Surviving Times

Everything was set. The four of them were ready to hop onto the train. They wanted to get in early. It was an unspoken rule that all the first years took the last coaches only. And they sincerely did not wish to sit with strangers. They sat in as soon as the train came.

After getting kissed on cheeks, hugged and sent off, the four friends finally had some breather. Their families were a bit… intense, except only for Theo's who didn't even bother showing up.

It is a reasonable and noteworthy fact that people tend to definitely forget something in the last moment. The same with the witches and wizards. As long as one's a human, they are susceptible to a curse called forgetfulness. Mia was not an exception either. She forgot something 'important.'

"Oops." She said. And it brought shadows on three other faces. The last she said that, they had to run from a giant praying mantis with xenophobia in Shanghai. Hence, their reactions which might seem like overreactions are not overreactions. They were just natural reflexes developed from being friends with an irrevocable adventure junkie.

"What now?" Theo asked in all seriousness while thinking about many things. He was the only person who wrote his will. So, he had one less thing to worry about while Draco and Daphne were already regretting.

"…No need to be over dramatic. I just forgot something, and I will go get it. And please stop looking like you're thinking how to arrange your own funeral." Mia said, baffled by the ridiculousness of the situation.

"The train would leave in some 20 minutes. You better hurry up then." Draco suggested along with a sigh.

"Sure. I'll see you soon." With that she teleported. And these three were okay with it. They knew teleportation too. Because they learnt how to run away before putting up a fight. Mia was… a spartan teacher sometimes when it comes to weird little things.

The said witch teleported to Fiore HQ, where someone was already waiting for her. It was Gresil. He was holding a basket, and it looked tiny. He handed it to her.

"Sorry it took so long." Mia apologized. "You said you wanted to talk with me?"

"I do, but we can talk later. Here, take this and go back to the train." Gresil replied. He didn't want her to miss the train, at least not on his account.

"Fine, but are you sure?" They haven't met in two years. She didn't want to leave just like that. But the creature in question just gave a look that said, 'It'll be a surprise so go now.' She raised a brow and gave hug to him before teleporting back to the station as she needed to gift wrap this basket.

She packed it and put it with her luggage. She was about to get into the train before someone bumped into her. Startled, she looked back. She was vigilant to danger but not to mundane things. So, she didn't sense anyone or anything approaching her. She turned back to look.

It was a trolley she got bumped into. To be more precise, it was Hogwarts' trolley. Tsk. No wonder it wasn't affected by the confundus around her. She searched for the owner.

He was a short, scrawny boy, clearly malnourished. He had a mess of rebellious jet-black hair which was similar but different compared to her. He had deep, emerald eyes which were different from Daphne's vibrant green. They were startled, probably because she literally appeared out of nowhere and he bumped into her. It took her a moment to perceive who it was.

"S-Sorry, I didn't see you there." The boy stammered an apology.

"Hogwarts?" She asked blandly, though myriad of emotions were racing in her heart.

"Y-Yes." He replied, surprised but also relieved.

"…Follow me." Hence, Mia escorted the boy who lived to the train instead of the Weasleys.

When they reached the train, she quickly started walking away.

"Um… Hey!" The boy finally gathered the courage to talk. Mia just looked at him, silently asking him why he called.

"Thank you for showing me the way." He said. It was common courtesy. But what really startled her was the look of genuine gratitude on his face. Why was he so thankful for such a little kindness she offered on a whim? But then again, she might be the second person who didn't treat him like a waste of space or some sort of celebrity.

"It wasn't much. See you at Hogwarts, Mr. Potter. Goodbye." Mia walked away. Seeing the boy caused her to recollect many things she did not want to.

Harry Potter was startled; he clearly didn't tell her his name and he was sure he hid his scar after he knew how people reacted to it. She vanished before he could ask how.

***

Mia sat in her seat by the window as soon as she came in. Staying with her for years enabled her friends to have a grasp on her mood. Not that it changed much anyway. It was mostly bored, amused, indifferent or calm. So, it was easy to notice when there was something bothering her… and it must be really bothering her, because Mia was never let her feelings show. Unless they were too much to suppress.

