The Hogwarts Express
Gen sat alone in her compartment of the train. The train wouldn't leave for a time, and she figured that in a few minutes she would no longer be alone. If she was to take the trip alone she probably would have been happy. Gen didn't really know what she would do if someone tried to talk to her. She didn't think it would be wise to say she was a foreign exchange student, as she was coming in as a first year. She also didn't want to explain her American accent. She decided that she wouldn't acknowledge if anyone cam into the compartment. She would pretend to be absorbed in doing something. Gen opened her trunk, pulled out a spell book, and began to read from it. She was halfway down the page when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, someone enter the compartment.
"Do you mind if I share this compartment with you?" a young, but stern, female voice said. Gen just shook her head. The girl heaved her trunk into the luggage storage thing, and sat down opposite Gen. "I'm Hermione Granger," There was an awkward silence, which Gen ignored. "So," the girl attempted to begin a conversation, "you're reading 'The Standard Book of Spells," Gen nodded, "Interesting book. I read it, mostly." Gen looked up. It was Hermione, again. How could she have read the book when Gen had just seen her at Diagon Alley? Gen was about to speak. She opened her mouth, and the words were on the tip of her tongue, when she panicked, and stopped herself, choking on saliva, and going into a coughing fit. Hermione watched her nervously.
When Gen finished she whispered hoarsely, "I have a cold," and pointed at her throat. She was sure that her quiet voice made it impossible for Hermione to suspect her of not being British. This gave Gen time to make a plan.
"Oh!" Hermione frowned, "how awful! To think you'll be starting off at school sick. I'd just die of nerves, though I'm very nervous as it is!" Hermione began to talk very fast, and Gen listened, nodding her head, and making appropriate expressions on her face. In a few minutes a short, round-faced boy walked in.
"Can I share this compartment with you?" He asked in a nervous mouse-like voice that reminded Gen very much of Herman.
"Certainly," Hermione smiled, seeming glad that she would have someone to talk to who could actually talk, "I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."
"Neville Longbottom!" He sat down, and looked at Gen, "And you are?"
"She's sick," Hermione explained in hushed tones, as if Gen couldn't hear her, "She lost her voice."
"Oh, rotten luck!" Neville looked at the ground, as if he suddenly had nothing to say, "so… either of you got a pet?"
"No," Hermione said promptly, "Mum didn't think I could handle one on my own; codswallop in my opinion."
So this is how it happened, Gen thought. She had never known, or cared really how Hermione came to know Neville, but it suddenly seemed like a big deal. It was most interesting. "I've got a toad," Neville grinned, "His name is Trevor. Want to see him?"
"Absolutely!" Hermione stared fascinated as Neville searched his pockets. Her expression dropped as he came up with empty hands.
"Maybe I left him in my trunk," Neville said hopefully, as if trying to make himself sound like he believed this. Hermione and Neville worked together to heave Neville's trunk onto the ground, then Neville opened it. For a minute Neville rummaged about in his trunk, his expression changing from that of disappointment, to one of fear. After a moment he stopped searching, and his chin sagged to his chest, "Trevor's lost!"
Hermione frowned, and put her hand on Neville's shoulder comfortingly, "Don't worry, he can't be far. Lets go look for him." Neville nodded, and wiped his nose on his sleeve. The two got up, and walked to the door, Hermione turned back, "are you coming?" Gen just shook her head, "Well then, would you save our seats?" Gen nodded, curtly. It wasn't long before Neville and Hermione were gone that two girl walked into the compartment.
"Do you mind if we share this compartment," one asked. It was the moment of truth. Gen had to tell them to leave, but she was afraid to speak. She hadn't decided what story to use as her back up, or what accent to use. She took a deep breath and mustered all the strength she could.
"Sorry," she chose a strange accent that was different from anyone she had met, but not so different for anyone to think it was strange; she chose a Scottish accent, or at least what she thought a Scottish accent sounded like, "These seats are saved." The two girls left quickly, hoping to find a new compartment. After that no one entered the compartment for a long while. At one point a distinctly red haired young boy walked past, glancing in for a moment, but quickening his pace as he saw that a girl inhabited the compartment. The name Ron Weasely filled Gen's mind, but after he was gone she sort of forgot about him. She quickly busied herself with pulling her trunk clumsily down, and opening it. She quickly rummaged through the trunk, and came back with a black composition book, a quill, and inkbottle. She sat down on her seat, and flipped the notebook open, carefully dipping her quill in the inkbottle, before setting it on the windowsill.
Test Drive One:
Model: 1
Place of launch: Downtown, my world
Date of launch: July 3rd, 2002, the dead of night
Place of landing: Diagon Alley, JK Rowling's world of Harry Potter.
Date of landing: August 30th, Year unknown, the dead of night
Notes:
-Flight was difficult, and unsteady
-I'm beginning to think perhaps the machine isn't stable
-I have decided to name the machine, the bridge, as it bridges the gap between dimensions, thusly the name of this model is "The Model 1 Bridge."
Gen took her quill away from the paper, and decided to leave the rest of the page blank for more notes, that she would add later. She flipped to the next page, and dipped her quill in the ink again. She scratched out a journal entry between August 30th, and 31st, as that was the current date in the world she was in. It had taken Gen some quick calculations to figure out the date. She was a super genius, and she only had to remember the date the Hogwarts Express left, and recalled the words "The last day of August." As Gen finished describing the conversation Hermione and Neville had had, the two returned.
"We're almost to Hogwarts," Hermione said, "You might want to put your robes on." Gen nodded, as she closed her composition book, and shoved it in her trunk before anyone could question her. She pulled her robes on over her clothes, and then deck-changed into her gray skirt, button-up white shirt, gray vest, and Hogwarts tie. Neville's face was red the whole time, and he didn't watch, though he wouldn't have been able to see a thing. A voice echoed through the train, "We will be reaching Horwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train it will be taken to the school separately." The train slowed, and then stopped. The three left their compartment, and stepped out onto the sidewalk at the platform. It was cold, and Gen shivered, despite her heavy cloak, and sweater. Over the heads of the crowd Gen saw a very tall, and shaggy man. Hagrid, Gen thought.
"Firs' years, firs' year!" Hagrid called… Gen could have predicted everything that happened for the next half hour. Everything that happened to her when she was in the same general group with Harry happened in the book. Hagrid herded them into little boats, and they moved swiftly, and eerily across the lake. The boats docked somewhere beneath the castle that lit up the horizon. Then Professor McGonagall gathered the first years into a room, where the school ghosts met them. Gen was the only first year not to be frightened by the sight. After that haunting experience they were lead into the Great Hall, and the sorting began. Gen made mental notes of everything she saw, and heard, so that she could write everything in journal later, providing nothing went wrong.
The sorting went by far too quickly, and before long Gen was the last person standing with McGonagall. McGonagall looked at Gen with a strange look on her face, and then checked the list again. "Follow me," McGonagall said in a strange tone…
Fourth Chapter, tell me what you think? Sorry it took so long to post, I was a bit preoccupied. I hope you have fun reading. More fun to come, as Gen nears Hogwarts… okay, so she's already at Hogwarts, but there'll be fun. Next chapter soon, maybe Friday.