Reunion

Ka-chunk ba-dump ka-chunk ba-dump

The train's rattle uncomfortably matched the boy's anxious heartbeat; sitting by his lonesome in an empty cabin, his head resting on his hand, the auburn haired boy gazed at the landscape, his thoughts racing faster than the train.

Ka-chunk ba-dump ka-chunk ba-dump

His heart wouldn't slow down, his whole body trembling with anxiety he was unaware of. He was finally here, on the Hogwarts Express, after two years of torture in France.

Ka-chunk ba-dump ka-chunk ba-dump

Hands shaking, he struggled to grab the water canteen from his bag, and even more to open it.
"Why do I feel so awful..?" he thought to himself, noisily gulping the water, hoping it would unlodge the ball in his throat.

Ka-chunk ba-dump ka-chunk ba-dump

Feeling a burning heat coming from his chest and rising to his cheeks, he hurriedly opened the window, attempting to breathe the fresh air.
"I can't be sick on my first day..!" he grumbled in his mind, inhaling as much as he could, and hoping he wouldn't swallow a bug.

Ka-chunk ba-dump ka-chunk ba-dump

He tried to think about something else but he kept replaying the boarding in his mind: He had waited until the very last minute so he could get an empty cabin to himself, so he could nap and get to the castle faster, she he wouldn't bump into her ⸺ his heart skipped a beat.
"Huh?"
Somehow, the very reason he worked so hard to get to Hogwarts made him feel like a hippogryff had kicked him in the chest. Images of her filled his head, and the more they flashed, the more it hurt.
"Does she even remember me? We've been apart longer than we've known each other at this point..." he thought, his mood and pains worsening.
Slowly but surely, the initial excitement turned into dread.

Ka-chunk ba-dump ka-chunk ba-dump

Gradually, the sky over the beautiful English countryside turned into a warm orange, and just as the train passed Hadrian's Wall, the boy finally fell asleep.
Alone.
In the cabin at the far end of the train.
Unaware that right behind his seat, she sat.

Ka-chunk ka-chunk ba-dump

Pulled from his dreamless slumber by the loud screech and sudden lack of motion, the young boy shook himself awake, checked himself in a pocket mirror, grabbed his bag and waited patiently for the students to leave, so he could follow unnoticed.

It was almost dark out, but not dark enough for the lamps to shine the way to the castle. Green eyes darting everywhere, the excited boy looked at the astounding sight: The castle, the lake, the forest, Hogsmeade Station itself, he could've gotten left behind if he hadn't heard the caretaker's raspy voice call for the students to follow him.
Fresh air filling his lung, a satisfied smile on his face, he walked slightly behind the group, taking in the sights; he couldn't tell whether it was pain or excitement that made him shake.
He slightly panicked when he noticed the group splitting in two, and even more when he noticed students getting on boats in groups; he hurriedly joined the older looking crowd ⸺ his height would let him fit in, he thought, unaware that it was actually the one he was supposed to follow anyway, or that he would stand out no matter what due to him wearing the Beauxbatons uniform.

The students boarded carriages in groups, seemingly pulled by nothing, until only the caretaker and the boy were left.
"Guess it's just you 'n me, lad."
"Charmed, Professor..?" he asked.
The man laughed loudly "I like you already, kid. Carpe, Rancorous Carpe, caretaker, not professor."
The boy nodded, embarrassed.
Rather than talk, the duo took in the sights and sounds as they slowly approached the castle while dusk slowly turned into night; the path ahead of them illuminating itself in their wake.
"You're the transfer student, correct?" asked the Caretaker.
"What gave it away?" grinned the boy.
"Cheeky. Wait outside the door until you're called, Headmistress likes dramatic entrances."
"Yes, sir."
The man laughed loudly and slapped him on the back approvingly.

The carriage stopped in front of the stables inside of the castle's courtyard, the duo climbed down.
"You alright, lad?" asked the caretaker, raising the latern to look at the boy's face.
"Yes, sir."
He chuckled.
"Alright, then, follow the group over there, and remember to wait for your name." he pointed towards the large fountain "Gotta take care of these..." he grumbled as he wrestled with the luggage.
The young boy walked briskly, observing the mass of students, unconsciously making sure he wouldn't bump into her, the chilly wind felt surprisingly good against the strong heat coming in waves inside his chest.

