9- Finding friends at Hogwarts
7 (word) frostbite
9 (quote) A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. John Barrymore
12 word) pristine
Marlene Mckinnon
A.N- This was really tricky to write so sorry if it's not my best!
For the Quidditch League Fanfiction competition and I am Beater 1 for PRIDE OF PORTREE! Hope you enjoy :D
The girl with the fiery red hair
Marlene Mckinnon P.O.V
The bitter cold was seeping to Kings cross station. I pulled on my robes, embarrassed at the way I was being stared at. None of the other wizards or witches where wearing their robes, they would change on the train. I had wanted to but of course my family had wanted to take photos beforehand. Pulling once more on my scarf to try and cover the currently ostentatious robe, my mother told me to stop as she wanted me to look pristine for my first day at Hogwarts. The train rumbled into the station and whilst many looked nervous, elated but nervous, my excitement bubbled over. Unlike some muggle- borns I knew everything about Hogwarts. The books had been fascinating. None the less I was determined to help those who hadn't planned ahead like me.
Boarding the train and sitting down, I stared out of the window. Though I was not at all worried about the progression of my studies, I was worried about the social aspect. I had had a few friends growing up but they had not been wizards or witches. As my magic began making itself known, I had to stop hanging out with them as much and had buried my head in books. Though I hadn't been depressed, it had been a while since I had to make new friends and I was terrified.
The idea of travelling to Hogwarts alone hadn't occurred to me before. My sister, Mary, was two years older than me but because of the unseasonably cold weather, she had sustained rather bad frostbite. After this my mum had quickly healed her but had become paranoid over the idea of me getting frostbite and I was now protected by numerous spells and layers of clothing. She would be attending Hogwarts within the next week but I would be left to face my first few days alone. The train began to pull out of the station and I waved to my beaming parents. Pushing back into the seat, I opened A Hogwart's History to re-read about the main hall.
A few minutes passed before the door of my compartment slid open. A slight girl with fiery red hair awkwardly cleared her throat. "H-H-Hello. I'm Lily. Erm… do we have to be changed already? A boy said that we had to do it in front of the school, James I think his name was, but but…." Smiling I answered "There's a toilet" to which she thanked me and scampered off.
5 minutes later the girl returned. This time she seemed much more confident and she slid into the empty seat opposite me. Sticking her hand out she announced "I'm Lily Evans. Pleasure to make your acquaintance". She settled back into her seat and it seemed as if the excitement and curiosity inside of her exploded. Hundreds of questions poured out her mouth and she sat riveted to my every answer.
Having known Lily for merely an hour it seemed as if I'd known her a lifetime. She made me laugh and didn't mind my equal curiosity about her upbringing. The question I was dying to ask slipped out of my mouth. "So how does your family feel about you being a witch?" At this her eyes glimmered. "My parents", she replied, "are very supportive and proud! They'd noticed little things as I grew up but had always convinced themselves that it was the trick of the light when an object seemed to change colour or move slightly. They are very open minded so didn't even question it when the Hogwards letter dropped through my door! They even wrote to the rest of my relatives! My grandparents misunderstood thinking that I was somehow magically gifted not actually possessing magic but the rest of my family didn't really believe us, until I showed them my new wand and book!" At this my smile faded and Lily noticed quickly reassuring me "They are sworn to secrecy, besides, I only have a small family." Nodding I asked "And your sister?" This time it was Lily's face that fell. Nervously she scratched the back of her head and mumbled, "Petunias just jealous. At first I think she assumed that she'd also receive a letter but when it didn't come well… some words were said". A silence followed only to be broken by the cry of "Anything from the trolley!" Grinning, I watched Lily experience her first taste of wizard sweets.
From that moment on I knew we were to be the best of friends.
HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPPHPHPHHPPHHPHPHPHPHPHPHPH
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance? Why?" I cried as Lily and I doubled over with laughter. The sun was out and we were sat by the lake, watching the squid swim by and laughing about our first encounter. Ever since that first day we had been together ever since. Our group of friends around has expanded but recently Lily and I had not had time for just the two of us. It was nice to reminisce with just her. Meeting new friends at Hogwarts had been a lot less nerve wracking with Lily at my side. We had been sorted into the same house, Gryffindor, and now shared a dorm. Our favourite place to hang out used to be in the library where we bumped into the headmaster. Staring at him in awe he questioned us about our future aspirations. Shrugging I had told him that I only had silly dreams to which he replied ruefully "A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams" to which the others had snorted at. Lily and I however had given each other a look that signified we understood the message. It was looks like that the solidify our friendship and now, staring at her face (not in a creepy way…), I knew that there would be many adventures for us in the future, and that I couldn't wait for them to begin.