Chapter 12: "Parlez-vous Français, madmoiselle?"
Charlotte began to panic a little. Here she was, in another country, on her way to an unfamiliar place, with no one she knew in sight! She'd just been laughed at by some girls she didn't know, and tried hard to keep herself from crying.
She opened and closed the doors of several more compartments, leaving her more confused. Charlotte saw the pale-faced boy from Madam Malkin's the other day, and in another compartment, two red-headed twins and a boy with dreadlocks, crowding over a small box. She left before she could find out what was inside of it-she had a feeling she didn't want to know.
"That's it," Charlotte mumbled through stifled tears, "I don't care who's in this next compartment. I'm going to sit in it!"
With that being said, she opened her final door; closing it behind her.
"Il fait du vent en été... err... No, that's not right! Ugh!" mumbled a dark-blonde boy sitting in the corner. He held a large textbook in his lap, simply titled, "Étudiez-vous Français!" He looked up from his book, staring straight at Charlotte.
"Oh, hi!" he said, perking up to his new company.
"Hey," she sniffled, smiling slightly. He seemed friendly. "Do you mind if I stay here? I can't find my friend; she said she'd save me a seat somewhere."
"Sure! What's your name?"
"Charlotte Talon. How about you?" she questioned, sitting down next to the boy.
"Je m'appelle Luc Carter," he said.
"Oh, is that French?" Charlotte asked.
"Yeah. Parlez-vous Français, madmoiselle?"
"A little bit. I'm-" she began, "I mean, I was learning some at school."
"Well," Luc laughed, "Why didn't you answer me in French, then?"
"Hey, I did say I only knew a little bit!" she giggled.
The two of them got to talking more, and soon it was as if they had been best friends for a long time. Soon enough, a plump woman pushing a trolley with a variety of snacks came by, asking if either were interested in any. Charlotte politely turned down her offer, but Luc got himself something labeled, "Chocolate Frog," and sat down.
"Chocolate frog?" Charlotte asked.
"Oh, they're not real. They just look like frogs," he replied, taking a bite. "They also come with trading cards."
"Like baseball?"
"Huh? No... famous wizards," he answered with a confused look on his face. "See, I got Circe. Too bad I've already got three."
"Oh, alright..." Charlotte said with a sigh, looking out the window. The day seemed to pass by fast. She was having a good time, she supposed. The sky had turned dark and there were mountains all around. The forests along the way were illuminated by the full moon, and it looked spectacular.
About ten minutes later, a deep voice could be heard all throughout the train, as if it had gone through a megaphone. The voice told everyone that the expected arrival time would be in approximately five minutes, and to leave their luggage in the compartments.
"Luc, do you think anyone would try and steal our things?" Charlotte asked with a hint of insecurity.
"Nah," he replied, "I think it's all pretty safe. Don't worry about it."
"Alright, then," she said, relieved. There was just something about Luc that made him seem so trusting. It was a feeling that Charlotte couldn't quite explain to herself.
"We should hurry up and get our robes on. The train's gonna stop any minute now," suggested Luc, digging in his trunk for his robes, finding one and pulling it over his head. Charlotte quickly did the same, and just after she stuck her arm through the sleeve, the train slowed to a stop.
"Come on," he urged her, "Or the hall's going to be really crowded. We'll never get out!" he added with a laugh.
Charlotte chuckled, and they both made their way out the door. Luc was right: it was pretty packed in the corridor. The good thing about that, though, was that even with all the shoving being done, the hall emptied fast.
When she and Luc finally got outside, Charlotte got a better view of what was around her. The first thing she noticed(and she was sure she wasn't the only one to do so) was her father's friend Hagrid. He looked over and spotted her, giving a wave. Charlotte waved back, and started searching for other faces that might be familiar.
"Charlotte!" someone called.
She turned around, wondering who had said her name.
"Charlotte! Over here!" the same voice called.
Luc poked her shoulder and suggested that she look to her left. Her name was called again, only this time she saw where it had come from.
"Katherine?" she asked, bewildered.
"Yeah, of course it's me! How many people do you think are there that know your name?" she answered, coming over. It was definitely Katherine, this Charlotte was sure of.
"Well, this is good," Charlotte thought, "Now we've found each other."
---
A/N: All of this talk about Mary Sues... I really don't care that much. It's my choice of style, and being that this is my first story, I'll write it however I please! I'm enjoying this, and if you don't like it, read something else.
For further annoyance to those of you who do not like this type of writing style, Luc is based on my friend Mike. His favorite character in Artemis Fowl(at least I am very sure) is Luc Carrere, but I couldn't very well use the same name, could I?
Chapter 13 coming soon!
*** I have also changed chapter nine a little bit. Thank you to Emily- Dufleng, who gave me some interesting ideas. The wand scene with Charlotte is a little bit more interesting, I think, and I hope I'm not the only one. All I have to say about it is this: Poor old Mr. Ollivander...
Also, I've changed the genre of the story. Along with fantasy, it now says "Tragedy." Why? I have some evil planning in the works right now... Hopefully, the story will then have an edge.
**** Chapters 2, 7, 8, 10, and 11 have all been changed. I think they've been improved, and again, I have more ideas in the works.
This includes a completely ridiculous singing scene in the common room(which one? I shall not reveal!), an angry new "friend"(most likely someone who you would label as "gothic," "evil," or "I'm-angry-at-the-world- get-away-from-me.")who tries to convince Charlotte to be mad at her parents... why? Read to see, that's all I can say.
In the changed chapters, you get more of a description of Charlotte, edited typos, and added dialogue/events. I've decided that Charlotte DOES crash into the barrier, after all! Enjoy, and please send me reviews on anything I need to or should change.
