A/N: So, this is the next chapter. This can be the last one, the end of this, or I can continue it. I have ideas, but it's up to you guys. Review, PM, whatever is required to let me know if I should. Thank you so much to my one reviewer last chapter. It encouraged me to at least post this one. A song that made me relate to this chapter was Getting Better by the Beatles. At least, that's the song that plays in my head when the chapter ends. I don't know, just a fun tidbit for you all.
Chapter 2: A Train to Remember
The hall of the Hogwarts Express was narrow, with an old carpet, probably the same one from when her parents were students there. She could tell she was near the front of the train, hearing the Head Boy and Girl giving the new Prefects an assignment list. She started to walk down the corridor, running her hand across the carved oak doors, the intricate patterns amazing her with the detail.
Her fingers ran over each bump and crease until she came to the end of the long hall, realizing for the first time that she was just wandering, Merlin knows for how long, and had no place to sit. She didn't want to be that kid, who wandered through the corridors because they had no one to sit with.
Against her wishes, she felt tears press to her blue eyes again. She didn't want to be alone these 7 years. Her parents had made lifelong friends their years here, and so far, she was starting off on a really bad foot. She had almost missed the train, and now she was lost on the Hogwarts Express, with nowhere to sit. Soon, kids were going to notice, and probably laugh at her. She didn't like the looks of that Malfoy kid. He didn't look very nice…
"There you are!" she heard from down the hall, to see Lily and Hugo running towards her. Relief spread across Alice's face as she saw them. "We have been looking for you. Come on, Uncle Ron put all your stuff in our compartment already. We saved a spot for you," Lily said, taking Alice's hand and dragging her down the hall, a smile finally on Alice's face.
"It's been real hectic on this train. I've never thought the halls would get this crowded," Hugo said, as they had to press their bodies against the wall to allow two fifth years and a few third years to pass them.
"Yeah, well, it is now the year with the most students in Hogwarts' History," Alice said, echoing her words from earlier.
Hugo nodded, remembering her words from earlier on the Platform and led them to the compartment they had already.
"James tried coming in here with his friends to steal the compartment. But we refused. He is just jealous that Uncle Ron had picked the best one for us to sit in. Now he has to go sit in the back, where it gets really bumpy sometimes," Lily said with a smug smile, sitting down next to the window.
"And we picked you up some things from the trolley," Hugo said, nudging some of the food in the compartment towards her. "Sorry, I got hungry and sort of ate a bit of it," he said, a blush rising to his ears.
Alice smiled kindly. "It's fine, really. Have as much as you want. I just really appreciate this," she said.
Lily shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. You are our friend," she insisted. "Besides, we got worried that you weren't going to make it on the train. We saw you having to nearly jump on," she said, laughing slightly.
Now it was Alice's turn to blush, her cheeks turning a dangerous red. "Yes, well, I'm glad I made it," she said, taking a bit of her Cauldron Cake, realizing just how hungry she was. She was so worried with everything else that she had forgotten to eat.
They had fallen into an easy conversation, telling stories about their summer, when the compartment door opened. All three of their heads jerked towards it, only to see a nervous boy standing there, his light brown hair mussed up, worry etched into every feature.
"Hi, I'm um-Neil. Neil Zabini. And I happened to have lost my owl," he said, running a hand through his hair.
"Your owl?" Hugo asked incredulously, some of the food spilling from his mouth.
He nodded. "Some of the kids were messing around in the hall, and I bumped into one, and I dropped my cage, and the hatch broke open, and Yohan just flew away. If you see him, could you just…return him? I'm near the back of the train, and I'd appreciate it," he said, fumbling nervously with his black tie.
The three of them exchanged a glance and nodded. "I think we can do that," Lily said immediately, smiling. Neil looked please at their response, and Alice assumed that he had encountered some students who weren't as willing to participate in returning his owl to him.
"Thank you! I appreciate it. I'm just…yeah. Thank you," he said, before darting from the compartment to move to the next one. He was an odd one, but Alice couldn't help but feel slightly sympathetic towards him.
"I met his family once," Hugo said, leaning in towards the two girls as soon as he left. "His older sister is really loud and obnoxious. I suppose she has scared that bloke to death. He looked like he was about to keel over with nerves," he said, shaking his head.
"Poor thing," Alice muttered, Lily nodding in agreement.
"It must be rather hard to lose an owl. I mean, they are big-" Lily started, but no sooner had Lily began speaking, did all three of them realize that Neil forgot to close their compartment door, and a large barn owl flew in, and landed on Alice's head.
Alice's eyes widened as big as saucers, her entire body trembling slightly. Hugo and Lily just looked up at her, mouths agape and eyes wide. "Please tell me I am not imagining things and there is a big owl on my head," she asked, her voice weak and shaky.
