Chapter Text
"Hey, can I sit here? My brothers are being silly and this is the only quiet place I could find." The voice of a red-haired boy broke the silence of the train compartment.
Jasmine, who had been lost in her thoughts, looked up uncertainly, searching for some clue on his face, but it was impossible not to get caught in his eyes. Deep purple, almost unreal, they shone with a strange intensity, as if they concealed stories never told. He had red hair, unruly and unruly, which was further messed up by the breeze that filtered through the train windows.
The boy had a friendly expression, with a strange grimace that she didn't know if it was a smile that puzzled her. Still, she wasn't sure if she should accept it.
She was used to the fact that everyone reacted the same way when they found out who she was: as if she were a celebrity.
"Sure," he finally replied.
Really, who was she to turn away people who approached her? And why had he chosen to approach her when there were other empty compartments? "You said you were running away from your brothers, weren't there any other places?" she asked cautiously, her mind working to understand the reason behind the approach.
The boy shrugged his shoulders while hugging his stomach, as if trying to calm some internal discomfort.
"Well... if I was left alone, it gave them an excuse to tease me with their jokes. Plus, most of the compartments have large groups and I wanted to make a new friend."
That didn't quite answer Jasmine's question.
"And why didn't you join another compartment with fewer people?"
The boy scratched the back of his neck nervously, giving an awkward smile. "It was the only compartment with a pretty girl."
"Huh?" For the first time in a long time, Jasmine was speechless. No one had ever said that to her before, at least not with such sincerity. "I-I'm not pretty," she replied in a murmur. "I'm just... a weirdo."
"I don't think so," said the redhead with his strange grin. "By the way, I'm Ron. Ron Weasley."
"...Jasmine Potter."
The boy opened his eyes in surprise. "Jasmine Potter?"
Jasmine cringed slightly, anticipating the typical reaction of shock or envy. However, what came next took her by surprise.
"Oh, sorry, that was rude of me," said Ron, scratching his head in embarrassment. "My professor would give me a good smack if he heard me talk like that."
That comment set off an alarm in Jasmine's mind. "Is it normal for adults to hit children?" she asked curiously.
Ron blinked, puzzled. "Huh? No, I don't think so..." His tone indicated that he found the question odd. "Well, my teacher said his mother spanked him when he misbehaved as a child... although he told me she was South American... but I don't know if that's normal."
Jasmine relaxed a little. There was something about Ron that made her feel comfortable, and that answer was what she needed to hear.
"You're funny."
"I'm flattered you think so," he replied with his odd grin before pulling out a small metal cage. "This is Scabbers, the rat. He belonged to one of my brothers."
Jasmine looked at him curiously. "The brothers who were bothering you?"
"No, those are others," she said, laughing. "I have five older brothers and one younger sister. This one was Percy's, one of the oldest. He's a prefect."
"Prefect? What is that?"
Ron explained excitedly as the train rolled through the Scottish landscape. Jasmine, who had never had any friends, wondered if this was what it really meant to make one.
"Why don't they come to you?" asked a girl with a blurred face and brown eyes.
"My aunt says that weirdos don't have friends, and I'm a weirdo," replied a green-eyed girl.
"I don't think you're weird," another blue-eyed girl chimed in. "Maybe your aunt is just mean."
She stared at a dark, malicious blur. After the punishment from the boar that always bothered her, she knew that the blue-eyed girl would not support her and she feared for them. She gave them an apologetic look, hoping that the boar would be punished once and for all.
Everything was going more or less according to plan, although calling what he was doing a plan would be generous. Ron had boarded the train and surprisingly ran into Jasmine. It wasn't that he had been looking for her, it was more of a coincidence, one of those things that seemed straight out of books and movies. He was trying to be as nice as possible, but without crossing the line into annoying.
What really puzzled him was the realization that he had been reborn into the world of "Harry Potter," but what surprised him more was that he seemed to be in a slightly different version than he remembered. 'This is like a weird fanfic,' he thought. He felt strange playing Ron Weasley, a character he had never liked.
It could have been worse. At least it wasn't... Draco Malfoy. That blond boy was annoying to him. Just a few minutes ago, Ron had walked by his cabin and, without remorse, secured the door with a simple magical lock, something his strict teacher had taught him. He stuck out his middle finger and watched in amusement as Draco stood there, his face turning from red to purple as he found himself unable to open it.
He still couldn't understand why girls were attracted to him, maybe it was because they thought the actor was handsome.
"Thanks, Professor," thought Ron, remembering the hard lessons under the tutelage of his teacher, a man who accepted no mistakes.
I had no idea how I got there.
