XoXo
Charlotte Hollister was moving through the crowd on Platform Nine and King's Cross Station in Lodon, England. She was looking fervently for the redpheaded Weasley family that she seemed to have misplaced. "Charli! Hurry up!" came a redpheaded boy with copious amounts of freckles and a long nose. Charlotte nodded and ran up to them, her luggage cart in front of her.
"Sorry. I'm sorry . . ." Charlotte started.
"It's all right dearie. Percy was just going through." Mrs. Weasley gestured Oercy through the wall. He walked straight through and completely glanced around the busy train station. She saw a small black-haired boy with striking green eyes.
"Who's that?" whispered Charlotte into Ron's ear. He looked around non-too inconspicuous.
"Where?" he asked louldy. Charlotte pointed her head where the boy had been standing. "There's no one---Oh! Is that him?" Ron asked, staring unabashedly at the black-haired boy.
"Yes!" Charlotte looked back at Mrs. Weasley who was now talking to the small boy, Fred and George had disappeared through the barrier. It was Ron and then Charlotte and then the black-haired boy.
"Hello, dear. Frist time at Hogwarts? Ron and Charlotte are new, too." Mrs. Weasley gestured at Ron and Charlotte. They gave each other a look. The boy piped up again.
"Yes. The thing is--the thing is, I don't know how to--" he stammered. Charlotte raised her eyebrows as she noticed the lightning bolt scar that was emblazoned onto the middle of his forehead. She nudged Ron and pointed at the boys forehead. Ron's eyes widened.
"Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best to do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on before Ron and Charlotte." THe boy nodded as Mrs. Weasley pushed him towards the barrier. Charlotte walked up behind him and as soon as he was gone, ran full throttle at the barrier.
Once she made it through, she looked around for Percy, Fred and George. She saw them with the boy, who was struggling with his trunk. They finally got the trunk onto the scarlet train. They gestured her over to put her own luggage in. She gave it to them, but kept her guitar slung over her shoulder. Ron appeared behind her and they started to the train, only to be stopped by Mrs. Weasley. "Ron. You have something on your nose." She grabbed a cloth out of her pocket and started rubbing furiously at his nose.
"Mum!" he cried. The twins and Charlotte could barely contain their laughter.
"Has Ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" George asked, barely able to curtain his laughter. Charlotte giggled loud enough for Ron to shoot her a look.
"Shut up!" he said, his ears turning a fierce red. Mrs. Weasley was twisting her head from the left to the right, obvioulsy looking for someone.
"Where's Percy?" she asked. She hardly even needed to ask because Percy same striding into view with his Hogwarts robes on and Prefect badge perfectly visible.
"Can't stay long, Mother. I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves--" he was interrupted by Fred.
"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy? You should have said something, we had no idea." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, but otherwise he sounded completely serious. Which was a first for him. "Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it. Once--"
"Or twice--"
"A minute--"
"All summer--"
"Oh, shut up!" Percy said, obviously exasperated. He rolled his eyes and walked away from his family. Mrs. Weasley sighed as she saw her oldest son walk away. She turned back to Fred and George, anger evident in her eyes.
"He didn't even say goodbye! Will you two ever grow up and be serious? And you two." Charlotte and Ron's laughter subsided as Mrs. Weasley's anger was turned to them. "You two be good at school. Charlotte, your mother told me to tell you to write as soon as you get to school." Charlotte nodded as Mrs. Weasley sent the both of them off with kisses. She could hear the twins telling Mrs. Weasley who the black-haired boy was. Charlotte gave Ron a wry smile as they boarded th etrain just as the whistle sounded.
"I think you;re family is a bit touched in the head." Charlotte laughed while Ron made a face. Ron looked up and down the compartmentsfor a place to sit. "Look. We can sit with Harry Potter," she sneered as she opened the door and looked down at the boy.
"Would you mind if we sat here?" Ron asked from behind her. The boy shook his head and went right back to staring out th ewindw. Charlotte looked at Ron and shrugged. They sat down and stared at the boy. The compartment door slid open again and Gred and George walked through.
