(-----DE-----(
De watched Pansy leave, then turned to Draco. "Well that worked perfectly."
Draco grinned and nodded. "I let her down hard, huh?"
De nodded. Erica and Draco switched seats. "So, seriously, about your dad?" Erica asked eagerly.
"You like him, don't you, Erica?" De asked.
"No."
"Yes you do!" De exclaimed, smiling. "Gross, he's old enough to be your dad! I thought you were just joking."
"Which means, if we get married, then she'll be my step-mother, and your step-mother-in-law." Draco said, disgusted.
De nodded. "That's exactly what I said. That's messed up." She looked over at Crabbe and Goyle. "Do you two ever talk?"
"They used to talk to Pansy," Draco said, kicked her trunk out of the way. "But I told them not to."
"I see, so they listen to everything you say?" Erica asked curiously.
"Yeah," Draco answered proudly.
"That might come in handy," De said thoughtfully as the train pulled to a stop. Pansy stormed in with another girl- both glaring- and dragged her trunk out into the hallway of the train. De giggled. "She's angry."
"She isn't really that bad," Draco said. "Just a little desperate."
"I bet." De reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Erica leaned over and looked at it.
"You brought that along?" She asked, laughing hard as she grabbed her suitcase.
De nodded. "Of course, I couldn't leave Tom at home."
"Who's Tom?" Draco asked, leaning over to see the picture. "Why isn't he moving?"
"Because that's what Emma Watson does to guys," De said seriously, folding the picture and sliding it back into her back pocket. "She immobilizes them with fear."
Erica giggled and handed De her blue knapsack. "Wow, this is light. Did you bring any clothes?"
"Yes, but most of it is shirts."
"And CDs?" Erica asked, opening the side compartment. De snatched it away from her.
"Yes! I can't live without music. They don't have music in England, I don't think, just in America."
"Where are you going to get a stereo?"
"I brought a walkman."
"Where will you get an electric outlet?"
"We're going to school, Erica, not a prison."
"I know that De, but I don't think they even know what electricity is. They use magic."
"Then I brought batteries."
"You're going to need a lot of batteries."
"So, I'll go to the store and get some."
"Where will you find a store?"
"What, they don't have stores in England?"
"Not here!"
"Then I'll get them from the vending machine."
"How many times do I have to tell you, De, they don't have electricity!"
"And why not? If the British are so advanced, having their tea parties and what-not, why don't they have friggin' electricity?"
"They have electricity in England, but not at school!"
"Why not?"
"Because they have magic!"
"Then make magical electricity."
"They can't make magical electriciy."
"Then they don't have light?"
"Of course they do, you idiot."
"Magical lightbulbs that run off magical electricity?"
"No, they have candles I guess."
"How can they read with candles?"
"People used to do it in the 1400s and stuff."
"Yeah, but that was just because they didn't listen to Benjamin Frainklin."
"What do you mean?"
"Benjamin Frainklin invented electricity, but they didn't want to use it because they thought he was an alien."
"That isn't at all what happened, and he lived in the 1800s."
"1800s, 1400s, there's no difference really. Time is overrated. Back to candles. Can you run a walkman off candle electricity?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Because candles do not generate electricity, De."
"So, I'll go to the outside electric outlet."
"What?"
"My house, we have an outlet in the front yard. I'll just use theirs. I don't mind sitting outside getting fresh air."
"You need fresh air! They do not have any electricity there!"
"Don't be silly, Erica. They have to have electricity to warm their water for their tea."
"They can use fires."
"Then I'll use fire-electricity. See, Erica, you know there's no point in arguing with me."
"There's no such thing as fire-electricity. And not all British people drink tea, that's a stereotype."
"Stereo! See you admit it!"
"I admit what?"
"I'm not alone cause the TV's on, I'm not crazy cause I take the right pills every day and rest."
"What?"
"Clean your conscience, clear your thoughts with speyside and your grain."
"What are you talking about?"
"Salt, sweat, sugar on the asphalt. Our hearts littering the topsoil. Tune in and we can get the last call."
"De, have you gone completely insane?"
"Our lives, our coal. Sign up, it's the picket line or the parade."
"De stop, you're freaking me out."
"I bled the greed from my arm, won't they give it a rest now, now, now, now?"
"DE!"
"What?"
"What is wrong with you?"
"Bleed America!"
"What's that mean?"
"It's a song. I was singing."
Erica rolled her eyes. "Of course you were."
