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skampi835 · 1 year

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Serpent’s Lullaby - 02 - Traveling without Floo Powder

Fandom: Hogwarts Legacy

Language: english

Genre: Romantic Drama

Style within this chapter: humor, hurt & comfort

Warnings: spoiler, mention of eating disorder and loss

Word Count within this chapter: 5.730

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Link to Ao3

Link to fanfiktion.de (original german version)

If there was anyone in the wizarding community who had no idea how cumbersome traveling was before Floo Powder, it was Ignatia Wildsmith, the inventor of Floo Powder in the 13th century, herself. Or at least her enchanted bust, which perched on the mantle above the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron and never missed an opportunity to point it out without being asked.

Carol Roswell pondered this as she stood at the King's Cross station, observing the gradual, abstract merging of Muggles and wizards. She had heard Ignatia's remarks about the benefits of traveling with Floo Powder repeatedly over the last few days.

About three days ago, Carol traveled from her home in Worcester to the London pub, which served as a connection between the Muggle and wizarding worlds, with the help of the convenient means of transportation. To do so, she had to find a fireplace that was officially connected to the Floo Network by the Department of Magical Transportation. Fortunately, a student in the same year, Duncan Hobhouse, lived nearby Worcester and had readily offered to let her use his family's fireplace.

It was his way of thanking Carol, for giving him the leaf of a giant Venemous Tentacula in their last school year. The leaf helped Duncan shed his reputation as a scaredy-cat and the almost affectionate nickname ‘Duncuff Snugglepuff' by showing off the plant to his Ravenclaw classmates. Carol seized the opportunity and gratefully accepted his offer, thus saving herself at least a three-hour journey to London.

Her early arrival before the start of term was due to her school supplies shopping list, which had just arrived via a beautiful Barn Owl at the Roswell farm. After emerging from the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron covered in soot and hearing Ignatia's sing-song »Hello! How lovely to see you!« greeting, she rented a room there for the remaining days.

In Diagon Alley, which she knew about thanks to her former mentor, she proceeded to purchase all the books and other supplies she would need for her sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

For the rest of her days, Carol used a quiet corner of the Leaky Cauldron to prepare for her upcoming school year and to review the material from the previous year, at least theoretically.

Carol Roswell had an unique start to her first year at Hogwarts had two main factors. Firstly, she received her letter for enrollment at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry five years late, meaning she began her magical education not in her first year but in her fifth. On the other hand, it was the circumstances of how she reached Hogwarts last year that still sparked conversations among the students months later. Starting with a flying carriage attacked by a dragon, then a Portkey that ended up on a remote cliff in the sea, passing by Gringotts Wizarding Bank, between magical armors and goblins, and finally through a portal to the grounds of Hogwarts.

Yes, it was confusing, and that was just the first day of a very long year.

That's why Carol has decided for this school year to attract as little attention as possible and, above all, to get rid of the label 'newcomer who needs additional special lessons.’ So while she studied books and parchment rolls in a quiet corner of the pub, the enchanted bust of Ignatia Wildsmith took every opportunity to loudly point out to anyone who tumbled in and out of her fireplace that traveling with Floo powder broadened one's horizons, among other things.

However, obviously no one has told her about the changes brought by the incoming industrialization in England, or Ignatia vehemently ignored it. Because the Hogwarts Express was a very vivid example if one no longer had an idea of how inconvenient traveling was before Floo powder and needed a refresher.

The secret station behind a magical barrier between platforms nine and ten at King's Cross was, in contrast to the invention of Floo powder, a relatively young addition to the world of magic. The railway line stretched from London directly to the Scottish wizarding village of Hogsmeade and from there, it was almost just a stone's throw to Hogwarts Castle, with no stops in between.

Her former mentor, Professor Fig, once told her with growing enthusiasm about the beautiful steam train winding through the valleys. He also occasionally shared a story from his early years as a wizard, which Carol remembered as very humorous. The idea of now being able to have a cohesive experience that had nothing to do with ancient magic strengthened Carol's resolve to travel on the Hogwarts Express itself.

It was admittedly a rather sentimental decision, but it also stemmed from the desire to lead a completely normal life as a witch. Although 'normal' was, admittedly, as flexible a term as the use of Burbotuber Pus in the wizarding world.

And unfortunately, as the morning progressed, it was also a decision that Carol slowly began to regret.

