AN: Two chapters in one weekend. We're pretty proud of ourselves! We hope you enjoy! - Song
"Hurry up, Izzy, or you'll miss the train!" Grams chided Izzy, pushing the small girl forward a bit to match her seemingly inhuman grandmother speed. Izzy let out a huff of exhaustion, nearly tripping over her feet as she struggled to hold up Pickle's large tank. After a late start in the morning, they were all rushing towards the train where she would board for her trip to Hogwarts. By this time, the station was bustling, and people were shoving past one another to make it to their trains, so she stuck close to Grams and her dad's side.
"Here we are!" She skidded to a stop, causing Izzy to nearly crash into her. She looked around, seeing that Grams had stopped in front of 2 pillars labeled "9" and "10".
"But there's nothing here?" Izzy asked, quite confused.
"Izzy, dear, do you really think witches and wizards would just leave the opening to their world in plain sight for any muggle to see?" She smiled, patting the shorter girl's head. Still confused, Izzy looked towards her dad, who simply shrugged in return.
"Now, what you must do is run at that wall right there in between the two pillars. I'll be right behind you. Be sure you move out of the way so we don't run into you. It was such a pain getting here.. I much rather would have prefered to take the Floo Network, but ever since the mess up in the network connection, which caused a large group of witches and wizards to go sprawling across my living room floor covered in fair amounts of soot, it's been under repair." Grams sighed wearily, rubbing her temples. Izzy didn't quite understand what 'floo network' was, so she nodded her head as if she understood.
Izzy lined herself up with the brick pillar, eyeing it warily. It wasn't everyday that you tried to run into a possibly solid object. She looked back over at her Grams with uncertainty, who gave her a look of encouragement, while her dad flashed her a thumbs up. Taking a deep breath, she started running at the pillar, perhaps with more speed than what was necessarily needed, all while clenching her eyes shut. She braced for some sort of impact, for her Grams to laugh as she fumbled backwards onto her rear, but it never came. A brief chill wracked her body before it was quickly replaced by a wave of heat, followed by the sounds of a busy train station. Slowly, she opened her eyes, drinking in the sights around her. It was almost like the other station, but the men and women around her were dressed in strange robes, and kids scurried around pushing heavy carts that looked like her own. There was a massive black and red train resting on the tracks with the words "Hogwarts Express" lining the front. Izzy was in awe.
"Now, no time to gawk, Izzy-" Her Grams was suddenly beside her, helping to hold up her queasy looking dad. "The train will be leaving soon, and you have yet to put your trunks away, so this is where we say goodbye." She gave her a kind smile.
Izzy blinked, feeling her heart drop in her chest. This was it. She wouldn't see her family for a while after this, perhaps Christmas if they even got out for that.
"Right.." She muttered, walking up to her dad, who seemed to have composed himself from the trip, and quickly threw her arms tightly around him, desperately trying to remember everything about him. How he looked, the way he smelt, anything. She could already feel herself getting homesick and she hadn't even left. "Bye Dad. I'll see you later." She mumbled into his shirt.
"You'll be back before you know it, my belle." He reassured her while ruffling her hair. Izzy smiled at the use of his nickname for her and pulled away, turning to hug her Grams as well.
"I'm sure you'll do wonderful, dear, make the family proud." Grams gave a playful wink and shooed Izzy away, cart and items in tow.
Carrying Pickles' tank plus the large carts full of her supplies proved quite difficult, but she managed to do it, stuffing her trunks into the train compartment cubbies. She stuck her head out the window, and after a moment or two of searching, she caught sight of the only two family members that she had. With a grin, she gave a wave to them, and they waved back. She finally slumped down into her seat, pulling Pickles' cage onto her lap. The toad simply stared back at her, giving out an especially loud croak. Izzy let out a long sigh as she rested her head back against the seat, momentarily resting her eyes...
The compartment door slid open and a face appeared in the doorway what seemed like seconds later, looking startled at the realization that it was not, in fact, empty as the person had apparently believed. Izzy shrunk against her seat a little, frightened out of her state of rest at the appearance of someone else. After a moment, however, a vague memory flashed through Izzy's mind, and she was reminded of the day she'd spent in the wizard marketplace that her Grams had taken her to.
"Oh hey, you're the girl from Flourish and Blotts, right? You helped me up after that git of a red head knocked me down." The girl, whose long, deep reddish brown and impossibly curly hair kept falling into her face, asked curiously, though she sounded a little reserved. She certainly looked as though she were holding back some amount of anxiety, though Izzy wasn't sure if it was because the girl was talking to her or if it was because of the situation - the whole crowding into a train with a bunch of strangers who could probably totally turn out to be some huge weirdos situation, that is.
