The characters of the Harry Potter universe belong to Ms. Rowlings, and I'm borrowing them for my own imagination.
Journey to Hogwarts
"Are you ready to go to Hogwarts, Vic?" Fifteen-year-old Molly Weasley asked her eleven-year-old cousin as she approached her cousin with her parents and younger sister in tow. Molly's prefect badge gleamed on her new school robes.
Victoire nodded shyly occasionally glancing nervously at the train that would take her away from her parents and sibling.
"She scared. I heard her tell Mum this morning that she didn't want to go." Nine-year-old Dominique said smiling wickedly at her sister.
"Be nice." Bill instructed his youngest daughter while holding tight to Louis's hand. He would be five in a couple months and would easily wander off looking for any kind of adventure if he had the chance. The boy seemed to have no fear which scared his parents daily.
Dominique and Victoire were as different as night and day. Victoire was a beautiful girl with long straight white blond hair and deep blue eyes. Victoire was shy, polite and was content to sit curled on the couch and read. Dominique hand longs straight flaming red hair that fit her personality. She was strong-willed and fiery. She along with their cousins Freddie and Jamie loved being in the center of everything. It sometimes concerned Molly as her own nine-year-old sister was Dominique's best friends and would follow Dominique's lead anywhere.
"Don't worry, Vic. Both Teddy and I were nervous our first time as well. You will love it and you will have me and Teddy there if you need anything." Molly reassured.
Victoire smiled gratefully at her then looked around to see if she could spot Teddy in the crowd.
"Don't worry. They are usually late. Ginny is more like Mum than she will ever admit to." Percy remarked. "I'm not going to be the one to clue her in either."
Bill laughed as they heard Ginny's voice through the crowd. "Come along or he'll miss the train."
She led the way holding tight to Jamie's hand. Andromeda followed holding Albus's hand as he was the easiest of their children to handle. Teddy followed with Harry who was carrying Lily on his hip. At five she was a little old to be carted around that way, but after she slipped out of his grip the prior year and was nearly ran over by a luggage cart, he wasn't taking any chances.
"Do you have the girls' trunks loaded?" Ginny asked her brothers.
"Of course." Bill said.
"We need to load mine so I can find my friends. Cabot and Julian are supposed to claim our usual car." Teddy said.
"Okay. Give everyone a hug." Harry ordered as he passed Lily to Ginny. Teddy did as told.
"See you later, Vic. You're gonna love school." Teddy said to her with a pat on her shoulder and a quick wave before leading Harry towards the train.
"He's just excited to see his friends. Don't take it personal." Andromeda said giving Victoire a hug. She knew that Victoire thought the sun rose and set with Teddy. The two had been extremely close until Teddy had headed to Hogwarts two-years earlier, and she was glad that he had still made some time for Victoire during his vacations. "Be sure to write. I will send you a care package in a couple of weeks."
"Thanks." Victoire said hugging her tight. She and Molly hugged their aunts, uncles and cousins including Harry who had returned without Teddy. All had promised to write her. She then hugged her siblings, her sister sobering a little realizing that Victoire was really leaving on the big train with Teddy and Molly while Molly said goodbye to her own family.
"Be good an' 'ave fun. We love you very much." Her mother said after hugging her tightly and kissing her temple. Then she fussed slightly with Victoire's new robes.
"You'll be fine. Remember to write us and tell us what house you are in. Remember we love you no matter what and that Uncle George is just full of dung bombs." Bill told her hugging her tightly with his free arm. They had to deal with a big melt down the previous day after George jokingly threatened to disown her if she weren't in Gryffindor. Victoire smiled bravely up at him as he stepped back and put an arm around his wife's shoulders.
"Come on, I'll help you find a seat before I go to my meeting. I'll check on you during my rounds, okay." Molly said as she lifted her cage containing her owl, Royal. Victoire lifted her cage containing her owl, Melicent.
An hour later, Victoire was curled up on the bench seat in her lonely compartment. She had a the copy of 'Through the Looking Glass' her Aunt Hermione had given her opened in her lap. She could hear laughter as kids passed her, but so far no one had stopped to talk to her or join her.
She hoped she had hid it, but she had been very upset at the way Teddy had left her on the platform. She had been hoping he would ask her to join him and his friends. He knew that she wouldn't know anyone, and that Molly would have her Prefect duties. She didn't understand what she had done to be treated like this.
