Chapter 2: Friends and Daiquiris
"Are you crazy?" Percy said, looking wildly at Oliver. Oliver just grinned.
"Hello again Oliver," Penelope said, taking a seat next to him. Percy quickly went back behind his book, but both of his compartment mates could see his ears glowing red from behind. Oliver laughed silently to himself.
Silly girl. What am I doing? Why am I so embarrassed? This is stupid. Percy thought. He slowly lowered his book and saw that Penelope was still looking at him, so the book shot up again.
"Well…aren't you going to introduce me?" Penelope said.
"Oh! Sorry. Er, Percy, this is Penelope. Penelope, this is Percy Weasley," Oliver said. "Percy? Hello?"
"Oh, sorry," Percy said, trying to sound calm. He put his book down on his lap. "Nice to meet you Penelope." Though it sounded like Pen-elope.
"Actually, I prefer Penny," Penny said as Oliver laughed to himself again. Percy raised his book back up and tried to forget Penny was there. She looked out the window and gasped. "Oh my! Who's that?" Percy dared to look to his right and saw that Fred or George's head was peering through the window. He jumped at the site of him. Fred or George was apparently standing on his twin's shoulders.
"Hi Percy!" the twin's muffled voice shouted. "Can you hear me?" Percy put his hand to his face and shook his head. He felt more humiliated then when he was being teased at. The twin continued shouting. "Mum says…"
"No write it down or something!" Percy cried waving his arms and making a writing gesticulation.
"All right! Well-Mum-says-she-has-a-note-for-you-any-way! She's-al-most-fin-ished!" the twin shouted, clearly and carefully pronouncing each word as if Percy was atop a mountain rather than behind glass. The twin then waved good-bye and lowered out of sight.
"Who was that?" Penny asked, giggling.
"Oh…my brothers…bit annoying really…" Percy said, looking down. Oliver had tried to keep a straight face the whole time and just burst out laughing.
"Oh man! That's classic!" Oliver said, still laughing. "Oh look, he's back!" Fred or George's head reappeared with a scrap of parchment of a long written note. The twin took out the Drooble's Best Blowing Gum out of his mouth, stuck it on the front of the note, and attached the lot onto the window and lowered himself again. Oliver started laughing hysterically and had to excuse himself. Penny, still a bit giggly, sat back in her seat and tried not to read the note and keep a straight face. Percy was redder than his hair and he leaned over and read the note on the glass.
Percy, don't forget to write a nice letter back to the family once you reach the school so we know that you're well. And I just remembered that you left your rat at home. I can't understand why you'd forget your own pet. I'll send him with Errol, but don't worry, he hates mice and things anyway. Good luck, Love, and have a pleasant trip!
Love, Mommy
p.s. Fred and George said you've got a girlfriend already! Is it that pretty blonde with curls?
Percy read the last line with fear and quickly covered it by leaning against the window. Oliver had come back and sat down, still grinning.
"So what was it they wanted?"
"Uh…just to write once we get to Hogwarts, and uhh…other stuff like things she remembered I forgotten…" Percy said nervously, hoping Penny hadn't read the note over his shoulder.
"That's good," Penny said. She suddenly got up. "I just remembered, I was sitting with a group of other girls. I'm sorry, but I have to leave you two. Good-bye! Nice meeting you, Percy!" She smiled and left the compartment. Percy let out a sigh and relaxed.
"You dig her, don't you?" Oliver said, still grinning.
"What? I don't know what you're talking about," Percy said, looking up and around. "I don't dig anything, except dig for gardening or…something like that…"
"Percy, Percy, Percy," Oliver sighed. "So young; so much for you to learn. I meant that you like her. You know, you desire her presence."
"What?!?" Percy said, feeling his face turn red with embarrassment. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"There's no hope. You're in denial. Don't worry, Percy; I know the truth. Someday you will, too," Oliver said, laying back in his seat.
"Well, you've got to get your facts straight or…" Percy didn't know what to say. He knew Oliver wouldn't back down, so he gave up and turned back to his book.
"So what are you reading anyway?"
"1984," Percy replied, not looking up.
"Never heard of it before," Oliver said. "Can I see it?" Percy handed him the book after marking his page and Oliver read the back cover.
"Well, it's a Muggle novel. My father brought it back from work because some madman jinxed it to bite the reader." Oliver quickly tossed the book back to Percy.
"Don't worry, he fixed it," Percy said.
