A/N: Thanks to twibe and Skylar97 for reviewing/following!
Ariella stepped back from the window as soon as the platform was out of sight. This was it, she was on her way to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at last.
"Shall we go find a compartment then?" Harry asked, jolting Ariella out of her thoughts and back to reality.
Ron and her sister exchanged looks.
"Err," Ron said.
"We're – well – Ron and I are supposed to into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.
Ron wasn't looking at anyone; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.
"Oh," said Harry. "Right. Fine. Shall we go, Ariella, Ginny?"
"I don't think we'll have to stay there the whole journey," interjected Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."
"Fine," said Harry again. "Well, we – we might see you later then."
Ariella could feel the discomfort of all three and stepped back slightly, not wanting to get involved.
"Yeah, definitely," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather – but we have to – I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy," he finished defiantly, confusing Ariella. Who was Percy?
"I know you're not," said Harry, and then, to everyone's relief, he grinned. But as Hermione and Ron dragged their trunks, Crookshanks and a caged Pigwidgeon off towards the engine end of the train, Ariella saw Harry gaze lingering after them and didn't know what to do. Instead, she looked at Ginny, who had been very quiet whilst the three had talked.
"Come on," she said. "If we get a move on, we'll be able to save them places."
"Right," said Harry.
Ariella said nothing and picked up her trunk before struggling down the corridor after Ginny, who was peering through the glass-panelled doors into the compartments, all of which were already full.
In the very last carriage, they met a boy who both Ginny and Harry clearly knew very well. He was a tall boy, tall and lanky, with a round, beaming face and a head full of earthy brown hair. He was trying to pull his case along with one hand, his other clutched a struggling toad.
"Hi Harry," he panted. "Hi, Ginny… everywhere's full… and I can't find a seat… "
"Hi, how–" Harry didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Ginny had squeezed past Neville and made a noise of protest.
"What are you talking about?" she said, peering into the next compartment. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here–"
The boy mumbled something about not wanting to disturb anyone.
"Don't be silly," Ginny said, laughing. "She's alright. Come on, Ella."
She slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside before helping Ariella with hers. Harry and Neville followed.
"Hi Luna," said Ginny. "Is it okay if we take these seats?"
The girl beside the window looked up. She had straggly, waist length, dirty blonde hair, very pale eyebrows and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Ariella knew at once why the boy had chosen to pass this compartment by. The girl gave off an aura of dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of corks, or that she was reading a magazine upside down. Her eyes ranged over the boy and Ariella and then went to rest on Harry. She nodded.
"Thanks," Ginny said smiling at her.
Harry and the boy stowed the four trunks and Hedwig's cage in the luggage rack and sat down. Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called The Quibbler. She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal humans. She stared and stared at Harry, who had taken the seat opposite her.
"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.
"Yes," said Luna dreamily, without taking her eyes off Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter," she added. The boy with the toad chuckled. "And I don't know who you are."
"I'm nobody," he said hurriedly, smile gone.
"No you're not," said Ginny sharply. "Neville Longbottom - Luna Lovegood. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."
Neville Longbottom. The name cast familiarity into Ariella's mind. Neville. Hermione had spoken of him before, she was sure of it. Wait, wasn't he the boy Hermione had used that body-bind curse on in her first year? Yes, it was definitely him, she thought, not noticing that she was still staring until Neville sensed her gaze and looked over.
"Who's this, Harry?" he asked.
Harry looked startle for a moment. "Oh, yes, I forgot. This is Hermione's sister, Ariella."
"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you, Ariella."
"You too," the young girl smiled, feeling rather embarrassed that she'd been caught staring and turned to look out the window.
The train rattled onwards, speeding them out into open country. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next they were passing beneath ominously grey clouds. Ron and Hermione did not turn up for nearly an hour, by which time the food trolley had already gone by. Ariella had been treated to Pumpkin Pastries and had been given a dozen Chocolate frog cards to start her own collection. She was just admiring the beautiful Dark Witch, Morgana, when the compartment door slid open and the new Gryffindor prefects walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage.
