The train station was crowded; parents fussing over kids, first years stumbling as they tried to figure out what they were supposed to be doing, students greeting their old friends.
A young blonde girl stood on the edges as she searched for her long time best friend. It didn't take her long, she knew where her friend would most likely be. It was almost routine now.
She walked through the crowd, weaving gracefully through the people, and to the outer wall, where a short black haired girl leaned again it, twirling a strand of hair around her finger in boredom.
"Why do you always insist on standing over here by yourself?" Annabel asked her friend.
The darker one didn't turn her head to show she acknowledged her, as usual, and instead spoke, her eyes still on the scarlet train.
"Because you and I both know I'm not exactly a people person, Bel." she replied.
"You could be. You just don't put enough effort into your social life, Jace." Annabel told her.
Honestly, it was teh truth. Annabel was the one who spoke to other people, who, though Jace was her best friend, had other friends as well, unlike Jace, who some might say was a little closed off.
"Why bother? You do enough talking for the both of us. It'd be a bit redundant, don't you think?" Jace teased her friend, her ice blue eyes shining as they always did when she was with her best friend since they were six.
"It's very hard work, since you prefer not to talk at all sometimes. I feel so used." Annabel said, grinning.
She didn't really mind though. Jace would occasionally follow her when she made plans with other girls, sometimes she'd go off somewhere, but it was all Annabel's doing, having others around. Jace put no effort into it at all. She had that aura of "fuck the world" to her. Not exactly friendly...
"Can we at least go find a compartment, Jace? I mean, I know this dirty place is your scene and everything, but I can already feel my lungs turning black from the smoke, and I'd like to get inside before they shrivel up and die. I've come to believe they're important organs, despite what you may think." Annabel said, shifting to stand in front of Jace and get her attention.
Honestly, girl had the attention span of a niffler. One minute they're having a conversation, next Jace is off staring at something. And this place was extremely dirty, and the air was thick with smoke. Jace happened to like that smell, but Annabel found it disgusting. She couldn't wait to get inside the train. She couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts either.
Jace shrugged, pushing herself off the wall as Annabel wove back through the crowd, her trunk behind her as she carefully maneuvered it around the groups of people, throwing Jace an exasperated look over her shoulder as the girl knocked down a first year without an apology or second glance as she followed.
It took a little while after they got on the train to find an empty compartment but when they did, both girls dropped into the seats, sitting across from each other.
"So, how're the boys?" Annabel asked.
Jace shrugged again.
"The boys are the boys. Jasper got a new job waiting tables at Mario's, and Johnny has a new girlfriend...Ellie...or something."
Annabel had known Jace's family, and vice versa, since she was six. She had come to know her brothers well. Jasper was extremely friendly, but Johnny was an acquired taste.
"Is she nice?"
"She dresses like a slag, just like all his other girlfriends, and I don't expect them to last long. She's probably shagging some bloke out by the dumpsters by the clinic right now while Johnny's sleeping, but I judge not."
Annabel snorted. This was Jace after all...
"Judge is all you do, Jacinda."
"Shut up. I don't judge."
"You do to. You have an opinion on everyone and share it, even if it's horrible, which it normally is."
Jace rolled her eyes. It was a few more minutes before the train started moving. Jace reached into her arm bag, unzipping it and pulled out a fluffy gray and white ball of fur.
"Jacinda Gamble! You had a live animal zipped up in your bag!" Annabel chided.
"Animal's got a name, Bel. She's Effy. Adorable, isn't she?" Jace asked, holding the kitten between her hands, right in Annabel's face.
"Poor thing...she better not end up like your goldfish did." Annabel warned, picking up the little kitten, shuddering as she remembered the incident.
"It's not my fault. It was a mere act of fate." Jace defended.
Annabel raised an eyebrow at her friend.
"What? The light fell into the tank on its own! And then the next thing I know...BOOM! No more goldie." Jace said; making an explosion with her hands.
"So it had nothing to do with the bludger that was running mad around your house?"
"Johnny set that off, I didn't."
"You encouraged him. And then if I'm not mistaken, that bludger knocked a picture frame onto the tank and then said light bulb fell and fried your fish."
Johnny Gamble was hard to handle, even Jasper could barely contain him, and Jace did nothing to help.
"Water under the bridge." she said, waving her hands dismissively.
"And fishes down the toilet. Heart of gold, Jace, heart of gold." Annabel said, shaking her head.
"Sorry, we can't all be saint Annabels." Jace muttered.
Prince, Annabel's Eagle Owl, hooted dolefully in his cage beside them as Effy watched him intently.
