A/N: FYI, I have revised Chapter Four, so you might need to go back and reread it. Thanks to all my readers (especially Shasa) for helping me continue writing this story.
She was sitting there quietly when a girl poked her head in the door. "Would you mind if I sat here with you?"
Mandy looked up, "No, it would be good to have some company." The girl smiled and dragged her stuff into the room. Mandy helped her put it away. After they were done they sat across from each other. The girl also had brown hair, but it wasn't as long as Mandy's was. She also had deep green eyes which seemed to sparkle with happiness.
"Hi, my name is Lisa, Lisa Turpin," the girl suddenly said.
"I'm Mandy Brocklehurst," Mandy replied cheerily.
Mandy looked over at Lisa's owl and then said, "That's a PRETTY owl." Lisa looked over at it. "Yeah, she's really nice." She then looked back over at Mandy. Her eyes searched around. "Where's yours?"
"Oh!" Mandy exclaimed. She turned the travel compartment and Cleo was peering out at Lisa. "Aww, she's adorable!" Lisa exclaimed. She reached her finger through the door and Cleo began to lick it.
"Thanks, we get along really well." She looked inside the cage, "Don't we?" Cleo meowed in agreement. Mandy put the compartment down on the seat. "So, do you live in a wizard family?" she asked.
"Yes, I don't think anyone in our family is a muggle."
"Sorry to ask, but what is a muggle?"
"It's people who don't know how to use magic. You must be from a muggle family if you don't know what it means." Lisa said.
"Well, I don't really know anything about witches and wizards. Everything I'm seeing is new to me."
"Don't be worried," Lisa comforted, "A lot of the people going to Hogwarts don't have a clue either."
The Train started and Mandy saw all the parents waving goodbye to their kids. She heard a meow from the travel compartment. "All right, now I can do it." She opened the door to the cage and Cleo climbed out. She found a comfortable spot on Mandy's lap and curled up.
"So, when I was in Diagon Alley, I saw a bunch of kids gathered around a broom, are we allowed to fly them?"
Lisa shook her head, "No, only Second years and up can play Quittich. Well, we do have the one lesson that Madam Hooch will give us."
"What's Quittich?" Mandy asked.
Lisa gasped. "You do have a lot to learn don't you?" Mandy blushed. "It's quite all right," Lisa said shaking her head. "I'll explain it to you. Quittich, well it's our sport. A wizard sport. It's like…what's that game muggles play? The one where you kick around that black and white ball?"
"You mean soccer?" Mandy asked.
"Yes, it's like soccer. Except it's played up in the air on broomsticks, and four balls. It's sort of hard to explain. You'll see it when we get to Hogwarts because we have tournaments between the four houses. I just hope Slytherin will finally lose."
"What exactly are the houses?"
"Well, they're like four groups. When you get to the school you're placed in one of them. There's Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor."
"Which house is the best one?" Mandy interrupted.
"Well, there's not really a best house. Although I've heard that Slytherin always wins the house cup. But they say there isn't a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin."
Mandy smiled. "Well, what's the other houses like?"
"Well, Gryffindors are very brave and Ravenclaws tend to be smart. You see—"
All of a sudden a woman slid open their door and said, "Anything off the cart dears?"
The two girls exchanged glances. Mandy looked back, "Can I have a little bit of everything?"
"Sure darling." The woman grabbed a lot of the candy and handed it to her. "That'll be eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts."
Mandy paid her, and the woman left. She looked up at Lisa who was smiling. "Ok, you're gonna have to help me eat this. I couldn't possibly eat it all by myself."
Lisa looked up wide-eyed, "I couldn't"
Mandy interrupted, "Come on. I insist." With that she handed one of everything to Lisa.
"Thank you. You really are very nice," Lisa replied. Mandy smiled really big and examined her food.
She opened a package that said pumpkin pasties on the outside. She bit into it and it tasted a little like a cake that she would eat in her world. She gobbled it up and gave a small piece to Cleo. Cleo purred loudly as she licked her lips clean of crumbs. She looked over at Lisa. Lisa was eating one of the Licorice Wands. It was wrapped up with bunches of colored strands. Lisa informed her that each strand was a different flavor.
Mandy pulled open a box that said Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. She was about to put one in her mouth when Lisa gasped. Mandy looked up at her.
