-Author's Note:
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Brianna's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. While Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon continued making Brianna help with the daily chores, their increasing attempts to draw Brianna into conversation was becoming unbearable. Since the trip to Diagon Alley all the Dursleys seemed to be making it their mission in life to be as nice as possible to Brianna. Praising her for the simplest task and fawning over her at every minute opportunity.
Briqnna would have preferred them to not speak to her for any other purpose than to issue an order or instruction, but the Dursley's continued to act with such false niceness. Brianna knew that they did not really want her in the house, they still refused to answer any of her questions about her parents, or learn any of her likes and dislikes. Brianna was still treated the same as Hermione in regards to preferences despite hermione loving bright pastel colours and overly girly and Princess aetheric elements and Brianna preferring dark muted colours and more simple 'girl-next-door an
The overly welcoming and warm act was exceptionally irritating.
Brianna was ever more aware of their jealousy and envy, Hermione simpered as she always had but the minute Briqnna refused to acknowledge the false attitude she became bossy and snobbish and refused to acknowledge Brianna presence.
Brianna deciding that the best thing she could do is keep to herself, kept to her room, with only her new owl for company. She had decided to call her Hedwig, a name she had found in A History of Magic.
Briqnna's school books were very interesting. She lay on her bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased.
It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to clean any more, for Brianna insisted that as it was her room she would do everything herself, because Hedwig kept bringing back dead mice.
Every night before she went to sleep, Briqnna ticked off another day on the piece of paper she had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.
Briannq woke at five o'clock the morning of the 1st of September and she was far too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. She got up and started getting dressed.
Brianna's school uniform consisted of a black cardigan, white shirt, tucked into a black pleated skirt, black tights and shoes and a long sleeved ankle length robe that fastened with three silver clasps over her chest. She also wore a Hogwarts tie. The crest on her robes and her school tie were charmed to switch to her house crest and colours once she had been sorted.
once dressed Brianna, who decided to leave her witches hat off for the time being, checked her Hogwarts list yet again to make sure she had everything she needed, saw then made sure that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage and then
paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up.
Two hours later, Briqnna's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car alongside Hermione's own, and they had set off.
They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon placed Hermione and Brianna's trunks on to matching trolleys and was about to wheel them into the station for them, alongside aunt Petunia, but Hermione stopped them.
"Honestly we can get onto the platform ourselves mum, dad" she said bossily.
"Are you sure?" Aunt Petunia asked nervously.
The debate about whether they would or wouldn't be escorted lasted a few moments, finally under the threat of missing the train, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon relented and they left Hermione and Brianna at the station doors and returned to the car.
"Come on then, we best get moving and we can get a carriage together and you can…." Hermione said in a bossy, snobbish voice as she linked arms with Brianna.
"Get off me, stop bossing me about" Brianna snapped "I might be your cousin but I will never be your friend" Brianna snapped, she'd had enough of Hermione telling her what she was and wasn't going to do, as well as trying to be buddy buddy, best friends forever with her.
"Oh fine, well in that case I'm going to go to the platform without you, I just home mum told you where it was" said Hermione snidely and she flounced off. Leaving Brianna on her own, wondering how on earth she was going to catch the train when she didn't know where it was, but surely it wouldn't be hard.
Brianna walked into the station and her heart sank. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.
Briannas mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? She was starting to attract a lot of funny looks from the muggles, maybe because of Hedwig.
Kings cross station was in one of the mixed areas of London. She knew this, she also knew that in some of the mixed areas the magical side was hidden by gateways or portals to separate the two area, protecting both muggles and magicals. Hermione had prattled on about it when Brianna had first come to stay with them, but Brianna couldn't remember much for Hermione had spoken in such a condescending way Brianna had been made to feel like she was three years old and incredibly stupid so she'd switched off.
Brianna would have to ask someone, but who?
According to the large clock over the arrivals board, she had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and she had no idea how to do it; she was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk she could hardly lift and a large owl.
Brianna looked around for a guard but found none. At that moment a group of people passed just behind her and he caught a few words of what they were saying.
"packed with Muggles, of course"
Brianna swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair, all of them wearing Hogwarts uniform and each of them was pushing a trunk like Brianna's in front of her, and they had
an owl.
Heart hammering, Briqnna pushed hee trolley after them. They stopped and so did she, just near enough to hear what they were saying.
"Now Ginny, do you know what the platform number is?' said the boys' mother.
"Oh yes, it's nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand. "Oh mum, can't I go …please"
"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."
What looked like the oldest boy marched towards platforms nine and ten. Brianna watched, careful not to blink in case she missed it – but just as the boy reached the divide between the two platforms, a large crowd of muggle tourists came swarming in front of her, and by the time the last rucksack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.
