Chapter 1: The New Girl
I sigh as I wake up on September 1st. My parents would not be able to drop me off again. Something about Ministry of Magic duties or whatever. So I grab my bags and my books and owl. Grunting slightly, I bring them to the fireplace. Taking a flowerpot off the mantel, I take a pinch of floo powder and throw it into the dancing flames. They flare and roar at me before turning green. I say where I want to go and grab my stuff before I step into the flames. After my owl nearly dies from crashing into the sides of his cage, I tumble out onto the living room floor of Lily Evans's home. Coughing slightly from the soot, Mrs. Evans notices me.
"Why, hello there Sarah, dear! We're just about ready to head on down to the train station. Are you ready?"
"Yes I am, Mrs. Evans!" I smile at her.
"Alright, go ahead and stand next to my husband." She returns my smile and then frowns. "Lily Evans, come down here this instant or you won't get to attend Hogwarts this year!" She calls upstairs.
"I'm coming, Mum!" Lily groans and drags her bags out from her room. She walks downstairs.
"Say hello to Sarah. She's over by Dad."
"Oh, hullo Sarah!" Lily beams at me, while her sister scowls.
"Hullo, Lily, how are you?"
"I'm a bit nervous about Hogwarts to be honest. What if I can't make any friends?"
"Don't worry about that! You're a sweet girl and the best friend I have in the whole world. If no one else can see how wonderful you are, then they're just silly!"
"Aww! You're the best, Sarah!" Lily hugs me. Her mother quickly grabs her hand and I grab Mr. Evans's hand before we grab onto our bags and turn on the spot. With a loud crack, we appear at King's Cross station. Mr. and Mrs. Evans usher us through the stone barrier between platforms 9 and 10. We all appear on platform 9 and 3/4. The Hogwarts Express stands before us, with its whistle blowing.
I take a deep breath as the Evans say their goodbyes. As I give a quick hug to Mr. and Mrs. Evans, I notice a cute raven-haired boy talking with a raven-haired boy wearing glasses and a slightly scarred faced blonde boy. The first boy notices me and I avert my gaze. Lily raises an eyebrow at me.
"You alright?" She asks, as we get on the train.
"Yeah, why?"
"Cause you're blushing!"
"Am I?" I become extremely self-conscious.
"Don't worry about it, Sarah, it's not noticeable." Lily reassures me. I sigh and we pick out an empty compartment. She puts her trunks above the seats and I put mine on the other side. I hear a hearty laugh and the compartment door slide open.
"Oh, sorry. We didn't know this was full." A slightly raspy voice says. I realize it belongs to a boy at once. I turn to the door.
"Don't be silly, there's plenty of room!" I want to say, but Lily beats me to the punch.
"It's alright. I think the next compartment is empty." She says, swiftly. He looks at me and pink patches appear on his otherwise pale face. The boy in glasses appears behind him.
"C'mon, Sirius! Remus already has a compartment for us." This boy has an energetic voice and a likeable energy.
"Hang on a moment, James, we're being rude. Sorry, ladies, but we have to go now. I hope to see you both at Hogwarts!" The boy called Sirius gives us a wave before he leaves with the other boy James.
"Bye!" Lily and I say together, waving to them. As soon as they're out of earshot, Lily scoffs.
"What is it, Lil?" I ask.
"It's those boys. They're so… Ugh!" She groans and stays silent.
"Pardon me, would it be alright with you two ladies if I join you?" A soft voice inquires. I look up and see a blonde haired, green-eyed boy around our age. He's also quite cute.
"Sorry, but it's full." Lily says, sternly.
"Oh, come on Lily, lighten up! Of course you can join us." I smile kindly at him. He returns my smile and enters our compartment. A raven haired, golden eyed, fair skinned girl appears behind him. Her hair is very curly, yet she is still adorable.
"If it's not too much trouble, may my sister join us as well? She's not too keen on being left alone." The boy asks.
"It's no trouble at all, right Lil?" I look at her and she shakes her head. The girl smiles and enters.
"Thank you very much." She says, her voice surprisingly strong for such a delicate looking person.
"No problem! Oh, I'm Sarah Starlett by the way. This is my friend, Lily Evans." I hold my tan hand out to her. She shakes it with another big smile. "I'm Clementine Pederson. This is my brother, Cody."
Lily offers her hand to the girl. She looks at her brother.
"Go ahead, Clem, she's not going to hurt you." He gently coaxes her. She nods and shakes her hand.
"Pleased to meet you both." Lily and I say.
"I see you two are already in your robes. It's a bit early, but it's best to be prepared." Cody grins and I notice both he and Clementine have their robes on as well.
"I see we think along the same path." Lily smiles. Cody looks down and chuckles.
"Yeah, we changed before we got here. Our compartment was overtaken by a group of boys." He says, rubbing the back of his neck.
"That's horrible! They could have found someplace else to stay." I frown.
"It's okay. I mean, we wouldn't have gotten to meet you two if they hadn't." Clementine says.
"That may be true, but still…" I fold my arms.
"So… What house do you want to get into?" Cody asks, changing the subject.
"Any house is fine with me," I say, truthfully.
"Even Slytherin?" Cody seems surprised.
"Yeah. My father was a Slytherin and my mum was a Ravenclaw. My brother's a Hufflepuff and my sister's a Gryffindor. So, it's really alright with me whatever house I wind up in. How about you?" I turn to Cody.
"Well, I'm hoping to be in Gryffindor. It's a family tradition, you see. All the men in my family have been from the Gryffindor house and I don't wanna ruin that tradition."
"What about the women of your family?" I ask.
"It depends on the person." He says, shortly.
"Well, I also want to be in Gryffindor. None of my family are magical, but it's a good house all the same." Lily says, sensing tension.
"I still think all houses are fair game." I mutter.
"What about you, Clementine?" Lily asks her, kindly.
"Oh, I don't know much about any of the houses so I can't say for sure."
"I'm sure whatever house you wind up in will be lucky to have you." I say.
"Thank you!" Clementine smiles at me. Cody takes something out of his pocket. It's a Chocolate Frog. Carefully he unwraps it. The frog leaps out onto my shoulder before becoming solid again. I giggle.
"Sorry. Can't really control where they go." He smiles a bit embarrassed and takes it from my shoulder. I see Hogwarts in the distance a few hours later.
"We're nearly there!" Lily says, excitedly. I grin and our compartment door slides open again. Raising my eyebrow, I see the blonde scarred faced boy I saw at the train station.
"Oh, excuse me. I seem to have misplaced my…" He locks eyes with me. "Trunk." He finishes, awkwardly. I blink. Cody stands up, as do Lily and Clementine. Lily walks over to me and helps me up.
"Sarah's great at finding things, she could help you out!" Lily elbows my side. I stumble into the stranger's arms. Pink patches appear on his cheeks. Clearing my throat, I straighten up and lead him out.
"Sorry about Lily, she can get carried away sometimes."
"That's alright, Miss."
"It's Sarah. Sarah Starlett."
"I'm Remus Lupin." He smiles at me and I blush deeper.
"Anything from the trolley dears?" The old trolley lady asks. I rummage around in my pockets and pull out a fistful of Galleons.