As the Hogwarts Express was nearing Hogsmeade, the boys left the girls to change inside the compartment while they changed their clothes with robes in the hallways. They had spent a pleasant and fun journey together, getting to know each other better and sharing stories and jokes. The boys changed into their robes quickly, eager to get off the train and start their new term, but mostly to return to their job of visiting the kitchen whenever they wanted and being treated like kings.
Once they were in their robes, the boys returned to their compartment, where Luna, Daphne, and Tracey were waiting for them. Daphne and Tracey were grateful for what the boys did, since most of the time, their fellow Slytherin will rather die than leave their compartment, which create a lot of problems for the girls.
When he sat down and took a closer look at the girls, Thomas thought they were all beautiful and charming in their own ways, well Luna was more on the cuter side like Koneko, but still.
The first girl he looked at was Daphne, who was wearing a black robe with dark green contours that matched her eyes. While her blonde hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders wear a fair complexion that contrasted with her red lips.
"Daphne, you look stunning," he said. "Your robe suits you very well. It brings out the color of your eyes. "
Daphne blushed, feeling stunning and graceful. She was glad that Thomas noticed her eyes and her smile, which were her best features.
"Thank you, Thomas," she said. "That's very sweet of you to say."
After that, Thomas turned his attention to Tracey, who was wearing a black robe that contrasted her pale skin. She kept her hair tied in a ponytail, while her brown eyes that were framed by glasses. And for some reason, Thomas found her shy and sweet demeanor really cute similar to a doll.
"Tracey, you look adorable," he said. "Your robe makes you look mysterious and cool. I like your glasses, too. They make you look smart and cute."
Tracey smiled, feeling adorable and cool. She was glad that Thomas liked her glasses and her robe, which were her favorite accessories. She thanked him with a shy nod and a soft look in her eyes.
"Thank you, Thomas," she said. "That's very nice of you to say."
And finally, he looked at the little dreamy girl, who was wearing a black robe with light blue contrast that matched her hair. While her silvery eyes sparkled with curiosity as she watched the train slowly pull into the station, wearing her dreamy expression on her face.
"Luna, you look cute," he said. "Your robe makes you look like a sky full of stars."
Compared to the other two girls, Luna just smiled humming something as she continues watching outside the window.
Meanwhile, the other boys too compliment them, especially James, who for some strange reason complimented Tracey three times in the same number of different styles, making his friends and even Daphne smile and even chuckle at him to the confusion of Tracey who didn't know why her friend and ever their new friends were chuckling at James beautiful compliments for her.
The kids then disembarked from the train, leaving their trunks before following the crowd of students toward the station.
As soon as they were out off the train, Luna then bid them farewell since they heard Hagrid calling out for the first-years to come to him. She smiled at them, feeling happy that she had met them and made some friends.
"Goodbye, everyone," she said. "It was nice to meet you all. I hope to see you again soon. Maybe we can have a picnic by the lake or visit the library together."
She waved at them, walking towards Hagrid and the other first-years.
Thomas and the others wave back at her, thought a second later, Tracey used all of her courage to shout out at Luna.
"Bye, Luna. Have fun at the ceremony. We'll see you soon."
After Luna left, the kids then made their way toward the carriages that would take them to the castle. For Tracey, James, Michael, and Adam, it seemed like the carriages moved on their own since they didn't see any horses or other animals pulling them. They thought it was a bit strange, but also cool and magical.
But for Thomas and Daphne, it was a different story. Both of them saw some strange horse-like creatures there waiting for the kids to get on the carriages. They had black, skeletal bodies, leathery wings, and some sort of reptilian faces. Those creatures looked eerie and frightening, making Daphne shiver as she got closer to Thomas to the point of their arms touching.
Wanting to ease up the frightened girl, Thomas decided to ask his friends what are they thinking about those creatures.
"Guys, what do you think about those horse-like creatures?"
Everyone looked at him as if he was mad for a second until Michael remembered something. As he hit his fist in his palm, he explained to them what Thomas was referring to.
"Oh, those are Thestrals," Michael said. "They're a kind of winged horse that can only be seen by people who have witnessed death. They're very rare and misunderstood, but they're quite gentle and loyal. It seems the rumors were true that they pull the carriages to Hogwarts for the older students."
The others then tried to look at the carriage hoping to see those creatures, but to no avail. Thought that still didn't ease Daphne at all, as she hid behind Thomas hoping that the Thestrals will just disappear.
Then to everyone's shock, Thomas did something that none of his friends would have thought he would do. Truth be told, he was quite fascinated by those creatures he had read about in his Care of Magical Creatures textbook. Most of the people that could see them are more than often scared or straight out terrified by those creatures that are sadly associated with death and misfortune. And from what the book told him about them, the Thestrals were as loyal as a dog and could the emotion of the person that's near them.
