Disclaimer: Sorry! Forgot to do this for the first chapter. So, everyone
except for Gabriella and her parents belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Thanks to Leilani for my first review, and a very supportive review it was, too! Hope you enjoy the next chapter as much as the first!
CHAPTER TWO - The Ride to Hogwarts
Once we were all settled in our seats, Hermione and I facing Harry and Ron, Ron asked, "So are you from Australia or Russia, then?" I smiled and answered, "Australia, but I descend from Russia. Hey, can you tell me, what was that guy's problem back there?" Harry told Ron that I was talking about Malfoy and then began, "You see, he's always hated the three of us, but me especially. He has a sort of elitist mind, and thinks that anyone with the qualities he mentioned before are below him."
"Funnily enough," Hermione continued, "We're all eligible in one of those categories. I'm a 'Mudblood', Harry is an orphan and Ron."
"I guess I'm poor, hey?" Ron suggested, unashamed.
"Sorry Ron."
"That's okay. Besides, you don't need money to be happy. Although, it would be nice to have a bit more of it sometimes," Ron admitted.
"Oh, geez, I hope you didn't think I was elitist, because I'm not, really. I just hate bullies and I was defending myself," I explained in a hurry. Harry and Hermione assured me that they understood and I relaxed.
"So did you go to a Witchcraft and Wizardry school or a Muggle school in Australia?" Hermione asked. I smiled at the memory of my old school and answered, "Definitely not a Muggle school! It was called Quarrian Comprehensive Witchcraft and Wizardry Academy. It was pretty good, too. How many schools like Hogwarts are there in England?"
Harry and Ron looked baffled, but Hermione promptly said, "None. Hogwarts is the only one. Of course, there are a few on the Continent, like Beauxbatons Academy and Durmstrang Institute." she trailed off looking dreamy.
"Hermione, are you still thinking about Krum?" Ron asked suspiciously. "Forget about him! You'll never see him again, unless Bulgaria is in the Quidditch World Cup again!"
"Oh! Of course, I guess you guys saw that, too. Wasn't it a fantastic game?" I exclaimed. They all agreed and Ron commented, "Yeah, we got to go to it, actually. Very cool!" That got us talking about Quidditch for a while. I confessed my hopes of being picked for a team at Hogwarts, in the position of Keeper.
"Well, Harry's Gryffindor Seeker. Maybe if you're in Gryffindor you can try out for the team," Hermione suggested. Harry's eyes lit up and he agreed, "Yeah! Now Wood's been gone for a year, there's an open Keeper position on our team. We didn't get to try anyone out for it last year."
He stopped abruptly and all three of them went all quiet, with sad faces. I debated whether or not to press it, and finally, after a long silence, I ventured, "Why didn't you get to try anyone out last year?"
Harry cleared his throat and replied, "Well, we had the Tri-Wizard Tournament last year, between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. There wasn't an inter-house Quidditch competition because of it. Anyway, to cut a very long story short, there was no point in getting a new keeper until this year. Now we've just got to hope that you're in Gryffindor."
This explanation didn't tell me anything about why they had all gone quiet and sad, but I decided to leave it. Instead, I said, "I hope I'm not stereotyping, but I've read up on Hogwarts and its houses. Are Malfoy and his henchmen in Slytherin?"
They all nodded and Hermione said, "I'm impressed! Finally, someone else who actually reads in this school! Did you read Hogwarts: A History?" I nodded and shrugged as I offered, "I like reading. Have you read the Narnia books?"
"They're some of my favourites!"
"Mine too! Oh, I suppose you haven't read these, because they're by an Australian, but one series of books I love are The Obernewtyn Chronicles."
"No, I haven't read them."
"Well, I've brought them with me, so if you ever want to read them, just ask."
While Hermione and I talked about books, Harry and Ron started playing wizard chess. Harry, I noticed, was not very good. Or maybe it was just that Ron was an exceptionally good player. Hermione and I started watching them play, and we weren't interrupted until.
"Anything to eat, dears?" a kindly old witch pushing a trolley of food asked us. We all pulled out our money and bought as much as possible. We pooled our food on the table between the seats and munched away happily on Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Pumpkin Pasties. I was, however, somewhat disappointed to see that they didn't have my favourite snack, Fluffy Cottontails. I voiced my disappointment and all three of them looked at me as if I was crazy.
