Many young, and inexperienced witches and wizards, all gathered around the platform of 9 ¾. There were cries and jeers and shouts of all kind. You could tell which were first years and which were seventh years. First years held their faces with anxiety and worry. What if they weren't going to be in the same house as their friends? Would everything change for them? Maybe, but all they could talk about was the fact that, they were actually going to one of the most prestige, and talked about schools in the entire wizarding world.
The red train screamed, reminding the students that they would soon be leaving for the long journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With rushed good-byes, and last minute kisses, hundreds of kids stepped onto the train, rushing to look for empty compartments.
One student couldn't be more anxious than anybody else. She had begun to get scared when she couldn't find the Weasley's, a family with which she grew up with. She had peered into a compartment, to find a brown bushy haired girl, whose nose was buried in Standard Book of Spells: Level One. Another person was one who she recognized instantly. He was a plump, and stout young man who had, had a toad on his lap, she smiled excitedly.
"Neville," She asked hoping that she was right about the fellow, and that he would soon recognize her as well.
"Lacey, is that you? Merlin! It's been so long since the last time I saw you!" The boy named Neville said frantically. "Come in sit! I'm sure you haven't found Ron yet. Oh, and this is… Well, I don't know…. Excuse me miss, who exactly are you?"
As the girl who was called Lacey sat down, the brown bushy haired girl looked up. "Oh, er, sorry. I'm Hermione Granger. I was about to say that I'm a new student… but… According by the looks you two are now supporting, you two are as well… Firstly, I should say that I am Muggle-born. Secondly, you should change into robes soon enough…"
Lacey and Neville stared at her blankly. "Are you a know-it-all?" Lacey blurted out instead of keeping it inside of her head.
Hermione smiled at them both, "Well, to make you both happy, I will say no, but I have read Hogwarts, a History. And it said that it was customary for first years to wear their robes to the famous great feast. And, I also heard that Dumbledore, who is the headmaster, is one of the greatest wizards of all time, and I just can't wait to meet him, I mean, imagine meeting a really really powerful wizard like him…"
Lacey and Neville groaned, they were going to have to spend nearly six hours listening to her go on and on about a school which they all knew so much about. Luckily, the food trolley had come around and she knocked on the door asking them if they had wanted anything from it. Lacey smiled and pulled from her pockets seven shiny gold galleons. She had gotten some Droobles, and a chocolate frog. Neville had said that his gran didn't give him any money for the trip, so he had to borrow some from Lacey. Lacey had offered to give some to Hermione, but she declined burying her nose back into her books.
"Hey, um, has anyone seen Trevor?" Neville asked suddenly. Hermione looked up at him and Lacey shook her head.
"What's a 'Trevor'?" She asked as Lacey smiled, "It's his toad, apparently he hopped out of the cubby. Don't worry Neville we'll find him. Wont we?" Hermione nodded.
They looked all over the cubby for the toad and they couldn't find him, "Listen," Hermione said, "I'll go looking in one direction on the train, Lacey, you look the other way. If we split up, we're bound to find him."
Lacey agreed and they had split up to find him. An hour later, both Hermione and Lacey walked back into the cubby. "Any luck," Lacey asked her. Hermione shook her head, "No. But, I think Harry Potter is going to Hogwarts as well."
"Harry Potter? I thought he was long forgotten…" Lacey said looking puzzled, Neville hadn't seemed to be listening to them and was still looking for his toad. "Was he with anyone? I mean surely he doesn't know anyone, because of who he has lived with for the past ten years."
Hermione shrugged, "Dunno, but he was with another first year, by the name of Ron Weasley, does that name mean anything to either of you?"
Lacey laughed, "It does to me! I've grown up with the Weasley's! They have seven kids! Seven! I knew Ron was starting his years here, but his gits of older brothers, pretend they don't know me at all… Man, if I get into Gryffindor, I swear the things I will do to them."
"Oh, you're talking about the houses aren't you?" Hermione said bright eyed.
"Well yes, but you have to get sorted into your houses; at least that's what my grandparents told me. I'm from one of the eldest wizard bloodlines you know? So, according to my family history, not one of my family members haven't not been in Gryffindor. But then again, my mother's side is a different story, but oh well, no need to brood on about the past is there?" Lacey said somewhat fast like. Neville knew she didn't like talking about her family, not since what had happened at least. Hermione had looked at her and smiled, she was content that Lacey wasn't going to tell them her family's history, seeing as how Hermione didn't come from a wizard family like she knew most people have.