"I see it," Hugo said.
"Me too," Lily agreed, her voice quiet. The three of them sat there for a few silent moments, unsure what to do with the owl that had just perched itself on top of Alice's head.
"So, I'm guessing this is Yohan," Alice muttered. She just wanted to shoo the owl away, but if this was Neil's owl, it would scare the owl into the hallway, and Merlin knows when they would find it again. The owl seemed rather important to him. And she didn't want the owl attacking her, either.
"Don't move, or you'll scare it," Lily cautioned, scared to move too.
Alice didn't dare to nod, and with in the next two seconds, everything happened at once. Neil came barging in through the door, gasping "Yohan!" and immediately reached for the owl. The action scared the owl, immediately clamping down on Alice's skull and spreading its large wings out. One of them hit Lily in the face, and the claws from the bird scratched Alice's head, causing a scream to be emitted from her mouth. Alice's scream startled Hugo, who spilled his pumpkin juice all over the floor, causing Neil to slip on the floor. Finally, Yohan flew off Alice's head and landed on top of Neil's stomach, perched there proudly.
The four of them froze in stunned silence, afraid to be the first to move. It was finally Hugo who finally burst into the first fit of laughter, earning a glare from Lily. Soon though, the laughter became infectious, and Neil began laughing too. Against their wishes and better judgment, Alice and Lily joined in with giggles, all four of them filled with laughter at the absurdity of the situation.
A few minutes passed before they could finally compose themselves. Neil had a tight hold on Yohan, making sure he didn't fly off again, and Lily was helping Alice with the cut on her head. "I am so sorry about that. I'll make it up to you, in some way," Neil insisted.
Alice shook her head. "Don't fret about it too much. I'm sure this happens all the time," she said, pressing the cloth on her head. She knew it didn't, but the boy's shaking was worse than hers, and she just wanted to soothe him for now.
He merely just nodded, his grip strong on Yohan. "Thank you, for finding Yohan. I'll see you guys at the sorting," he said, before scurrying out of there, again, closing the door this time.
"Yeah, and I hope he gets a better cage," Hugo muttered, shaking his head. Alice just grimaced and finally removed the cloth from her head when the bleeding had finally finished. Lily pulled out her new wand and expertly cleaned the mess up, as if it was second nature. Alice was amazing, considering she was only a first year. Must have inherited a great deal of her parent's magic.
But, something Yohan said had got Alice thinking; the sorting. She was nervous. Her father was a Gryffindor, and her mother was a Hufflepuff, and she would be happy with either of those houses. But, what if she ended up in Slytherin? Some of her father's old prejudices had carried over, and she wondered if he would still be proud of her if she was sorted into the house of Salazar Slytherin.
"I can't wait to become a Gryffindor," Hugo said confidently.
Lily just rolled her eyes at him. "You can't decide what house you end up in. The hat does," she said. "But, I do hope I'm in Gryffindor too. Both my brothers are. My whole family has been in there," she said.
Alice nodded. "I wouldn't mind Gryffindor either," she said with a small smile, though the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't go away.
Lily seemed to sense this, placing a hand on her shoulder. "The sorting is nothing to worry about. James tried telling me we had to wrestle a troll, but Albus assured me it was just the Sorting Hat. My dad told me the story how your dad pulled Godric Gryffindor's sword out of the Sorting Hat," she smiled.
Alice's eyes widened in recognition of the memory. "I remember my dad telling me that story a couple times. But, I never knew the sword came from the Sorting Hat though," she said. Her father did say a hat, but she never realized he meant the Hogwarts' Sorting Hat. That was…huge.
Lily nodded. "Yep. Dad told me all about it. He said it was amazing! Your dad is a real hero, Alice," she smiled, hoping the words were enough to give confidence to her friend.
A smile grew on Alice's face. Her dad, a hero. She had always seen him like that in her eyes, but the rest of the wizarding world, admiring her father, was just surreal to her. She had been rather sheltered most of her life, both her parents slightly worried that there might be some Death Eaters still out there, looking for revenge, and had never really been exposed to her father's status in the wizarding world.
That cemented her decision though. She definitely wanted to be in Gryffindor. She wanted to be brave, to learn what her father did, to make him proud, to be able to do what he did. She had a lot to live up to, but she was going to try her hardest to do so. She now had friends, good ones too, and enough chaotic situations in one train ride to last her the whole year. She knew this all wasn't going to be easy, but she was installed with a new sense of confidence. Like her mother said, this was supposed to be the time of her life, and Alice was going to make sure that it was.
The train started to slow down, all too soon, and the three of them began gathering their stuff up. "You ready?" Lily asked, as she head towards the door.
Alice looked at her, the words having an entirely different meaning. "Yeah, I am," she smiled, and followed Lily and Hugo out, beginning her on an adventure of her own.
