Hate Is A Really Strong Word
Chapter 2: Purple And Orange
I guessed we were about an hour into the train trip. I wasn't exactly sure seeing as my watch was buried somewhere in my trunk and I didn't feel like going through all the trouble of getting just to know the time. In that hour though I had buried my nose in my book and made a lot of reading progress. While I was reading the twins and their friend had planned at least two pranks that would be happening in the Gryffindor common room sometime that night and five or six people had dropped in to say hello. Dropped in to say hello to the twins or Lee in case you were wondering. I have never really been a social butterfly, more like a social spider. Everyone prefers a butterfly to a spider. It didn't bother me much though. I've always preferred my own company to that of others, maybe because I was an only child. Still I'd have hoped at least one of my few friends would have dropped by. It was becoming rather obvious that I wasn't very popular among the school community, then again I never tried or wanted to be.
At the moment I was mulling over the reason why I had never really gotten to know the Weasley twins or Lee. I had filled in when our Quidditch team was a player short, not to mention we were in the same house, but for three years I'd been at school we'd just seemed to never come in contact with each other. Probably because I'm never in the common room when everyone else is, I know that's how a lot of the Gryffindors get to know each other. This thinking period of mine was disrupted when I felt someone poke me in the shoulder.
"I know where I've seen you before," George said as I looked up from my book, "you're that girl who fills in during Quidditch for us."
"Hey you are!" Fred exclaimed, "Jay...Jemma..J-" I saved him the trouble of rambling on any longer.
"Joanna Winters. Fourth year student."
"That's it," Fred grinned before they went back to their conversation about what brand of stink bombs worked best. Looks like talking-to-that-other-person-in-the-compartment-time was over. All I can say was I was really glad when the sliding door of the compartment opened and a soft voice called out.
"Hello Joanna, how are you today?" I looked up to see a long, blond haired girl standing in the doorway, a bundle of school robes clutched in her arms.
"Hey Luna," I replied, smiling at the girl. She was two years younger than me and in Ravenclaw but ever since I hexed some idiot who was annoying her on the second day of school last year we had become rather close friends. I had a habit of befriending the oddest people.
"I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to change into our school robes, before everyone else also decides too?" Luna was facing my general direction but I had a feeling she was actually staring at something out of the window behind me.
"Sure Luna," I said, putting my book down on the seat before reaching up and fumbling around in my trunk for my robes. I would be happy to leave the small stuffy compartment and the three boys in it. Maybe I'd find some of my other friends while we were walking around the train. Finally I found my robes, much faster that I would have expected, and pulled them out. The boys had quieted down watching as I left.
"Okay, let's go," I said once I had closed the compartment door and quickly followed Luna out into the corridor. "So, how was your break?" I asked Luna politely.
"Oh I enjoyed it very much," she said as we started walking to the small bathroom, "I went Angargrious hunting in the yard, it's quite difficult actually."
"Angargi-what?"
"Angargrious. Little creatures that people accidentally swallow which then makes them grumpy and nasty until they are able to cough it back up," she said as though I should know what these things are.
"Oh, of course. Continue please," I said as she continued on about the appropriate way to catch the Angragai… Anagro… whatever.
--
After changing we spent some time wandering around the train corridors, bumping into familiar faces here and there. We stopped at one compartment so I could catch up with Katie Bell, another acquaintance of mine. While we were there, chatting about the up coming school year, the lunch trolley rolled around. After everyone had brought something to eat we continued on with our discussion of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"Are you still filling in this year?" Katie asked while searching through a box of every flavor beans.
"If Wood still let's me," I replied.
Katie laughed, "Of course he would, you're defiantly a good player and you work well with the rest of the team."
"Well I'm not going to argue with that," I smiled, "Anyway, Luna and I should get going."
"I'll see you later then," Katie replied. Just as Luna and I stood up and were about to leave Katie's compartment we were thrown back onto the seats as the train came to an abrupt stop.