The three of them looked at each other. They have noticed the anomaly with their friend. Daphne quietly probed her friend. "Mia, are you okay? Did something happen?"

Mia stopped thinking when she heard Daphne's voice. The concern filled in it softened her expression a bit. Sighing, she answered to her friend's question. "Nothing, really. Just the usual motion sickness threatening to kick in. I feel a bit woozy. That's all."

Her friends didn't buy it but didn't say anything. She was thankful for that. She is really lucky to have such considerate friends. Mia leaned on the window and before long, she fell asleep while lost in her thoughts. Draco, Daphne and Theo looked at each other. This looked worse than they thought.

Mia was always a light sleeper. She had troubles sleeping and would wake up even at the faintest noise. But here she was, sleeping in a 'train.' They all knew she would never make peace with anything that is a transport.

They tried thinking about the things which could cause this miracle. They were seriously considering whether or not to call Gresil. They didn't have the time to think about it as someone barged into their coach. They wanted to see who dared to do that. Very few people, almost none showed any disrespect them since they became directors of Fiore, heads of a huge conglomerate. Family and friends aside of course.

A girl with bushy brown hair stood. Her entire being exuded a bossy air built up with confidence that the three of them knew was fragile. She asked, "A boy named Neville has lost his toad. Have you seen it?" she said trying to hide the annoyance in her voice. She had the nerve to size them up.

The three of them contemplated whether to hex her or not. Good for the girl, Mia didn't like useless troubles. They looked at each other before they sighed. A simple no would have sufficed, but they didn't want to talk.

Daphne summoned the toad and gave it to the girl. She was the best in summoning among the three. She gave it to the girl and shut the door, before Mia wakes up due to the noise.

Draco put some barriers leaving the fuming girl all to herself. They tried their best not to disturb their friend. He sighed before started talking to each other telepathically.

'I'm impressed with myself. I managed to ignore it, despite the offence.' Draco thought. He really didn't like anyone who intruded his personal space. Neither did the three of them. They were simply intolerant towards certain things.

They communicated through their thoughts for some more time. It was only when the sky darkened, they decided to wake Mia. She was still asleep, soundly.

"Mia, wake up." Daphne gently nudged her friend. But she didn't wake up. She didn't have the heart to wake her up. The boys agreed as well. Draco snapped his fingers and all of them were in their uniforms. It was only when Mia sensed some magic touch her body, did she wake up. She was startled, but soon calmed down when she felt it was a familiar one.

"You finally woke up." Daphne said, her hands crossed. The look on her face promised a girl to girl talk for sure. Mia looked at the boys, they just shrugged. They knew Daphne could be fierce, very fierce sometimes. They were gentlemen and they would not interfere.

"Yep, I did. Are we in Hogwarts yet?" Mia said, lamely trying to change the subject. She wasn't really in the mood to talk about her nap. They always brought her sweet dreams along with dreadful nightmares. The one she had today was particularly nasty.

Daphne just sighed and talked about something else. She was concerned but didn't want to make her friend uncomfortable about it. The train stopped and they got out. A giant man called out for first years. The quartet followed him.

They walked till they reached the boats. The sight of the boats made Mia's face scrunch up, she was deciding if she should blow them... Her three friends laughed at it. It attracted some attention, but they didn't care. They just felt amused at their friend's hatred for anything to do with transporting.

At the end, Mia decided to let it slide. She could handle another ride. She drank enough potions this morning to keep her from feeling sick. But the potion didn't help her with her feelings which tend to be sick.

She sighed and stepped into the boat, occupying the best position to puke up in case something goes wrong. The trio who snickered were ignored. They swiftly placed themselves next to her. Daphne, ready to pat her back. Theo and Draco would be ready to waggle anyone's tongue if they uttered a single word.

There was this little unspoken rule among them. Only they could tease/bully/play each other and get away scot free. No one else had this privilege. Anyone who dared to would be in serious troubles.

The boats started moving. Mia didn't puke but she still felt that sick inside her guts. She had no time to appreciate the ascendance of the magical castle. Lucky for her, Theo secretly shot a video of the entire thing.