There I sat, on a bench at 9:30 a.m. waiting for the Hogwarts Express
to arrive. I had been dropped off an hour and a half early; the reason
being my mother had to work at the ministry this morning. I had been
reading a book for almost forty-five minutes called Hogwarts, A History,
when I noticed a rather attractive African boy with dread locks standing in
front of me.
"Hi." He smiled at me. He was wearing black pants and a royal blue sweater.
"Er…hi." I was trying to play it safe, to make sure he was not some crazy stalker.
"My name is Lee Jordan, what's yours?" He asked.
"I'm Lauralie, but you can call me Laurel." I said gesturing out my hand and he shook it.
"These are my friends, Fred and George Weasley." I jumped at the sight of a pair of twins that had appeared next to Lee. They were identical right down to their black rib-neck sweaters and khaki slacks.
"Hello, nice to meet you." One of them sat down next to me and took my hand. The other boy pushed him off the bench and took my hand out of his grasp.
"Hi, I am George. He's Fred." He said, pointing at his twin on the floor.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lauralie but you can call me—"
"Laurel?" George said.
"Right…" I said raising one eyebrow in suspicion. "May I…help you with anything?"
"Not really, Lee over here just wanted to know who the beautiful brunette sitting here was." Fred said as he got up and swept the dirt off his khaki colored slacks and Fred nodded.
"Oh—my dear Fredrick you've got it all wrong! I remember it being you who had asked me who she was.
"Well boys, when your done trying to figure out who it was, I'll be on the train. Goodbye." I said as I got up from where I was sitting and gathered my things. I walked about 3 feet when the twins appeared on either side of me.
"Boy, your good at this, aren't you?" I asked in annoyance and turned the other way.
"Why thank you." Fred said while George replied, "What a compliment!"
I stopped abruptly after a few minutes of nerving questions from the twins like, "Where are you from? And, Why don't you like us?"
"Where is your friend Lee?" I asked one of them, (Fred, I think.)
"Probably ran off to cry and wallow in pain." He replied and then said, "Kidding, I'm only kidding."
"Come, we invite you to sit with us in our compartment on the train, that is, if you want to." George said. What were they doing, and why?
"Fine" I gave up. I was led into a spacious compartment with large windows.
"So, is this your first year here? I've never seen you before." Fred asked me with a smile.
"Um, yes as a matter of fact, it is." I said.
"What brings you here so late in Hogwarts years?" Lee asked.
"Well..." I began:
X-flashback-x
I was in my room sitting on my bed, reading a spell book I received for my birthday a couple of years ago.
"Lauralie, may I come in?" I heard my mother say from outside of my room.
"Sure." I said, looking up from my book.
"Honey, I need to tell you something, and please, please don't be angry with me." My mother sat on my bed.
"What is it?" I asked, getting a little bit nervous.
"I got a new job, I am going to work for the Ministry of Magic…" my mother said with an unsure smile.
"Okay…why would I be mad at you for that?" I asked.
"Well, we are moving dear, and you have to…switch schools." She said tightening her simple smile into a look of fear.
"What?" I said jumping up, "I can't switch schools! I…I have just gotten used to it! What do you mean, switch schools?"
"I am really sorry darling, but your father and I made a decision and we both got new jobs." My mother said with a look of concern on her face.
"But…but why?" I whimpered. "I can't leave…not now…no."
"Darling, I know its going to be hard, " she put her arm around me "but you're going to have to switch schools."
"Eh—where are we moving to?" I said quietly.
"England." My mother hugged me. "Oh darling it's going to be wonderful! With all of the money were going to make, your father and I have already put down a bid on a three story manor!"
"But I like it here. We can't move, we can't!" I acted as an impatient child wanting a candy from the market, but that's not me, I do not want a candy, I want my life back!
"Don't worry darling! There is one thing that will be good about this change." My mother let go of me and stood up, beaming down at my teary face.
"What is—is it?" I asked.
"You'll be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" My mother beamed if possible, even wider.
"Wait, I've heard that name somewhere…oh yes! It is in a book of mine!" I asked, now my face turning into a weak smile and holding the book, I was reading before. I had always wanted to go to Hogwarts since I held my first wand.
"Yes dear. You're going to Hogwarts!" She said.
"Don't I have to get sorted though?" I asked as I fumbled with my book.
"Yes, with the first year students…but—" she said.
"But what?" I asked.
"There will be another boy your age doing the same." My mother said with a smile.
"Who? How do you know?" I asked as I stood up and put my book on my desk.
"His father and mother are working for the ministry also, he lives in Ireland though." She said raising her eyebrows.
"Oh great, Ireland." I said as I plopped down on my bed, resting my palm over my eyes.
"Don't worry, you will have great fun! Hogwarts is the best school around!" My mother said, stepping towards my door.
"I know, I know." I mumbled.
"Do start packing, we better be ready when the house comes through." My mother said excitedly and walked out of my room.
x-flashback to reality-x
"Oh." Fred said and looked deeply into my bright blue eyes.
"What, what is it?" I asked, deepening my brow.
"You just have—"
"Really beautiful eyes." Lee cut in. He was standing at the compartment door.
"Thank you." I smiled at Lee.
"Lee! Where've you been mate?" George asked.
"I was talking to your beloved Alicia," he said to George, "And your honey bun Angelina." He looked at Fred.
Both twins turned scarlet and looked furiously at Lee, who had an ear-to- ear grin on.
"And" Lee continued, "They are coming over right now to see you."
"Oh, how nice." Fred said through gritted teeth. "Lee, may we have a word with you outside?"
"Actually I thought that I could take Laurel around at introduce her to everyone.
