Wandering Waifs: Chapter Two
Dear readers and other writers
Those who do and don't fear spiders
Just writing to let you know
From this story my profit is nonexistently low
I do this all for fun
Not to be sued by anyone
None of these characters do I own
Except Lizzie who my imagination has sown
Seven Days Later
Elenora had dropped me off at King's Cross Station nearly twenty minutes ago and, quite frankly, I was worried. The Hogwarts Express was to leave from Platform Nine and three quarters in forty minutes and from what I could tell, it didn't exist.
I had even gathered my courage and asked one of the employees of its location only to be laughed at gently as if this was a regular occurrence. Standing between the Platforms Nine and Ten, I gripped my luggage cart hard enough to turn my knuckles white, my nerves getting the better of me.
Then, a family of red-heads passed, the smallest of which was a beautiful little girl who was asking "why can't I go to Hogwarts". At those words, I surreptitiously followed them, far too shy to ask for help outright, but figuring I could, quite literally, watch and learn.
From my rather discreet vantage point I watched as, one by one, the family went into the barrier between the platforms. Gathering my courage once more, I followed, amazed as I just drifted through as if the barrier had never even been there.
Upon reaching the other side I was surprised to have my, more quickly than was necessarily safe, passage out of the barrier hindered by two pairs of freckled arms. Looking up I was worried I was seeing double before noticing minor differences in their appearances and realizing that the owners of the arms were, in fact, twins.
"So" started the one to my left "you were following us" said the other, and in that instant I realized that they were part of the red-headed family who had led me to the platform. Blushing I managed to murmur out "I didn't know how to get to the platform".
Almost identical looks of realization flitted onto their faces as they said in unison "you're muggleborn". Worried and rather defensive I said "so" and attempted my most intimidating glower on them.
To my surprise they simply laughed and threw their arms around my shoulders. The one to my left who was slightly more freckled with a scar above his eye and whose arm was more securely around my shoulder introduced himself as Fred.
The one to my right who was less freckled, had a minute blemish on his nose and who leaned more introduced himself as George. I refused their assistance with my bags, but allowed them to lead me into a compartment towards the middle of the train where they promptly opened the window to wave goodbye to their parents.
My envy towards their tightly knit family must have been evident on my face because Fred, the one with the scar, gave me a soft smile before finishing his goodbyes by promising to send his sister a Hogwarts toilet; that made me laugh.
Soon, however, we had rolled far enough away from the station for quiet to reign supreme, that was, however, until a boy appeared at the door. "Hey, Lee" said George. Fred gave a shout of laughter and pulled the boy into the compartment into the seat next to George, situating himself next to me.
I tried to muster up the courage to say something to the boy seated beside me, but by the time I opened my mouth, the Trolley Lady appeared. All three of the boys looked at the cart hungrily before checking their pockets and sighing.
George raised his eyebrows in silent communication with Fred before Fred managed to ask "do you want something?"
Surprised at his politeness I was silent for a minute before pulling out a money sack Mcgonagall had given me for a little of the money from my mother's vault and said quite honestly "Yeah, but I have no idea what any of that is myswell how much I can buy with this."
Instead of being a greedy git like he could be, Fred instead grabbed a few galleons from her outstretched hand and ordered quite a bit of everything. I grinned up at him, for he was a bit taller than I was, and then proceeded to split our spoils among the four of us.
Five Hours Later:
Location: Hogwarts
We had finally arrived, I couldn't believe it. Everything seemed wondrous; after leaving our trunks to be transported to our rooms, my new friends and I locked arms so as to not be separated. Honestly I think that they were just a bit worried I would be trampled in the crowd.
We followed an extremely large man named Hagrid all the way to a great lake and went into boats to cross it. Lee shoved his way into the boat first, sort of worried that the twins whose mischievous nature had already become evident might push me in.
I followed, seeing as I was actually lifted by the twins into the boat bodily; they joined us right after, and I smacked them playfully almost losing my air of timidity. Then all fell silent when the castle came into view.
After exiting the boats we were ushered into the school and taken from Hagrid by Professor McGonagall. She looked as I remembered her, though she seemed almost taller somehow.
After a short speech about the houses given with surprisingly little bias, we were guided into the Great Hall. Then, a hat upon a stool sang of how it was the one to sort us into the houses that would shape our magical and academic careers.
The older students seated at their tables eyed us with scrutiny and many of my peers shrunk back from such glances. I wanted to, but was instantly anchored in place by my new redheaded twin friends who seemed much more at ease with the large crowd and who proceeded to wave to their sibling.
Most of the siblings waved back, the rather well muscled one they whisper-told me was Charlie was probably the most enthusiastic, and the tall skinny one with glasses, Percy, all but hid.
Waiting for my turn to be called up to be sorted, annoyed that my name came before both Jordan and Weasley in the alphabet, I glanced up at the staff table. Then I gasped; between a severe looking woman and a figure easily recognized as the headmaster, I saw a man incredibly similar in looks to the man in my locket.
Grasping at said locket I lowered my head from said Headmaster's suddenly inquisitive gaze and became immensely focused on the sorting of a large now Hufflepuff boy. I knew that my name would soon be called.
"Elizabeth Hunter" was called out and I hurried up to the stool. Placing the hat upon my head I resisted the urge to look back at the staff table and felt my nervousness melt away when I was met with the sight of my new found friends grinning up at me.
Smiling down at my friends I nearly jumped when I heard the sorting hat's voice in my head "Well hello there, what have we here?" rhetorical of course, and continued "plenty of brains, that I can't deny necessary for Ravenclaw; cunning and quiet, certainly not bad qualities for Slytherin, but there it is, loyalty and a certain amount of courage, so the other two houses can't be ruled out either, but where to put you?"
Nervously I thought "where will my friends go?" not necessarily at the hat, but the sorting hat certainly heard me.
"Well, the Weasleys have been in Gryffindor for centuries, but are you really willing to make such a rash decision?" it thought quickly back, "well, actually, that would be a good fit, you don't seem one to be put on by petty rivalries"
Out loud the hat called "Gryffindor", though seemed to glance at the Headmaster as if to say "with reservation". The Headmaster himself clapped and looked rather amused. The dark man's expression did not change, but, none expected it to.
Going to sit down at my now cheering table, the stockier Weasley brother who introduced himself as Charlie budged up a spot beside him and we managed to find room between us for Lee and George, Fred sat to my left and we ate our first Hogwarts' Feast.
Two hours, one pink haired Percy later:
I stared wide-eyed at the staircase above me as it did what I would have two weeks ago thought impossible, moved. Not like an escalator, but through the air freely. The boys seemed amused by my reaction but otherwise didn't seem terribly surprised.
Upon reaching a portrait of a rather obese woman dressed in pink, we were all stopped and Charlie, who was a prefect shoved his way forward, mindful of most of us smaller children In a loud voice he announced to her, for she did indeed move, "optima prima". The woman's frame swung forward, allowing us to enter into the Gryffindor Common Room.
The Common Room was everything a homesick child could dream of, rather worn though admittedly comfortable chairs and couches, a roaring fire, a red rug and rather Gryffindorish(for that is the only way to truly describe it) wallpaper, and the sound of laughter.
Rather tired, we all made our ways inside and then up the directed staircase "Girls to the right, boys to the left", as Charlie informed us. Receiving a surprisingly and rather comforting group hug from the boys, I made my way up into my new room and into my life at Hogwarts, the first home I've ever truly had.
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