The Protagonist System

73 Hogwarts Or Bust Part One

It didn't take me long to reach the train station. It was almost 10 in the morning and the train was set to leave at 11. I walked through the station and easily picked out all of the magicals around me that were going to Hogwarts. I was a bit of a troll for several minutes as I made sure to stand in certain places to let them get a glimpse of me and then I would put the hood of my invisibility cloak up and disappeared.

It put me in a great mood for what was going to happen next and I went to the barrier between platforms. In a stroke of inspiration, I created a sign above it with a notice-me-not charm keyed to muggles. It had an arrow pointed down and the platform name, then in brackets below it, 'yes, really'.

I chuckled and stepped through the barrier and stepped to the side in case anyone else came through. I took out my fancy outer-robes and slipped them on under my cape before I took off my invisibility cloak and stored it.

“There he is!” A girl's voice shouted almost immediately.

Camera flashes littered the crowd and I was suddenly surrounded by adoring fans and the members of the press. I beamed a smile at them and had to fight my instincts to pose. Like Amy had warned me, I wanted them to like me, not make fun of me.

“Thank you all for coming over here to greet me. It's nice to finally meet you in person.” I said and gave them a little wave. My cape billowed out because I moved and more flashes came from the various cameras to catch the moment.

Most of the girls blushed and a few of the older ones made aroused sounds. The fancy robes really made me look like the dashing hero and I would have to thank Nanny for making them so well. For now, it was time for me to amaze my captive audience. I glanced into my storage space at my master list and used detect to get the names of everyone around me.

I stepped close to the first girl and smiled warmly at her as I took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Miss Dunbar, I've enjoyed the letters you've sent me over the years. The kneazle toy you gave me two Yule's ago still sits on my bedroom shelf and overlooks my study desk.”

Fay looked almost faint and her face was so red that you couldn't tell where her face ended and her red hair began. “You... you... you remember that?”

I chuckled and let her hand go. “Of course I do. How could I ever forget something so important?”

Fay started to sway and I easily caught her in my arms as she slumped. The cameras flashed again and I chuckled and revived her. I stood her back on her feet. “Please excuse me. I have more people to greet.”

“O-o-okay.” Fay said and carefully stepped back and was engulfed by the girls that wanted to be next.

I turned to a blonde and gave her a huge smile. “Miss Brown! I can't mention what you gave me for my birthday. Just know it has a prominent spot in my desk drawer, so that it is always at hand.”

Lavender blushed and looked proud.

“How are your parents? Did you mother give birth yet?” I asked and kissed her hand.

“Frantic and mum's not due for another month.” Lavender answered and then caught her breath. “You really do remember what people write!”

I let her hand go and turned to the next girl. “Ah, Miss Greengrass. I haven't heard from you or your sister in a few months. Were you hoping that absence would make the heart grow fonder?”

Daphne blushed from embarrassment. “I... well...”

I chuckled at her pretty much admitting it was true. I took her hand and kissed it. “It's all right. People can get busy in their lives. I won't hold it against you.”

Daphne sighed. “It didn't work.”

“It might have, if I hadn't had the unfortunate experience of my longtime girlfriend breaking up with me to focus on her career.” I said and every single girl gasped, Daphne included. “I could have used a sympathetic ear and perhaps a few comforting cuddles for most of the summer.”

Daphne looked like I had kicked her puppy.

I stepped close and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “It's all right, Miss Greengrass. If you had known, I'm sure you would have helped. You don't have to feel bad that you didn't know.”

Daphne nodded and stepped back into the crowd. I kept watching her with my magic detection spell as I turned to the next girl and did the same knowledge trick with her. Daphne went to her parents that stood off to the side of the platform and told them what I said. She was pulled into a hug by her mother and her father patted her shoulder.

I stayed there for almost 45 minutes and pretty much gave a reverse interview for the press. No matter who stepped up to gain my attention, I said their name and proved that I knew something about them. One of the male students tried to mess me up and dared me to remember them when they hadn't sent me anything. I told him his name and that his parents sent me a Yule card in 81 to thank me for defeating Voldemort. He and everyone else were stunned.

“On that note, we all should grab our things and get on the train. It'll be leaving soon.” I said.

The crowd quickly broke up and all of them were muttering about how amazing it was that I knew everyone. The press had a great story as well. I grew up away from the wizarding world and I still knew about everything going on. It was quite the scoop.