"Where does your dad work anyway?"
"The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic."
"Can't say I've heard of that either."
"I don't see why he won't take a higher ranking job. He refuses to be promoted."
"Why?"
"Well, he loves Muggles and would trade in his wand for a day to live with Muggles."
"Cool!"
"What is your father's occupation?"
"He works at the Ministry, too. At the Magical Game and Sport office, subdividing into the English Quidditch teams. He got me this hat when he went on an advertising campaign with Puddlemere. He gets me loads of stuff and sometimes he gets free tickets so we get to see Puddlemere play all the time!"
"Interesting," Percy said, looking out the compartment door involuntarily. He then saw Penny coming down the hall, dragging her trunk and leading a cat on a leash. "Oh no! Oliver, she's coming back! She's coming back!"
"What's wrong with that?" Percy didn't answer and leaned back over the note, which was still gummed to the window and hid behind his book.
"Hello again, boys," Penny greeted. "Do you still have room for one more?"
"Of course," Oliver said, getting up to help with her trunk. Penny sat down and lifted her cat onto her lap. It was a very fluffy white cat with a pink nose and two beady green eyes. Percy looked over his book and saw Penny was watching him again while Oliver set her trunk on the overhead rack. Percy couldn't use the same trick again so he put his book down and tried to make conversation.
"Er…Hi Penny. I didn't see you come in," Percy said, sitting up straighter.
"Yeah. The girls thought I wasn't sitting with them anymore since I disappeared so they gave my seat to someone else."
"Oh. I'm sorry we kept you here too long."
"Oh, no need to worry. I'd rather talk with you two than them. They're spoiled brats giving manicures to each other anyway."
"Your cat got a name?" Percy asked.
"Lucretia," she said, stroking the long white fur. "Did you bring any animals?"
"Oh no. I forgot him at home," Percy said. "But it's a good thing, too, seeing as he's a rat."
"Oh, good thing you forgot," Penny said, feeling a rat was not the nicest pet to have. She suddenly realized why Percy said what he said as Lucretia purred gently next to her. "I mean, otherwise Lucretia might have eaten him." She laughed weakly. There was the first awkward silence until Fred or George appeared again. Penny waved and smiled.
"Mum, Percy's girlfriend is waving at me!" the boy's muffled voice said, which made Percy turn around.
"Go away!" He mouthed angrily.
"I'm just getting back the note," the boy said pulling it off. The gum was pulled into a long gummy string and came off with a pop. "Bye!"
"Don't mind him. He's being an idiot," Percy said, blushing with embarrassment.
"So what's that book about that makes it so interesting?" Penny asked, spying 1984 in Percy's lap.
"Oh it's a wonderful Muggle novel. It's a view of the year 1984 back in the 1950's when communism and all those government issues were beginning after WWII. It's actually quite a read, for there are many things forbidden in their society and there are telescreens so that the government can keep an eye on you everywhere."
"Hmm, not a very private lifestyle," Oliver said.
"It is very good and well written," Percy said.
"Muggle books are fantastic though," Penny said suddenly. "Right now I'm reading a novel called Robinson Crusoe."
"Great choice! It's one of my favorite adventure stories," Percy said excitedly. "It is not only exciting, but it shows how an isolated Muggle man learns to live off the land and finds innovative substitutes for his everyday life."
"I know! I'm at the part where he makes a canoe in the forest but can't use it because-"
"It's too far from shore and it's too heavy to move," Percy finished.
"Right," Penny said, smiling. "I can't wait to read the end."
"It gets better and better, though some parts were a bit grisly." Percy and Penny continued to chat about the Muggle books they've read until they heard the conductor say they had only two more minutes until departure for Hogwarts.
"Oh, I have to go for a minute. I promised Mother I'd say goodbye before we leave," Penny said, leaving the compartment.
"You two certainly hit it off," Oliver said, grinning.
"Hit what off? I didn't attack her!"
"No, no, no…never mind," Oliver said. "We have two minutes. Let's get off the train while we still can. I heard it's a long ride to Hogwarts."
"I'll go with you. I know my mother is expecting me to say good bye again," Percy said, getting up. There were very few last minute stragglers on the platform and some other students saying one last good bye.
"I've been expecting you to come out here again," Mrs. Weasley said, now crying harder and hugging her son. Even the twins were really crying.
"We'll m-m-miss you P-P-Percy," Fred said, trying to hold back his tears.
