Trains and Toads

"MUM! Not here! People!"

Preston was trying to pry his mother off him as a group of 6th year girls looked over in his direction, giggling as they did so.

"I won't be seeing you until Christmas! I need to do this." She sobbed.

"What? Suffocate me?"

She finally released him and Preston took a few steps back. "I'm going to go load the stuff on the train." In truth he was trying to run away before his mother decided to try and fix his hair. He wandered off and all attention was on Ramona who was now wrapped in her mother's arms.

"Oh my little Rammy!"

"Mum…can't…breathe." Ramona waggled her arms and gave a pleading look to her father. "Come on now Rachel. You'll kill the poor girl." Ramona's dad dragged her mum up and the girl could finally breathe again.

"I'm sorry... just look at her, she is all grown up."

"She's only a first year. She's got at least seven years before she flies the nest." Rachel now had tears in her idea from the idea that in seven years both her kids would finally be gone. "Besides. No more screaming or arguing till Christmas. Just...peace and quiet." Her husband said with a small grin.

"I guess you're right."

"Rachel!" She spun round and saw Mr. and Mrs. Wesley and their only daughter walking up the platform.

"Jerome."

"Arthur"

The heads of the families gave each other a nod. "How are things down in The Muggle Artifacts Office?"

"Good, splendid. Some really interesting stuff down there I must say. How things down in the Auror department."

"Not much has been happening to be perfectly honest. The occasional nut job here and there but, apart from that it's been rather quiet." The two men continued their discussion as the young girls greeted each other.

"Hello Ginny."

"Hey Ramona. You're so lucky you get to start this year!" Ginny had been going on for ages how she wanted to start at Hogwarts. "I guess." Ramona shrugged as nerves played in her tummy. "Where's Ron?"

"Oh He's on the train already. You'll never guess who he is with!"

"Who?"

Ginny bent in close to Ramona's ear. "Harry Potter." She whispered. Ramona was a bit stunned. "Harry Potter...as in…You know who couldn't kill him Harry Potter?"

"Yeah. Fred told my mum!"

Just then the whistle of the train went and Preston came running over grabbing Ramona's hand. "We got to go. Bye!" but before they could run off their dad placed a hand on Preston's shoulder halting him in his tracks. "Now you listen here, No funny business Preston do you understand me? I don't want to receive any more owls about you misbehaving, or you mother will send a howler."

"Yeah, yeah ok." Preston rolled his eyes. His mother gave that threat every year and he had never received one once. "And you Missy." Jerome kneeled down to his daughter's height. "Have fun, you'll make lots of friends I'm sure of it." He looked around and leaned in, his voice very low. "Also you're our little spy for making sure Preston doesn't try to burn the school down." Ramona giggled and hugged her dad tightly. "Thanks Daddy."

Preston Grabbed his sister's hand and they ran over to the train. "You kids be careful!" Their Mum shouted, slight tears in her eyes. The train started to move and the siblings hang out of the window waving goodbye to until the platform was out of sight. "Right. I'm going to go with my friends. You ok?"

"I might try and find Ron actually. Ginny told me he was sitting next to Harry Potter."

"Whoa. THE Harry Potter?"

"Uh huh. I wonder if he has the scar."

"Bloody Hell. Well if you can't find him come and find me, I'll be up the other end of train."

He gave her a grin before wandering off and Ramona went in the other direction. She peaked into the compartments not being able to find Ron. She eventually came across a compartment with a couple of girls in, they all looked her age and she honestly couldn't be bothered to look for Ron anymore.

"Uh, excuse me, Can I sit here?"

"Of Course! Are you a first year?" The girl that spoke had red hair and chubby cheeks and Ramona took the free seat next to her. "Yeah. Are you all first years?" "Yeah. I'm Susan Bones and that's Hannah."

The pink faced girl with blond pigtails waved at me "Hannah Abbott"

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Ramona Hodges."

"What's happening to your hair?" Susan's mouth was hung wide open as she pointed at Ramona's hair. Ramona grabbed one of her pigtails and realised it had turned a soft pink colour. "Oh that, uh...I guess I'm just nervous."

"Your hair changes colour when you're nervous!" Hannah exclaimed. Ramona Shrugged trying not to make a big deal out of it. "Sometimes. I'm a Metamorphmagus we can change our looks and stuff. Sometimes it just happens when I am nervous or something. I can't really help it."

The two girls sat there starring at her, Ramona was half expecting them to start calling out freak and weirdo any minute. Susan was the first one to speak. "That. Is…so cool."

"Really?" Ramona asked a little shocked.

"Yeah! Could you make your hair go green?" Hannah enquired and Ramona changed her hair to a light green colour as the other girls starred on in disbelief. "You are so cool."

Most of the train journey was spent snacking on sweets, getting to know each other and talking about Hogwarts.

"I heard there are ghosts."

Susan sat there wide eyed. "Ghosts?" Ramona nodded her head. "Yup, my big brother said that each house has its own ghost. Gryffindor has Nearly Headless Nick."

Suddenly the compartment door slid open and a short, brown haired, round faced boy stood there. "Excuse me...have any of you seen my toad?"

The girls all looked at each other but Ramona was the only one to answer. "No we haven't sorry. What's his name?"

"Trevor." The boy said shyly.

"Well... if we see him we'll tell you. What's your name?"

The boy shuffled his feet trying to avoid eye contact. "Ne..Ne…Neville…L…Longbottom."

"Ok Neville. If I see him I will tell you."

Neville gave a quick shy smile before quickly shutting the door and running away.

"Well he was weird." Hannah said.

"He seemed ok." Ramona talked but was still starring at the now empty doorway.

"Who has a toad as a pet?"