A/N: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and all the characters that go with it, but I do own my character, Drop a review if you want :) pictures on my pro.
King Cross Station was the place to be on September 1st. The pillars towered over everything and everyone. Men in business suits holding their leather brief cases board the trains, not bothering to apologize for bumping into someone. Mothers where ushering their children into the engines, some with suitcases, some without. But this was only the muggle section of the station. At Platform 9 and ¾ witches and wizards helped their children onto the Hogwarts Express, the occasional muggle was mixed in here and there. My parents formed a pair out of the small group of muggles.
"Its gotten bigger, Frank! The station has gotten bigger! Amazing what these lot can do!" My mother shrieks in wonder, her brunette hair with a hint of auburn flowing behind her. Her hazel eyes sparkle as she takes in Platform 9 and ¾. Her petite figure drags my equally small figure through the crowd.
"It looks that was Susanne!" My father replies to my mother. I cant help the eye roll as I hear them talk.
"Nothing has gotten bigger, you two are daft," My response floats over the crowd in an amused tone.
My parents ignore this and drag me to where they are loading the engine with trunks. My father lifts my trunk into one of the small side compartment with some effort. My father was a tall robust man with jet black hair and brown eyes. His stomach jutted out over his belt as if it were trying to create a cliff. His face is crinkled with smile lines and his eyebrows are thick and dark. He was the complete opposite of my mother and I.
My mother Susanne is a small woman such as myself, but we shared the same wide hips and moderately chesty body shape. Compared to my father, we looked like bugs. I was an inch shorted then her five foot four inches. Her smile and personality could brighten a room as soon as she entered. She is fiercely protective of me, and my younger brother Trevor who is starting at Hogwarts next year, well I hoped he was anyway.
My mother turns to me as soon as she is satisfied that my trunk is safe inside the express. Her tan hands grasp my shoulders and turns my body to face her. Tears are starting to shimmer in her eyes as she looks down at me.
"Belle Louise Parker, you will write me everyday, you hear?"
"Mum, I will be fine!" I try my best to comfort her, she gets emotional over the simplest of things, after all this is my fifth year, she should be used to this already.
She smiles and tucks the bangs that swish to the right of my face, behind my ears, she also does this with the stray hairs that have grown down to my chin behind my left. She then tugs the thick braid that is hanging over my right shoulder.
"You have my mothers hair," She says in a quiet tone. She says this to me every year, to make sure I have a constant reminder of my family.
My Gran had the beautiful color of brunette with a small hint of auburn, just like my mother. All three of us shared that same base color, but me and my gran have strands of golden blonde scattered through our hair that shone in the light, my favorite feature is my hair, it is the only thing I truly love about myself.
"I know mum, love you," I say with a sigh as I hug her around her waist, she returns it with a tight hug herself. We break away and I turn to my father giving him the same hug, my arms don't quite fit around his stomach but I feel the comfort of his gentler embrace none the less.
"Take care kiddo, You have your knapsack?" He asks me in his deep baritone voice.
I nod, taking a small step back from my parents, I give a small wave and a grin. They return it with smiles that cover half of their faces. I turn away from them and board the train.
I gaze in each compartment as I pass by them, most of them appear to be empty, as I am, once again, one of the first people to hop on the express.
I pick a fairly clean compartment and settle down on the right set of seats. Pulling my knapsack off from behind my back I take out my sickles to prepare for the candy that will be available. My wand of Ebony and Hippogriff feather core drops to the ground during my search. Before I get a chance to grab it, a dark hand shoots out and picks it up. My gaze lands on my best mate, Angelina Johnson.
"Well look what we have here, could it be? Oh it is! Belles wand!" Her bright white teeth gleem out of contrast with her skin. Her raven hair is pulled into a tight bun on top of her head and her deep brown eyes are shinning with amusement. A wide grin sets itself on my face as I start to play along with her.
I get down on my knees in front of her and clasp my hands together in a pleading pose.