"I think we should change into our robes, or at least you two should." Hermione had said out of the blue, Lacey and Neville nodded doing so. Alternatively, of course. They both looked at themselves differently and sighed, "I really don't like these robes at all. They make me look like a guy." Lacey said shaking her head. She does give off that demeanor, Hermione thought to herself. Lacey noticed her looking at her, "It's okay, you can say it out loud. I know what I look like. But just think, ten months of seeing me in this stuff… I don't think I'll like it."
The two girls smiled, Lacey was glad to have met a female person aboard the train instead of having to sit there and converse only with Neville. It was safe to say that the two of them were friends at this moment in time. When the night soon fell and the three of them were starving, the train slowly came to a halt.
The doors opened and hundreds of students filed out, and a booming voice called for first years. Lacey's and Hermione's eyes got really wide; they have never seen such a man so big before. He must have been at least seven and a half feet tall! The solemn faced first years made their way to the boats which were brought to them. They all filed in by threes and sometimes four.
They had climbed the stairs and gone into a wide open space; they all stopped and gawked at the sight of the ceiling in the room behind the doors. An elderly aged woman stopped them from entering and smiled a barely noticeable smile. She had told them about the certain houses, which had dwelled within this enormous school, and how the point system was worked out. Neville had found his beloved toad. She beamed at him and left and the kids suddenly started to talk.
A voice had suddenly struck Lacey, and she turned bright red. Hermione saw this, "What's wrong?" Lacey pointed to the blonde who was talking to the fabled Harry Potter in the front.
"And I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy…" the blonde said with a smile and Lacey bit her lip. Lacey looked at Hermione, "That's one of the Malfoy's. They're one of the richest wizards in the entire world. And I sort of have a crush on him. But you can't tell him though."
Hermione nodded, and the elderly woman walked back into the space and led them into the hall. All their eyes floated to the sky, not noticing the stool that held a ratty old looking hat in the middle of the room.
It took them nearly an hour to sort through all the first years that had come. Gryffindor's: Hermione, herself, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Dean Thomas, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnegan, and others. Slytherin: Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson.
Lacey knew her heart would drop when she found out if she and Draco weren't in the same house, but she didn't let that bother her. After Dumbledore had made his speech, food had appeared on the tables. Lacey soon punched Fred and George, Ron's two elder twin brothers. "Thanks for 'not remembering' me, you stupid prats! I had to sit with people I didn't know!" Lacey then looked at Ron, "Hey Ron!"
Ron smiled at her, "Hey, you've met Harry right?" Lacey shook her head, Harry somewhat smiled and she immediately said, "Well I've heard about him… I mean, Merlin! Who hasn't?"
Lacey looked at Harry and smiled, "I'm Lacey Kingston. So, you're Harry Potter? That's amazing, by the way what was with that row you had with Draco?"
"Oh, you mean Malfoy? Well, he wanted me to not be friends with Ron because his family was better than his. Which, I honestly don't believe. I mean, how anyone's family can be worse than the people I live with. I live with horrible muggles!" Harry said through mouths of food. He seemed to be acting like he hasn't eaten in days, if not weeks. Lacey smiled at him and Hermione saddened, "What's wrong with muggles?" she asked honestly.
Harry shook his head, "Nothing really. Just the people that I live with are, well, horrible. I mean I'm their nephew and all they do is treat me like a servant. So, if you are a muggle, then – hey, wait! Aren't you the one who fixed my glasses?"
Hermione nodded, "It's a useful spell. You should be sure to remember it."
Lacey looked at Ron and then looked at Draco. Ron suddenly picked up on this. "Just go talk to him. You've been ogling over him ever since you met him. I'm sure he's bound to actually say something to you." Lacey shrugged, "I dunno, I mean…"
Just then Dumbledore made the announcement that it was time for the students to go to bed, seeing as how they have classes first thing in the morning. The first years got up and followed their assigned prefects. They made their way past hundreds of moving paintings and up many steps. They had stopped in front of a portrait with a fat lady sitting in it.
Percy, the eldest Weasley in Hogwarts, had said the password, and he had mentioned that it would be a good idea to remember this. The lady swung open and they were led into a room filled with orange and red. Percy had directed them to where their dormitories are, and then walked off into his own. Hermione and Lacey looked at each other and followed the rest of the girls into theirs.
The next morning their schedules were handed out and they went into their assigned classes. The Gryffindors had several classes with the Slytherin house, and Lacey was sure to sit next to Draco if need be. When Hermione and Lacey got there, they found that neither Harry, nor Ron, had made it into their Transfiguration class. Lacey and Hermione looked at one another and pressed on.
"Welcome to Transfiguration. I am your teacher Professor McGonagall. In this class you will learn how to transform ordinary objects into many things. But first, open your books to page 124 and copy down the text." She had said and then transformed into a large gray cat and perched upon her desks.
