Anju stepped carefully out of the cab and onto the street across from
King's Cross Station. She set her heavy trunk down beside her and shook the
cramps out of her arms. Standing on the side-walk she closed her eyes for a
moment and tried to get her thoughts together. She brushed her chestnut
colored hair out of her eyes and pulled out a letter from her pocket. It
said to go to platform 9 and 3 quarters. This puzzled her greatly....did
they have fractions in the England train stations? She was used to the
subway in New York over in America.
She pushed her hair out of her eyes again and stepped gingerly off the curb and walked across the street. Her trunk was following close behind her hovering in mid-air. She then remembered where she was and cursed to herself. She forgot about using magic around muggles. Where she was from she didn't have to worry about muggles seeing her magic. She turned around and grabbed onto her trunk....then glanced around to see if anyone noticed. She didn't see any particularly shocked people nearby so she continued along the sidewalk.
She turned left through the revolving glass doors and walked quickly into the enormous train station. She peered around and spotted platform 3. She walked briskly over to it and walked along the wall till she reached platform 9. She got ready to turn right into 9 and 3 quarters. Then she paused....a little confused as she reached platform 10. Maybe she had missed it. She spun around on her heel and walked back to platform 9 without seeing 9 and 3 quarters.
She gave an exasperated sigh and threw her trunk down angrily. It must have been hidden from the muggles somewhere...and she didn't know how to get there. She wondered angrily why the school didn't even bother telling her where it was. After kicking the wall she turned around and looked desperately for someone to help her. She then spotted a boy..about her age....that..in her eyes...stood out from the muggles. She could tell that he was a wizard.
The boy was walking quickly towards the wall between platform 9 and 10...his father close behind him. He had a look upon his pale face that told her he wanted to get away from the muggles as soon as possible. She followed him with her bright green eyes towards the wall. She squinted her eyes as he blended into the crowd....making it difficult to see him. So she watched the light shine from his bright blonde hair as a guide. She smiled triumphantly to herself as he and his father disappeared through the wall. Of course...why didn't she try that before?
She grabbed her trunk and headed towards the wall. She didn't even bother to see if any muggles were looking when she went through. If they saw her, that was their problem...not hers. She took a fresh breath of air as she walked onto the platform of 9 and 3 quarters. She eyed the train and looked at her magic powered watch. Almost time to leave. She started to drag her trunk behind her...then sighed and let it hover behind her. Then she walked towards the train.
She looked the other kids in the eyes and watched them curiously. She wasn't a very shy person and was ready to make friends. They seemed to stop their conversations with each other and stare at her as she walked by. She felt their eyes following her and wondered why. Maybe there was something on her face. She shrugged and hopped onto the train.
Her eyes darted around trying to find a compartment to sit in. She was starting to get smothered as everyone was crowding onto the train. The door she was leaning on suddenly opened and she fell in. Her trunk fell in first and hit the floor with her landing on top of it.
"Owwww.......,"she groaned as she stood up. She blinked as she stared into the person's eyes that was standing right there inches away from her. She recognized him as the guy that helped her reach the platform.
"Eh....sorry about that...didn't know you were standing right there," he mumbled. "You should've been watching where you were standing..."
She cocked her head and looked at him sideways. She had a smart remark ready on her tongue...but then decided to hold it back. "Its alright..." She looked him up and down. He was already wearing his robes for school...she noticed a green symbol on his chest with a snake on it. "That's cool...i like snakes," points to it. "What is it?"
He looked into the direction of her finger...then smirked. "You don't know? That's the Slytherin coat of arms...." He eyed her curiously. Then his expression changed as he stared at her body. He gazed at her full figure and beautiful tan skin. He blinked and looked at her face again. "You don't look like a first year....."
She laughed and extended her hand. "I'm Anju Brookshire...eh...I'm kinda new...I'm starting as a fifth year though."
The corner of his mouth lifted into a slight smile. He shook her hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy...I am also a fifth year."