"Yeah, w-we might forget what it's like to have a brother," George said as the two gave a good bye hug to their older brother.
"You knuckle-heads. You two are brothers," Percy said. "Besides, you also have Ron and Ginny. Without me, Charlie, or Bill, you two ought to take care of them."
"Yes, sir," Fred and George said in unison as if commanded by a military officer. They stood up straight and saluted him.
"Don't worry, we'll do our duty," George said.
"To torture them!" Fred said, then they both broke into a fake malicious laugh.
"Say hello to your new girlfriend for me," Mrs. Weasley said.
"Mum, Penny is not my girlfriend. Well, technically she is, but only because she's a new friend that happens to be a girl," Percy said. Mrs. Weasley just smiled at him and gave him one last kiss on the cheek and Percy ran back to the train.
"All aboard! Last call!" the conductor cried. Percy ran into his compartment where Oliver and Penny were waving out of the open window. Percy joined them as the Hogwarts Express finally departed for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
***
"Lunchtime. Would you children care for anything?" the witch with the food trolley asked.
"I'm starving," Oliver said, getting up to look at the cart. Meanwhile, Percy unwrapped a sandwich and thermos of pumpkin juice he packed earlier. Penny had taken out a sandwich and thermos as well. She ripped off the bread crust and fed them to Lucretia. Oliver returned with a bottle of Butterbeer, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, and three Cauldron cakes.
"Here you go," Oliver said, tossing a cake to Penny and Percy. "You two eat like birds, with only sandwiches."
"Thanks, Oliver," Percy and Penny said, happy with his generosity.
"So what's in that sandwich anyway?" Oliver asked, uncorking his bottle.
"Roast beef," Percy said after swallowing. Penelope squealed.
"Me too!" Penny said. "What a coincidence!" They finished eating their lunches and soon they were all well fed and tired. Oliver took out his set of playing cards and they all played card games, which all too soon got boring. They only knew one game, and Percy and Penny decided they felt like reading. 1984 and Robinson Crusoe waved over there faces as they became deeply immersed in their novels. Oliver felt awkward, just sitting there, so he opened his trunk and took out his reading material, Quidditch through the Ages. The train compartment was very quiet and the only sounds were the occasional purrs from Lucretia and the sounds of the clanking train. After twenty or so minutes of reading, the door slid open.
"What is this, the book club?" a girl asked rudely. She had straight brown hair tied in a ponytail and wore silver metal framed glasses. She the spoke again in what seemed like a rehearsed voice. "Penny, I've been looking all over for you."
"Why?" Penny asked, looking up from her novel. Oliver looked up too, but Percy continued to read. "What did I do?"
"Well, we girls wanted to talk to you. We decided that you don't deserve to be with these boring boys. Come have fun with us!" the girl said, sounding like a bad actress in a play.
"No thank you. I'm fine here. We're just taking a reading break."
"Please, Penny," the girl said in an incredibly fake pleading voice. She followed with an incredibly fake sad frowning face.
"I've already said I'm fine here. Besides, I'm quite comfortable already and my luggage is sitting peacefully where it is," Penny said.
"Oh all right," the girl said, taking the empty seat next to Percy. She let out a sigh and spoke more naturally. "The real reason I've been sent was because those stupid 'Oh my gosh you like have like the cutest little outfit' girls wanted to know about them." She waved her arms as if presenting Oliver and Percy as animals at the zoo.
"What do you mean by that?" Percy said, finally snapping his book shut.
"If you three haven't noticed, you're the only first years in a co-ed compartment. They just want to know how you did it, Penny. Pretty stupid if you ask me. I said I didn't want to do it. But there were 4 other girls who joined our compartment and they all shoved me out and told me to come back with information. So I was all, 'no', but they were all, 'yes', but I was all, 'I'm going to take a while.' So I left them making bead bracelets and gossiping about the new Head Boy: 'Oh my gosh, Bill Weasley is so handsome!' 'Like he so totally is.' 'Was like that his brother sitting with Penny?' 'I like totally hope we find out or whatever for some junk.' 'Like no way, that is not his brother.' 'Like way.' 'Like that's impossible.' Geez, I just wanted to wring their necks till their voice boxes came out! They were such girly girls!" she said all in one breath, doing all kinds of voices.
"Girls," Percy said, rolling his eyes. "Who are you anyway?"
