The Last Heir of Merlin

Jake and Hermione had arrived at King's Cross on September 1st with around ten minutes to board the train before it departed. They were pushing their trolley's up towards the Station to get on Platform 9¾ when they heard a rush of people hurrying up behind them, "I guess we did arrive later than last year," Jake voiced to her.

"That was because we didn't know how to get on the Platform," Hermione smiled at him.

"Fair point," he said to her before addressing the conglomerate of red heads and Harry, "I was wondering if you all would show up or not? Hermione and I were just about to make our way to the platform."

"Alright, let them go first since they were here first," Molly said and Hermione went ahead of Jake, where he quickly followed behind her. They quickly found a compartment and Ginny was nervous about finding other First Years to sit with, but Jake told her to walk into a compartment, any compartment with kids who looked First Year and just ask if she can join them. She smiled at him and nodded, going to find one.

"That was simple, but good advice," Hermione said as they sat down, the train having already left the station. It was a few minutes when she realized something, "Where are Harry and Ron?"

"With luck? Stuck on top of the train," he smirked and received a glare, "Wha- I'm kidding, obviously. I don't know where they are, but hopefully they made it onto the train."

They went ahead and changed into their robes to get it out of the way, and he was busy reading his Grade 3 Spellbook, Hermione reading one of Lockhart's books. Jake had read through all of his books once, and that was enough. They were entertaining reads, but he felt like Lockhart talked about himself a bit too much in them.

He looked up and out the window to see an amusing sight, "Hermione?"

"Hmm?" She asked, not looking up from the book.

"Have you ever seen a flying car?"

"No, why?"

"Well, look to your right and you will," he couldn't help the smirk on his face. He had managed to make out a head of red hair in the flying car.

Hermione must've realized who was in the car as well, "Those idiots!"

"I'm a little envious," he said and she gaped at him, not believing what she was hearing, "How often do you get the chance to be in a flying car? Even outside of Magic, there are trains, but Muggles don't have flying cars yet, the appeal is there."

"Maybe, but do you know how many people have probably seen them? They aren't exactly invisible, you know?" She asked, looking back to see them disappear from sight, "They are going to be in so much trouble..."

It was barely a minute later when trouble found them, "Thanks a lot, Fernandes," said one Draco Malfoy, "my father gave me a stern talking to because of what you said in Flourish and Blotts."

"Oh, how sad, you were given a stern talking to. My adoptive father beat the hell out of me when I did something he considered disgraceful, but you're right, you clearly have the worst end of it," Jake didn't mean to say that, it just slipped out.

He caught the look on Hermione's face and she looked about ready to cry. Draco didn't look like he knew how to respond to that, so he just changed topics, "Where are Potter and Weasley? Did Potter finally get the boot and Weasley was held back at home because they realized they couldn't afford to send him back for another year?"

"They'll be at Hogwarts, just like you unfortunately will be," Hermione said, unable to stand him any longer.

"I didn't ask for your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," Draco Malfoy said, staring directly at Hermione, who didn't look like she understood what the word meant, but she did know that it wasn't a nice word from how he said it. In the next instant, Jake had punched Malfoy out of the doorway to their compartment, a crunch sound was heard the moment his fist connected with Malfoy's nose.

Jake stood in the doorway of the compartment, "Say that again and you won't leave this train alive," Jake said in a menacing voice. His left fist was covered in some blood after he clocked Malfoy in the nose.

Malfoy was yelling in agony, holding his bleeding nose. A few people opened their compartment doors to see what the commotion was about. They saw Draco Malfoy sitting on the floor with a bloody nose and bloody fingers that were holding said nose. He stood up and ran from there, a few people laughing at him as he did.

Jake walked back in and closed the compartment door, sitting down without saying a word. There was an awkward silence between the both of them for a little while, neither really knowing what to say to the other. He had gone back to immediately reading his Grade 3 Spellbook, trying to ignore the tension. Hermione was looking at him for a few seconds at a time, trying to work up the courage to actually speak and ask him why he punched Malfoy. She didn't get the chance as the compartment door opened, revealing Malfoy, still holding his nose, and a Prefect, that Prefect being Percy Weasley, "So I have just been informed that you assaulted Malfoy here?" He asked, looking directly at Jake.

"I did. Did he tell you why?" Jake asked him.

"It doesn't matter why, violence is never the answer to be taken," Percy said in an authoritative tone.

Jake stood up, coming up to be a bit taller than Malfoy, but obviously shorter than Percy, "It does matter when he calls Hermione a racial slur. I'd punch him right now if he called her that again, even if Snape himself was here." Hermione understood now what Mudblood meant.

Percy turned to Malfoy, "You failed to mention that, Malfoy. Did you call her something bad?"

"I just called her what she is-"

Jake was on him in a second with his hand grabbing his robes and his wand pressed right into his throat, "Take. It. Back!"

Percy was unmoved for Malfoy's obviously racist attitude towards Hermione, "Fernandes, please remove your wand from his throat, and Malfoy, I'm only going to say this once; return to your compartment or I will take points away from Slytherin before the year even starts."

Jake did remove his wand from his throat, and reluctantly let go of his robes. Draco immediately scampered off with his tail between his legs. Percy left without another word. Jake closed the compartment again, but didn't sit down, "I'm so sorry, Hermione..."

She stood up, confused, "What are you sorry for?"

"That people like him exist... that there are bigots and racists like that in the Wizarding World..." Hermione saw his shoulders shaking from frustration. She also heard some sniffling coming from him.

