Chapter 1 - The New Girl
Katie Ashford stood in the crowded station looking rather nervous. It was her first day at Hogwarts, and she was already dreading it.
She always dreaded the new day at a new school. No matter how many times she did it, she was always petrified.
Her parents stood with her, occasionally glancing at their watches as they waited for an opportunity for their daughter to step through the barrier to platform 9 3/4. They were dressed in muggle clothes, so as not to attract any attention, as was Katie, however the ruffled looking brown owl and broomstick were a bit of a giveaway.
Katie shifted to her other foot, and silently counted on her fingers.
One, two, three, all the way up to seven. Seven schools she thought, pretty impressive, this being the seventh.
Katie however, just wanted to settle at one school, and leave it at that. The fates unfortunately had other ideas. Katie's parents worked in the International Wizarding Relations department for the Ministry of Magic. This involved a hefty amount of paperwork, late nights, but worst of all, hopping from one school to the next as her parents dealt with various different situations in various different countries.
Katie was snapped out of her thoughts by a sudden pressure on her shoulder.
"Katie sweetheart? It's time to go, are you ready?" asked her father, his hands protectively on her shoulders. He hated not being able to take her to the train, but they only had a few minutes themselves to get to the ministry, and they could not be late.
"Yeah dad.." sighed Katie and took a step forwards, hesitated, then turned around and flung her arms around her parents.
"Katie!" cried her mother, but held her tightly anyway. The three of them stayed that way for a few moments.
"Come on dear, you have to go, the train will leave soon."
Katie heard the slightly anxious tone in her mothers voice, indicating that her or her daughter being late was not an option.
Katie released her grip around her parents, stepped back, and took the trolley in her hands. After a brief moment of good-byes she finally turned around, and without a second glance, stepped through the barrier.
Katie was immediately met with an uproar of noise and activity. It had seemed she was in a quiet world of her own, saying good-bye to her parents. She had wanted to look back so much, or even better to stay. But the quicker gone the easier, she reminded herself. No point in worrying, she would see them at Christmas, just like everybody else.
Katie tucked the broomstick under her arm, lifted her heavy suitcase from the trolley, and somehow managed to reach her owl's cage with the other arm.
She managed to get all of five steps before she stumbled and nearly dropped her owl on the hard concrete floor. She let the suitcase thud to the ground, and was wondering how on earth she could get these on the train without hurting herself when she heard a voice behind her.
"Hey! Need a hand?" Someone with messy black hair, glasses and hazel colored eyes walked up to her and gestured towards her suitcase, offering to take it. She nodded gratefully.
"Yeah, that'd be great thanks." She tucked her broomstick more securely under her arm, and followed the boy onto the train, silently wondering how on earth he found the strength to lift that brute of a suitcase. After they had gotten on she looked around nervously.
Where would she sit? She didn't know anybody, and was feeling slightly less than sociable. She decided the back of the train would be the best option, the front compartments would already be full anyway, she told herself.
She was about to relieve the boy of the suitcase when he turned around, causing her to nearly bump into him.
"Where are you going to sit?" he asked, making a gesture with his hand to the suitcase indicating he would take it where she wanted.
"Uh...well I guess the back, the front looks really full."
He smiled at her.
"Nervous huh? I take it you're new? I haven't seen you before." He said, turning around to take the suitcase to the back.
She hurried past all the students greeting each other in the corridor to keep up with him. They reached the back fairly quickly and she was finally able to answer him.
"Yeah I've just transferred. Again." She murmured the last word to herself, but he picked up on it anyway.
"Again? You've been in other schools then I take it?"
"I'd be surprised if there was a school I hadn't been to." She said. He laughed and she smiled, feeling slightly better about the whole situation.
"Look, you can sit with me if you want, the others aren't here yet anyway." He opened the door to the compartment, the same he and his fellow marauders usually sat in every trip.