"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.
'I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"
"Sorry, George, dear."
"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done, because a second later, he had gone – but how had he done it?
Now the third brother was walking briskly towards the ticket barrier – he was almost there – and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.
There was nothing else for it.
"Excuse me," Briqnna said to the plump woman.
"Oh, Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons.
He was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet and a long nose.
"Yes," said Brianna nervously. "The thing is – the thing is, I don't know how to –"
"How to get on to the platform?" she said kindly, and Brianna nodded.
"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."
"Er – OK," said Brianna.
She pushed her trolley round and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid. Brianna started to walk towards it. People jostled her on their way to platforms nine and ten. Brianna walked more quickly. She was going to smash right into that ticket box and then she'd be in trouble – leaning forward on her trolley she broke into a heavy run – the barrier was coming nearer and nearer – she wouldn't be able to stop – the trolley was out of control – she was a foot away– she closed her eyes ready for the crash –
It didn't come … she kept on running … she opened her eyes.
A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock.
Brianna looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the ticket box had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. She had done it.
Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every colour wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to each other in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.
The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.
Brianna pushed her trolley off down the platform in search of an empty seat. She passed a round-faced boy who was saying,
"Gran, I've lost my toad again."
"Oh, Neville," Brianna heard the old woman sigh.
A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.
"Give us a look, Lee, go on." The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.
Brianna pressed on through the crowd until she found an empty compartment near the end of the train. She put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave her trunk towards the train door. Brianna tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on her foot.
"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins she'd followed through the ticket box.
"Yes, please," Brianna panted.
"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"
With the twins' help, Brianna's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.
"Thanks," said Brianna, pushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes.
"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Brianna's lightning scar.
"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you –?"
"She is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Briannq.
"What?" Said Brianna.
"Brianna Potter," chorused the twins.
"Oh, her," said Brianna. "I mean, yes, I am."
The two boys gawped at her and Brianna felt herself going red. Then, to her relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.
"Fred? George? Are you there?"
"Coming, Mum."
With a last look at Brianna, the twins hopped off the train.
Brianna sat down next to the window where, half-hidden, she could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.
"Ron, you've got something on your nose."
The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.
"Mum – geroff." He wriggled free.
"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.
"Shut up," said Ron.
"Where's Percy?" Said their mother.
"He's coming now." One of the twins said with a slight scowl.
The oldest boy came striding into sight. His black Hogwarts robe billowing behind him and Brianna now noticed a shiny red and gold badge on his chest with the letter P on it.
"Can't stay long, Mother," he said in a bossy, pompous voice that reminded Brianna strongly of Hermione. "I'm up front, the Prefects have got two compartments to themselves –"
"Oh, are you a Prefect, Percy?' said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise.
"You should have said something, we had no idea." Interjected the other twin
"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it"
"Once –"
"Or twice –"
"A minute –"
"All summer –"
Brianna couldn't help but laugh at their antics.
"Oh, shut up," said Percy, the rather pompous Prefect.
"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.
"Because he's a Prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term – send me an owl when you get there."
She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.
"Now, you two – this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've – you've blown up a toilet or –blown up a toilet?"
"We've never blown up a toilet."
"Great idea though, thanks, Mum."
"It's not funny. And look after Ron."
"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."
"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.
"Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"
Brianna leant back quickly so they couldn't see her looking.
"You know that black-haired girl who was near us in the station? The really small one, looked about nine, Know who she is?"
"Who?"
"Brianna Potter!"
Brianna heard the little girl's voice.
"Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see her, Mum, oh please…"
"You've already seen her, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is she really, Fred? How do you know?"
"Asked hee. Saw her scar. It's really there – like lightning."
"Poor dear – no wonder she was alone. I wondered. She was ever so polite when she asked how to get on to the platform."
"Never mind that, do you think she remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"
Their mother suddenly became very stern.
"I forbid you to ask her, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though she needs reminding of that on her first day at school."
"All right, keep your hair on."
A whistle sounded.
"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered on to the train. They leant out of the window for her to kiss them goodbye and their younger sister began to cry.
"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."
"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."
"George!"
"Only joking, Mum."
The train began to move. Brianna saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed; then she fell back and waved.
Brianna watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Brianna felt
a great leap of excitement. She didn't know what she was going to – but it had to be better than what she was leaving behind.
The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest red-headed boy came in.
"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Brianna. "Everywhere else is full."
Brianna shook her head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Brianna and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Brianna saw he still had a black mark on his nose.
"Hey, Ron."
The twins were back.
"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train – Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."
"Right," mumbled Ron.
"Brianna" said the other twin,
"Did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."
"Bye," said Briana and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.