She could have listened to Ignatia Wildsmith's »You can't even imagine how inconvenient traveling was before Floo powder!« once again that morning, after paying for and leaving her room at the Leaky Cauldron and then used Floo powder to travel directly to Fieldcroft or even easier, directly to Hogsmeade.

Instead, Carol, true to the reputation of her house, had obtained a small trolley in conscientious preparation. It was a practical invention of industrialization, which allowed Muggles to transport smaller loads over short distances.

She strapped her oversized and hundredweight travel trunk onto it, held her much more manageable suitcase under her arm, and set off on the morning of September 1st to reach King's Cross station, walking through half of the London city center. Needless to say, the little cart, under the immense weight of the above-average amount of luggage, shook uncontrollably on the way and tipped over to the side several times.

The curious eyes of passers-by, mostly Muggles, turned to her twice, all due to her sentimental decision.

Now that Carol had finally reached the station, she allowed herself a moment to catch her breath and observed curiously. She watched smaller groups of families, some dressed very inappropriately for Muggle society, making their way to King's Cross. She noticed that the contents of their large travel trunks were either non-existent or had been made very light by magic with a levitation spell.

Proof of this was a little chubby boy, no more than in his second year of school, dragging a travel trunk nearly twice his size behind him through the station at an astonishing speed. He was accompanied by a man, probably his father, dressed in a very conspicuous purple cloak with a golden hem.

This father loved his child and didn't seem to want to hide his pride that he was a Gryffindor.

Carol also recognized a wrinkled old lady hunched over on a crutch, walking up and down the platforms without a real purpose. She also talked noticeably often with the most ordinary people who could visit King's Cross that day.

The conversation seemed to have the same outcome every time, as Carol noticed, amused and puzzled at the same time.

For example, now, a neat middle-aged man rushed across the platform, clutching a folded newspaper under his arm, very certain of his destination. But as soon as he had a conversation with the older lady with the crutch, who simply spoke to him out of the blue, he seemed to have a change of heart, turned around, and changed platforms.

Carol's gaze settled on an obvious wizarding family, bringing several travel trunks towards the platform between nine and ten. They were not approached by the older lady with the crutch.

They hugged, exchanged exuberant greetings, and even shed a few tears with the mother before the children and luggage disappeared almost unnoticed behind the massive brick wall. Just like that.

As her nerves began to rise, Carol licked her dry lips. She had no idea if it was really as easy as it looked. But backing out now and transporting her trunk all the way back to the Leaky Cauldron to travel with Floo powder would feel like failure. Moreover, Carol was pretty sure that Ignatia Wildsmith would have had something to say about it.

During her fifth year at Hogwarts, Carol had dealt with some of the most unusual and sometimes dangerous creatures that the magical world could offer. So she wouldn't back down now in front of a magical barrier!

Encouraging herself in her mind, she took a deep breath and squatted down to grab the handle of the cart, which lay flat on the ground under her trunk.

»Carol?«

Surprised, she looked around and couldn't spot anyone specific in the crowded train station at first. Until her gaze landed on Poppy Sweeting, who in turn stared at her with an unusually skeptical look.

Immediately, Carol let her gaze fall on herself to check her appearance. Her dark brown coat was clean, she couldn't see any stains on the pearl white blouse underneath. The black skirt hadn't ridden up above her knees and the knee-high stockings hadn't slipped down.

But before Carol could ask what was bothering Poppy about her appearance, her friend enveloped her in a hearty embrace. »It's so good to see you, Carol! I thought we wouldn't see each other until Hogwarts again.«

Carol smiled, relieved that she had once again thought too much about nothing, and returned her friend's short, warm hug. »It's good to see you too, Poppy. I thought I'd like to take the Hogwarts Express this year,« she explained with a smile.

»So like a normal witch?« Poppy asked, grinning, causing Carol to smirk. Poppy had no idea how much she wished to be normal. Fortunately, Poppy didn't dwell on the detail and asked directly, »How are you? How was your summer?«

»Nice,« Carol replied briefly. »And I'm doing well. The time was very grounded, without any poacher incidents or dragons.«

Poppy herself now grinned a little embarrassed as an older woman with sun-kissed skin and two men in tow approached. »Poppy, my dear. Who is this?« she asked, scrutinizing Carol with her doe-like brown eyes. Meanwhile, one of the men, with a very wrinkled face but an extraordinarily well-groomed full beard, placed a large traveling trunk next to him. On top of it was a transport cage with a gray cat, who uneasily surveyed the crowded train station with her wide-open, amber-colored eyes.