More than a few heads turned when he joined the group, and the whispers gradually rose louder and louder until they were interrupted by a eccentric but stern looking old man. Silenced in an instant, the students followed in silence to the great hall.
"Not you. Stay here." said the man, before closing the door behind him, leaving the boy alone; he paced around anxiously, looking out of the windows and inspecting the statues until his solitude was interrupted by another large group of students, evidently first years, led by a sternly dressed but eccentric professor.
Starstruck, the children gawked at the tall, handsome boy wearing a sky blue suit instead of listening to the instructions; rather than chastise the students, the lady approched him and finished her sentence while fixing his suit "... And you, young man, will enter after all of these little rascals are in, when your name-" "-Name is called." he interrupted, smiling charmingly "Thank you." he added, as she giggled.

The noisy group entered the great hall, with exclamations of wonder, until all the noise was cut by the loud closing of the large doors. He paced around in waiting, a nosy voice somehow making it out of the great hall ⸺ The Headmistress, he assumed.
"And now, a very special announcement!" he jumped at the sudden increase in volume.
"A most celebrated and delightful tradition in our esteemed school!" the voice didn't sound as nosy, it was as clear as if the Headmistress was right next to him.
"From the prestigious Magical School of Beauxbatons, from the heights of the Peer-hey-nay!" the lady had a strange habit of pausing dramatically, he chuckled at her pronounciation.
"Mister! Leonard! Megamelons!"
He pushed the door dramatically as laughter erupted, walking forward with a determined look, deathly afraid of crossing eyes with her
"Sh!" the Headmistress demanded silence, the students surprisingly obliged, most of them having already forgotten his name, and instead gawking at him.
Gestured towards the stool with a hat, he instead faced the door and clearly announced, with a subtle French accent. "It is my pleasure and privilege to join you all on this learning journey! Santé!" he swiftly grabbed his wand from its sheath, flicked it dramatically, turned it into a chalice of red liquid, raised it to the ceiling and drank.
"It's not wine." he winked towards the teachers and bowed to the students, before sitting down on the stool under applause.

As the Headmistress approached with the scruffy hat in hand, he wondered if his acting skills had been enough to hide his discomfort; he asked himself why his admittance was such a big deal, whether his name would trouble him or not?
"Hm... Lost in thought are we?" asked the grinning hat, the moment it was placed on the boy's head.
"You're pretty smart, for a hat." he thought, rolling his eyes.
"Sharp tongue, hm?" quipped the hat. "I see a lot of things in this melon of yours..."
Leonard slowly scanned the room,looking for her his heart beating so fast it felt like it could break out of his chest.
"I see excitement, anticipation, apprehension and dread..." whispered the voice.
His piercing green eyes quickly moved from student to student, staring them down almost intimidatingly.
"I see recklessness and chilvary, obsessive loyalty, creativity, you're making this difficult..." it kept digging into his head, trying to find the perfect house.
"Ah but maybe what you need is people themselves..."
The boy's heart skipped a beat. "You saw... That?" he wondered, still looking at the faces in front of him.
"Of course, I see everything, boy, and I see that you're looking for something... Or som-"
He found her. Her large blue eyes quickly darted away from his, as she hurriedly turned her face back to her book, her ears flushing sligthly, contrasting endearingly against her caramel hair.
"SLYTHERIN!" the hat interrupted his sentence the moment Leonard had spotted her, it could not only read minds, but also hearts.

Unable to look away, as if in a daze, he stood up without a word, placed the hat down without looking, and walked towards the Slytherin table. Not even registering the cheers and applause, or even his sky blue suit turning into black and green robes.
"Why is she alone? Why does she look like that? What did they do to her..?" a fire of pure hatred burned inside his chest, much different from the heat he had felt all day; it was no longer fear but something else entirely.
She wouldn't look up, as if she was taking a nap on that large book of hers, all alone, on the far end of the table. He tried his best not to grimace.
"Hey..! Welcome to the best house, handsome!" giggled a girl, much to the laughter of her many friends⸺ obviously the popular clique.
Leonard's eyes snapped away from his target to the girl catcalling him, eyes full of murderous intent that sent a chill down their collective spine and shared braincell; one of them audibly gulped.
"Bonsoir, mesdemoiselles, enchanté." he bowed gracefully, before grabbing the hand of the girl closest to him and gently kissing it, much to the jealousy of the other girls.
"Is this seat taken?" he gestured with a smile, before sitting and adding "It is, now."
The girls giggled and bombarded him with questions and praise. He ignored them, he couldn't get her out of his mind, he had to do something, he wanted her back, at all cost.
"So which one of us do you think is the prettiest?" asked a black haired girl. His eyes darted towards the other end of the table, the girl looked away again, she had been staring.
"Oh it has to be the Headmistress, rarely have I seen such a well preserved fossil!" he joked, lying through his teeth and feeling sorry for the lady.
The vapid harpies giggled, not even registering his obvious deflection.

