Just Good Friends

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were just about to walk through the barrier to platform 9 ¾ when they heard someone call Hermione's name. They turned around to see a group of girls heading their way. Hermione let out a slightly exasperated sigh and turned the other way, so they couldn't see the slightly annoyed look she had on her face.

"Oh, those are some of my Muggle friends. I really don't want to be bothered right now, but it would be so rude to just disappear..."

"Go on and say hi," Harry said, giving her the slightest push forward. "Ron and I will go ahead and load your trunk for you. Then we'll come back and rescue you."

"We will?" asked Ron.

"Yes, we will."

"Thank you." Hermione gave the boys a grateful smile and then ran off to have a chat with her friends. When Ron and Harry were sure that no one was looking, they walked through the barrier and began loading the bags into their usual compartment, theirs as well as Hermione's.

"I don't know why you had to go and suggest that, Harry," Ron muttered as he helped lift Hermione's trunk. It had been spelled so it would be practically weightless, but he (lazy creature that he was) just hadn't wanted to help. "It's not like she was anxious to talk to them anyways."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I was trying to be nice. She didn't want to be rude and just ignore them. Besides, they were staring straight at us, and I don't think we would have been able to just stroll through a solid barrier unnoticed. If one person saw, they might think their eyes were tricking them, but there were at east half a dozen. And most of them were girls. You know that girls always ask questions."

"True, true. But Hermione should be about done with them now, and you did say we'd rescue her."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were against this."

"I was against carrying the bags. There was a cute little blond that I wouldn't mind talking to."

"Let's see you not make a fool of yourself in front of a Muggle girl." Ron blushed a bit, thinking about how totally pathetic he was when it came to dealing with all things Muggle.

The boys strolled back through the barrier, to see that Hermione really did need rescuing. She was talking to a tall, fair-haired boy who seemed to be very interested in her, but it was obvious to Ron and Harry that she did not return his interest. As he leaned in to touch her arm, she took a step back, feigning interest in something at the other side of the train station. Her Muggle "friends" seemed amused by this. Hermione saw Harry and Ron and sent them a pleading look.

"Well, what'll we do about this one?" Ron asked. Harry recognized that all too familiar look in his friend's eye and decided that letting Ron near the group might not be a good idea.

"I'll handle it. I think I know just what to do." With that Harry strode off towards the group with a confident gleam in his eyes.