As he straightened up and exchanged a glance with the much younger man beside him, Carol noticed that he was missing his left ear.

»That's Carol, Grandma. I've told you about her,« explained Poppy cheerfully, looking over her shoulder at the woman whose greying black hair was tied neatly in a knot. Her eyebrows briefly raised, and her serious expression transformed into interest.

»Good day. My name is Carol Roswell. It's a pleasure to meet you,« Carol introduced herself politely once again.

»The pleasure is all mine, after hearing so much about you and your shared discovery from Poppy, Miss Roswell. Eglantine Hobbs,« Mrs Hobbs introduced herself, nodding her head kindly. »This is Walton Kolman, a long-time friend and colleague of mine,« she continued, gesturing in a fluid motion towards the older man with the missing ear.

Kolman nodded briefly at Carol and pulled out a pipe from inside his pinstripe suit. »Good day,« he grunted shortly, while the younger man, wearing a chestnut brown beret that matched his outfit, looked almost nervously from Kolman to Mrs Hobbs. »And this is Alan Trent, he's new in our team.«

As if Alan had been waiting for this moment to be introduced, he held out his hand to Carol with a slightly pitiful smile. »For almost two years,« he added meekly, but then exclaimed excitedly, »It's really nice to meet you, Miss Roswell. Your and Miss Sweeting's discovery about the Snidgets has got our whole department all worked up!«

Alan received a smack on the back of his head from Kolman, causing his beret to slip slightly over his forehead. »Quiet,« Kolman grumbled harshly.

Mrs. Hobbs obviously refrained from rolling her eyes, or at least from sighing. »I think you should go over the clause on the confidentiality of magical creatures in your contract again, Alan,« she said sternly.

»Poppy has already told me a bit about you, Mrs. Hobbs. But may I ask where exactly you work?« Carol asked, directing the attention away from Alan, who was rubbing the back of his head awkwardly and straightening his beret.

»We're in the field department of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry of Magic,« Mrs. Hobbs explained. »In the Beast Division, to be precise.«

Carol nodded gently. »I see. That's why the excitement.« She avoided saying the word 'Snidget' again. Although she didn't think Kolman would give her a smack on the back of the head, she didn't want to take any chances.

»Actually, Walton and I were going to pick up Eglantine this morning. But when she said she was still taking her granddaughter to the station, we thought we'd just come along,« Alan explained in a lively tone.

»It's just easier.« Kolman added, packing tobacco into his pipe.

»Easier?« Carol raised her eyebrows inquisitively. «Why?«

»Grandma will continue on to Greece with Walton and Alan afterwards,« Poppy explained, with a dreamy smile on her lips. «They're doing field research to study the habitats of hippocampi more closely.«

»And to study their breeding behavior in more detail,« Alan added enthusiastically, beaming from ear to ear. »Since they mostly inhabit the Mediterranean, we need to make sure their breeding sites are protected from Muggle eyes. And while we're in Greece, we might even come across a Chimera or even a Manticore? I would be the- Ouch!«

»Let's hope we don't catch sight of any of those beasts,« Kolman growled, after giving Alan another light slap on the back of the head to interrupt the enthusiastic outburst. »Way too motivated, that lad,« he muttered, shaking his head and puffing on his pipe.

»At least I'm not a sourpuss,« Alan mumbled, straightening his beret and taking a generous step away from Kolman, just in case.

Mrs. Hobbs glanced at the large clock face that loomed over King's Cross Station. »We really should take you to the platform now. It's almost eleven o'clock,« she said. »Alan, could you please help Miss Roswell with her luggage?«

»Sure thing,« Alan grinned, stepping towards Carol's trunk, while Kolman leaned down to pick up Poppy's luggage again. The cage with the gray cat inside wobbled as he did, and the cat meowed indignantly.

