Future Nostalgia / Harry Potter Fanfic

The Ride to Hogwarts

"No," said Neville, "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago...No, look at this..."

He dug the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small gray cactus in a pot, except it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia," he said proudly.

Estella remembered learning about it in Herbology and the gross fluid it could emit if it's defense mechanism were triggered. She just hoped Neville wouldn't do it.

"It's really, really rare," said Neville, beaming. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

Estella smiled as Neville spoke of the plant with great admiration and pleasure. Herbology was Neville's best and favorite subject for a reason. Estella couldn't understand the love but respected it.

"Does it-er-do anything?" asked Harry.

"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defense mechanism-hold, Trevor, for me..."

"Wait, Neville-" It was too late. Neville had already pulled a quill from his bag and prodded the plant with the tip of it.

Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant, thick, stinking, dark-green gets off it; they hit the ceiling, the windows, and splattered Luna's magazine. Estella who had muttered a quick deflection spell remained clean; Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat; Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing the escape of Trevor, received a face full.

Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.

"S-sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before...Didn't realize it would be quite so...Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful onto the floor.

Estella barked out a laugh earning a playful glare from Harry and a real one from Ginny just as the door of their compartment slid open.

"Oh...hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um...bad time?"

In the doorway stood Cho Chang, Cedric's "ex" girlfriend.

"Oh, hi," said Harry blankly, confused as to why she entered. They'd never had a conversation before.

"Hi, Cho," greeted Estella. The girl who certainly hadn't noticed her turned to her.

"Oh, hi, Estella," she muttered as an afterthought. Estella couldn't fight the jealousy, and a bit of anger since Cedric had just "died", that rose within her as Cho turned her attention back to Harry.

"Um..." said Cho. "Well...just thought I'd say hello...'bye then."

She closed the door again, rather pink in the face, and departed.

"Never mind," said Estella bracingly. "It's quite easy to get rid of...scourgify!"

The Stinksap vanished.

"Sorry," said Neville again, in a small voice.

Ron and Hermione did not turn up for nearly an hour, by which time the food trolley had already gone by. Harry, Estella, Ginny, and Neville had finished their Pumpkin Pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog cards when the compartment door slid open and they walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pidwidegon in his cage.