Hermione jumped out of bed with a smile on her face the next day, as she realised it was September 1st. She was going back to Hogwarts!
Despite most of her peers being relatively gloomy, Hermione found that she wasn't the only one who was full of energy. She had only been downstairs for five minutes when Mr Weasley came hurtling into the room. He pulled on his robes, bid everyone a quick farewell before running back out of the room. Hermione, Ginny and the twins looked at each other curiosly, before following Bill and Charlie into the kitchen
"Of course I will" Mrs Weasley was saying "You just look after Mad-Eye, we'll be fine"
Hermione saw Mr Weasley Disapparating just as she entered the kitchen. Harry and Ron had clearly just got up, and were standing in the corner of the room
"Did someone say Mad-Eye?" said Bill "What's he been up to now?"
"He says someone tried to break into his house last night" said Mrs. Weasley
"Mad-Eye Moody?" said George "Isn't he that nutter-"
"Your father thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody" said Mrs. Weasley firmly
"Yeah, well, Dad collects plugs, doesn't he?" said Fred under his breath "Birds of a feather..."
"Moody was a great wizard in his time" said Bill
"He's an old friend of Dumbledore's, isn't he?" said Charlie, and Bill nodded
"Dumbledore's not what you'd call normal, though, is he?" said Fred "I mean, I know he's a genius and everything..."
"Who is Mad-Eye?" asked Harry blankly
"He's retired, used to work at the Ministry" said Charlie "I met him once when Dad took me into work with him. He was an Auror - one of the best... a Dark wizard catcher" he added, seeing Harry's confused visage "Half the cells in Azkaban are full because of him. He made himself loads of enemies, though... the families of people he caught, mainly... and I heard he's been getting really paranoid in his old age. Doesn't trust anyone anymore. Sees Dark wizards everywhere"
Bill and Charlie both decided to come with them to King's Cross, but, much to Hermione's relief, Percy said he really had to get to work
"I just can't justify taking more time off at the moment" he said pompously "Mr. Crouch is really starting to rely on me."
"Yeah, you know what, Percy?" said George "I reckon he'll know your name soon"
Everyone laughed but Percy, who scowled and left
Due to the number of people, Mrs Weasley had had to order three Muggle taxis to take them to the station. They didn't look very pleased at the sight of so much luggage, two owls and a cat
"Arthur tried to borrow Ministry cars for us" said Mrs. Weasley as the three Muggles hauled the six trunks into the boots of the cars "But there weren't any to spare... Oh dear, they don't look happy, do they?"
The journey was not fun. One of Fred's fireworks accidentally went off in the back of the taxi Hermione, Ron and Harry were in. That panicked Crookshanks and by the time they had got to London they were all very scratched by the time they left the very grumpy taxi driver outside the station
Hermione saw several of her classmates on the way to right platform. She spotted the two other girls in her dormitory, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, watching the comings and goings of a coffee shop with the same interest that a scientist might observe a baboon. Hermione didn't feel inclined to greet them. She had never really got on well with the other Gryffindor girls, and she'd never spoken a word to Parvati's twin sister Padma, as she was in Ravenclaw. Hermione realised, with a pang of jealousy, that the three of them looked a lot better looking than they had when she had last seen them. Lavender had grown about a foot over the summer, and her hair seemed more glossy somehow. Both Patil twins were also taller and thinner, and they both had striking gold highlights in their black hair. Hermione knew that looks really didn't matter in the general scheme of things, but she still didn't think it was fair. Why was everyone else getting prettier and she was staying her ugly old self?
Soon after that, they reached the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Hermione, Ron and Harry went first. They walked up to the barrier, talking about something, and walked straight through it into platform nine and three-quarters. Hermione could see the scarlet train billowing smoke just up ahead of them. She grinned
Hermione, Ron and Harry got on the train, put their luggage in an empty compartment and jumped back onto the platform to say goodbye to Bill, Charlie and Mrs Weasley
"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think" said Charlie as he hugged Ginny goodbye
"Why?" said Fred eagerly
"You'll see" said Charlie, grinning "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it... it's 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it,' after all"
"Yeah, I sort of wish I were back at Hogwarts this year" said Bill
"Why?" said George impatiently.
"You're going to have an interesting year" said Bill mysteriously "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it..."
"A bit of what?" said Ron impatiently. Bill didn't reply
A whistle blew and Hermione, Ron, Harry, Fred and George scrambled onto the train
"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs. Weasley" said Hermione, closing the door behind her and leaning out of the window
"Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs. Weasley" said Harry
"Oh it was my pleasure, dears" said Mrs. Weasley, smiling warmly "I'd invite you for Christmas, but... well, I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with... one thing and another"
"Mum!" said Ron "What d'you three know that we don't?"
"You'll find out this evening, I expect," said Mrs. Weasley, also looking mischievous "It's going to be very exciting - mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules-"
"What rules?" said all the boys at once
"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you... Now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?"
The train began to move away from Mrs Weasley, Bill and Charlie
"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" Fred yelled as the the of them sped away from them "What rules are they changing?"
But Mrs Weasley didn't reply, and she had Disapparated before the train turned the corner
Hermione, Ron and Harry went back into their compartment, where they found Pigwidgeon hooting madly in his cage. Hermione realised that it was his first proper train journey, and he clearly didn't appreciate being locked in a small cage while moving very fast. Ron pulled some maroon robes out of his trunk and covered Pigwidgeon's cage to muffle the sound, before sitting down
"Bagman wanted to tell us what's happening at Hogwarts" he said "At the World Cup, remember? But my own mother won't say. Wonder what-"
"Shh!" Hermione hissed. She had just heard Malfoy's drawling voice echoing down the corridor through the open door
"...Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore - the man's such a Mudblood-lover - and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riffraff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defense rubbish we do..."