Alan leaned forward and paused over the luggage cart, which was wedged under the travel trunk. »How practical,« he said with fascination and lifted the cart by its handle, which took him two attempts. »Uff, it's... really heavy!«

Carol smiled sheepishly. »Sorry. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who could have made it lighter for me.«

»And you've been carrying this around London? A young lady shouldn't be hauling something so heavy,« huffed Alan, reaching into his vest pocket. With his wand still partially concealed behind the fabric, he discreetly aimed it at the travel trunk and quietly said, »Wingardium Leviosa.«

The trunk lifted only a few millimeters from the ground, almost imperceptibly. Alan satisfiedly put his wand back in his waistcoat pocket. »Well then, shall we?« he asked with a mischievous grin.

The small group started to move along the platform between tracks nine and ten. »Is something wrong, Carol?« Poppy suddenly asked.

Carol hadn't realized that her rising nerves were showing on her face. She briefly pressed her lips together before looking at Poppy with an embarrassed smile. »Honestly, I have no idea how to get through the magical barrier. This is my first trip on the Hogwarts Express. Do you have to tap certain stones or something?«

»Oh dear, you mean like in Diagon Alley?« Alan asked with a broad grin, laughing softly. »Hey, Walton, just imagine all the first years desperately standing in front of the brick wall because they forgot the sequence.« This thought seemed to amuse Kolman's furrowed face, which was still puffing on his pipe.

Mrs Hobbs looked at Carol a little surprised, then seemed to have a realization. »Ah, Poppy told me that you started just last year,« she spoke out loud. »And due to the special circumstances, you were surely accompanied by a teacher, right?«

Carol was very glad that Poppy apparently hadn't told her grandmother about the hair-raising stories that had been on everyone's lips last year. Or Mrs Hobbs had enough tact not to mention it. »Yes, that's correct, Mrs Hobbs,« she confirmed and gladly took the cue.

»With this barrier, there is no special trick. You just have to walk through quickly, my dear,« Mrs Hobbs explained with a soft undertone. »If you get scared, just close your eyes.«

»And if the trunk gets heavy again, you'll know you've made it through,« Alan added cheerfully. »Once you go through the barrier, all spells will fall off. But on the other side, someone from the Ministry should be there to help both of you with your luggage.«

Arriving at the back of the platform, Mrs Hobbs warmly embraced Poppy and wished her a good trip and a magical time at Hogwarts. Good travel wishes were exchanged with all participants in general, as Mrs Hobbs, Kolman, and Alan would also continue their journey.

After Poppy disappeared into the brick wall in the middle of the platform with her luggage, Carol mentally prepared herself. Unfortunately, even Mrs Hobbs' encouraging words were of little help when you were about to run into a massive wall. Therefore, Carol closed her eyes just before the impact.

Fortunately, the impact did not happen. However, not a second after she passed through the barrier, she was almost pulled back by the weight of her heavy travel trunk. The axis of the small trolley groaned pitifully with the effort.

Blinking, Carol looked around and saw a modern, large steam engine already at the platform. In golden letters, 'Hogwarts Express' was written on the red-painted side of the black locomotive, which huffed thick smoke into the air.

A sign on the wall read 'Platform 9¾'. Some students were still milling about on the platform, checking their trunks onto the luggage carts, chatting animatedly, or maneuvering small suitcases or cages with owls, cats, or other pets through the wagon entrances.

A narrow, nostalgic smile spread across Carol's lips. Somehow, this sight finally confirmed to her that it had been worth the effort to travel on the Hogwarts Express. Even though Floo powder would have been much more practical, one could gladly do without the dizzying sensation during and the subsequent dirt and soot on their clothes. In return, she got to see the beautiful locomotive resting in the station, which seemed almost picturesque to her.

Carol wondered if Professor Fig had stood right here many years ago and maybe thought the same thing. The thought of it was comforting.

Meanwhile, Poppy had already caught the attention of a wizard with a wave, who levitated her luggage. Walking briskly, he approached Carol with his wand raised, looking slightly stressed. »May I?« he asked surprisingly politely, waving and brandishing his wand.

The trunk became feather-light once again. »You should hurry, we're leaving in ten minutes,« the wizard explained before turning to help other students.

