The new beginning
"My life was going to change. I knew that. The moment my father waved goodbye to me, I knew my life was going to experience a lot of changes. I knew I was independent. I knew I am taking on the world all alone," thought Albus as he left his noisy and packed compartment to find a quieter compartment.
"Albus!" Albus heard a voice. " Albus right?"
Albus turned around to find a girl beaming at him. She was a couple of inches shorter than Albus, waist-length brown hair that was held by a small clip. She had brown almond shaped eyes, wheatish skin, full lips, a smile that showed her pearly white teeth. She was clothed in a cerulean frock with floral patterns that came up till her knees.
"Umm, yess?"
"Thank heavens, for a moment I thought I was crazy!"
"I'm sorry, but I think I am suffering from amnesia, cause I really don't remember you."
The girl giggled.
"She was definitely beautiful," thought Albus
"Of course you don't know me. You see I heard my mom talking about you. Before boarding the train. You're really famous in my world."
"Your world?"
She tensed up a bit. She kept a look on her face as if she slipped a secret to him. Changing the subject, she quickly brightened up telling her name.
"Well I am actually a lost girl so don't pay attension to what I just said. By the way the name's Jessica Storm."
She put her hand in front to shake it.
"You know me so just for a formal introduction, Albus."
Albus entered a compartment and Jessica followed him. She halted at the door and made a hand gesture which simply meant 'May I sit here?'. Albus nodded.
Jessica sat opposite Albus and smiled. Albus returned the smile.
Albus looked outside the window. The trees, the green and the lakes were passing by. He was admiring the beauty outside.
"Beautiful isn't it?" Asked Jessica, looking outside the window along with Albus.
"Yeah. Heard so many stories of Hogwarts from my parents. How my dad always found trouble. You know something Jessica?"
"No."
"It is so weird that you know me, but I don't know anything about you."
"Oh! Well, I live with my parents, Albert and Susan Taylor. Umm, they weren't so, er, keen on sending me to Hogwarts. They say they love me, but I think it is different. I am actually an orphan. You might have noticed it. Storm . . . Taylor." Said Jessica, who was suddenly interested in her nails.
"I am so terribly sorry." Said Albus, regretting that he asked her.
"Oh! That's fine Albus! There is no need to apologise!" she said quickly.
Albus and Jessica talked for an hour, Albus telling her about his father's godson Teddy Lupin and his cousin Victoire Weasley, who was in her final year of Hogwarts and a Head Girl.
"I'm hungry," whined Jessica as the sun was at its peak.
"So am I."
The sound of wheels was heard followed by a middle-aged woman pushing a cart.
"Anything from the trollies, dearies?"
"Umm, yeah," said Jessica jumping towards the cart. "Could you give me, er, a couple of Pumpkin Pasties and a Chocolate Frog."
"There you go sweetheart. That would be seven Knuts," said the cart-woman kindly, as she handed Jessica her Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Frog. "And anything for you dear?" she added as she spotted Albus.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Couldron Cakes, a couple of Chocolate Frogs and Licorice Wands"
She handed Albus his sweets in exchange for two Sickles and pushed the trollies ahead.
"You know, I expected you to take more than that considering the fact that you were whining due to hunger," said Albus, as he started hogging on his Couldron Cakes.
"I eat less," Jessica stated simply, as she opened her Pumpkin Pasties.
As both of them finished their sweets their was a rapping on the door followed by -
"Knock,knock."
Albus shot his head towards the door. Three girls entered his compartment. The girl who seemed to be around Jessica's height had shoulder-length silvery blonde hair, fair skin, full lips, round blue eyes and was dressed in a red smock shirt with a white skirt with frills.
The other two were twins. The shorter of them had straight black hair that came up to her shoulder blades, fairer than her twin, full lips, stormy grey eyes and was wearing an apple green jeans and a white shirt that said 'Je m'adore'.
The taller twin had frizzy black hair that came till her shoulders, darker skin than her twin, thin lips, green eyes and was wearing a shirt similar to her twin and a purple jeans.
"Jessica, there you are. I was dead scared you know," mimicked the girl with silvery blonde hair.
"Stop it Kristen," cried Jessica, as she rolled her eyes.
"What do you expect me to say Jess?" said the girl named Kristen.
"Who is he, by the way?" asked the girl with frizzy, black hair.
"Oh, yeah. Guys, this is Albus, the son of the great wizard, Harry Potter, and my newest friend. And Albus these girls are my friends, Kristen, Bella, and Isabella," said Jessica as she pointed out every person.
"Newest?" questioned the twins mockingly. Jessica gave them a death glare.
"Oh! I am sorry. I guess our entry wasn't proper," said Kristen.
"Well, if you take Jess as your friend, then remember one thing. Always. Remember to rack your brain in front of her and do whatever you wish to do as soon as she turns her back," said Bella. Or Isabella.
"Its easy to identify the twins. They are -"
"- very annoying," Kristen completed Jessica's sentence.
Albus laughed.
Albus and the girls chatted for a while. Bella and Isabella cracked some silly, senseless jokes, to which Albus laughed nevertheless; Kristen huffed at the cackling and laughing of the twins and Albus and continued reading her book 'THE DARK FORCES: A GUIDE TO SELF-PROTECTION'; Jessica brandished her wand and muttered a spell which made one of Kristen's book levitate.
"Oh no!" exclaimed Jessica, whose levitating book fell down with a thud.
"What's wrong?" asked all the girls, concerned, eyeing Jessica.
"Oh Merlin! We are supposed to change into our robes!" said Jessica as she looked into a small bag for her robes.
"Jessica," said Bella, rolling her eyes. "We won't be expelled for something as small as that!"
