NOVEL WEB Book Two: First Year Chapter 1: All Aboard
Book Two: First Year
Chapter 1: All Aboard
On September 1st, the Hawthorne and Granger families arrived early at King's Cross Station. Both families, now well-versed in the routine, easily located Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The Hogwarts Express wasn't due to depart for nearly an hour.
The mothers from both families were giving their children a final round of reminders: take care of themselves at school, don't forget to write—despite the fact that they had already managed a year of independent living at Hogwarts.
Mrs. Hawthorne planted a kiss on Hermione's forehead, then turned to Glenn with mock sternness. "You look after Hermione at school, you hear? If any bully tries to mess with her, you give 'em what for. Otherwise, you'll be answering to me when you get back." She playfully waved her fist.
Glenn thought wryly: So much for unconditional love.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Granger was whispering something in Hermione's ear. Whatever it was, it caused the young girl's face to gradually flush red, and she gently swatted at her mother's hand in embarrassment.
Noticing the mother-daughter pair engaged in a private conversation, Glenn, out of respect, had preemptively blocked his hearing. He heard nothing but couldn't help feeling curious.
Nearby, with Glenn's help, the two fathers had temporarily bypassed the Muggle-Repelling Charm. They watched in fascination as young wizards disappeared into the wall, oblivious to the suspicious glances from a nearby station manager. The manager was debating whether to call for backup, especially given Mr. Hawthorne's intimidating muscular build.
A thoroughly flustered Hermione pushed Mrs. Granger, who looked ready to say more, towards Mr. Granger. She huffed out a quick goodbye before being the first to enter the wall, Crookshanks in tow.
Glenn caught Mrs. Granger winking at him and giving a thumbs up, which left him puzzled. He said his goodbyes and followed Hermione through the wall, feeling the fond gazes of both families on his back.
Hermione waited for Glenn at the train door. Seeing his questioning look, she blushed but didn't respond. When Glenn simply said "Alright" and didn't press the matter, the young girl felt a mix of annoyance and amusement. She tugged Glenn onto the train.
The train was still nearly empty. After finding an unoccupied compartment, they settled in side by side. Glenn handed the waist pack to Hermione, who placed the now somewhat portly Crookshanks on her lap. She rummaged through the pack, extracted "An Introduction to Transfiguration," and began reading silently, seemingly intent on ignoring Glenn.
Hermione snuck a glance at Glenn, let out a small "hmph," and scooted closer to the window, away from him. At that moment, Glenn was wrapping a black silk cloth around his eyes.
Puzzled, Glenn wondered what had caused this sudden change in Hermione's demeanor. Everything had been fine this morning, but now she was sulking.
His instinct told him to do the opposite of what she expected.
So he also moved closer to Hermione.
The young girl's hand holding the book froze, and after a moment, she shifted again.
Glenn moved closer.
Scoot~
Move~
Scoot~
Move~
Hermione found herself trapped against the window.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" The young girl snapped her book shut, her cheeks flushed.
"Nothing," Glenn replied innocently. "Just noticed you were acting odd."
"I am not!" Hermione hurriedly denied. "It's just... my mum said some strange things, that's all!"
For some reason, as Glenn observed the blushing, flustered young girl before him, he felt an unfamiliar urge to tease her more. An emotion, planted at an unknown time and now taking root during this moment, was guiding his thoughts. It was unprecedented, strange, but not unpleasant.
Although Glenn was still shorter than Hermione, the young girl was now half-lying against the window, and he found himself in a position of advantage.
His lips curled into an unintentional smirk.
Usually, Hermione took the lead in their actions, with Glenn following her ideas and offering suggestions and corrections.
Occasionally, when they disagreed on minor matters, he would accommodate the strong-willed girl.
Now, rebelling occasionally and teasing her a bit felt quite... nice?
In his nearly twelve years of life, this was one of Glenn's few newfound pleasures.
Strange, he thought. Why am I thinking like this?
The usually calm and emotionless Glenn keenly noticed the change in his heart, clearly aware that it was because of Hermione.
As Glenn leaned down, he suddenly planted his hand next to Hermione, the distance between them shrinking.
"Then why are you sitting so far away from me?" he asked, his voice low.
Hermione looked at Glenn's face, now just inches away. His hair fell onto her face, revealing features usually hidden behind long, curly black locks.
Feeling his warm breath, the young girl's mind went into overdrive, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
She felt as if she could see, beneath the black hair and silk covering Glenn's eyes, those pitch-black pupils staring intently at her.
Hermione lay frozen on the sofa, her hands propping against Glenn, not daring to move.
Her blushing face turned to the side, unable to meet his gaze.
Sensing the young girl's flustered state, Glenn's heart skipped a beat.
"Meow~" Crookshanks, sandwiched between them, meowed in displeasure.
Glenn's emotions immediately returned to normal. He stood up, helping Hermione to her feet.
"It's nothing," he said, his demeanor back to normal as he smoothed out Hermione's messy hair. "You were acting weird, so I was just teasing you—"
The dizzy Hermione came to her senses, her dreamy gaze turning dangerous, her eyes flashing with anger.
She was about to call Crookshanks to give him a swipe.
"—mainly because someone's coming," Glenn finished.
Hermione startled. She quickly brushed off Glenn's hand, hurriedly adjusted her clothes, and pretended to read her book again. She glanced at the distance between herself and Glenn—it was close, but she didn't bother to move.
Cuddling is nice too, she thought.
"Hehe." Hermione suddenly giggled, then quickly covered her mouth.
What am I doing! she chided herself internally.
The conflict between human reason and emotion was perfectly embodied in one person at this moment.
Unaware of Hermione's resentful gaze, Glenn steadied his cane, feeling the vibrations on the floor, silently analyzing the information.
The compartment door slid open, and a round-faced boy peeked in timidly. "Hello," he said hesitantly. "I saw there were empty seats here. May I come in and sit?"
"Of course you can." Hermione, also back to her normal state, raised her chin slightly and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, indicating her agreement. Glenn also nodded, and the small boy gratefully struggled to bring in a suitcase.
Closing the book she had just opened, Hermione spoke first: "What's your name? I'm Hermione Granger, and he's Glenn Hawthorne. We're both Muggle-born. Nice to meet you." The rapid-fire introduction left the small boy momentarily stunned.
"Ah, um, I... I'm Neville Longbottom," he finally managed. "Nice to meet you too."
"Longbottom?" Hermione's eyes lit up. "As in one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood families? What kind of magic can you do? Is there anything special about its power or other aspects?"
Finally encountering a pureblood family member, she was eager to study the differences.
It was also a convenient way to alleviate her earlier emotions.
The assertive Hermione fired off question after question, eager to uncover any distinctions between purebloods and others from the boy before her. Her competitive spirit and curiosity peaked, and both the young girl and Crookshanks, peering from her lap, fixed their large brown eyes on Neville.
Neville was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, unsure which to answer first. He wanted to organize his thoughts properly to make a good impression, but his concentration kept shattering.
What should I do? he thought desperately.
He turned a pleading gaze towards the boy sitting quietly to the side, only to realize he seemed to be blind.
Neville's heart sank further.
I think I've made a terrible mistake, he thought.
Neville was crying inside, even though Hermione would promptly apologize after asking particularly sharp questions. But was there no limit to her interrogation?
In short, he deeply regretted his decision to enter this compartment.