The Way It Should Have Been

Hello readers! I have decided that instead of wasting time writing my story, as I am a slow updater anyway...I am going to answer reviews on my review board. If I have something special to say, I'll thank you personally by PM.

Without further ado, here's the third chapter of TWISHB!

The Way It Should Have Been

Chapter Three: Happenings on the Train

Harry had always thought that he would approach the first day of school at Hogwarts with excitement and pleasure. But he had found out, to his great dismay, that his bravery had failed him this time. He was as nervous as Ron was every time he was made to play beater in their games: scared to death of the bludgers, or in Harry's case, the students who would fawn over him day and night.

He knew that once he was in public with children his own age, he would be treated like practical royalty. He may have played it up in front of Jameson that he liked it, but he really couldn't stand kids saying, "Can you really turn Death Eaters into dust by looking at them?" or "Is it true that your mum sent Voldemort to the hospital with a simple Bat-Bogey Hex, and that you have inherited that same talent?" He couldn't stand the stupid rumors people had been circulating.

Well, he would just have to be a man and deal with it. That was what his dad told him to do, and he was going to do it. As he neared the infamous Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, he ran towards it, and just as he expected, crossed right through. He almost ran into a girl who looked like she had a bush on her head.

She whipped her head around and stared at him with chocolate brown eyes. "And who, may I ask, are you?"

Harry's jaw dropped. He had never, in his entire life, been asked who he was. People just knew him. He quickly put his jaw back up, because she was giving him an odd look. "Erm...are you a muggleborn?"

She sniffed at him in disdain. "Yes...is there something wrong with that?"

Harry smiled. "Not at all. It's just, most people know who I am, and it just came as a bit of a shock. Sorry."

She smiled distractedly, and peered at him closely. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Oh I know who you are...You're Harry Potter! Oh I've read all about you, and the way your parents sent that evil man to the hospital, I mean, honestly, I don't see how I didn't realize it before!"

Harry started to respond, but was cut-off by someone slapping his back rather hard. He turned around, and was not surprised " 'At a boy, Harry! Talking' up them ladies already, I see. And who might you be, miss?"

The girl's face turned beet red. "I take that as an offense! I am an independent young woman. But, just so that I won't be referred to in such vulgar terms anymore, my name is Constance."

Jameson rolled his eyes. "I haven't a clue what you just said. Well, pleased to meet you, I'm Jameson, and Harry and I really must be moving along. We've got things to do, people to see, you know, that sort of thing." And he steered Harry towards the train and a sea of red-headed people without another word.

Constance just stood there. She saw her sister arrive out of the corner of her eye, turned to face her. "I think I've just been insulted! That boy over there..."

"I heard the whole thing. I was digging in my trunk, so you didn't see me."

Constance rolled her eyes. "You always do hear everything, don't you Hermione?"

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Jameson were busy trying to find Parvati and Padma. Ginny was still too young to go to Hogwarts, and she wasn't taking it lightly, so they were steering clear of her.

"Come on! How many places can there be for them to hide on this blasted train?!" Ron said.

Jameson chuckled. "Well, Ron, the only reason we haven't found them yet is because they are repelled by your repulsiveness, and when did you start using language? I thought your mother Scourgified your mouth if you said dirty words?"

Ron scowled. "Well, she's not here right now, is she? And now that we're at school, I expect we'll have to use it now and then to show we won't be taken down easily!" As he said this, a tiny girl walked past him, and accidentally bumped into him. He stumbled, and almost fell.

Harry and Jameson erupted into laughter. "Well, we may be tough enough to use such language, but I don't think you're quite strong enough. That little girl sure showed you!" laughed Harry.

Ron's ears turned red, and he stalked into a compartment. "We'll sit in here."

Harry, still laughing, said, "Whatever you say, O Mighty Tough One."

After they had said their goodbyes, and the train had left, they heard a knock on the compartment door. When they let the person in, they discovered it to be the girl they had talked to earlier. Jameson lost no opportunity. "Well hi there! I knew you couldn't resist me. Now tell me, was it my devilish smile, my fabulous hair, or my..."

"And who, may I ask, are you?" said the girl.

Jameson cocked his head and frowned. "Don't you remember? We spoke earlier! You so rudely turned down my advances and..."

"I have no clue what you are talking about. You must have spoken to my sister, Constance. Well, in any case, my sister has gone to get us some snacks, and she left me to find us a compartment. All of them are completely full but this one. May we sit here?"

Ron smiled, Harry smirked, and Jameson bowed. "Why of course! Only the best for a lady!"

Hermione seemed to see right past his façade. "Well, if I am, in fact, a lady, then a gentleman such as you wouldn't mind putting our trunks up on the shelf for us?"

Jameson grinned. "Of course." He bent to pick up one of the trunks, but to his dismay found that he couldn't lift it an inch. He tugged and tugged, but the trunk wouldn't budge. "Erm, Harry, would you mind helping me here?"

The girl smirked. "You won't be able to lift it without the spell. You see, it's filled with books."

Jameson scowled. He hated know-it-alls. "Fine. You put it up there."

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "Only if you promise to quit it with the whole smooth-talking gentleman act. I can see right through you."

Jameson rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I doubt you could do the spell anyway."

The girl seemed to take this as a challenge, and squared her shoulders. "No one tells Hermione Granger what she can and cannot do!" With that she took out her wand and pointed it at the trunk. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The trunk gently floated into the air, and the girl who had called herself Hermione directed it neatly onto the shelf.

Jameson rolled his eyes. "So what, you can levitate a trunk onto a shelf. If I had half a mind to, I could do it myself."

Hermione smirked. "Fine then, let's see you try!" She levitated the trunk back down. "There you are!"

Jameson paled. He hadn't expected to actually be tested. He stood up and pulled out his wand. Pointing it at the trunk, he shouted, "Werdigium Lensesa!" The trunk turned yellow. "Erm...see, I meant to do that. I'll levitate it now."

Screwing his face in concentration, he tried another spell, "Wingarsela Levisium!" The trunk fell over sideways. "Er, yeah, meant that too, now here I shall..."

Hermione cut him off. "You can't do it. Here." She levitated it up again.

Jameson took his seat. Harry was sniggering so hard that he nearly fell off his seat, and Ron had already done so. "Brilliant mate," said Harry, "bloody brilliant."

Hermione scowled. "I won't tolerate such tones!"

Harry scowled. Ron looked utterly dead with laughter. "Wow, you guys are really stupid. Just don't say anything, she'll come up with some insult."

Hermione scowled again. "You would do well to stick up for your friends instead of knocking them down." Ron stopped laughing.

Another knock came at the door. Constance, the twin from earlier, entered. "What is going on in here? I heard quite a ruckus from the hall."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It looks like we're stuck with these brainless morons for the remainder of the train ride."

Constance sighed. "Well, I'll get us some books. Here's your Pumpkin Pasty. I suggest we not talk. It will get us into trouble if we fight, and we don't want house points taken away before we even belong to a house."

The boys grumbled, but secretly agreed. They didn't want to cause their future houses grief. But man, were they in for a long train ride. No one spoke the rest of the time, except to ask for a snack to be passed. All in all, it was a very boring ride, at least for the boys. The girls were perfectly content to sit and read some books. And Parvati and Padma never did show up.

A/N: Hope it was to your satisfaction! Next up, the feast and afterwards. I probably won't go into their first week of school next chapter yet. These first few chapters were meant to be rather slow, and then I will pick up once school actually gets started.