She smiled and nodded, feeling relieved yet slightly more nervous. Others? Great, just what she needed, to be surrounded by a bunch of strangers making awkward conversation until the train stopped. Then again, making friends again was inevitable, she should be used to it by now. But she wasn't.
She walked inside the compartment and took a seat opposite the boy who had already gotten comfortable by the window.
She found he had lifted her suitcase and pushed it securely into the shelf above them.
"Thanks for taking my case by the way." She said, looking over at him. He smiled and ruffled his hair.
"No problem. Anything for a lady in need." He ruffled his hair again and she couldn't help but laugh.
"What?" he asked, a bemused look on his face. She managed to gather herself and answered him.
"Nothing, you just..well, you look like my owl." He glanced over at the scruffy brown creature and burst out laughing.
"Well thank you! It's nice to know my efforts at styling are appreciated!" He looked over at the owl again then spotted her broomstick. He whistled.
"Wow, nice broomstick! I've been dying to get a new one but money and me aren't friends right now. Do you play quidditch?" he asked eagerly. Quidditch conversations were normally wasted on his friends, who often couldn't care less.
"Yeah I love it!" she exclaimed, happy to have found a topic she actually knew something about. "I've been dying to get out and play again but haven't had a chance--" she stopped herself. Here she was getting ready for long conversation about quidditch and she didn't even know his name!
"Sorry," she began, "but what's your name?"
He grinned and held out his hand.
"James Potter at your service!" She took his hand and told him her name.
"Katie huh? That's a pretty name, so what's your favorite quidditch position?" She laughed at his eagerness and was just about to answer when three boys walked in, greeting their friend and shooting bemused glances over at the new girl.
"So James who's your friend? Didn't know you'd given up on Evans?" asked a boy with light brown hair, a grin playing on his face.
"Yeah mate, if I'd know you'd give up that easily I would have asked her out years ago and saved you the trouble." Said a boy with elegantly messy black hair and storm grey eyes. James punched this boy in the arm and he grinned.
"Never gonna happen Sirius!" He gestured towards Katie. "This is Katie, she's new so try not to scare her away."
Sirius took her hand and kissed it. "Lovely to meet you." He said, giving her a dazzling smile.
Katie raised an eyebrow and glanced over at James. Oh yeah, she knew what kind of boy this was, and knew just how to handle it. As the saying goes, there's one in every school.
"So James, I take it this would be the local womanizer?" James laughed and Sirius looked taken aback. Normally girls would be giggling and blushing like mad. The boy with light brown hair, catching the puzzled look on his friends face couldn't help but laugh.
"You'll have to watch your step mate, this one isn't gonna fall that easily!" The boy walked forward and extended a hand.
"I'm Remus Lupin," he said, and gestured the other hand towards a small boy with mousy hair. "That's Peter, and as you've probably guessed this is Sirius." He released her hand and took a seat next to James, as the seats by Katie were already occupied by Sirius and Peter.
"Oh, and don't take Sirius to seriously, he flirts with everything that breathes!" This earned Remus an acid glance, but Sirius grinned and laughed all the same.
"Well can I help it if girls simply fall for my animal magnetism?" Sirius said, shrugging.
"Yeah like you do nothing to lead them on!" laughed Remus.
"I'm insulted! You act as though I'm some kind of wild animal!"
"Well...." Sirius reached over and gave Remus a hard punch in the shoulder.
James, obviously used to this causal arguing between his friends leaned forwards towards Katie again.
"So anyways," he said, glancing over irritably at the interruption, "Favorite quidditch position?"
The three other boys in the compartment eyed her broomstick and groaned simultaneously.
"Don't tell me," said Remus, "We're in for another load of nonstop quidditch talk."
"Not if I jump out the window first." said Sirius, eyeing the catch on the window.
James looked over at his companions, treating them with an extra evil looking glance.
"Don't worry about them, they have no culture."
Katie sat back and laughed, if this was the company she was stuck with, maybe Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all."
