Eccentric Wizard Chapter 4: Arrival (Patreon)

Beta read by Shigiya and DOOMRAIDER.

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-Hogwarts Express-


One thing I learned about Hermione is that the girl talked fast. She spoke each of her phrases about coursebooks, spells and charms like a non-stop machine gun.


Though I didn't mind her attitude, I could see that she was having fun with someone who could actually keep up with her… for now. I was not delusioned enough to believe that I would keep being potentially the smartest in my future classes for long. I was an average learner at best, who tried his best, while she was a genius who also worked hard… it was merely a matter of time.

Though, there was the flaw if Hermione just memorized things but didn't try to take the time to understand them. This can be very dangerous in the wizard world, but again, I didn't know what kind of learner she was and I might be worrying for no reason.


"Have you heard, Harry Potter is on this train?"


"Sure, think I caught a glimpse of him earlier." I really didn't, but she didn’t need to know that.



"Fascinating, right?” said Hermione. “I know all about him, of course—I got a few extra books for background reading, and he's in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."


"Quite the superstar, ain't he?"


"Well of course, considering his history with 'He who must not be named'. Can't believe I got to see him." 


Then why aren't you sitting with them? Aren't you supposed to join the duo and become the legendary trio of Hogwarts?


"Don't take this the wrong way, but why didn't you sit with them then? I'm sure the boys wouldn't mind having you for a chat. Given your keen interest in the boy, that is."


"Well, I first wanted to help Neville find his toad, then I saw you perform magic and got curious. I think Neville is searching from the other side so he should have met Harry Potter by now." Explained Hermione.


Ah, so what happened, this was all just a coincidence. Maybe Neville caught Ron performing that 'Turn this stupid fat rat yellow' spell. I felt a nagging feeling in my head when I thought about the rat, maybe a forgotten memory from later on in the movies but something told to beware that rodent. 


'I barely remember the second movie and didn't see anything after the third… maybe a spoiler one of my past classmates or friends revealed about the later movies.'


A thought for later.


Back on topic.


"Fair warning, don't talk too much about his past. Harry may be the 'Boy who lived' but he was just a baby back then. I doubt he remembers anything from such a young age, let alone enjoys talking about an individual who murdered his parents." 


Hermione gasped, "I-I didn't think of it that way… it must be horrible now that I think about it."


"Don't be too dramatic, I'm sure he's just as curious of Vol-—cough! I mean 'You-Know-Who' as the rest of us. For now, he's just a kid who wishes to attend a magic school, make friends and have fun like the rest of us. Don't jump on the hype train like the other kids do, treat him like you would any other student." I had no hard feelings towards Harry, nor did I idolise him. True, most of the events in the movies circled around him, being the main protagonist and all that. But I didn't care, he managed to take care of his own problems so why would I butt in when it doesn't concern me? Sure if I get bored I can search for him, but I won't be keeping that much of a close eye on the kid.


Things will start getting hectic in our second year, I don't recall much about what will happen which is why I'll be tailing him more frequently then. Now I know the dangers, I know who to avoid and who not to befriend.


"Say Miss Granger, can you perform simple spells? You said you could, and since this is the first time I met someone coming from a non magic family; I can't help but grow curious." I tried changing the depressed mood into a more cheerful one.


"Glad you asked," said Hermione as she pulled out her wand. "I've learned a few spells, not complex ones with the rules imposed by the Ministry of Magic when it comes to the use of magic outside the wizarding world. From my limited options, I've learned 'Oculus reparo' to fix simple cracked glasses and this." She extended her wand forward.


"Lumos." The tip of her wand lit up with a dim white light which slowly turned brighter by the second. Only to die down right away after she said, "Nox".


I clapped my hands at the display. Sure it wasn't anything special, but for someone who grew up with normal parents outside the wizarding world—that was indeed impressive.


She preened and held her head high from my claps. 


"Well done, Miss Granger. You certainly have the talent to be a wonderful witch in the future. You future housemates will surely be glad to have you on their side." I said.


"Now that you mention it, do you know what house you’ll be in? I’ve been asking around, and I hope I’m in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn’t be too bad." Well, she did have the qualities of an exceptional Ravenclaw member. I always wondered why she was sorted in Gryffindor, she looked so out of place there with her studious attitude which no one else in the house but her had. Granted, she did have bravery and other qualities for a Gryffindor, but weren't as pronounced as her Ravenclaw attributes. 


'Maybe she also persuaded the hat.'


"Oh and, please call me Hermione. Miss Granger feels weird since we're the same age." 


"Sorry, force of habit my mother instilled upon me." Narcissa hammered the concept of etiquette in my head, which was very impressive considering my careless attitude. She should have gotten an award for her achievement. "Anyways, Hermione, Gryffindor is a very good choice. It has created many exceptional wizards whose names are still heard till this day. For me, I'm not sure yet. Probably Slytherin, because it will be fun messing with the kids there." 