"Are you really Brianna Potter?' Ron blurted out.
Briqnna nodded with a small smile.
"Oh – well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got – you know …"
He pointed at Brianna's forehead. Brianna pulled back her fringe to show the lightning scar. Ron
stared.
"So that's where You-Know-Who –?"
"Yes," said Brianna, "but I can't remember it. not really anyway. What I do remember I don't really want to talk about"
"Oh okay?" said Ron, his face flushing. He sat and stared at Brianna for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realised what he was
doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.
The door of the compartment opened before either of them could say anything else.
"Do you mind if I join you" came a small, shy sort of voice. A tall, thin boys with lots of bushy brown hair, coffee coloured skin and rather large
front teeth.
"Um sure" replied Brianna
"Yeah, have a seat," added Ron.
"Thanks, I'm Finley Granger" introduced the boy as he sat down. He too was a first year student.
"Ron Weasley"
"And I'm Brianna Potter" said Brianna she waited to see what his reaction would be.
"Oh wow" Finley gasped, "I'm sorry about your parents"
"Thanks" Brianna spoke in a sad voice,
"So what happened, I heard stories that you were sent to the enchanted realm by a house elf" Ron asked suddenly
"Oh I was," replied Brianna and then she started explaining everything that had happened between arriving in the unenchanted realm and getting onboard the train.
Once she was finished she turned to look at Ron.
"So what about you, are all your family wizards?" asked Brianna, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found her.
"Er – yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."
"So you must know loads of magic already." Finely said "I'm a Muggleborn, first in my family" he said in a small, awkward voice
"My mum was the same, she was the first Muggleborn in her family" Brianna said reassuringly
"Wish I had three wizard brothers." Said Brianna suddenly, looking at Ron, Finley seemed to smile as the conversation moved away from him
"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left – Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a Prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand and Percy's old rat."
Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep.
"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a Prefect, but they couldn't aff– I mean, I got Scabbers instead."
Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.
Neither Brianna nor Finley seemed to think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl.
After all, Briqnnq never had any money in her life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Victoria's or Hermione's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents.
Finley spoke of how his parents worked every hour they could and they still had to buy everything second hand.
This seemed to cheer Ron up.
While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.
Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said,
"Anything off the trolley, dears?"
Briqnna, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to her feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Brianna went out into the corridor. She had never had any money for sweets since she had moved in with the Dursleys and now that she had pockets rattling with gold and silver she was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as she could carry – but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands and a number of other strange things
Brianna had never seen such an assortment in her life. Not wanting to miss anything, she got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.
Ron and Finley both stared as Brianna brought it all back into the compartment and tipped it on to an empty seat.
"Hungry, are you?"
"Starving," said Brianna, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.
Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches in there. He pulled one of them apart and
said,
"She always forgets I don't like corned beef."
"Help yourself then" said Brianna, holding up a pasty. "Go on – you too Finley. I can't eat it all but I wanted to try everything"
"Really"
"You sure"
"Go on, help yourselves," said Briqnna, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron and Finley, eating their way through all Brianna's pasties and cakes (the sandwiches lay forgotten).
"What are these?' Briqnna asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?" She was starting to feel that nothing would surprise her.
"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is, I'm missing Agrippa."
"What?" asked both Brianna and Finley
"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know" said Ron to Brianna he then turned to Finley "how come you don't know"
"My parents are dentists, muggle teeth heelers, sweets were banned"
"Oh weird, chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect – Famous Witches and Wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."
Brianna unwrapped her Chocolate Frog and picked up the card.
It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long crooked nose and flowing silver hair, beard and moustache.
Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore!" said Briqnna.
"Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa – thanks –"
Brianna turned over her card and read:
Albus Dumbledore, currently headmaster of Hogwarts. Considered by many
the greatest wizard of modern times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly
famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the
discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood and his work on alchemy with
his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and
tenpin bowling.
Briannw turned the card back over and saw, to her astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.
"He's gone!"
"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron.
"He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her … do you want it? You can start collecting. You to Finley"
Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.
"I told you to help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the unenchanted realm, people just stay put in photos."
"Muggle photos too" Finley added
"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed.
"Weird!"
Brianna stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and
Wizards cards, but Brianna and Finleu couldn't keep their eyes off them. Soon Brianna had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of
Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus and Merlin. Finley too had a small pile of collectable cards.
Brianna finally tore her eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans.
"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Brianna and Finley "When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour – you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a bogey-flavoured one once."
Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully and bit into a corner.
"Bleaaargh – see? Sprouts."
They had a good time eating the Every-Flavour Beans.
Brianna got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny
grey one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.
Finley was currently spitting out a yellow and green spotted one.
