Chapter 3: Hogwarts Express

Karina Malfoy leaned against a pillar at King’s Cross Station.

Her radiant platinum blonde hair flowed down to her waist, swaying gently in the breeze. Her straight posture, with her back slightly arched, looked like something out of a magazine. Her youthful yet beautiful face was as dazzling as the sun, but people willingly chose to be blinded by its light. Drawing everyone’s gaze, Karina Malfoy tapped her foot, seemingly bored.

The train arrived. A platform attendant, seizing the opportunity, approached her, using his uniform as a shield.

“Is there anything I can help you with, miss?”

Those nearby sensed the nervous tremor and anticipation in his voice. It was so obvious that imagining how it must have appeared to Malfoy wasn’t difficult.

Malfoy looked up at him with a haughty expression. Boredom was etched on her face, yet a subtle smile played on her lips, as if she secretly enjoyed the attention. The attendant’s heart must have skipped a beat.

“I’m waiting for a friend.”

“Ah, you’re waiting for a friend. But the train will be departing soon. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“I’m fine. I’m not taking this train.”

“The next train won’t arrive for another 30 minutes after this one departs.”

“Tsk.”

Malfoy clicked her tongue in apparent annoyance and tapped her foot again. It was an incredibly arrogant gesture, but the attendant didn’t find it odd. She had the right to act that way. Who else, besides her, deserved such privilege?

Just as the attendant, emboldened, was about to speak again,

“Malfoy. Sorry, are we a bit late?”

Crabbe and Goyle approached. Only then did Malfoy push herself off the pillar and face them.

“You’re not late. I just dislike rushing. If we dawdle like this, we won’t get the compartment we want.”

“Oh dear. Can’t we just kick out whoever’s sitting there?”

“Kick them out myself? No. That’s unrefined. Unless they offer the compartment willingly.”

The attendant reflexively looked in the direction Malfoy was looking.

Two girls were approaching Malfoy. One was slightly plump, the other thin. Both were dressed up, but they couldn’t hide their childish, mischievous nature.

They, too, gave off the air of young ladies. Ladies carefully nurtured like hothouse flowers in a privileged environment.

But they lacked Malfoy’s breathtaking beauty. Standing between the two girls, Malfoy was truly a flower among leaves.

As the attendant thought this,

“How rude, Muggle. If you are my friend’s friend, you should show him proper respect.”

Malfoy pressed her wand against the attendant’s chest. Startled by the sudden action, the attendant gaped like a fool.

“Uh, uh…”

“However, since I was amused by your fidgeting, I’ll let you off with just a wart on your foot today.”

The girl smirked and tucked her short wand back into her robes. Then, she and her friends disappeared behind the pillar.

What is that thing she’s carrying? Protection? A conductor’s baton?

No, what does it matter?

It was a derisive laugh, but the attendant wanted to see her just one more time and rounded the pillar.

Nothing.

“…What? Did I dream that?”

The bewildered attendant looked around, but the blonde girl and her friends were nowhere to be seen. Scratching his head, he forgot the incident due to some magical influence. The wart on his foot was an added bonus.

“Oh dear, it seems this compartment is taken. I was hoping to sit here today.”

That was all it took. The sixth-year Ravenclaws offered the compartment with forced smiles and quickly vacated. The price Karina paid was a single smile. But they seemed happy enough with that, and they went to find another compartment.

“You made them offer it willingly!”

“Made them? Crabbe, anyone listening would think I forced them.”

The back compartments of the Hogwarts Express are the best. They are far from the steam engine (which is purely decorative; the train actually runs on magic!) and quiet, plus the prefects rarely patrol there, making for a comfortable ride.

For someone like Malfoy, who attracts attention, these back compartments are even more crucial. It’s rather unpleasant to have other students constantly peeking through the compartment windows.

“They overheard me talking to myself and offered it on their own.”

“Ahaha! Right! Did you see their fawning smiles?!”

Goyle laughed sharply. Malfoy lightly scolded him and waved her wand.

Teacups and pastries rained down from thin air. Crabbe and Goyle’s eyes lit up as they scooped them up. These were treats rarely found in their own homes. Moreover, most of what Malfoy brought were enchanted to prevent weight gain. For the two, who constantly suppressed their appetites to maintain their figures, this was pure bliss.