Together with Poppy, Carol brought the bulky luggage to the backmost wagon, where it was loaded and stowed. Poppy took the transport cage with the grey cat. »I was going to ask earlier,« Carol began while boarding the train with her small suitcase. »Is that your cat, Poppy?«

Poppy beamed. »Yes,« she said proudly, carefully lifting the cage. The grey cat now lay in the cage with its fur standing on end and ears laid back, its amber eyes wide open. The journey was possibly a little too hectic for her. »Grandma bought her for me and said she would take care of me. I guess it was because of the dragon last year. When I told her about it, Grandma was beside herself. Her name is Bluebell.«

Carol could well imagine how Mrs. Hobbs must have reacted when Poppy enthusiastically told her that she had returned a Black Hebridean's egg. However, she did not want to talk too much about her adventures with Poppy from last year in the overcrowded wagon. Therefore, Carol smiled and said, »Bluebell? A beautiful name,« as she squeezed through the first jam-packed wagon.

Poppy followed her with the cage through the narrow aisle that continued through the carriages. Carol looked into the compartments to find two empty seats for themselves. However, at one compartment where there was still space, Carol hurried past it as she recognized Slytherins, including Imelda Reyes and Nerida Roberts, inside.

It wasn't that she couldn't stand Slytherins in general. Carol was generally indifferent to the rivalry between houses. However, she didn't feel the need to voluntarily endure a several-hour train ride with Imelda and Nerida's Quidditch fanaticism. To be frank, they weren't exactly the best of friends either.

The loud whistle of the Hogwarts Express, to herd the last students into the carriages, could be heard above their heads.

Continuing her unsuccessful search two carriages away, Carol felt Poppy's hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to her friend, who looked at her shyly. »Are you really okay?« Poppy asked with a concerned look. The same look she gave Carol at the station.

Surprised, Carol raised her eyebrows and then smiled reassuringly, »Of course. Why wouldn't I?« she asked friendly, pushing herself further down the aisle, hoping that Poppy wouldn't ask any further.

»Because you've lost a lot of weight, Carol,« Poppy spoke with an unusually serious tone, and Carol suspected that her friend had to gather all her courage to make such an honest statement.

She pressed her lips together and stubbornly continued walking. Direct confrontation wasn't usually one of Poppy Sweeting's strengths, but that had obviously changed over the summer holidays.

»Carol?« Poppy cautiously asked again when Carol didn't answer.

Carol let out a quiet sigh, knowing that she couldn't just brush it off. She forced herself to smile, but it came off as bitter. »Yes, that's unfortunately hard to miss,« she had to reluctantly agree. Carol knew that her weight loss was visibly apparent and also knew where it came from. However, she had hoped that her traveling cloak would conceal it better.

»The financial situation of my family's farm is not good. A lot of agricultural land, including surrounding pasture fields, has been bought up to build factories and plants on them. Additionally, the local aristocracy is trying to blackmail my father into giving up the farm,« Carol explained.

Poppy had probably expected some problems, but certainly not this. »What? That's terrible!« she exclaimed in shock.

»Yes, although my father is not willing to give in to the blackmail attempts, our livelihood depends on the farm. The pressure has been getting stronger over the past few weeks. I keep thinking about home and hoping things don't get worse while I'm away,« Carol continued. »During the summer, I helped my father on the farm as much as I could. I also worked at a pub in the evenings to earn money for school supplies. It wasn't a relaxing summer for me, Poppy, but the work kept me distracted from everything that happened last year. My father always says, 'Idle hands are the devil's workshop’.«

»I understand,« Poppy sighed and let her shoulders slump. She looked sadly at Carol. »But why did you say you were doing well? We're friends, aren't we?«

Carol stopped and turned to face Poppy. It was strange that she only just noticed that Poppy had the same doe-like brown eyes as her grandmother. Just then, the Hogwarts Express began to jerk and move slowly out of the station.

For a brief moment, Carol's features reflected the struggles of the past weeks, no, the struggles of the entire last year. Nevertheless, she smiled softly, albeit wearily. »Of course we are, Poppy. You have become a really dear friend to me. To be honest, I don't even know how I'm doing. Last year was...just a lot. Professor Fig's death hit me harder than I care to admit.«

Her friend looked at her sympathetically. She still had her shoulders slumped in uncertainty. »And I'm such a silly gnome that I didn't notice how much it affects you,« Poppy sighed sadly. »I'm so sorry I reminded you of it.«

Carol shook her head. »Don't be sorry, Poppy. I know you're just worried about me. I'm sorry you have to worry. I thought it wasn't that bad.« Carol turned around to continue looking out the compartment windows.