"Oh sweet, kind, Angelina, will you please do me the honor of giving me back my wand?" I ask looking into her eyes.
"Oh well, since seem to be dressed up just for me, I guess, BUT it will coast you a chocolate frog," She tosses my wand back to me, I catch it before it slams into the window. I look down at my outfit of which she has commented on and laugh, I dressed for comfort and warmth rather then fashion for the train ride to Hogwarts. I have a light jean jacket on over a dark green zip up sweatshirt. My jeans go to my ankles and are folded up at the bottoms, I personally liked this outfit.
I climb back up onto the seat and face Angie who is perched across from me.
"Your summer alright?" I inquire.
"Dull, looking forward to Quidditch this year though, you and I make an excellent team on the pitch, how about you" She supplies with a bored tone. Before I can answer a low voice cuts in.
"Well look what we have hear George! Jones and Parker!" My gaze falls upon the bright blue eyes of Fred Weasley, I always kept a secret way of telling the two apart, George had a cluster of freckles on his neck, while Fred did not. Fred was also slightly taller and had a deeper voice, but that was two hard to look for at a moments notice.
"Hello Fred, prank any first years yet?" I question with a smile. The twins, Angie and I were good friends, I was closer to Angelina, but the twins will always hold a place in my heart.
"Not yet my dear Belle," He sighs and flops onto the space between the window and myself, effectively knocking me over onto the empty side of the bench.
"Watch yourself there Parker," I hear George chime in from the opposite side of the compartment. Him and his twin are sporting smirks on their freckled faces. Their ginger hair seems to have grown a bit longer then the last time I had seen them.
A sudden jolt from the train sends me into the back of the seat as it begins to leave the station. Taking a second to gain my barrings I look up and find Angie and the twins laughing at me. Giving them a mocking glare I take stand up on the tips of my toes and reach for my knapsack that contains my book. Once I grab it I place myself back onto the seat, to avoiding falling over again.
"Oh come on bumble bee! Don't read again the whole train ride again!" She uses the nickname my parents gave me when I puffed up like a balloon on my 3rd birthday after receiving a Bee sting.
"I do this every year Angie, cant break tradition," I reach into my pocket and take out the sickles I had previously retrieved from my bag.
"Here is some coins so you can get the chocolate frogs I 'owe' you," Angie rolls her eyes.
"Well while you two Debby Downers stay in here, we have some business to attend to," George says as he stands up, brushing off the imaginary dust from his trousers.
"And if Percy comes round," Fred begins, but pauses as he looks at George.
"We are innocent," They finish off their sentence at the same time as they make their way out the door.
I set my feet on the opposite seats where George previously was seated.
"Well, I think its time for a nice nap," Angelina says as she lays down on the long cream colored seat of the compartment. Her head rests on my ankles as she settles in.
"Night Ang," It was useless for me to say, because she had already settled into a deep sleep, it amazes me that she can fall asleep as soon as her head reaches anything that could be a pillow, in this case, my ankles.
I settle into my book, an all sense of time seems to leave me. I hadn't realized I fell asleep as well until the twins make their way back into the compartment knocking my feet Angie's bench which makes her wake up with a start as well.
"Rise and Shine ladies, its time to greet the world!" I am to tired to look up to see which one of their smart mouths had said it.
"Bugger off," I reply as I lay my head down on who could only be Fred's lap because he is the only one who always sits at the window. I curl into myself slightly when a cool breeze sweeps through the train.
StrangeI think to myself, how could there be a breeze in the train? My thoughts are cut short when the Hogwarts Express comes to a sudden stop, I am almost flung off the seat before Fred grabs me.
"We cant possibly be at Hogwarts by now," George says with a confused tone.
I sit up and look out the window in bewilderment. Frost seems to be covering it at a supernatural speed. All of us begin to see our breaths in the compartment. I shiver and wrap my jacket around me a little tighter.