"Be careful, when they say every flavor, they mean every flavor. I've gotten a veal flavored one before, so you got to be careful."
Mandy thought it was exciting guessing what she would be eating next. She ended up getting strawberry, cookie, grass, bacon, onion, turnips, ham, earwax , hamburger, and dirt. She put that aside because she was scared she'd get another nasty one.
She pulled open her Cauldron cake and ate it too. Just then their door slid open again. "Excuse me, have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one," asked a girl with bushy brown hair.
"I'm sorry, we haven't," replied Mandy.
"It's ok, I'm just trying to help him find it. Goodbye," she said as she closed the door.
They both looked at each other, shrugged, and began to eat again. Mandy picked up the Chocolate Frog.
She opened the box and a frog jumped out of the containter. Mandy screamed with surprise as it landed on Lisa's seat. It then turned into a hard piece of chocolate that was shaped like a frog. Lisa giggled and handed it over to Mandy. Mandy began to eat it as she took out a card from the box. It was a sorceress named Morgana.
"Who'd you get?" Lisa asked.
"Morgana," Mandy replied. She put the card down and pulled the wrapper off of the Dooble's Best Blowing Gum. Lisa also popped a piece into her mouth. They chewed for a while and then Mandy blew a bubble. She went to pull it back into her mouth, but it had become thick and she couldn't pop it. Lisa began laughing.
"You can't pop the bubbles silly, you're supposed to blow them, like this." She blew a bubble and it floated over towards Mandy. Cleo stared up at it and swiped at it with her paw. It bounced off and got swooped out the window. Mandy decided to eat the rest of her gum without blowing anymore bubbles.
The girl with bushy brown hair walked back in the compartment. "I was asked by the train driver to tell everyone to put on their robes, we're almost there."
"Thanks…" Mandy said leaving the sentence open.
"Hermione, Hermione Granger," the girl replied with a grin. She shook both of their hands, and then she left again.
Mandy had to upset Cleo by taking her off of her lap, and then she pulled on her robes. A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minute's time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
"Sorry," Mandy said as she put Cleo in her travel compartment. "I'll see you later."
Mandy and Lisa left their compartment and joined the crowd in the corrider. The train started to slow down and Mandy looked over at Lisa as it stopped. "Well, here goes nothing."
She was sitting there quietly when a girl poked her head in the door. "Would you mind if I sat here with you?"
Mandy looked up, "No, it would be good to have some company." The girl smiled and dragged her stuff into the room. Mandy helped her put it away. After they were done they sat across from each other. The girl also had brown hair, but it wasn't as long as Mandy's was. She also had deep green eyes which seemed to sparkle with happiness.
"Hi, my name is Lisa, Lisa Turpin," the girl suddenly said.
"I'm Mandy Brocklehurst," Mandy replied cheerily.
Mandy looked over at Lisa's owl and then said, "That's a PRETTY owl." Lisa looked over at it. "Yeah, she's really nice." She then looked back over at Mandy. Her eyes searched around. "Where's yours?"
"Oh!" Mandy exclaimed. She turned the travel compartment and Cleo was peering out at Lisa. "Aww, she's adorable!" Lisa exclaimed. She reached her finger through the door and Cleo began to lick it.
"Thanks, we get along really well." She looked inside the cage, "Don't we?" Cleo meowed in agreement. Mandy put the compartment down on the seat. "So, do you live in a wizard family?" she asked.
"Yes, I don't think anyone in our family is a muggle."
"Sorry to ask, but what is a muggle?"
"It's people who don't know how to use magic. You must be from a muggle family if you don't know what it means." Lisa said.
"Well, I don't really know anything about witches and wizards. Everything I'm seeing is new to me."
"Don't be worried," Lisa comforted, "A lot of the people going to Hogwarts don't have a clue either."
The Train started and Mandy saw all the parents waving goodbye to their kids. She heard a meow from the travel compartment. "All right, now I can do it." She opened the door to the cage and Cleo climbed out. She found a comfortable spot on Mandy's lap and curled up.
"So, when I was in Diagon Alley, I saw a bunch of kids gathered around a broom, are we allowed to fly them?"
Lisa shook her head, "No, only Second years and up can play Quittich. Well, we do have the one lesson that Madam Hooch will give us."
"What's Quittich?" Mandy asked.