Izzy blinked in slight surprise, not believing that the other girl remembered her as well, or that she even wanted to talk to her. A nervous laugh bubbled from her throat and she pulled Pickles' aquarium closer to her chest, somewhat soothed by the creature's croaking.
"Haha... Yeah, that's me." She spoke quietly, avoiding eye contact as much as she could. Maybe if she remained silent, the girl would leave to search of perhaps a more lively audience, as many others had done. All it took was a quick glance inside and an awkward staredown before they closed the compartment door and went on their way. Social interaction exhausted her anyway. All she really wanted to do was stare out the train window and admire the scenery, perhaps even force down the quick rising anxiety that clenched at her stomach. This was Izzy's first time riding a train after all, and it didn't make it any easier that she didn't have her family by her side.
"The name was Isabelle, right? Do you, uh, mind if I sit here maybe? All the other compartments are filled, or they're half-empty with some kids who look like they'd be Slytherins, and I don't want to sit with potential Slytherins." The girl asked, looking a bit sheepish once she realized she was rambling on nervously. Internally, Izzy groaned a bit, knowing that her plans of relaxation were thrown out the window. However, she was too nice, as well as shy, to decline.
"Sure, why not?" She didn't really think she'd have a choice anyway, so she resigned herself to tucking further into the corner of the seat. The girl entered the compartment, sliding the door shut behind her before taking the empty seat in front of Izzy.
"Did I ever introduce myself to you?" Maeva wondered aloud, casting what appeared to be a quizzical glance at the smaller girl. Izzy shook her head silently; perhaps if she didn't talk too much, this girl would get the idea that she wasn't too keen on being friendly at the moment. Fortunately, the redhead seemed to get the idea, frowning a little before turning her head toward the window. They sat in relative silence for awhile, only glancing at each other every so often when the other wasn't looking.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Maeva sat forward and opened her mouth as if to say something, catching Izzy's attention. However, before she could speak, the doors slid open again, and Izzy's vision was filled with the sight of red hair as two boys tumbled into the compartment.
"Bloody hell, Fred, be a little more gentle the next time you decide to throw us into a room." One of them snapped, while the other just chuckled as he pushed himself from the floor.
"Sorry, we needed a quick getaway after throwing some dungbombs into one of the Slytherins' compartments and I provided." He huffed.
"WE didn't throw them in, you did."
"Please, you wanted to do it too for what they said about Mum."
"Eh, you're right. They were gits."
By now, both girls were staring at the two with blank faces, confused out of their minds. It took a minute for the boys to finally take notice of them, and it was awkward for everyone when they did. But it wasn't long before that went away and recognition flitted across each of their face.
"YOU!" They all happened to screech at the same time, Maeva and George pointing at each other, while Fred and Izzy did the same, but with much less animosity between them and more so out of surprise.
"What are you doing here?!" Maeva's voice was high, shrill even, and she looked as though right at that particular moment would be the perfect time to shrivel up and die.
"I could ask you the same question, little miss 'vanilla ice cream is better than strawberry!'"
Fred looked thoroughly amused, and though surprised at seeing Izzy, turned his eyes to her after listening to them bicker for a little while. "You're that weird toad girl from the joke shop, yeah?"
Izzy flushed a little at that, finding it offensive to be called weird, given what she'd been through before finding out about her true self. "I-I'm not weird! You're the one who was in a joke shop scheming about… about… things!"
He laughed uproariously at her spluttering. "Things? Can't come up with anything better than that, can you?" He shook his head in mock exasperation. "Girls. Anyway, I was just kidding around with you, y'know? It was a joke. You know what those are, right? Jokes?"
"Of course I know what a joke is, as the living incarnation happens to be standing right in front of me." Izzy spoke indignantly, sticking her nose up at the boy.
A smile suddenly split his face, nearly from ear to ear. "Oh, so she does have a sense of humor! That's great! I'm sure we'll get along just fine."
Izzy's eyes narrowed sharply. "I doubt that seriously. I'm not a people person." Despite her sharp comments, she felt herself shrinking back into her normal state of mind. Part of her wanted to be friendly, really, but the majority of her felt as though this entire thing was wrong. This boy - a boy she didn't even know - was being kind to her, and it was unlike anything she'd experienced. People weren't kind to her unless they were setting her up for a mean joke, and she didn't want it to happen again.
