The Train, Oh The Train: September 1, 1975
The loud ringing of an alarm clock makes me rocket up. Gasping for air, I cough.
"Gwen!" a voice to my left moans.
"Oops, sorry, Lani," I whisper to her turning off my alarm.
"Good luck at school you freak," she mumbles.
I smile and say, "Don't try that with me lady. We both know I can hex you to Neverland."
Lani snorts and rolls over on her cot. I climb out of my cot and quickly dress with the clothes I laidout the night before. I then gather my things and head to the window.
"Bye, Lani. Hope the witch doesn't give you any trouble while I'm gone," I say as I drag my trunk with me.
"Ha, that's rich coming from you sparky," Lani says.
"That was an accident-" I begin.
Lani cuts me off,
"But, don't you worry bout us, Gwenny. I'll take care of them."
I smile and take a quick survey of the room. I see that each of the girls are tucked in their beds tightly. Warm and safe. Good.
"You better, or you'll be getten somethen from me." I wink at Lani and I put my trunk on the ground outside.
"Hmmph. Let me sleep ya hag," Lani groans.
I chuckle and a pillow hits my rump. I laugh some more and grab the bag of gallons off the nightstand before slipping out the window.
"See you when the grass is greener," I say.
"And you've got the summer fever," Lani finishes. "Now go before you're late."
"Give my goodbyes and love to the girls," I tell her.
"I will."
"Love ya, Lani."
"Love ya, hag."I snort and begin my jog to the nearest bus stop. After what feels like hours of walking in the pitch blackness of the early morning, and the silence continuing from the night I make it to a lit street lamp and a wet metal black bench. The wind blows through the trees, making it sound as if bones were breaking. I feel the damp, cool air and smell the freshly deposited rain, along with the smell of the pine trees not too far away. With a deep breath, I open my trunk and pull out my wand. I raise it and moments later a bus come zipping up.
"Wha' yer name missy?"
"Gwen. Gwen Jackson. Pleasure to meet you sir," I say with a smile, as the man helps me load my trunk onto the bus.
"Naw a probl' littl' missy."
The dim lighting and my dreary vision made it hard to see the man hardly remember his face. I clamber onto the bus, hand the driver a couple gallons and find an empty seat. Which to my great surprise there were many.
"Shouldn't there be more people on there way to the train station?" I ponder aloud.
With nearly no one conscious to respond, I shake my head and turn to the window my mind off somewhere else. Before I knew it, Kings Cross Station had appeared before my very eyes. I scramble to stand and make my way over to the doors of the bus.
"Thank you, have a good rest of your day," I chirp to the driver smiling sweetly.
He smiles slight and gives me a little wave. I get off the bus and take my things from the man from earlier.
"Thank you," I tell him. "Good bye." I wave to the driver and the other man.
"Hmm," I ponder as I turn towards the station."I wonder what the name of his job is called."
I hear a whistle and my eyes nearly pop out of there head. It was ten thirty. I had thirty minutes to get in the station get to the platform and load up my things. I hurried to grab my trunk and rush inside. I stumble and wobble trying to brush through the thick crowd. With people packed at each my my sides the room gets quickly hot. Sweat begins to apparate on my forehead.
"Oh, dear," I mutter.
I scan the area looking for an exit. I see an opening and I take it, I brush through till I escape the crowd with a breath of relief. I then head to platform nine and ten. Once I get close enough I break into a run and I end up on platform nine and three quarters. Though I have done this every year since I turned eleven it still amazes me everytime. I smile and quickly load my things onto the train. I then look to the clock and notice that it's. Ten fifty.
"Crap!" I exclaim and rush toward the train's door.
"I need to get to Alice, Frank, and Sarah before the train leaves," I remind myself aloud.
I open the first compartment and see Lily Evans and her friends. Lily turns to me and opens her mouth to speak. A sharp image hits my mind.
"Potter," I snapped getting his attention.
"If you want a Lily to like you. Stop being a douche."
Potter blinks in surprise. Lily yanks me away from him and behind the wall, the other girls made.
"What are you doing?" she shrilled.
"Helping?" I offered.
"Yeah, the enemy!" Her voice cracked it's so high."
Woah, calm down. Telling him not to be a douche will make him try to be nice. And that will take a while. I was just trying to get him off your back."
"Well, I don't consider it that!" she shrieked.
"OK, If you're going to be like this everytime I try to help it's better if we're not friends," I said stiffly.
With no response I turned and left.