Hermione stood up and closed their compartment door, blocking out Malfoy's voice
"So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he?" she growled "I wish he had gone, then we wouldn't have to put up with him"
"Durmstrang's another wizarding school?" asked Harry
"Yes," said Hermione sniffily, "and it's got a horrible reputation. According to An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe, it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts"
"I think I've heard of it," said Ron vaguely. "Where is it? What country?"
"Well, nobody knows, do they?" said Hermione, inwardly sighing. Did neither of them read?
"Er - why not?" said Harry
"There's traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets" Hermione explained
"Come off it" said Ron, looking amused "Durmstrang's got to be about the same size as Hogwarts - how are you going to hide a great big castle?"
"But Hogwarts is hidden," said Hermione, raising her eyebrows "Everyone knows that... well, everyone who's read Hogwarts, A History, anyway"
"Just you, then" said Ron "So go on - how d'you hide a place like Hogwarts?"
"It's bewitched" said Hermione "If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is a moldering old ruin with a sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE"
"So Durmstrang'll just look like a ruin to an outsider too?" said Ron
"Maybe," said Hermione "or it might have Muggle Repelling Charms on it, like the World Cup stadium. And to keep foreign wizards from finding it, they'll have made it Unplottable-"
"Come again?" said Harry
"Well, you can enchant a building so it's impossible to plot on a map, can't you?"
"Er... if you say so" said Harry blankly
"But I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the far north" said Hermione "Somewhere very cold, because they've got fur capes as part of their uniforms"
"Ah, think of the possibilities" Ron sighed happily "It would've been so easy to push Malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident... Shame his mother likes him..."
As the train journeyed north, the other Gryffindor boys came into their compartment fir a while to talk about the World Cup. Hermione quickly got bored of the constant Quidditch talk and dicided to use her time wisely by teaching herself the Summoning Charm in The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4. She had just managed to get Crookshanks' now empty wiker basket to fly to her hand when Neville Longbottom, one of the boys in Gryffindor that Hermione was good friends with, appeared. Apparently, he hadn't been able to go to the World Cup, as his Gran refused to buy tickets. Hermione had always wondered why he lived with his grandmother, but Neville had never volunteered the information and Hermione wasn't going to ask
Clearly hoping to impress, Ron got out his miniature model of Viktor Krum and showed it to Neville. It definitely got the desired effect
"Oh wow" Neville gasped as Ron passed it to him
"We saw him right up close, as well" said Ron eagerly "We were in the Top Box-"
"For the first and last time in your life, Weasley"
Malfoy had appeared in the doorway, with his huge bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle, flanking him on either side
"Don't remember asking you to join us, Malfoy" Harry snapped
"Weasley... what is that?" said Malfoy, pointing at the maroon thing on Pigwidgeon's cage. Ron made to hide it, but Malfoy, who was already standing up, grabbed it. It was some dress robes, and they looked rather... well, old fashioned was probably the nicest way of putting it. They looked more like a dress than they really should, and there was a lot of lace around the collar and the edges of the sleaves. They were clearly bought second hand
"Look at this!" said Malfoy, grinning and holding them up "Weasley, you weren't thinking of wearing these, were you? I mean - they were very fashionable in about eighteen ninety..."
Malfoy laughed cruelly and Crabbe and Goyle both made an odd rumbling noise that was probably laughter
"Eat dung, Malfoy!" said Ron, snatching the robes back and going red
"So... going to enter, Weasley?" said Malfoy "Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There's money involved as well, you know... you'd be able to afford some decent robes if you won..."
"What are you talking about?" said Ron irritably
"Are you going to enter?" Malfoy repeated patronisingly"I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you?"
"Either explain what you're on about or go away, Malfoy," said Hermione shortly
Malfoy smiled smugly
"Don't tell me you don't know?" he said incredulously "You've got a father and brother at the Ministry and you don't even know? My God, my father told me about it ages ago... heard it from Cornelius Fudge. But then, Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry... Maybe your father's too junior to know about it, Weasley... yes... they probably don't talk about important stuff in front of him..."
Thankfully, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle left after that, as Ron looked ready to punch something. He contented himself with slamming the door so hard the glass broke
"Ron!" said Hermione, pulling out her wand "Reparo!" she said, and the door fixed itself
"Well... making it look like he knows everything and we don't..." Ron said moodily "'Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry'... Dad could've got a promotion any time... he just likes it where he is..."
"Of course he does" said Hermione soothingly "Don't let Malfoy get to you, Ron-"
"Him! Get to me!? As if!" said Ron, picking up a Cauldron Cake and pounding it into a mush
They didn't talk very much the rest of the journey, as Ron's bad mood was subduing the other two into silence. To Hermione's dismay, it started raining as they were getting changed into their school robes and showed no signs of stopping as the train came to a halt in Hogsmeade station. It was only when Hermione got out did she realise how bad the storm was. The clouds looked almost purple, and they were so thick that they blocked out the moon and all the stars, so Hermione was standing in almost darkness. Within a minute she was soaked to the skin and shivering madly
Ron and Harry jumped off the train after her and the three of them put their arms over their heads and ran towards the carriages
"Hi, Hagrid!" Harry shouted, as the three of them passed the giant silhouette of Hagrid
"All righ', Harry?" Hagrid yelled back "See yeh at the feast if we don' drown!"
"Oooh, I wouldn't fancy crossing the lake in this weather" said Hermione. It was tradition that the first years get to the school by boat
They followed the crowd until they reached the two hundred or so carriages pulled by, Hermione assumed, invisible horses. Hermione, Ron and Harry got into one, and Neville followed them. Soon, the carriages set off with a jolt and they slowly rolled towards Hogwarts Castle