Before I answer George, a dark figure looks into our small compartment. Dread seeps through me and I am barely aware of arms wrapping around my waist as I am pulled into someones chest. All feeling of joy have left me as I look up at the cloaked figure, it only stayed for a few short minutes. But it felt like an eternity.
Once it left, relief settled inside me, but it hadn't brought any of the happiness with it. My gaze looks up at Fred who is looking down at me with concern and sadness. I offer him an extremely dull smile and reach over to the sweets. I remember reading a book from the restricted section about how chocolate can help when near a demeanor. I break small pieces off and hand them to everyone in the compartment.
Once it hits my tongue, warmth spreads through me like wild fire, and the joy seems to have returned to my body, I take a relieved breath and break our of Freds arms, a small blush gracing my cheeks as I realize the position we were in.
I recline back in my seat and look around, the color seems to have reached the others faces as the relax.
Angie was the first to break the silence.
"What was that thing," Her voice slightly shaky.
"Dementors," My reply came out quiet and strangled. A warm hand grasps my own small one, I blush and turn my gaze to the floor as I realize that it is Fred.
"I wrecken they were searching for Black," George answers from the opposite seat.
Fear sweeps through me, all I know is that Black killed about 12 muggles, I don't know the details, and I don't want to. A tremor rocks my body thinking about it. Fred squeezes my hand in reassurance. I still refuse to meet his eyes, so my gaze falls on Ang. She raises a questioning eyebrow Fred and my conjoined hands. I offer a shrug, I don't know whats going on either.
Time passes, and we finally arrive at Hogwarts. Excitement courses through my veins as I look upon my second home. Some of my best memories lay within the stone walls.
I reach up and grab my knapsack, Angie, the twins and I make our way to the horseless carriages.
We all pile into one and make our way into the castle.
Once we reach the entrance we all head over the the feast. The sorting ceremony takes about an hour. I look at all the anxious expressions of the first years, and cant wait till Trevor joins Hogwarts.
Our table is filled with fabulous food, but before we can dig in Dumbledor's voice booms through the Great Hall.
"Welcome!"
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..."
Dumbledore always had a peculiar way with words.
"As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."
So they are searching for Black, but what would he want with Hogwarts?
"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises - or even Invisibility Cloaks. It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors."
I snort, what could the perfects and Head Boy and Girl do? I highly doubt that they would be able to ward off a Dementor.
"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
A man stands up with brown hair that falls over his eyes, scars litter his body. He is dressed in a Cream colored shirt with dark pants, his eyes roam the hall taking in all the students, with a kind smile on his face.
"As to our second new appointment, well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."
A smile takes over my face, I truly enjoy Hagrids presence, he is always nice to the Gryffindors and is always willing to sit and talk with any student. He may be very tall and intimidating, but he has such a kind personality it is easy to get over his appearance.
"Well, I think that is everything of importance. Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore says, wrapping up his speech.
"Hello all!" A voice sounds from my right, and I look into the eyes of Lee Jordan.
Lee's dred locks seemed to have doubled in length over the summer. His skin, just as dark as Angie's had a reddish hue to them, before I can ask him about it he cuts me off.
"Oliver is calling for Gryffindors to report to the pitch bright and early tomorrow mourning," The words rush out of his mouth making it almost impossible to understand, but before any of us can reply he rushes over to where Harry is sitting and repeats what I can only imagine is the same thing.
"Why is Oliver calling a practice so early?" I ask the group.
"Its his last year, I wager he wants to win the cup," Angie replies without closing her mouth as she chews.
I turn my gaze to George who is laughing at Ang because a piece of chicken flew out of her mouth and landed on Freds plate. Fred is looking at Ang with a horrified and amused expression as he starts to yell at her.
"Bloody hell Ang! What are you trying to do!" Fred can barely say his sentence because he is laughing to hard.
I start to join in as well, offering a quieter chuckle compared to their screeches, my eyes never leaving Freds face. He meets my gaze and winks at me.
This will definitely be an interesting year.