That shocked her a bit. 


"Slytherin? But that's…"


"Yes, I know, not the house with the best reputation and people for that matter. Most of the students of that house are contemptuous towards people of non magical descent. They can be cunning, petty, scornful and just a jerk in general." She started giving me a wary look, unsure if she should talk to me further or leave the cabin. "But that does not apply to all. Cunningness is not an evil trait, being prideful of our heritage is not a bad trait… Do you really know what a true Slytherin is?"


Hermione just continued to look at me unsure on what to say.


"They are ambitious, resourceful, determined, and clever. That is what truly means to be a real Slytherin, the current batch of students have been spoiled and brainwashed by their parents of what they think a Slytherin should be. A single bad egg in the group has ruined the reputation of an entire house. Isn't that unfair? Slytherins are not evil, just misguided by outside factors. We all have a bit of Slytherin in all of us, including bits of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. It is up to you to make the choice of which you want to embody the most."


I think I went on a long and unnecessary ramble. For god's sake, I'm supposed to be an eleven year old kid; not a hundred year old philosopher! The last thing I wanted was for someone to start making comparisons between me and Dumbledore.


I should be fine though, I can continue carrying the image of a 'genius' as an excuse for my knowledge. Who the fuck will ever think I'm actually a old soul from the void who got reincarnated?


Legilimency could be used against me, but whether they see my current memories of this life or my past one is unknown. My past memories were hazy while my current memories held strong and fueled my desire to live.


Still, I did read about Occlumency from Lucius's library. It was vague and hard to understand, but with time, I'll make the necessary progress to shield myself from potential enemies.


"I… I'm sorry," apologised Hermione.


"Why?"


"I shouldn't have been so judgemental. If Slytherin was an evil house then why would Hogwarts and Dumbledore let them continue existing? He wouldn't, which makes me think he treats all houses equally and without bias. I should be the same."


"Nope," I said to her. "Despite everything I've said just now, Slytherin still has its fair share of issues. My previous point of most of them being huge jerks towards non magical families still stands. Things are complicated and not as black and white as others may think it to be. It's understandable for people to hold the house of Slytherin in such a bad light. The blood purity thing is unfortunately a real idea that Salazar Slytherin brought into the house hierarchy. Of course, aside from messing with my fellow students, I also plan to change the house in itself and its core beliefs. All I ask you is to follow your heart and choose the house you really want to belong in." 


I really should stop talking. I kinda messed up canon already with her being here instead of Harry and Ron. Don't want to screw things too much to the point of accidentally causing a catastrophe early on.


Hermione was lost in her thoughts, she was staring intently at the floor and muttered, "ambitious, resourceful, determined, and clever…" 


"..."


I felt a disturbance in the force.


Before I could ask her what she was thinking about, another knock came from the door and an old lady came in view with a trolley of sweets, confectionery and drinks. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"


Hermione, who came back to her senses, checked her pockets and frowned. Since she came from a Muggle family, I suspected that she didn't bring enough change with her. She wasn't poor from what I know, maybe she was saving up for future expenses in Hogwarts.


"Don't want anything?"


"I'm afraid not, I couldn't bring much with me… not to mention I don't know if we'll need some pocket money in Hogwarts and there's that book I was recommended to buy. Are you planning to buy some?" 


Heh, some?


"I'm telling you right now, you'll never find someone with a bigger sweet tooth than me. No one!!" I brought out my coin bag which I didn't exchange all of it for British pounds and actually saved up for the last few months. The thing was literally rattling with sounds of hundreds of coins like those money bags in cartoons. 


And just to fuck with the passengers after me.


I brought the entire trolley!


The entire thing was worth a few silver sickles—maybe a galleon—at most, so I gave the lady four galleons to 'convince' her. Being son to the one of the richest dads in the wizarding world really was a great boon. 


Sorry Harry, you'll be going hungry for a bit longer and won't get to eat that chocolate frog. Maybe Ron will share some of his food, he's a good kid.


"Are you even going to eat all of this!?" Hermione exclaimed in shock as she couldn't believe what I just did. 


"What are you screaming for?" There were many sorts of sweets and pastries, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, Pumpkin juice—which tasted like shit—and much more.


"Are you even hungry?" Hermione asked.


“Nope, just ate a large feast before coming here.” I said while munching on a chocolate frog, I continued to stuff my mouth with a large bite of a pumpkin pasty. "Well? Don't give me that look, help yourself!"


"Really? Even if you can't finish the entire thing I don—"


"—Ah, stop your babbling! We're friends now. Real friends always share such things. But don't take them chocolate frogs, they're mine! Damn, I got Helga Hufflepuff… again." For some reason, I kept missing Dumbledore! I have at least hundreds of Helga cards! Why did I keep getting her!? Was someone doing this on purpose? Did Dumbledore have some hidden vendetta against me? Maybe he was threatened that I would steal his entire stock of candy under his stinky grey beard.


