Noriko knew her so well! Eirene turned her agenda upside down on her lap, and flipped through the pages quickly for Frank's benefit. She found the pictures helpful. They were a visual reminder of which professors enjoyed her charming personality, and which frowned and glared and snapped at her like ancient firecrabs missing the flames of wit that had burned so brightly in their youth.

When Noriko mentioned her other brother biting Daichi, Eirene felt glad that she was an only child. She gave quiet Daichi a sympathetic look. He reminded her of her cat, Xanthe. Xanthe cowered and slunk in front of people, but acted so harmless and cute, Eirene loved him anyway.

Eirene beamed at Noriko and folded her hands primly on her schedule.

"Excellent news. I was about to resort to drastic measures." Measures that included tampering with Taiki's favorite sweets. The next time he invaded the Ravenclaw table and stole all the chocolate éclairs, he'd find his mouth glued shut. Would serve him right!

"Hogsmeade will be civilized for once, if we can avoid certain Gryffindors," she lifted her nose in the air. "By that time we'll need to refresh our Herbology supplies at Dogweed and Deathcap, and of course, there's Honeydukes and Madam Puddifoot's to visit."

Eirene's tone turned a tad wistful. Perhaps this year would be the year she'd drag a date to the tea shop!

"Also, Tomes and Scrolls!" She added in a sing-song, then cleared her throat and put on a serious expression. "I hear they published a new series on improved potion regulations, which should interest anyone in the Healing field, or," she gestured at Frank. "Anyone who wishes to run an apothecary. They quoted my mother in it! She's a Healer at Saint Mungo's."

Eirene glanced at Frank and Daichi. As if Frank didn't know. Daichi might not know, however.

"You must get the letter signed, Frank," she instructed. So far, the occupants of this compartment recognized and even encouraged her expertise. Frank had agreed with her about Care of Magical Creatures. How nice!

Noriko asked Frank about the Hogsmeade permissions slip that had come with his school supplies list earlier this summer. Now that he was a third year, he could finally go!

"Ew..." Frank uttered a note of disapproval at the notion of brothers biting each other. Figaro had never laid teeth on Frank. Just...snot. Frank frowned a little deeper, feeling some sympathy for Noriko's little brother.  "At least there's some justice in the world," he said.

"I do have my letter, actually. Not going to dig it out because I don't want to mess it up. I put it in an envelope so it wouldn't get lost. Hope an owl doesn't steal it!" He laughed loudly at his own joke. Owls? Just taking any envelope they found?! It was clever!

It was hard not to be impressed by all of Eirene's mother's credentials as a notable St. Mungo's Healer who was quoted in books. Frank felt the urge to boast about his own mother's accomplishments as well, but he bit back the urge.

'The Sellaphix business is for Sellaphixes, understand?', she'd told him. They'd practiced what should be said if anyone asked for snooped about the shop at all. As much as he wanted to match Eirene's boasting, he took much more pride in being an important part of the family business. He sat up a little straighter.

"Sounds like an excellent book. I'll have to have a look."

For not the first time, Noriko was left feeling perplexed by Frank's third year humor.  He was concerned that an owl might steal his letter?  Over her time at Hogwarts, Noriko was an experienced purveyor of possible fears.  She had never once considered the possibility that an owl might snatch away an important belonging, and now she was suddenly concerned that she had missed a major threat to her academic success. 

"Do owls frequently steal envelopes?" she asked, sounding worried.

Daichi, meanwhile, seemed to have settled on a worry of his own.

"I don't have a letter!" he piped up, looking anxiously from one older student to another. 

Images of a malevolent-looking owl with large, glaring eyes swooping down to yank her poor Defense Against the Dark Arts essay out of her unsuspecting hands gave way to a sudden need to act like a responsible older sibling again.  Noriko sighed.

"You don't need a letter, Daichi," she said, giving her brother a comforting pat on the leg.  "You can't go to Hogsmeade until you're a third year, anyway.  Unless you misbehave like Taiki -- then you can't go at all."

Daichi sniffled, his lower lip wobbling as he considered this new information.  "But...if Taiki stays behind, and you go..."  He gave his sister a desperate, pleading look.

