𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐘 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 ━━ harry potter

chapter fifty-four

As they stepped down onto the platform, it didn't take long to notice Hagrid wasn't there. A lantern came swinging towards them and by its light they saw Professor Grubbly-Plank. "First years line up over here, please! All first years to me!"

"Where's Hagrid?" Harry asked out loud.

"I don't know," shrugged Ginny, "but we'd better get out of the way, we're blocking the door."

"Oh yeah..."

Ginny became separated from Harry and Ben as they moved off along the platform and out through the station. Harry kept looking around, worriedly searching for Hagrid.

"It's okay, Harry," he told him. "I bet he's just got a cold, or something."

"I hope so," he muttered. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"They're probably doing prefect stuff..."

They continued walking across the dark platform, and reached the road outside Hogwarts station, where the many horseless stagecoaches that always took the students above first year up to the castle were.

"What?" gasped Harry, startling Ben.

"What?"

"Look at that!" he pointed at the carriages.

"Why are you surprised?" wondered Ben. "We've known they were horseless for years..."

"But... But they're not horseless anymore."

Ben blinked. "Are you alright?"

"Don't you see them?"

"See what?"

"Those... things," he stammered, frowning.

"What are you talking about?"

"They're thestrals," announced a female voice behind them. Ben gasped in realisation. Marina's eyes were fixed on the exact same spot Harry was pointing at.

"Oh," said Harry, dropping his finger, and not looking too excited about the girl's arrival.

"Hey, Marina... How have you been?" asked Ben.

"Alright, I guess... What about you?"

"Same."

Marina smiled at him, and he returned the gesture, approaching Harry, who was holding Boots in his arms, since Ben was already struggling enough trying to keep Snowie from jumping off his. He was tickling the cat between her ears, making her purr.

"I heard you've become a prefect," said Ben, realising he had been staring at Harry and Boots for too long.

"That's right," she nodded. "I'm really glad... Ernie was saying that he thought it would've been better if there were three Hufflepuff prefects this year, since we lost Cedric last year..."

Ben bit his lip so hard he suddenly sensed the taste of blood.

He pretended to want to have a better look of his cat. Harry glanced up at him, and he could instantly tell that the mention of Cedric had hurt him as much as it had to him.

"Where's Pig?" asked Ron, appearing all of a sudden.

"That Luna girl was carrying him," answered Harry, turning quickly. "Where d'you reckon-"

"-Hagrid is?" finished Ron. "I dunno... He'd better be okay."

"Malfoy was being absolutely foul to a first year back there," said Hermione, emerging from the crowd. "I swear I'm going to report him, he's only had his badge for three minutes and he's using it to bully people worse than ever... Where's Crookshanks?"