Katie Ashford stood in the crowded station looking rather nervous. It was her first day at Hogwarts, and she was already dreading it.
She always dreaded the new day at a new school. No matter how many times she did it, she was always petrified.
Her parents stood with her, occasionally glancing at their watches as they waited for an opportunity for their daughter to step through the barrier to platform 9 3/4. They were dressed in muggle clothes, so as not to attract any attention, as was Katie, however the ruffled looking brown owl and broomstick were a bit of a giveaway.
Katie shifted to her other foot, and silently counted on her fingers.
One, two, three, all the way up to seven. Seven schools she thought, pretty impressive, this being the seventh.
Katie however, just wanted to settle at one school, and leave it at that. The fates unfortunately had other ideas. Katie's parents worked in the International Wizarding Relations department for the Ministry of Magic. This involved a hefty amount of paperwork, late nights, but worst of all, hopping from one school to the next as her parents dealt with various different situations in various different countries.
Katie was snapped out of her thoughts by a sudden pressure on her shoulder.
"Katie sweetheart? It's time to go, are you ready?" asked her father, his hands protectively on her shoulders. He hated not being able to take her to the train, but they only had a few minutes themselves to get to the ministry, and they could not be late.
"Yeah dad.." sighed Katie and took a step forwards, hesitated, then turned around and flung her arms around her parents.
"Katie!" cried her mother, but held her tightly anyway. The three of them stayed that way for a few moments.
"Come on dear, you have to go, the train will leave soon."
Katie heard the slightly anxious tone in her mothers voice, indicating that her or her daughter being late was not an option.
Katie released her grip around her parents, stepped back, and took the trolley in her hands. After a brief moment of good-byes she finally turned around, and without a second glance, stepped through the barrier.
Katie was immediately met with an uproar of noise and activity. It had seemed she was in a quiet world of her own, saying good-bye to her parents. She had wanted to look back so much, or even better to stay. But the quicker gone the easier, she reminded herself. No point in worrying, she would see them at Christmas, just like everybody else.
Katie tucked the broomstick under her arm, lifted her heavy suitcase from the trolley, and somehow managed to reach her owl's cage with the other arm.
She managed to get all of five steps before she stumbled and nearly dropped her owl on the hard concrete floor. She let the suitcase thud to the ground, and was wondering how on earth she could get these on the train without hurting herself when she heard a voice behind her.
"Hey! Need a hand?" Someone with messy black hair, glasses and hazel colored eyes walked up to her and gestured towards her suitcase, offering to take it. She nodded gratefully.
"Yeah, that'd be great thanks." She tucked her broomstick more securely under her arm, and followed the boy onto the train, silently wondering how on earth he found the strength to lift that brute of a suitcase. After they had gotten on she looked around nervously.
Where would she sit? She didn't know anybody, and was feeling slightly less than sociable. She decided the back of the train would be the best option, the front compartments would already be full anyway, she told herself.
She was about to relieve the boy of the suitcase when he turned around, causing her to nearly bump into him.
"Where are you going to sit?" he asked, making a gesture with his hand to the suitcase indicating he would take it where she wanted.
"Uh...well I guess the back, the front looks really full."
He smiled at her.
"Nervous huh? I take it you're new? I haven't seen you before." He said, turning around to take the suitcase to the back.
She hurried past all the students greeting each other in the corridor to keep up with him. They reached the back fairly quickly and she was finally able to answer him.
"Yeah I've just transferred. Again." She murmured the last word to herself, but he picked up on it anyway.
"Again? You've been in other schools then I take it?"
"I'd be surprised if there was a school I hadn't been to." She said. He laughed and she smiled, feeling slightly better about the whole situation.
"Look, you can sit with me if you want, the others aren't here yet anyway." He opened the door to the compartment, the same he and his fellow marauders usually sat in every trip.
