Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

In Which Megan Makes Friends

Megan warily boarded the Hogwarts express. From the memories, she recalled having no friends, no one to talk to or join in their compartment. Shaking herself out of her pity party, she entered an empty compartment near the back. It wouldn't stay empty for long, but hopefully she'd be joined by pleasant company. In the meantime, she'd read a nifty book she bought in a second hand shop on miscellaneous charms.

Not long had passed when a brown haired boy knocked on the compartment door. He took a peak in and asked, "Room for three more?"

Megan looked up from the charms book she was reading, "Sure, come in."

He entered the compartment followed by two others, a girl and boy. Megan helped them put their trunks and owls away and then settled back down into her seat. They looked at each other awkwardly, until Megan cleared her throat. She gave them a wave, "Megan Jones, third year Hufflepuff."

"I've know you. You're the girl who never spoke! You look different." said the boy. Megan felt her cheeks heat up.

The girl kicked him, "Tracey Davis, third year Slytherin."

The boy rubbed his shin with a scowl on his face, "Terry Boot, third year Ravenclaw."

Megan looked to the boy who sat beside her. "Theodore Nott, third year Slytherin. Call me Theo." he said quietly.

"So why is it that you never spoke? If you don't mind me asking." said Terry with a glare toward Tracey. Tracey and Theo rolled their eyes, but looked interested in the answer.

Megan fiddled with the ends of her shirt, "I did speak, just not often. I wasn't very comfortable with myself, and now I am."

Tracey gave her a knowing look, probably thinking the change was from the weight loss and not a case of body snatching.

"Oh." replied Terry, a bit put off with her answer. "Want to play exploding snap?"

Thus Megan spent the train ride playing exploding snap with Terry and Theo, discussing fashion with Tracey, and reading some of her charms book. It was all fun and games until the train slowed down ahead of schedule.

Terry frowned, "We can't possibly be there yet."

The trained was getting slower and slower, making the rain sound louder against the windows.

Theo stuck his head out into the corridor, "No one seems to know what's going on. Everyone looks curiously confused."

The train jolted to a stop, making trunks fall off the racks and children grunt in pain. Suddenly, all the lamps went out sending them into darkness.

"Theo, you should sit back down and close the compartment door. I don't like the look of this." said Tracey with a hint of urgency in her voice.

"Do you think the train broke down?" Megan asked, knowing that it wasn't the case.

"If it did, this would be the first time it's happened." replied Theo.

the compartment door abruptly opened, and someone tripped and landed on Terry, if the groan was anything to go by.

"Sorry, can't see." replied a girl's voice. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Susan?" asked Terry.

"Terry? Is that you? Oh, I'm sorry for landing on you." replied Susan.

Megan, having enough of not being able to see, finally remembered she was a witch and cast a lumos.

Four pairs of eyes stared at Megan. Tracey snorted, and cast her own lumos. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Megan?" asked a confused Susan.

"Hello Susan," replied Megan. "I think you should take a seat until the train starts back up."

Susan shook her head, "No. I should be getting back to Hannah and Ernie. They must be worried."

The compartment door slowly opened before Susan could reach it. There, in the doorway, stood a disgusting creature that was surely a dementor. The room felt horribly cold, Megan felt like she would never be happy again. Shaking her head, she put out her light with a nox and muttered, "Expecto Patronum." A thin silvery mist came out of her wand.

"Expecto Patronum," a small shield came out this time.

"Expecto Patronum!" this time, a beautiful butterfuly came out and shooed the dementor out of the compartment.

Four pairs of eyes stared at Megan in shock.

"Uh, let's not mention this to anyone okay?" asked Megan sheepishly.

She looked at the silver butterfly that was fluttering around her, "Go along the train and cheer up the students. Once that's done you can disappear."

The butterfly seemed to nod, flew around everyone in the compartment lifting their spirits, and then headed out.

"That was a patronus." said Susan in disbelief. "A corporeal patronus."

With a jerk, the train started moving again and the lights came back on.

Tracey put out her light, "That was some advanced magic Megan."

"I know, it's a N.E.W.T. level charm. I practiced all summer once I heard about the Sirius Black escape. I figured the Minister would do something stupid with dementors, like send them out to Hogsmeade but not on the train with schoolchildren!"

Terry muffled a laugh, "Yup that sounds like something our esteemed Minister would do."

Theo smiled, "If you want us to keep your skills a secret we will, but I'd like for you to show me that charm."

Susan, Terry, and Tracey nodded their agreement. They too, would like to learn the charm in exchange for silence.

"No problem." replied Megan, "I'll teach you all once we're all settled in at school and have some free time."