Lisa gasped. "You do have a lot to learn don't you?" Mandy blushed. "It's quite all right," Lisa said shaking her head. "I'll explain it to you. Quittich, well it's our sport. A wizard sport. It's like…what's that game muggles play? The one where you kick around that black and white ball?"
"You mean soccer?" Mandy asked.
"Yes, it's like soccer. Except it's played up in the air on broomsticks, and four balls. It's sort of hard to explain. You'll see it when we get to Hogwarts because we have tournaments between the four houses. I just hope Slytherin will finally lose."
"What exactly are the houses?"
"Well, they're like four groups. When you get to the school you're placed in one of them. There's Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor."
"Which house is the best one?" Mandy interrupted.
"Well, there's not really a best house. Although I've heard that Slytherin always wins the house cup. But they say there isn't a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin."
Mandy smiled. "Well, what's the other houses like?"
"Well, Gryffindors are very brave and Ravenclaws tend to be smart. You see—"
All of a sudden a woman slid open their door and said, "Anything off the cart dears?"
The two girls exchanged glances. Mandy looked back, "Can I have a little bit of everything?"
"Sure darling." The woman grabbed a lot of the candy and handed it to her. "That'll be eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts."
Mandy paid her, and the woman left. She looked up at Lisa who was smiling. "Ok, you're gonna have to help me eat this. I couldn't possibly eat it all by myself."
Lisa looked up wide-eyed, "I couldn't"
Mandy interrupted, "Come on. I insist." With that she handed one of everything to Lisa.
"Thank you. You really are very nice," Lisa replied. Mandy smiled really big and examined her food.
She opened a package that said pumpkin pasties on the outside. She bit into it and it tasted a little like a cake that she would eat in her world. She gobbled it up and gave a small piece to Cleo. Cleo purred loudly as she licked her lips clean of crumbs. She looked over at Lisa. Lisa was eating one of the Licorice Wands. It was wrapped up with bunches of colored strands. Lisa informed her that each strand was a different flavor.
Mandy pulled open a box that said Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. She was about to put one in her mouth when Lisa gasped. Mandy looked up at her.
"Be careful, when they say every flavor, they mean every flavor. I've gotten a veal flavored one before, so you got to be careful."
Mandy thought it was exciting guessing what she would be eating next. She ended up getting strawberry, cookie, grass, bacon, onion, turnips, ham, earwax , hamburger, and dirt. She put that aside because she was scared she'd get another nasty one.
She pulled open her Cauldron cake and ate it too. Just then their door slid open again. "Excuse me, have you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost one," asked a girl with bushy brown hair.
"I'm sorry, we haven't," replied Mandy.
"It's ok, I'm just trying to help him find it. Goodbye," she said as she closed the door.
They both looked at each other, shrugged, and began to eat again. Mandy picked up the Chocolate Frog.
She opened the box and a frog jumped out of the containter. Mandy screamed with surprise as it landed on Lisa's seat. It then turned into a hard piece of chocolate that was shaped like a frog. Lisa giggled and handed it over to Mandy. Mandy began to eat it as she took out a card from the box. It was a sorceress named Morgana.
"Who'd you get?" Lisa asked.
"Morgana," Mandy replied. She put the card down and pulled the wrapper off of the Dooble's Best Blowing Gum. Lisa also popped a piece into her mouth. They chewed for a while and then Mandy blew a bubble. She went to pull it back into her mouth, but it had become thick and she couldn't pop it. Lisa began laughing.
"You can't pop the bubbles silly, you're supposed to blow them, like this." She blew a bubble and it floated over towards Mandy. Cleo stared up at it and swiped at it with her paw. It bounced off and got swooped out the window. Mandy decided to eat the rest of her gum without blowing anymore bubbles.
The girl with bushy brown hair walked back in the compartment. "I was asked by the train driver to tell everyone to put on their robes, we're almost there."
"Thanks…" Mandy said leaving the sentence open.
"Hermione, Hermione Granger," the girl replied with a grin. She shook both of their hands, and then she left again.
Mandy had to upset Cleo by taking her off of her lap, and then she pulled on her robes. A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minute's time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
"Sorry," Mandy said as she put Cleo in her travel compartment. "I'll see you later."
Mandy and Lisa left their compartment and joined the crowd in the corrider. The train started to slow down and Mandy looked over at Lisa as it stopped. "Well, here goes nothing."