Diary of a Forgotten Girl

Of Trains and Trouble

~Holly's Point of View~

Date : 1 September 1991

I idly pushed my trolley through the crowded train station, making my way over to the barrier between platforms nine and ten. I hardly recognized anything in the busy train station, but apparently somebody found me.

"Hey, Willow!" exclaimed Harry, rushing over with his own luggage. "Say, what do we do here, anyways?"

"You just wait for the traffic to die down, and you go through. It's probably best if you take it at a run," I added, seeing his uneasy look. "I'll tell you when," I told him, glancing around to make sure nobody was looking. "And... now!"

He rushed through the wall, disappearing as though he had melted into it. I followed him closely after, and nearly crashing into the awestruck kid. "Come on - maybe we'll have a spot of luck and someone will help us load our stuff on."

He followed me to the back of the train, still looking around the busy platform, full of parents and siblings saying goodbye to the children going off to Hogwarts.

"Say, where are your parents?" asked Harry.

"Oh, we've said our goodbyes already," I lied smoothly. "They didn't want to come through the barrier, you see."

"Ah," replied Harry, as we met a tall freckled redhead hanging out by the back.

"Oh, look here, George, new blood!" he said with a smirk. "I'm Fred Weasley."

"Don't mind him, he's really not that bad once you get to know him," said another boy, who looked just like him. "I'm George." He sized up the two of us. "Nice eyes you've got there. Say! You two aren't twins as well, are you?"

Harry looked into my eyes and laughed. "Strange coincidence, we're not related - I'm Harry, this is Willow."

"A pleasure," said Fred cordially. "Say, you need some help there?"

With the help of the two boys, our trunks were loaded on in a hurry.

"So, you two are good friends then, eh?" asked George with a laugh.

"You could say that," replied Harry. "I haven't had many friends before."

I felt a surge of pity for the skinny eleven year old, because even though I hadn't had friends, I hadn't had enemies, either. However, it seemed Harry had been something of a punching bag.

"No need to worry about that here," said Fred cheerfully.

"Yeah, you'll make friends whether you like it or not," added George, and Harry and I boarded the train.

"So, Harry Potter," I said, putting my feet up on the chair.

"Yeah," replied Harry.

"How did you, the biggest celebrity of our age, grow up without friends?" I asked.

"I doubt - I mean, I'm not really that famous," argued Harry. I pulled out my book bag, placing certain books on the table and opening them up to highlighted passages.

"You're in Modern Magical History, and Great Events of the Twentieth Century, and you've got a huge mention in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts," I explained. "You're legend, Harry. And these are only some the books that I found. You vanquished the Dark Lord, and for that, you're the best known kid on this entire train."

" Wow," said Harry, reading the passages. "You're kind of creepy, you know."

"Well, I can't say I'm the first witch you met and then not know anything about you," I replied. "You survived the Killing Curse, but it killed your parents, full-grown wizards skilled in fighting evil."

"And my sister," added Harry, reading one of the pages. "I never knew - I mean, the Dursleys never told me I had a sister..."

"Your aunt and uncle?" I asked curiously. He nodded. "They don't treat you well, do they?"

He looked taken aback. "I - they feed me and clothe me-"

"There is a difference between shelter and a home," I replied wisely. Harry sighed.

"My Aunt Petunia doesn't like questions," he explained, "so I don't get too much information, and my Uncle Vernon hates my hair, but it won't lie flat... and Dudley, my cousin, he just hates me in general."

"Is he the reason you didn't have many friends?" I asked, hoping I wasn't probing too much.

"I didn't have any," replied Harry flatly as the door to the compartment opened up.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" asked the boy in the doorway, who looked a lot like the twins we had talked to earlier.

"Sure," replied Harry, and the boy sat down.

"I'm Willow Leavitt," I said, "this is Harry."

"Ron Weasley," replied the boy.

"So, Fred and George are your brothers?" asked Harry. Ron nodded.

"It's nice having siblings, isn't it?" I asked. Ron chuckled.

"It's nice, unless you've got six of them. I'm the youngest of six brothers, so I've got my oldest brother Bill's old robes, and my next oldest brother Charlie's old wand, and then Percy just got an owl, so I've got his old rat."

"Doesn't the wand choose the wizard?" asked Harry. Ron nodded.

"I guess, but it should work well enough," he replied, pulling out the wand. "Unicorn hair's sticking out."

"Unicorn hair is supposed to be very loyal," I said, "so you might have a lot of difficulty."

Harry and Ron stared at me. "Regular bookworm, you are," laughed Harry, running a hand through his already messy jet black hair and revealing a red lightning bolt shaped scar. I rolled my eyes.

"Hold on a second," said Ron, staring at the scar. "Is that... You're Harry Potter!"

"Yeah," replied Harry.

"Wicked," mumbled Ron, and I picked up one of the books I had shown to Harry and started flipping through it, idly twisting a lock of hair around my finger.

The rest of my hair was auburn, but this strand, it was black. I had always been curious about it, but Dumbledore had never really felt like telling me the reason for its odd color. None of my research could, either, but I suspected it had something to do with the Killing Curse, which I was told I had miraculously ducked.

A nice lady with a trolley full of food came and went, and we snacked on some of the sweets that Harry had bought as the compartment door slid open again, revealing a tearful-looking round faced boy.

"Sorry," he said, "but have you happened to see a toad?"

"There's one by your foot, there," I replied, pointing.

"Trevor!" he exclaimed, picking up the slimy amphibian. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," I replied, and he left.

"He seems to like that toad," commented Harry.

"If I'd have had a toad, I'd have wanted to lose it," replied Ron. "Granted, I've got Scabbers, so I'm not one to talk."

He pulled a fat brown rat out of his pocket, who was snoozing. "If he died I wouldn't be able to tell," he joked darkly as the compartment door slid open again.

"Have any of you seen a toad?" asked the bushy-haired girl who had opened it. "A boy named Neville's lost his."

"I think we just gave Neville his toad," replied Harry.

"Oh, good, then. Oh, and by the way, I've just been up front, and we're arriving soon, so you'll want to get your robes on."

She left, and Harry and Ron got their robes out. I took mine and made to leave.

"Where're you going?" asked Ron, making Harry and I roll our eyes.

"To get changed," I replied.

"She's a girl, mate," explained Harry, and I left the two, walking down the hall and bumping into someone.

"Watch where you're going," drawled the boy I had bumped into. I got up, getting a good look at the pale blonde, closely flanked by two larger boys.

"In future, I'd advise you to do the same," I replied, brushing past the three and going to the washroom to get changed.

When I came back, the boy was in the compartment, talking to Harry and Ron.

"Hello again," I said curtly, taking a seat.

"You know him?" asked Ron.

"We bumped into each other," I replied, "now, why are you here?"

"I heard that Harry Potter was in this compartment," replied the boy. "No need to ask who you are - red hair, hand-me-down robes, and a stupid complexion. You must be a Weasley." He turned to Harry. "My name is Draco Malfoy, and I can keep you from falling in with the… wrong sort."

I scowled at the hand he stuck out, but Harry knew better. "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, Draco," he replied venomously.

"Very well," replied Malfoy curtly, taking back his hand. "Come and find me if you ever want to hang out with a... higher calibre of wizard."

He left, and just seconds after the door closed, the train drew to a stop, throwing me forward.

"Ow," I mumbled, getting up and brushing myself off. "Come on - Hogwarts won't wait!"