She smiled. Then people started rushing into the compartment as the train began to move. She called out to him on her way out the door, "It was nice meeting you!"
She then walked slowly down towards the end of the train and saw a door that was slightly open. She peered in and saw three people sitting there chatting quietly. She opened the door and walked in with a pleasant smile on her face. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
The two boys and the girl looked up at the same time. The brown- haired girl smiled and shook her head. "Go ahead...you can sit here," She smiled kindly.
Anju then sat down beside a guy with messy black hair and glasses. The girl looked at Anju and asked, "What's your name?"
"I'm Anju Brookshire....I'm new. I moved here from America."
"I'm Hermione Granger." She pointed to the other guy with fiery red hair by the window. "That's Ron Weasley....and...." She then pointed to the guy Anju was beside. "And that's Harry Potter..."
Anju smiled. "Nice to meet you all."
Hermione stared at her...as if expecting her to say something. She glanced at Harry.
"So...what year are you starting in?" asked Harry.
"I'm a fifth year"
"So are we."
Anju looked at Harry curiously. "Wait a minute...you seem familiar...eh...I think I've heard your name before.."
He grinned awkwardly. "You probably have..."
She cocked her head. "Weren't you the winner of the Triwizard tournament?"
Hermione sighed.
Anju turned her head and looked at her. "What?..oh!" She looked at Harry again "You're that kid we read about in like...3rd grade.....You had done something....Ummm....I cant remember much though."
He shook his head and grinned at her. "You're the first person I've met that doesn't know my whole life..." He shrugged. "Don't worry about it though."
She leaned against the window and looked out at the passing scenery. She wondered what her parents were doing at this moment. They were probably unpacking various things and putting them in their spots. Her mother was probably decorating Anju's room. She could just see her now......
Her mom would be hunched over a box...digging hurriedly through its contents. She would brush her bright blonde hair from her dazzling green eyes. Oh how she loved those eyes. Anju had inherited her own from this amazing woman.
Her dad would be painting a picture of they're new backyard..he loved to paint scenery. Anju couldn't wait to come back home and see what the new house looked like after they were done.
She could feel the three staring at her ...they're eyes filled with curiosity. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tore her eyes away from the window. Ron looked away quickly and Hermione started fiddling with her hair. Anju looked at Harry.
"What is it?" She looked at him questioningly.
"Er...."
"What? Is there something on my face?"
He turned pink and looked at Hermione. She was glaring at Anju for a second...then she faked a smile.
"Its nothing dear.....," Hermione replied. Before returning to the book she had been reading she gave Harry a slightly angry look.
Anju wondered what was wrong with these people. Was is a Hogwarts thing? She shook her head and stood up. "Well....I'm gonna go walk around a little...maybe meet some people."
She heard Hermione mutter quietly from her book, "Have fun...."
Just as she was about to place her hand on the door it opened...revealing two, big, ugly fat guys perched precariously in the doorway. She sneered at them and stepped back. "Who are you guys?"
They stepped aside revealing that infamous blonde haired Slytherin. He looked at Anju...then at Harry, Hermione, and Ron. He sneered at them. "What are you doing here with these people Anju? You shouldn't be hanging around mudbloods and mudblood lovers."
Anju looked at him. "Eh......"
Hermione was still staring into her book..her cheeks red with anger. Harry stood up. "Get out of here Malfoy," he said hotly.
He sneered again. "Why would I wanna stay?" He turned to Anju again. "You do'nt want to know these people."
Anju just stood there confused...not knowing what to do.
Draco grabbed her hand and led her out of the compartment. Normally she would protest and slap the hell out of him for touching her...but then she remembered Hermione's evil looks and let Draco lead her into the hall.
Not letting go of her hand he lead her to a compartment with a few other people in it. He let go of her hand and sat down beside a snobby looking guy. Draco patted the empty seat beside him, inviting her to sit. She sat down awkwardly...not knowing what to say.
