Author's Note: Please keep reading. I know it's a bit boring in the beginning, but I had to introduce everybody somehow. The story will take off once they're at Hogwarts. Also, this (obviously) takes place during and after the epilouge of the last book and therefore follows James, Albus, and so on.
Disclaimer: I only own Valerie, Danny, Melanie, and Annabella. James, Albus, Rose, and the world of Harry Potter all belong to J.K. Rowling.
Valerie was lying in her bed, staring at the glowing stars on the ceiling. It hadn't been her choice, but when you're sharing a room four other kids under the age of eight, you really don't have a choice in anything. She hated life at the orphanage. She and her older sister, Annabella, had been living there since Valerie was six. Her parents had been criminals, she was told. She'd asked Annabella about what they were like, but Annabella never budged. She refused to talk about them. She looked to her right where a small girl no older than six lay, off in a dream world much greater than this boring, muggle world.
She couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts, the wizardry school she'd gone to for the last three years. She remembered how she laughed when Annabella had gotten her letter four years ago, thinking it was a joke pulled by one of the orphans. She remembered the woman in the long green cloak that appeared at the orphanage, requesting to see Annabella; the look of awe that dawned on her face when the woman turned her hat into small kitten. After that, she eagerly awaited a letter of her own so she could go off in to the world of magic her sister bragged about when she returned. Sure enough, that summer she received the same letter her sister had gotten. Of course, the other children weren't told about this. They were simply told that we had been shipped off to boarding school during the school year. It wasn't this that made her mad. It was the rumors that began on why she and her sister were being "shipped off". Most centered on her being a criminal like her parents. She ignored it, though. She just wanted to get back to her school, her friends, and her life.
"Come on, Anna!" Valerie yelled out. "We're gonna miss the train!" She lugged her trunk through the crowd at Platform 9 ¾ with her cat's cage nervously rattling on the top.
"Slow down! The train doesn't leave for another five minutes." Anna said, trailing her sister by several feet. She didn't seem excited, but on the inside, she was bursting at the seams. This was going to be her fifth year, the year she took her O.W.L.'s. She was sure she'd ace them. She always did great when it came to school. She wasn't one for studying, though. She was just the only one who really payed attention in class. Most of her fellow classmates usually goofed off. She felt this year would be different, though, what with the O.W.L.'s.
Valerie arrived at the door of the train, luggage in hand. She went to drop off her baggage and put on her robes, then hurried down the aisle searching for James, Danny, and Melanie. She found James sitting with a small boy who looked a bit like James except his eyes were green. There was also a little girl with red hair and a timid smile.
"Hey! Over here!" James yelled, patting the spot next to him. She dropped next to him, ready to leave the muggle life behind once again. "So, this is Rose," He motioned toward the red headed girl "And this is Albus." He pointed at the boy who was obviously his brother.
"So this is the famous Albus? Well, good to meet you. I'm Valerie. And good to meet you too, Rose." She held her hand out to Rose, which Rose took shyly. She turned to shake Albus's hand, but he gasped and moved back a bit.
"You… You're a Slytherin." He said, spotting her necklace. She wondered why he acted so afraid. He must have heard the rumors, she thought.
"Albus! What's your problem?" James asked Albus, irritated. James had been sorted into Gryffindor the first year; so many people were surprised to see that he had befriended a Slytherin.
"It's fine, really. He has a right to be afraid. We Slytherins are bad." She joked just as Danny and Melanie walked in, side by side. Danny and Melanie were fraternal twins, Danny being one minute older. They both had wavy, dirty blonde hair. Danny had brown eyes while Melanie, however, had blue eyes. The twins were both Ravenclaws, so of course, they were super smart. Valerie wasn't the 'smart type'. She liked playing pranks and joking around, and her grades showed it.
"Oh, yes," Danny said, "They are terrifying. Who knows what kind of evil plans are under that curly mop." He twirled one of her curls on his wand as he sat down. She pushed him away playfully. Melanie sat right next to him, her nose in a book about as thick as a brick.
"So, Slytherin's are okay?" Albus asked everyone, but mostly James. He seemed nervous, but at the same time, he seemed relieved that the mood had lightened. "I've heard they were bad kids, you know. Bullies."
"Only to first years like you…" Valerie said in a wicked-witch-of-the-west voice.
"She's joking," James said. "Only some are like that. Valerie's cool." He smiled at Valerie.
"Oh, sorry." Albus said, embarrassed. She had a feeling he still didn't feel comfortable with her being a Slytherin.
"You're okay. So what house do you think you'll be in?" She asked, already knowing the answer.
"Oh, Gryffindor, for sure." He said, his face suddenly lighting up. "I can't wait to see the common room. I hear it's magnificent!"
"Listen to you, already using big words." James patted Albus on the back mockingly. Albus scooted away and started a conversation with Rose.
"So, Melanie, do you plan on talking to the people you haven't seen in two months, or are you just going to sit there and read?" James asked Melanie, who was so drawn into her book that she didn't even look up. Valerie thought about hitting it out of hands. She'd always wanted to do that for some reason. She decided against it.
"Mm hmm." Melanie muttered. She was always so drawn into her books that she barely ever had time for actual people. Valerie wondered how they'd ever even become friends in the first place. She didn't regret it, though. When she wasn't reading, Melanie often helped Valerie pass her classes. Danny, however, was more of "doer". He liked to build things. He usually hung out his friend, Charles Finnigan. Together, they built the most amazing muggle things Valerie'd ever seen. One time, he'd even made a little robot that had a small camera on it. Valerie didn't even know he knew what a camera was, seeing as he and Melanie were raised in the wizarding world.
"Well, how was your summer, Danny?" Valerie asked.
"It was okay. My mum acted a bit weird, though. Dad, too. They seemed kinda anxious." Danny said, worrying for a moment, then brushing it off.
"Maybe they're worried that they've raised total geeks." James said. Valerie chuckled at that and received a dirty look from Danny.
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. If it weren't for me and Melanie, you guys would still be third years." Danny said trying to keep a straight face and eventually failing. Valerie laughed again which ended in a yawn.
"I'm so tired. I couldn't sleep, I was so excited." She yawned again. "I think I'm gonna take a nap. Don't you dare try anything."
"Aw,and I had a really good idea!" James sighed. Valerie used her knapsack as a pillow and drifted off.
"Val! Wake up! We're here!" Valerie opened her eyes to see the giant castle getting larger through the window. She grabbed her bag and readied herself. The train doors opened and she was basically pushed out by the huge crowd coming off of the bus. She searched for her friends who ended up finding her instead. She got in the carriage that pulled itself, a mystery she still hadn't figured out, and on they went.
So, tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is gladly accepted!
