Harry
"I still can't believe our parents were actually killed by a Dark Wizard." Aria muttered as we started looking for a compartment.
"I still can't believe we're really witches and a wizard." Eliza smiled weakly. "Reckon there's a chance our parents didn't die?"
"Eliza, their bodies were found." I sigh. She's such an optimist, honestly.
"So? Apparently Voldemort is dead but his body was never found. So who really knows?"
"What kind of logic is that?!" Aria cried, exasperated.
"My logic." Eliza deadpanned before looking into a compartment. "Come on, this one's empty."
We sat down, Eliza and Aria next to each other and me across from Aria.
"So. This is it." she said quietly. "We're really going to Hogwarts... oh, hello!"
Two girls, one with bushy brown hair and brown eyes behind square glasses (note - I always imagined Hermione with glasses reading the books even when it was never stated that she had them) and the other with blonde hair and blue-grey eyes, were standing in the door to the compartment.
"Hello... um, could we sit here?" the blonde asked.
"Of course! Ari, budge up a bit. What are your names?" Eliza replied before either of us had a chance to. Aria shot her a glare at the nickname.
"Hermione Granger." the girl with the glasses answered, sitting next to me.
"I'm Lilian Roswell. But nobody calls me Lilian except my parents. Just call me Lily." the blonde smiled, sat next to Eliza. "And you three are?"
"He's Harry, she's Eliza and I'm Aria. Potter."
The way she added our surname as almost an afterthought seemed to surprise both girls.
"The... not those... as in the Children Who Lived?" Lilian stammered. Hermione seemed completely frozen.
"Yeah, them. That's us."
"Annabel, can you at least act like you care? You've been so weird since we found out." I frowned. "This past month-"
"You've known for a month?!"
Hermione certainly wasn't frozen now.
"Well." Eliza closed her eyes and sighed, hair turning black.
Both girls let out small gasps of surprise and Eliza's eyes snapped open.
"Ah. Sorry. Look, our lovely aunt and uncle told us our parents died in a car crash when we were one, and that it was 'all our fault' for 'distracting them'." she summarised.
"That's awful!" Hermione whispered. "How could they?"
"Um... do you want an answer?" Lilian questioned. "Only you know as well as I do 'how' they could do that.
Hermione bit her lip. "Right."
We began asking each other what we thought Hogwarts would be like. Hermione had managed a lot of reading and told us quite a lot for someone who had only learned she was a witch a few months before. Lilian, meanwhile, had known she was a witch for longer but not much else, since she'd lived with her Muggle grandparents most of her life.
There was a knock on the compartment door. Lilian stood to open it and behind it was revealed a tall boy with bright red hair and freckles. He frowned when he saw Lilian and Hermione but it was quickly wiped from his face when he spotted me.
"You're the Potters, then?" he asked, inviting himself in.
Rude, much? The girls asked, at least!
"Yes, and you are?" Aria said.
"Ron Weasley."
"Okay, Ron Weasley, why do you think this is going to make a good impression on any of us? We were having a decent conversation and you've kind of ruined it." Eliza asked, voice calm. If you knew her (which I obviously did), though, you would know that this was a bad thing.
"About what, exactly? I can tell you loads about Hogwarts if that's what you want - anything about the wizarding world, even!"
Oh my God. "We've just been talking about Hogwarts, actually, and you interrupted us." I really hope he gets the hint. This boy is already getting on my nerves.
"Really? No offence to Muggleborns or anything, but what are these two going to know?"
"I'm a halfblood you idiot." Lilian fumed. "Can you please leave?"
Ron floundered. "I just thought you might-"
"There is no room." Hermione hissed. "Now leave us alone."
He seemed surprised but thankfully obeyed.
"I don't want to hate him already... but I hate him." Lilian said simply and the matter was dropped.
*\*\*\
We weren't left alone for the rest of the journey.
A boy named Neville Longbottom came in and asked if we'd seen his toad, which we hadn't. Hermione and Eliza went to help him look for it while Aria, Lilian and I continued talking.
"So, did you hear about the Gringotts robbery?" Lilian asked.
"Um... no?" Aria frowned. "When did it happen?"
"31st July." Lilian muttered, pulling a newspaper from her bag. "This just mentions it. An investigation is taking place as we speak, actually."
"Weren't we...?"
"There? Yep." Aria finished for me.
"You were?!"
"In Diagon Alley, at any rate." I amended. "We weren't actually at Gringotts during the robbery."
"Course you weren't, you'd have known about it already. Let's see... all this says is that the culprit wasn't caught... great."
"Wait, not even what they-"
"Maybe they don't know what they stole yet?" Aria suggested wisely. "It could be a lot, you never know."
"That's a lot worse than if it was just one thing, though." Lilian frowned. "Gringotts is meant to be secure."
"I mean... yeah, I guess that makes sense." When you think about it, it really does.
"We're back!" Eliza announced - not like she really needed to.
"Did we miss anything?" Hermione added, retaking her seat next to me.
Lilian and Aria caught them up while I turned to stare out of the window.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, here we come.
YOU ARE READING
The Triplets Who Lived
FanfictionIn which the story is different. Peter Pettigrew becomes a Death Eater on Dumbledore's command - but remains Secret Keeper for the Potters. An elaborate plan is hatched, but how far was Dumbledore willing to go to ensure his own wasn't compromised? ...