Poppy followed her, still with a small, thick, black cloud of gloom hanging over her head. »Cheer up, Poppy. I'm glad you told me how obvious it is. Most people wouldn't do that out of politeness. At least now I know I have to do something,« Carol tried to cheer her up.

The small, thick cloud seemed to slowly lighten and dissipate.

»You really do miss Professor Fig that much, right?« asked Poppy attentively, but also cautiously. Carol's stomach tightened, but her mouth twitched slightly upwards without reaching her eyes. »Yes. He was my mentor and showed me this amazing world. If he hadn't shown up at my house with my Hogwarts letter last year, that cursed owl would have surely gotten lost three more times.«

Although Carol spoke with a humorous undertone, she secretly wondered if Professor Fig would still be alive if she hadn't been involved...

The door of a compartment in front of them was opened and Charlotte Morrison stepped out into the aisle. Fortunately, her sudden appearance saved Carol from further heavy thoughts.

»Oh, hello Carol, hello Poppy,« she greeted the two girls with a smug and proud smile. Charlotte's dark, frizzy hair was, as often, tied back with a wide headband, and for some reason, she was already wearing her school cloak, which shone in the yellow colors of the Hufflepuffs.

Wait a minute... shone?

Carol frowned and, on closer inspection, recognized the shimmering yellow-and-black badge on the school cloak, which was marked with a large 'P'.

»You've become a prefect? Congratulations, Charlotte,« Poppy chirped happily behind Carol in the aisle.

»Thank you,« the proud prefect almost condescendingly accepted the flowers. »I have to go to another compartment, specifically for prefects and head students. We get all the important information related to the position there. If you two are still looking for a place, I think you can very well take a seat in here.«

Charlotte gestured towards the open compartment she had just left. Carol craned her neck and immediately recognized Lenora Everleigh and Arthur Plumly, who were also Hufflepuffs, and Duncan Hobhouse.

»Hey, we meet again so soon,« the dark-haired Ravenclaw greeted Carol with a broad grin, patting invitingly on the seat beside him.

»Charlotte's right. Come on in, there's plenty of room. Hello Poppy,« Arthur waved and smiled broadly at the girls.

»As I can see, you're taken care of. So, see you later,« Charlotte said goodbye and turned on her heel.

»Bring me some of that delicious cauldron cake from the prefects' carriage!« Lenora called after her, receiving only a laughing »Maybe!« in response from the new prefect.

Carol pushed herself into the compartment with Poppy. She properly stowed her suitcase under her seat and sat down next to Duncan, who sat across from Lenora by the window. ��

»That's such a cute cat. What's her name?« Arthur gushed, adjusting his glasses on his nose as he spotted Poppy's new friend, who stared sullenly out of the cage. He charismatically provided a perfect conversation topic for Poppy.

»Her name is Bluebell,« she smiled brightly and confidently took a seat beside Arthur. She placed the cage between them, giving him a very good view of the presumably annoying grey cat.

Carol couldn't help but smile contentedly. Last year, she had told Poppy that she should spend more time with people and not just animals, and apparently, her friend had taken those words to heart. It was nice to see the animal-loving Hufflepuff flourish.

Overall, Carol had to admit that all of her classmates had changed a lot physically over the summer. The boys had obviously had a tremendous growth spurt, and most of the girls had acquired feminine curves. And it was particularly noticeable in Lenora.

Lenora Everleigh did not stand out for her extraordinary beauty. Last year, she appeared chubby, awkward, and, above all, she had a bit of a snappy attitude. But now, she no longer looked chubby at all as she conversed deeply with Duncan. Lenora had become a buxom beauty, which even made Carol a little jealous.

One could tell that they were now sixteen years old. At seventeen, they were considered adults in the wizarding world and would be allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts.

While Poppy and Arthur fussed over Bluebell, Carol turned to Duncan and Lenora to start her own conversation thread. »So, how was your summer?«

»Fantastic! My parents and I were in France for three weeks,« Lenora enthused. »I made so many discoveries! Of course, Paris itself is also very beautiful, especially with that tower. But so many secrets are hidden in the middle of the city and right in front of the Muggles' eyes! At every street corner, you can find something that Muggles can't make sense of and just walk past! I accidentally stumbled into the French Ministry of Magic!«

»Sure, by accident,« Duncan grinned broadly. Lenora's love for puzzles and secrets was no secret. »Did you happen to pay a visit to Beauxbatons as well?« he asked, continuing his curious line of questioning, which Lenora confirmed with a generous nod of her head.

