Elizabeth sighed heavily to herself as she shouldered her way through the
throngs of people on the Hogwarts Express. The noise of hundreds of
children chatting loudly to their friends hurt her ears; the hundred pairs
of feet heading in all directions were not easy to keep track of either.
Elizabeth had been trodden on several times and now her feet too were
aching.
She lent against the wall barely escaping being stepped on for the eighth time that day when tall redheaded boy noticed her. "Let me guess, first year?" He asked kindly putting a hand on her shoulder and guiding her into an almost empty compartment.
"That obvious, huh?" Elizabeth replied.
"Pretty much, yeah. I'm Cecil, I'm in fifth year so you can say I know the ropes."
"Elizabeth." She answered holding out her hand to shake his, which he did though very much amused. "Is it always so crazy out there?"
"Yep. Don't worry you get used to it though. The trick is to get here early and grab an empty compartment, then don't come out 'till the train's moving."
"Thanks I'll remember that," Elizabeth laughed and shifted the wicker basket she was carrying to her other hand.
"Come on, Elizabeth, I'll help you find some place to pass the journey."
"Thanks."
"No prob. Follow me." Cecil said as he headed down the passage towards the end of the train. After a few minutes he stopped out side a compartment that was glowing strange colours and emitting sparks. He turned to her with an expression that was very hard to read, it seemed to be merriment and apprehension mixed in one.
"Now listen to me. I'm not leaving you here because I don't like you. I just can't think of anything else to do with you. If they step out of line just tell them where to get off and you'll be fine. Don't take any of their crap and just have a good time, all right?"
Elizabeth looked at Cecil perplexed. What was he going on about? Was he sending her into the den of some unimaginable monster?
"Elizabeth," Cecil said motioning into the compartment, "these are my darling baby cousin's and my pain baby brother. That one there, is Robert," here he pointed at a tall scrawny boy her age who also had bright red hair and freckles. His hair was standing out in all directions and looked very bushy, but his bright brown eyes sparkled with mischief and hidden intelligence. Elizabeth took quite a liking to him. "He's my cousin and is actually smarter than he looks. That is Liam." He Pointed at the other redhead, who was shorter and stockier in build. He looked a lot like Cecil. They had the same big blue eyes and stubborn chins. Their hair was also much calmer than the other two's but also had the same mischievous glint in their eyes. "He, unfortunately, is my brother and a right pain in the neck. And last but certainly never least if you get to know him well enough is Matthew. My other cousin who isn't quite all he seems, even I haven't figured him out yet. Boys meet Elizabeth." The boys who were all looking rather sourly at Cecil mumbled a mutual "Hi".
Cecil said his good-byes and left in a short while leaving Elizabeth with three grumpy pre-teenage boys. She looked around at them waiting for them to say something. They didn't. Shrugging Elizabeth sat down and set the basket on the floor at her feet. "'Scuse me, but what are you doing?" Robert asked.
"Are you blind?" She replied.
"What?"
"I said are you blind. Obviously you're deaf too. So for the deaf, dumb, blind, and indifferent I'm sitting. It's when you bend your legs at the knees and balance your upper body on a solid object. Normally a chair." Elizabeth replied standing up and demonstrating how you sit.
"I know what sitting is!" Robert replied indignantly.
"So why did you ask?"
"Let me rephrase then. Why are you sitting here?"
"Two reasons. Firstly because I won't to, secondly because there's nowhere else, Robert was it?" she asked.
"Don't call me that." He spat. Elizabeth lifted her shoulders innocently before burying her nose in the booked she'd dug out of her backpack while having a 'conversation' with the incurably rude boy. Even though she was reading she could feel all three boys' eyes on her, and though she ignored them they just kept staring at her.
"Oh for pity's sake! It's a book, you do know what that is don't you?"
"Yes, we do," answered the Liam boy. "I'd like to apologize for my cousin. He hates being called Robert. Cecil does it to irritate him and he takes the bait every time."
"What do you want me to call you then?" Elizabeth asked the red-haired and red-faced boy.
"Bobby. Everyone except Cecil does."
"All right, Bobby. Does anyone else here have a language preference?" Elizabeth asked looking at each boy. Matthew slowly raised his hand. Elizabeth looked at him expectantly while observing him at the same time. He didn't look anything like his cousin's at all. In fact if you hadn't been told you would never have expected him to be related to the Strawberry Bunch. He had deep chocolate eyes that were so dark they almost looked black. His hair was pitch black and multidirectional though not bushy like Bobby's. He looked small for his age but strong and she betted that he'd looked very good if his lost the little-lost-sheep-look and smiled a bit.
"Um.if you don't mind.I'm Matt." He stuttered as if he was petrified of her.
"Matt." She confirmed smiling, "and you guys can call me any variation of Elizabeth you like."