Malfoy sipped her tea and said,

“Let’s have a relaxing and peaceful journey today, alright?”

“Alright! But Malfoy, did you hear about Potter?”

“Cough, cough!”

Malfoy dabbed her mouth with a handkerchief and glared at Goyle.

“I said a peaceful journey, didn’t I? Do I have to listen to stories about that hooligan even on the train?”

“No, but you’ll be curious, won’t you? That Harry Potter was arrested by Muggle Aurors for assault!”

“What?”

Him?

Malfoy was utterly astonished. Harry Potter was a seasoned delinquent who committed all sorts of misdeeds and still showed up for his next class without a care.

That he was arrested by Muggle Aurors?

“So the Ministry did something. Aurors personally came and took Harry Potter away. The Ministry officials were all over the station.”

If the Ministry was personally involved, it must have been serious. Malfoy, her curiosity piqued, asked,

“What in the world happened?”

“Did he steal something?”

“That’s not what I mean. I’m not surprised that that thug committed a crime worthy of arrest. I’m just wondering why the Ministry personally retrieved him. A wizard who knows a simple Memory Charm could have done it, but Aurors were dispatched? Unless…?”

Malfoy then remembered an article she’d seen in the Daily Prophet.

It definitely said that the criminal Sirius Black had escaped. He was a Dark wizard who killed 17 Muggles with a single spell.

In that case…

“Were you talking about me?”

At that moment,

Harry Potter casually opened the door, walked in, and sat next to Malfoy. His tone was utterly nonchalant, his actions devoid of hesitation. It was so swift and abrupt that Malfoy only reacted after Harry had already settled in.

“H-Harry Potter?”

“Oh, is this Chocolate Frog? I’ll take one.”

Harry grabbed one of the sweets lined up in front of them. Malfoy stared at this rude intruder with a dumbfounded expression.

“Wait, don’t just take it!”

“Don’t be stingy. Are you broke?”

“W-what! What do you take the eldest daughter of the Malfoy family for! I have enough money to fill a bathtub with Chocolate Frogs!”

“Then I’ll have one. I wonder which card it is. Ta-da… Ah, Dumbledore again. I respect him personally, but he comes out too often…”

Harry Potter tucked the card into his pocket with a dejected look and tossed the Chocolate Frog aside. It leaped across the compartment, and Crabbe shrieked.

Seeing this, Harry chuckled.

“So, what were you talking about? Don’t whisper behind my back, just ask me directly.”

Regardless of her feelings towards him, no one knew better than the person involved. Malfoy suppressed her irritation and asked,

“What did you do to get arrested by Muggle Aurors?”

“There’s this
annoying woman, Marge, who kept
annoying me. So, I was about to blast her with magic, but you can’t use magic outside of Hogwarts, right? I didn’t want to get expelled, so instead I shoved Mentos and Coke down her toad-like throat. Without magic, of course.”

“What in the world is that?”

“It’s a Muggle treat. More fun than magic. I’ll buy you some as a gift sometime.”

Muggle treats? Malfoy’s curiosity was piqued, but she held back. It was probably nothing special. Not worth her attention.

Could they even make sweets and drinks that didn’t cause weight gain? Impossible.

“Anyway, Marge reported me to the police, and I was about to be locked up. Then the Ministry came and rescued me.”

“Why would the Ministry do that?”

“They said it was dangerous because a
criminal had escaped. Don’t you know?”

Criminal. Escape. Sirius Black. Murderer, and the betrayer of the Potters…

The pieces clicked into place.

Malfoy’s sharp mind deduced the truth from the given facts. The Ministry was highly concerned about Harry Potter’s safety and dispatched Aurors to protect him before Sirius Black could attack.

Knowledge is power. Empowered with this knowledge, Malfoy spoke with a more relaxed demeanor.

“By criminal, you mean Sirius Black.”

“That’s right.”

“Do the Muggles in London know? That the great Muggle-hater is roaming the streets.”

“Well, it’s on the news, so they probably know.”

Harry Potter nodded casually. Malfoy briefly felt a pang of pity for him.

Ignorance can be so cruel.

Sirius Black was a traitor who was as good as killing the Potters, a madman who escaped prison with the sole intention of ending their bloodline.

Yet, despite his parents’ enemy being at large, targeting his life, he was nonchalantly munching on chocolate.

