"Erm, excuse me, is this where the prefects meet?" I said, my voice sounding a lot more confident than I was.
"Yes, sit down. You're early though, I don't think the others will get here for at least ten minutes." Said a low, sexy voice from behind today's issue of the daily prophet.
"Oh, do you want me to come back?" I said, regretting not staying on the platform with Mum and Dad for a while longer, even if I couldn't stand them.
"No, you're fine," Said the mysterious voice as he folded up his newspaper and placed it beside him. His eyes were a dazzling shade of blue and his blonde hair was windswept, like he really hadn't bothered to brush it this morning. I realised who it was in an instant and felt immediately uncomfortable. Scorpius Malfoy, head boy this year, Slytherin house.
His father had made considerable donations to the school over the years, bought all the quidditch teams new practice brooms and built a huge fountain in remembrance of the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts has ever had, Albus Dumbledore. His father was also the person who was meant to kill Albus Dumbledore. Draco Malfoy, ex-death eater and enemy of my father whilst Voldemort was still alive.
"You can sit down you know, you don't have to stand in the door way. Anyway, the train will be leaving soon, thank goodness." He said, sounding as relieved as I was to be leaving home and returning the one of the only places I could say I liked being a witch. I sat down on the opposite side of the train to the platform, so I didn't have to wave to my parents and started twisting my straightened red hair around my finger.
"So, your Gryffindor, right? I'm sorry, but I can't remember your name?" He laughed, and his mouth curved in a half smile and my stomach caved in. He was so beautiful, it couldn't be real. Seriously, I couldn't like him if I wanted to. Albus, my older brother hated him. He always said he was exactly like his father, but from what I'd seen, he was nothing like him.
"Yer, that's right, my name's Lily; Lily Potter." I said, hesitantly, not sure how he would respond. He looked out the window, then at the floor. "What's wrong, because if this is about my parents, I don't even like them. I didn't even say goodbye to"
He cut me off, "No, that's not the problem. I thought that you wouldn't want to speak to me. I'm presuming you know who I am. And, I really don't get on with my father either. He expects so much of me. He wants me to work for the ministry, but I don't know what I want yet." He turned to the window and smiled to himself, "Look at me, I've known you less than five minutes and I'm treating you like a shoulder to cry on already."
"I don't mind." I said, not realising it sounded so pathetic, like something a twelve year old would say. That was when Hugo, my cousin walked in.
"Hey, Lily, this is prefects carriage isn't it?" He said, and walked over to hug me. He was my favourite cousin, so laid back and easy to talk to. I wish I had his brains, took after my Auntie Hermione, the most intelligent person I know. No wonder he'd been picked as the other prefect.
"I swear you've grown since last week" I stood back and looked up, he was at least an inch taller since the last time I'd seen him. "How's Rose?" Rose is Hugo's older sister, my other cousin. She is in the same year as Albus.
"Oh, she's fine. She should be here, head girl this year! If she does any better she may even outshine Mum." He said, cheerfully as always.
We chatted away as the other prefects and head girl arrived. Rose and Scorpius went through all the normal procedures. Told us our jobs and what the school expected. Then we were allowed to leave.
As I walked out of the carriage, someone tapped me on the shoulder. Scorpius. He beckoned me back into the carriage. I told Hugo I'd catch him up and walked back towards him and shut the door behind me.
"Look, I don't want our parents past to come between us. We're not them, and just because they don't like each other, doesn't mean we can't be friends. Just though I'd let you know." He said sincerely, and smiled again. "Well, I better be going. I'll see you later." And he left the carriage.
I made a quick decision, and turned and ran after him. I grabbed his arm, which I realised was incredibly muscley, so let go again. "Wait, umm; do you want to share my carriage? My friends already have one, it might be difficult get one on your own now." I said, trying to sound helpful, but really I just didn't want to say goodbye already.
"That might not be the best idea. I know you don't care about my surname, but there are a lot of people who do. I already have a carriage waiting. You're welcome to share mine if you wish but I'm sure you'd rather sit with your friends?" He said, and I think he really meant it. He was asking me to sit with him.
"No, I'd love to. Wouldn't want you to be lonely now would we?" I said, with a half attempt at flirting with him, which failed. I looked down the corridor to see the trolley lady making her way up the carriage.
"Okay, do you want me to come with you to collect your stuff?" He asked, ever the gentleman.
"I'll be fine, anyway, like you said, some people do care about surname. Be back soon." I said as I hurried down the corridor, to find Hugo and the rest of my friends. Well more my family really. We always sit together on the train, more tradition than wanting to, and I normally didn't like breaking tradition.
I entered the carriage, to find only Hugo, Albus and Rose sitting there, talking about some wizard band I'd never heard of.
"Where are you going?" Asked Albus as I lifted my belongings down from above his head.
"Somewhere, why does it matter to you?" I said defiantly, almost dropping my beautiful jet black owl Baltimore.
"Oh my God, you're going to sit with him, aren't you!" Hugo blurted out, then suddenly everyone went perfectly silent.
"Him? Who's him? Got yourself a boyfriend have you Lily? That's why you didn't want to stay on the platform very long, scared Mum and Dad would realise! I'm so gunna tell them. Aww, my little sister all grown up, it's taken a while." He said nastily, trying to upset me.
"Actually, it's not my boyfriend. And his name is Scorpius, not him thank you Hugo!" As I said this, Albus literally hit the roof.
"I don't believe you! Are you my sister or has someone but some charm on you so you can't see pricks when they talk to you. You do realise how much of an arsehole he is don't you, or don't you care, just trying to rebel against Mum and Dad. You attention seeking little brat!" He spat at me, his green eyes staring me down.
I just looked coldly at him, not very surprised that no-one had come to my aid. "I told him you'd be like this. Some people are just too stupid to look past a name and to the person behind it. Like if they looked at you rather than seeing you as a Potter, I doubt you'd be a Gryffindor." And with that I turned and left, carrying my stuff behind me.