"That hasn't happened before," Luna pointed out.
"We're not there already are we?" I asked trying to peer out the window but not having much luck seeing through the thick rain that was bucketing down outside. When had that started?
"No, we still have just over an hour before we reach Hogsmeade Station," Katie confirmed for me. That was when the lights flickered and went out.
"My word," Luna breathed, as it suddenly got much colder in the train.
"Did someone leave a window open," I joked quietly but nobody laughed. For some reason nothing seemed happy anymore, I could only dwell on everything that had gone wrong in my life, everything that had ever made me sad. I wonder if this feeling is what makes people suicidal. Gosh, I needed to get a grip on myself. Then, as quickly as it had come the lights flickered back into life and the cold disappeared. The train gave a lurch and suddenly we were moving again.
"That was just weird," Katie said, one of her friends in the compartment nodding in agreement.
"Tell me about it," I replied, still trying to shake off the odd feeling. That had to be the Dementors my father had been telling me about. Apparently they were being placed around the school by the Ministry to prevent Sirius Black from getting in, nothing was mentioned about them searching the train though. I have to admit some warning would have been nice before I had all the happiness sucked out of me.
"Let's go Luna," I said and we left the compartment quietly. I dropped Luna off at her compartment where another Ravenclaw girl sat along with a small kid I had never seen before. It was probably a first year. The poor thing looked like he was about to pass out and I wouldn't blame him if he just had the same Dementor experience we had.
"Are you going to go back to your compartment or are you going to sit with us for the rest of the trip?" Luna asked sitting down next to the other Ravenclaw and pulling a magazine out of her pocket.
"I'll just go get my stuff and come join you," I said and she nodded absentmindedly, eyes fixed on the magazine in her hands. I hurried down the corridor and back to my compartment. From what I could see Fred, well I assume it was still Fred unless he and George switched places since I left, was talking quietly to Lee, again, and George had his face hidden behind my book. He'd obviously picked it up while I was gone.
I opened the door and stepped into the compartment, unaware that I was about to become the victim of a very un-funny prank. Well, un-funny for me.
The balloon dropped onto my head and burst, sending a cascade of purple and orange slime down my face and hair. I froze, too startled to do anything as the others burst out laughing. Great, just what I needed. With a scowl I wiped off the slime that was falling into my eyes and pulled Aquarius down from the luggage rack along with my trunk, not caring when the heavy piece of luggage 'accidentally' hit Fred hard on the knee as I dragged it out of the compartment. As I passed George I snatched my book out of his hands and made sure to slam the door as forcefully as I could. In my anger I hadn't seen, or heard, one of the twins cast a spell as I left which would be something I would regret later on. I could still hear them laughing, not only at me now but also Fred who was clutching his knee, as I stalked down the corridor.
When I reached Luna's compartment she looked up, slightly startled by my loud entry. The first year boy looked like he might start laughing but thought twice about it when I turned my glare on him. I closed the door and sat down next to the first year, whipping out my wand and trying to decide on the best approach to cleaning up the mess of slime sliding down my hair. After a moment I muttered a spell and the slime disappeared. I sighed in relief.
"Does that look better?" I asked. I got no response, they all just stared at me until the first year boy spoke up.
"You hair is still purple and orange."
"What!" I yelled, taking the mirror Luna's Ravenclaw friend, who I later learned was called Stephanie, handed me wordlessly. He was right, the slime was gone but my hair was now purple and orange. I spent the rest of the trip trying unsuccessfully to return my hair to it's normal brown. When we reached Hogsmeade station I ended up just pulling my robe's hood up over my head to hide my hair. I would have to figure out how to get rid of the color later that night. As I climbed into one of the invisible horse drawn carriages with Luna and Stephanie, the first year had left to find Hagrid, I noticed Fred, George and Lee climbing into the carriage that stood behind ours. They were laughing again, no doubt at me, and I sunk down further into the seat as Luna and Stephanie gave me sympathetic looks.