»Oh yes! That school is a real palace from the outside!« she gushed, using her arms to emphasize her excitement. »I would have loved to get closer, but because of the many protective spells, we couldn't even get close to the outer school gate.«

Carol smiled slightly. Unfortunately, it often happened that her classmates talked about something and she couldn't keep up. It annoyed her to constantly have to ask about something, which is why she often held back until the conversation changed.

She briefly glanced at the others. However, it would have been rude to join in the middle of Arthur and Poppy's lively exchange about the fluffy paws of cats.

The compartment door opened and an orange-haired curly head with a broad grin framed by numerous freckles on the face slid in. »Hey there, hey there! Well, if these aren't my favorite Hufflepuffs all in one place!«

Garreth Weasley closed the compartment door behind him and plopped down in the last available seat next to Carol with a wide grin. »And Duncan,« he added with a cheeky grin, which earned him a skeptical glance from Duncan. »Did you get lost, Weasley?« the Ravenclaw asked.

»By no means, my dear chap. I make it a point to go through almost every compartment where there isn't a Slytherin sitting to inquire about everyone's well-being.«

Even the always-friendly and open-minded Arthur pushed his glasses up his nose with a clearly skeptical expression at this statement. »You mean every compartment where girls are sitting?«

Garreth sucked in his breath sharply and dramatically patted his chest with his hand. »Now you're hurting my feelings, Arthur! What do you think of me?«

»I think what's true,« replied Duncan with a grin. Carol tried to stifle a laugh, which prompted Garreth to nudge her in the side. »Hey!« she laughed loudly and raised her arms protectively in front of her. »Mercy, I'm ticklish!«

»I can tell,« he replied with a charming smile. »I was looking forward to seeing you in particular. But what happened to you over the summer, Carol? You almost look like an Inferi.«

The statement hit Carol harder than she expected. But apparently not just her, as there was a brief and very awkward silence, in which only the constant rattling of the train could be heard. Duncan audibly slapped his hand against his forehead and groaned, »Oh, Weasley...«

»What?« Garreth asked with a furrowed brow and a questioning expression. »Can't you see it?«

»Galopping Gargoyles, Garreth! You could say that a little more kindly, without going overboard!« Poppy snapped and glared at the Gryffindor. Lenora followed up with a »Pretty tactless of you, Weasley,« as if he had insulted her directly.

Carol's face grew hot. She was aware that her body had changed due to her lack of appetite, but being compared to an Inferi was too much fun! It wasn't that bad!

»Ah, Lenora, sweetheart. I prefer girls with some meat on their bones anyway,« Garreth grinned cheekily and blew Everleigh an air kiss across the compartment. She caught it, pretended to eat it, and then spit it out.

Garreth made a face, seemingly becoming aware of his misbehavior.

»I thought you were traveling by Floo powder, Duncan,« Carol tried to cling to the first straw that came to mind to change the subject as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, the dark-haired Ravenclaw picked up on it after a brief moment. »Yes, that was my plan. But let's be real, all the soot and dirt and the nauseating feeling that you want to vomit your breakfast back up.« He rolled his eyes. »And besides, I remembered something on a Chocolate Frog card, and I think the witch is right.«

»Oh? Which witch?« Lenora asked, thankfully also on Carol's side. The unique Hufflepuff solidarity was unshakable, even when an individual sometimes couldn't help themselves. Hufflepuffs stuck together.

»Hmm,« Duncan shook his head as he thought, but then blurted out, »Oh, damn. What was the name of that witch who invented Floo powder?«

»Ignatia Wildsmith?« Carol blurted out, surprised, as if from a gun.

»Yes, exactly her!« Duncan pointed appreciatively and gratefully at Carol. »On her Chocolate Frog card it says, 'Travel broadens the mind.'«

___________________________

(I don’t know if the joke’s a thing in english, too.)

Yep, you've just spent almost a whole chapter talking about how inconvenient traveling was before the invention of Floo powder.

I hope you can forgive my literary joke about the 'most annoying character in the game' :)

#hogwarts legacy #fanfiction #ominis x oc #serpent's lullaby #ominis gaunt #carol roswell #poppy sweeting #charlotte morrison #arthur plummly #duncan hobhouse #lenora everleigh #ignatia wildsmith #garreth weasley

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