Behind the Eyes

Platform 9 ¾ was packed with Hogwarts students and their families. It was September first, and the train was about to leave for school once again. A small girl who would be starting her first year walked down the corridor of the train, looking for a compartment. She peered into the next compartment she came to and found a boy who looked to be about her age.

"Hi," said the boy, a little shyly.

"Hi," she replied. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"No, come on in," he said with a smile. "I'm Casey. I'll be starting my first year this term."

"Me too. I'm Anna," she said with a small smile.

At that moment the door slid open, and three faces appeared there. "Can we join you? Everywhere else is full," asked a girl with long brown hair. At Casey and Anna's encouragement, the three children sat down. "My name's Isabella, and this is Julie and Thomas. They're twins." She gestured toward the girl and boy sitting next to her.

After introductions had been made, the children got settled in and began discussing the exciting events awaiting them at Hogwarts. The train began its journey and the conversation turned to what they were looking forward to the most. "I can't wait to start Transfiguration. I want to turn a frog into a pair of socks," Casey said to a chorus of giggles.

"You know what the best part might be? We're going to be attending the same school as Harry Potter! Can you believe he's on this very train?" Isabella said excitedly.

"I've seen him," Anna piped up suddenly. "My older brother goes to Hogwarts, and I've seen Harry on Platform 9 ¾."

"Who's Harry Potter?" Julie and Thomas looked a bit confused.

"You don't know who Harry Potter is?" Casey asked incredulously.

"They're muggleborn," Isabella explained. "I met them in Diagon Alley. Anyway," she turned to Julie and Thomas, "Harry Potter is probably the most famous person in the wizarding world. He defeated an evil wizard when he was only a year old. And he's fought You-Know-Who since then, too."

"You-Know-Who?" Thomas asked.

"That's what most witches and wizards call the evil wizard. No one wants to say his name, but Harry Potter's not afraid of him. He's fought him four times already."

"No, five. My brother says he fought him in the Chamber of Secrets when he was in his second year, but not many people know about that. That's when he killed a basilisk, too."

"I heard he can fight off hundreds of dementors all at once," Casey said. "Dementors used to guard the wizard prison, Azkaban, but over the summer they joined You-Know-Who," he added for Julie and Thomas' benefit.

"He sounds amazing," Julie said, a little in awe. "I wonder if we'll get to meet him."

"I don't know, but I've read all about him," Isabella said. "Last year, the Daily Prophet tried to make everyone believe he was crazy, because he said You-Know-Who had returned, but my mum said the Prophet was a load of rubbish. She said if Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore said he was back, then he was back."

Just then, the compartment door opened and two people, a tall boy with bright red hair and a girl with a large amount of brown hair, stood in the doorway. They were already wearing their Hogwarts robes and both had red and gold badges pinned to the fronts of them.

Hello," the girl said, "I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ron Weasley. We're Gryffindor prefects. We've stopped by to let you know that if you need help with anything, just let us know, and we'll be glad to give you a hand." Hermione looked pleasant, but Ron looked bored, as though they'd been at this for quite a while.

"Is this the last group of first years?" Ron muttered impatiently. "Can we go back to the compartment now?" Hermione only rolled her eyes and shushed him.

"Hermione Granger..." Isabelle said. "I've read about you!" She suddenly exclaimed. "Aren't you two Harry Potter's friends?"

The other first years looked at them with more interest, and Ron shifted, seemingly uncomfortable. "Yeah. Yeah, we are. Why?"

"Could you tell us what he's like? He's so famous, and you guys know him!" Isabelle had an excited look in her eyes now.

"Harry's just a normal teenager, just like the rest of us," Ron replied. He seemed to say this a lot, as if everyone who met him asked about Harry.

"He doesn't like being famous," Hermione chimed in. She was still smiling politely, but it seemed to be a little forced by this time.

"But what about all those things he's done? What about fighting off You-Know-Who?" As these words came out of Isabella's mouth, the first years noticed a change come over Ron and Hermione. The two prefects exchanged a glance, as if they were remembering a past experience they'd shared. Ron looked away, and something changed behind Hermione's eyes. They both wore sad expressions for a few seconds before regaining their composure.

Anna spoke up. "Isabella, they don't need us prying into their personal lives. Just let them be," she said quietly.

Isabella looked slightly put out, but Hermione smiled again. "We'll see you at Hogwarts, then." They turned to leave, but then Hermione looked back at them. "Oh, and I hope you get Sorted into Gryffindor.

* * *

The train had gone on, until the blurred countryside outside the windows had grown dark. The Hogwarts Express had finally arrived in Hogsmeade station, the first years had made their journey across the lake, and the Sorting Ceremony had begun. Isabella, Anna, and Casey were seated at the Ravenclaw table, while Julie and Thomas found themselves at the Gryffindor table. They were sitting across from two sixth year boys who had introduced themselves as Seamus and Dean. They were explaining how things worked in the wizarding world, as well as at Hogwarts. They were sympathetic, as both of Dean's parents were muggles, not to mention Seamus' dad, and they knew what it was like for someone to find out about the wizarding world for the first time.

"What about Harry Potter?" Thomas asked quietly, his curiosity getting the best of him. "We've heard about him, but is it all true?"

Seamus grinned. "I wondered when you were gonna ask about him."

"It's all true, and more," Dean said. "He's incredibly famous, but I never knew anything about him until I came to Hogwarts."

"I grew up hearing his name, but he's different than everyone says. He's just...normal, even if he's not, you know?" Seamus explained.

"I can tell you one thing," Dean said. "I don't envy him, no matter how famous he is. He's been through a lot over the years."

Julie looked down to the end of the table, where Harry Potter sat between a round-faced boy and a girl with bright red hair. Ron and Hermione sat across from him. Harry was smiling at something Ron had just said, but the smile was only slight and didn't seem to reach his eyes. He looked tired, and when he thought no one was looking, he wore a sad expression.

"What do you think?" Thomas asked her quietly. Dean and Seamus were now engaged in a conversation with an older boy who was sitting next to Thomas. "He doesn't look all that extraordinary to me."

"But look at his eyes, Thomas. There's something there...like something's haunting him. His eyes are older than the rest of him; he's seen so much. Probably too much."

Thomas looked down the table as well. Harry's face was a mask, but he couldn't hide the sadness in those bright green eyes. They were so full of emotion, and knowledge, but something was gone. "What's missing?" He spoke more to himself than anyone.

"I don't know. Maybe he's lost someone important to him. It's likely, with this war going on. Or maybe it's just happiness that's missing," Julie answered sagely.

"Well, I hope it's better for him soon. With all the things he's done, doesn't he deserve to be happy?" Thomas asked quietly.