"I didn't get to see you much this summer." Jace said.
"I know. Jacob and Jason and I went on a vacation, giving the parentals some alone time, you know? Jacob asked Jasper if you guys wanted to come, but he said no. I think it was because one of the twins was sick...?" Annabel asked.
Jace groaned. Annabel knew she'd have much rather gone with her. She knew the Gamble family could drive her best friend insane. Especially her younger sisters, the twins.
"Yes, Johanna was ill. She stayed out all night at a friend's slumber party and Jamielyn shoved her in a pond or something, and somehow managed to catch a cold. Bloody brats." Jace muttered.
"The twins are cute." Which they were, adorable really.
"They're horrible. It's like they never got out of their terrible twos."
"I like them."
"Then you can have them."
Annabel rolled her eyes at Jace who slumped in her seat, heaving her leather-booted feet up onto the seat across from her, beside Annabel and folding her arms behind her head.
"Bel, we have to do something great this year." Jace stated.
"Why? Wouldn't that be what we'd do seventh year? You know, go out with a bang? We've still got a year left, Jacey."
In all honesty, she was trying to put Jace off. Jace had been known to get them into some spots of trouble in the past, and this sudden urge to do something worth while...was a little unnerving.
"I know, I know. But we should have reputations now, don't you think? I mean yeah, people know us, and you've got quite a decent amount of friends. But...we've just slid through life, don't you think? We need to do something great, something we normally wouldn't do. We need to live." Jace decided.
Annabel watched her friend curiously. A part of her was curious as to what she was planning, the other, more rational part of her brain was telling her to stop Jace before she got into it.
"Why the sudden urge, Jace? And besides, you already do what you want, like I do. What's the difference?"
Jace shrugged.
"Dunno, really. I mean, it's Johnn'y philosophy, you know? I figure, why not? Give it a go. Live life. We need to really live. Why not start this year?"
Annabel looked thoughtful. Perhaps they could try it...
"As long as we don't get expelled, or thrown in Azkaban or something, then sure." she said finally.
She really didn't look too good in stripes and chains...
"Were we that tiny when we were first years?" Annabel asked as she peered down the Gryffindor table at the new students.
"We weren't." the twins chorused.
Annabel and Jace turned to see the Weasley twins, Fred and George, sitting not too far away from them. Annabel felt her cheeks heat, she hadn't even noticed them...
"Yeah, you've always been tall and gangly, haven't you?" Jace said.
They pouted in unison.
"Well, you've always been on the small size, haven't you?" they retorted.
Jace grinned.
"It's a proven fact that short girls have the bigger boobs, boys. What I lack in height, I make up for in beauty." she said, sticking her tongue out, her tongue ring glinting in the light.
The twins grinned and Annabel flushed. Jace looked curiously at her as the twins turned to talk to Angelina Johnson and Lee Jordan.
"What's up, Bells?" she asked.
Annabel glanced down the table before looking coyly back up at her, a blush on her cheeks and Jace's mouth dropped, reading the look like she was an open book. She sometimes hated their twin-like telepathy.
"You fancy them, don't you!" Jace cried.
"Shhh! Keep your lousy trap shut, Jacinda! And no...I don't like them...just..."
Jace couldn't help but give a laugh.
"Which one?" she asked brightly.
Annabel looked suspiciously at her but answered anyways.
"Fred..." she said quietly.
"I don't know how you can only like one of them, they're pracitcally the same person." Jace said.
"No, they're really not Jacey, they're...they're unique individuals...Fred's the more outspoken one, you know. It's rather cute..."
Annabell spared a quick glance in the twins' direction, eyes straying to one who was talking loudest and her stomach twisted with butterflies.
"Got it." Jace said suddenly.
Annabel looked back at her friend. "Got what?"
Got? Got what, milk?
"That big thing we're going to do this year." Jace replied.
Annabel furrowed her brows. Uh oh...
"How so?"
Jace smirked.
"I'm going to get you the title of Fred Weasley's girl, you twit." she said.
Annabel's jaw dropped worriedly.
"No, no, Jace don't...just leave it alone." Annabel pleaded.
"Not gunna happen, love. You're gunna really live life this year, and the way you're gunna do that is by that little carrot top's side." Jace said firmly.
"Ooh, but Jace, he doesn't fancy me!" Annabel uselessly trying to convince her friend to just let it go, though she knew it was too late. Jace's scheming tendencies were showing already, there was no way to stop them.
"He will, by the end of this year, he definitely will, love. I'm officially making it my mission to get you and Fred Weasley together, by any means necessary."
This is not going to turn out good. Annabel thought to herself.