Hermione knocked on the door, before sliding them open. Inside the compartment were two girls who meant everything to her, and two girls she'd never seen before.
"Cissa! Andy!" She squealed in the most un Hermione Granger way. While her and her sisters were at the Nettle Manor, they'd practiced meditation techniques to separate the two people within them, locking away their old memories and putting their new ones at the front of their minds. This meant that they could access their old memories if they wanted, but the Nettle them was their instinct. So squealing wasn't so out of place.
The vivacious Black sisters turned around and deep grins came over their faces. Narcissa's white blonde hair flowed around her as she ran over to the door. The young woman hugged the two girls and Andromeda waved daintily from her seat.
"I'm so sorry about your parents, loves." Andromeda smiled sadly.
"Of course. Come meet our friends, Emerson Greengrass and Paisley Parkinson" Narcissa rolled her eyes subtly, suggesting that they weren't really friends, rather pure blood society friends.
Emerson had long strawberry blond hair and piercing sage eyes, with a sharp glint in them. Paisley's purpley black hair and fathomless brown eyes made the upturned nose her niece inherited look effortlessly pretty, instead of pug like.
"Paisley, Emerson, these lovely ladies are Andy and I's best friends Ginny and Hermione Nettle." Narcissa said with the flourish a Black lady should have. However she turned and whispered to them as the Slytherins gasped "be careful with what you disclose. Painful gossips"
When the girls were younger, although they had eachother they were painfully lonely. And so Zion reached out to an old friend, Druella Black (nee Rosier). She knew that her and her husband Cygnus also had three daughters, and they came up with a contract so that the girls could all be friends. Bellatrix always refused visits to Nettle Manor, so it was just Narcissa and Andromeda who became fast friends with the girls, although Luna never clicked with them the way Hermione and Ginny did. So in a way, both Bellatrix and Luna were outcasted from the little group.
The contract stated that the girls could make no mention of what happened in the manor or of the inhabitants. Naturally newspapers and magazines picked up on the subject, but their efforts were for naught. If anything, Blacks were incredibly loyal to their family and the Nettles were as good as close relatives. They'd all grown up as sisters together, and now they could go to Hogwarts together too.
"Lovely to meet you Paisley, Emerson" Hermione nodded to them. "We just came to let you know we were on the train Cissa. Of course with the rumours flying around"
"You know each other? I though the Nettles were secluded?" Paisley's ears shot up in anticipation.
"Yes we do. Letter correspondence, though, we've never met in person, out of respect for the family's customs" Andromeda interrupted sharply. Although she wasn't as formidable as her older sister Bellatrix, who'd left Hogwarts last year, you wouldn't do well to cross any Black.
"We'll be seeing you at the feast loves" Andromeda nodded to them, in an urgent dismissal, to get them away from such gossipers.
"A pleasure" Ginny curtsied, and as soon as they were out of the compartment let out a snort.
"Oooh I'm Paisley I'm in everyone's business" she rolled her eyes.
"And I'm Emerson and I'm a perfect pure blood who can't say anything other than what my superior told me to" Hermione continued laughing.
The girls went back to the Gryffindor compartment to find Luna braiding flowers into Marlene's long blond hair, biting her lip in concentration.
"How were the Blacks? I know they can be very awful and-" Dorcas started but Ginny interrupted her.
"Awful? They're our closest friends. You must have the wrong impression "
"Well Bellatrix went around hexing everyone, and they never did much! And they're Slytherins "
"There's nothing wrong with Slytherins. In fact we are direct descendants from Salazar himself. Ambition and cunning aren't evil." Hermione settled herself next to Luna.
"Well they certainly act no different. They never stick up for anyone"
"Have you no thought about what happens outside of the scene? Of course it's admirable to stick up against your blood for a stranger, a highly Gryffindor thing to do, but you can't expect it of people" Luna said philosophically as she looked far off into the distance. She'd never liked Narcissa overly so, but Andromeda was nice enough and she enjoyed both the sisters company in the lonely Manor. Luna couldn't have them saying such things about her friends.
"We just don't think it's a good idea to be close with them is all" Dorcas huffed.
"We've known them since we were babies. I think we've already decided that" Ginny fumed. "I need to change."