I checked the invisible clock in my head and nodded as I went to the barrier to go back to the muggle side. I cast a notice-me-not charm keyed to muggles on myself and went through. I knew who was coming and figured I had to subvert their expectations, too. It was quite easy to see the large gaggle of redheads as they entered the train station. I walked right over to them and silently cast the same muggle notice-me-not charms on them.

“Hello, Percy!” I said a bit loudly to get their attention and to stop Molly from starting to talk loudly about the platform and muggles being all over the place.

All six redheads jumped slightly and came to a stop as they stared at me.

I shook Percy's hand. “It's nice to meet you.” I said and turned to Fred. “Hello, Fred. I see you're still the handsome one.”

Fred shook my hand with a chuckle.

I turned to George. “Good show, George. You're still the smart one.”

“Oi!” Fred said and George laughed and shook my hand.

I turned to Ron and frowned slightly. “I don't know who you are and I know who everyone is.”

The twins laughed and patted me on the back. “He's our little brother, Ron.”

“Nope, not ringing a bell.” I said and they kept laughing. I stepped around Ron and gave a very big smile to the blushing girl behind him as I took her hand and bent over it to kiss it. “And here she is, the girl I came here to meet. One of my biggest fans.”

Ginny let out a squeak instead of talking.

“I still have all your letters and birthday cards, Miss Weasley. I hope you liked the pictures I sent you in return.”

Ginny squeaked again and nodded her head several times.

I reached into my pocket and took out a copy of the picture with my head in the Nundu's mouth. “Here's one more for your collection.”

Ginny squeaked again and hugged it like it was one of my plushie dolls.

That gave me an idea and I looked at Molly. “My apologies if this is too forward and personal, Mrs. Weasley. Were you able to buy any of my plushie dolls for Ginerva?”

Ginny looked sad and Molly shook her head.

“They were too popular and sold out before we could get anywhere near the stores selling them.” Molly said with a sigh.

I nodded my head and reached into my pocket. “I suspected as such. I would have sent this to you long ago if I had known you didn't get any of the newer ones.”

“Newer ones? What do you... sweet Merlin!” Molly gasped as I took out a life-size Baby Harry Plushie.

“Just so you know, there are only three others of these in existence. They were the first test models and every other one is half the size.” I said and handed it to Ginny. It joined the epic hug my picture was in and I was glad they had the same enchantments as the fan letters in my swimming pit or it would have been ruined.

“H-Harry, we... we can't accept that! It's too valuable!” Molly protested.

I smiled at her and pointed to Ginny's blushing and happy face. “That's what makes it valuable, Mrs. Weasley. Without people like her, it would never become something that anyone wants.”

Molly looked at her ecstatic daughter and saw that I was right.

“We better get moving. The train leaves in five minutes.” I said and they all jumped again.

We made a beeline to the barrier and went through it, almost in a pile. I had to hold in my laugh as they all scrambled to board the train with their trunks. I helped transfer them from the trolley as Molly hugged each of her children and shoved them onto the train.

“I wish I could go, too.” Ginny whispered low enough that she thought no one heard her.

I leaned out the door of the train as it started to pull away. “Don't worry, Ginny! It's only a year! For magicals that live for almost 200 years, that's nothing!”

Ginny blushed again and ducked her head behind my plushie. She looked pleased, though.

“Don't forget to write to your favorite hero!” I waved to her and she waved back. I chuckled and leaned back in to see four surprised looks.

“You're not trying to trick our sister, are you?” The twins asked at the same time.

I reached out and patted their shoulders. “Of course not, my new friends! I'm encouraging a longtime fan to not be so shy around me.” I said and they nodded. I glanced down at their clothes and had to smile. They were not hand-me-downs or cheap muggle ripoffs. “I see the school subsidies are being put to good use.”

“That was true?” They asked, shocked.

“That it was me setting it up for those that needed it? Yes, it's true.” I confirmed and then let them in on the secret. “Honestly, I wanted to encourage parents to have more children and not have to worry about paying so much money for them to go to school when they were of age.”

The four of them just stared at me.

“Who better than the Weasley family as an example?” I asked and they kept staring. I laughed and waved behind them. “Fred, George, I bet Lee's waiting for you. Percy, good luck finding Penelope's compartment. She's probably on her Prefect rounds.” I said and pointedly looked at his chest and the Prefect badge there.