Oblivious to how closely he was being protected, and the immense danger he would face outside of it.

Malfoy despised idiots, but even she pitied Harry Potter, who faced death threats every year, despite all the torment she’d suffered at his hands.

“Hmph, Potter. You truly know nothing. You’re so nonchalant that your ignorance seems almost blissful.”

So, Malfoy offered comfort and advice in her own way.

“But if it were me, I would choose to investigate what happened. If you understand Sirius Black, even a little, you can figure out his objective.”

Despite her sincere advice, Harry Potter just chuckled. Malfoy frowned, feeling her efforts dismissed, when

Harry suddenly reached out and ruffled her hair.

It was such a rude and brazen act that Malfoy froze, as if struck by a Full Body-Bind Curse. Harry Potter spoke in a condescending tone.

“I know better than you, little miss. Don’t worry about me. If you see a black dog, just throw him some food. He’ll be hungry.”

“What?”

“I’m going.”

Harry abruptly stood up and vanished as quickly as he’d appeared.

Malfoy, her neck creaking, turned her head. She shouted at the direction Harry disappeared in, filled with rage.

“Harry Potter—!!”

He always dragged others into his chaotic pace, leaving them to deal with the aftermath while he slipped away unscathed. Malfoy was furious at being caught up in it again.

“Rogue… Madman… Delinquent…”

“Um, Malfoy? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine! Are you just going to watch him do that? Do something!”

“Even if we say something…”

It was a reasonable request. Harry Potter retaliated against anyone, regardless of age or gender, if they crossed him, even going up against Snape, that lunatic.

Conciliation, relentless retaliation, and merciless revenge.

Harry Potter, who displayed madness exceeding even Salazar Slytherin, was too fearsome an opponent for an ordinary student.

Moreover, wasn’t Malfoy herself compromised because of that ‘diary’?

How could Crabbe and Goyle possibly handle a madman feared by even fifth and sixth years?

No! Why should he be treated specially?!

As Malfoy seethed,

A chilling sensation ran down her spine. A darkness fell over the world, a sense of happiness draining away as it swept through the train.

Crabbe and Goyle, seemingly feeling the same, gasped and trembled.

Malfoy felt it too, but she held her head high, feigning composure, refusing to show any weakness.

“Dementors.”

“Dementors? D-De…”

“Azkaban guards. I heard they were stationed at Hogwarts to search for Sirius Black, but I didn’t expect them on the train.”

Knowledge is power. Understanding their purpose, Malfoy regained her composure.

“They’re not here for us. They’ll pass soon.”

As Malfoy predicted, the chill soon passed. Just as Malfoy, basking in the admiring gazes of Crabbe and Goyle, reached for her teacup,

Harry Potter’s scream echoed through the train.

Malfoy opened the compartment door and peeked out. Screams and shouts. Darkness concentrated in one compartment, a white light flickering within.

“Harry!”

Then came the scream of Potter’s Mudblood friend, Hermione Granger.

Had something happened to Harry Potter? Did a Dementor…?

Malfoy jumped to her feet and headed towards the compartment.

Harry Potter was lying on the floor. Motionless, his face as pale as a corpse. Malfoy was shocked.

Was he dead? Or had he received the Dementor’s Kiss?

Harry Potter?

While Malfoy stood there, stunned and confused, a man in ragged clothes holstered his wand and said,

“Harry’s not dead. Don’t worry. He’s just fainted.”

For some reason, Malfoy felt a sense of relief upon hearing those words.

Perhaps it was because the only person who could hide the diary couldn’t just up and die.

Malfoy regained her composure. Meanwhile, the man in the scavenged rags gave instructions to Harry Potter’s friends.

“Young lady. Would you go up front and inform the others? Tell them not to leave their compartments. And, Ron Weasley, was it? Weasley, could you buy a Chocolate Frog? Harry needs something to revive his spirits.”

“Um… about that…”

As Ron Weasley hesitated at the request for a Chocolate Frog,

Malfoy stepped into the compartment and said,

“That won’t be necessary. The penniless Weasley wouldn’t have the money to buy a Chocolate Frog anyway.”

“Ugh, Malfoy…”

Ron Weasley scowled. Malfoy lifted her chin haughtily at the impoverished blood traitor.