I blink back into reality and close the compartment door. I move onto the next one.'If there is anyone out there planning my fate. Could you please have me find Alice first? And not find the marauders?' I think.For the moment luck was on my side, because when I opened the compartment it wasn't the marauders. Nor, was it Alice. Instead it was Bellatrix, Severus, Narcissa, and Lucius. The conversation in the compartment zips into silence. Bellatrix glares at me, I give her the same look. I then slam the door shut, satisfaction fills my face. I then get an idea. I open the compartment and wave goodbye. I go to the next one leaving it open. I open it and my luck turned to misfortune. Maybe it was misfortune the entire time. But, my eyes are filled with fourth smirks. The train, begins to depart when I decide to close the door. Or at least try to. Not prepared for the movement but, focused on moving the door. All my body weight was pressed on the door. Then it was throwing me into the compartment. I go flying and end up on Smith's lap.
"Ah, speak of the devil," Black smirks.
"I must be great a division because, I always knew, Jackson would fall for one of us," Potter snorts.
I snap my head towards him as I stand.
"Shut it, Potter!" I snarl.
Then with clenched fists. I exit the compartment and slam the door shut. I intake a sharp breath and then move to the next compartment. I open it and see Alice. I smile and sigh.
"Hey, guys," I say.
"Oh, Hi Gwe- Oh my god!" Sarah yelps in horror.
"What?" I ask closing the compartment door behind me.
"Oh, my word!" Alice says upon staring at my face.
"Is there something wrong with my face?" I ask an eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Yes, here look." Sarah hands me a pocket mirror.
I look at myself in the mirror.
"Oh," I say.
With giant dark bags under my eyes, and a very very white complexion. I understand why they reacted that way.
"You don't need to worry. I'm just tired. I got barely any sleep," I inform them.
"How much?" Alice asks.
"I don't know," I try.
"Don't Lie," Frank says flipping through a comic book.
"They know all." He gives me a look.
"Three and a half hours," I state.
"Nice. Captain America Volume 4?" I ask Frank.
"Yeah, you read it?"I nod, taking a seat.
"WHAT?" Sarah and Alice say coming out of the trance my response put them in.
"Oops. Forgot 'bout them," I mumble.
"How many hours did you get?" Alice asks again.
"Um," I begin.
"Three and a half hours?" Sarah says.
"Uhm, Yes?" I try.
"GWENEVERE!" They both shriek.
I laugh nervously, and the compartment door opens. Black and Potter poke there heads in.
"What did Jackson do now?" they Mime.
"Nothing," I growl
"Got three and a half hours of sleep!" Alice tells them. "And judging by the way she wobbled when coming into the compartment and her coloring, she hasn't eaten."
With a look of betrayalin Alice's direction I huff.
"I'm fine!"
Potter and Black share a look."
Out!" I snap.
Potter and Black leave, letting the compartment door shut.
"How was your guys summer?" Frank asks trying to kill the tension.
"Good, I went to Paris again," Alice comments.
"I went to the States and saw what they call The Great Falls." Sarah says.
"Well, I went to Buckingham Palace," Frank tells us.
"You Gwen?"
"Oh, You know, The usual." I mutter.
The compartment door opens and we are greeted by the Trolley Witch.
"Hello, anything from the trolley dears?"
"Pumpkin Pasties," Frank says.
"Chocolate Frogs!" Sarah sings.
"Cauldron Cakes," Alice moans.
The Trolley Witch laughs and gives them each what they asked for.
"Anything for you dear?" She asks me.
"No, thank you though," I respond.
The Trolley Witch nods and leaves, closing the door behind her.
"Did you guys know that there are going to be dances this year?" Sarah asks, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Yes, That's why I'm going to be hiding," I snort.
"Oh, honey think again," Sarah comments with a sly grin on her lips.
"If you can find me," I retort.
"Isn't it only for the sixth and seventh years?" Frank asks with a nervous tone.
"Nope all years are aloud," Something glimmers in Alice's eyes.
"You better not try anything," I warn.
"Oh, I'm so scared!" Alice and Sarah snort sarcastically.
"You better be," I smirk.
"Wait, where's all your stuff?" Frank asks in confusion.
"Oh, I put a extended charm on my trunk. I was able to fit everything in it," I smile.
"When?" Sarah asks.
"Before summer came, last year," I reply."Hm. Cool," Alice says.My stomach growls. Then something then hits my face. I pick up a plastic bag off my lap. Inside was a sandwich."Eat," Sarah orders.I smile...and roll my eyes. I pull out the sandwich and eat it."I'm taking a nap, wake me when we get close to Hogwarts," I inform them.I lean against the compartment wall and close my eyes, drifting off into a deep sleep.