The girl stormed out, with Hermione following her and Lunas hands never stopping the delicate weaving of her hands through Marlene's hair.
Sirius stomped down the carriage searching for the trolley witch. She'd been to his compartment about 30 minutes ago, so she should be back with the the professors he reasoned.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Sirius turned the corner as the train changed directions and walked straight into a small petite figure.
Rubbing his head, Sirius looked down to see a red Hermione, scrambling for all her clothes, just coming back from the changing rooms. Bending down, he started to pick up a skirt, some tights and many Bobby pins that had fallen around.
"I'm so sorry Sirius! I had to chase Gin, she was upset about Cissa and Andy and Dorcas said some things and well now I'm rambling..." Hermione's face got darker and darker, though Sirius couldn't see the full effect because her deep brown mane was covering her.
"Cissa and Andy? You know my cousins" he asked in what he thought was nonchalant.
"Oh yes we're good friends. Very close"
"Why didn't they tell me anything about you?"
"Sworn to secrecy" Hermione chuckled slightly, before hearing a crash. Her face contorted into a stricken expression, and she turned to leave but Sirius grabbed her forearm.
"Your stuff, Mina" he said softly.
"Mina?" Hermione asked just as soft, having stopped a little too close to grab her things.
Sirius went slightly pink, before confidently saying "yeah. Mina. If you're friends with the Marauders you need some sort of nickname, though this is just temporary"
"I like it" Hermione nodded subtly, before spinning on her heel and sauntering off modestly.
Hermione spun on her heel and walked away, glad that her hair and skin tone covered up her glaring blush. What was she doing standing inches away from a boy she just met? Or a boy who she'd met when he was very much a man! She stalked forward to where to noise came from, and opened a bathroom door to find toilet rolls all over the floor and a shaking Ginny sitting on the toilet seat, shaking.
Hermione crouched down delicately "Gin?"
"I lost control Mione! I got mad about them talking about Cissa and Andy and I lost control. Dads death came back and hit me like a hippogriff. But I'm a Nettle now. So it's Arthur? And then I couldn't stop thinking about everyone. So I threw the loo rolls on the floor."
"Okay. You lost control and that's okay. We've lost dozens of friends, all at once. But we have the opportunity to make new ones. And Lunas doing a right job of it. I think we should follow her example" Hermione gently wiped Ginny's face and led them out of the bathroom.
"Now I know when we're together we replenish a whole lot quicker, but Luna needs to make connections with the Gryffindors if she's going to be a Slytherin. So why don't we go and talk to the Marauders" Hermione dragged the girl down the corridor to the infamous Marauder compartment.
"You don't think we were too harsh on Pads do you?" James asked his friends, as his brother slammed the door.
"No. He needed to hear what he heard." Remus nodded to himself, as if convincing himself of the fact.
So the boys went back to exploding snap, scoffing themselves with sweets and talking about the quidditch cup scoreboards. After a while the door slammed open again and Sirius came and sat in his usual place, his face scrunched up.
"God Padfoot you stink" Remus pinched his nose and shook his head like a wet dog.
"What do you mean, Rem? He smells the way he always does. Drenched in cologne" Peter laughed.
"No he smells overbearingly like lavender candles. Can't you all smell it?" Remus contorted his nose.
"I do not smell like lavender. That's a girlish smell. I smell like I always do" Sirius raised his eyebrow.
"Never mind" Remus raised his shirt to his nose, sensing he was losing.
The boys continued doing what they usually do, before the compartment doors burst open once more.
Standing in the doorway was Hermione, shoving a red faced Ginny into the compartment. Coincidentally, the lavender smell started to override the compartment again, but Remus didn't bring it up again.
"What's up Mina?" Sirius asked, taking his feet off the seat.
"The girls aren't exactly our type of girlfriends and Andy and Cissa sit with the Slytherins. So you guys are our last resort" Hermione grinned.
"We should've been your first. We are the coolest people in Hogwarts" Sirius winked.
Ginny took a seat closely by Remus and although his face pinkened considerably he said nothing against it.
Peter opened his mouth to say something, but the train whistle interrupted him. They were at Hogwarts.