"Hello dear, do you want anything from the Trolley?" The attendant asked as she slid open the car's door.
"A pumpkin juice, caldron cake and a licorice wand, please." Victoire requested pulling out some of the money her father had given her and handing it to the lady. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." The lady said smiling after handing the items to Victoire. She closed the door again and Victoire curled up again on the seat with her book.
"Hey, Vic. Do you want some company?" Molly asked a few minutes later as she entered the compartment followed by four others. Three of them Victoire recognized as Molly's friends Katia, Joshua, and Cedric. The last one was a girl who appeared to be the same age as Victoire herself.
"This is Mavis or Mab for short. She is a Muggle-born like me that your Aunt Hermione has been mentoring. That is how we met." Katia introduced.
"Hi." Mab greeted with a shy wave.
"She's as shy as you are." Molly said as she slipped into a seat beside Victoire. Joshua joined them while the other three sat on the bench across from them.
"Did you see Teddy anywhere?" Victoire asked.
"Yeah, he's playing exploding snaps with his friends." Molly said. When Molly had asked him if he had checked on Victoire and found he hadn't; she had lain into him for it. She didn't care if he felt slight embarrassed to have an eleven-year-old girl for a friend; he should be a better friend than he had been so far into this school year.
"Who's Teddy? Is he another Weasley? Hermione said there were a lot of you." Mab asked.
"No, Teddy's last name is Lupin. He's our Uncle Harry's godson and a friend of ours. Teddy is a third year in Gryffindor. His parents like my biological mum died in the war, so he was raised kind of like a cousin to us." Molly explained.
"Oh." She nodded in acknowledgement. Then after thinking for a moment she looked at Victoire and asked, "Hermione said that she had a niece that would be first year like me. Have you ever been to Hogwarts before?"
"Yes, our family comes every May to the memorial ceremony." Victoire responded.
"Is that for the war Hermione told me about?" Mab asked.
"Yes. Victoire was born on the second anniversary of the finally battle at Hogwarts." Molly said.
"You have to go to a memorial ceremony every year on your birthday? That must be a little depressing." Mab said.
"I don't always like it, but its okay. My name means victory because they all fought for people like me. Mum and Dad always throw an amazing party and Grandmum Weasley makes the best cakes. I won't get one this year will I?"
"Grandmum will arrange for you to get a cake. She sends them for Teddy's, but you will get your presents in the morning. The elves will deliver them." Molly told them. "We'll try to do something special between the memorial and the ball." She promised.
Victoire nodded her head in thanks.
"Do you have any siblings, Mab?" Victoire asked.
"No." She responded.
"Neither do Katia or I." Cedric said.
"I have two brothers, Will and Russ." Joshua said. "I was adopted when I was three, and they were in their second and fourth years at Hogwarts. Will is married and is manager of our family's restaurant. I will be an uncle this year. Russ works with Dragons under Molly and Victoire's Uncle Charlie."
"How much did Aunt Hermione tell you about us?" Molly asked.
"Just that there are a lot of you." Mab answered.
"My dad is a Ministry department head and my step-mum is a Healer. I have a nine-year-old sister, Lucy." Molly said.
"And her grandfather is the Minister of Magic." Cedric said sarcastically.
"Our version of the Prime Minister." Katia explained.
"Oh, wow!" Mab said wide-eyed.
"Being Minister of Magic doesn't make him special. He's special because he took my father and me in and loved us when it felt like we didn't have anyone else. He has a big heart." Molly said.
"What about you Victoire?" Mab asked.
"My dad works at Gringotts as a Curse Breaker and my mum, who is French, runs the Ministry's daycare. I have a nine-year-old sister, Dominique and a four-year-old brother, Louis." Victoire responded.
"What were you reading when we came in? Hogwarts: a History?" Cedric joked having heard all about their aunt's love for the book.
Victoire shook her head with a small smile and showed them the book.
"Oh, I love that book." Mab said. "What else have you read?"
For the remainder of the ride, the girls got into a discussion about Muggle literature, while the guys settled back and played exploding snaps. Once they reached Hogwarts, Victoire was still a little hurt by Teddy's treatment of her, but she was grateful as she rode in the boats across the lake towards Hogwarts that she already had a new friend beside her.
The End