Rise of the Death Eaters [3]

Chapter 7: My Return

Cursing in more words than I thought my mother knew, I followed her as she dashed our things to the waiting hand before pushing us onto the nearest door, with only a quick goodbye on both of our ends.

By the time I had properly caught my breath over what had happened, the platform was out of sight, and the Hogwarts express was rushing my brother and I onward.

"Well that was anticlimactic," my brother said in his usual funk. I gave him a bemused look before stepping out of the way of a pair of students passing.

"What are the chances the food trolley is up and running?" Theo asked, looking in both directions as if contemplating which way to go.

"Candy? Really, at this hour?"

"Easy for you to say," Theo argued in an affronted tone. "You didn't get your breakfast tossed out of the damn car."

As Theo went one way in search of sweets and his friends, I wondered awkwardly down the opposite line in hopes of seeing Sam in one of the compartments. I didn't have long to look before seeing a familiar face, though it wasn't who I expected.

"Harry?" I remarked as we came face to face in the passage. He had gotten taller since I last saw him, with his hair cut for a change. He looked skinner than ever. Did he ever eat?

I saw movement behind him and a flicker of red hair.

Ginny.

"What are you doing here?" she gaped, the moment she passed Harry, who as usual, remained awkwardly stationed in the middle of the passageway.

"Long story," I remarked before getting hugged by the redhead. She let go and gave me an interrogating look.

"Didn't burn down a building, did you?" Whatever bad attitude I carried from this morning dispersed in moments as I scoffed at her, causing the pair of us to grin openly.

"Come on, Harry and I were just looking for a compartment."

"Oh," I said, turning back to Harry who I now noticed was carrying his stuff. "Where's Ron and Hermione?" It's not often that I see Harry without them.

"They have a prefect meeting in the front," Harry explained as we moved on, following Ginny. Ah, so Ron and Hermione were the Gryffindor prefects. I expected that from Hermione but Ron?

Reading my mind, Ginny waved her brows at me knowingly.

"Mum was over the moon at the news. And Ron's getting a new Quidditch broom as a reward."

Up ahead, we saw a Gryffindor by the name of Neville coming from the other direction with his bags and a potted plant in hand.

"Hi Harry, Ginny-" he didn't know who I was so there was an awkward pause.

"Ava," I said with a wave, while Ginny smirked toward the ground at the situation. Neville blinked, just realizing I was talking to him and not the wall, before gulping and starting again.

"Right. Er- Hello." He turned to Ginny who was trying not to snicker aloud. "Every where's full... I can't find a seat."

How did this kid not know me? I'm on a damn magazine cover for merlin's sake!

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, looking past him to another compartment. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here—"

Neville mumbled something about not wanting to disturb her but Ginny wasn't hearing it.

"Don't be silly. She's alright. Really. Come on." She forced Neville to open the compartment first and then greeted Luna causally as she followed.