7:57 am.
Shit.
Cosette Vale sprinted down the train station, dragging her trunk along withher,
which was slowing her down drastically. Her rust colored hair blew in her face with the
strong English wind.
"Stupid, evil, DIABOLICLE alarm clock!" She muttered to herself. Platform 10
was in her line of vision. She had 2.3 minutes to attempt to get through the platform
without a muggle seeing her, get her trunk on the train, and find a compartment. It was
impossible, Good. Cosette likes impossibilities. They were so much fun to make them
possible. She did a swift glance across the station and ran through the stone wall and
entered the magical platform 9 ¾. The black and red Hogwarts express waited in front of
her. Cosette smiled, threw her trunk into the holder, and walked into a compartment,
pulling her tan, patched looking floppy hat over her long rust hair. She looked at her
watch. .5 seconds to spare. Mission accomplished.
"You're late, Vale." A toned boy said from a seat on the compartment. She glared at him
and thrust her watch in his face.
"Am not! See? .5 seconds early!" He looked up at her.
"Your watch is slow remember?" He asked, a hint of arrogance in his voice. Cosette frowned at her watch.
"Bugger, I forgot." She said, 'Bugger' sounding odd in her French accent to the English people around her.
"So you admit your defeat in the lateness argument?" The boy asked hopefully.
"No! I-just-it's-It's the alarm clocks fault!" She stammered. A round of groans went around the compartment.
"It's always the alarm clock's fault." A second boy complained.
"So? Maybe I like blaming things on inanimate objects." Cosette said, her hands on her hips.
"So you admit defeat?" The first one asked again. Cosette rolled her eyes.
"Shut it, Sirius." Sirius Black smirked behind his wavy hair, dwelling in one of
his very few victories with Cosette Vale. If there was an argument he knew he could win,
it was the matter of her constant tardiness.
"You're just lucky James put his sticking charm on the wheels again." Remus
Lupin said from behind his book.
"Thank ye kindly." Cosette said, placing her hat on her chest and bowing to James
Potter. James shrugged.
"I use that charm every year, you'd think by now they'd realize how to get it off."
James laughed. Cosette sat on the floor leaning against Peter Pettigrew's legs, her own
bent slightly.
"The teacher's just love me to much to let me be late, they let you use the charm,
James" Cosette said, pulling out a spare bit of parchment and drawing music staff lines
on it.
"No way! I always elude them1! They can never catch me." James said haughtily.
"And you explain those millions of detentions how?" Heather Berkley, Cosette's
best friend asked.
"I've got to keep their spirits high, let them catch me every now and again."
James replied indignantly. Everyone sniggered. James glared at them. Cosette, getting
highly uncomfortable on the floor sat down on a seat next to James.
"Ah-ah-ah! Seats reserved." James said, pushing her off. Cosette glared and stood
up, dusting herself off.
"For who?" She asked, plopping down next to Sirius.
"Lily Evans." James said dreamily, indicating Cosette's second best friend.
"You're still hung up on her? Really you've got to let it go!" Heather exclaimed.
"Nope never." James said. The others let it go, knowing there was no way to get
through James Potter when it came to Lily Evans.
"Did I hear my name?" A girl said from the door to the compartment.
"Yeah, Lils, where were ya?" Heather asked, the American in her showing
through.
"Looking for Cosette. You're late again." She said sitting down next to Cosette.
Cosette groaned and buried her head in Sirius' shoulder.
"Really Cosette! You've got to get better with that! You are a seventh year!" She
exclaimed.
"I am not! I am a-Oh dear God. I'm a seventh year." Cosette murmured, aghast.
"Excellent Job there, and you did it all on your own." Sirius said in baby talk,
pinching her cheeks. She slapped his hand away hard, causing him to shake it in pain.
"Finally!" Cosette sighed with exasperation grabbing her bag and walking out of
the compartment as the train slowed to a stop.
"Yeah, don't be late to dinner!" Sirius joked. Cosette turned and punched him in
the shoulder and strode out with Heater and Lily.
"That girl's going to be the death of me." Sirius muttered to the rest of the Marauders.
James slapped him on the back.
"Yeah, have fun!" He said and they all walked off the train.