"And now, we feast!" announced the Headmistress, loudly, as she waved her wand, and plates suddenly appeared in front of the students.
"Oh? Don't mind if I do." said Leonard, surprised and amused by the magical display, as he grabbed a bright green apple and carefully cut it with the cutlery.
"Are you cutting this fruit with a knife and fork..?" asked a girl, starstruck. "Are you a pureblood?"
"Of course." he smiled gently, looking into her eyes. She grinned and blushed slightly.
Eating even a single slice of fresh fruit was difficult, he felt like he was about to vomit from the effort, despite being hungry.
"Any of you ladies know this girl? She's been staring at me for a while now." he finally asked.
"Really? She has? How shameless. That's Higgins." hissed a blonde girl.
"Anything I should know about her?"
"She keeps getting Ts in Charms!" laughed one of the girls, pointing at her. "And she can't tie her shoelaces!" added another one. "That makes sense..." he thought.
"She's doesn't have friends, even the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs don't want to be seen around her!" snarkily added another girl.
"'Puts the whole house to shame if you ask me." interrupted a nearby boy.
"What if I fixed that?" asked Leonard, much to the surprise of his housemates.
"Are you daft? She'll drag you down, not the other way around." said the boy, grabbing his shoulder.
"Come on, aren't you interested in a little wager? As purebloods you surely can't resist.." taunted Leonard, well aware none of them were purebloods.
"Sure! Alright!" exclaimed the lead girl.
"What say I turn her into one of us, or even better..." one of the girls scoffed "But if I fail, I do anything you want for a day" he stared deep into the lead girl's eyes, as she quietly gulped, under Higgins' glare.
"...And if you win..?" she asked, gulping with anticipation, expecting, hoping he would ask her on a date.
"All of you give me a single, measly galleon. Each." he replied, with a predatory grin, well aware that none of them could afford it, by the look of their outfits.
"...D-deal..!" muttered the leader. "Are you crazy?!" whispered the black haired girl, only to be glared into silence.
"Deal." Leonard smiled warmly. "Anything I should know? That could endear her to you lot?" he asked.
"I already know what I'll have you do." grinned the girl menacingly.
"Fair enough." he smiled, before standing up and walking towards the other end of the table.

There she stood, all alone, looking like her book was the most comfortable pillow in the world, her plate and food left untouched. She flinched but didn't move as he silently sat next to her. He stared at her for a moment before ordering. "Lift up your skirt."
Her heart skipped a beat, it was something she had done almost every day for years but somehow it felt different this time, she instead lifted her feet and placed them on the bench.
He chuckled, and gently tied her shoelaces.
"You haven't changed..." he whispered, loudly enough that she could hear him.
Too embarassed to speak but not enough to blush, she stared at his hands as he tied the knots; feeling her gaze, he beckoned her closer with his finger and she obliged.
"I'm never letting anyone take me away from you again." he whispered to her ear "Elise." she turned beet red.

He jumped off the bench laughing, winking and sticking his tongue out at her, as he hopped and walked back to the harpies.
"Did you see that?" he asked joyfully.
"She looked like she was about to die!" the girls cackled in unisson.
"I'll have her wrapped around my finger by the end of the year, you'll see!" he joked, feeling sick at himself for even saying it.
"Year? Look at her, you already do!" laughed the leader, pointing at Elise, increasingly worried about the wager.
"Are you getting cold feet?" he whispered threateningly.
"Pfft! In your dreams!" she stuck out her tongue.

He slowly exhaled with relief.
"She remembers."