Hogwarts Express (pt.3-End)

A/N - Slow updates, I know.. My final exams are near and I was loaded with tests :/

....

Jace let out a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the floor. "That's pretty much my whole life story," he said quietly.

His three compartment mates, Hermione, Sky, and Tom, looked at him with a mix of shock and compassion. After Jace finished recounting his tale, the compartment fell into silence. Surprisingly, it was Tom who spoke up first.

"So you're an orphan too, huh?" Tom asked, his voice filled with empathy.

All eyes turned to Tom as he began to share his own story. "Unlike Jace, I never knew my parents. My mother died shortly after giving birth to me, and I have no idea who my father is or what happened to him. Growing up in the orphanage was tough. I was always an outsider, hated by everyone for reasons I couldn't and still can't understand. I had no friends, and it was a constant struggle."

Hermione gasped, her heart going out to Tom. "That must have been so difficult. How did you cope?"

Tom looked guilty as he sighed. "I tried to ignore it at first, but I was just a kid. When I was ten, I finally snapped. I was about to hurt the kid who was making fun of me when the matron intervened just in time. Luckily, a couple came and adopted me a few weeks later. I don't know what would have happened if I had stayed in that place any longer."

Jace nodded empathetically, understanding the weight of Tom's words. "That sounds incredibly tough, Tom. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you."

Sky chimed in weakly, her eyes glistening with tears. "It's horrible how people can treat others, especially when they're vulnerable like that."

Tom nodded, appreciating the empathy from his new friends. "It wasn't easy, but I learned to be resilient. I channelled my anger and frustration into my studies, just like Jace did with his books. It was my way of escaping the harsh reality of the orphanage and finding a sense of purpose. Thank Merlin that my adoptive parents were wizards, and when they realized I was one too, they told me everything. I stopped giving so much importance to my muggle studies, I would have stopped altogether if my parents let me, and instead focused on studying magic in most of my free time."

Jace nodded, understanding Tom's hardships and feeling a pang of jealousy. "You're not alone, Tom. We're in this together. Although it's unfair that you had six whole years to study magic. I only recently found out about it."

Tom smiled faintly, grateful for the support. "Thank you, Jace. And what can I say? At least you know how to program and do algebra."

After Tom said that, he burst out laughing, and Hermione and Sky joined in. Jace could only look at them with mock contempt, promising revenge.

Sky wiped away a tear from her eye and fell silent.

Hermione chuckled, covering her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter. "Alright, alright, you got us there, Tom. But hey Jace, at least we are in this together. I am sure that if we work hard enough we will catch up to Tom in no time. My parents are both non-wizards and I also learned about magic recently. I've already read a few books."

Tom paled at that. "What do you mean by saying you've read a few books?"

Hermione looked at him confused. "Hm, what do you mean? I've almost read all of the first-year books and another one that I found while browsing the bookstore. It's called 'Behind the Mind', a truly fascinating book."

Jace got surprised at the last mention. "I've also read that book"

Tom who was looking at Hermione with an open mouth turned to Jace and asked fearfully. "You too? Wait how many books did you read"

"Well, I've read all of the first term books, the one Hermione mentioned and three more. Their titles are 'Becoming a true seer', 'Atlas of Celestial Anomalies' and 'All you need to know about origin magic'. I wouldn't recommend the first one though. The author, Cassandra Trelawney, seems a bit crazy. Some of the rituals that you have to perform to get the so-called "third eye" she keeps mentioning are noxious. The second one, on the other hand, is truly intriguing. Right now my favourite subject is divination."

Tom didn't care about Jace's weird subject choice but was gobsmacked at the number of books his two new-to-magic friends had read. "You guys… Hermione's earlier statement seems very likely to happen. Even though I'm ahead, it's not by much. I've only read the first-year books plus a few more. It appears that I've spent too much time on my muggle studies."

Sky couldn't help but speak up to ease Tom's worries. "You aren't the only one who hasn't gone ahead. I've also read the entire first-year curriculum and stopped at that. The only other books I've read were my grandfather's books about magical creatures"

Hermione smiled proudly, glad that she wasn't the only one who had been devouring books. "Well, it seems like we are all quite the bookworms, aren't we? But don't worry, I and Jace will catch up to you in no time."

After that, they tried to plan out their study schedule before failing spectacularly as no one knew how their timetable would be. Thus they began a heated talk about their favourite subjects.

….

Katherine and Draco Malfoy sat in silence in another compartment, their gazes locked. After a moment, Draco finally spoke up. "I know what happened to your family. I know all about the necromantic rituals."

Katherine's face was filled with shock.