NOVEL NEXT Chapter 102: chapter:102
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"I think we can stay here for a while" Harry finally replied and leaned back, feeling Fleur's chin settle on his shoulder, her breasts pressed on his back.
"I knew you would say that." Fleur replied, and Harry didn't have to look into her face to see her smug look.
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September 1, Hogwarts Express
"Did you see him?"
Padma Patil shook her head and sat down across her friend and wiped the sweat on her brow. "I don't think he's on the train Hermione. I checked the last four cars, and you said he wasn't at the other four."
Hermione nodded and continued her search of her classmate, though in all honesty she knew she wouldn't be able to find Harry. The boy was as slippery as an eel, and his nonchalant way of finding hidden nooks and crannies to nap on continued to amaze her.
Even after two years together in school, Hermione admitted to herself the she hasn't fully figured out her friend. At first she thought that he was one of those aloof and lazy students who only used minimum effort to get by in their academics. His consistent high grades proved Hermione's assumption wrong.
Then she formed another theory, and suspected that Harry was trying to hide his studying habits and didn't want to share his studying habits with the rest of the house. It answered the question of where he kept disappearing between classes and during the weekends. That suspicion was shattered when she found the boy sleeping on top of a tree.
Hermione later realized as she continued to observe her friend that he just simply didn't care what the other students thought of him. That the other students bored the young wizard, and she feared that Harry might have included her in that part of the group in his mind despite being his friend.
And with his betrothed's pictures surfacing, she started to doubt her worth. Wasn't she good enough for Harry Potter if he had an exotic older French witch to hang out with? The latest article depicting Harry's new life in France further cast feelings of doubt and jealousy in Hermione. As she read the interview and observed the pictures of Harry and the veela on a beach attached, she felt herself worthless compared to these women.
The brunette shook her head and tried to clear her head thoughts of inadequacy. She was Hermione Granger! She continued to her prowl along the corridors of the train to look for her friend.
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If Hermione knew where Harry was, she would have screamed in frustration. The wizard in question was happily sitting beside the train engineer, eating a bacon sandwich that the engineer generously shared with him.
The engineer was busy with his checklists as he made the preparations for the trip to Hogwarts, when he heard the news from the conductor that his fellow engineer got injured in a potions accident hours before.
It meant that he would have to handle all the preparations and operation of the Hogwarts express, causing his mood to sour further. He was already muttering angry words under his breath as he stomped towards the locomotive when he heard a familiar tune, though the words were unfamiliar. It sounded French.
… Le jolies locomotives.
Rouge, et verte, marron, et bleue.
Toute l'equipe brille de mille feux!
Chacune a son role a jouer.
Toujours partantes pour nous aider.
Avec Thomas et ses amis.
La vie nous sourit…
Confused at what he was hearing, he rushed to his cabin and stood dumbfounded at the sight a boy happily singing the strangely familiar tune in French while he played with the controls of the engine. The boy wore a striped engineer hat almost similar to what he wore, complete with striped overalls. The engineer grudgingly admitted that the boy's uniform was more complete since he had a red scarf tied around his neck.
"What do you think you're doing here?" He demanded. The boy stopped singing at once and jumped back, though he noticed that the boy quickly regained his composure and offered a simple smile in turn.
"Well?" The engineer crossed his massive arms and stared at the intruder. "What are you doing in the front? Trying to prank me like those twins before? You know it's against the rules to be here."
"Not at all." The boy replied. "I just love trains. That's all mister, couldn't resist playing once I saw her this morning."
The boy dutifully returned the levers and switches back to where he found them.
"I can clearly see that." Despite the engineer's current mood, he was amused by the boy's antics. His sharp eye looked around and noticed nothing was amiss or damaged. He looked at his watch and noticed there were still a few hours before departure, and noticed the boy had a nicer watch than his. Grumbling beneath his beard, the engineer nodded at the boy. "What's with the outfit, then? And the weird singing?"
"I grew up muggle." The boy replied without any hint of shame. "I was familiar with the show, and when I was in France this summer, I saw on the telly the French version. It's been stuck inside my head since then, and when I saw your engine… well this happened." The boy finished with a gesture to his current outfit.
Now trying to fight a smile, the engineer offered his arm. "The name's Barlow, engineer Barlow to you."
The boy without hesitation quickly shook the man's hand. "The name's Harry, the boy-who-lived to you."
Barlow immediately laughed at that. He never realized he would meet someone famous this way? An idea formed inside his head. Who knew the famous boy-who-lived was an engine nut like him? He couldn't wait to share this to his mates if he pulled this off. "So Mr. Potter, want to learn more about trains eh?"
"Sure, and please, just call me Harry." The boy replied with an easy grin.
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