"Mum, I'm scared. I don't want to go." A small dark-haired little girl clung to her mother's hand staring at the large train with wide-eyes. Children were scurrying past her, yelling farewell to their families as they prepared to leave. The train gave off a warning sound, signaling final call.
"Lexi hunny you'll be fine. Every young witch and wizard goes away to Hogwarts when they turn eleven. You will get on that train and make friends instantly. I'm sure of it."
Laughter pulled Lexi's attention towards a family of red-heads. The mother was screaming at two boys, identical in looks, as they ran out into the middle of the station.
"Fred! George! You get back here right now! Oh Charlie, go get your brothers." One of the older boys nodded silently and scurried after his younger brothers.
Lexi looked back up at her mother with fear-filled eyes. "But what if I don't .. what if everyone hates me?" With a yell, the train conductor indicated that those who were not on the train within 60 seconds would not be making the trip to Hogwarts.
"I promise you Lexi, you'll be fine.. Everyone will love you." Lexi wiped away tears as she allowed her mother to push her onto the train. Running to the window, she caught another glance of her mother's black hair before the Hogwarts Express pulled the students out of sight.
With a sigh, Lexi desperately looked for an empty compartment. After searching for twenty minutes Lexi was forced to settle on one that held the two red-headed boys she had seen on the platform. Opening the door caught the twin's attention and they looked at the quiet girl with curiosity.
"Uhm, is it alright if I sit with you guys? Everywhere else is full."
"What do you say Georgie?"
"No problem with me Fred." Lexi smiled, relieved that the boys hadn't rejected her.
"I'm Lexi."
"I'm Gred and this here is my brother Forge." The twin's strange nicknames caused Lexi to laugh loudly which in return brought smiles to the boys faces.
At that moment a foul looking boy with horrible teeth strolled into the compartment. The color of his robes indicated that he was a Slytherin and an evil looking one at that. He snarled at the three first years with distaste.
"You need to relocate. This is my compartment now."
"Why should we.."
"Listen to you?" Fred finished George's sentence, which by the look on the Slytherin's face irritated him just as much as their question did.
"Because if you don't I'll turn all of you into toads and throw you out the window."
Lexi frowned at the boy as her anger grew. She may have been a first year, but that didn't mean she was going to let some foul git treat her like dirt. Even if he was a Slytherin. Standing up Lexi puffed her chest and pulled out her wand. She advanced at the boy so fast he was forced to back up into the compartment door in surprise.
"Listen here you crooked teeth idiot. We're not leaving this compartment just because you think you're better than us. You better leave before I turn you into something so horrible not even the fleas will want to come near you." The boy opened his mouth, more than likely to say something nasty, but Lexi flicked her wand softly causing red sparks to erupt from the tip. From the look on the Slytherin's face, she was sure he had wet his pants. Fumbling for the door he ran out without so much as another look at the first-years.
Smiling with satisfaction Lexi sat back down only to find the twins staring at her with dumbfounded looks on their faces. The smile fell from her face as fear flew into her eyes. What if she had done something to scare them off. The only two that she thought she had a chance of making friends with probably hated her now.
Fred was the first to break the silence. "That was.."
"Bloody brilliant!" George finished. The boys looked at each other with excitement and humor. They looked back at Lexi with large grins.
"I do believe this is the start of a beautiful friendship. Don't you Fred?"
"Yes I do George."