Disclaimer – I do not own anything apart from Annie and the plot.
"Annie!"
A flash of red hair, not unlike my own, comes flying in my direction, knocking the breath out of me, while in the back round I can hear my Mothers chuckles.
"Nice to see you too Lily".
Lily looks at Mum sheepishly, "you know what I get like on the first day of school Miss Samson"
My Mum grins back and pulls me in for one last hug, whispering in my ear "Try and loosen up a bit. Your always so serious, just enjoy being young". With one last appraising look over me and a goodbye to Lily, I watch my Mum disappear through the barrier back to the muggle world.
"Oh look, there's Alice" Lily pushes herself up on her tiptoes, holding on to my shoulder for support, " Lets get her and then get a compartment". I look over to see Alice surround by people as usual, the centre of attention, her face alight as she enthusiastically describes something to the girl next to her. Alice Prewett is the type of person who always has something exciting happening in her life and I am sure today will be no exception.
Smiling, I pick up my trunk and I hear a familiar laugh. As I look back to the barrier, my smile widens as I spot one of the people I've missed the most.
"Remus Lupin, still trouble I see?"
The sandy haired boy stops his teasing immediately, looking like a scolded child. His eyes turn innocent, reminding me of a puppy dog and I can't help laugh at his expression.
"Guilty" he replies cheekily, his eyes sparkling. He wraps his arms round my waist, his embrace almost as tight as Lily's and I take in his familiar scent.
"You know, I think I might have missed you Remus Lupin" I say smirking up at him.
"You better have, otherwise our friendship will have reached its ending Annie Samson "
"Are you breaking up with me?" I joke, faking a gasp.
"You wish".
I smile at the comfortable banter we have fallen into and look around for Lily. I finally spot her, arguing with James Potter, a common occurrence. Next to them Peter is fiddling with a strange looking item that looks like some sort Zonkos product. He catches me looking and winks, throwing it into a crowd of unsuspecting fourth years who are suddenly engulfed in a cloud of orange spoke. I roll my eyes at his antics, failing to hide my smile.
I turn back to the barrier once more, and as if he was waiting for my attention, Sirius Black walks through from the muggle world. My stomach flips and I stick - what I hope - is a nonchalant smile on my face as a greeting. As he walks towards Remus and me he oozes confidence, a talent he has mastered since the day he walked through that barrier for the first time. I can't help but feel just a little bit pathetic. I had hoped the summer would cure me of my ridiculous crush on one of my closest friends, but apparently the fates where not on my side these days. As he reaches us, he flashes that grin, the one I love to hate.
"So, did you miss me?"
I know, I know the characters all seem a bit bleh, but I promise they will start to grow up and get a bit more depth as we go on. I hope you enjoyed meeting them all anyway. Please review, feedback is greatly appreciated.