Chapter 2: New Faces

Startled by the abrupt noise that broke the silence of her compartment, Jessica looked up from her book and was met by a blond headed figure standing just outside her doorway.

The door was opened by a small, pale hand and pulled aside to reveal a young boy. The stranger is obviously a first year and is about the same height as Jessica. He has short, neatly combed hair, and cold, gray eyes. He is carrying a small brown shoulder bag over his right shoulder and a large three foot tall cage with a black silk cloth concealing what it holds inside.

In a clear, polite, almost practiced voice, the stranger asked, "Excuse me. Do you mind if I join you? All of the other compartments are full."

Finding her voice quickly, Jessica was able to answer just as clearly and easily with, "Have it mate," as she nodded towards the bench opposite herself. Somehow she was able to make her reply sound more like a genuine, kind welcome compared to the reluctant answer she truly wanted to give.

"Thank you," the boy replied simply, quietly, and stepped inside the compartment to close the door behind himself. Then he sat down on the bench indicated and placed his carryon between himself and Jessica's belongings. His cage rested in between his slightly spread feet and he relaxed back into the soft padding of the bench.

Several minutes passed in mute silence. Jessica continued to read, turning a page as she did, while the young boy looked around the compartment. He looked as if he was trying to think of something to say to fill the loud silence that surrounded the space surrounding the two bodies in the room.

After a moment of searching, the stranger's eyes finally landed on a golden-brown furred body peering at him with small dark brown eyes from across the compartment atop of the girl's shoulder. "Hello, and who are you," the stranger asked gently, sounding more relaxed than when he had been speaking to Jessica.

Jessica looked down to her left shoulder to discover that her familiar had awoken when the stranger had walked in and was now staring him down from across the room.

The stranger scooted forward slightly in his seat and leaned across the compartment to offer his hand to the small animal. But as soon as he neared Jessica's space the hedgehog sat straight up on her shoulder and growled in the general direction of the out stretched hand. It was a very quiet sound, but the mammal was vibrating with the force he was using to make his voice and discomfort at the situation known.

"He's very protective of you," the boy realized as his withdrew his hand and sat back against his seat once more. Then, as a means of making conversation, the stranger asked, "What's his name?"

Jessica looked down at the small ball of courage to see that he was watching the boy's every move, every word he said, trying to decide if he was a threat to the girl who owned him or not. Jessica only had to think for a short moment before she turned to the boy sitting in front of her and replied with an amused smile, "Bilbo."

"That's a very handsome name," the boy commented nodding at the territorial creature in front of him, then readdressing Jessica, "He's still very small, must be young. When did you get him?"

"He was an early birthday gift from my mother. We purchased him before I came to the station today. My mother figured a familiar would make a good companion for me until I met anyone at school. He's only two months old."

"Mine was a gift from my father this summer," the boy said as he tapped the cage between his legs affectionately. "I'm surprised by how well yours has taken to you. Renee would hardly look at me the first week she was brought home."

"May I see her?" Jessica asked curiously, though she was expecting an immediate rejection.

"Oh, of course," the stranger replied, smiling, as he lifted a side of the silk cloth to reveal a beautiful red and orange feathered bird standing two feet tall in its large cage. Its eyes are closed and its breathing softly, unaware it is being observed. "My father said she regenerated a year before he purchased her, so she's still young. She won't have to regenerate for another 14 years."

"15 years between each regeneration, that's amazing. She's beautiful," Jessica complimented, gazing at the smooth feathers of the sleeping mythical avian.

"Thank you, on her behalf," then, dropping the cover from his hand, he looked back to Jessica and asked, "And who might you be?"

"Jessica Langer. And you?"

"Scorpius Malfoy. Pleasure," the boy responded as he offered his right hand again, this time leaving distance between them as not to offend the mammal still watching over the conversation.

Jessica obliged and their hands met in the middle of the small room for a few seconds. Bilbo tried to show his wariness of the exchange, but Jessica shushed him all the same. The mammal huffed a bit, almost as a sigh, and lied back down across Jessica's shoulder to resume his nap while their conversation continued.

"Malfoy. Where have I heard that name before?"