Everyone had suppressed their amazement and began to work. Only to have Harry and Ron burst into the room with exasperated relief. Lacey smiled to her self and silently laugh when she saw Hermione shake her head.
"Bout time they finally got here…." Lacey whispered almost inaudibly. Hermione nodded quickly and finished her work. "You know, you and I work really fast… I think we got done at the same time. So, I was wondering, how come I have never heard the name Granger in the wizarding world?"
Hermione looked at her, "I am Muggle-born. So, I have never seen anything besides Hogwarts and Diagon Alley."
Lacey looked at her, "Wouldn't expect it though. I mean you know so much already. And the charms you did in breakfast were just amazing! You'd have thought that you were from a royal line of pureblood families."
"Well, I'm not… I'm quite happy being a Muggle."
"Why wouldn't you be? I mean, you don't really have any family name to live up to."
They had talked for the rest of the period whispering to one another and Hermione didn't feel that unsettled to tell her everything, and Lacey was all up for listening. She had always found the Muggle world interesting. She had never actually lived in any muggle city though. She wasn't like the Weasley family, who's dad was obsessed with it, she was just merely curious.
The bell had rung for their next class and they had all made their way to the dungeons. Lacey had walked in and took a seat. Unknown to her, the boy she had been most anxious to meet had sat absent mindedly next to her. She had started to panic a bit, but she tried to keep her cool.
"I'm telling you Goyle, this class is going to be the easiest ever. Snape will love us since we're in his house." Malfoy said as he put utensils on the desk. There was chatter in the room until the teacher walked in rather quickly.
Lacey looked at Malfoy, and smiled. And barely missed the question Snape had asked, she and Hermione were the only ones with their hand raised, but Lacey soon found out that he was only talking to Harry, and Harry alone.
Lacey looked at Harry struggling and kept her hand in the air for the rest of the questions. She tried to let Snape know that she knew it, as well as Hermione. Though, Snape never took notice of them.
The rest of the class was a disaster, she was paired with Malfoy, but he didn't seem the least interested in letting her help much.
"Shouldn't you let me help? I am quite good at potions…. My grandfather works at St. Mungo's for the herbal research department. I'm sure I could-"
"Don't be ridiculous! You can't possibly know much about this, I mean you're not actually a witch are you? You're one of them…"
"What do you mean one of them?" Lacey looked at him perplexed.
"You know… A Mud-blood."
"What? No. no… I'm a Kingston…. My blood is purer than anyone's no doubt."
"A Kingston… You mean as in the ones who-"
"Yes, as in those…." Lacey said her voice suddenly trailing off. Her head suddenly buried in her cauldron stirring feverently.
"Hey, um, look, I didn't mean to offend you. I know how hard it is to talk about it." Malfoy said almost seeming human.
"You do?"
"Yeah, I do."
Lacey smiled, "Lacey by the way." She said holding out her hand in friendship. Malfoy took it and shook it lightly. "Malfoy…"
"I know. My dad worked with yours. A long while back." Lacey laughed as Snape walked by them. He walked by them slowly as to hammer in on their conversation.
When the period was over Lacey and Malfoy said their goodbyes and walked over to Ron and Hermione, as Harry was still cleaning up.
"What was that for?" Ron asked her as she arrived and Malfoy smiled at her as he passed.
"What was what for?" She asked coyly, knowing all too well what he meant.
"Talking with Malfoy… He's a nasty git."
"He seems fine to me. Besides, Ronald, I'm allowed to be friends with whomever I like. You're not my grandparents… you don't take care of me on a regular basis do you?" Lacey looked at him and Ron fell silent. His blue eyes looked disapprovingly at her.
"I'm just saying I don't like him. There's something odd about Lucius Malfoy. My dad told me that he is seen working with Fudge against something odd… Dad doesn't know what… But he thinks it's odd."
"Well, I will certainly keep a look out. And Ron, me and him are just partners for potions. It's not like we're going to get married or anything." Lacey said laughing, leaving the dungeons with Hermione and soon enough Ron and Harry followed.
"There's something weird with her…" Ron said out of the blue while walking to the great hall.
"What do you mean? She seems perfectly fine to me." Harry said trying to keep up with Ron's long strides.
"Honestly, it's like she's fine one minute, and the next…. I dunno… She's just been acting weird…" The ginger said walking into the great hall to find it almost full. He saw Lacey and Hermione having a conversation about their upcoming Charms lesson.
"I've honestly have always liked Charms. They're really easy when you get the movements down. I know there are a lot of complex movements." Lacey smiled into her sandwich.
Ron sat down and stared at her, Lacey took notice to this. "What?" Ron shook his head and looked at Harry who noticed his owl coming at him.
"Who's that from?" Lacey asked him.
"Hagrid," Harry spoke admiring his first and only letter.
