A LITTLE GIRL WITH A BLUE RIBBON
The locomotive's thick white smoke and the autumn sunlight were blurring the station platform in a bright haze.
- "All aboard, all aboard!" was shouting someone impatiently in the hubbub of children's and adults' voices.
A little girl was holding the hand of a very tall man who was carrying an enormous brand-new leather suitcase on his shoulder.
A big blue ribbon held back her long brown curls. She was wearing a periwinkle organza dress with a round collar, lace mittens, pristine girly socks and black ballerina shoes with a silver flower on the buckle.
- "It's time to leave", she said solemnly.
The man nodded. A horrible scar went from his left ear to across his blotchy shaved skull and strangely contrasted with the elegance of his tweed suit.
He took out of his pocket a neat Kraft bag and a thermos, and gave them to the child.
- "Here's your lunch. Cook made your favorite sandwich - bacon and marmite - and Nana put soy milk in your tea. I'll load your luggage in the train. Do you have your ticket?"
The little girl put the bag and the thermos in her small backpack and showed him the cardboard pinned to the front of her dress.
- "Yes, I do", she said. "Thank you, Barrie."
While he was gone, she quietly waited on the platform, watching the other children and their parents who were saying their goodbyes in the racket of trolleys, the hissing of the locomotive and the squawking of the caged pets.
A few steps from her, a tall red-haired man kissed another girl on the forehead and stepped back, putting his hand on the shoulder of a nine year old boy who looked a lot like him.
- "Bag? Jumper?" checked the lady with bushy brown hair who was standing by them. "Sure you didn't forget anything?"
She blinked back some tears, then hugged the girl impetuously.
- "I'm going to miss you!"
Another family came out of the steam, waving hands: father, mother, two boys who were in the midst of a lively discussion and their sister perched on a trolley.
The little girl with the blue ribbon was startled when a hand touched her shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts.
- "Your suitcase's in the first compartment to the left, Miss Wendy", gently said the man with the scarred skull, crouching next to her.
- "This man has a scar like you", she said, leaning against his broad shoulder, pointing to the father with tousled black hair who was hoisting aboard the train a huge old trunk, helped by the red-haired man. "Do you think he also got it fighting a crocodile?"
The butler chuckled (he had been sabered in Africa when he was a legionnaire, but he preferred to maintain the legend of the battle with a crocodile).
- "I doubt it, Miss Wendy. One hardly sees it. It's probably a cat scratch. You need to get in the train, now. It's almost time."
Wendy looked at the clock on the brick wall and sighed. She cast one last envious glance at the lady with bushy brown hair who was dabbing her eyes and grinning at the children looking out the window.
- "I wish Miss Moira was here..." she said in a tiny voice, pressing her hands against each other. "Or Daddy..."
The man straightened the blue ribbon in her hair.
- "Monsieur is working in the City, you know he couldn't come. As for Madame, she's very tired since the twins' birth". He paused. "Remember you have to call her Mother, now, Miss Wendy."
The little girl nodded.
- "Yes, Barrie", she mumbled.
Her chin was trembling, but she tightened her lips and not a tear ran down her cheek.
- "Christmas holidays will soon be there", said the butler, lifting her in his arms and placing her on the metal step to the train. "You'll be back in a snap of fingers."
She sniffled, bravely lifting up her chin. He stroked her cheek and smiled again. His skull was bald, but his blond eyebrows compensated for the lack of hair, so bushy they almost hid his encouraging pale blue eyes.
- "Maybe they have a rugby team in this magical school... you could tryout to be part of it! Madame and Nana won't scold, if someone else has to wash your muddy clothes."
The clock rang, echoing throughout the station and a dozen pigeons flew off. The whistle sounded, shrill.
- "I'll miss you, Barrie!" cried the little girl, throwing her arms around the man's neck one last time.
- "Goodbye, Miss Wendy. Think of all the wonderful adventures you'll have and all the beautiful things you'll learn... Don't be afraid, you will be fine."
He undid the hug gently, made her step back and closed the heavy steel red door.
The locomotive gave a plaintive hooting and the Hogwarts Express moved off slowly in a thick white cloud.
- "Goodbye ! Goodbye !" shouted joyful voices everywhere, as lots of hands were waving on the station platform.
Wendy fought against the latch but never managed to open the window. With a stifled sob, she pressed her face against the glass.