"Anju, if you're going to make friends..do it with the right people." He turned to the guy sitting next to him. "This is Marcus Flint, he is the captain of the Slytherin quidditch team."
Anju timidly shook his hand. "Hi...I'm Anju Brookshire."
"So this is the girl you were talkin' about, eh?" He nudged Draco in the ribs and grinned. "You were right..."
"Shut up Flint..." Draco said hotly.
"Well, nice to meet you Anju. If you make the Slytherin house..I'll save you a spot on the team to try out for...if you ever feel like playing."
Anju stood up and thanked him. "Now...I'm gonna go stretch my legs a little." She walked past the two ugly guys and walked into the aile. She passed a guy that looked like he might have been a 7th year. His eyes followed her closely as she walked by. Must have been a prefect.....
Then she turned around as she heard footsteps behind her. Draco walked up to her with a look on his face that told her he was holding something back. She already had an wierd opinion of the students at Hogwarts..so she didn't bother asking him what it was.
The train suddenly gave a learch as it stopped and Anju went flying into Draco. He grabbed her waist and held her steady till the train had come to a complete stop. He smiled awkwardly and let go of her. "Er....I think we're at the stop now..." Then he looked around remembering where he was and quickly replaced his smile with a smirk.
"Umm...thanks," she said quietly. The aisle suddenly became filled with people and she pushed her way to the back of the train. She spotted Harry and he waved for her to come over. She smiled and pushed her way over to him. He had her trunk beside him.
"You left this....," he said while handing it to her. He smiled at her.
She sighed with relief. "Thank you so much Harry. I didn't think I'd ever find it in this never-ending mass of people...."
He smiled again. "Glad to help." Then Ron came up to them dragging his trunk behind him. They climbed off the train when it finally cleared out several minutes later. Harry ran over to a really big guy with a beard and hugged him. Dang...she thought. She walked over to them curious to know who he was.
Harry looked at her. "Anju, this is Hagrid."
"Well nice to meet you Hagrid," she said. "Umm...where am I supposed to go? I'm new..."
"Go with Hagrid, Anju. He takes the first years around," Harry replied in answer to her question.
When Hagrid called for the first years she waved goodbye to Harry and lined up with them. They got into the boats and set off towards the school across the lake.
She pushed her hair out of her eyes again and stepped gingerly off the curb and walked across the street. Her trunk was following close behind her hovering in mid-air. She then remembered where she was and cursed to herself. She forgot about using magic around muggles. Where she was from she didn't have to worry about muggles seeing her magic. She turned around and grabbed onto her trunk....then glanced around to see if anyone noticed. She didn't see any particularly shocked people nearby so she continued along the sidewalk.
She turned left through the revolving glass doors and walked quickly into the enormous train station. She peered around and spotted platform 3. She walked briskly over to it and walked along the wall till she reached platform 9. She got ready to turn right into 9 and 3 quarters. Then she paused....a little confused as she reached platform 10. Maybe she had missed it. She spun around on her heel and walked back to platform 9 without seeing 9 and 3 quarters.
She gave an exasperated sigh and threw her trunk down angrily. It must have been hidden from the muggles somewhere...and she didn't know how to get there. She wondered angrily why the school didn't even bother telling her where it was. After kicking the wall she turned around and looked desperately for someone to help her. She then spotted a boy..about her age....that..in her eyes...stood out from the muggles. She could tell that he was a wizard.
The boy was walking quickly towards the wall between platform 9 and 10...his father close behind him. He had a look upon his pale face that told her he wanted to get away from the muggles as soon as possible. She followed him with her bright green eyes towards the wall. She squinted her eyes as he blended into the crowd....making it difficult to see him. So she watched the light shine from his bright blonde hair as a guide. She smiled triumphantly to herself as he and his father disappeared through the wall. Of course...why didn't she try that before?
