Disclaimer: This Story is a Hogwarts version of Erich Kästner's Lottie and Lisa. HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of Warner Bros. TM & © 2002. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K. Rowling.
Author's Note: An appeal to everybody who takes the time and reads this: Please review my story. Even if it is not constructive or anything. I just need to know that anybody in the world reads it. Thanks.
A/N 2: After revising this chapter and having a more solid idea about the whole story, I decided to change the title. I know, I know. I should have thought about that earlier. But better I do the change now than later or always being annoyed about it. It was called "2Black" before but I think "Scary and Rose" fits better as it is a parallel to "Lottie and Lisa". What do you think?
Hogwarts Express
Rose' mother had often told her about the famous Hogwarts express. The Victorian steam rail, bringing the students to her new school, Hogwarts. But never ever had she imagined it that beautiful. The sun reflected on the shining black steel surfaces and broke into thousands of blending beams. It reminded Rose of the old fashioned fireplace in her living room and of all the hours she spend there, carefully listening to the her mother's stories about past times and adventures.
Suddenly the pain started again. For a moment she was so excited she forgot all about it. About leaving her mother, the only part of family she had left. About going to live in a strange place full of people she didn't know, without a chance to come back home until Christmas. What about her mother? She was a ministry witch and had barely time for anything else than work. Rose had always been the one doing the housework, cooking the meals. She just couldn't leave.
She turned around. Her mother smiled at her proudly. Rose was torn between her feelings. She wanted nothing more than to stay. But she wanted nothing less than to disappoint her Mum. Her eyes filled with tears. She quickly swept then away, but her mother saw. She patted Rose' head than swung her arms around her and hold her in a firm embrace. Rose cried openly against her mother's shoulder.
After what seemed ages, a loud whistle caused Rose to let go. The Express was ready to depart.
Her mother once again stroked over her hair and said gently: "Come on, Rosie, be brave. And don't forget to mail everyday."
Rose nodded sadly then dragged her heavy trunk into the Hogwarts Express.
The rail was already packed with people. Rose seemed to be one of the last to arrive. Most cabins were full and it took Rose about ten minutes to find an empty seat. She tuck away her trunk then threw a glance at the other four students in her compartment: a girl with short tousled red hair, talking to a black boy about her pet owl, a blond haired chunky boy reading a magazine and next to the window there sat a girl, wearing red and black, spy sunglasses and her big, blackish brown, shoulder long hair, ruffled and unkempt. There would be enough space for another child if the girl hadn't put her feet up on the opposite seat.
They all seemed to be about Rose' age. Maybe they were in her year. She could try and make friends with them, so she wouldn't be all-alone. But what should she say?
Hi, I'm Rose and who are you? Too boring. Hello, would you like some Bertie Botts' all flavoured Beans? Too desperate. What do you think in which house you will come? Too nosy. Have you had a look at the schoolbooks? Some of the stuff seems really cool, don't you think? Too annoying-little-nerd-bratish. Rose grinned to herself.
"What are you laughing at?" the girl on the window seat asked harshly. Rose looked up startled and found that everybody stared at her now. And it weren't exactly friendly looks. Nervous of the sudden attention Rose stammered:
"Nothing. I-I was just thinking of something."
"Was it about your mummy?" the girl asked cocky. The red haired girl began to giggle. Rose just shook her head.
"I supposed so" the girl went on "you would be crying then, not grinning." now everybody laughed. "No wonder you don't want to leave mummy, who shall plait your beautiful hair in Hogwarts? Well, I won't" Again laughter. Instinctively Rose lifted one hand to her thick braids of dark brown hair that hung from both sides of her head to her waist. The guffaw just got louder. Rose' cheeks went flaming red and she wanted to sink into the ground or be invisible or anything but sitting here listening helplessly.
"Where is your father anyway? Working hard to buy those pretty little dresses of yours?" Rose wore the white summer dress her mother loved so much. She didn't want to wear it on her first day in school, but her mother asked her to. Feeling the tears creeping up, she bit on her lip.
