're Neville Longbottom?" She asks, considerably less interested.
He looks at Hermione then Ron, the panic clear on his face. Hermione raises her eyebrows at him, and he looks back at the girl. "Y-yes I'm Neville."

"Here." she says thrusting an envelope at him and flouncing back out of the compartment.

"What does it say?" Hermione askes as soon as the door closes.

Harry hands her the letter mutely, staring at Neville as he hands his letter to Ron.

Harry,

I would be delighted if you would join me for a bit of lunch in compartment C.

Sincerely,

Professor H.E.F. Slughorn

"Professor Slughorn?" Ron asks.

"He's the new potions professor." Harry says, still looking at Neville. "Dumbledore brought me along to convince him to come back to Hogwarts last week."

"Left that detail out when we were talking about summer didn't you." Ron grumbles, handing Neville his invitation back.

"Are-are you going to go?" Neville aske, fingering the corner of his paper.