//------------------------------// // 32 - Scarlet // Story: A Phoenix Beyond the Veil - The Philospher's Stone // by gerandakis //------------------------------// Chapter Thirty-Two Scarlet Harry was content. For the first time he could remember, he was awoken in a gentle manner, as opposed to some Dursley waking him with their noise, and he wasn't a pony at the same time. He certainly didn't mind being one – flying was incredibly fun – but he certainly would prefer if it wasn't a condition to having a good night's sleep. The day had come. September first. Today they would be taking the train to Hogwarts. Of course, it would be three hours yet before that happened. He was still relaxed, just getting out of bed in Ron's room while not just Ron, but also all his siblings – those that were still attending Hogwarts, at least – were running up and down the stairs to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. Harry got dressed, happy that he didn't need to waste time taking a morning shower ever since Sunset had started teaching them the basics of light magic. The wizards had a popular cleaning charm of their own. They called it Scourgify. That charm was very unpopular, however, for use in personal hygiene. It wasn't dangerous, but it was very unpleasant. Sunset had theorized, after Mrs. Weasley had demonstrated the charm, that it was a side effect of it being little more than a selective vanishing charm and the empty space left behind by the vanished matter filling back up with air caused an unpleasant, cold sensation. The Weasleys had seemed confused and he himself had only understood the basics, but Hermione had claimed that it made sense, and he was inclined to believe her. Using emotions to fuel his magic was an interesting idea. Drawing power from the bubble of happiness that always seemed to float around him since he had made friends a month ago seemed like such an obvious thing to do, in hindsight. The cleaning spell she had taught them was nowhere near as advanced as the one she had shown to the professors when they had visited, but for personal hygiene it was more than adequate. He calmly made his way down the stairs, though he had to dodge Fred, George, Ginny and Percy on his way, and sat down in the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley was happy to offer him breakfast while she watched her children run up and down the stairs, shaking her head. Harry couldn't help but agree. He, Sunset, Hermione and their parents had told them, repeatedly, that they should get their things packed beforehand, but they wouldn't listen. By the time he finished breakfast and Sunset brought over Dan, Emma and Hermione, materializing in the kitchen with nary a sound, they were still running up and down the stairs. From there he had a VIP seat to watch the following spectacle. Emma and Dan sat down beside him, expectant smirks on their faces. Hermione leaned against the wall nearby and waved Mrs. Weasley over to join her. Meanwhile, Sunset was walking up to the stairs, her eyes glowing with magic. When she spoke, her voice reverberated throughout the house. "Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Percy! The kitchen, now!" The rumble on the stairs immediately stopped and a second later started up again. Within half a minute, all five siblings were standing before her in an orderly line. "Alright," Sunset continued, her voice back to a more normal volume but brooking no argument regardless, "I figured this would happen so we came prepared. Hermione?" The girl in question snapped her fingers and five rolled up scrolls appeared in midair before her, three of them tied up with bands in different colors, the last two sharing one. In her usual pale green aura, she floated them over to the Weasley children, distributing them among them. The matching scrolls, unsurprisingly, went to the twins. After another second, she also distributed five fountain pens to match. The latter was one of the muggle inventions that the Weasleys had adopted after becoming friends with the Grangers, all three of them and Sunset had argued that, magic or not, fountain pens were infinitely more convenient than quills. The Weasleys, ultimately, couldn't help but agree. "These," Sunset explained, "are enchanted with a refilling charm. So long as someone with magic uses them, they will never run out. You can keep them. Now take those to your rooms with the lists, check off everything you have already packed and then take five minutes to think of anything you might need that isn't already on the list and add anything you think of. Then come back here." The five took a few moments to marvel at the beautifully crafted writing implements. The mechanism was crafted from shining brass and the main body was made of beautifully carved wood. Each of them was engraved with a name in the flowing, twisted Equestrian script. Each was made of a different wood. Ginny's was made from pale birch and engraved with the Equestrian word for 'Lightning', a reference to her ability to harness said element. Ron's was of dark walnut and engraved with the word 'Strategist', referencing his exceptional skill at chess. Percy's was made of elm, with beautiful, curly patterns in it, engraved with the word 'Authority'. Fred and George got matching ones made of ebony, carved with the word 'Trickster'. Their bright grins to Sunset upon seeing that were answered with a smile and a nod towards the stairs. Taking the hint, not only they, but all five siblings ran back up the stairs. "We've got one for you and Luna as well, of course." Sunset kindly spoke, turning to Harry and snapping her finger, another pen appearing, held in her teal aura, in the air between them. Harry took the pen in his own brilliant green aura and pulled it closer. It was made of pale holly – a reference to his wand, he realized – and carved with an Equestrian word that, depending on context, could mean both 'Saved' and 'Savior'. He smiled sadly when he realized the double meaning. In a flash of fire, Philomena brought Luna and Xenofilius to the kitchen. Once Sunset had explained what she was doing, she gave Luna her pen, made of mahogany and carved with the word 'Shadow'.  