De watched Pansy leave, then turned to Draco. "Well that worked perfectly."
Draco grinned and nodded. "I let her down hard, huh?"
De nodded. Erica and Draco switched seats. "So, seriously, about your dad?" Erica asked eagerly.
"You like him, don't you, Erica?" De asked.
"No."
"Yes you do!" De exclaimed, smiling. "Gross, he's old enough to be your dad! I thought you were just joking."
"Which means, if we get married, then she'll be my step-mother, and your step-mother-in-law." Draco said, disgusted.
De nodded. "That's exactly what I said. That's messed up." She looked over at Crabbe and Goyle. "Do you two ever talk?"
"They used to talk to Pansy," Draco said, kicked her trunk out of the way. "But I told them not to."
"I see, so they listen to everything you say?" Erica asked curiously.
"Yeah," Draco answered proudly.
"That might come in handy," De said thoughtfully as the train pulled to a stop. Pansy stormed in with another girl- both glaring- and dragged her trunk out into the hallway of the train. De giggled. "She's angry."
"She isn't really that bad," Draco said. "Just a little desperate."
"I bet." De reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Erica leaned over and looked at it.
"You brought that along?" She asked, laughing hard as she grabbed her suitcase.
De nodded. "Of course, I couldn't leave Tom at home."
"Who's Tom?" Draco asked, leaning over to see the picture. "Why isn't he moving?"
"Because that's what Emma Watson does to guys," De said seriously, folding the picture and sliding it back into her back pocket. "She immobilizes them with fear."
Erica giggled and handed De her blue knapsack. "Wow, this is light. Did you bring any clothes?"
"Yes, but most of it is shirts."
"And CDs?" Erica asked, opening the side compartment. De snatched it away from her.
"Yes! I can't live without music. They don't have music in England, I don't think, just in America."
"Where are you going to get a stereo?"
"I brought a walkman."
"Where will you get an electric outlet?"
"We're going to school, Erica, not a prison."
"I know that De, but I don't think they even know what electricity is. They use magic."
"Then I brought batteries."
"You're going to need a lot of batteries."
"So, I'll go to the store and get some."
"Where will you find a store?"
"What, they don't have stores in England?"
"Not here!"
"Then I'll get them from the vending machine."
"How many times do I have to tell you, De, they don't have electricity!"
"And why not? If the British are so advanced, having their tea parties and what-not, why don't they have friggin' electricity?"
"They have electricity in England, but not at school!"
"Why not?"
"Because they have magic!"
"Then make magical electricity."
"They can't make magical electriciy."
"Then they don't have light?"
"Of course they do, you idiot."
"Magical lightbulbs that run off magical electricity?"
"No, they have candles I guess."
"How can they read with candles?"
"People used to do it in the 1400s and stuff."
"Yeah, but that was just because they didn't listen to Benjamin Frainklin."
"What do you mean?"
"Benjamin Frainklin invented electricity, but they didn't want to use it because they thought he was an alien."
"That isn't at all what happened, and he lived in the 1800s."
"1800s, 1400s, there's no difference really. Time is overrated. Back to candles. Can you run a walkman off candle electricity?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"Because candles do not generate electricity, De."
"So, I'll go to the outside electric outlet."
"What?"
"My house, we have an outlet in the front yard. I'll just use theirs. I don't mind sitting outside getting fresh air."
"You need fresh air! They do not have any electricity there!"
"Don't be silly, Erica. They have to have electricity to warm their water for their tea."
"They can use fires."
"Then I'll use fire-electricity. See, Erica, you know there's no point in arguing with me."
"There's no such thing as fire-electricity. And not all British people drink tea, that's a stereotype."
"Stereo! See you admit it!"
"I admit what?"
"I'm not alone cause the TV's on, I'm not crazy cause I take the right pills every day and rest."
"What?"
"Clean your conscience, clear your thoughts with speyside and your grain."
"What are you talking about?"
"Salt, sweat, sugar on the asphalt. Our hearts littering the topsoil. Tune in and we can get the last call."
"De, have you gone completely insane?"
"Our lives, our coal. Sign up, it's the picket line or the parade."
"De stop, you're freaking me out."
"I bled the greed from my arm, won't they give it a rest now, now, now, now?"
"DE!"
"What?"
"What is wrong with you?"
"Bleed America!"
"What's that mean?"
"It's a song. I was singing."
Erica rolled her eyes. "Of course you were."