The boy became shy as he answered, "We're a family of purebloods. One of the last Pureblood families, actually. Many of my family members are known for having been Death Eaters. They all fought in the war nineteen years ago. All except for my father. He was supposed to fight with my grandparents, but when it mattered none of them wanted to fight under Voldemort. My father was able to put down several Death Eaters before he safely escaped with my grandparents. Both my father and grandmother were pardoned, but my grandfather was later arrested and sent off to Azkaban shortly after the war." There was a short pause in his explanation and when Scorpius continued his mood shifted slightly and his voice grew stronger as he stated, "Good riddance. He only left the battle to save his own life. It wasn't to save his wife and son, not because it was the right choice. He left because he couldn't fight, because he was scared. He was a bloody traitor, a coward, and a fool. My father is as much of a hero as anyone else who fought at the castle that day. If it wasn't for my father, my grandmother would have died and with the number of Death Eaters my father eliminated the number of casualties could have been higher that day."

"What does your father do now?"

Scorpius huffed an amused laugh before responding, "My father now works as a healer. He still feels guilty for what he did during the war, not that he did much to begin with. Still, its honest work. He helps people, when he can. He has a family, a house, a job. He's happy now. Far happier than he was in his earlier years of life."

"You should be proud of your father. In the end, when it mattered, he went against his family and did what was right. He was able to help those who fought and protected his mother. That's what's important," Jessica commented, not quite sure how to respond to such a personal story, so she decided to respond with a form of a compliment.

"Unbelievably proud. He's my father after all," Scorpius stated, grinning with pride. "What about your parents? Did they fight in the war?"

"My parents met out of school. My father is a muggle and my mother is a witch. They were dating during the last three years leading up to the war. As the war went on my father went into hiding with the rest of my family, while my mother continued to work inside the ministry. No one ever paid her any attention, honestly they still don't. So she was able to pass limited information to the rebellion from the inside. She was also able to hide several families while the war was taking place. Everyone in my family, excluding my mother, were safe in hiding and they did what little they could to help those who would pass them. But no. No one in my family fought in the final battle."

"Still, that's amazing what your mother did. There's no telling how many people she saved. She did as much good as anyone who fought in the war. You should be proud as well," Scorpius stated in awe.

"I am. My mother still works in the ministry after all these years and she helps as much as she can."

All conversation died after the exchange of their families' history. The two sat in near silence, listening to the soft sound of the train running over tracks that could be heard from inside. For a few minutes the two sat in the comfort of each other's presence. Jessica continued to read her book that remained open in her lap and Scorpius turned in his seat to lean against the wall, watching as the scenery passed by the large window in front of him.

They sat like this for twenty minutes. The train had left the station just over an hour ago and the two children were settling in for the remaining hours of their travel when suddenly the compartment door slide open once again. Once the door was standing open in walked a dark, solid black cat, with long, almost shaggy and thick fur, no smaller than a German Shepard.

The cat took a few steps inside the compartment and sat in the middle of the floor between the two benches with its excessively long tail wrapped around its body. It stared up at the two wizards parallel on either side of him with large, deep, rich golden eyes.

Out of nowhere the cat opened its mouth and projected a loud meow with a voice much deeper than most cats could produce. Not five seconds after the animal spoke and it was answered by a far less deep, imitational meow in response, and a lanky, pale boy with long, shaggy, jet black hair that seemed to resemble the cat's own looked into the compartment. He's a full inch taller than either Jessica or Scorpius and he has crystal clear blue eyes. When the boy looked into the compartment he was met with his feline's back sitting squarely in the middle of the floor and two strangers' puzzled expressions staring back at him.

"Excuse me," the raven haired stranger began in a far less practiced or careful voice than when Scorpius had entered the compartment, "I was sitting with my older brother when we left the train station, but his friends kicked me out after a while because they were bothered by my familiar after too long. Do you mind if we join you, everywhere else seems to be full?"

Jessica and Scorpius made eye contact across the compartment for a short moment before Scorpius invited the stranger inside. Closing the sliding door behind him, the stranger sat down on the end of Jessica's bench and motioned towards his familiar, signaling the cat to join him.

The cat in the center of the room however paid no mind to its owner. After scanning the small room the mammal's eyes landed on the small rodent lazing on the girl's shoulder. It had its eyes locked on the creature trying to decide whether to take it as a prize or not and was only pulled from its thought's when his human companion called to him verbally, a sign that the nocturnal mammal was not a choice in food.