She had time to see the tall figure of the butler, whose massive shoulders and bald head topped off the crowd, then the train rushed noisily into a tunnel, blowing away the fancy hat of a lady.
Fighting her tears, she sat on the worn out scarlet seat and took off her small backpack. There was a vague smell of vinegar and fried onions in the compartment. The glass was dirty, blackened by smoke to the outside and smudged fingerprints on the inside.
She breathed in deeply and wiped her eyes. She untied the blue ribbon holding back her hair with relief and purposely messed up her curls. She was not very tall and her feet didn't touch the floor. One of her socks had slipped down and there was some dust on her varnished black shoe.
She was feeling a little better.
- "Can I come in?" asked a friendly voice.
She turned to the door and nodded timidly after some thought.
The blond boy with round glasses who was leaning against the doorframe walked to her, holding out his hand.
- "Hi", he said with a warm smile. "I'm Terrence. I'm eleven. And you are…?"
She narrowed her eyes but squeezed his ink stained fingers.
- My name's Wendy Philips. I'm in first year too.
He sat unceremoniously on the seat in front of her, took off his shoes pressing his toes on his heels, and pulled up his knees.
- "We're going to Hogwarts", he chirped delightedly, as if he could not suppress his excitement. "We're going to do magic! It's not a dream, it's for real!"
There was a funny quiff on his head, like an antenna.
Wendy smiled despite herself.
- "Ah", the boy said happily, as if he had been waiting for this all along.
He hummed, looked at the brand-new leather suitcase in the net then fiddled with something on the window sill.
- "Are... there others in your family? Wizards?" asked the little girl carefully, her hands pressed against each other in the fold of her dress.
Terrence turned back to her.
- "Nope", he said cheerfully. "I'm the first one! Muggle-born pure bred! My parents had a bit of shock, but I think they're quite proud now! What about you? Do you have siblings at Hogwarts?"
She slowly shook her head.
- "I'm an only child…"
Something a bit frightened fluttered in her big gray eyes and she added hastily:
- "Well, I-I have two little brothers. But I don't know if they're going to go to Hogwarts! They're just babies..."
Terrence nodded, still giving her a funny look, and she huddled against the seat, uncomfortable.
- "Your dress' pretty", he finally said, before sitting down again and scratching the tip of his sock.
Wendy opened incredulous eyes and scrunched up her nose.
- "It's a girlie dress", she muttered.
The boy burst out laughing.
- "And what are you, then? A Grindylow?"
- "What's that?" groaned the little girl, vaguely offended.
- "A Grindylow. It's a creature that can be found in the Black Lake, the lake surrounding Hogwarts", recited Terrence knowingly. He winked. "I read it in History of Hogwarts. I read ALL the books they asked us to buy! Twice. It's going to be awesome, I can't wait to be there!"
He looked around, stood up and fumbled in his pocket.
- "Ah, there it is."
Wendy let out a small squeal when she saw the wand.
- "You're not going to perform magic, are you?", she stammered.
Terrence puckered his eyebrows. He thought for a while, then sat back and gently placed his wand at his side on the faded fabric of the seat.
- "Are you scared?" he asked softly.
His blue eyes looked at her with kindness behind his round glasses. Wendy swallowed hard. She crossed her arms.
- "No, not at all", she replied dourly.
- "You didn't want to go to Hogwarts?"
Wendy glanced around desperately but, as there was nobody to help her, she sank deeper against the seat, arching her black eyebrows and tightening her lips.
- "I don't want to talk to you", she grunted.
Terrence did not smile. He was looking pained, and if her heart had not been pounding so much in fear and anger, she would have felt sorry for him.
- "Did you at least look at the books? Did they not make you want to know more? What about Diagon Alley? It's really cool, once you get used to the strange way they dress. With my parents, we went there several times, and ..."
- "Several times !" Wendy squeaked in astonishment.
The blond boy relaxed upon hearing her voice.
- "Yes. Once you know how to get to the Leaky Cauldron, you just have to go through the gate with a wizard. Or ask the bartender to open up."
- "I went there only once, to choose my wand", mumbled Wendy. "The man didn't want to sell one to Barrie, he said I had to come myself."
Terrence's eyes widened.
- "You didn't do your own shopping for school supplies?"
The little girl shrugged.
