Alle glanced out of the window at the countryside rolling by. You'd think after four full years of going to a school of magic, she'd have adjusted by now to the feeling of knowing that she can do more, but she hadn't. There was just something about waking up in the morning being able to do the extraordinary that was still unfamiliar to her. It's not like the fact that her parents barely know what magic is helps that. They're scared. They don't want to have to face the reality that their daughter just isn't normal. It's those times that make her hate being a muggle born. It's not when people call her a mudblood, she was used to that. They were scared of her and that was the worst feeling in the world.
"Oh and I'm so excited about the feast this year. It'll be nice not to be the one wearing the sorting hat, but don't worry; I'm sure you'll be fine." Avery had refused to let her sit elsewhere. She loved her cousin of course, but on occasion the girl could be too much. She had invited a couple of first years to come sit with them. The poor dears were most likely regretting accepting the offer. Two other students had joined them as well. A Slytherin boy she knew well as just another self centered arrogant jerk, well she hadn't really spoken to him much but judging by the girl attached to his side he was.
She turned back to her book, eager to finish in time to be ahead to the point where Snape would have no choice but to give her extra work. You would think that the professor would be more than happy to give a student extra work to do and he was generally when it came to all students excluding Alle. He hated her. Hated. Whenever she would raise her hand to answer a question or even ask a question he would frown, sometimes ignoring her, and then there was the whole thing with the Weasley. He was a disappointment, and the reason she would never be head girl. Maybe he would come around eventually, probably not though.
"Don't you think, Alle?" Her gaze didn't turn from her book but she nodded along with whatever point her cousin was attempting to make. It was probably something else about the food or Hufflepuff, that was usually it. She had bigger plans for this year than to just eat and socialize. She was going to train to become great. If only there was a professor who cared enough to help.
"Ah hello, Jonsie. Still have your nose in a book I see." She didn't have to look up to recognize the voice as that of the one and only George Weasley. Her blood simmered beneath the surface but once again she didn't stir.
"Bug off, Weasel. I see you don't knock?" She itched to look up but ignored the urge, gazing at the words that no longer held a meaning on the pages in her lap. She pulled the book up slightly, obscuring her view of the compartment door where she knew the nuisance now stood. The air was silent, nothing but the obnoxious rattling of the train's structure traveling beneath them. She was surprised the Slytherin boy hadn't cut in yet, but he probably knew better than to get in the middle of this.
Alle went back to an attempt at concentrating at the words in front of her, trying to ignore the boy now pushing his way into the compartment.
"Never for the people I like," he spoke once again, a smirk on his face as he sat next to her. How she rued the fact that Avery insisted on sitting across from her, something about being able to talk to her. He was unmistakably larger than she was, her size paling in comparison to his. Yet there was more that distinguished the two. One sat with a smile, a warm expression that never faded while the other refused to show such joy. One had fiery red hair, the other a dark brown. But there were also the similarities, both sat with an arrogance that would confuse an onlooker as to which was in charge.
The boy grabbed the book from the girl's hand in a way that couldn't be considered snatching out of the gentle nature. You could tell he didn't want to be aggressive, just annoying.
"Can I help you, Weasel?" She snapped, her frustration now apparent.
"Not really but thanks for the offer, Jonsie. Is this why Snapeypoo made you tutor me? Geeze you must really have no life." He smiled, flipping through the pages with no care. He knew that the action irritated her. He had learned early on the first time she tutored him for potions. He enjoyed starting out the year by flipping through his book and feeling how the crisp, new pages felt as they flew through the air. The girl had wrinkled her nose in disgust. Now she made the same face. She hated when people acted like every work on the page didn't have a meaning. It was a disgrace to the book itself.
He slammed the book shut, waving it in front of her face. "Why do you read this junk?"
She blew out a puff of hot air, whacking the boy on the side of his head. He grabbed hold of her wrist with his free hand, pulling the book out of her reach as he feigned pain.
"Ouch, I'm hurt." She struggled to free her wrist but his grip tightened. He wouldn't hurt her, but he enjoyed watching her struggle. There was no way she could overpower him.
"Let go. Now." She looked him in the eye sternly, having had enough of his childish game. Her look was enough to paralyze him, giving her the change to yank her wrist free and turn toward the window.
Across from the spectacle Avery moved quickly to grab her cousin's book, only to attract the attention of the now frustrated Gryffindor.
"Hello there little puffle puff. Did you bake us some cookies?" Avery didn't know how to respond, quite frankly she wasn't exactly sure what was happening. Her cousin had mentioned the infamous George Weasely maybe one, but never would she have thought their hatred to be like this. "What's wrong? Cat got you're tongue?" He tapped her nose, his disarming smile catching her off guard.
"Leave her alone. Actually why don't you leave all of us alone? Isn't Freddly looking for you?" Alle had turned toward the two by this time, tired of the boy messing with her cousin. He tried to catch her gaze and she accepted, taking the opportunity to scare him further. Without a word he stood, walking toward the compartment door.
"I was just about to leave thank you for the suggestion though, Jonsie. Bye puffle puff." He winked at the second yeah Hufflepuff then blew a kiss in the older girl's way. He could bother them later. For now, there was the snack cart to worry about. As the boy walked out of the compartment, Alle turned away and back to the window, forgetting about the events that just occurred. Avery's eyes never left the boy.