“Right! I need to go!” Percy gasped and grabbed his trunk from the pile and ran down the compartment as he dragged the thing behind him.

“Locomotor charm!” I shouted at him.

“Thanks!” Percy said and waved his wand at his trunk. It shot up off of the floor and floated behind him as he ran unencumbered.

“You wouldn't happen to know that spell, do you?” Fred asked me.

I nodded and tapped his trunk and tapped his hand. “Locomotor Fred's trunk.”

The trunk floated up to hover behind him.

“Wicked.” The twins said as one.

I did George's trunk next and the pair walked away and had a whispered conversation that I didn't bother listening to. It was probably in their special twinspeak shorthand and I wouldn't understand it anyway.

“See you later, whoever you are.” I said to Ron and walked around him to follow the twins.

“Oi! What about my trunk?” Ron asked.

“I can't cast the spell if I don't know your name!” I lied and waved at him over my shoulder.

“It's Ron! RON WEASLEY!” Ron yelled.

“Sorry! It doesn't ring a bell!” I joked and opened the door to the next train car. I could swear that I heard a few giggles from one of the compartments as I passed it, so I stopped and peered into the window to see a group of girls looking back at me. “Ladies.” I said and gave them a beaming smile and winked at them, making them giggle and blush.

I went to the next car and searched for a mostly empty compartment to sit in. I stopped when I reached one with someone that wasn't on the platform. I politely knocked and waited for the door to open before I spoke.

“Hello, Miss Abbot. Do you mind if I intrude on you and your friend to join you for the journey to school?” I asked her and she blushed to a deep red. I only received stuttering and sputtering in response.

“H-Harry.” Susan whispered and stared at me.

“Hello, Miss Bones. I hope your auntie liked the clothing cabinet I sent her.” I said and Susan was reduced to a stuttering mess like Hannah was as she tried to thank me for it. I held in my laugh at so easily flustering both girls and took Hannah's hand and led her back to her seat beside Susan and sat her down, went back and shut the compartment door, then I sat across from the pair of friends.

Unlike them, I was determined to wait their embarrassment out and just sat there and smiled at them without trying to talk at all. I did keep changing my gaze from Susan's face to Hannah's, so they would know I wasn't ignoring one for the other. I didn't want to give them a reason to be jealous of each other, either.

It took a good 10 minutes before the girls calmed down enough to realize that it was completely silent in the compartment. That embarrassed them again and they couldn't quite meet my eyes. I stopped holding in my amusement and softly laughed at the situation. It didn't take long before they joined me and started to relax.

“Do you still have my Baby Harry plushie?” I asked Susan and she nodded. “I heard it's a very valuable collector's item.”

“It is. I haven't met or know anyone else that has one.” Susan said. “Auntie checked around as well and no one else has one.”

“That's probably because they were never up for sale.” I said and both girls sucked in sharp breaths. “I only gave them to three girls at the time. One to you, one to the Greengrass heiress because of a contract with their family, one to my distant cousin to apologize for an accident that was mostly my fault, and I just gave a fourth one to one of my biggest fans.”

Both girls stared at me and didn't say anything.

“Ginny will be joining us next year and I had to give her something I knew she would treasure until then.” I explained and Susan nodded. “So, what did you lovely girls do this summer?”

“We went to the beach!” Hannah said a little loudly and then blushed.

Susan couldn't stop her giggle. “It was local, so the water was a bit cold.” She said and briefly glanced down at her friends breasts. “Hannah's bikini was under a lot of strain.”

Hannah gasped and whipped her head around to glare at her friend. “Says the girl that almost lost her top when she dove into the water the first time!”

I chuckled and both girls turned to look at me with wide eyes. I leaned forward and smiled warmly at them. “That sounds like two sides to a great story.” I said and kept my eyes at their eye level and didn't look down at their well-developed chests. “Why don't you start at the beginning?”

Hannah and Susan exchanged looks and nodded to each other.

“Well, it all started when Hannah invited me over to spend a week's vacation at their beach house.” Susan said and explained what had happened and how the whole beach thing came about.

I sat there with a smile on my face as both girls visibly relaxed and then started to try to embarrass the other by telling me all about their playful antics.