Chapter 3- September 1, 2009- The Hogwarts Express
Holly:
"So, you've just got to run at that brick barrier, it's a piece of cake." Tommy said as he leaned against his trolley, flipping his fringe out of his eyes.
Holly eyed up the barrier… It was made out of brick… If Tommy was trying to trick her it would end rather painfully.
"Tommy! You said you'd take her through!" Mary came up to them, looking a little more flustered than usual. She had been trying to help Daniel and Lisa (her middle two children) get their trunks out of the car after the boot decided it was tired of having an expanding charm on it.
"I was, I don't think she believed me!" Tommy shot a look at Holly.
Mary sighed; she looked older today than Holly had ever seen her look.
"Why don't you lot go through the barrier and show her?"
"Alright," Lisa piped up first, she hastily lined her cart up and ran right at the brick wall, passing through it with ease. It was only Lisa's second year, so she still was relatively excited by these sorts of things. Daniel and Tommy followed quickly after.
Holly looked at her mother. "I'm right behind you," her mother insisted, nudging her youngest towards the barrier.
Holly ran, flinching as she got to the barrier and not opening her eyes until her cart hit someone standing on the platform.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I closed my eyes when I though… but the barrier… and I'm sorry." A boy about her age smiled as she apologised profusely.
"Don't worry about it. I did the same thing." He gave her a cheeky grin. "I'm Sawyer."
She smiled at him, "I'm Holly" she said as they shook hands. Her mother watched her, happy that Holly had met someone already.
Mary searched the crowd for four blond heads in the sea of cloaks and trunks and children. She saw Daniel first, giving him a hug and a quick peck on the cheek, noting his embarrassed blush. Then she said her goodbyes with Lisa and Tommy, reminding Tommy to look out for his siblings, to which he mustered up his most grownup looking nod and "Yes, Mother."
Meanwhile Holly had learned Sawyer was a first year who was determined to end up in Gryffindor.
"My families been in Hufflepuff a long time… I guess I'll be one too." she said, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious about it. He smiled though which alleviated that a little. "I read that Hufflepuff is nice… Sound a bit like hobbits to be honest, all comfy and safe."
"Hobbi-what?" She looked at him, a bit confused.
"Oh it's from these muggle books."
"Oh cool," She didn't know too much about muggles, but they seemed like nice enough people.
"Holly!"
Holly turned towards her mother who was just through a group of boys who were talking about Quidditch, "Yes?"
Mary made her way over to her daughter and hugged her warmly. Holly returned the affection, trying hard not to cry in front of the boy she'd just met. Her mother didn't have the same reservations about crying in the middle of the train station.
"Be safe, and be smart, and try not to get into trouble, and write, and… and have fun." Mary hugged her daughter again.
"I will. I promise." Holly hugged back, not particularly wanting to let go of the safety and warmth that only mothers can provide.
The whistle blew.
"We should go now," Sawyer felt bad for interrupting the moment, but he didn't want this Holly girl to miss the train.
Holly turned to Sawyer trying to sound more confident than she actually was, "Let's go."
As she stepped up into the car, she turned back to look at her mother again and waved.
She was off going to school, to Hogwarts.
She followed Sawyer onto the train, to go on what seemed like an awfully big adventure.
Phoenix:
Phoenix's parents had insisted in getting to the station with plenty of time to spare. They had gotten to the barrier a good three quarters of an hour before the train was set to leave. He had said good bye to his parents, just wanting to get on the train. He was nervous and the last thing he wanted was to deal with his mother's anxieties about him leaving. After much assuring that he would be completely fine he got on the train.
He went into an unoccupied compartment, with the intention of keeping it unoccupied (besides himself of course). He wanted sleep. He had been too bust worrying to sleep the night before. What if he missed the train? What if his parents decided he couldn't go? What if they really did make a mistake about accepting him? What if the train crashed? He realized he was a mess.
After tucking his trunk away he took the seat beside the window, leaning against the side of the compartment and pressing his cheek against the cool glass of the window. A bit of fringe fell into his eyes, which he brushed away. He should have gotten a haircut before he left, his mother had been harassing his to, but it just never seemed to have happened. His flaming red hair was usually very well maintained; otherwise it would just look silly… not that his ginger-ness didn't already make him look a bit silly, but might I digress. In typical Flannery fashion he was pale, with just the slightest hint of freckles on the bridge of his nose. The only redeeming factor he saw was his eyes, green and well proportioned. They were his mother's eyes, only naïve.