“I have some Chocolate Frogs in my compartment, Weasley. If you ask nicely, I might give you one out of charity.”

“…I’ll thank you, just this once. Keep an eye on Harry.”

Ron and Hermione left the compartment. Malfoy clicked her tongue as she watched them hurry away.

“Tsk. Such an unrefined way to make a polite request. Well, that’s the best a Weasley can do.”

The only ones left were the unconscious Harry Potter and the man in the suit. He looked like a suspicious vagrant, but the fact that he was on the train at this point meant only one thing: a new Hogwarts professor.

And the only remaining subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

“You’re Karina Malfoy, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Are you the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?”

“Indeed. Though the term hasn’t started yet. My name is Remus Lupin.”

Professor Lupin laid Harry down properly and took out his wand.

“I’m going to wake him with magic. Could you hold him steady? I’d like to avoid him hitting his head on something when he comes to.”

“Can I step on him?”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter, but can you handle the consequences?”

Malfoy swallowed her pride, bent down, and pressed down on Harry Potter’s shoulders. Professor Lupin raised his wand over Harry’s head.

Seeing Harry Potter like this, silent and still, felt strange. With his eyes closed, he almost looked like a little saint, yet when he opened his eyes and spoke, he was a villain like no other.

As Malfoy stared at Harry’s face, Professor Lupin cast the spell.

“Enervate!”

Harry Potter’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly. The force was so strong that Malfoy’s body jolted. If they had collided, he might have fainted again.

He’s stronger than I thought, just as Malfoy thought this, Harry Potter stared at her face with an incredulous expression. She wasn’t sure, but his face seemed to flush momentarily.

“What? Why is Malfoy here?”

“I came after hearing your girlish screams. It was quite the spectacle. Worth the trouble of coming myself.”

Various expressions flickered across Harry’s face. Embarrassment, anger, surprise, and most of all, wounded pride.

Seeing his flustered face made all the past animosity melt away.

Malfoy removed her hand from Harry’s shoulder and sat down. Harry Potter sat down on the floor and grumbled.

“Those…
… they suspect me. Those bastards, on the express train, no less…”

“Hmph, Potter. You act so tough, but you can’t handle a Dementor?”

Malfoy sneered, brimming with smugness.

“The Dementor seems to like you a lot, Potter. So much that it wants to kiss you even though you’re not a criminal. At this rate, you’ll have your first kiss with a Dementor.”

Harry Potter’s face crumpled. Malfoy looked down at him, feeling a sense of superiority.

It had been so long since she had seen Harry Potter this vulnerable in front of her.

Before starting school, Malfoy had met Harry Potter in Diagon Alley.

When Harry Potter, visiting Diagon Alley for the first time, was awestruck by the wonders of magic, gawking around like a country bumpkin,

Malfoy, recognizing him, had guided him around, half out of curiosity. She was curious how remarkable the boy who vanquished the Dark Lord would be.

Back then, he was as clueless and uninteresting as a Muggle, so I brushed him off after teasing him a bit.

Compared to now, she almost preferred him back then. At least he was somewhat cute when he kept his mouth shut.

Just as Malfoy was about to tease Harry Potter, feeling superior, as if she were looking down at him from a higher step,

Harry suddenly sat up, his face coming incredibly close to hers.

At that close distance, where their breaths mingled, something brushed past her lips. Malfoy gasped, her body trembling at the unbelievable reality, and brought a hand to her mouth.

Harry Potter stood up.

“First kiss with a Dementor? Not anymore.”

Was it a dream? No, she wished it were.

But the sensation was undeniably real. Flustered, Malfoy stammered,

“W-what, what is this…”

“Even I felt bad for you having your first kiss with a Dementor. Think of it as charity for someone who could die any day.”

Harry replied smoothly. Malfoy was speechless for a moment, then, unable to contain her anger, she shouted,

“Hey! You! I-it was my first! You rogue!”

“Want me to keep talking? Go ahead, tell the whole of Hogwarts. I don’t care.”

“Shut up! You beast! Die! Forget it all! Obli- Obliviate!”

“You don’t even have your wand. Are you going to cause amnesia with your fists?”

“Obliviate!”

Professor Remus Lupin, with a “What did I just witness?” expression, opened his mouth, then scratched his chin and said,

“…Um. Perhaps I should excuse myself for a moment?”