-3- What are Friends for?
After that, things just rolled on, you could say. I met Hagrid, a loveable but very huge man - who I later found out was half giant - who guided me on my first trip into the magical world. Guided by Hagrid's enormous hand, I was taken to get my school books, supplies, robes and everything else I would need for my first year of magical education, at the school I knew nothing about.
It pained me to have to keep all of this a secret from Alex, but it couldn't be helped, I supposed, so I shrugged it off. Or tried to, anyway.
When the time came to board the fiery red train that would take me to my destiny, and away from my hardships, I was a little petrified, and more than nervous. All wizards and witches on the platform seemed to...normal. I had expected them to be more peculiar, more magical. But hey, you can't just go around screaming "I CAN DO MAGIC! OH YEAH, OH YEAH!", can you? No, you can't. The one thing that did worry me though, was that the girls all looked so confident, so cool and most of all: so happy. And to think I was worried about not having an owl! These girls had it all.
But, I was here now, I had made it this far. There was no going back now. I got on the train and looked back out onto the platform. There was no one there for me. No one to make sure I hadn't forgotten my pet, my socks... No one at all. It's at times like these when I missed having parents the most. But that thought was soon replaced with the search of an empty compartment. I found one, sat myself down by the window, and pondered the road I had gone down. Was this really what I wanted? Did I want to live this life between two worlds - not quite fitting in the muggle world and now the same with the magical one? Whatever the answer was, I was convinced that time would tell, and that I would at least get to turn people into toads, so it wouldn't all be for nothing. So, really, I was happy that Professor Dumbledore came to see me that day. What happened was, I'm guessing, a magical intervention. A miracle, in the form of an old man with half moon-shaped spectacles and a very long white beard. There was something so wonderfully quaint about that man, sorry, wizard. Something that I couldn't quite place in my little mind back then. And even though I didn't always realise it, he would be the closest I would ever have to a father-figure...
Shifting back to my present, I smiled to myself. What a long way I've come, from the naive little girl I used to be. I've grown up. Well, at least physically! I wasn't particularly busty though, and I hated girls who were and who'd think they were better because of it. Like you can even choose these things! I was happy with my body, though. At 5"5', I wasn't the tallest, but it suited me. Freckly face, electrifying blue eyes and dark hair to hide it all under; some of the things that made me. I was happy not to stand out.
In hinsight, I was happy with the way things had turned out. I had friends, I was a proud Gryffindor (probably thanks to my...temperament) and I was doing good in school. Somehow, there was something about the library that made me want to read every single book in it! Even the really gruesome ones. What could make it more appealing than the fact that it's forbidden? I don't know about you guys, but, occasionally, I like to take a walk on the wild side. Looking back on it now, I can still remember how daunting the sorting ceremony was. As I walked up to the most petrifying hat I'd ever seen, I felt a pair of eyes on me - analysing me and looking into my soul. It felt like someone was peering into my mind...
I was abruptly torn out of my thoughts when someone opened the door to my compartment and plopped down next to me. It was none other than Catherine Wylde, one of my two friends at Hogwarts.
"Hey Soph! Had a good summer?" she asked, as she patted me on the knee. Soon, my other partner in crime would arrive and we'd be chatting away about our summers.
"Well, same as always, I suppose. Sullivan's still bonkers... Alex is doing good." I paused. "She told me she was having a baby before I left."
"Wow. Heavy stuff," she said, wide-eyed, her mouth gaping. I wasn't even sure if it was good or bad news. I mean, growing up in an orphanage isn't ideal to begin with, but to get pregnant... We had a 12-hour work day at St. Jude's, which was hard enough as it is without being pregnant.
"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "I'm going to support her no matter what, though. I always imagined her with lots of children, but I didn't think she'd start so soon..." I trailed off.
"Yeah, but she's a smart girl, right? She'll be alright, she's got you and her mum! Besides, any friend of yours is a friend of mine - and Emma's." She smiled, and in that moment, I was so grateful.
"Who's the father? Did she tell you?" she asked, putting her arm around me.