"Well, I best be off. Hannah must be worried." Susan made to leave, but then looked back with a smile. "Oh and Megan, I'm glad you're coming out of your shell."

Megan felt her ears redden, maybe her patronus should have been a turtle.

Shortly after Susan left, they changed into their robes. Megan and Tracy stepping out so the boys could get dressed, and the boys doing the same for them. The remainder of the journey was spent in relative silence with everyone reading from a book.

When they finally arrived at Hogsmeade station, they were met with very cold rain. Tracey grabbed Theo and Megan while Megan grabbed Terry, and they made their way to a carriage through the large crowd.

Megan was surprised to be able to see the thestrals, she supposed seeing her friend's death transferred over into this life. From the looks of things, only Theo could see them out of their little group because he looked like he was deliberately trying to ignore their existence.

They made their way to the castle in silence, Theo shivering when he caught sight of the two dementors that were guarding the gates. At last, the carriage came to a halt, and the four of them exited into the pouring rain. Making their way up the steps and into the castle quickly, Megan didn't even notice she had accidentally bumped into Pansy Parkinson.

Once inside the castle and out of the rain, Megan cast a drying charm upon herself and her three new shivering friends. "I haven't learned the warming charm yet, but at least we aren't wet anymore." she said cheerfully.

"This is brilliant, thanks!" replied Terry.

Tracey gave her a hug, and Theo grinned, "Thank you!"

Promising to get together soon, they separated and went to their respective house tables.

[2]

Megan sat at the Hufflepuff table and jumped a little when Susan sat in front of her and gave her a bright hello. Hannah Abbott sat to the left of Megan and Justin Finch-Fletchley to her right. Ernie Macmillan joining them on Susan's left with Wayne Hopkins to her right. With all her year mates sitting around her Megan felt odd, almost like she belonged.

Not paying any attention to the sorting, Megan instead listened for mentions of her patronus incident on the train. It seemed like some seventh year Ravenclaw was taking credit for it. Oh well, that didn't bother her much. There was no way the Ravenclaw would be able to prove it was her without actually casting the charm. Absentmindedly clapping for each new Hufflepuff, she listened for more gossip.

Seeing Professor Flitwick carry the stool and hat out of the hall, Megan started paying attention again. While McGonagall was heading toward her seat at the staff table, Megan noticed two students who could only be Harry Potter and Hermione Granger try to quietly make their way toward the Gryffindor table. It didn't go well for them, people were pointing at Harry and she heard whispers of him collapsing on the train. Oh right, the dementors affected him badly and he fainted, she forgot.

The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, stood up to give announcements. Megan stared at him, he was very old, with a great long silver beard and half-moon spectacles. He beamed at the students,

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" said Dumbledore. "As you are all aware, after their search on the Hogwarts express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, on orders from the Ministry of Magic."

"They are stationed the entrance to the grounds and-" Dumbledore continued explaining more about dementors, but Megan was just waiting for him to mention her patronus.

Dumbledore paused, eyes twinkling even from this distance. "I have also heard tales, about a lovely butterfly who helped cheer up the students and send the dementors away. Thank you, to whoever you are, and I hope you will come forth and let your new defense teacher know who you are."

The Ravenclaw girl puffed up importantly, but Terry caught Megan's eye and gave her a wink.

"On that note," Dumbledore continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. Professor Lupin, who will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was a pitiful, unenthusiastic applause for the poor man. The two previous teachers had many students looking at their shabby Professor with doubt.

"Professor Kettleburn, has retired." continued Dumbledore when the applause died away. "Your new Care of Magical Creatures teacher is none other than our very own Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

There was a tremendous applause for Hagrid, particularly from the Gryffindor table. Most shouting that, of course Hagrid would be the one to assign them that monstrous book.

"Well, that was everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let us feast!"

It was a delicious feast; the hall echoed with talk, laughter, and the clattering of knives and forks. Megan made small talk with her year-mates, and once they got over the shock of her actually speaking, they were quite nice people. She made sure to have some chocolate for dessert, remembering that chocolate helps for dementor exposure.

When the feast was finally over, Megan followed Susan and Hannah to the Hufflepuff common room. It was in the basement, on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor. In order to get in, you had to tap a barrel with the Hufflepuff crest to the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff' and the barrel moved around weekly. She was glad they had no portrait guardian, or riddle to solve, or to find a wall that looked like every other bit of wall. Hufflepuffs had the best common room entry by far.

Too tired to take in the beauty of the common room, Megan followed Susan to their dormitory. Not even bothering to look around the room, Megan made her way to her trunk and quickly changed into her pajamas. Mumbling a goodnight to her dorm-mates, she quickly fell asleep. Susan and Hannah shared amused glances, but they quickly followed suit.