She hesitated for a moment, but then embraced him from behind, "You have nothing to be sorry for, okay?" She rested her ear on his back; his heart beating quickly in her ear from his distress. He didn't say anything, but he did calm down, his heart rate slowing down as well, "Feel better?"

"I do... thank you," he said and she let go of him. He turned around after wiping his face with his hand and smiled meekly at her.

They returned to the silence, but it was comfortable this time, and Hermione even migrated over to his side to read some of the Grade 3 Spellbook.

*******

The train pulled into Hogsmeade Station after a while and Jake and Hermione immediately heard after stepping off the train, "Firs' Years! Firs' Years, over here!" Hagrid saw them and waved to them. They waved back and made their way to the carriages. This was Jake's first time seeing the carriages, and he had heard they were charmed to pull themselves, so he was confused when he saw a horse looking creature in front of each carriage.

"I thought the carriages were supposed to pull themselves?" He asked to no one in particular, but because Hermione was next to him, she responded in kind.

"What are you talking about? They do pull themselves," she gave him an odd look.

"No, there are Winged, Skeletal looking Horses, pulling them," he carefully walked over and placed his hand on it, stroking its body, "come over here, Hermione."

"You look silly doing that," she laughed a bit, covering her mouth with her fingers.

"I'm serious, come over here," he urged and she sighed, walking over to him. He grabbed her hand and guided it up to the Horse.

Hermione gave a shuddering gasp when her hand felt something that she couldn't see. She quickly withdrew her hand, "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know what it's called, it just looks like a Winged Horse to me," he said, his mind more curious than before.

They quickly boarded the Carriage and were taken up to the Castle, "A shame Harry and Ron have to miss this. Our first year that we are able to ride the Carriages and they missed it," Hermione voiced her disappointment during the ride.

"I wonder why they were in that car to begin with? Do you think they weren't able to get on Platform 9¾?" Jake asked her.

"I'm not sure. I've never read anything that says the barrier closes, but I don't guess that means it can't, but then that doesn't explain why the other Weasley's were able to make it through. It wasn't Eleven o'clock when they came through, there was still about four minutes from the moment we went through and it should only take someone no more than five seconds to get through the barrier..." Hermione was going in circles in her head trying to figure out why they missed the train.

"I guess we'll just have to ask them when they get here," Jake said as the Carriage came to a halt. They disembarked and made their way up to Hogwarts Castle and towards the Great Hall to await the Sorting.

During the Sorting, Jake saw an interesting looking girl with Platinum Blonde hair and piercing Silver Eyes, who McGonagall called Lovegood, Luna, or Luna Lovegood outside of last-name ordered lists. She was wearing odd looking amenities, and was sorted into Ravenclaw. When Ginny's Name came up, she was sorted into Gryffindor, as expected. All Weasleys were in Gryffindor from what Jake gathered. She sat across from the both of them, sitting next to Fred or George, Jake couldn't distinguish them apart. She was all smiles until she realized neither Harry or Ron were there. Her smile faltered a bit until Dumbledore announced the feast to start. Before that, he introduced Gilderoy Lockhart as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. All of, or most of the girls squealed and giggled as he stood up and took a bow. Hermione was one of the girls and Jake just shook his head. All he cared about was whether Lockhart was a good Professor or not.

Jake was busy enjoying the food when he looked up across the Hall and saw Harry and Ron standing outside one of the windows, "Hermione, look, across the Hall."

She did so and saw both boys standing there looking in, "Why don't they go around to the Entrance Hall?" She asked.

Suddenly, they were whisked away by what looked like Professor Snape, "I would hate to be them right now," Jake said with a shake of his head.

Hermione sighed, "What idiots..."

Jake continued eating and after a few minutes, looked up to see Professor Snape come back and inform Professor McGonagall of their late arrival. Dumbledore looked over at Snape who nodded subtly, but because Jake was looking right at the most hated Professor, he caught the head movement, "I don't see them getting expelled... but I do see them still getting into serious trouble."

"I swear, if they lose Gryffindor any points before the first day of classes, I will be furious with them," Hermione expressed.

"Guess we'll see," Jake said, finishing up the main course. Soon, dessert was served and then eventually, Dumbledore expressed his Start of Term notices, telling everyone the usual, nothing extra like a Forbidden Corridor, and dismissed them all to bed. The new Fifth Year Prefects led the First Years to their respective House Common Rooms, and Jake and Hermione lagged behind everyone else, hoping to see Harry and Ron before reaching the Common Room; they wanted to know what exactly happened with them back at King's Cross.

It was a good thing they did move slower than the rest, because the moment the Portrait came into view, so did two familiar heads of hair, " There you are!" Hermione said a little impatiently. "Where have you been?"

"Well, after getting here, we were held in Professor McGonagall's office for the rest of the Start-of-Term feast," Harry explained.

"So why didn't you two board the train?" She asked them, a little more softly.

"The barrier-" Harry started to explain, but Ron cut him off.

"Can we do this another time? Harry and I are exhausted and would like some sleep!" Ron said, being the impatient one now.

"I think Jake and I deserve an-" Hermione didn't get to finish her statement or question, Jake didn't know which it was going to be, because the Portrait swung open and there was a sudden storm of clapping to be heard. The whole of Gryffindor house seemed to be waiting on the two late arrivals to Hogwarts. Harry and Ron were pulled inside and Hermione sighed irritably, clambering in after them. Jake pinched the bridge of his nose and tilted his head upwards, it was going to be a long First Night back.