He was looking for ways to make money and ended up at an eccentric wizard's house. He wondered how strange the worlds in fanfics were, as they seemed like rubbish to him. And that eccentric old man almost dissected him before taking him as an apprentice. The man thought it would be fun to teach magic to someone with a strange soul. And it turned out that the man was a professor of science and other subjects in the muggle world, he didn't know if it was luck or if someone had put him there to help him, in the end he didn't give it any importance. He had to take tests at the Ministry of Education in England to validate the man's teachings. It was a pain taking English-style classes, but he remembered enough to make it easier, although he later became terrible over time. He had too much molecular physics in his head for his liking.
Sometimes he wondered if that man saw something in him that he didn't even recognize himself.
Time passed and Ron couldn't help but notice the girl sitting across from him, a young woman who seemed lost in her own thoughts. Jasmine had jet-black hair, messy and disheveled in a way that made it impossible to tell if it had been intentional or simply a product of the adventure of getting on the train. Her unruly locks refused to stay in place, framing a pale face full of tiny, almost imperceptible freckles that gave her a touch of vitality.
Most striking, however, were her large, bright green eyes, which observed her surroundings with a mixture of curiosity and caution. There was something about her appearance that made her seem out of place, as if she were always in constant motion, even when she was still. Her hands nervously played with a small loose thread on the sleeve of her large shirt, a gesture that betrayed a shyness hidden beneath that intense, thoughtful gaze.
During the peaceful drive, they enjoyed the view of the English countryside through the clear glass, while the vast green fields reminded Ron of one of his grandmother's homes, of the life before this one. And they felt delighted but sad at the same time when they saw the vibrant tapestry of colors.
The lady with the trolley suddenly appeared, with a gentle movement and a friendly murmur. "Would you like some trolley, darlings?" Jasmine started, but Ron turned to her with a smile.
He bought a couple of chocolate frogs from the candy cart, something that, while new to him, wasn't entirely unpleasant. Jasmine, of course, did the typical Harry Potter thing and bought one of each. Ron couldn't help but smile, or at least he tried. His fixed grin made it look like he was enjoying himself a lot more than he actually was.
Despite the memories that constantly assailed him, he tried to live in the moment. He had grown accustomed to thinking in terms of "what was" and "what is." And although nostalgia sometimes attacked him, he had learned to laugh about it.
"You were hungry, weren't you?"
"Very much," Jasmine replied. Ron gave a small laugh and pulled out the food package he had packed so he wouldn't go hungry during the journey. He couldn't live on chocolate frogs alone, even if he had savings. He pulled apart one of the four sandwiches and offered it to the girl.
"I made it this morning. My brothers almost stole it from me, but I think you'll like it."
"Thank you!" Jasmine exclaimed excitedly, though her joy was dampened when she realized she was being given something, which made her feel a little uncomfortable. "Take something from what I have, please," she offered, trying to return the gesture.
"Don't worry, what I bought is enough for me," Ron replied naturally, not feeling the need to agree.
"I insist, at least try one." Jasmine said with a shy but determined smile, gently pushing one of her snacks towards him. "I won't feel right if I don't share some too."
Ron, seeing Jasmine's expression, sighed with a smile. "Fine, but only because you insist."
He set out to tell her a few anecdotes about his life as a Weasley, his pranks with his brothers, and the strict lessons of his professor. Although, in truth, he wasn't quite sure why he mentioned his stern professor, perhaps the scars of his teaching were more present than he cared to admit.
"The guy is a little crazy ," he said with a tight smile. "But he taught me a lot of useful things... although he almost killed me with a lightning bolt during one of our practices."
Jasmine's face filled with alarm. Ron rushed to reassure her.
"I had electrical protective gear on, so it wasn't that bad," he quickly added, recalling the countless times his teacher had tested him. "Sometimes you have to thank science."
"That may not be right," her partner commented worriedly.
Ron responded with a slight smile and a small wave, ending the conversation.
"What happened, happened." Seeing that her expression didn't change, he decided to change the subject. "What sweets did you like? I'll keep what I bought. The rest, I think you could share with your future roommates. After all, sweets always help make friends." The last sentence he mentioned was about Astoria Greengrass and he wondered, in utter disbelief, how Draco Malfoy, with his history of arrogance and prejudice, had managed to trick someone as kind as Astoria into marrying him.
"I like chocolate frogs, sugar feathers and the chocolate bar with strawberry jam from Honeydukes," the brunette answered shyly, blushing a little.
Ron nodded enthusiastically, as if he had discovered a hidden treasure. Then silence fell over the compartment, but it was comfortable, until there was a knock on the door and it was Ron's turn to open it.
"H-have you seen a toad? His name is Trevor," a rather high-pitched voice asked, for a child.