"Urgh, rotten egg" he explained as he gagged and wretched.
The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers and dark green hills. There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Brianna had passed on platform nine and three- quarters came in. He looked tearful.
"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?" When they shook their heads, he wailed,
"I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"
"He'll turn up," said Brianna kindly.
"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him …" and with that He left.
"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quickly as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."
The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.
"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look …"
He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.
"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway –" He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he was not alone. Hermione was with him.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she snapped in her usual bossy condescending voice.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it" said Ron, but Hermione wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."
"Get lost Hermione" snapped Brianna
"So I see you made the train, cousin…guess your not as dumb as you look" sneered Hermione
"Get out, and please let the door hit you on the way out. Sorry Neville, not offence but me and my cousin don't get along"
Hermione looked furious and she flounced out of the compartment. Neville looked awkwardly at them and then followed her out.
"So what's the spell?" Finley asked after a moment's pause. Ron looked taken aback.
"Er – all right." Ron muttered and H
He cleared his throat.
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed grey and fast asleep.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said Finley
Ron scowled and threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell – George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."
"What house are your brothers in?" asked Brianna, wanting a change of conversation.
"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but
imagine if they put me in Slytherin."
"That's the house Voldemort was in" both Ron and Finley flinched at Brianna's as she spoke.
"You said his name" stammered Brianna
"Um, was I not meant to?"
"Not many people do" Finley replied and he flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.
"Oh, well um" Brianna wasn't sure what to say
"Well whatever house I'm in I hope your cousin isn't in it Brianna she seems to be a nightmare" said Finley
"Yeah she is and I hope she's is a different house too"
"Me three" Ron added
"So Ron what do your oldest brothers do now they've left, anyway?' said Finley trying to get the operation off of school houses.
Brianna too was wondering what a magical did once they had finished school.
"Well Charlie's in Romania studying dragons and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles – someone tried to rob a high-security vault."
Brianna stared.
"Really? What happened to them?" She asked
"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."
Brianna turned this news over in her mind. She was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. She supposed this was all part of entering the enchanted world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying 'Voldemort' without worrying.
"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.
"Um Tutshill Tornadoes" said Finley
"Not bad" muttered Ron
"Er – I don't know any," Brianna confessed.
"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world –"
And that was it, the two boys were off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games they had been to with their families and the broomstick they would like to get if they had the money. They was just taking Brianna through the finer points of the game when
the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy or Hernione this time.
Three boys entered and Brianna recognised the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Brianna with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.
"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Brianna Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"
"Yes," said Brianna. She was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing either side of the pale boy they looked like bodyguards.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Brianna was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford." He turned back to Brianna.
"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."
He held out his hand to shake Brianna's, but Briqnna didn't take it.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," She said coolly.
Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.
"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riff-raff like the Weasleys and that Dumbeldore and it'll rub off on you."
Both Finley and Ron stood up. Ron's face was as red as his hair. Finley's fists were balled up. Brianna too rose to her feet, glaring at Malfoy.
"Say that again," Ron said.
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.
"Unless you get out now," said Finley, sounder more brave than he seemed to feel, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than them.
"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."
Goyle reached towards the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron – Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell. Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle – Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once.
Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione had come in.
"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.
"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Brianna. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No – don't believe it – he's gone back to sleep."
And so he had.
"You've met Malfoy before?" Finley asked, as they ignored Hermione's presence.
Brianna explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.
"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side."
He turned to Hermione. "Oh you're still here, anyway can we help you with something?"
"I've just been up the front to ask the driver and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!" Hermione glared at Brianna as she spoke
"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving, if that's all you wanted to say, we were having a nice conversation before we were interrupted"
"Oh qll right – I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors,"
"What do you expect, the train is full of children of course children are going to act childishly" said Finley sounding annoued
"People should be more responsible," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" She added as she flicked a glance at Ron.
Ron glared at her as she left. Brianna peered out of the window.
It was getting dark. She could see mountains and forests under a deep-purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down. The trio began cleaning up the compartment.
After a few moments a voice echoed through the train:
"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Briann's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, she saw, looked pale under his freckles. Finley's hands seemed to shake as they crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way towards the door and out onto a tiny, dark platform. Brianna shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students and Brianna heard a familiar voice:
"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! All right there,
Brianna?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"C'mon, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!"
Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark either side of them that Briqnna thought there must be thick trees there.
Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
There was a loud "Oooooh!".
The narrow path had opened suddenly on to the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Brianna, Ron and Finley were
followed into their boat by Neville, much to their delight as Hermione had been making her way over to them.
"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself,
"Right then – FORWARD!"
And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.
"Heads down!" Yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Trevor!" Cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands.
Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last on to smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.
They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.
"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.