"Cool." Liam said also smiling as if he'd just decided she wasn't so bad.
"Aw isn't that sweet. I think I'm going to hurl!" A surly voice sounded from the door. All four of their head snapped up to look at the intruder. In the door way stood a small platinum hair boy wearing a disdainful sneer that somehow didn't suit him. His icy eyes shone maliciously as he surveyed the scene before. "Did the Pothead's and Weasels befriend a new mud-blood friend?"
"Shove it Malfoy!" Matt hissed dangerously. The venom in his voice surprised Elizabeth; she hadn't thought him capable of it.
"Where are your meathead friends Vinny?" Asked Liam glaring Malfoy down.
"Gee, I don't know, should I go get them?" Malfoy asked sarcastically.
"Good idea, it'll be more fun if we had a challenge. You on your own is a pushover, haven't I proved that all ready?" Matt asked sweetly. Malfoy visibly paled if it was before. Without a word he spun on his heal and left as the boys dissolved into gales of laughter which chased Malfoy all the way back to his own compartment.
"Who was that?" Elizabeth asked when he'd left.
"Vindictous Malfoy. He's in my year." Liam replied gasping for breath, "He has these two idiot body guards who follow him every where he went. And our parents went to school and hated his parents so it's kind of tradition to hate his guts."
"Do you remember when Matt pounded the daylights out of him?" Bobby asked joyfully. Matt started laughing even harder than he had been before. "That was the funniest thing I ever saw!"
"It was the easiest thing I've ever done!" Matt said trying vainly to control himself.
"My dad says it was the proudest moment of his life. I beat up Malfoy and he's nearly two years older than me." He said trying to explain what they were talking about to Elizabeth; the only problem was she could figure out what he'd said through the laughter.
The rest of the train ride was uneventful thank heavens! I don't think I could have stood it being anymore exciting. Being around those boys was like being in a circus, you never ran out of reasons to laugh. Bobby was the clown, Liam was the lion tamer who continually kept the peace, and Matt was the reluctant ringleader. He was the one who kept everyone in line and when he said jump you said how high?
On that ride to Hogwarts I learnt all about their oddball family. Which is huge, and that's without the distant relatives! Liam's the youngest of four brothers; his father's twin brother had four girls all the same ages as Liam's brothers. Their other uncle had two girls, and their other uncle had a set of twin and a spare. Bobby was an only child, but his parents wanted more. (His mum was having trouble falling pregnant again.) And Matt was the eldest of four he had three sisters. All this had me thanking God I'm an only child! I've changed my mind though; since I've met them all I decided that big families are great.
She lent against the wall barely escaping being stepped on for the eighth time that day when tall redheaded boy noticed her. "Let me guess, first year?" He asked kindly putting a hand on her shoulder and guiding her into an almost empty compartment.
"That obvious, huh?" Elizabeth replied.
"Pretty much, yeah. I'm Cecil, I'm in fifth year so you can say I know the ropes."
"Elizabeth." She answered holding out her hand to shake his, which he did though very much amused. "Is it always so crazy out there?"
"Yep. Don't worry you get used to it though. The trick is to get here early and grab an empty compartment, then don't come out 'till the train's moving."
"Thanks I'll remember that," Elizabeth laughed and shifted the wicker basket she was carrying to her other hand.
"Come on, Elizabeth, I'll help you find some place to pass the journey."
"Thanks."
"No prob. Follow me." Cecil said as he headed down the passage towards the end of the train. After a few minutes he stopped out side a compartment that was glowing strange colours and emitting sparks. He turned to her with an expression that was very hard to read, it seemed to be merriment and apprehension mixed in one.
"Now listen to me. I'm not leaving you here because I don't like you. I just can't think of anything else to do with you. If they step out of line just tell them where to get off and you'll be fine. Don't take any of their crap and just have a good time, all right?"
Elizabeth looked at Cecil perplexed. What was he going on about? Was he sending her into the den of some unimaginable monster?
"Elizabeth," Cecil said motioning into the compartment, "these are my darling baby cousin's and my pain baby brother. That one there, is Robert," here he pointed at a tall scrawny boy her age who also had bright red hair and freckles. His hair was standing out in all directions and looked very bushy, but his bright brown eyes sparkled with mischief and hidden intelligence. Elizabeth took quite a liking to him. "He's my cousin and is actually smarter than he looks. That is Liam." He Pointed at the other redhead, who was shorter and stockier in build. He looked a lot like Cecil. They had the same big blue eyes and stubborn chins. Their hair was also much calmer than the other two's but also had the same mischievous glint in their eyes. "He, unfortunately, is my brother and a right pain in the neck. And last but certainly never least if you get to know him well enough is Matthew. My other cousin who isn't quite all he seems, even I haven't figured him out yet. Boys meet Elizabeth." The boys who were all looking rather sourly at Cecil mumbled a mutual "Hi".