"Hey, Ron," they said trying not to stare at the boy, "hey, Charli."
"Hello. Why'd you come back?" Charlotte asked with a touch of annoyance darkening her voice.
"Touchy are we this fine morning?" Fred said, smiling goofily at her. "Anyway. Harry, have we introduced ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. This is Ron, our brother and Charlotte Hollister, who is like our sister in oh so many ways. See you later, then." The twins briskly walked out of the compartment. Charlotte rolled her eyes and settled into her seat.
"Are you actually Harry Potter?" she blurted out. The boy nodded.
"Why?" Harry asked politely.
"Oh--Well, we thought that Fred and George were just kidding around. Do you really have -- you know . . ." Ron asked shyly, pointing at Harry's forehead.
Harry pulled back his long hair to show them the scar. "So that's where You-Know-Who--?" Charlotte asked unabashedly.
"Yeah, but don't bother asking how it happened. I can't remember anything except for a lot of green light." Harry sighed.
"Wow," Charlotte and Ron sighed. Charlotte pulled a book out of her bag while Ron cintinued to stare at Harry. He only stopped when Charlotte nudged him in the ribs.
"Are both your family's wizards?" Harry asked with complete interest.
"I'm pretty sure. Mum might have a second cousin who's an accountant, but we've never seen him," Ron started.
"Yes. Though of course it's only my Mum and I, so I haven't had a chance to ask my Dad. But she says we're pureblood so . . ." Charlotte stated, talking incredibly fast.
"What was it like to live with Muggles?" Ron asked immediately.
"Ron!" Charlotte gasped. Harry smiled and looked as though he was trying not to laugh.
"It's all right. They were horrible. At least my aunt and uncle and cousin are. I wish I had any wizards in my family." Harry sighed uncontentedly. Ron nodded adn pulled out his fat grey rat.
"Ron. No one wants to see Scabbers." Charlotte tried to grab him from Ron's hand. "All he does is eat and sleep!"
"Maybe he does. This is Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl for being made prefect, but they couldn't aff--I got Scabbers instead." Ron's ears turned pink as soon as he uttered those words. Then Harry went into a lengthy story about how he never really got anything with his Muggle relatives. Charlotte stuck her nose into her book in order not to pay attention to the conversation without seeming rude.
All of a sudden Ron utter a loud gasp. "Ron, what's your deal?" Charlotte asked with an exasperated sigh.
"He! You--You said You-Know-Who's name!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I would've thought you, of all people-"
Harry interrupted with, "I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name,. I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn . . . . I bet, I bet I'm the worst in the class." Charlotte sighed.
"You definitely won't be! There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and every single one of them get the hang of it quickly," This seemed to cheer him up.
"Thanks, Charlotte," he smiled. Charlotte silently congratulated herself for being able to cheer him up. She picked her book back up and delved into it once more. After a time she could hear a woman's voice calling down the rows. Suddenly, a dimpled, kind-looking woman came to their compartment.
"Anything off the trolley?" she smiled at them.
Harry umped up at once while Charlotte and Ron stayed behind. Ron was uttering something inaudible and Charlotte wasn't hungry. She stood up and stretched but then sat back down.
"How does it happen that we get the compartment with Harry Potter?" she asked with excitement layered in her voice.
"I don't know. Neither of us have ever really been that lucky have we?" Ron asked, pulling out a bag of smashed sandwiches.
"What is that?" she asked, never having seen Lunch Surprise from Mrs. Weasley. Usually it was something like roast chicken or roast beef. Not sandwiches.
Harry came back with his arms full of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes adn Licorice Wands. "Hungry are you?" Ron and Charlotte asked at the same times.
"Starving," Harry said with a large grin on his face. Ron lifted his package up and looked inside. Charlotte let out a shriek of laughter at the face he was amking. "She always forgets I don't like corned beef." ROn tried to take a bite, but decided he would rather starve.
"Swap you for one of these. Go on--" Harry was holding out a pasty for Ron to take but Ron shook his head in refusal.