Charlotte began to panic a little. Here she was, in another country, on her way to an unfamiliar place, with no one she knew in sight! She'd just been laughed at by some girls she didn't know, and tried hard to keep herself from crying.
She opened and closed the doors of several more compartments, leaving her more confused. Charlotte saw the pale-faced boy from Madam Malkin's the other day, and in another compartment, two red-headed twins and a boy with dreadlocks, crowding over a small box. She left before she could find out what was inside of it-she had a feeling she didn't want to know.
"That's it," Charlotte mumbled through stifled tears, "I don't care who's in this next compartment. I'm going to sit in it!"
With that being said, she opened her final door; closing it behind her.
"Il fait du vent en été... err... No, that's not right! Ugh!" mumbled a dark-blonde boy sitting in the corner. He held a large textbook in his lap, simply titled, "Étudiez-vous Français!" He looked up from his book, staring straight at Charlotte.
"Oh, hi!" he said, perking up to his new company.
"Hey," she sniffled, smiling slightly. He seemed friendly. "Do you mind if I stay here? I can't find my friend; she said she'd save me a seat somewhere."
"Sure! What's your name?"
"Charlotte Talon. How about you?" she questioned, sitting down next to the boy.
"Je m'appelle Luc Carter," he said.
"Oh, is that French?" Charlotte asked.
"Yeah. Parlez-vous Français, madmoiselle?"
"A little bit. I'm-" she began, "I mean, I was learning some at school."
"Well," Luc laughed, "Why didn't you answer me in French, then?"
"Hey, I did say I only knew a little bit!" she giggled.
The two of them got to talking more, and soon it was as if they had been best friends for a long time. Soon enough, a plump woman pushing a trolley with a variety of snacks came by, asking if either were interested in any. Charlotte politely turned down her offer, but Luc got himself something labeled, "Chocolate Frog," and sat down.
"Chocolate frog?" Charlotte asked.
"Oh, they're not real. They just look like frogs," he replied, taking a bite. "They also come with trading cards."
"Like baseball?"
"Huh? No... famous wizards," he answered with a confused look on his face. "See, I got Circe. Too bad I've already got three."
"Oh, alright..." Charlotte said with a sigh, looking out the window. The day seemed to pass by fast. She was having a good time, she supposed. The sky had turned dark and there were mountains all around. The forests along the way were illuminated by the full moon, and it looked spectacular.
About ten minutes later, a deep voice could be heard all throughout the train, as if it had gone through a megaphone. The voice told everyone that the expected arrival time would be in approximately five minutes, and to leave their luggage in the compartments.
"Luc, do you think anyone would try and steal our things?" Charlotte asked with a hint of insecurity.
"Nah," he replied, "I think it's all pretty safe. Don't worry about it."
"Alright, then," she said, relieved. There was just something about Luc that made him seem so trusting. It was a feeling that Charlotte couldn't quite explain to herself.
"We should hurry up and get our robes on. The train's gonna stop any minute now," suggested Luc, digging in his trunk for his robes, finding one and pulling it over his head. Charlotte quickly did the same, and just after she stuck her arm through the sleeve, the train slowed to a stop.
"Come on," he urged her, "Or the hall's going to be really crowded. We'll never get out!" he added with a laugh.
Charlotte chuckled, and they both made their way out the door. Luc was right: it was pretty packed in the corridor. The good thing about that, though, was that even with all the shoving being done, the hall emptied fast.
When she and Luc finally got outside, Charlotte got a better view of what was around her. The first thing she noticed(and she was sure she wasn't the only one to do so) was her father's friend Hagrid. He looked over and spotted her, giving a wave. Charlotte waved back, and started searching for other faces that might be familiar.
"Charlotte!" someone called.
She turned around, wondering who had said her name.
"Charlotte! Over here!" the same voice called.
Luc poked her shoulder and suggested that she look to her left. Her name was called again, only this time she saw where it had come from.
"Katherine?" she asked, bewildered.
"Yeah, of course it's me! How many people do you think are there that know your name?" she answered, coming over. It was definitely Katherine, this Charlotte was sure of.
"Well, this is good," Charlotte thought, "Now we've found each other."
---
A/N: All of this talk about Mary Sues... I really don't care that much. It's my choice of style, and being that this is my first story, I'll write it however I please! I'm enjoying this, and if you don't like it, read something else.
For further annoyance to those of you who do not like this type of writing style, Luc is based on my friend Mike. His favorite character in Artemis Fowl(at least I am very sure) is Luc Carrere, but I couldn't very well use the same name, could I?
Chapter 13 coming soon!
*** I have also changed chapter nine a little bit. Thank you to Emily- Dufleng, who gave me some interesting ideas. The wand scene with Charlotte is a little bit more interesting, I think, and I hope I'm not the only one. All I have to say about it is this: Poor old Mr. Ollivander...
Also, I've changed the genre of the story. Along with fantasy, it now says "Tragedy." Why? I have some evil planning in the works right now... Hopefully, the story will then have an edge.
**** Chapters 2, 7, 8, 10, and 11 have all been changed. I think they've been improved, and again, I have more ideas in the works.
This includes a completely ridiculous singing scene in the common room(which one? I shall not reveal!), an angry new "friend"(most likely someone who you would label as "gothic," "evil," or "I'm-angry-at-the-world- get-away-from-me.")who tries to convince Charlotte to be mad at her parents... why? Read to see, that's all I can say.
In the changed chapters, you get more of a description of Charlotte, edited typos, and added dialogue/events. I've decided that Charlotte DOES crash into the barrier, after all! Enjoy, and please send me reviews on anything I need to or should change.