She grabbed her trunk and headed towards the wall. She didn't even bother to see if any muggles were looking when she went through. If they saw her, that was their problem...not hers. She took a fresh breath of air as she walked onto the platform of 9 and 3 quarters. She eyed the train and looked at her magic powered watch. Almost time to leave. She started to drag her trunk behind her...then sighed and let it hover behind her. Then she walked towards the train.
She looked the other kids in the eyes and watched them curiously. She wasn't a very shy person and was ready to make friends. They seemed to stop their conversations with each other and stare at her as she walked by. She felt their eyes following her and wondered why. Maybe there was something on her face. She shrugged and hopped onto the train.
Her eyes darted around trying to find a compartment to sit in. She was starting to get smothered as everyone was crowding onto the train. The door she was leaning on suddenly opened and she fell in. Her trunk fell in first and hit the floor with her landing on top of it.
"Owwww.......,"she groaned as she stood up. She blinked as she stared into the person's eyes that was standing right there inches away from her. She recognized him as the guy that helped her reach the platform.
"Eh....sorry about that...didn't know you were standing right there," he mumbled. "You should've been watching where you were standing..."
She cocked her head and looked at him sideways. She had a smart remark ready on her tongue...but then decided to hold it back. "Its alright..." She looked him up and down. He was already wearing his robes for school...she noticed a green symbol on his chest with a snake on it. "That's cool...i like snakes," points to it. "What is it?"
He looked into the direction of her finger...then smirked. "You don't know? That's the Slytherin coat of arms...." He eyed her curiously. Then his expression changed as he stared at her body. He gazed at her full figure and beautiful tan skin. He blinked and looked at her face again. "You don't look like a first year....."
She laughed and extended her hand. "I'm Anju Brookshire...eh...I'm kinda new...I'm starting as a fifth year though."
The corner of his mouth lifted into a slight smile. He shook her hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy...I am also a fifth year."
She smiled. Then people started rushing into the compartment as the train began to move. She called out to him on her way out the door, "It was nice meeting you!"
She then walked slowly down towards the end of the train and saw a door that was slightly open. She peered in and saw three people sitting there chatting quietly. She opened the door and walked in with a pleasant smile on her face. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
The two boys and the girl looked up at the same time. The brown- haired girl smiled and shook her head. "Go ahead...you can sit here," She smiled kindly.
Anju then sat down beside a guy with messy black hair and glasses. The girl looked at Anju and asked, "What's your name?"
"I'm Anju Brookshire....I'm new. I moved here from America."
"I'm Hermione Granger." She pointed to the other guy with fiery red hair by the window. "That's Ron Weasley....and...." She then pointed to the guy Anju was beside. "And that's Harry Potter..."
Anju smiled. "Nice to meet you all."
Hermione stared at her...as if expecting her to say something. She glanced at Harry.
"So...what year are you starting in?" asked Harry.
"I'm a fifth year"
"So are we."
Anju looked at Harry curiously. "Wait a minute...you seem familiar...eh...I think I've heard your name before.."
He grinned awkwardly. "You probably have..."
She cocked her head. "Weren't you the winner of the Triwizard tournament?"
Hermione sighed.
Anju turned her head and looked at her. "What?..oh!" She looked at Harry again "You're that kid we read about in like...3rd grade.....You had done something....Ummm....I cant remember much though."
He shook his head and grinned at her. "You're the first person I've met that doesn't know my whole life..." He shrugged. "Don't worry about it though."
She leaned against the window and looked out at the passing scenery. She wondered what her parents were doing at this moment. They were probably unpacking various things and putting them in their spots. Her mother was probably decorating Anju's room. She could just see her now......
Her mom would be hunched over a box...digging hurriedly through its contents. She would brush her bright blonde hair from her dazzling green eyes. Oh how she loved those eyes. Anju had inherited her own from this amazing woman.
Her dad would be painting a picture of they're new backyard..he loved to paint scenery. Anju couldn't wait to come back home and see what the new house looked like after they were done.
She could feel the three staring at her ...they're eyes filled with curiosity. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and tore her eyes away from the window. Ron looked away quickly and Hermione started fiddling with her hair. Anju looked at Harry.