"One thing you have to remember about the Weasleys. They never take any charity. Not even food. They're too proud," Charlotte said with a smug smile. This kid is never foing to learn the ropes of these people, she thought. She was satisfied that Ron was her friend and would never even try to become friends with Harry.
"Go on, have a pasty." Harry pushed it at Ron. Ron gave a samll smile and took it from him. Ron and Harry continued to eat their way through the candy and sweets that were laying in a pile. The sandwiches were lying the side, long forgotten. "What are these? They're not really frogs, are they?" Harry asked dumbly.
"Of course not. They have a spell put on them. People only eat them for the cards inside," Charlotte explained.
"See what is, I need Agrippa!" Ron said excitedly.
"Exhibit A!" Charlotte muttered as she rolled her eyes.
"What?" Harry asked with a confused expression on his face. Charlotte put her book down.
"Of course you wouldn't know. Chocolate frogs have cards inside to collect. Famous witches and wizards. He's got about five hundred, except for Agrappa and Ptolemy," Charlotte explained quickly.
"How do you know all that?" Harry asked quietly. Charlotte raised her eyebrows and looked at Ron to explain.
"Charli and I have basically been raised together. Her Mum's in the Ministry and since she isn't home all the time, Charli comes over to our house and just plays around. We're basically brother and sister," Ron said quickly. Charlotte nodded and flicked her long black hair behind her shoulder. Her ice blue eyes pierced into Harry's own green ones. Harry nodded and unwrapped a frog. He looked at the card in complete interest.
"I got Dumbledore!" Harry said with surprise. Charlotte's mouth fell open and Ron gasped.
"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore! Could I have a frog? I might get Agrippa--thanks--" Ron said, veering completely off subject! Harry turned the card over and began to read it.
"Boys!" Charlotte muttered.
"He's gone!" Harry gasped, looking at the front fo the card again.
"Well you can't expect him to hang around all day. He'll be back," Charlotte said in a bored tone.
"No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her . . . do you want it? You can start collecting." Ron said, giving Harry the card and letting his eyes fall onto the pile of unopened frogs just waiting for him.
"Help yourself. But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos," Harry said casually.
"Do they?" Charlotte gasped.
"What, they don't move at all?" Ron asked.
"Weird!" they both said, looking at each other with surprised looks. Harry and Ron continued to eat as if there was no tomorrow.
"You can have some too," Harry offered.
"Oh, I don't want any," Charlotte said with a wry smile. Harry shrugged and opened a bag of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. "You want to be careful with those," she warned.
"Yeah, when they say every flavor they mean every flavor!" Ron said.
"You have normal ones like chocolate-"
"And peppermint-"
"And marmalade-"
"But then there's spinach-"
"And liver-"
"And tripe. George even said he got a booger-flavored one!" Ron picked one up and bit the end off of it. "See? Sprouts?" He mournfully put it down and threw one at Charlotte. She caught it in her mouth and chewed happily.
"Yum! Strawberry!" She smiled at Ron while he sulked. A knock came at the door and they all turned to see who it was. It was a round-faced boy who looked perilously close to tears.
"Sorry, but have you seen a toad at all?" They all shook their heads. The boy then wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"
"He'll turn up," Charlotte comforted.
"Yes. Well, if you see him . . ." the boy said as he left.
"Don't know why he's so bothered. If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk," Ron said glumly.
"He could've died and you wouldn't know the difference!" charlotte said, poking him.
"I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look . . . \" Ron broke off only to rummage through his bag for his wand.
"Fred and George taught it to him, so i wouldn't be surprised if it's not even a real spell," Charlotte sighed and picked up her book again.
"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway-" he raised his wand to do the spell when the round-faced boy came back with a bushy haired girl. She was wearing her new Hogwarts robes and had large front teeth that made her look quite like a beaver.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said in a bossy voice that one would never get used to.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it!" Charlotte said angrily, but the girl wasn't paying any attention to her. She was staring at the wand in Ron's hand.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it then." She sat down next to Charlotte and looked at him expectantly.