Truth is, that I didn't really want to know. I'd only want to strangle that person for ruining the future of a person who meant so much to me. My heart flooded with sympathy for Alex. Somehow, I was going to get her through this.
"No, she didn't say. And I'm really not all that interested in knowing who messed up her future, honestly," I said, rather grimly.
"Myeah, but just tell me if you want him crucio'd or something," she winked at me. Merlin, I love her comments!
"Anyway, how was your summer, hun? And where's Emma by the way?" I asked, realising Em still hadn't showed up.
"Well, not to rain on your parade or anything," (I laughed as she said this - silly girl) "but my summer was pretty good." She smiled. I was happy for her, really. Mrs. Sullivan didn't allow us to visit friends or vice versa, and sending or receiving owls was also out of the question, so we had to wait until we were on the train before we could see and talk to each other again. But you know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder! And in my case, the longer I was away from my friends and Hogwarts, the more I ached to be back.
Just as Cat was about to answer my second question, Emma fluttered in, smiling broadly.
"You guys!"
Now, we were complete. I was enveloped in a group hug. "Ugh! You're squishing me! Going... to be sick!" I managed to get out. They let me go immediately. Threatening to be sick always did the trick!
Emma went back to sit across from me, and took out this week's Teen Witch Weekly.
"Merlin, are you addicted, or what?" I mocked. Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Duh!" Cat joined in, causing Emma to poke out her tongue at the both of us. All three of us started giggling. Emma always had to stay up-to-date on the latest fashion trends, and ways to do your hair, and whatnot. I, for one, wasn't very bothered with it all. I mean, Emma does always look good, but... I don't know, it's not like I have someone to look good for.
"Soooo, you guys fancy anyone?" Cat asked hyperactively.
"Of course," replied Emma immediately, like it was obvious.
"Yeah, but when don't you have a crush on some hot guy you barely even know?" I rolled my eyes, grinning. She is absolutely boy-crazy!
"Pfsh! So? You should try it some time, it's nice..."
"What's nice? Exchanging saliva with someone? Yes, I'm sure it's lovely." I replied sarcastically.
"Oh come on, Soph, don't you want a boyfriend?" Cat asked, sounding serious for once. I could tell she wanted one, and me and Em both knew who... Blaise Zabini, a Slytherin from our year (7th now). I mean, really! Who would fall for a Slytherin, other than Cat? It was so typical, yet I admired her courage. It wasn't going to be easy, even if he did like her, which we didn't know - yet.
"No!" I replied, indignant, but they weren't buying it.
"Oh, well, maybe." There was one boy I liked, but he would never be interested in someone like me. You can say it sounds cliché, and it probably does. Somehow, they felt my dissapointment.
"Oh come on, sugarplum, it can't be that bad," they tried to cheer me up.
"But it is. He'll never see me, not for who I really am anyway. I mean, I never get to show the real me. Besides, look at me! I look a mess, he would never want to go out with a girl like me. And it isn't like he'd be thrilled to hear about my background. Or did you forget: I'm a bloody orphan!" Now I just felt bad. I didn't mean to sound so crude, they were only trying to help.
"I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean it like that. You know how much I like him, and how much I would love for him to even notice me, but right now, it doesn't look like it's ever going to happen," I apologised.
Emma grabbed my hand. For a moment things were silent. Then, out of nowhere, Emma glanced across the table to her Teen Witch Weekly, grabbed it and forcibly waved it around.
"CAT, SOPH! Get ready to be amazed by my genius!" she said, about as enthusiastic as I'd ever seen her. She was beaming.
"What is it?" Cat asked quizically, looking from me to Em, and back.
"Oooooooooooooooh," she said, apparently understanding Emma's weirdness. What are they thinking? Whatever it was, I was dreading it already...
"Erm, whatever it is, it better not involve me," I warned, getting a bit scared. They both sat on the edges of their seat, looked at each other and then back to me.
"We...are going to give you...A MAKE-OVER!" they squealed happily.
Oh Merlin, I was really in for it now.
