Trains

I yelled as my trunk fell on foot. Lily giggled. Bloody hell, that was annoying when she did that. Well fine. She can put her own bloody trunk on the train. But then she gave me that pouty smile and was about to yell for mum and so I kind of had to do it. Cursing Lily, her stupid suitcase and my crappy luck, I leant back on a pillar while mum burst into tears at the thought of her little girl going off to Hogwarts again. Really, Lily is in fourth year. Her attentions then turned to me as she hugged the breath out of my body.

"Oh James" she gushed, leaving a wet patch on the front of my T-shirt "My boy, in seventh year. Harry, I never thought this day would come so quickly"

She turned to my dad, who wasn't paying attention by the look on his face. He turned to face us, a dreamy smile on his face, eyes wide with innocence.

"Huh," he said, looking between the two of us. Almost instinctively, we both ran our hands through our hair, messing it up even more, as my dad nodded at my mother, taking her into his arms as she used his shirt as a tissue now. I hugged my mother goodbye, shook my father's hand and followed my brother and sister on the train. I looked out the window as the train pulled away from the station to see my parents waving goodbye. The last time they ever will. I slumped into my seat only to see my cousin Fred, smash open the door.

"Never fear dear mortal, I am here" he said with a ridiculous grin on his face as he sat in the seat opposite me.

"Hey Fred" I said "Rejected again by Molly eh?"

"You know it. It's just not a complete Hogwarts year without being smacked in the face by Molly Finnegan" Fred smiled.

I eyed him suspiciously. Usually a rejected by the love of his life Molly, sends Fred into a deep depression for at least three hours. It reminded me of my grandparents, from when dad told me stories. Yet here he was smiling like a bloody lunatic. That smile could only mean one thing.

"You're shagging her aren't you?" I ask. That's the only way that he would be happy. Molly must want to keep up with appearances. Why deny the masses some fun and the pleasure of seeing a guy punched in the face.

Fred blushes, the colour of his face almost matching the carrot orange of his hair.

"We kind of bonded over the summer, she was visiting Roxy and well we got talking. One thing led to another. She doesn't want anyone to know until she can tell all her friends first. We actually planned that little scenario. It was fun," Fred said in a rush of words

Roxanne was Fred's twin sister and also happened to be Molly's best friend. I knew that Roxy was sick of her brother and best friend fighting all the time so she planned to bring them together over the summer. Obviously her plan had worked in that Fred was gazing out of the window, a lovesick expression on his face.

At that moment the compartment door opened to reveal two girls, giggling together. In the background, I heard the screams of a fourth year yelling "Gosh, that stinks," The two girls burst into laughter at this both gasping for breath. Wiping the tears out of their eyes, my cousin Roxanne turned to me and Fred.

"God, I love fourth years! Think they're all that" she said

"Yep, nothing like stinksap traps triggered by squealing," said the other girl

Lucy Whitmore. She was a pranking genius, who could always get one up on Fred and I and yet was never caught. She was my nemesis in every way and you could tell she loved it. However, being Roxy's best friend, meant that she was a constant figure in my life. Which meant she was constantly able to rub it in my face that she was yet to be caught for her pranks.

"Hello boys. Good summer?" She asked as she flopped on the seat in the compartment. "I know yours was good Fred!"

For the second time that hour, Fred flushed red.

The train ride went quickly after that and the boys were soon shooed out of the compartment so the girls could get changed into their robes. I spent most of the train ride drawing up plays for the Gryffindor Quidditch team with Fred. With the cup in our sights, this year was guaranteed be a good one.