Not wanting to continue the conversation anymore - she could feel the anxiety turning her stomach into angry knots - Izzy looked toward the other girl, who was still in a heated argument with the other redhead. She felt thoroughly exasperated. She wanted her first day to be quiet. Uneventful. Spent alone. This wasn't what she'd pictured. This wasn't what she wanted.
As she opened her mouth to snap at the battling gingers, who were now calling each other as many variations of smelly they could think of - including 'stanky,' courtesy of George - a loud scream sounded from somewhere down the train. A cacophony of noises, ranging from outright screeches to wails, could be heard approaching their compartment like a wave. When the twins looked at each other with an excited gleam in their eyes and a laugh bubbling from their lips, Izzy felt even more uneasy.
"Cover your nose and prepare yourselves, ladies! Your day's about to get a whole lot more stanky!" George exclaimed, sticking his tongue out in Maeva's direction before grabbing the hem of his robes and covering his face. The girl was about to make another outraged comment when, suddenly, it hit them. Izzy instantly recoiled with a cry of utter confusion and anguish, quickly shoving Pickle's tank to the side to cover her nose. Maeva had nearly shoved her entire head into her shirt, trying to block the wave of scent.
"OH GoOD Merlin and all that is mighty, wHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT STENCH?!"
"What you are smelling now is merely a fraction of what those poor Slytherin blokes are experiencing at this very moment. This smell right here is probably equivalent to one of two dungbombs. They got 20. They'll be smelling like that for at least a week." Fred spoke nasally as he plugged his nose, a wicked grin on his face. One could still hear the angry shouts from outside the cabin, probably trying to figure out where the awful smell was coming from.
"Why?" Maeva asked, sounding close to tears due to the scent's strength. To Izzy, it was so strong that she actually tasted it, and dear God it was literally the worst thing she'd ever smelled and tasted in her life.
George shrugged. "They insulted our Mum. No one insults our Mum."
"If they do, then they get to feel the wrath of the best pranking duo this side of Europe!" Fred added, and Izzy thought Maeva was going to burst out laughing. Luckily, she contained herself - Izzy knew she would have suffered had she uncovered her nose during her laughter - and snorted at them from behind the fabric.
"I respect you for that, whatever your name is, sorry about not knowing it yet. I'd almost respect you, George, but I still hate you." She said, and Izzy heard a scoff.
"How absolutely, positively rude of you." George sniffed, feigning sadness. "And his name's Fred, by the way."
As they continued to bicker back and forth, the train began to slow in speed. A voice - Izzy was unsure of its origins, as there was no intercom system, and figured it had to be magic - stated that "because some miscreants had decided to stink up the entire train with dungbombs, they'd need to stop the train and exit it to allow the compartments time to air out." Prefects, as well as the head boy and girl, were clearing each compartment in an orderly fashion, but kids were quick to ignore them, surging towards the exits. The twins looked back at the girls, giving a single wink before throwing open the doors and disappearing into the crowds.
The two sat there for a moment, trying to process what those two gits had done. Maeva was the first to snap back to reality, chasing after them with an angry shout. Izzy gave a quiet sigh and shook her head before tailing after the three.
After what seemed like an eternity, though it was only half an hour or so, they were back on the train. During this time, Maeva and Izzy quickly changed into their school uniforms. Izzy found it quite odd to be wearing robes and often fidgeted with the sleeves or the tie under her sweater.
The train ride only lasted a short time after the whole dungbomb incident before they were finally pulling into a station, marking an end to their train journey and the start of their wizarding life. Izzy noticed that students weren't retrieving their items as they left, and she stood there awkwardly with Pickle's tank in her arms, unsure what she should do with the toad. Just then, an older girl, perhaps 17, caught sight of her, and Izzy could see a badge on her uniform that identified her as something called a 'prefect'.
"First year, eh? Don't worry, you can leave him here. The workers will take good care of him." The girl gave Izzy a patient smile. "They'll bring up all luggage and such to your House when you get placed into one." Izzy gave a silent 'oh' and placed the heavy tank back into the seat, quickly thanking the girl before hurrying off to find either Maeva or the Twins, but she hoped to find the former first.
It took a few moment to track Maeva down, preceded by Izzy nearly tumbling out of the train and several rough impacts with students, but she finally trudged up next to the girl in question, pretty much out of breath.
"Firs' years, this way ter the boats!" Izzy heard a deep voice boom, and she caught sight of an extremely tall man with a ragged beard. It was enough to scare the wits out of her and she ducked behind Maeva, using the poor girl as a human body shield.