Cecil said his good-byes and left in a short while leaving Elizabeth with three grumpy pre-teenage boys. She looked around at them waiting for them to say something. They didn't. Shrugging Elizabeth sat down and set the basket on the floor at her feet. "'Scuse me, but what are you doing?" Robert asked.
"Are you blind?" She replied.
"What?"
"I said are you blind. Obviously you're deaf too. So for the deaf, dumb, blind, and indifferent I'm sitting. It's when you bend your legs at the knees and balance your upper body on a solid object. Normally a chair." Elizabeth replied standing up and demonstrating how you sit.
"I know what sitting is!" Robert replied indignantly.
"So why did you ask?"
"Let me rephrase then. Why are you sitting here?"
"Two reasons. Firstly because I won't to, secondly because there's nowhere else, Robert was it?" she asked.
"Don't call me that." He spat. Elizabeth lifted her shoulders innocently before burying her nose in the booked she'd dug out of her backpack while having a 'conversation' with the incurably rude boy. Even though she was reading she could feel all three boys' eyes on her, and though she ignored them they just kept staring at her.
"Oh for pity's sake! It's a book, you do know what that is don't you?"
"Yes, we do," answered the Liam boy. "I'd like to apologize for my cousin. He hates being called Robert. Cecil does it to irritate him and he takes the bait every time."
"What do you want me to call you then?" Elizabeth asked the red-haired and red-faced boy.
"Bobby. Everyone except Cecil does."
"All right, Bobby. Does anyone else here have a language preference?" Elizabeth asked looking at each boy. Matthew slowly raised his hand. Elizabeth looked at him expectantly while observing him at the same time. He didn't look anything like his cousin's at all. In fact if you hadn't been told you would never have expected him to be related to the Strawberry Bunch. He had deep chocolate eyes that were so dark they almost looked black. His hair was pitch black and multidirectional though not bushy like Bobby's. He looked small for his age but strong and she betted that he'd looked very good if his lost the little-lost-sheep-look and smiled a bit.
"Um.if you don't mind.I'm Matt." He stuttered as if he was petrified of her.
"Matt." She confirmed smiling, "and you guys can call me any variation of Elizabeth you like."
"Cool." Liam said also smiling as if he'd just decided she wasn't so bad.
"Aw isn't that sweet. I think I'm going to hurl!" A surly voice sounded from the door. All four of their head snapped up to look at the intruder. In the door way stood a small platinum hair boy wearing a disdainful sneer that somehow didn't suit him. His icy eyes shone maliciously as he surveyed the scene before. "Did the Pothead's and Weasels befriend a new mud-blood friend?"
"Shove it Malfoy!" Matt hissed dangerously. The venom in his voice surprised Elizabeth; she hadn't thought him capable of it.
"Where are your meathead friends Vinny?" Asked Liam glaring Malfoy down.
"Gee, I don't know, should I go get them?" Malfoy asked sarcastically.
"Good idea, it'll be more fun if we had a challenge. You on your own is a pushover, haven't I proved that all ready?" Matt asked sweetly. Malfoy visibly paled if it was before. Without a word he spun on his heal and left as the boys dissolved into gales of laughter which chased Malfoy all the way back to his own compartment.
"Who was that?" Elizabeth asked when he'd left.
"Vindictous Malfoy. He's in my year." Liam replied gasping for breath, "He has these two idiot body guards who follow him every where he went. And our parents went to school and hated his parents so it's kind of tradition to hate his guts."
"Do you remember when Matt pounded the daylights out of him?" Bobby asked joyfully. Matt started laughing even harder than he had been before. "That was the funniest thing I ever saw!"
"It was the easiest thing I've ever done!" Matt said trying vainly to control himself.
"My dad says it was the proudest moment of his life. I beat up Malfoy and he's nearly two years older than me." He said trying to explain what they were talking about to Elizabeth; the only problem was she could figure out what he'd said through the laughter.
The rest of the train ride was uneventful thank heavens! I don't think I could have stood it being anymore exciting. Being around those boys was like being in a circus, you never ran out of reasons to laugh. Bobby was the clown, Liam was the lion tamer who continually kept the peace, and Matt was the reluctant ringleader. He was the one who kept everyone in line and when he said jump you said how high?
On that ride to Hogwarts I learnt all about their oddball family. Which is huge, and that's without the distant relatives! Liam's the youngest of four brothers; his father's twin brother had four girls all the same ages as Liam's brothers. Their other uncle had two girls, and their other uncle had a set of twin and a spare. Bobby was an only child, but his parents wanted more. (His mum was having trouble falling pregnant again.) And Matt was the eldest of four he had three sisters. All this had me thanking God I'm an only child! I've changed my mind though; since I've met them all I decided that big families are great.