The feline proceeded to stand from its position on the floor and stepped up into the boy's lap, an easy task for the over grown kitten. Once lying down, the cat's body rested on the bench and ended with its head resting on the boy's chest, taking up most of its' owner's body by doing so.

After the two were settled, the raven haired boy spoke to the two wizards still gazing at him questioningly. "Thank you for letting us join you. I was worried we would have to sit in the aisle for the rest of the trip. This is Fang and I'm Charlie Lester."

"Scorpius Malfoy," and the two boys leaned in front of the compartment door to shake hands in the middle.

"Jessica Langer."

"Please to meet you," and they also shook hands in greeting.

"I'm surprised your familiar didn't react more hostile towards us. Jessica's little demon growled at me for trying to introduce myself," Scorpius commented, trying once again to start a conversation to fill the space in the small compartment, now even smaller with the addition of two more occupants.

"Fang is actually very protective of me. He was looking for the least compacted compartment and wanted to get a read on anyone within it before I came in. We walked through half of the train because everywhere else is full. Fang ran all the way through this last car to open this door and let himself in," Charlie explained, pointing to the door behind him as he did and continued to say, "Fang has a gift for being able to read people. He must trust the two of you to an extent. At least enough to not hurt me between here and the school."

"Well, I'm simply flattered," Jessica commented, looking at the back of the black cat's head.

Looking down, Charlie realized that his companion had fallen asleep and rubbed his head fondly, whispering 'lazy' into the feline's ear.

"He's beautiful," Scorpius commented, "How long have you had him?"

"Oh, he's almost two years now. I purchased him as a kitten when he was only a few weeks old. He's my best friend," Charlie responded while stroking the cat's back fondly. Then he asked in return, "Do you have a familiar of your own?"

Scorpius replied by lifting the black cover off the cage once more to reveal the still soundly sleeping bird.

"Bloody hell, is that a phoenix?"

"Yes, her name is Renee. It's French for 'reborn'," Scorpius responded, smiling proudly once more.

"Amazing," Charlie replied as he watched the cover fall over the cage again. Then he turned to face Jessica and asked, "And who's the little ball of trouble?"

"This is Bilbo," Jessica answered, patting the animal's head affectionately which woke him once again.

Bilbo yawned and looked around the compartment, trying to wake himself up. Then his eyes landed on the second boy with a large cat lying across his figure and he began to growl again.

"Hey, easy. They aren't going to hurt us," Jessica whispered, trying to sooth her distressed companion.

Seeming to trust his owners calming voice, the creature on Jessica's shoulder ceased its growling, but continued to watch over the other bodies in the room.

"He's cute. He'll grow into a fine companion," Charlie complemented.

"I have no doubt," the young witch replied as she lightly scratched under the small mammals chin to sooth him further.

There was a beat of silence when Charlie noticed Jessica's t-shirt and decided to comment, "I love your shirt."

Jessica looked down at the blue orb on her shirt to remind herself what she was wearing that day, then replied, "oh, thank you," assuming the young wizard simply liked the design and had no idea what the symbol was or where it came from.

Scorpius asked curiously, "What is it," referring to the unknown sphere with a mock glow seated on Jessica's chest.

"Oh it's, just a thing," Jessica explained lamely. She had no idea how to explain a piece of technology that was created in a fictional world and set in a movie to someone from the wizarding world who has never seen technology and would have no idea what a movie is. Trying to explain further, and failing, Jessica continued to say, "It's a symbol from the Muggle world, but to put it simply it's really just a flashing circle."

"It's not just a circle. It's a symbol of hope," Charlie stated with his head held high trying to show a sense of self-importance to imitate the man who normally wore the blue sphere. Then he relaxed, but continued to smile as he tried to further explain the picture. "Or, a piece of technology invented by a very important man in a popular Muggle movie."

Jessica smiled widely at the recognition, "a very important piece of technology. A piece of technology I'm surprised anyone going to Hogwarts besides myself would have any knowledge of."

"Well, I'm familiar with that circle," Charlie said, pointing towards the picture, "for the same reason I know who you named your familiar after. I'm Muggle born and grew up with both Tolkien's stories and Marvel comics and movies. I actually have my own Marvel shirt packed away in my trunk. I was saving any of my Fandom shirts to wear on the weekends."