- "Miss Moi... Mother said it wasn't proper", she explained in a resigned tone. "She was not very happy when I received my letter from Hogwarts, but Daddy said I would go, so... but I never was allowed to touch my books until now."
She cast an apologetic glance at the boy who was staring at her, flabbergasted.
- "Is... is Hogwarts so wonderful?" she asked in a small worried voice. "Barrie said I'd be better off there than at Chelthenham Ladies College and that no one would say anything if my manners weren't the best... There's no rugby team for young girls in Chelthenham Ladies College, so I didn't want to go there anyway, but... "
Terrence nibbled his bottom lip. There was something both amused and appalled in his eyes.
- "Well, there's no rugby team at Hogwarts either, actually", he finally said. "But there's Quidditch, and it sounds like the best sport ever," he hastily added seeing that the little girl's face was darkening. "In any case, I'm sure you'll like it there. Magic is awesome. And you don't need to know what a Grindylow is, coz' we'll study them only in third or fourth year, so it's okay. Don't you worry. I bet you're going be a great witch!"
He flashed her his most cheerful, most reassuring, warmest grin.
And Wendy gave him a weak smile.
But a very - very - nice smile.
The door slipped open with a stifled sound.
- "Can we come in for a while?" asked a boy's voice. "My brother started a Bertie Bott's Beans battle in our compartment and we don't want to end up blind."
- "Or daubed in paint", stiffly said the girl who was with him.
She was already wearing the school robes and her strawberry hair was tied in a ponytail. There was a huge book under her arm.
Wendy huddled against the window, watching her carefully.
It was the girl from the station, the one with the loving mother.
She sat near the door after giving around a distracted smile, then buried herself in the book.
- "Hello, I'm Albus", the boy said, plopping on the seat next to Wendy.
He was small and scrawny. Beneath his black mop of hair were shining green eyes with long dark lashes. He seemed a bit shy and was holding a foul smelling bundle of rags.
- "How's the ferret?" asked Terrence before Wendy could ask any questions. "Spoon, right?"
Albus stared at him, speechless for a few seconds, then his face brightened.
- "Oh ! You're the boy from the pet shop..."
He cast a glance around him.
- "Your owl ...?"
- "Toughie's in the next compartment", chirped Terrence. "With a boy named Craig Finnigan who really can't shut up."
Wendy looked thoughtfully at the ferret's pinkish nose sticking out of the bundle of rags.
- "Is it sick?"
- "Yes", said Albus. "But he's feeling a little better now. Yesterday, he climbed on a shelf in my bedroom and he nibbled a wing of the paper airplane my grandfather gave me for Christmas. Erm. A plane is a…"
- "I know what a plane is", Wendy cut in, a little annoyed.
- "Albus comes from a wizard family", Terrence explained cheerfully. "Usually they don't understand when you're talking about Muggle things."
- "Ah", said the little girl curtly.
And she fell silent, turning to the window, crossing her arms again after hurriedly putting back in her hair the blue ribbon.
The train was travelling through the countryside, now, and the sky had turned gray. Large drops crashed on the window, then began drawing long rills on the glass. A white and fluffy mist was rising over the hills. The boys were chatting in her back, softly, as if not to disturb the girl who was reading.
Wendy wondered if it was also raining in London.
Barrie had gone back home. Maybe he was in the garden under his big khaki umbrella, wearing his Wellies, checking on the old oak...
Miss Moira (she mentally corrected: "Mother") was probably in the Nursery, sitting in the white wicker chair, dressed in the pink silk gown that made her look like a princess. Maybe she was rocking one of oh so cute babes, a tiny fist clenched on one of her long black curls...
Nana would surely bring the baby bottle - the twins were often wailing to be fed - and the little darling would drink greedily, while the music box would play its melancholy song.
A lump swelled in Wendy's throat.
She wished so much to be allowed to hold one of her chubby baby brothers on her lap, but she was always told her hands were too dirty or that it was time for her piano lesson...
She wished her stepmother would kiss her forehead and smile at her as she did over the lace rimmed cradles...
Maybe when she would be able to do magical things - beautiful things, like those the wand seller had talked about - she would be lo...
- "Wendy?"
Startled, she bumped her forehead against Albus' head when she turned too abruptly.
- "I thought you were asleep", he mumbled sheepishly when she glared at him.
