A Web Of Magic

"Yes?" Magnus looked up from his book at the familiar voice.

"Miss- eh Hermione? What are you doing here?" Magnus looked at his friend in both shock and surprise. The question just flowed out of his mouth automatically.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" Hermione's face reflected the same expression as him. Before either of them could talk further, Fred and George butted in.

"Ooh a friend Magnus? Are you going to introduce us?"

"Uh, sure. Guys this is my friend Hermione Granger. Hermione, these are Fred and George Weasley. They are my friends who are just about to visit another friend," Magnus gave an introduction while also hinting at the twins to bugger off.

"Come on mate. You are going to kick us out for a girl?"

"Yeah, the least you could do is do it for two girls," George mirrored Fred's reaction. Hermione's face flushed for a moment. Fred and George were going to continue teasing her but one look at Magnus's face made them give up.

"I remember Jordan is still waiting for us."

"Yes, he'll be terribly disappointed if we don't make it on time, so see you two soon. Nice meeting you Hermione," the Weasley twins exited the cabin swiftly. Hermione was at a loss for a moment but she quickly recovered her wit now that she was alone with Magnus.

"Magnus Webb! Where have you been all this time? You changed school, you don't reply to my letters, you stopped meeting me-"

"Nice to meet you too Hermione," Magnus cut her off with a greeting. If he let her continue, she'll not stop anytime soon.

Hermione's train of thought was broken with Magnus's greeting. "Uh, yes. Nice meeting you again Magnus," she returned his greeting and then she seemed to have remembered something. She quickly covered the distance of the cabin and caught him in a hug. Magnus had a better reaction speed now so he was able to avoid the knee to his delicate bits as he gave her a light hug in return.

"I'm so sorry for what happened to your parents Magnus. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. Why didn't you tell me when we met?" Hermione stopped the hug and they both sat next to each other.

"It's alright Hermione. I didn't want to talk about that to anyone at that point. It's a complicated matter. Enough about that. Now tell me. When did you get the letter?" Magnus asked her curiously.

"I got it last year but I couldn't attend because I haven't reached 11 yet. My birthday's in September remember? So, I had to wait for a whole year to attend. When did you get your letter? Oh my god! I'm late for a whole year! I must be lagging behind everyone else. I'm already at a disadvantage because I'm a muggleborn. Now I'm going to be at an even more of a disadvantage. What should I do Magnus? How did you cope with being a muggleborn? The other students from wizarding families must be miles ahead of us!" Hermione started fretting.

"Stop worrying Hermione. You aren't lagging behind anyone else. The wizarding students aren't as smart as you think. Most are just the same as you. I got my letter two years ago. And I'm not a muggleborn. My parents were both wizards," Magnus clarified.

"You aren't a muggleborn? But why did you go to school with me in Hampstead?" Hermione asked confused.

"Well one, that was closer to my home. Two, there are no proper schools for wizarding children under 11 years of age. Most are home-schooled by their parents. So, my parents thought it would be better if I learned from a muggle school," Magnus explained.

"Why did you never tell me any of it? You could have just given me a hint," Hermione asked mildly annoyed. Her friend was a wizard and she never knew. That irritated her slightly.

"Ah that'd be breaking the Statute of Secrecy Hermione. You know what that is right? You should have read about it by now. Telling you would be breaking the rule. Do you want me to break the rules? Besides, I couldn't do any magic back then. Would you have believed me without proof?" Magnus found himself a valid reason. The real reason was because he didn't want to involve her with the dangers of the wizarding world. But here she is anyway. Still, he wouldn't tell her everything right now. She just entered this world, no need to scare her off.

"Yes, I read all about it of course. It was in the primer they provided. You shouldn't break the rules. I'm sorry I asked. All of this still feels so unreal. A world of magic hiding just beyond the reach of normal people," Hermione spoke in wonder. She still felt like she was dreaming some days. She had to make sure to read all of her books again and again just to make sure it was all real.

"It's an amazing world Hermione," Magnus agreed with her words. The two spent the next hour talking about many topics. Well it was mostly Hermione asking and him answering. He still didn't tell her everything about Hogwarts. That'd just ruin her experience. Some things are better left to herself to find out, just as he did with Harry Potter. Curiosity is the trait of a good wizard. Magnus looked at his friend as she spoke. She was still the same as ever except for being slightly taller than when he saw her the last time. Still the same bushy hair and bunny-like front teeth. Some might make fun of her for that but Magnus wasn't that vain. He learned to look beyond the surface long ago.

"Alright Hermione, it's time to change into your robes now. We are getting closer to Hogsmeade station. You better get ready. We'll have plenty of time to talk later. Don't worry about the luggage, they'll get it for you," Magnus advised her.

"Alright Magnus. It was nice seeing you again. I thought I would be all alone here, but now you are here with me. I'll go get changed. We'll talk later," Hermione got up to go. Just as she reached the cabin door, she turned back and asked, "Magnus? Why aren't you calling me that?"

"Calling you what? Missy?" Magnus asked with a smirk. Hermione nodded her head.

"Ah well. If I call you by your nickname here, it'll spread throughout the school in a few days. I don't think you need that much attention when you just entered this world. There are some who don't treat muggleborn students well Hermione. I don't want to give them a chance to target you. Or don't you mind others calling you like I did?" Magnus explained to her but gave her a grin at the end. Hermione read about that in some of the books but she didn't think it would be this serious. She felt grateful at Magnus's foresight.

"Thank you, Magnus," she gave him a quick hug once again and quickly exited the cabin. Magnus felt nice seeing a familiar friendly face here. She's the only one that knows about his life before coming here. And she's also the only one who knew about his house in Hampstead. 'I should tell her to keep quiet about that later on. It wouldn't be much of a secret house if anyone else knew about it.'

Just as he was lost in his thinking, Fred and George popped into the cabin.

"Hello there mate"

"Still remember us?"

"Oh shut it," Magnus shook his head annoyed.