Chapter two The scarlet train.
Trunks packed and ready Cady readied herself by the fire, as they were getting to Kings cross station platform 9 ¾, by flu powder. Cady had got every thing she needed for her first year at Hogwarts- having been to Diagon ally the previous week. "Ok, now remember, speak very clearly and don't drop Mouse. I will follow after you with the rest of your luggage". Caitie said in a motherly tone. Passing a little silver box that had been on the mantelpiece towards Cady. Cady took a good pinch and stepped smartly in to the fireplace- with the air of someone that had done it a thousand times. Throwing the power she cried "Platform 9 ¾ kings cross station!" and disappeared in a rush of emerald green flames.
Stomach still churning, Cady stepped out on to the platform. The scarlet steam engine was situated right in front of her. Heart hammering in her chest, she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Until this point it had all seemed too good to be true. Know standing on the platform, she was hit with a bombardment of emotion that she couldn't place, mainly astonishment that she had got into Hogwarts, and nervous, as she realised that she wouldn't se her sister in till Christmas.
Turning around swiftly causing her new robes to bunch up around her waist, she had changed just after cleaning out Mouse's cage; she noticed that Caitie wasn't behind her. Scanning the crowed looking for any sign of florescent green hair, Cady didn't understand why her sister had chosen this colour today, as she normally preferred hot colours like reds and gold, her old house colours. Just as Cady was beginning to panic, a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Not lost ma dear?" Cady turned to face the source of the noise. And found herself looking at a frail old witch. She had white hair, wrinkled skin and a pointed nose. But in her hand was Cady's own heavy trunk. The old witch however was having no trouble lifting the heavy weight (it was so heavy because Cady could decide what books to bring, so ended up bringing nearly her whole book self). Cady looked into the old witches' eye, which where he exact same shade of Caitie's, and said "ooooo…. You very nearly had me. But you forgot to change your eye colour, you're meant to be old so you shouldn't be able to lift that trunk. Annnnnnnnd it has my name on it" Cady pointed to the brass lettering on the side of the trunk. A smile formed on the old witches face then the smile faded and was replaced with a look of shear concentration. A moment later Caitie was standing in the place where the old woman had been. "Rats!! I thought I had you there!"
"You nearly did!" replied Cady with a stunning smile.
Looking around Cady realised that most of the students were saying their good byes and boarding the train. Turning around she found that Caitie was looking straight at her with a look of great pride. "You'll be fine." Caitie said, as if she had read Cady's mind. "Now remember, I don't want any letters home saying the you have been tricking your fellow first years" Cady gave a Caitie a look of surprise
"I would never trick people pretending to be someone I'm not, surly you know that?"
"Of course I know!" replied Caitie giving her a hug. "But you have to remember not very many people can do what we do, some people might be jealous, mean or envious. But don't let that bother you… Okay…" Caitie smiled "you know what I think I'm just worrying about nothing. As long as you have fun and be yourself you'll have a great time… I know I did!"
"Do you think that their will be anymore Metamorphmagi at school this year?" Cady asked intrigued.
"You never know… Might be, I know for a fact that Tedd Lupin is… But I'm not sure if he's still in school, I know that they had children of their own but I think you missed their year" Caitie wondered, counting down the years trying to work out how old the famous Harry Potter's godson would be now. She worked out that it was twenty years sense the demise of Lord Voldemort. Caitie had been seven, not even in school when it happened. And was in her sixth year at Hogwarts, when Cady had been born.
The whistle was sounded for the trains' departure. "Toddling toadstools! Is that the time? We'd better get your stuff on board before the train leaves!"
Struggling with the heavy trunk Cady managed to cram it in the luggage rack before turning around and leaning out of the window. Caitie hair was now bright red and hung in ringlets down to her waist. Her eye where bright green and she had decided to have freckles as well. "You look really beautiful!" Cady crocked, trying not to cry. Leaning out further she raped her arms around her sister hugging her tightly. "I'm really going to miss you! Please write to me!" Cady said whilst leaning back to look at her sister's tear stained face.
"Of course I will! You have a good time and I'll see you at Christmas!" Caitie said dabbing her eyes with the sleeve of her robe.
Just then the Hogwarts express began to move forwards slowly gathering speed. Throwing her arm out of the window, she waved franticly at the disappearing spot were her beloved sister stood. "I LOVE YOU!" Cady shouted unsure weather or not Caitie heard it. When the platform had completely disappeared Cady lent back inside. Just then she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass of the window. She noted that sticking your head out of a window at high speed is going to leave you looking like you have been dragged though a gnome patch backwards, this image was intensified by the fact the Cady's hair was short scarlet and flicked out around her oval face. Closing her eyes she imagined herself with dead straight waist length ocean blue hair. Opening her eyes she didn't even look back into the glass to know that she liked this style, as it was one of her favourites.