"What is it?" She looked at him questioningly.
"Er...."
"What? Is there something on my face?"
He turned pink and looked at Hermione. She was glaring at Anju for a second...then she faked a smile.
"Its nothing dear.....," Hermione replied. Before returning to the book she had been reading she gave Harry a slightly angry look.
Anju wondered what was wrong with these people. Was is a Hogwarts thing? She shook her head and stood up. "Well....I'm gonna go walk around a little...maybe meet some people."
She heard Hermione mutter quietly from her book, "Have fun...."
Just as she was about to place her hand on the door it opened...revealing two, big, ugly fat guys perched precariously in the doorway. She sneered at them and stepped back. "Who are you guys?"
They stepped aside revealing that infamous blonde haired Slytherin. He looked at Anju...then at Harry, Hermione, and Ron. He sneered at them. "What are you doing here with these people Anju? You shouldn't be hanging around mudbloods and mudblood lovers."
Anju looked at him. "Eh......"
Hermione was still staring into her book..her cheeks red with anger. Harry stood up. "Get out of here Malfoy," he said hotly.
He sneered again. "Why would I wanna stay?" He turned to Anju again. "You do'nt want to know these people."
Anju just stood there confused...not knowing what to do.
Draco grabbed her hand and led her out of the compartment. Normally she would protest and slap the hell out of him for touching her...but then she remembered Hermione's evil looks and let Draco lead her into the hall.
Not letting go of her hand he lead her to a compartment with a few other people in it. He let go of her hand and sat down beside a snobby looking guy. Draco patted the empty seat beside him, inviting her to sit. She sat down awkwardly...not knowing what to say.
"Anju, if you're going to make friends..do it with the right people." He turned to the guy sitting next to him. "This is Marcus Flint, he is the captain of the Slytherin quidditch team."
Anju timidly shook his hand. "Hi...I'm Anju Brookshire."
"So this is the girl you were talkin' about, eh?" He nudged Draco in the ribs and grinned. "You were right..."
"Shut up Flint..." Draco said hotly.
"Well, nice to meet you Anju. If you make the Slytherin house..I'll save you a spot on the team to try out for...if you ever feel like playing."
Anju stood up and thanked him. "Now...I'm gonna go stretch my legs a little." She walked past the two ugly guys and walked into the aile. She passed a guy that looked like he might have been a 7th year. His eyes followed her closely as she walked by. Must have been a prefect.....
Then she turned around as she heard footsteps behind her. Draco walked up to her with a look on his face that told her he was holding something back. She already had an wierd opinion of the students at Hogwarts..so she didn't bother asking him what it was.
The train suddenly gave a learch as it stopped and Anju went flying into Draco. He grabbed her waist and held her steady till the train had come to a complete stop. He smiled awkwardly and let go of her. "Er....I think we're at the stop now..." Then he looked around remembering where he was and quickly replaced his smile with a smirk.
"Umm...thanks," she said quietly. The aisle suddenly became filled with people and she pushed her way to the back of the train. She spotted Harry and he waved for her to come over. She smiled and pushed her way over to him. He had her trunk beside him.
"You left this....," he said while handing it to her. He smiled at her.
She sighed with relief. "Thank you so much Harry. I didn't think I'd ever find it in this never-ending mass of people...."
He smiled again. "Glad to help." Then Ron came up to them dragging his trunk behind him. They climbed off the train when it finally cleared out several minutes later. Harry ran over to a really big guy with a beard and hugged him. Dang...she thought. She walked over to them curious to know who he was.
Harry looked at her. "Anju, this is Hagrid."
"Well nice to meet you Hagrid," she said. "Umm...where am I supposed to go? I'm new..."
"Go with Hagrid, Anju. He takes the first years around," Harry replied in answer to her question.
When Hagrid called for the first years she waved goodbye to Harry and lined up with them. They got into the boats and set off towards the school across the lake.