"I'm starving," said Ron, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to him. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the frog's head and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning.
"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house," said Hermione, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took her seat. "Boy and girl from each."
"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron, still with his eyes closed.
"Malfoy," replied Harry. Ariella had no idea who they were talking about and went back to the window, blocking out their voices.
Only, a few minutes later, everyone suddenly burst out laughing, making Ariella look away from the scenery. They were all in hysterics, but nobody was laughing harder than Luna Lovegood. She let out a scream of mirth that caused Hedwig to wake up and flap her wings indignantly and Crookshanks to leap up into the luggage rack, hissing. Luna laughed so hard her magazine slipped out of her grasp, slid down her legs and on to the floor.
"That was funny!"
Her prominent eyes swam with tears as she gasped for breath, staring at Ron. Utterly nonplussed, he looked around at the others, who were now laughing at the expression on Ron's face and at the ludicrously prolonged laughter of Luna Lovegood, who was rocking backwards and forwards, clutching her sides.
"Are you taking the mickey?" said Ron, frowning at her.
"Baboon's . . . backside!" she choked, holding her ribs.
There was an awkward silence as Luna finally stopped laughing, yet still breathless as she picked up her dropped magazine. It only lasted a second, however, before the compartment door opened for the third time.
There, stood in the doorway was a snooty looking boy with sleek, white blonde hair and two large, ugly boys by his side. Ariella swallowed nervously. Whoever they were, they didn't look very friendly. However, before the boy could open his mouth, Harry spoke.
"What?" he said aggressively.
"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," the boy drawled, sending shivers up Ariella's spine. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."
"Yeah," said Harry. "But you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."
Ariella gasped, but Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville laughed. The boy's lip curled.
"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.
"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply. So this was the Malfoy boy Harry had mentioned earlier, Ariella thought.
"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Malfoy, smirking, then turned his gaze to Ariella. The young girl saw his slight frown. "And who is this?"
Ariella curled up to her sister, not liking this Malfoy's attention.
"Mini-Mudblood?" he asked curiously, causing an uproar of protest from the carriage.
"Don't you dare call my sister that!" Hermione shouted, standing up. "Get out!"
Sniggering, Malfoy gave Ariella a last malicious look and departed, with the two boys lumbering along in his wake. Hermione slammed the compartment door behind them.
"What's a Mudblood?" Ariella asked.
"A foul word for a muggle born. He knows he should not have said that," Hermione hissed.
"Like a swear word?"
"Yes, very much like a swear word, probably worse really."
The weather remained undecided as they travelled further and farther north. Rain spattered the windows in a half-hearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. When darkness fell and lamps came on inside the carriages, Luna rolled up The Quibbler, put it carefully away in her bag and took to staring at everyone in the compartment instead.
"We'd better change," said Hermione at last, and all of them opened their trunks with difficulty and pulled on their school robes. She and Ron pinned their prefect badges carefully to their chests.
At last, the train began to slow down and they heard the usual racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pets assembled, ready to get on. As Ron and Hermione were supposed to supervise all this, they disappeared from the carriage again, leaving Ariella and the others to look after Crookshanks and Pigwidgeon.
"I'll carry that owl, if you like," said Luna to Harry, reaching out for Pigwidgeon as Neville stowed his toad carefully in an inside pocket.
"Oh - err - thanks," said Harry, handing her the cage and hoisting Hedwig's more securely into his arms.
They shuffled out of the compartment feeling the first sting of the night air on their faces as they joined the crowd in the corridor. Slowly, they moved towards the doors.
As they stepped out, Ariella heard a brisk female voice, calling out, "First-years line up over here, please! All first-years to me!"
"Go, Ella. You can't take your luggage on the boat, we'll take it for you," Ginny said, ushering her towards a short, plump woman with a green pointed hat on her head.
Ariella swallowed nervously and soon found herself surrounded by several other anxious looking students. And then, finally, as they moved off and walked round a bend, Ariella got her first view of the many dark turrets of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
A/N: Please review! :)