- "What do you want?" she hissed, tears welling up in her eyes.
Terrence put a hand on her shoulder.
- "We were wondering if you wanted to play with us", he said, pointing at the scarlet worn out seat on which was scattered a jumble of chocofrog and muggle cards.
- "My mum taught me a muggle magic trick", chimed in the strawberry-haired girl who had discarded her book on the bench.
Her brown eyes were twinkling merrily. She had freckles and looked like the dandelion pixie from Wendy's fairytales book.
- "My name's Rosie Weasley", she said. "What's yours? Your dress is pretty, but you didn't need to come wearing your Sunday best. We have to put on our school robes before getting off the train."
Wendy stared at her for a moment. The lump in her throat was so thick and spongy she felt like if she was about to drown.
Her mum…
The lady with bushy brown hair who was smiling on the station platform. She had kissed her daughter and gave her some last advices before letting her go. She looked stern, clumsy, loving and caring and just exactly like a mother was supposed to be.
She choked on a sob in the stunned silence of the compartment.
- "Wendy?" Terrence asked, a little worried.
He did not like at all the despair he was reading in the big stormy eyes of the little girl with a blue ribbon.
Then someone shifted and it was like if a sudden warmth was slowly filling the compartment hammered by the sound of rain.
- "Hey, can you hold Spoon for a while?" Albus asked, putting in Wendy's arms the bundle of rags.
The little girl looked down.
Spoon squealed weakly, scratching around with his tiny black and white paws.
She touched the warm muzzle with her fingertips, stroked the mangy fur, careful not to press on the skinny bones she felt under the skin.
- "He looks cozy", Albus said.
Then he sat next to Wendy, so close that their shoulders brushed and that his breath touched the little girl's face when he leaned to look at the ferret.
- "He's soft", Wendy finally said in a slightly hoarse voice.
She looked up and her gray eyes locked with Albus' green orbs.
Then she smiled.
And Terrence's heart hurt a bit, but he drove the funny feeling away, because Wendy's smile was very pure, very sweet, so very sincere.
And it was the smile he had wanted to see from the beginning.
He sat down with them and Rosie taught them a card game that made them giggle until the end of the trip. Then Craig Finnigan came in with Toughie who looked a little drunk and time flew really fast until the train slowed down.
It had stopped raining and the night was filled with stars. Hogwarts castle stood on the other side of the lake, beautiful and mysterious.
Wendy slipped her hand in Albus' and Terrence took her other hand, and she jumped out on the station platform with confidence, helped by the two boys.
The nice dress was crumpled up in the corner of the net, in the train compartment, and the blue ribbon had fallen to the old wooden floor.
HPHPHP
If you liked this story and would like to know more about Toughie & Spoon, Wendy & Terrence, and their time in Hogwarts with Albus, let's meet again in Bright as Night! This one-shot is actually a stand-alone chapter from it and here is how it really ends in the fic, three years after they met in the train :
Wendy was sitting on Craig Finnigan's bed, her chin resting on her knees, her arms hugging her legs. Her chestnut hair was twisted in a braid on her shoulder and the tiny red carbuncles were shining in the candlelight, at her eyebrow and on her ear.
- "I'm going", she whispered.
Terrence, who was sitting cross-legged on his own bed, straightened up and pushed his glasses up his nose.
- "So am I", he muttered in the dark.
So Scorpius stood up and smoothed his trousers, as if he had just waited an hour in silence to hear these words.
- "In this case, this is what we should do", he said, opening the drawer of his nightstand.
And with a flip of his wand, he unrolled a large parchment on Albus' bed.
TBC
If you just want to read more one-shots featuring young Albus Severus Potter, you might enjoy the following fanfics. They can be read separately and in whatever order you fancy, but if you wish to know how they were thought to go, here comes the list:
The Dream, Albus 4
Lily asks questions, Albus 8
The Tin Soldier Secret, Albus 10
The Box : this one is told from Harry's POV and covers Albus' childhood and his four first years at Hogwarts. There's a special guest in there who might make you cry...
And you may also want to read the two short stories that are Bright as Night prequels, although it is not necessary to follow the game:
Dark as Snow, Albus 6
Only children know what they are looking for, Albus 12 (this one is told from Scorpius Malefoy's POV and will be posted… soon, hopefully. It's already written in French, just need to be translated. ^^)