Chapter Text
The Hogwarts Express steamed through the Scottish countryside, its whistle echoing across rolling hills dotted with sheep. In one of the compartments near the middle of the train, Harry Potter sat by the window, watching the landscape blur past. His trunk was stowed overhead, along with Hedwig's cage—she was currently hunting somewhere outside, stretching her wings after being cooped up since their trip to Diagon Alley.
Ten years of the cupboard under the stairs. Ten years of watching Dudley get everything while Harry got nothing. Ten years of being called "freak" and told he should be grateful. Ten years of knowing that being good, being quiet, being what they wanted him to be never made any of it stop.
Harry pressed his fingers against the window glass, remembering the last time Dudley's gang had cornered him behind the school bins. He'd tried talking his way out, tried running, tried everything except fighting back. And they'd hurt him anyway. Just like Vernon hurt him anyway, no matter how perfectly Harry cleaned or cooked or stayed out of the way.
But that was behind him now. Harry pressed his palm against the cool window glass, feeling the train's vibration through his bones. For the first time in his life, he was going somewhere he might actually belong. The elderly wizard at King's Cross who'd helped him through the barrier had been kinder to him in two minutes than the Dursleys had been in ten years.
A soft knock on the compartment door interrupted his thoughts. A round-faced boy with sandy hair peered in nervously.
"Sorry," the boy said, his voice shaky. "I don't suppose you've seen a toad? I've lost mine, Trevor, and—"
"Come in," Harry said immediately, standing up. The boy looked like he might cry. Harry knew that feeling. The wizard at the platform had helped him when he was lost—now he could do the same for someone else. "When did you last see him?"
The boy stepped inside, shoulders hunched. "About an hour ago. I fell asleep and when I woke up, he was gone. Gran's going to kill me. I'm Neville, by the way. Neville Longbottom."
"Harry Potter." Harry stuck out his hand. Neville's eyes widened for just a second, but then he was back to looking worried about his toad.
"Right then," Harry said, grabbing his jacket. "Let's find Trevor."
They spent the next twenty minutes searching compartments, Harry knocking on doors while Neville hung back looking embarrassed. Most students were nice enough, though a few seemed annoyed.
"I'm really sorry about this," Neville mumbled as they checked another empty compartment. "Gran always says I'd lose my head if it wasn't screwed on. She's probably right."
Harry stopped looking under the seats. Neville sounded just like Harry felt when Aunt Petunia said mean things about him.
"My aunt used to say stuff like that too," Harry said. "Made me feel rubbish. But you know what? You remembered to look for Trevor. That's not losing your head."
Neville looked up, surprised.
"Besides," Harry added, "we're going to find him. I'm not giving up."
They found Trevor two compartments down, sitting on a seat while a bushy-haired girl held him carefully and talked to two other boys.
"Oh good, is this yours?" she asked Neville. "I was just explaining that toads can get dehydrated on trains. They need moisture, you see."
"Trevor!" Neville scooped up his toad, looking relieved. "Thank you so much. I'm Neville."
"Hermione Granger," the girl said brightly. Then she pointed her wand at one of the other boys, who had a crooked nose. "Let me try something I read about. Episkey! "
The spell sort of worked—the nose straightened a bit, though it still looked slightly bent.
"Oh bother," Hermione said, frowning. "I must have gotten the wand movement wrong. I've been practicing from my textbooks, but it's harder than it looks."
"Still pretty good," said the red-haired boy, touching his nose. "Better than it was. I'm Ron Weasley."
"I'm muggle-born, you see," Hermione explained to all of them. "So I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. Hogwarts: A History is absolutely fascinating! I do hope I'll be in Gryffindor—"
Ron's attention suddenly shifted to Harry. "Blimey, you're Harry Potter!" His eyes went straight to Harry's forehead. "Do you really have the scar? Can I see it?"
Harry's stomach twisted. Just like at the Leaky Cauldron—everyone wanting to stare.
"Yeah, it's there," Harry said. "But I'd rather not talk about it."
"Oh, right, sorry." Ron looked disappointed for a second, but then brightened again. "My whole family's been at Hogwarts. All Gryffindors. Bill was Head Boy, and Charlie was Quidditch Captain, and Percy's a prefect now. I'll probably be in Gryffindor too. You should try for it—it's the best house."
Something about the way Ron said it bothered Harry. Like it was obvious Harry would want to be in Ron's house, just because Ron said it was best.
"Maybe," Harry said. "We should let you get back to... whatever you were doing."
"Oh, yeah. See you at school then?"
"Sure."
Harry walked back down the corridor with Neville, who was clutching Trevor protectively.
"He seemed nice," Neville said quietly.
"Yeah, maybe." Harry frowned. Something felt wrong about it, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what. "Did you notice though? Soon as he found out who I was, he stopped caring about Trevor. Just wanted to see my scar."
They reached Neville's compartment. Harry helped him get settled back in.
"The Dursleys always told me we were family," Harry said, watching Neville gently stroke Trevor. "But they never acted like it. Maybe... maybe real family is different. Like people who actually help when you need it."
Neville smiled—a real smile, not the scared, sorry look from before.
"I'd like that," he said.
"Me too," Harry said. "Maybe we can figure it out together."
As Harry walked back to his own compartment, he felt different somehow. The train was carrying him away from Privet Drive, away from ten years of being unwanted.
He didn't know what came next, but for the first time in his life, he wasn't facing it alone.
The train whistled as it picked up speed, carrying them all toward Hogwarts.