This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Word Count: 1024

Title: Making Friends When You're 11

Note: Canon divergent - for the sake of this story I will accept Harry/Ginny but they divorce and he marries Draco and lives happily ever after. If you like Celia please consider reading my MC Perfectly Normal :)

Warnings:

Beta: Herochick007, Nutmeg44

Quidditch League:

[Team]: Ballycastle Bats

[Position] Seeker

[Theme]: Write about an important milestone in someone's life.

[Theme]: Quidditch Supplies

[Prompts]:

[Theme]: Book Club

[Prompts]:

[Theme]: Pokemon

[Prompts]:

Summary: Despite Rose's large family tree her first time on the train is a little bit scary, until she makes her first friend, Celia Dursley.

"Rose, don't worry, you can write to us every day," Ron assured his nervous daughter on the platform.

"I know, I wonder if I will meet my best friend today, like you and mum and Uncle Harry," Rose said. She was looking around, as if her best friend was going to jump out at her any second.

"Hey, you know I wasn't friends with your mum right away, you have loads of time to make friends. It doesn't mean the person you chose to sit with has to be your friend."

Rose nodded. But she was convinced that this train ride was going to change her life, and that she would meet her platonic soulmate on this train ride. The pressure was building up inside her, she just had a good feeling about today. She spotted a small girl with curly blonde hair and skin like porcelain climbing onto the train with a black cat draped around her shoulders like a fuzzy scarf. If the girl wasn't moving, she wouldn't have believed it was a real witch. She looked like the dolls her mother kept on the shelf she wasn't allowed to touch, especially after the first one broke when Uncle Harry visited and cousin James was chasing Albus around the living room, and they knocked the dolls over, having one shatter like glass as it hit the ground.

"Uncle Harry!" Rose exclaimed, suddenly spotting him. He was standing beside Draco, but she could tell his focus was on the train. Rose was aware this was the first time in a while that Harry was at the train station, despite it being her first year, was he there to see her? Or someone else?

"Hi, Rosie," Harry said, and bent down to hug her. She pulled a face at the nickname, wanting to argue she was old enough to not be called that, but instead she just hugged him.

"Have you come to see Albus?" She asked, knowing he was already on the train.

Harry shook his head. "I spoke to him, but I am here for Celia Dusley as well, she is starting Hogwarts too."

"Dursley?" Her father interrupted. "You mean?"

Harry nodded, and Rose was a bit puzzled.

"Who's that?" Rose asked.

"My cousin's daughter," Harry said. Rose was watching the adults' expressions, but knowing that she probably wasn't going to find out much more, she decided to let it go. Adults could be strange about keeping their secrets sometimes.

"I need to go, bye Dad!" she called, and rushed towards the train. She realised she had been taking too long chatting that she lost track of the time.

Her heart was racing as she walked down the train, looking into compartments, she knew she wanted to sit with that girl, the one that looked like a porcelain doll. She just needed to find her. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked through the glass, finding her cousin Albus sitting nervously in the compartment with the girl she was looking for. This was going to be her new best friend, she could feel it. She opened the compartment door with a smile.

"Hi Albus," she said. Tucking her trunk above the seat and turning to the girl. Her eyes were wide and as blue as a summer sky. Albus nodded in greeting.

"Hi," Rose said to the girl. "My name is Rose Weasley-Granger," she held out her freckled hand to the girl.

"My name is Celia Dursley," she greeted politely.

"Oh!" Rose exclaimed. "I heard Uncle Harry mention you, why weren't your parents here?" Rose plopped herself down beside Celia, making herself comfortable and folding her legs on the chair.

"My parents are Muggles," Celia blushed. She had heard some of the stigma, of course Harry and Draco hadn't told her everything, but she needed to know she wasn't going to be on equal footing with everyone her age.

"Oh, that's okay, my mother was Muggleborn as well, and she is practically famous now," Rose encouraged her.

"Really?" Celia asked, brushing a curl from her face. Rose nodded in agreement.

"Who is this?" Rose asked, nodding at the black cat on her lap.

Celia beamed at the change in conversation, it was clear she loved the cat. "This is Clarence," she said. "He was my gift when I got my Hogwarts letter."

"He is beautiful," Rose said. "I wish my mum would let me get a pet."

"I think she probably would," Albus piped in from the corner.

"Oh shush," Rose said, hoping Albus would get the hint. She wasn't really all that fond of cats, but she really liked this girl, and if Clarence was dear to her, she wanted to make a good impression.

Celia laughed. "Not everyone likes cats," she said softly. "That's okay though, our differences are what make us special, like my sister, she might not have Magic, but that doesn't mean I don't love her very much."

"You have a sister?" Rose asked. She was very curious about her new best friend. She wanted to know everything about her.

"Yes, Lisa, when I got Clarence, she got a large owl called Hermes, so she can send letters to me at school, you know."

"That's very nice." Rose said. "It does get lonely being an only child sometimes."

Albus piped up again. "You're lucky, Rosie," he said. "Nobody steals your toys, or teases you, or bullies you for being nothing like your father."

The girls shared a glance, and Rose knew that Celia understood Albus's point of view.

"While that's true," Celia said. "They can also be a great source of comfort."

"I suppose," Albus agreed reluctantly.

"Well, I'm still glad to finally have a friend of my own," Rose said, and Celia beamed at her.

"You want to be friends with me?" Celia asked, wringing her hands in a nervous gesture.

"Of course I do," Rose said.

"Can I be your friend too, Celia?" Albus asked.

"Wow, I have never had two people want to be my friends before," Celia admitted. "I think that sounds great."

"Yes, best friends," Rose insisted.

"Best friends," Celia agreed.