Noriko paused.  As much as she wanted to be a responsible older sibling, she had no intention of missing any of the Hogsmeade trips, not even to protect her younger brother from the terror of Taiki.  Hogsmeade was exotic, exciting, and a little scary, made even more so after a group of older students had been whisked away and kidnapped during a trip the previous year.  But finding a politic way to explain that to Daichi...

Luckily, she was saved by a familiar rattling sound outside in the hallway.

"Ooh, the trolley!"  She lit up, and immediately began digging in her pocket for coins, happy for a chance to change the subject.  "Daichi, do you want a sweet?   Do you want anything?" she asked Frank and Eirene.  "It always takes so long before we're able to eat at the Feast!"

Eirene ignored Frank's joke, flipping through her planner again. "Surely not," she told Noriko, who shouldn't worry about owls, of all things.

She beamed when Frank agreed to check out the book, pleased that he was listening so well. Why couldn't all younger students be as amenable as Frank Sellaphix?

As the trolley arrived, Eirene perked up, setting her planner aside. She eyed the licorice, Bertie Botts, and cauldron cakes and willed her stomach not to grumble. Delicious! It had been so many months since she'd been allowed sweets! The Antonopoulos household offered dry rice cakes, courtesy of her Healer mother, though her father sometimes sneaked in chocolate, claiming they had to keep up their spirits in this dark climate.

The only good thing about Dementor attacks was the possibility of chocolate, Eirene had learned.

"One cauldron cake, please," she offered the woman coins, making a show of rifling through her coin purse. She could afford more, of course. She chose not to because she had discipline.

When the others had made their orders, she unwrapped the little cake with care.

"I might ask the librarian to add a copy," Eirene returned to the topic that interested her, oblivious to Noriko's attempts to change the subject.

She would offer Frank the pristine copy she kept in her school trunk, but that was for clean hands only, not cauldron cake hands.

"Daichi," she graced the young boy with a glance. "You should spend time in the library during the Hogsmeade weekend. Taiki doesn't go there if he can help it. Sit near the librarian. He'll look after you."

He was very stern, but not as stern as Professor Storm.

"While we're enjoying Hogsmeade," she paused to finish unwrapping her cake, "you should take the opportunity to ask questions and improve yourself," Eirene finished in her best governess voice.

She took a dainty bite, allowing a smile as the sugar hit her tongue.

Frank bought some Zippy Ropes from the cart - vaguely cherry-flavored sticks of chewy candy that would just keep stretching until you had a tangle of sticky sweets all over your hand. Frank liked to eat them in a methodical mess, stretching one out then folding it in half, stretching again, folding in half, each time taking a bite from the end.

"It's like infinite," he explained to Daichi, and handed him one.

It was lucky that Eirene could calm Noriko down so efficiently. Frank might have made it worst in his attempt to explain everything he knew about owl post and the behavior of owl breeds. (He knew just enough to be a pain.)

---

The four of them munched and chatted. Frank flipped through his new History textbook, on of his books he'd kept out of his trunk, as they rode. The rolling green landscape rushed by outside their window. He had to think they'd be getting near to Yorkshire by now? He couldn't tell. There were no stops and the Hogwarts Express avoided Muggle settlements.

He had a thought.

"Do you think they'll be Dementors again? Like last year where we all had to learn about chocolate and cheering charms and the Patronus charm. I heard in the news that they're coming back, this time more than before. Rowan and sage are selling like mad at our apothecary. People use it to keep Dementors away."

Frank's question was matter-of-fact and he didn't seem outwardly worried. It was almost more of an academic wondering... He didn't consider how Noriko might react, or Daichi. But he did figure Eirene might have some insight.

Dementors.  Noriko shivered.  They had been having such a good time, chatting and eating their sweets, and then Frank had gone and brought up the worst part of last year aside from the kidnappings.  Dementors were terrifying.  Noriko had never seen a real one in person, but she could only imagine what they were like.  The only good thing to come out of the recent Dementor infestation was the fact that it meant her parents let them each eat a small piece of chocolate in the morning after breakfast, as a boost to make sure they were extra cheery.