"Oh, you don't have to—"I said as Lee took my hand and I stood up.
"Of course I do." Lee smiled at Fred and George who looked as though they could rip his head off.
"Hi." He smiled at me. He was wearing black pants and a royal blue sweater.
"Er…hi." I was trying to play it safe, to make sure he was not some crazy stalker.
"My name is Lee Jordan, what's yours?" He asked.
"I'm Lauralie, but you can call me Laurel." I said gesturing out my hand and he shook it.
"These are my friends, Fred and George Weasley." I jumped at the sight of a pair of twins that had appeared next to Lee. They were identical right down to their black rib-neck sweaters and khaki slacks.
"Hello, nice to meet you." One of them sat down next to me and took my hand. The other boy pushed him off the bench and took my hand out of his grasp.
"Hi, I am George. He's Fred." He said, pointing at his twin on the floor.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Lauralie but you can call me—"
"Laurel?" George said.
"Right…" I said raising one eyebrow in suspicion. "May I…help you with anything?"
"Not really, Lee over here just wanted to know who the beautiful brunette sitting here was." Fred said as he got up and swept the dirt off his khaki colored slacks and Fred nodded.
"Oh—my dear Fredrick you've got it all wrong! I remember it being you who had asked me who she was.
"Well boys, when your done trying to figure out who it was, I'll be on the train. Goodbye." I said as I got up from where I was sitting and gathered my things. I walked about 3 feet when the twins appeared on either side of me.
"Boy, your good at this, aren't you?" I asked in annoyance and turned the other way.
"Why thank you." Fred said while George replied, "What a compliment!"
I stopped abruptly after a few minutes of nerving questions from the twins like, "Where are you from? And, Why don't you like us?"
"Where is your friend Lee?" I asked one of them, (Fred, I think.)
"Probably ran off to cry and wallow in pain." He replied and then said, "Kidding, I'm only kidding."
"Come, we invite you to sit with us in our compartment on the train, that is, if you want to." George said. What were they doing, and why?
"Fine" I gave up. I was led into a spacious compartment with large windows.
"So, is this your first year here? I've never seen you before." Fred asked me with a smile.
"Um, yes as a matter of fact, it is." I said.
"What brings you here so late in Hogwarts years?" Lee asked.
"Well..." I began:
X-flashback-x
I was in my room sitting on my bed, reading a spell book I received for my birthday a couple of years ago.
"Lauralie, may I come in?" I heard my mother say from outside of my room.
"Sure." I said, looking up from my book.
"Honey, I need to tell you something, and please, please don't be angry with me." My mother sat on my bed.
"What is it?" I asked, getting a little bit nervous.
"I got a new job, I am going to work for the Ministry of Magic…" my mother said with an unsure smile.
"Okay…why would I be mad at you for that?" I asked.
"Well, we are moving dear, and you have to…switch schools." She said tightening her simple smile into a look of fear.
"What?" I said jumping up, "I can't switch schools! I…I have just gotten used to it! What do you mean, switch schools?"
"I am really sorry darling, but your father and I made a decision and we both got new jobs." My mother said with a look of concern on her face.
"But…but why?" I whimpered. "I can't leave…not now…no."
"Darling, I know its going to be hard, " she put her arm around me "but you're going to have to switch schools."
"Eh—where are we moving to?" I said quietly.
"England." My mother hugged me. "Oh darling it's going to be wonderful! With all of the money were going to make, your father and I have already put down a bid on a three story manor!"
"But I like it here. We can't move, we can't!" I acted as an impatient child wanting a candy from the market, but that's not me, I do not want a candy, I want my life back!
"Don't worry darling! There is one thing that will be good about this change." My mother let go of me and stood up, beaming down at my teary face.
"What is—is it?" I asked.
"You'll be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" My mother beamed if possible, even wider.
"Wait, I've heard that name somewhere…oh yes! It is in a book of mine!" I asked, now my face turning into a weak smile and holding the book, I was reading before. I had always wanted to go to Hogwarts since I held my first wand.
"Yes dear. You're going to Hogwarts!" She said.
"Don't I have to get sorted though?" I asked as I fumbled with my book.
"Yes, with the first year students…but—" she said.
"But what?" I asked.
"There will be another boy your age doing the same." My mother said with a smile.
"Who? How do you know?" I asked as I stood up and put my book on my desk.
"His father and mother are working for the ministry also, he lives in Ireland though." She said raising her eyebrows.
"Oh great, Ireland." I said as I plopped down on my bed, resting my palm over my eyes.
"Don't worry, you will have great fun! Hogwarts is the best school around!" My mother said, stepping towards my door.
"I know, I know." I mumbled.
"Do start packing, we better be ready when the house comes through." My mother said excitedly and walked out of my room.
x-flashback to reality-x
"Oh." Fred said and looked deeply into my bright blue eyes.
"What, what is it?" I asked, deepening my brow.
"You just have—"
"Really beautiful eyes." Lee cut in. He was standing at the compartment door.
"Thank you." I smiled at Lee.
"Lee! Where've you been mate?" George asked.
"I was talking to your beloved Alicia," he said to George, "And your honey bun Angelina." He looked at Fred.
Both twins turned scarlet and looked furiously at Lee, who had an ear-to- ear grin on.
"And" Lee continued, "They are coming over right now to see you."
"Oh, how nice." Fred said through gritted teeth. "Lee, may we have a word with you outside?"
"Actually I thought that I could take Laurel around at introduce her to everyone.
"Oh, you don't have to—"I said as Lee took my hand and I stood up.
"Of course I do." Lee smiled at Fred and George who looked as though they could rip his head off.