"That's awesome," Jessica gushed, amazed to have found someone who had equal knowledge to herself about a large portion of her life, cinema. "I'm actually amazed that you just used the term 'Fandom'."

"What, why? It's because I'm a male isn't it," Charlie teased with mock offense. "Have you never met an actual fanboy?"

"Never, there are only ever traces and whispers of them online. I honestly believed you were a myth," Jessica teased back.

The two nerds shared a genuine and relaxed laugh while Scorpius intervened their conversation, "What the hell are you two waffling on about?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It must sound as if we're speaking another language," Jessica replied with an apologetic smile. Scorpius nodded and waited for an explanation of the conversation that had just taken place.

The two Muggle borns spent the next few minutes trying to explain the idea of movies and internet to the boy who had never experienced even basic technology.

After almost no progress was made, Scorpius finally said, "Well whatever all of it is, you two seem to be infatuated by it."

"More than that. It's a large part of my childhood and I believe it will stay with me for the rest of my life," Charlie stated, wholeheartedly, referring to both internet and film.

"As it is mine," Jessica agreed solemnly.

"Honestly, I'd demonstrate what it is if I didn't want my phone to die sooner than it already will," Charlie stated as his hand unconsciously ran across the cell sitting in his left front pocket to reassure himself that it was still with him before he relaxed back into his seat once more.

"Oh, I know. I don't know how I'm going to go 3-4 months without a signal," Jessica signed.

"No, but do you know what I did? I actually forgot to charge my phone last night. My cell's already down to 60%," Charlie explained, talking with his hands out in front of him and around his familiar the whole time, exasperatedly. "I only have one portable charger with me. My phone won't last a week. I might actually die!"

"I was actually wondering when I would start going through withdrawal symptoms myself before either of you joined me," Jessica remembered, only half joking while half falling into a small depression as she took a moment to herself to look down at the floor.

Silence fell over the compartment once more. Jessica took the time between conversations to reach into her carryon and pulled out her own cell phone, turning it on to check the time. By now, the train had been moving at a constant pass for almost three hours. After a moment's thought, Jessica replaced her once again, after powering off the mobile, and decided she would take a turn in beginning the conversation.

Trying to sound as normal as possible, the shy girl asked the compartment aloud, "So, we've about seven hours left. Are we excited to get to school?"

"Oh, definitely," Charlie spoke up instantly as the conversation began anew, "I can't wait to be placed into a house."

"Neither can I," Jessica agreed simply.

"Surely you both know where you'll be placed," Scorpius intercepted. "By, if nothing else, where your family has been placed before you."

"My family has been placed in all four houses, so your guess is as good as mine," Jessica explained.

"My brother and I are the first wizards in four generations. I have no way of knowing other than my brother is in the House of Slytherin," Charlie also explained.

"I'm almost certain we'll all be placed in Slytherin," Scorpius commented, giving his personal opinion.

"How could you possible judge that," Jessica asked, curious about the logic behind such a weighted claim.

"Well, my entire family has been placed in Slytherin. And you two seem ambitious and fairly intelligent. It's simply an educated guess," Scorpius stated, smirking slightly.

"I'm not sure whether I should be offended or flattered," Jessica mused.

"Well I meant it as a compliment," Scorpius replied continuing to smile at the girl across from him.

Conversation died between the new acquaintances once again and, because there wasn't much more to talk about without a prompt, the three sat in a comfortable silence for about an hour. Jessica focused her attention back to her book and Bilbo soon fell back asleep. Charlie joined his own familiar and let his head rest against the feline's own as he went to sleep as well. Scorpius on the other hand focused his attention back to the large window, sitting with his right leg bent up on the bench as he rested his right arm atop it, left to wander in his thoughts. After an hour, the food trolley came down the aisle of the train. Each child bought their own chocolate frog and Charlie bought a package of BB's every flavored beans that only he was brave enough to taste. For the remainder of the journey to Hogwarts, the three young students ate their purchased sweets and continued to go between spurts of conversations and comfortable periods of silence.

Then, after a long and mostly uneventful ride, the train finally arrived at Hogsmeade Station. And though they were happy as the train finally began to pull into the station at a slow pace, the three new friends began to feel a rising sense of anxiety settle into each of their stomachs.