Those eyes glazed over as he stared out the window onto the bustling platform. His neck was at an odd, nearly uncomfortable angle, but he was too tired to move. Students and parents, trunks and trolleys criss-crossed the platform as Phoenix looked on, more concerned with keeping his eyes open than on the scene on the other side of the glass. Eventually the war with his eyes ended… his eyes won.
Holly:
Holly and Sawyer walked down the car, trying to find an empty compartment… or at least one that wasn't full. They came to one that only had one occupant, a young boy who was immersed in a book, his dark curls making a rather elegant curtain between his bent head and the page he was reading.
"Hey, can we sit here?"
The boy jumped, he looked over at them a little surprised they were there, "Oh, sure..."
Holly watched him move his bag off the seat opposite him, stuffing the book into the bag and gesturing for them to sit. They obliged, taking the two seats opposite him.
"I'm Teddy Lupin" the boy said, smiling at them.
"I'm Sawyer and this is Holly." Holly gave a small wave, which Teddy reciprocated, "It's nice to meet you two. Where are you from?"
Sawyer spoke first, "I'm from London."
Teddy's looked at him, "Really? I've always wanted to live in London, my godfather lives there. I live in Devon… unfortunately."
"I'm from Devon too, Dartmouth actually." Holly piped up, "Where abouts do you live?"
"Between Ottery St. Catchpole and Exeter mostly,"
"You're just up the road." Holly smiles to match him.
"I guess I am." He says, his eyes flicking brightly. "Would I know your family?"
"The Wiggins? I doubt it."
Sawyer giggled, "Your name's Wiggins?"
Holly flushed and looked at the floor, "Yeah…"
"Holly Wiggins? I like it, it sounds…" Sawyer pauses to think of the right word, "…cute?" She pouted, she had always been called cute, to her it seemed more demeaning than endearing.
"What were you reading just now?" Sawyer sensed an annoyance in Holly and wanted to change the subject.
Teddy blushed a little, "Oh it's our defence against the dark arts textbook… I know it's kind of lame, but I find it fascinating"
"I was reading that the other day!" Sawyer gave him a reassuring smile, "It's really interesting stuff."
"I really like the bit about verdimillious," Teddy was smiling now too. They continued their D.A.D.A banter while Holly watched out the window. They were pulling out of the city now, and the buildings of London were turning to suburbs which, after a while, turned into countryside.
Phoenix:
"Shh… You're going to wake him up." said one female sounding whisper.
"Well were else are we going to go? Vanora kicked us out of her compartment and all the rest are full." replied another, more pleading sounding female whisper.
"There was that one down on the end…" said the first.
"The one with the boy who had the sketchy eyes? Because, I'm not going to go sit with him, I'd rather sit in the hall." whined the second girl.
"Which is what we're going to do. Come on." said the first, sterner sounding one.
"I don't want to sit in the hall" the second girl sounded as though she was pouting, "I'm going to wake him up and see if he'll let us sit here if we promise to keep quiet."
"Leave him alone Phil…"
Too late, the girl named Phil was tapping the already half-awake Phoenix on the shoulder. He wished they would have just left instead of standing there bickering about leaving. It was too late though, if he continued to pretend to sleep the poor girls would probably assume he was dead or something which would cause them to make more noise. He groaned.
"Sorry to bother you, but there are no empty compartments and we were wondering if we could share yours. I promise we'll be quiet and you won't even know we're here…" it was the second girl who said all of that very quickly.
"S'a'ite" Phoenix said, as his accent and general sleepiness melded together.
"What?" he could feel the first girl looking at him. He sat up sleepily. "Is' all right, si-down"
After rubbing his eyes and yawning he looked at the girls who were in his compartment. They looked similar, maybe twins, definitely sisters. Both had matching brown hair and cute button noses, one was maybe an inch taller than the other, but had a slightly rounder face, while the shorter one, had a more oval face and a slightly poutier look.
"I'm Agnes" the slightly taller one said as she looked Phoenix over. What a terrible name, Agnes.
"Phoenix" he said with the most genuine smile his still half asleep brain could muster. "What's your name?" he said to the other girl.
"Philippa Summers… or Phil" said the pouty one he figured was the second female voice. Phoenix felt bad for the girls, Philippa and Agnes? Their parents must not have liked them much… though he figured he was being a pot calling the kettle black with a name like Phoenix.
"Is your name really Phoenix?"
"Yes, Phoenix Walberg Flannery. Is your name really Agnes?" he saw a flash in the girls eyes. He'd managed to piss her off after about two seconds.
"Would anyone really choose to call themself Agnes Elizabeth Pandora Summers?" Agnes did make a very good point. Phil giggled.
Phoenix realized it was going to be a very, very long ride.