Chappie Four

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Daddy Harry got a trolley for Araminta's luggage because he couldn't let Bollocksy levitate it through the station--someone would surely have noticed. As the clock ticked closer and closer to eleven, Araminta's daddies pushed her through the wall and onto platform nine and three-quarters.

"All abooooooooard!" shouted the conductor, and witches and wizards hurried for the bright red train that was emitting steamy puffs of smoke.

"That's you," said Daddy Harry, and he gave her a kiss on the side of her mouth. Daddy Draco gave her a squeeze and she got on to the train with Bollocksy trailing behind. She was so small that none of the Muggles had noticed her hiding under Araminta's trunk. Araminta thought they might have been too busy looking at her phoenix, or maybe at her hair. It was bright golden in the sun.

Araminta found an empty compartment and sat down by herself. Big, fat tears welled up in her gray-green eyes. She felt them spill over and slide down her high cheekbones. As the first tear fell to the floor with a plop, someone came into the compartment. Araminta quickly covered her face with her hands--not because she was worried about what she would look like (she knew she was pretty when she cried) but because she didn't want anyone to know how sad she was.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Shoot, thought Araminta, now I'm caught. She sneaked a peek between her fingers at a boy and girl who had come into the compartment. "Just something in my eye," she lied.

"Can we sit here? Everywhere else is full."

"Sure," said Araminta.

"By the way," said the boy, who had blue-black hair that fell into his blue eyes, "I'm Blake Parkinson and this"--he indicated a girl with a lot of zits and matted brown hair--"is Selene Bulstrode."

"Er, it's a pleasure." Araminta put her hand out to shake, but Selene pulled hers aside. "What's wrong?"

Selene's face screwed up comically. "If I touch you, I might give you my zits." She looked startled when Araminta laughed loudly.

"Don't worry!" exclaimed Araminta. "I know the perfect charm. In fact, let's give you a makeover!" She pushed Selene into a sitting position and starting digging through her trunk until she found her makeup case. "I usually do this with magic, but at home we have wards so I don't get in trouble. Also, I've never put makeup on anybody else."

Araminta applied a layer of Oxy and then covered Selene's complexion with a precise hand. Then, she applied powder, shimmery green eyeshadow, black liquid eyeliner, and pale violet lipstick. She brushed out Selene's matted hair and clipped it back with pins shaped like butterflies. Finally, she handed Selene a hand mirror and a breath mint.

"How does she look?"

Blake turned his head back and forth between the two girls as if he couldn't get enough of looking at them. "You both look gorgeous! I could eat you two up!"

"Well, you won't have to," laughed Araminta. "There's the snack trolley."

"Er, we don't have any money," Blake said for both of them, since Selene was still speechless over her transformation.

"I'm buying," said Araminta. She took seven Galleons out of her pocket and bought everything on the cart. "We should celebrate our first day at Hogwarts!"