Since he one day hopes to have his place where all kinds of creatures could live in peace, Thomas wanted to show the Thestral that he was not afraid of them and the least he wanted to achieve was to gain their trust or even befriend them.
So, just as he planned, he approached the Thestral slowly and carefully, not wanting to startle it or make it feel threatened.
"Hello there, beautiful," he said. I'm sorry for what you've been through. You must have seen a lot of sad things."
After he saw that the creature was somewhat relaxed in his presence, Thomas slowly reached out his hand, letting the Thestral sniff it. He felt its warm breath on his skin, and its sharp teeth grazing his fingers making him feel a shiver run down his spine, but he didn't pull away. No, this was just the first step and if this is what it takes to scare him, then maybe he shouldn't have come here in the first place.
A minute later, when he was pretty sure that the creature got even more comfortable with him, he moved his hand to its neck, feeling its coarse fur and its bony structure. He stroked it gently, making it relax and lean into his touch. Everyone then heard a neigh, sounding happy and grateful, making them wonder what in Merlin's name was their friend doing. Only Daphne watched the scene dumbfounded. Didn't the rumors say that those creatures were evil and that they would kill anyone who dares to touch them? If those rumors are true, then how does Thomas gently stroke the Thestral without anything happening to him?
Daphne then slowly made her way towards Thomas, who smiled when he saw her approaching him and the Thestral. He asked her if she too wanted to pet it. At first, Daphne refused, but after she saw the creature looking at her with its big black eyes, almost as if it was begging for attention, she surrendered and let Thomas guide her.
Thomas was happy that Daphne decided to join him. He thought she was brave and curious, and he wanted to share his experience with her. He also wanted to make her feel more comfortable around the Thestral and show her that it was not evil or dangerous.
He took her hand gently and led her to the Thestral's side. He whispered to her, in a reassuring voice.
"Don't be afraid," he said. "It won't hurt you. It's very friendly and gentle. Just follow my lead, and you'll be fine."
Taking her hand on the Thestral's neck, next to his own. He felt her hand tremble slightly, and he squeezed it softly calming the girl down before she scares the poor Thestral. After she calmed down, Daphne took a deep breath before slowly stroking the Thestral's fur, making it purr softly.
To their friend's boredom, the two of them stroke the Thestral's fur for a few good minutes until Thomas felt a hand pulling his robe. As soon as he turned around, he saw a very worried Hermione, making him blink in surprise.
"Hermione, what's wrong?" he said. "Are you alright? Do you need something?"
Hermione shook her head, before explaining to him, "I can't find Harry and Ron," she said. "They weren't on the train. I don't know where they are, or what happened to them. I've looked everywhere, but I can't find them. I'm so worried, Tom. What if they're in trouble? What if they're hurt? "
That was strange, even more so since he had seen the twins and their older brother a few minutes ago, which means that Harry and Ron should have been with them. Something wasn't adding or maybe was he forgetting something… That's when it hit him, the house-elf that block all the mail from reaching Harry over the summer, the same house-elf that greeted him at the Malfoy Manor, Dobby.
Turning his head back to Hermione, Thomas let out a sigh knowing very well that this will be a long and most likely painful "adventure" to explain to the professors so that their friends won't get too much in trouble.
"I think I know where these two are."
Hermione tilted her head, not understanding what Thomas was talking about.
"Do you remember what Harry told us a week ago? About that house-elf that kept him from getting his mail."
Her eyes went wide open when she realized what Thomas was referring to. "You don't think…"
But before she could complete her sentence, Daphne who was behind Thomas walked forwards. "You think what? What are you talking about?"
Thomas took a deep breath and explained to Daphne what he suspected. "Harry and Ron are not on the train because they missed it. Something or someone must have stopped them from getting to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Whoever did it, have done it on purpose to prevent Harry from coming to Hogwarts. And I think that someone is a house-elf named Dobby."
Daphne looked at him with disbelief and confusion. "A house-elf? What are you talking about? What does a house-elf have to do with anything?"
Thomas sighed again and continued. "Dobby is a house-elf who works for the Malfoy family. He came to Harry's house over the summer and tried to warn him not to return to Hogwarts. He said there was a plot to make terrible things happen here. He also stopped Harry from receiving any letters from us. He even used magic to drop a cake on Harry's aunt's head so that Harry will get in trouble with the Ministry of Magic. "
Daphne's eyes widened as she listened to Thomas' story. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That's insane! Why would a house-elf do such things?
"Beat me if I know, but we need to tell the headmaster or even McGonagall so that those two idiots won't get in to much trouble."
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