"And there is plenty of time to change!" said Isabella, fidgeting with something small in her hand.
"We need to make a good first impression. 'The first impression is the last impression'. Where is it - IZZY! What are you doing!" said Jessica sternly, as she eyed a small box in Isabella's hand, who had hidden it in less than a millisecond.
"Nothing," said Isabella. "What are you girls waiting for? Let's change!"
Kristen put down her book and reached out for her robes. As she followed her friends outside she called out to Albus.
"You might wanna change right now. We won't go out when you find the time to change when the journey ends."
After a good fifteen minutes, the girls returned to the compartment and continued their unfinished business.
After many hours they reached the Hogsmeade station. Hogsmeade looked exceptionally beautiful in the twilight. The stars were winking at all the students who were off the train. Albus and the girls descended the train. Albus looked around the station.
"Are you looking for someone?" asked Isabella, straightning her robes.
"Yup! My cousin. Victoire Weasley. Head Girl. Uncle George told me something about how we are going to be sorted. We have to perform magic to defeat a dragon."
"WHAT!" exclaimed all the girls, their eyes so wide that it seemed to pop out of its sockets.
"We are first-years! How can they ask us to defeat a dragon! I mean- oh no!" said Jessica and soon started speaking gibberish.
"Hey! Victoire!" yelled Albus, spotting his silver haired cousin.
"Hey Al! Whazzup? And who are they?" said Victoire.
Victoire was a beautiful witch. She had waist-length silver hair. A pointed face. She looked like a veela.
"Are you a veela?" rattled Jessica. "I am so sorry, I know I shouldn't have - you know - I mean -"
Victoire laughed.
"You would make fine Ravenclaw, but I would want you in Gryffindor. Actually I am not a veela. I am one-eighth veela."
"I am Jessica," muttered Jessica, staring at her feet.
"Victoire," said Albus urgently. "How do we get sorted?"
"That. . . is a surprise."
"Victoire. Teeeedddyyy-"
"Oh you put on a hat which sorts you," said Victoire, whose cheeks flushed red.
Albus sighed and said,"Uncle George said something about defeating a dragon."
"You know he is a clown," said Victoire simply and walked towards the carriages.
The girls wiped their foreheads.
The lights that illuminated the station of Hogsmeade were blocked by a huge figure.
The eight feet tall giant had a gruffy beard and matted hair. This was the Gamekeeper and Keeper of keys and the Care of Magical Creatures Professor named Rubeus Hagrid.
"Aye, Albus. You look exactly like yer, dad," said a giant.
"Hagrid, aren't you Hagrid."
"Guessed it right, eh Albus."
"Hey Albus, found yourself a new girlfriend, or new girlfriends," said a boy who looked a lot like like Albus.
"Shut up, James!" cried Albus.
"You mean, foul, idiot, stupid person. If a girl talks to a boy doesn't mean that they are in a relationship. Idiot," said Isabella.
"You idiot, don't act like an idiotic idiot person in an idiot's group, idiot!" said Bella.
"And we are too young," justified Jessica.
"Bella, Isabella that's my brother, James. James that's Bella, Isabella, Jessica, and Kristen," said Albus.
"I am sorry, but, I quite didn't get what you said Bella," said James.
"Are you pointing at me?" asked Bella.
"Yes."
"I am not Bella. I am Isabella." said Bella.
"You can't identify us? That's clearly insane." said Isabella.
"Um sorry, but mind repeating what you just said?"
"Why are you asking me? Ask her! She said it!"
"Who said it?" yelled an annoyed James.
"James, it would be great if you just forget what they just said. They never made sense till now," said Jessica
"Ok."
James was looking at the girls. He felt a weird calming aura when he stood next to Jessica; Bella gave him a feeling as if she could read his mind; Kristen gave him a protective feeling while Isabella made him feel 'full of life'.
James' thoughts were interrupted by Hagrid.
"Come on first years"
The girls and Albus waved goodbye to James as they headed to the boats.
It was a tradition for the first years to travel across the Black Lake by the boat.
"Five of yer in each boat! Not more then that!" boomed the voice of Hagrid.
The girls waved goodbye to Albus and sat in a boat. Albus walked up to a boat where four people were already seated. One of them was a boy with blonde hair and a smug look etched on his face, the other was a girl with brown hair. The other two were twins with a dreamy look on their faces.
"May I sit here?" asked Albus politely.
"Sure," said one of the twins, looking dreamier than ever.
Albus sat next to them and looked around to look for his first friends. After scanning the lake for a minute, he spotted them at the far left corner.
A pale looking girl, who looked almost ghostly, was sitting in between Jessica and Kristen. She pursed her lips tightly as though her teeth would pop out of her mouth if she didn't. Bella and Isabella looked simply furious.
After five minutes, Hagrid bellowed, "Is everyone seated?"
Hagrid took one entire boat for himself, due to his huge figure. All the first-years, except one, gasped at the beauty of the castle that came into view. The blonde haired boy snorted. The light that were lit shimmered in the darkness, which made them look like stars.
Their boat hit the other side of the lake. Albus and his companions climbed out of the boat. The twins, with their dreamy look, tripped on a rock. Albus helped both of them as their blonde companion smirked and huffed. Albus felt immediate hatred emitting from his heart towards him. The twins gave a dreamy "Thank you" and walked away.
Albus walked towards the girls. Bella and Isabella were muttering under their breath (Albus was sure that they were cursing); Kristen gave a huge smile to Albus as he came close while Jessica squinted her eyes giving the twins a stern look(which made her look deadly).
Albus smiled. He was sure that he was going to have a great year ahead.
"First-years, follow me!" called out Hagrid.