'Humph, I don't need your cards anymore, old man. See if I care.'


"..." Hermione went all silent again. 


"Okay, maybe you can have one. But not any more!"


"R-Realy?" She whispered softly. "A friend?"


"Hm?" I couldn't really talk with my cheeks filled like a chipmunk. "Shpeak upf." Couldn't even talk properly for that matter.


"You're okay being my friend?" 


I just gave her a deadpan look, I'm not going to have a tear-jerking conversation about feelings, emotions and the power of friendship. I already talked enough about the whole house thing and wanted to enjoy my time.


Pa!


"Hey!"


I threw a box of chocolate frogs at her head.


"What did you do that for!?" She screamed in anger.


"I just gave you a chocolate frog, that should answer your question."


"It really doesn't," said Hermione.


"For me it does. You're a clever girl, just take a guess. On a side note, I don't even give my brother a piece of my stash." 


Hermione looked at me for a bit longer before smiling. "Thanks," guess having a friend was a big deal for her. Wait… I didn't have any friends either! The house elves don't count, Dobby was weird and quirky but he still viewed me as his master. Whitley didn't count as well, for obvious reasons. Was I really that lonely all this time?


Wow, that's sad.


Sniff…


On the other hand,


Huzzah! I finally had my first friend! I had to thank her for this occasion. Only one way to do so.


Pa!


I hit her with another of my remaining chocolate boxes. 


"What is wrong with you!" 


"A lot of things, also, that was as a thank you for being my first friend as well."


Now she looked at me with widened eyes. Shocked at my casual confession of being alone all this time. Who would have thought my first friend in the world of Harry Potter would be Hermione Granger of all people.


I really did fuck up canon, didn't I?


The compartment door slid open yet again. It wasn't Neville, Harry or even Ron. 


"I knew it was you who stole all the food!" Draco said with a reddened face when he saw the full trolley in front of him. There were other kids behind him who were giving my chocolate covered face a harsh glare. "I'll have our father know about this!"


Tch


Tch


Still too naive.


"Go ahead, it's not like this is the worst thing I did in his eyes. Don't you remember that time he burned the dakimakura I made myself? Or that time when he went all red after I covered his walls with posters because I didn't have any space left in my room?" Since we were in 1991, dakimakuras didn't really exist yet. So I had no choice but to make my own. I think I tried with some JoJo characters because I remembered their faces the most. Not having the internet sucked, so I had to really focus on my broken memories and take some artist freedom.


Draco was rendered speechless. 


He took a moment to recompose himself. "By the way, they’re saying all around the train that Harry Potter’s in one of the compartments."


"Yes, I've heard." I said while motioning to Hermione who kept looking back and forth between me and Draco. She must be surprised that I had a twin brother.


"Also mentioned he was accompanied by a boy with red hair, freckles and a hand me down robe." He sneered, "Another Weasley, more children than they could afford.”


That comment didn't go well with Hermione. 


"Excuse me, that's rather rude of you to say to another person." Her bossy attitude came back with vengeance.


Unfortunately, this only made Draco glare at her. "And you must be a Muggle born, seeing as I know nothing of your family, and you don't even recognize a Malfoy. Honestly, I don't understand your fascination with these kinds of people, brother, you don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sorts." 


Damn bro, what side of bed did you wake from today? He usually wasn't so mean.


'Alright, before Hermione decides to have her fists make contact with Draco's face, I'll need to end whatever's going on here.'


"Draco…" I was longer kidding around. My voice held that slight edge which he recognised immediately. "Go back to your seat, now." I loved my brother, I really did. But when push came to shove, I never hesitated to get a bit more… forceful.


Crabbe and Goyle would agree.


"Right… nevermind," he said before immediately stuffing his pockets with some of the candies and running away before I could even react to his actions. "You twerp!"


I brought out my wand, scaring the other kids away and was just about to chase him down before I decided that it wasn't worth it and I should just plan a revenge prank on him later on.


I sat back down.


"I didn't know you had a twin brother. Can't say I appreciated his comment about me. And the people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors"


"Don't mind him, he may look like a jerk but he has a good side. Give him some time, he'll come around."


She nodded her head, not looking the least bit convinced. 


"I should go to the front and ask the conductor how long till we reach our final stop. Since we are already wearing our robes, I don't think we have much to prepare. I'll be going through the different compartments to remind everyone," She really was a hard working girl.


"Alright, see you soon."


After she left, I once again wandered in my thoughts and peered out of the window. It was getting dark. I could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. It gave me a haunting feeling, like there was something out there looking at me. The train did seem to be slowing down.


A voice echoed through the train: “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 certainly wasted her time, can't let these sweets go to waste." I gathered everything and crammed my pockets under my robe till I looked like a walking ball. No way I would let them go to waste.


The train slowed right down and finally stopped. My heart quickened once again when I realised that I was so close to Hogwarts.


"Time to go."