"What? They're beautiful! They're like fairy-floss pies," I described them.
"What's fairy-floss?" Ron asked, his mouth full of Pumpkin Pasty. I swallowed my Frog and looked at them like they were crazy.
"It's that stuff Muggles have at circuses and the Easter Show and stuff like that. You get it on a stick and it's light as air."
"Oh! Candy-floss, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. Then she turned Ron and explained, "Ron, it's like spun sugar. Very sweet and fluffy." Ron looked satisfied and bit decidedly into another Pasty.
"Hey guys!" someone outside our little carriage said. I looked up and saw three more boys smiling in greeting at Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"Hallo Seamus, Dean, Neville," Harry greeted them. He continued, "This is Ella. She's in fifth year too. Ella - Seamus, Dean and Neville. They're all Gryffindors."
I stood up and shook there hands. Seamus (obviously Irish) had blue eyes, pale sking, freckles and brown hair. Dean was a good-looking footballer- esque boy with streaked hair. And Neville? Well, okay, he wasn't good- looking, but he had a nice, kind face.
"Nice to meet you all," I said. Dean winked and asked, "I guess you're Australian, huh?" I nodded and volunteered some more information, "Yeah. I went to Quarrian Comprehensive Witchcraft and Wizardry Academy in New South Wales."
"Wow, it sound really posh! Are there other magic schools in Australia?" Seamus asked. I replied, "Yes, there's one in each state, except for Canberra. They share Quarrian with New South Wales, because they're so small."
"Ella, are you into Quidditch at all?" Dean pressed. I grinned and answered, "Yeah! I was my team's Keeper at Quarrian." Dean nudged Harry and lifted his eyebrows.
"Well, let's hope you're in Gryffindor then, eh Harry?"
"What? Oh, yes, let's," Harry responded, looking a little murderous.
"Well, we'd better go and change into our robes, guys. See you later!" Neville called out as he dragged the other two away. As soon as they were gone, Harry warned me, "Don't be fooled - Dean likes football a lot better than Quidditch!"
"Okay. I'll try to remember that."
"Ella, we should put our robes on too. Let's go to an empty carriage, our a girls-only one, anyway," Hermione suggested. I nodded and got everything I needed, following Hermione on the swaying train.
Thanks to Leilani for my first review, and a very supportive review it was, too! Hope you enjoy the next chapter as much as the first!
CHAPTER TWO - The Ride to Hogwarts
Once we were all settled in our seats, Hermione and I facing Harry and Ron, Ron asked, "So are you from Australia or Russia, then?" I smiled and answered, "Australia, but I descend from Russia. Hey, can you tell me, what was that guy's problem back there?" Harry told Ron that I was talking about Malfoy and then began, "You see, he's always hated the three of us, but me especially. He has a sort of elitist mind, and thinks that anyone with the qualities he mentioned before are below him."
"Funnily enough," Hermione continued, "We're all eligible in one of those categories. I'm a 'Mudblood', Harry is an orphan and Ron."
"I guess I'm poor, hey?" Ron suggested, unashamed.
"Sorry Ron."
"That's okay. Besides, you don't need money to be happy. Although, it would be nice to have a bit more of it sometimes," Ron admitted.
"Oh, geez, I hope you didn't think I was elitist, because I'm not, really. I just hate bullies and I was defending myself," I explained in a hurry. Harry and Hermione assured me that they understood and I relaxed.
"So did you go to a Witchcraft and Wizardry school or a Muggle school in Australia?" Hermione asked. I smiled at the memory of my old school and answered, "Definitely not a Muggle school! It was called Quarrian Comprehensive Witchcraft and Wizardry Academy. It was pretty good, too. How many schools like Hogwarts are there in England?"
Harry and Ron looked baffled, but Hermione promptly said, "None. Hogwarts is the only one. Of course, there are a few on the Continent, like Beauxbatons Academy and Durmstrang Institute." she trailed off looking dreamy.
"Hermione, are you still thinking about Krum?" Ron asked suspiciously. "Forget about him! You'll never see him again, unless Bulgaria is in the Quidditch World Cup again!"
"Oh! Of course, I guess you guys saw that, too. Wasn't it a fantastic game?" I exclaimed. They all agreed and Ron commented, "Yeah, we got to go to it, actually. Very cool!" That got us talking about Quidditch for a while. I confessed my hopes of being picked for a team at Hogwarts, in the position of Keeper.
