After that, the train ride went smoothly; Holly learned alot about her three companions: how she and Hermione shared a love for reading, Neville's insight on the different Houses, and Hannah's talent with muggle magic tricks (something her Mum taught her).
That was until the trolley lady came to their compartment. As Neville was buying sweets, his toad, Trevor leaped from the chair and hopped out of their compartment.
"Trevor!" Neville shouted as he leapt for his toad, Trevor hopped away and disappeared into the hallway.
"Don't worry, Neville." Holly said as she and Hannah helped Neville onto his feet. "I'll help you find him."
"And I'll stay here in case Trevor comes back," Hannah's smile faltered briefly, but it was back in a blink. "Or in case Hermione comes back."
Their companion had gone ahead and changed into her robes, she estimated that they'll arrive soon and had advised the others to change as well.
It would be wise for Hannah to stay behind and tell Hermione, but Holly had also learned that Hannah has an irrational fear of live amphibians.
"Come on, before he gets away!" Neville dashed off, hurrying after his hopping friend.
Holly searched every nook and crannies of the hallway while Neville checked in every compartment. But just as she was heading back to their compartment empty handed, she immediately recognized the three boys making their way towards her.
Holly turned quickly, but she wasn't quick enough when she heard her cousin's penetrating voice.
"Holly!" Draco called, Holly froze and mentally prepared herself as she felt Draco, Crabbe and Goyle's presence nearby. "Been looking for you, come along."
"Why?" Holly asked, turning around to face Draco who grabbed her arm and dragged her along.
He was practically sprinting through the hall as he said, "Have you not heard? Harry Potter's on board."
"So?"
"We're gonna go meet him."
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
Goyle pulled a compartment door open, the three entered without being invited in. Holly stayed behind, she looked around hoping to make a quick escape. Unfortunately for her, the way back to her compartment was blocked by a bunch of students fooling around.
With a loud huff, she turned back to her cousin.
"Is it true?" He asked. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"
"Yes," said the scrawny boy. At first, Holly didn't recognize him through the compartment window.
He looked nothing like what a saviour of a magical world should look like, he was thin and scrawny with messy unkempt hair and crooked glasses. His baggy jeans and t-shirt was two sizes too big, it looked like something that should belong to Crabbe and Goyle with their meaty arms and round bellies.
"This is Crabbe and this is Goyle," introduced Draco. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
The ketchup haired boy with Harry Potter sniggered, Draco turned to him with a sharp look.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."
Huh, so this was another Weasley. In all her life, she's only met one Weasley. She knew there were several of them, but she's only been introduced to one. Charlie Weasley, Tonks' school friend. He was nice and taught Holly to play Quidditch the one time he visited their house.
And come to think of it, Holly can see some resemblance between this Weasley and Charlie. Just like how Draco described him (minus the more children than can afford part); the Weasley's have the most vibrant red hair, she remembered being in awe when she saw Charlie. Then the freckles, although this Weasley's freckles were more prominent than Charlie's.
She strained her memory for his name, she knew Charlie had told her once that he had a brother about her age but she can't remember his name.
Although that was the least of her concern at the present moment as Draco turned back to Harry, "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it. Holly grew more concerned, she knew by the pink rising on the back of Draco's neck that he's about to blow any second.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." Harry replied instead.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," Draco said slowly, his voice levelled. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."
Harry and the Weasley boy stood up, anger radiating off their skin like hot cheetos.
"Say that again," the Weasley said, his face as red as his hair.
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Draco sneered.
"Unless you get out now," said Harry.
Holly ducked her head and covered her mouth with her hand, she couldn't help it really as the smile grew on her face. Through the compartment window, Harry was looking at Holly with a slightly furrowed brow.
Then-
"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."
Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to the red head boy - Weasley leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.
A rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle. Crabbe and Draco backed away as Goyle swung the rat round and round, howling. Goyle even stepped on Holly's foot in the process, she let out a hiss as she brought her feet up and back away from the three.
When the rat finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Down the corridor, and out of sight.
Holly was still hopping on one foot when Hermione found her "What has been going on?" she asked, looking at Holly and then at the sweets all over the floor as Weasley picked up his rat.
"I think he's been knocked out," Weasley said to Harry. He looked closer at the rat. "No- I don't believe it, he's gone back to sleep!"
Holly groaned as she placed her foot down, then she stomped off. Harry watched as she went, bewildered and confused. No, he doesn't believe he caught her name.
***
"Did you find Trevor?" Hannah asked as Holly slammed the door behind her.
"No," Holly curtly replied.
The compartment door slid open again to a defeated Neville followed by Hermione.
"You three best change into your robes," she said. "I expect we'll be arriving soon."
"Don't worry Neville," Hannah placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a pat. "I'm sure Trevor will pop up sooner or later."
"Soon, I hope." Then Neville trudged out of their compartment so the girls could change.
Hannah took off her cardigan before pulling on her black robes, meanwhile Holly just pulled her robes over her head. The sleeves were long enough not to show her sweater, and her boots were tall enough to cover her jeans.
A voice echoed through the ceiling as Holly was fixing her hair: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Hermione placed a hand on her stomach and took a dizzy sit. "This is it." She whispered.
The train came to a slow halt, students piled out of the train onto a dark platform.
Holly heard a loud voice booming over the crowd as she- along with Hannah, Hermione and Neville stepped off the train: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
Then Holly saw him, behind the glowing lamp raised in the sky was the dark outline of an eight foot tall man. His head was a bush of tangled hair, Holly barely made out his facial features like his eyes and large nose.
"Is that a giant?!" Neville squeaked.
"A half one by the looks of it," Hannah observed.
"You mean, there are larger giants?" Hermione inquired.
"Oh yeah," Holly nods. "Way larger."
Holly turned back to the giant, she quickly realized this was the Hagrid her cousin Tonks told her about and the one Draco mentioned to Harry. And then, she realized why Draco talked about Hagrid so harshly.
Hagrid was a giant afterall, half or not he's still a giant.
"C'mon, follow me- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Hagrid called.
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. Holly easily adjusted to the dark, she can make out a wall of trees on either side. She quickly thought about the map Uncle Ted had drawn for her: from Hogsmeade Station- where they got off the train, they should be heading straight towards the Black Lake.
Of course, Aunt Andromeda had gone into a deep explanation that it was actually named after the Black Family's very own Phineas Nigellus Black when he became Headmaster so Holly can't be sure if she was getting it all mixed up.
No one spoke, Neville sniffed once or twice but Hermione did her best to reassure him that they'll find his toad.
"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec,'' Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud "Oooooh!"
The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.
Holly and Hannah got on a boat with a boy named Ernie Macmillan- someone who Holly already met before because of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and a Terry Boot.
Neville and Hermione separated from them, joining Harry and Weasley instead.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then...FORWARD!"
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass.
Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face.
They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
Holly and Hannah turned around as Neville reunited with his toad.
"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.
Hannah shivered, Holly bumped her elbow with an amused smile.
Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle. They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.