We talk about quidditch a bit more. I'm a Chaser, and so is Al. Anwen is Slytherin's seeker, and in our opinions, she's the best. My dad was a Seeker when he was in school, and he says that he was the very best. My dad always says that he was the best at everything. Albus always argues and says that his dad is the best Seeker, and his dad was in Gryffindor. I mean, our dad's were enemies in school, but that doesn't mean that Al and I have to be enemies.
Anwen buys some chocolate frogs and cauldron cakes, and we devour them like a force as strong as Voldemort once was. We're teenagers. We're always hungry. I think that Anwen has summer job somewhere, because every year she busy a lot of food from the snacks cart and pays older students to buy joke shop items from Hogsmeade.
About halfway through the ride, the compartment door slides open. I actually was expecting it to, because every year, James comes in to hassle his brother. I'm right, and Albus stands as his brother sags against the door. He has a black eye. Typical, he gets into a fight before we even get into school.
"Hey," the older boy says weakly, "I thought I heard you guys." He steps in, and closes the door. I already have my wand out, because out of all of us, I trust myself the most with healing charms. Anwen doesn't like Charms class, and I wouldn't put it past Al to 'accidentally' blow Jame's eye out altogether.
"Who was it?" Anwen says, a bit curious. "Teddy? Lysander?"
"Neither." James grimaces as my charm does it's job. "It was Lily. Have you seen her? She ran off, and she was pretty mad."
"What'd you say?" Albus sighs, used to James riling people up. I've actually never heard of James and Lily fighting- James positively adores his little sister.
I wish I had siblings. Mum and Dad are the best parents, but I still get lonely from time to time. Even though James likes to tease Albus, they can't live without each other either. It's something like that I'm missing- a person who's always there for me, whether it's to make fun of me or not. But I think that Mum and Dad are to busy to have another kid- they both work for the Ministry, and I don't bring it up so they won't feel bad.
"Nothing," James is saying, "Except 'Hello,' and, 'you look terrible'. Because she was already upset." James looks distraught, as if making his sister mad was his fault, and the world was about to end.
"I wouldn't let it get at you. I don't think she was mad at you, exactly." Anwen pauses to think for a moment. "But you did say she looked terrible."
"But I meant that she looked upset!" James frowned. "That made her mad?"
I find that, sometimes, James is too curious for his own good. At least, he is just nosy, and at most, he is annoyingly persistent and stubborn. It's gotten him into so much trouble. I mean, there's not much difference between him and me; we're both curious about everything, but he always gets caught investigating and I don't. That's probably why he's in Gryffindor and I'm in Slytherin.
So yes, I am curious about what set Lily off. She's usually a very kind and soft-spoken kind of person. What would make her mad? Whatever it was, I guess that it's probably something pretty bad. I stifle a sigh, and avoid the urge to to roll my eyes. Drama, and we're not even in school yet.
Of course, I know, when you go to a co-ed boarding school for teenagers, you're always going to encounter an abundance of drama, teenage angst, and whatever happens when your hormone levels start being jacked up. I usually stay away from that type of thing, just because I'm shy of the fact that I'm inevitably going to be part of the drama eventually. Anwen agrees with me, but I think it's because she doesn't want to be under the spotlight.
Albus doesn't care. I don't think Albus would mind being more talked about that James once in a while. Anwen, I know hates being the center of attention. She thinks that because of her family, people won't like her. and thee's something else too, something she refuses to tell anyone. I'm not scared. I'm just wary. I mean, you have to watch what you do, because everyone will be scrutinizing your every move.
Most people would love to be in the spotlight. I prefer to stay with my books and my two friends. Everyone except for Anwen and Al think I'm bookish, but I just use my books to avoid talking to people I don't want to be talking to.
The train rumbles away, murmuring memories and secrets from pasts long ago.
It keeps all the names of children who have stepped cautiously onto the Express for the first time. Scorpius, it whispers. Albus. Anwen. It flies past landscapes, revealing snatches from an outside world it's passengers aren't a part of, bringing it's passengers home, home, home.
It reminisces about the words that filled it, shouts, laughter, voices that came from the compartments. Excitement, joy, a little nervousness. I'm taking you home, home, home.
It recalls what happened, long, long ago. A professor on the train. Dementors. A group of three kids, huddled in a compartment, laughing. James. Sirius. Remus. Harry. Ron. Hermione.
Scorpius, Albus, Anwen.
It remembers the sounds, the feelings. The swish of robes, the clatter and the rattle of the trunks, the thud, of footsteps down the main aisle. Swish, Clatter, Rattle, Thud.
I've always wondered where the Express went, what it did, when it wasn't bringing kids to and from Hogwarts. For some reason, the train fascinates me.
Swish. Clatter, rattle. Thud. A professor on the train. Dementors. Home, home, home. A group of three kids, huddled in a compartment, laughing.
James. Sirius. Remus. Harry. Ron. Hermione.
Scorpius, Albus, Anwen.
I'm taking you home, home home.
Home.
Albus, Anwen, Scorpius.
Scorpius, home, home, home.