"Scared?" Maeva snorted, and Izzy sent a small glare at her before quickly composing herself.
"No! Of course not." She said with a huff, but that didn't stop her from trailing a good distance away from the giant man as he led them down a path towards a dock.
"Alrigh', three ter five people per boat!" The giant man instructed, helping students into the designated boats.
"Oi, you two!" Izzy heard a pair of familiar voices shout, and both her and Maeva turned their attentions towards the evil pair of red haired twins, who happened to already be sitting in a boat. "Hurry up, yeah? We're not gonna wait all day." One of them smirked, patting an open spot next to them.
"What makes you think we want to sit with you?" Maeva sneered, crossing her arms a bit. The twin just shrugged, giving a lazy grin.
"Oh c'mon. You love us. Plus, you know us. Why would you want to sit with some strangers?" There was a moment of silence, before Maeva finally gave in, grumbling something about good for nothing twins, Izzy didn't really mind where she sat, but she was appreciative that it was with some people that she knew.
When they were all finally situated in the boats, they were off. Izzy was given the job of holding up the lantern, which she clutched onto in slight terror; however, her amazement overrided the terror when she saw that the boats could move without any person paddling, along with the upcoming view of the mystical castle she assumed was Hogwarts. Suddenly, she felt the boat violently shake, and she clung to the side of the boat in fright.
"Stop rocking the boat." Maeva barked, glaring at the twins.
"Why? Scared of a little water?" One, who Izzy assumed to be George, teased, a mischievous glimmer in his eye as he and his twin continue to sway the boat back and forth.
"I'm going to swat both of you. Look at Izzy, you're giving the poor girl anxiety." She jerked her head over towards where the girl was clinging to the boat, looking at them with wide eyes.
"Ah, sorry about that Izzy, didn't know you were scared of boat rides." George apologized.
"I'm not scared of boats. I'm scared of whatever is in this freaking water. You can't see the bottom, it's terrifying. Plus, it's a little too chilly out for a bath right now." Izzy gave a glare at the two. They stared at each other for a moment, before the they burst out into laughter.
"Her glare is like a little puppy dog trying to be intimidating!" Fred snickered, and Izzy went back to sulking, ignoring the laughter of the duo.
Once the boats had docked, students quickly hopped out of them and were led into the castle. They were directed up a large staircase, where, at the top, they met an older lady garbed in emerald green robes and the traditional witch's hat.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," She spoke with the smallest of smiles, somehow managing to look stern and welcoming all at the same time. She looked down upon the gathered students. "In just a few moments, you will cross through these doors and join your classmates. However, before you can take your seats, you must first be sorted into your Houses. These are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. During your stay at Hogwarts, your House will be like your family." The last part peaked Izzy's curiousity, but also made her quite nervous. She wasn't thrilled with the idea of having some strangers become part of her family.
"Your triumphs will earn you points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose these points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup. Now, the Sorting Ceremony will begin momentarily." And with that, she turned with a slight swish of her robes, disappearing behind the large doors. Almost instantly, the students broke out into an excited chatter.
"Which house d'you want to be in?"
"Uh, duh! Gryffindor of course! They're the best!"
"Yeah, if you want to be brave and dumb! Gryffindors charge into everything without thinking and make everyone else's business their own, my parents say! I'd rather be in Slytherin!"
This caused a debate to break out between the students who knew about the Houses and their traits. Izzy avoided being pulled into it, as she knew little about the Houses, though Maeva and the twins both put in their two cents about wanting to be Gryffindors. Izzy thought that it would be nice to be placed with them, seeing as she knew them. If she wasn't, she hoped that the other students wouldn't be too bad.
A little while later, not long after the debate settled down, the doors reopened, and Professor McGonagall stepped through them. She motioned to the room beyond them.
"It's time for you to all be sorted. Please form a line and follow me."
Izzy took a deep breath. Looking to her right, she saw that her three sort-of friends were eagerly falling into line, and she hurried to join them. Maeva seemed a little worried, her shoulders tense, but other than that, none of them seemed too scared.
"I shouldn't be, either. I can do this, especially with their help."
As she entered what one of the other students whispered to be known as the Great Hall, she felt her resolve strengthening. No matter what happened here, her life would improve exponentially here. She was sure of it.
AN: Sassy Fred gives me life to be honest. I hope they're not too out of character. ;_; Anyway, thank you for reading, and if you liked it, please review!
