New Juniors

1st September 1991

After getting on the train I get in a compartment with Cedric. Linda and Eli arrived 10 minutes later and joined us. After the train started to move, I excused myself and searched for Harry.

Sirius and Remus tried to get legal guardianship or at least meet up with Harry again, but Dumbledore said he was busy and his array on the house kept any wizard away. Harry didn't leave the house, I guess because of the Dursley's.

After searching for his compartment I saw him and a redhead inside, which should be Ron if I am not wrong.

"Harry, how are you doing?", I ask the kid.

"Nicholas, hello.", he says quietly.

"Nici is fine. Whole family calls me that. So, got out of the hellhole?"

"Yeah."

"You must be the little brother of Charlie and the twins."

"Ron Weasley.

"Nicholas Tonks. Well anyway guys, if there is anything I am in the first compartment of this wagon."

"Thank you Nici."

"No problem. Then I am on my way."

I went by the trolley lady and into my compartment. Half an hour later we got a knock on the door. Two first-years stand there. One is a little chubby guy and the other one a girl with a brunette mane. I recognize them as Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger.

The girl asks me right after seeing me: "Seniors, would you happen to see a toad?"

"No. Did you lost yours?" Cedric asks.

"Neville here lost his."

"Did you already go to the other compartment herein this wagon?", I asks so I didn't ruin the first meeting of the golden trio.

"No."

"I think I saw one a few compartment away, but if it isn't there anymore then come back and I help you with finding it."

""Thanks."", they say and rush out. I lied but really learned a spell to track things, so Neville wouldn't need to be embarrassed in front of Professor McGonnagal.

20 minutes later they returned.

"We couldn't find him.", Neville says with tears in his eyes.

"Did you give it a name?"

"Trevor. He is called Trevor.", he says promptly.

As 'Accio' could hurt him on his way to get here, I used 'Avenseguim'.

I chant it while pointing at Neville's watch. It turns a device into something that can make a tracking device. In this situation the clockhand shows the direction of Trevor.

"Just follow that to your toad, Mr..."

"Longbottom, Neville Longbottom. Thank you sir."

"No need for Sir. I am Nicholas Tonks, but Nicholas is fine.

"Thanks again.", he says and they leave.

The rest of the train ride went normal.

The sorting ceremony went as expected. I greet every junior who joins us at the table. Charlie, sis and a lot of their peers were in the studygroup so now I need a few new faces to join our ranks. Hermione would definitely join and I hoped to rope in Harry and Neville. Ron was a hopeless case I reckoned as he liked studying so much like Ash a cold shower.

You wouldn't even get him near it.

But first I let them enjoy their first weeks at Hogwarts, as I remember those first steps of exploring the castle without much worry of the future.

Dumbledore held his speech about the Forbidden Forest and the corridor on the third floor.

My only attention peeked up at this point, as one of my goals is located in the trials. I had three main goals this year and for two of them I needed great stealth. I knew I wouldn't bypass Dumbledore so I need to strike when he is distracted by Harry and the plot.

Aside from my main goals I wanted to create the first things using runes this year. My friends couldn't be left behind whether human or beast so I made a good routine to make time for every need at least once or twice a week.

Something that changed from the last three years were my morning walk with Hagrid as Fluffy now watched the entrypoint to the trials. So we met every other day to just go into the forest to feed either his flock of Hippogriff or Thestrals. Both are majestic creatures in their own way.

In the following days I didn't meddle with my juniors and only greeted them at mealtime. I also met Draco who is technically a cousin of mine, but his behaviour was nearly the opposite of mine. He didn't interact friendly with people outside his house and would be the laughing stock as 'Daddy's ferret'. Maybe in this form, I would like him more. On the other side, I knew he is mostly formed by his fathers education and so I wanted to give him a chance to better himself, as he also came around in the later years.

So I should invite him with the others and maybe talk to him, so he finds another opinion outside his fathers and maybe learns to form one himself. But that is a major step in the future and relied heavily on his attitude.

So a week before their first flying lesson I started to advertise the studygroup in the four houses. Yes four, as in this year group aside from Draco existed a few clever kids, who didn't seem as bad as most of their elders. Under them were Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass from Slytherin, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones in Hufflepuff and the entirety of Rawenclaws and Griffindors showed up at least once to see if they could learn more or have fun with friends and practice spells under their seniors.

I wished Draco would have at least come once here, but he showed up as often as Ron. On the other side I was happy that the brightest witch of her generation brought Harry and Neville.

Harry was smart but suppressed it because of the abuse if he showed better results than Dudley in the past. Neville needed practice and honestly a new wand, but I couldn't say anything against the wishes of dowanger Longbottom this early on.

-

So with that, another month passed and we got near the time to carry out my first plan of the year. It was because Dumbledore would definitely be in the castle when Halloween arrived.

And he would pay attention to Harry, not me.