"Er-all right. Sunshine, daises, butter mellow. Turn this stupid fat rat yellow." Ron looked down at Scabbers excitedly, but was downcast when he saw that he was just as grey and fat as ever.
"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard-I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough-I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" She said this entire sentence in a matter fo thirty seconds. Harry, Ron and Charlotte all looked at each other. Harry looked happy to see that the two of them hadn't memorized their course books.
"Charlotte Hollister, Charlotte said, looking Hermoine over.
"Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.
"Harry Potter," Harry said clearly.
"Are you really? I know all about you, of course-I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise adn Fall of The Dark Arths and Great Wizarding Events of hte Twentieth Century." Hermione said excitedly.
"Am I?" Harry asked in a dazed sort of voice.
"Goodness, didn't you know? I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," Hermione said in the same breathless sort of way. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad . . . . Anyway, we'd better go to look for Neville's toad. You three had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." She and the round-faced boy briskly left the compartment. THe three of them looked at each other with wide eyes and open mouths.
"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not!" Charlotte said gruffly as she dug her robes out of her trunk.
"Stupid spell-George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud." Ron glumly threw his wand back into the trunk.
"What house are your brothers in?" Harry asked, obviously not able to decide whether to look at Charlotte or at Ron.
"Gryffindor," Ron said gloomily. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin!" Ron looked slightly depressed after the conversation.
"Is that the house Volde-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?" Harry asked Charlotte. She nodded. "What house was your Mum in?"
"Gryffindor. That's the house I think everyone gets in," Charlotte sighed. She looked at ROn who was obviously refusing to talk to the both of them. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I guess you don't get that with the Muggles-someone tried to rob a high security vault!" Charlotte said excitedly. Glad that she had somehting to talk to Harry about. Harry just stared at her.
"Really? What happened to them?" he asked, interested and yet frightened at the same time.
"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. Mum says it must've been a powerful Dark Wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it." Charlotte stared at him to see if there was anything betraying his feelings.
"What's your Quidditch team?" ROn finally asked.
"Er-I don't know any," Harry said, looking sheepish.
"What!" Charlotte and ROn exclaimed, looking at each other with wide eyes.
"Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world!" Ron set off into explaining everything he could abotu Quidditch.
"Great. Now he's never going to shut up!" Charlotte growled, rolling her eyes. Harry laughed, btu stepped as soon as the compartment door opened once again. Three boy walked. Two were very squat, but mean looking. The other was pale and had pinched features.
"Is it true? They're saying all down the train taht Harry Potter's in this compartment. So, it's you, is it?" he asked snidely.
"Yes," Harry said warily. His eyes were fixed upon the two large thugs behind the pale boy.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle. And my names Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," the boy said with an air of carelessness. Ron coughed while Carlotte had her back turned and her shoulders were shaking. "Think my names funny do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford. And the Hollisters are known as the only Gryffindors that turned to You-Know-Who willingly." Draco allwoed this to sink in. Charlotte's face turned red and her eyes quickly turned glassy with tears. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand, but Harry didn't acknowledge it.
"I think I can tell who teh wrong sort are for myself, thanks." Harry was trying not to let the anger fill his voice.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter. Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You have around with riffraff like the Weasleys and Hollisters and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you." Malfoy said snidely.
"Say that again!" Charlotte said, tear tracts visible on her face and her blue eyes icy.
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" sneered Malfoy.
"Unless you get out now!" Harry said bravely.
"But we don;t feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." Malfoy watched as Goyle reached for a chocolate frog. Ron launched himself forward, but Goyle let out a yell before Ron could lay a hand on him.
Scabbers was dangling off of Goyle's finger. Malfoy stepped back as Goyle swung Scabbers arounda nd around. Scabbers finally let go and hit the window. Malfy, Crabbe and Goyle left at that moment because foot steps were pounding down the train. "What has been going on?" Hermione asked, looking around the compartment.
"I think he's been knocked out," Charlotte said thickly to Ron. He looked at her and gave her a sympathetic smile.