"Well, Harry's Gryffindor Seeker. Maybe if you're in Gryffindor you can try out for the team," Hermione suggested. Harry's eyes lit up and he agreed, "Yeah! Now Wood's been gone for a year, there's an open Keeper position on our team. We didn't get to try anyone out for it last year."
He stopped abruptly and all three of them went all quiet, with sad faces. I debated whether or not to press it, and finally, after a long silence, I ventured, "Why didn't you get to try anyone out last year?"
Harry cleared his throat and replied, "Well, we had the Tri-Wizard Tournament last year, between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. There wasn't an inter-house Quidditch competition because of it. Anyway, to cut a very long story short, there was no point in getting a new keeper until this year. Now we've just got to hope that you're in Gryffindor."
This explanation didn't tell me anything about why they had all gone quiet and sad, but I decided to leave it. Instead, I said, "I hope I'm not stereotyping, but I've read up on Hogwarts and its houses. Are Malfoy and his henchmen in Slytherin?"
They all nodded and Hermione said, "I'm impressed! Finally, someone else who actually reads in this school! Did you read Hogwarts: A History?" I nodded and shrugged as I offered, "I like reading. Have you read the Narnia books?"
"They're some of my favourites!"
"Mine too! Oh, I suppose you haven't read these, because they're by an Australian, but one series of books I love are The Obernewtyn Chronicles."
"No, I haven't read them."
"Well, I've brought them with me, so if you ever want to read them, just ask."
While Hermione and I talked about books, Harry and Ron started playing wizard chess. Harry, I noticed, was not very good. Or maybe it was just that Ron was an exceptionally good player. Hermione and I started watching them play, and we weren't interrupted until.
"Anything to eat, dears?" a kindly old witch pushing a trolley of food asked us. We all pulled out our money and bought as much as possible. We pooled our food on the table between the seats and munched away happily on Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Pumpkin Pasties. I was, however, somewhat disappointed to see that they didn't have my favourite snack, Fluffy Cottontails. I voiced my disappointment and all three of them looked at me as if I was crazy.
"What? They're beautiful! They're like fairy-floss pies," I described them.
"What's fairy-floss?" Ron asked, his mouth full of Pumpkin Pasty. I swallowed my Frog and looked at them like they were crazy.
"It's that stuff Muggles have at circuses and the Easter Show and stuff like that. You get it on a stick and it's light as air."
"Oh! Candy-floss, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. Then she turned Ron and explained, "Ron, it's like spun sugar. Very sweet and fluffy." Ron looked satisfied and bit decidedly into another Pasty.
"Hey guys!" someone outside our little carriage said. I looked up and saw three more boys smiling in greeting at Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"Hallo Seamus, Dean, Neville," Harry greeted them. He continued, "This is Ella. She's in fifth year too. Ella - Seamus, Dean and Neville. They're all Gryffindors."
I stood up and shook there hands. Seamus (obviously Irish) had blue eyes, pale sking, freckles and brown hair. Dean was a good-looking footballer- esque boy with streaked hair. And Neville? Well, okay, he wasn't good- looking, but he had a nice, kind face.
"Nice to meet you all," I said. Dean winked and asked, "I guess you're Australian, huh?" I nodded and volunteered some more information, "Yeah. I went to Quarrian Comprehensive Witchcraft and Wizardry Academy in New South Wales."
"Wow, it sound really posh! Are there other magic schools in Australia?" Seamus asked. I replied, "Yes, there's one in each state, except for Canberra. They share Quarrian with New South Wales, because they're so small."
"Ella, are you into Quidditch at all?" Dean pressed. I grinned and answered, "Yeah! I was my team's Keeper at Quarrian." Dean nudged Harry and lifted his eyebrows.
"Well, let's hope you're in Gryffindor then, eh Harry?"
"What? Oh, yes, let's," Harry responded, looking a little murderous.
"Well, we'd better go and change into our robes, guys. See you later!" Neville called out as he dragged the other two away. As soon as they were gone, Harry warned me, "Don't be fooled - Dean likes football a lot better than Quidditch!"
"Okay. I'll try to remember that."
"Ella, we should put our robes on too. Let's go to an empty carriage, our a girls-only one, anyway," Hermione suggested. I nodded and got everything I needed, following Hermione on the swaying train.