She smiled and nodded, feeling relieved yet slightly more nervous. Others? Great, just what she needed, to be surrounded by a bunch of strangers making awkward conversation until the train stopped. Then again, making friends again was inevitable, she should be used to it by now. But she wasn't.
She walked inside the compartment and took a seat opposite the boy who had already gotten comfortable by the window.
She found he had lifted her suitcase and pushed it securely into the shelf above them.
"Thanks for taking my case by the way." She said, looking over at him. He smiled and ruffled his hair.
"No problem. Anything for a lady in need." He ruffled his hair again and she couldn't help but laugh.
"What?" he asked, a bemused look on his face. She managed to gather herself and answered him.
"Nothing, you just..well, you look like my owl." He glanced over at the scruffy brown creature and burst out laughing.
"Well thank you! It's nice to know my efforts at styling are appreciated!" He looked over at the owl again then spotted her broomstick. He whistled.
"Wow, nice broomstick! I've been dying to get a new one but money and me aren't friends right now. Do you play quidditch?" he asked eagerly. Quidditch conversations were normally wasted on his friends, who often couldn't care less.
"Yeah I love it!" she exclaimed, happy to have found a topic she actually knew something about. "I've been dying to get out and play again but haven't had a chance--" she stopped herself. Here she was getting ready for long conversation about quidditch and she didn't even know his name!
"Sorry," she began, "but what's your name?"
He grinned and held out his hand.
"James Potter at your service!" She took his hand and told him her name.
"Katie huh? That's a pretty name, so what's your favorite quidditch position?" She laughed at his eagerness and was just about to answer when three boys walked in, greeting their friend and shooting bemused glances over at the new girl.
"So James who's your friend? Didn't know you'd given up on Evans?" asked a boy with light brown hair, a grin playing on his face.
"Yeah mate, if I'd know you'd give up that easily I would have asked her out years ago and saved you the trouble." Said a boy with elegantly messy black hair and storm grey eyes. James punched this boy in the arm and he grinned.
"Never gonna happen Sirius!" He gestured towards Katie. "This is Katie, she's new so try not to scare her away."
Sirius took her hand and kissed it. "Lovely to meet you." He said, giving her a dazzling smile.
Katie raised an eyebrow and glanced over at James. Oh yeah, she knew what kind of boy this was, and knew just how to handle it. As the saying goes, there's one in every school.
"So James, I take it this would be the local womanizer?" James laughed and Sirius looked taken aback. Normally girls would be giggling and blushing like mad. The boy with light brown hair, catching the puzzled look on his friends face couldn't help but laugh.
"You'll have to watch your step mate, this one isn't gonna fall that easily!" The boy walked forward and extended a hand.
"I'm Remus Lupin," he said, and gestured the other hand towards a small boy with mousy hair. "That's Peter, and as you've probably guessed this is Sirius." He released her hand and took a seat next to James, as the seats by Katie were already occupied by Sirius and Peter.
"Oh, and don't take Sirius to seriously, he flirts with everything that breathes!" This earned Remus an acid glance, but Sirius grinned and laughed all the same.
"Well can I help it if girls simply fall for my animal magnetism?" Sirius said, shrugging.
"Yeah like you do nothing to lead them on!" laughed Remus.
"I'm insulted! You act as though I'm some kind of wild animal!"
"Well...." Sirius reached over and gave Remus a hard punch in the shoulder.
James, obviously used to this causal arguing between his friends leaned forwards towards Katie again.
"So anyways," he said, glancing over irritably at the interruption, "Favorite quidditch position?"
The three other boys in the compartment eyed her broomstick and groaned simultaneously.
"Don't tell me," said Remus, "We're in for another load of nonstop quidditch talk."
"Not if I jump out the window first." said Sirius, eyeing the catch on the window.
James looked over at his companions, treating them with an extra evil looking glance.
"Don't worry about them, they have no culture."
Katie sat back and laughed, if this was the company she was stuck with, maybe Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad after all."