With a smirk, Luna shadow stepped over to her and caught her in a hug. Ten minutes later, Ginny returned as the first of the Weasley children, Hermione took her hand, took a look at her list and teleported the two away in a flash of pale green. Sunset did the same when Percy appeared a moment later. By the time Ron came down, Ginny and Hermione had returned. So the latter took Ron by his hand and teleported away again while the former went to double check her list, seeing if there was anything missing from it. Similarly Sunset took care of the twins when she returned with Percy a few moments later. In record time all five Weasleys had their things ready, and were prepared to head for King's Cross. On Sunset's request, Molly took her hand and apparated the two of them to Platform nine-three-quarters. Shuddering, Sunset returned a moment later, mumbling something about having to teach her how to teleport properly, and took Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny to the Platform before disappearing again. A moment later, she returned bringing Xenophilius, Luna, Percy and the Twins. On the platform, they saw her take a moment to breathe before vanishing again and making another two trips for the luggage. Hedwig and Hermes took the trip much better than they did last time. Errol had seemed quite happy to stay where he was. Looking around, the group saw that the platform was still relatively empty. The train, however, was already in place. A bright scarlet steam engine stood on the rails before them, coupled to a set of seven long passenger cars. On the front of the engine, on its sides and on the sides of every car was a large green sign with polished brass letters 'Hogwarts Express'. While Harry, Hermione, Sunset and Luna looked at the engine with interest, the Weasley children looked across the platform with slightly baffled expressions. Clearly they had never reached the train so soon. The clock above the platform informed them that it was half past ten. Within a few minutes they had stowed their luggage on the train, handily claiming a compartment for the new first graders and one for the twins. Percy, already wearing his robes and proudly displaying his badge, brought his own luggage to one of the compartments at the front of the train that were reserved for the prefects. They then returned to the platform where Hermione and Sunset were waiting with Mrs. Weasley, Emma, Dan and Xenophilius. Their shrunken luggage was safely stowed in their pockets. Harry's was too, but he had Hedwig's cage to take care of. Sunset still had Philomena on her shoulder, but the fiery bird was once more disguised as an eagle. After talking on the platform for another twenty minutes, the kids finally boarded the train. The platform was much more heavily populated by now, so the twins had spotted a friend of theirs and dragged him off to the compartment they had claimed for themselves. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Sunset and Luna, meanwhile, took their own seats in the other compartment. When a shrill whistle sounded over the platform, they crowded around the window. And waved to their relatives. With a creaking of the axles, the train began to move. They continued waving until their car went around a bend and they lost sight of the platform. Leaning back in her seat, Hermione sighed contently, then she stopped. "Say, Sunset?" When her sister looked at her expectantly, she continued. "How are mum and dad going to get home?" Sunset looked at her for a moment, then buried her forehead in her palm. "I am such an idiot. Could you take Philomena for a second?" Once Hermione had let the 'eagle' perch herself on her arm, completely unfazed by the claws, Sunset blinked out of existence. Emma and Dan had just come to the same realization as their daughter, and were about to ask Mrs. Weasley for help, when Sunset appeared before them, waved to Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Lovegood who were staring at her with wide eyes, much like many parents around, and blinked back out of sight, taking Emma and Dan with her. When the startled pair reappeared in their living room, Sunset looked at them. "Sorry I forgot about you, you can thank sis for reminding me. See you." Before they got a chance to get a word in edgewise, she disappeared again. After a moment, Dan turned to his wife. "I need to learn how to do that." "Absolutely." Sunset reappeared in the compartment and took her seat. After a moment all of them broke into laughter. "Well," Sunset finally managed, "now that that's sorted." They began to talk. After a while, Ron challenged Sunset to a game of wizarding chess. She was the only one who could give him an actual challenge. For many years she had occasionally played the game with the princess. While it had always been a humbling experience, it had also been fantastic training. Ron pulled out a box of enchanted chess pieces while Sunset conjured a floating board and her own pieces. They kept up the conversation as they played. Around half past twelve, when Sunset was doing rather well, hoping to even the score which currently sat at three wins for her to Ron's four, there was a clattering outside and the door to their compartment slid open. Turning, they saw a smiling, dimpled witch looking back at them. "Anything from the trolley dears?" Intrigued at the magical sweets, Harry, Hermione and Sunset, bought some of everything, the witch had. As it turned out, while magic was commonplace in Equestria, enchanting food was not. Ron and Ginny watched wide eyed as they carried it all back into the compartment in their magic. The witch looked at the floating candy in confusion. Luna looked at it with a slightly tilted head, about as close as she ever came to surprise. While Sunset and Ron got back into their game, they listened as Ginny and Luna explained the various sweets. The chocolate frogs seemed a little macabre, but they didn't really mind. If anything, sweets that could jump into your mouths were quite convenient. The cards held some interesting trivia as well. Each card had a picture of a famous wizard or witch on one side, and some flavor text on that person on the other. Some of it actually wasn't mentioned in their books. The Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans were another attraction, the name was taken quite literal. Curry, coconut, toast and sardine were only some of the flavors they encountered. Sunset was delighted to find one that tasted of hay, much to Hermione's amusement. When Ron and Sunset were tied five to five, having just finished their latest game, a round-faced boy about their age pushed open the door. "Sorry, but have you seen a toad at all?" Sunset turned to him, tilting her head slightly. "You lost your toad?" He nodded. Getting up, she walked over to him, taking his hand and turning the inside to face her. She looked at it for a moment, her eyes glowing faintly. "Hmm, that should be it." She turned to look up and down the train. "Now let's see here. Gotcha." She turned back to the boy. "What's your name?" "Neville. Neville Longbottom." "Well come on then Neville." With that she walked out of the compartment, Neville following her. She took him several cars back, before turning to one compartment in particular. It was filled with girls a few years older than they were. She pushed the door open. "Excuse me." Her hands glowed as a toad was lifted from under one of the benches. "There you are. Here you go Neville." Turning back to the compartment, she gave a quick, "Pardon the interruption," and closed the door again. "You wanna join us, Neville? We do still have some room in our compartment." "Uhh thanks, sure. Let me just grab my trunk right quick." "Lead the way." When they arrived back at the compartment a few minutes later, Sunset casually deposited the large trunk floating behind them under one of the benches and reclaimed her seat opposite Ron. A wave of her hand brought the board back into position and the two quickly started another match. Meanwhile, Neville properly introduced himself to the others. He stuttered a bit at first, but their friendly attitude, even if Ron and Sunset were a little distracted, quickly helped him calm down.