"Dementors?"  Daichi looked up worriedly, interrupting his attempt to eat himself out of the Zippy Rope.  He had managed to get the stretchy sweet tangled around his robes, his hair, and nearly anything within reach.  (Noriko, not wanting to become sticky, had scooted far away from her brother.) "Can they get us at Hogwarts?"

"No!" Noriko said emphatically, shaking her head.  "Of course not!  There are all kinds of protective charms on Hogwarts, not to mention Professor Storm."  The Deputy Headmaster, she was certain, could scare away any Dementor, probably while giving it a stern look and telling it that he was disappointed in its performance. 

Anxiously, she put the lid back on her tin of Sugared Butterfly Wings, looking to her best friend for reassurance.  "Right, Eirene?" she asked plaintively.  "There isn't any way that Dementors can get into the castle grounds, is there?"

"Well," Eirene tilted her chin up and drew back her shoulders, puffing up. "As you know, Noriko," she nodded to her friend, "Frank," she inclined her head to her fellow Ravenclaw. "Dementors already did attack Hogwarts! Yes, it's true," she told poor, cringing Daichi.

"They attacked last March, when Branwen Strangely and a few students were using herbs - rowan and sage even, Frank - to fortify the walls[1]. Remember? Parents wrote to the Daily Prophet to complain.[2]"

Her parents included, of course.

"Professor Storm protected us then and he'll protect us now," Eirene declared with absolute confidence.

She spent another moment adding colorful tabs to her Defense textbook. Blue for shielding, red for offense, yellow for warding.

"And if not," she added as an afterthought. "My mother said he married a formidable Healer."

1.	Rowan for Raiding, Sage for a Seige
2.	Letters to the Editor

Frank screwed up his eyebrows. 

"Professor Storm is married?"

Then, he narrowed his eyes.

"Wait. He wasn't already married?"

It was occurring to Frank in waves that he had never imagined Professor Storm outside of school, and it was, apparently, of more immediate concern than having their life force siphoned out of them by Dementors during free period.

"Professor Storm?" Noriko echoed, incredulous.  Her mental image of Professor Storm, all grave and wrinkly, had never really matched her impression of the sort of person who got married.  It seemed like the sort of thing that adults did, and if it hadn't happened by the time you were Professor Storm's age, you were just out of luck.  She had half doubted the Witch Weekly article when it had come out.

"I don't think he's been married before," she said uncertainly, frowning as she glanced at Eirene.  Eirene knew every detail about all of their professors; she'd be quick to correct Noriko if she were wrong.  "But now that he is married, I suppose it's good that it's to a healer.  That way, she can help if he gets splinched again."

Now that the trolley had come by and they'd eaten, the rocking of the train was starting to feel like a familiar rhythm.  Noriko was surprised to realize that more than her normal feeling of anxiousness at returning to school, she was excited to be on her way back: back with Eirene and their other friends, back to studying and classes, and even back to Professor Storm, who never acted scared or resentful of her even though she'd splinched him once.

A thought occurred to her.

"Do you think Mrs. Storm has had her baby yet?" she asked Eirene with a giggle.  "Maybe we should throw him a baby shower."  The thought of Professor Storm, looking stern as he stood surrounded by pale blue and pink decorations while all kinds of students clapped and cheered, quickly sobered that thought away.  "Or at least get him a present," she amended quickly.

Noriko was so smart. Sometimes Eirene wondered why she wasn't a Ravenclaw.

"Wonderful idea, Noriko! We weren't invited to Storm's secret wedding," she sniffed. "I've no idea why, but since we weren't invited, we can make him a joint wedding-baby shower gift! He'll be so taken with our thoughtfulness, he might even smile!"

She clapped her hands together.

"Yes! We still have time to brainstorm ideas before I need to repack and reorganize my luggage."

You never knew which delicate school supplies might get jostled on the train.

"Well? Daichi, Frank - gather round." She gestured at the boys, and scooted closer to Noriko, opening her formidable planner to a blank page already titled:

Presents for Professors! The 2011 School Year Edition.