"No-I don't believe it-he's gone back to sleep!" Ron said, flabbergasted. "You've met Malfoy before?" Harry quickly explained.
"I've heard of his family. They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side," Ron said quietly, not looking at Charlotte. "Can we help you with something?" he asked Hermione, noticing that she was watching them.
"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"
"Scabbers has been fighting, not us!" Charlotte sniffed, her tears abating.
"WOuld you mind leaving while we change?" ROn asked with a scowl on his face.
"All right-I only came in here because people are outside racing up and down the corridors," Hermione said in a snobby voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, did you know?"
Ron glared as she left and Charlotte went right back to staring out the windown as the boys changed. She soon got bored of that, though and removed the guitar case from above her trunk. She started playing a song and then started to sing.
"They painted up your secrets, with the lies they told to you. And the least they ever gave you, was the most you ever knew. And I wonder where these dreams go, when the world gets in your way. What's the point in all this screaming? No one's listening anyway.
"Your voice is small and fading and your hiding, your unknown. And your mother loves your father, but she;s got no where to go. And she wonders where these dreams go, 'cause the world got in her way. And what's the point in ever thrying? Nothing's changing anyway.
"They press their lips against you, and you love them as they say. And they try so hard to reach you, but you've falle anyway. And you now I see right through you, 'cause the world gets in your way. What's the point in all this screaming? You're not listening anyway." A tear slid down her cheek and she put the guitar awya, only to notice that Harry and Ron were staring at her. "What?"
"Did you write that?" Ron asked. She nodded.
"That was amazing!" Harry said breathlessly. She smiled and nodded her tanks. A voice came from somehwere on the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school seperately."
Charlotte immediately put on a brave face as Ron paled adn stuffed the last of the sweets into his pockets and Harr's face twisted with apparent nerves. The train slowed and then came to an immediate stop. The three of them were jostled adn shoved into the frigid night air. Charlotte gathered her cloaks around her and grabbed ROn;s hand for comfort. He loked at her and gave her a small smile. A lamp came bobbing out from nowhere and a large hairy man followed. "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"
The large man, (if you could call him that), beamed at Harry from above all of the other trembling first years. "C'mon, follow me-any more firs-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
They followed the large man up slipery slopes. There was not much talking, most people were concentrating on not falling down and losing the group. The round-faced boy-Neville, kept sniffing. Probably on account of losing his toad yet again.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec." Hagrid called loudly. Most of the first years looked up, but Charlotte kept her head down tryign not to slip and fall down the long slope. "Jus' roudn this bend here.
There was a loud chorus of "Oooooh!"
The path that they had been traveling on opened up to the edge of a wide black lake. A top a mountain on the otherside was a huge castle, it's many windows sparkling from the stars. It had copious amounts of turrets and towers. Charlotte could barely tear her eyes away when Hagrid called.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid was pointing to a fleet of boats on the shore of the lake. Harry, Rona dn Charlotte were followed into their boat by Hermione. Charlotte and Ron rolled their eyes and shared a look of annoyance.
"Everyone in?" Hagrid asked from the front of the fleet of boats. "Right then-FORWARD!"
The boats set off at once, gliding across the glassy black surface of the water. No one was talking, there wasn't even a sprinkling of whispers at the back. THe castle towered over them as the cliff grew nearer and nearer. "Heads down!" Hagrid yelled as they neared an ivy covered opening on the cliff face. They went through a dark tunnel that seemed to go one forever. They were going straight under the castle. They finally reached an underground harbor, where everyone jumped out of their boats, eager to get into the warm castle.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" Hagrid asked from the boat Neville was sitting in.
"Trevor!" Neville said from behind Charlotte. He scooped his toad up and then clambered up teh passageway after Hagrid. They came to smooth, dark gras that was right at the castle.
They walked up some stone steps and stood in front fo the oak door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid raised a huge fist and brought it down three times on the door.
XoXo
A/N: I hope you liked it. I would love reviews, I don't care if I get flames or not!