Now Cady was faced with another gut churning, nerve racking task. Finding a seat. Carrying Mouse in her cage she started of down the train looking for an empty compartment. The fist couple she looked into were full of scary looking sixth and seventh years. Continuing down the train Cady looked in each compartment. Each was full or had students older than her, once she could have sworn that she heard the word "Nipple" she hurried past that compartment. She was nearing half way through the train when she looked into the compartment. There were three people in this compartment, one girl and two boys. One of the boys was smaller that the other with shocking green eyes and deep reddish brown hair, the taller and more muscular boy had black hair and hazel eyes and a few freckles. The only girl in the small group was quite pretty with freckles and slightly bushy red hair, not the bright scarlet that Cady sometimes had, but the natural ginger red that ran through some families. The three children looked like they were deep discussion Cady was about to walk on to the next carriage when the taller of the two boys spotted her. Cady thought she must have look like an idiot, standing there not moving obviously trying to decide weather or not knock. Before she could decide weather or not to knock, the dark haired boy had got up and slide the compartment door open. "Can I help you?" he asked politely whilst looking her up and down, his eyes lingering on the blue hair. "Urrrmm… I-I was just w-w-wondering if you had any room?" Cady asked looking into the liquid hazel eyes of the unknown boy. "Sure, please come in" he stood back to allow her in, then closing the door behind her he said "I'm James, this is Rose and Albus, but for short Al" he said pointing to them in turn. "Hi…" was all Cady could think to say. She thought that she recognised those names from one of her many books. Sitting down on the empty side of the carriage so the she was facing Rose and Albus, James came and sat next to her. All three were staring at her, her hair in particular. James the older of the boys the asked "so I'm guessing that this is your first year at Hogwarts"
"You guess correctly" Said Cady "and I'm guessing that this isn't your fist year, am I right?"
"You are indeed." James answered a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth; he was enjoying the easy banter between him and this blue hair girl he guessed must be a Metamorphmagus, just like Tedd Lupin, although they were not relate by blood they were brothers as they had grown up with Tedd always coming around.
"So what year are you all in?" Cady asked generally curious.
"I'm just starting my third year" James said
"We're in our second year" replied Rose with a kind smile. Al nodded in agreement.
"Wh-"
"We're all in Gryffindor" James answered eyes twinkling. "So tell us, what is your name?"
"Oh sorry how rude of me, I'm Cady Eridani, and this is Mouse" she said pointing at her owl, surprised that she had not introduced herself properly. Then blushing as she realised that she sounded very posh. "Sooo… Tell me about yourselves" Cady said changing the subject.
"Well… what do you want to know?" James asked a cheeky grin on his face.
"Umm…" Cady was thinking fast, what should I ask? Something about school? No I know about school from all the books I've got. Something about pets? No not pets. About families? No I don't want to talk about that to people I don't really know, though they seem nice. While she was thinking she didn't notice the other staring at her, mouths slightly open. Rose was nudging Al and whispering, and Al was nodding and smiling. "What?" Cady asked confused, "What are you staring at me for?" just as she said this she noticed the her hair had turned the same shade as James's and had begun to lose its length. "Oh… Yeah...Well…" unsure of what to say Cady looked at them each in turn. Rose was the First to speak "I thought you were one! I knew it! But when you said your surname I knew, such an unusual name, it means: the River, right? Although I did wonder if you had put muggle die init and I was going to wait till we got to Hogwarts to see. Because anything that muggles use doesn't work at Hogwarts, I read it in-"
"Hogwarts a History" Al, James and Cady finished for her. They all looked around at each other before bursting into giggles. Cady was still marvelling at the speed Rose could talk, Cady guessed that like her Rose liked books which was nice to know. "Are you the only Metamorphmagus in your family? Are you related to someone called Tedd Lupin? He's like a brother to us, you see, our dad is his godfather. And he was one too" Al queried. Cady suddenly understood were she had read those names, here in front of her were the sons of the famous Harry Potter and Ginevra Weasley and Cady guessed by likeliness of the three that Rose was the daughter of Hermiony Granger and Ronald Weasley. Forgetting Al's question "your James and Albus Potter aren't you? And your Rose Weasley" Cady said looking again at all of them and wondering why she hadn't spotted it before. The eyes the hair the freckles.
"Yep that's us" Albus said in exasperation, obviously they had had people stair at them, ask questions and above all make assumptions. Signing Albus asked in a bored voice "So what are you going to ask? Anything you would like to say about our parentage?" Cady was stunned, what was he implying? That she should judge them because of who their parents are? Cady gaped at him trying to work out the hidden meanings behind his words when just then a witch pushing a lunch trolley called into their compartment. "Anything from the trolley dears?" snapping out of her state of shock she jumped up to look at what was to offer as she did this so did James, Rose and Al. Cady let then order first before buying some Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, a couple of pumpkin pasties, a Cauldron Cake, Liquorice wands and lots of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. When they were all seated again and tucking into their snacks, Cady breached the topic again. "Umm… So…" Cady said "no I have never met Tedd I have heard of him obviously theirs not a lot of people like myself around." Cady said in answer to Al's question the remembering that he asked about her family she continued "My half sister Caitie is one too, we share the same dad you see, but he's just a normal wizard. We think that our great grandmother was one but we can't be sure" she finished.
After that Cady spent the rest of the journey talking to Rose, Al and a few others of their friends, James had gone to see some of his friends in a carriage further down, Cady was surprised to find that they were not all Gryffindor's there were people from every house. In the end the compartment was was so cramped that half of the people left to talk in the next carriage along. Although a few stay one of those people Cady remembered was called Scorpius, she remembered his name because not only was he very handsome, but because he also had an interesting name.