"Hey, look! It's Uncle Ron!" Albus, my cousin, says joyfully from across the cabin. He just had a chocolate frog and was looking down at the card.
"Really? Let me see!" I say. I stand up from the red leather seats and reach over. He hands it to me. My dad, Ron Weasley, is on a chocolate frog trading card! I have wanted to find one of his but it's rare. I hold it out to Albus for him to take back.
"No you take it. I know you've been waiting for one for a year now," he says.
"Thanks," I smile. I tuck the card into my carry on and look out the window. Now all I have to do is find the card with Hermione Granger, my mum, on it. The Hogwarts Express is about half way there to the school. There are massive, full, green hills out beyond the train tracks. I start to get a bit hungry and get up to find the sweets trolley.
"Hey, Rose, grab me a pack of Every Flavor Jelly Beans?" asks James, my other cousin.
"You have money for me to pay for it with?" I ask.
"Well, no… but I was hoping…"
"Well… nope," I say.
Albus chuckles and I step out into the hall of the car. I see the trolley down on the other end and I start to walk up to it. As I am walking a cabin door opens swiftly and someone steps out before I can get out of the way. We bump into each other and I fall to the ground. I look up and I see a boy with tousled white/blond hair, grey eyes and a hard expression on his face. He seemed alright until I saw his robes. Slytherin robes. Then I recognized him. Scorpious Malfoy. I remember him from my first year of Hogwarts. Before getting on the train, I was standing in Kings Cross Station. My father told me to beat him in every test that year. And I did that my first year. I just wanted to make dad proud. But after that I stopped caring if I beat him. But I think I did anyway. Now that we were on the train for the forth time I barely remember him. We have never talked or even interacted before, and I never thought we would, until now.
Although I do remember one incident our second year.
Everyone moved through the halls and outside. It was like a riot. I wanted to see what was happening so pushed through until I got to the front. And there he was with a few of his friends in Slytherin. Scorpious had his wand high in the air pointing at a first year in Hufflepuff. He levitated the boy and placed him high up in a tree.
Professor Mcgonagall (one of my uncle's favorite professor's when he went to Hogwarts) rushed out to sort it. Scorpious and his friends got a month's detention. At that point I decided not to interact with him. Of course there were other incidents like this with different kids that I heard about, but that was the only time I ever saw him in action. No doubt he will probably move on to even worse things this year seeing that we are learning more spells.
"Oh sorry," I say trying to be nice.
He rolled his eyes. "Watch it next time," he says with a deep voice.
Rude much. I blink my eyes a few times to clear my head. "Well my father was right about him," I think to myself.
I get to the trolley and get a pack of Every Flavor Jelly Beans for James and I to spilt and walk back to the cabin. I throw the candy to James so he can have a bit.
"Yes! I knew you would end up getting some. What took you so long?"
"Long wait at the trolley," I say looking back out the window.
When we finally arrive at Hogwarts all I want to do is go to the Gryffindor common room and un-pack my things. But we have to go to the feast and welcome the first years that are getting sorted in their houses. I mean I am excited for all first years, but after a while you don't care too much anymore. I am mostly going because they have the best food at the feasts.
Though last year I actually wanted to go to the feast because it was my brother Hugo's first year. He was very nervous about what house he would get into.
I walked into the hall and found Hugo sitting against the wall with our cousin Lily (Albus and James' sister).
"Hey, what's wrong with you two, you look so nervous. You should be excited! You're finally at Hogwarts!" I said trying to calm them a bit.
"Yeah, but what if we aren't in Gryffindor?" asked Hugo.
"Well, if you aren't in Gryffindor then we will all be proud of you no matter what. That includes you too Lily."
"OK." They said together.
"Now go get in line, it's almost time for the sorting, and don't worry." I walked back into the dinning hall and took the seat Albus saved for me. I saved the seat on the other side of me for Hugo.
They started to announce their names. "Hugo Weasley."
I saw Hugo walk up and sit up there in front of every one. He clenched his fist like he always does when he gets nervous. The sorting hat was placed on his head and he closed his eyes tight. I crossed my fingers and held my breath.
"Ah… another Weasley. This is an easy one... Gryffindor!" said the sorting hat. I exhaled and got up and hugged Hugo as he got to the table.
"I told you so," I whispered to him.
They called Lily up and Albus and I crossed our fingers. "Gryffindor!" The sorting hat said right away, with no hesitation, just as it did with Albus and James.
Lily came over to us and Albus and I gave her a hug and James gave her a hive five. She sat next to Hugo and they did their special handshake they made up when they were younger.
The rest of the first years get sorted, we ate, and then we went back to our common room.
After that I stopped caring about the first years getting sorted, though I am always happen when a new Gryffindor comes into the house. I always try my best to make them feel welcome.
After the feast we go back to the common room and I start to un-pack my things. I see my friend Helena coming up the stair case after a few minutes.
"Helena!"
"Rose!" We run up to each other and hug. I haven't seen her all summer. She's Muggle born and her father was killed in the war my parents and uncle fought in. The Death Eater's went on a killing spree one day and Helena's father was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. On our first year, she came up to me, gave me a hug, and said 'thank you for being alive and for your family.' We have been best friends ever since.
"Where have you been? I didn't see you on the train or at the feast," I ask.
"I missed the train 'cause the platform closed when I got there at 11:01. So my mum wrote a letter to the Head Master and had Honeyduke here," Helena gestures to the owl on her bed, "fly over and bring it. It took a while because it's a long way away, but once Honeyduke got here my bags disappeared and a few seconds later a letter popped in on the kitchen table with a package. It said that they would bring me to Hogwarts, I just have to stand in the fire place and take some of this powder they sent and say Diagon alley. Then I was in Diagon alley! Professor Longbottom was there to meet me and he brought me to Hogwarts. It was so much work!" She said laughing. Helena is the laziest person I have ever met.
"You traveled by Floo powder! I have done that a few times with my parents and it is so fun! But you get ashes all over you," I laugh.
"I know! I had to change and wash up when I got here!" Helena agrees.
I help her un-pack her stuff and we go down stairs to hang out with everyone in the common room.
The common room was re-painted with a fresh coat of red and gold paint and the crest was polished as well. Helena and I sit on the rich red colored couch in front of the fire place while Lily goes off with Hugo.
I catch Mike looking at me… again. He flips his dark brown hair and stares at me intensely with deep brown eyes, trying to look cool. He has had a crush on me since our first year. He is nice and everything but I just don't like him like that. Helena makes the shape of a heart with her hands and I elbow her in the side. During Christmas break our first year, I asked my mum would I should do about it. All she said was "If he's anything like your father, it will be a while before you have to worry about it." That didn't help me any.
It's about 10:00 when I decide to go to bed because I have an early morning class tomorrow. My mind wanders and the last thing I remember is falling down on the train in.