"Or maybe he left your mother. Maybe had a bit of sense left? Didn't want to spend the rest of his life with a psycho and her spoilt offspring." Rose' lip bled. She could hold her tears any longer. She rose and dragged her trunk out of the compartment sobbing.
Outside she slid down the wall to the floor. Why did everything have to turn out like this? Why couldn't she be popular or at least accepted? In her old neighbourhood nobody wanted to talk to the daughter of the weird witch. Of course the muggles didn't know for sure Rose' mother was magical but there had always been gossip about her. Rose had been left out. Had never had a real friend or anybody else then her mother. She thought here in Hogwarts she would meet people like herself, who would understand her and maybe, just maybe, she would find a best friend like in the girls in the books she read. A friend she could tell all her secret and who would speak about everything to Rose. Somebody to laugh with and cry with…
But as it looked Rose would have to cry alone. She let her head sink on her arms in grief and despair.
Back in the compartment, the blond boy, who was called Andrew, put down his magazine and addressed the girl on the window seat.
"Don't you think you've been a bit to hard on her, Scarlet?" The girl turned her head around slowly.
"That namby-pamby girl didn't deserve different. What did she do here anyway? Anybody invited her into our cabin?" She glanced at him. The red haired girl was the first one to speak:
"Well she was pretty perky."
"Exactly, Sara, she pretty much asked for it." Andrew let go of it. He wasn't convinced but he also didn't exactly set out to fight with Scarlet.
Laurence, the other boy, quickly changed the topic.
"Does anybody know, which house they will be sorted in?"
"I guess, I come in Slytherin" Sara grinned, "All my family has been there and I like to be in the winning team."
Scarlet grinned: "The winning team is where I am."
Laurence sighed rather loudly. Scarlet laughed.
"Joke." she said smirking, "I don't know about the houses. My dad is always… away" She smiled mysteriously.
Andrew started explaining: "Well. In Hufflepuff, there are the slow people that like hard work and stuff. The nerds come in Ravenclaw. The reckless wannabe-heroes are in Gryffindor. And the ambitious and sly ones come in Slytherin."
"The ones that got what it takes to achieve something in their lives." Sara commented smugly.
"And the ones that are most likely to go to the Dark side." Andrew finished.
"Doesn't matter. That's a pretty low percentage and just means that Slytherins got the stuff to be evil overlords. They don't have to."
"I bet it doesn't matter to you!"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Just that you most certainly have got the stuff for that, Sara Zabini!"
Sara's eyes narrowed to slits. "Yes, My name is Zabini. At least I've got a name that's of significance, Mudblood."
Andrew was visibly taken back by that comment. He quickly calmed down again though and replied icily: "My mother is muggle and my father a wizard but in my case he is not a Death Eater. In my case he is at home and not in Askaban."
Sara's face turned red in fury.
"How dare you" she hissed, "Take that back." Andrew looked at her defiantly.
"You heard her" Laurence intervened, demonstratively pulling up the sleeves of his robes. "Take it back!"
"Just when she takes the 'mudblood' back first!" Andrew to had got up as well. Staring angrily at Laurence who was a few inches taller than him.
Scarlet laughed and broke the aggressive atmosphere.
"C'mon, you big babys. You'll have to bear each other for another eight years. Don't be pathetic. Shake hands."
They did so but not without gnashing their teeth.
"You didn't seem so peaceable when that girl was in here." Andrew muttered. Again Scarlet laughed.
"Call that natural antipathy. You two like each other actually. You shouldn't let family business come between that."
Sara nodded understandingly.
"Sorry I called you Mudblood."
"Sorry I called you Death Eater."
"Want a chocolate frog?"
"Go on then."
Well, well. And again she had settled a fight. Satisfied Scarlet leant her head against the velvet curtain and closed her eyes. Hogwarts was going to be just great. As long as nobody found out about her little secret…
