Hogwarts: Wind and Eagle Wings

The girl clearly hadn't expected Scott to already be looking at the door when she opened it, which led to the two of them locking eyes the moment the door swung open. Feeling a bit embarrassed under his gaze, she pressed her lips together and straightened her posture, using one hand to prop open the door.

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley?" Scott's voice was slow and deliberate, with a deep tone. 

Still going through puberty, he was careful to lower his pitch and speak more slowly, trying to avoid the embarrassing crack in his voice that could slip out if he wasn't careful. 

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but I haven't seen those two gentlemen," he said, shaking his head politely at Hermione Granger. Of course, Scott knew that those two boys were probably flying a car through the sky at that very moment.

"Oh, thank you." Hermione Granger quickly expressed her thanks, then glanced at the book in his hands—Holidays with Hags. On the cover, Gilderoy Lockhart's image was grinning at her with his absurdly "charming" smile.

Noticing that she hadn't left, Scott raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Is there anything else, Miss Granger?"

The young witch raised an eyebrow in return and spoke quickly. "Were you just reading Holidays with Hags? I must apologize for interrupting your lovely reading session, but I don't know your name yet. Oh, and you already know me?"

Scott chuckled softly. "Of course I do. Last year, you helped defend the Philosopher's Stone alongside 'The Boy Who Lived' himself and scored 50 points for Gryffindor at the end-of-year feast to win the House Cup. I'm Scott Trollope, by the way, Ravenclaw, about to start my fourth year."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Trollope. And again, I really apologize for interrupting you…" Hermione continued, still speaking at that breakneck speed.

Scott was just about to say goodbye when, to his surprise, she wasn't done yet.

"… I've already read that book. It's quite good, actually. I mean, Professor Lockhart's books are all amazing! I'm really looking forward to this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, aren't you? Well, see you at Hogwarts." With that rapid-fire monologue out of the way, Hermione stepped out of the compartment, quickly closing the door and rushing off.

'What a whirlwind of a girl,' Scott thought, shaking his head.

He then fell into thought. He mentally reviewed the major events that would unfold this school year 'Tom Riddle's diary, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, would possess Ginny Weasley and compel her to open the Chamber of Secrets, releasing the basilisk to attack Muggle-born students.'

It was not a favorable scenario for a Muggle-born like him. He couldn't guarantee that one day he wouldn't run into a deadly basilisk while walking down a school corridor. It seemed like this year wouldn't be one he could just coast through. Scott had managed to stay under the radar for three years, but that strategy might not work this year.

During the summer, he spent a lot of time thinking about how to deal with the upcoming events. He had come up with several plans and eventually decided on one that was reasonably safe and practical. Taking unnecessary risks wasn't an option. He would eliminate the danger at its root while ensuring his own safety.

After going over his plan one more time in his head, he relaxed, pulling out his pocket watch to check the time. '12:43 PM. It had been just over an hour since the train left the station.'

He reached for his backpack, preparing to pull out his packed lunch to fill his stomach. But just as he unzipped the bag, he paused, his head turning toward the compartment door.

Five seconds later, the door opened once more.

"There you are, Scott." A tall, well-built boy poked his head into the compartment, glancing around before walking in and sitting down opposite of Scott.

"Hey, Roger." Scott took a paper bag holding a burger out of his backpack, surprised. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with your current girlfriend… what's her name again? That Hufflepuff… Miss Mill?"

Roger Davies, a fellow Ravenclaw in the same year, also happened to be Scott's roommate.

"Mill?" Roger chuckled. "We broke up."

Scott stopped for a moment—more out of respect for Miss Mill than anything else—before casually asking, "When did that happen?"

Roger grinned cheekily. "Just after the end-of-year exams last term."

Scott gave him a calm look but said nothing.

Roger's extensive dating history had just gained another chapter, but Scott had no interest in commenting about it.

"You're not even a little curious about why we broke up?" Roger reached into Scott's paper bag and grabbed one of his burgers as Scott was about to unwrap it.

"Trust me, Roger," Scott said, handing him a bottle of Coke. "If you had a roommate as much of a flirt as you are, you'd get used to it after three years and lose all interest in their love life. I'm pretty sure even Eddie's lost the will to gossip about your frequent 'romantic news.'"

Eddie Carmichael, their younger roommate by a year, was usually quite enthusiastic about spreading gossip around the school.

Roger shrugged, chewing his burger as he spoke, his words muffled. "You make it sound like your flirtatious roommate's a bad guy."

Scott gave him an exaggerated fake smile. "As far as I'm concerned, he's a good roommate. His love life has nothing to do with me. After all, I don't know any of the girls he dumps. And, well… I'm certainly not dating him."

"Fair enough." Roger took the comment as a compliment and happily popped the top off his Coke. He raised the bottle toward Scott. "To good roommates."

"To good roommates." Scott raised his own unopened bottle and clinked it against Roger's.

Roger didn't seem to mind the lack of fizz, though. He just stared at Scott with a mischievous grin, eyebrows raised. "That girl who left your compartment earlier… That was Hermione Granger, right? Gryffindor's 'know-it-all' and Potter's friend? How do you two know each other?"

Scott shot him a dry look, swallowing a bite of his food. "We just met. She was looking for her two friends, Potter and Weasley. Apparently, they missed the train. Didn't she ask you?"

"Probably missed me while I was in the bathroom?" Roger found the situation quite amusing, laughing as he said, "First day of the new school year, and there's already drama? Gotta love the 'Chosen One.'"

Scott thought to himself, 'This is just the beginning. The 'Chosen One' is always bound for trouble before finally defeating the Dark Lord and saving the world.'

At that moment, Roger noticed the book sitting on the seat beside Scott—Holidays with Hags—and asked curiously, "Are you really reading this kind of novel?"

"Novel?" Scott raised an eyebrow deliberately, giving Roger a questioning look. "This happens to be our new textbook for Defense Against the Dark Arts."