The boy had a round, slightly rosy face, with large brown eyes that seemed to always be on the verge of an apology. His light brown hair was messy, as if he hadn't been paying much attention to him that morning. Although his stocky frame gave him an air of clumsiness, there was something about his expression that was endearing, like a child just seeking approval in a world that was too big for him. Ron instantly recognized Neville Longbottom. As a Hispanic man with many younger relatives, he felt a sudden urge to hug the boy into a bear hug, just as he imagined his own relatives did when he was little.
"...Um...what do I do..." Neville muttered, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Err... nope. I haven't seen a toad. If you want, find a prefect, they usually know the Summoning Charm. Most of them are in the first compartment. Ask for Prefect Weasley, he's a bit clumsy, but he'll help you on your first day," Ron replied with rehearsed confidence.
The boy seemed discouraged at first, but his face brightened at the solution.
"T-thank you."
"You're welcome." Ron smiled, happy to help the little guy. Then he remembered something important. "Oh, by the way. If he's getting away so much, maybe you should get him a cage... or just stop looking for him."
Neville looked at him with some suppressed anger.
"But it's my pet! I shouldn't lose it," the boy protested with a bit of anger.
"Easy there, mate," Ron replied with amusement, enjoying watching the boy fight back. "I'm just saying, if he gets that far away from you, let him go. If he's loyal to you, he'll come back. If not… find something you really like."
The boy continued to stare at him, but his expression softened, as if he understood what Ron meant.
"Is it a present?" Ron asked.
Neville looked at him in confusion.
"Is your toad a gift?" Ron insisted.
"My uncle gave it to me... and he almost never gives me anything."
"I see..." Ron vaguely remembered that the boy's uncle was one of the reasons for his low self-esteem. He had thrown him off the top floor of his house, for Christ's sake!
But Ron knew he himself was not one to talk about family traumas.
"Why don't you go to the prefects' compartment and come back later? Or, if you prefer, you can stay here. I don't think my friend would mind having another stowaway," Ron suggested, casting a questioning glance at the brunette. Seeing no protest, he considered his proposal accepted.
"S-sure…" the boy said nervously, realizing that he hadn't introduced himself. He awkwardly and shakily extended his hand. "I-I'm Neville Longbottom," he added with a shy, nervous smile.
"Ron Weasley, the brains of my family," Ron replied with a smile, giving her a firm handshake. He then pointed at his friend with his thumb. "And this is Jasmine. You'll find out her last name at house selection."
"S-sure. I'll be right back," said Neville, cheerful and somewhat confused. He ran off to the prefects.
"Go get Prefect Weasley! Tell him his favourite brother sent you," Ron shouted as he left. Then he returned to the cabin and turned to Jasmine. "So... everything okay?"
"Yes," the girl replied, though her voice sounded a little muffled. "What you said about the selection... isn't that what determines our houses?"
"Yeah, nervous?"
The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah... A friend told me to be careful around Slytherin. He said only evil wizards go there."
'Hagrid, you're a naive idiot,' Ron thought irritably.
"It's not necessarily true... I think that fame comes more from the first war. You Know Who recruited many Slytherins, and some said he was a descendant of the founder."
"Oh really?"
"Who knows?" Ron replied, shrugging. He couldn't tell him the whole truth. "I'm not saying you shouldn't go to Slytherin, but I wouldn't recommend it. A lot of the children of you-know-who's followers will be there, and some might be seeking revenge. In the old days, it would have been interesting." He felt stupid saying one of Voldemort's nicknames, but he had to go with the plot.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well… do you remember the witch hunts?" The girl nodded, confused. "Not all of them were a joke. They killed a lot of wizards and witches. Most of them were non-wizards and there were no wizarding schools at the time. The founders of Hogwarts—Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw—decided to create a school as a refuge and a place of learning."
Ron explained the history of Hogwarts with such passion that Jasmine found herself completely engrossed.
"Each founder looked for specific characteristics in their students. Gryffindor valued courage, bravery, and daring. Slytherin valued ambition and cunning. Hufflepuff valued loyalty and hard work. And Ravenclaw valued intelligence and creativity."
Ron paused, seeing that his friend was completely captivated by the story.
"But there was a problem," he continued. "Salazar Slytherin wanted to admit only students of purely magical descent. That led to a falling out between the founders, especially between him and Godric. Some versions say they fought to the death; others, that it went down peacefully."
Ron sighed.
"That's where the obsession with blood purity came from. And many Slytherins still have that mentality. Although not all of them are bad. Some families have left those traditions behind. The Bones and the Greengrass, for example, are good people."
Jasmine nodded slowly, processing all the information.
"Well, that was 'Being a Wizard in Britain 101'," Ron joked, laughing.
Jasmine laughed too, lightening the mood.
"If you don't have any more questions, you'd better change your clothes. We'll be arriving at Hogwarts in about two hours. Close the door and draw the curtains. I'll wait for you outside."
With that, Ron went outside to wait. They would soon be at Hogwarts.