First fanfic! My first try at this chapter was super short, so I deleted it and added on to it. Sorry for the confusion to you all! Read and review, go all out on all my mistakes and terribleness, I want to know!
The cabin light was old, dim, and flickered with every bump on the track, and trees and other scenery cast fleeting grey shadows across the mesh seats and wood floor. Sounds of laughter and talk came from the cabin next door, but this compartment was silent, save a tiny scratch from an equally tiny quill. Large piles of brand-new books lay cluttered in heaps all over the floor. All were new, bought just that morning, but one.
One was not new at all, nor scattered in disarray like the others. This book was old, four years to be exact, and held no title. It was not flashy, as well as not colorful, just a blank, grey cover. This book was also different, because it was the only book the compartment's only passenger held in her small hands.
September 1st
The day has arrived! I sit at this very moment on the one and only Hogwarts Express! I am, of course, (you know me) alone in my very own compartment, which is quite old looking. You have noticed I'm writing in ink, which is the only material these quills take. I've read all of my books twice over already, so I've been practicing spells. I hope the Summoning Charm will be required for first years; it took me almost ten minutes to perfect it. I also practiced a few handy charms I learned from some books that weren't exactly my level. I'm glad Dad gave in to buying me The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk up to (Grade 5) so I wouldn't be bored. I'm lucky he's rich in the Muggle world. Anyway, guess what! I was waiting to get on the train, and guess who I saw on…
This was as far as Julie had written. She kept writing, totally absorbed in her own thoughts that she was steadily pouring on paper, knowing somewhat well what would come in a just about half an hour. Then the glass doors would open and she would be bustled along the hallways out into a crowded main way.
Julie finished writing, signed her name at the bottom and closed her note book. She let out a short sigh and looked out the window at the rainstorm. Julie remembered her first day last year in her Muggle school. The friendly but naive teacher had called out her full name (Julianne Novak!) and that was last it was said almost all year. No one remembered it. She was known purely as "That Short, Quiet Girl with the Long Hair." She snorted softly. That was definitely her. She was already eleven and was shorter than most of the third graders, and her dark brown hair hung down to her waist. But most of all, she was shy. She never talked to anyone, and no one talked to her. She didn't mind, she preferred studying them instead. People always had something interesting about them. Julie shook her head. She was such an outsider. "Nerd," She had herd once.
But she was happy. Julie didn't want life any other way. As long as she had herself, her notebook, and her wits she could withstand anything. She began flipping through the older pages in her notebook. One page caught her eye, and she read over her previous work.
October 12th
Observation: Mandy Rosenberg
Description: Red, straightened hair down to shoulders, brown eyes, several freckles on nose, cheeks, and forehead. About 95 cm tall, estimated 80 pounds. Pointy, large nose and large innocent looking eyes. Nails different color each day, same with skin between eyes and brows.
Habits: Scrunching up nose while looking at disrespectable people, reporting the teachers about other student's actions, (overheard word "tattle-taleing") and getting whispered about. Seems happy, but not always. Discovered sobbing dramatically in girls bathroom.
Overview: Should try out for school play and newspaper. Maybe a summer camp to help her with her miniscule connection with nature.
Julie gripped her notebook, held it there for a moment, and then dropped it on the floor. She reached for her new wand off of the seat, (Maple with unicorn tail hair, 7 inches) and The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 4) and began to practice Switching Spells.
Julie was so enwrapped in her work that she hardly noticed the steam engine slowing down and coming to a complete stop. She looked up only when she the shouts and laughter coming from the window drowned out her spell. She gasped, quickly summoned her books into her gigantic plaid book bag ("Accio!") and opened the sliding glass door, immediately thrown into the crowd as they made their way out of the train.
Through the hallways they went, down the steps and onto the platform. Julie covered her book bag in case any rain might find it's way inside. Slinging her bag over shoulder she began to study the other students. One tall fifth year boy was running around and panicking about someone he couldn't seem to find, asking every person he met if he'd seen "a red haired kid." A sixth year boy with green lined wizard robes snickered to a group friends, kicked a murky grey puddle, and sprayed rain water all over the cloaks of a group of third year girls, all wearing a blue coat of arms on their chests. The girls screamed, scowled at the boys, who were roaring with laughter, and quickly dried their robes with their wands.
Julie was fascinated. Everything was so different, yet just the same. The presence of magic was obvious, yet it still looked like what school was at home. Julie suddenly felt very scared. She knew nothing that could help her outside of her classes.
Fighting her way through the wet, black fabric of thousands of cloaks, she slowly made her way to the edge of the crowd. Hugging her book bag, she looked around for a place to hide until the crowd thinned. Spying a corner, she dashed at her only chance of escape from everyone. Her feet splashing through puddles, as she rounded the corner her heels cracked on a stone, sending her plummeting the ground. Julie screamed, and in desperation, she grabbed onto the only thing that she could reach to save her: A large hand.
"Woah! Care fu' there!" Chuckled a tired, gruff voice. "Heh, you a' righ' there?"
Julie's head shot up in alarm to see an enormous man. His head held wild tangly dark hair, and he wore a huge brown moleskin coat. He had a few wrinkles across his face, and if she looked closely she could see a few white hairs through the mane. Julie's mouth opened to scream, but she noticed something just before she let her breath go: The mans eyes were bright blue, fascinatingly blue. They had a certain light, or happiness in them. Julie had the strange feeling that she could trust him, through his first appearance. Julie shook herself.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine."
Plucking up the courage, she smiled quickly at the stranger and was about the hurry around him when he called "Firs' years ove' here!"
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