"Virginia Mary Strawberry Daiquiri," said Virginia Mary Strawberry Daiquiri. Percy and Oliver looked at her like she was kidding. "I prefer just plain Virginia. My parents changed our last name to match their latest interest. Pretty stupid if you ask me. I'm just glad I'm Virginia. But then my mother was like, 'You're Virginia Mary named after the drink,Virgin Mary.' So I was all, 'Shoot, my name's still after a drink.' But at least I'm not Margarita. She's a snob anyhow. She's in the 6th year. My little sister hasn't started yet. At least her name isn't a drink, and I envy her for that. "Luna" isn't a name of a drink, right?"
"I don't think so," Percy said, amazed at the speed Virginia could speak at. "So what's your real last name?"
"Well there was Quibbler, for the longest time, then it recently changed to Daiquiri, there was also Qwikspell when my mother discovered she couldn't do magic all of a sudden, but she forgot she was a Muggle anyway. There was also Ghirardelli, Hershey, Nestle, Bott, Swiss, but those were for a short time because we found out Mother was allergic to chocolate. I feel bad for her, because she's really ill now. Still, they're so weird for changing our name. They've always liked drinks and throwing parties with drinks. That's probably why they're so weird. I prefer juice, milk, and water if you ask me. Anyway, the name is Daiquiri, but originally it was Lovegood. I hate my family. I want to be disowned," Virginia said. The others just looked at her, still shocked with the practice of her family's name changing.
"Now no one wants that. You can't hate your family that much," Penny said.
"You'd hate them too if you just want to be a normal witch and you have an eccentric father who runs the world's most ridiculous magazine, a little sister who's just as odd, an older sister who thinks she's the best in the world, and a family who take hobbies a little too far. Well, I have to report back before one of those even odder girls comes to fetch me."
"Why go back, Virginia?" Penny asked. "You'd said you would be a while. Besides, who wants to spend the remainder of the trip with them?"
"You're right," Virginia said. "I guess it would be better to stay here. You all seem the closest thing to normality on this bloody train. Besides, those girls'd probably send me off again once I come back and I haven't got a decent answer to tell them. If you ask me, I think every other first year here is stupid and shy and don't trust the opposite gender so they've decided to stay with their own kind. You know what? I think I'll go get my trunk, too and stay here for the remainder of the trip. I'll be back." She then slid open the door and left.
"Don't worry about Virginia. She's pretty decent," Penny said, noticing the distressed looks on Percy and Oliver.
"It's just that," Oliver said, "she talks so much!"
"Well we need to have some good long chats about things," Percy said, mainly looking at Penny. "You know, to know each other better."
"I agree. When Virginia returns we can play a little game. We go around and say something about ourselves," Penny said. The boys agreed. They all put their books away as Virginia came back dragging her trunk. After getting settled, they began the game. The sky grew darker and was beginning to be dotted with bright shimmering stars. The train even began to slow down, and before they knew it, the Hogwarts Express had arrived at Hogsmeade Station. The students, all dressed in their school robes, piled off the train and onto the platform where an enormous bulky man holding a torch was calling:
"Firs' years! This way! Come on, don't' be shy! Firs' years! Follow me!" the gigantic man said.
"Who is that?" Oliver asked, a sense of fear in his voice.
"That's only Hagrid," Percy said. "My brothers say he's really quite nice."
"He is," Charlie said, suddenly appearing. "Don't worry, Oliver. Hagrid won't bite."
"Me, worried?" Oliver said, turning to look at Charlie. He mocked a laugh. "That's probably the funniest thing I ever-"
"Hurry up firs' years! We 'aven't got all nigh'!" Hagrid said, standing directly behind Oliver, who had jumped like a spooked horse on Halloween.
"Hello, Charlie," said Hagrid. "Are these your lit'l brothers? This one don't got red hair."
"Oh, Oliver is just Percy's new friend," Charlie said. "But you better not scare him too much, Hagrid. He's supposedly going to be a new member of one of the Houses Quidditch teams."
"I ain't scary now, am I?" Hagrid asked, looking at Charlie like he never found himself to be menacing. He winked at Oliver and continued shouting. "Firs' years! This way!" They all finally were gathered and headed down an alternate route towards a very large lake. They then were organized into boats, which magically navigated towards the school. Passing through a curtain of ivy and stopping at an underground dock, the boats unloaded and the new students gathered at the large oak front door of Hogwarts School.
***