The Boy Who Never Was - A Harry Potter Fanfic

Seamus launched into a dramatic retelling of his attempt to make his mum's Christmas pudding explode like a firecracker—only for it to actually catch fire, forcing his father to douse the flames with a bucket of water. Dean shared how his younger siblings ambushed him with enchanted snowballs that refused to melt, leaving him shivering for hours. Neville, now more confident, admitted that his gran had invited an entire group of distant relatives over, many of whom he barely knew, and he spent most of the holiday hiding in the greenhouse with his plants.

Hermione recounted how I had given her ten minutes to pick out thirty books at Flourish and Blotts, only for her to return with a towering stack of a hundred. "You should've seen his face when I dropped them in front of him. I swear, he almost passed out," she said smugly.

I groaned. "I thought we agreed on thirty. Thirty, Hermione! You held me hostage."

"You could've said no," she countered, grinning.

"Have you ever tried saying no to Hermione when she's in book acquisition mode? It's like facing down an over-caffeinated librarian on a mission," I quipped.

Lavender gasped. "And what about you, Sky? What chaos did you unleash over the holidays?"

I grinned. "I may have completely dismantled my new family's understanding of Monopoly by introducing strategic property hoarding and forcing them into desperate, last-minute deals. The aftermath was… devastating."

Hermione groaned. "It was a complete economic nightmare. He turned a friendly game into a high-stakes business negotiation. I still don't understand how he managed to get all of us to willingly give him everything."

"Skills, my dear Hermione. Skills," I said, smugly.

As the laughter carried on, I saw my opportunity.

"I have something special for this trip," I announced. "But before I show you, there's a catch."

Seamus groaned. "Here we go."

"No complaining," I said, wagging a finger. "You all have to agree to a magical contract of secrecy. What I show you stays between us."

Lavender, ever the gossip, hesitated. "But what if—"

"If you want to be trusted with bigger secrets in the future, you need to prove you can keep the small ones," I cut in smoothly. "Gossip is a trade, Lavender. And if you ever want access to the juiciest, you need credibility."

She bit her lip, thinking it over. Finally, she nodded. "Fine."

After everyone signed, I finally opened my trunk and let them in.

The reactions were priceless.

Dean's jaw dropped. Neville looked ready to faint. Seamus let out a string of colorful curses, and Lavender was utterly speechless.

"You built a Quidditch pitch in here?!" Dean finally managed to choke out.

"Not finished yet," I said casually, pointing out various features. "But it's perfect for flying practice."

Lavender was still in shock. "This is small? I… I can't tell anyone."

I patted her on the back. "Consider it an exclusive club."

After setting some ground rules—mainly involving keeping Hermione in charge—they all split up to enjoy our time in the trunk. As they ran off to explore, I stepped out, summoning a tome on Occlumency into my hands. Just as I was settling into my seat, there was a knock at the compartment door. Looking up, I found the trolley lady standing there, her usual cart of snacks and treats beside her.

"Anything for you, dear?" she asked kindly.

I smiled. "Actually, I have a proposition for you. At the end of the trip, I'm willing to buy any leftover stock at market price. That way, you won't have to take any losses on unsold goods."

The trolley lady blinked, clearly taken aback by the offer. "That's quite generous of you. Why would you want to do that?"

I leaned back. "Think of it as a business arrangement. If you agree to do this once a year with me until my graduation, I'll provide you exclusive rights to purchase an assortment of non-magical snacks that are just as popular."

Her eyes widened with curiosity. "Non-magical snacks? Like what?"

I reached into my trunk and summoned a couple small samples—a pack of crisps, a bar of chocolate, and a bag of gummy bears. She took a bite of the chocolate and let out a surprised hum of approval.

"Oh, that is delicious," she admitted. "And you say these are from the Muggle world?"

I nodded. "And they're wildly popular. I guarantee you, students will love them. You'll have an exclusive supply that no other vendor on the train can offer."

She considered the offer for a moment before nodding. "You have yourself a deal, young man. I'll keep track of what's left and we can settle at the end of the trip."

I grinned. "Pleasure doing business with you."

With that, she moved on to the next compartment, and I finally sat back down, cracking open my book on Occlumency and beginning to read.

An hour passed before Tracy popped her head back in. "Are you alone?"

I nodded. "Hermione's babysitting."

She smirked. "Aren't you afraid someone might steal your girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend," I corrected.

She arched an eyebrow. "Your kiss at the Leaky Cauldron says otherwise."

I rolled my eyes. "It was a tactical decision."

Tracy grinned. "Right. Tactical."

I smirked, dismissing her with a casual wave. "I do like Hermione, and you never know what could happen in the future."

Tracy's expression flickered with amusement, but she remained quiet as I handed her a parchment. "Sign this."

She raised an eyebrow. "No explanation?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

She stared at me for a long moment before sighing and taking the contract. She skimmed through it, her brow furrowing slightly before shrugging. "Fine. If this backfires, I'm cursing you." With a flourish, she signed her name.

"Much appreciated," I said smoothly before standing up and opening my trunk. I leaned inside and called down, "Hermione, I got one more coming down!"

A distant "Okay!" echoed back.

I turned to Tracy and gestured toward the entrance. "Go ahead."

She stepped inside, her usual composure cracking as she took in the massive interior. Her mouth parted slightly in what I could only describe as stony shock. Without another word, she disappeared further in, and I shut the trunk, settling back into my seat with my book.

Another hour passed before Hermione climbed out of the trunk and, without a word, leaned against me, book in hand.

I smirked without looking up. "Who's watching the kids?"

"Tracy's got everything in hand," she murmured, flipping a page.

Satisfied, I turned a page in my own book, the quiet comfort of our shared space settling around us as the train carried us toward Hogwarts, free of any further distractions.