New Friends and New Enemies
Stepping forward she looked around and started to wheel the trolley toward the train. Once she was on the train she started walking the length of it, trying to find a room to sit in that wasn't already taken. When she finally found one, it had only one space left, and it contained two of the red haired group, the dark haired boy, another boy who looked a bit chubbier than the first and didn't wear glasses, and Hermione.
She peaked in, and the conversation within the car stopped as Hermione and the others looked up at her. "Hello" she said softly, blushing as all eyes were on her. "Any chance I can join you here? All the other cars are full." she said, her last sentence said a bit matter- of-factly made her blush, hoping that they didn't think she thought she was a know-it-all.
Her tone of voice didn't seem to bother any of the others as the dark haired boy said "Sure" and motioned her in. She entered and sat in the last remaining seat, and tried to occupy herself with her book Hogwarts, A History which seemed to have put a smile on Hermione's face...she wasn't sure if it was meant to be a smirk or a real smile.
The red haired boy and the dark haired boy had definitely smirked and returned to their wobbly game of chess with a shake of their heads. It appeared that each of the figures would beat on each other as a piece was taken.
She read silently for a few minutes, then looked up with surprise as she noticed one piece attacking another for the first time "What kind of chess is that?" she asked, and received an alarmed look from the red haired boy.
He opened his eyes wide, the freckles on his cheeks seeming to stretch as his forehead wrinkled "you don't know what wizard's chess is?" he asked in surprise. It was as if it was unheard of for someone not to know. The dark haired boy looked from her, with surprise, to the other with a smirk. "Well now, Ron, when I first came to Hogwarts, I didn't either now did I?"
Ron blinked, and tipped his head to the side "Well, no, I guess not."
The dark haired boy turned back to her, and smiled "I'm Harry, this here's Ron. That girl there is Hermione, and that one is Ginny, Ron's little sister. This is Neville" he said, pointing at last to the other dark haired boy in the car.
For a moment, she remained silent. Finally she opened her mouth to tell them her name, when behind her she heard a snicker, and a snobby sounding voice saying "Oh, look, Potter's found a new friend" he nudged her shoulder as he stepping into the car, and Harry looked at him from his seat with a great amount of distaste.
When Harry responded to Malfoy, Hermione and Ron seemed to be waiting for what he had to say "Malfoy, get lost" was all he finally said. Penny turned to Malfoy, who had his wand out of his pocket and seemed to be debating if he wanted to cause trouble. When he turned to face Penny he said "So, what are you?" and she frowned.
"What am I? What do you mean?" she asked. Her question was followed by a handful of laughs from the boys behind Malfoy, and a cough from Hermione.
"Well, are you a witch or a mudblood?" he asked, and she noticed that his nose turned up as he said "mudblood" and Hermione rose to her feet. "Malfoy, if you've got nothing better to do, you need to get a life" she said, and Malfoy raised his wand. "Why should I listen to you filthy Mudblood?" he asked, and though she didn't know what the term meant, she reached her arm up and punched him hard in the shoulder. He dropped his wand, and cried out in sudden pain as her muscular arm left an instant bruise on his.
Suddenly he looked as if he wanted nothing better than to cry "Mommy!" but she didn't give him a chance. She picked up his wand, and pushed him into his friends "Get him out of here" she said, throwing his wand out the door and slamming it as the three of them stumbled out of the room.
Behind her, the entire group had grown silent. Hermione was blushing but her face showed a furious anger as her eyes had not yet left the door. Harry and Ron were very obviously cheering her on, and Ginny and Neville were both silently gaping.
"You've just made a bad enemy, miss" said Harry, and before he could go any further, Penny spoke again.
"Penny, if you don't mind." She looked at the door, and growled under her breath. "I don't like the looks of him. I hope I don't see much of him this year" she said, and turned back to the still silent room.
"Oh, you will" said Hermione, and motioned her to sit back down. "Malfoy believes that anyone who's not pureblood wizard aught never to have been born. Unfortunately for him, there are a lot of us" she said with a smile that said she could not have been happier to make him squirm. "That's a good left hook you've got there." she smirked, and grew silent, waiting for some sort of a response from Penny.
When Penny spoke, her voice was quiet, and shaking "I'm not going to get into trouble for that am I?" she asked, and it was obvious from her voice that she was afraid that she might be expelled before she even got to school. "I wouldn't have done it, but I knew that he was insulting you, Hermione, and he deserved it. I was sure he did."
Hermione laughed, and nodded "Don't worry about it. If you're anything like us, you'll get out of any trouble. What year are you?" Hermione's tone suddenly changed, from slightly angry to suddenly curious.
Penny smiled "First year, you?"
When Hermione answered "Sixth year" suddenly her hopes fell. Penny thought to herself for a few moments after a soft "Oh" issued from her lips. That meant to her that she wouldn't be spending much time with her new-found friends.
Someone spoke, and she blinked, looking around "Hunh?" she asked, and Ron smiled "welcome to Hogwarts then." She grinned. They didn't seem to care that she was so much younger.
"Thanks" she said, as Hermione started, looking at the watch on her wrist. "Well, we'd all best get into our robes, we're almost there" Hermione said, and started pulling her robe out of a bag on the floor by her feet.
Penny lifted the robe from her own carry one bag, and slipped it on over her uniform. The others in the car followed suit in silence.
Stepping forward she looked around and started to wheel the trolley toward the train. Once she was on the train she started walking the length of it, trying to find a room to sit in that wasn't already taken. When she finally found one, it had only one space left, and it contained two of the red haired group, the dark haired boy, another boy who looked a bit chubbier than the first and didn't wear glasses, and Hermione.
She peaked in, and the conversation within the car stopped as Hermione and the others looked up at her. "Hello" she said softly, blushing as all eyes were on her. "Any chance I can join you here? All the other cars are full." she said, her last sentence said a bit matter- of-factly made her blush, hoping that they didn't think she thought she was a know-it-all.
Her tone of voice didn't seem to bother any of the others as the dark haired boy said "Sure" and motioned her in. She entered and sat in the last remaining seat, and tried to occupy herself with her book Hogwarts, A History which seemed to have put a smile on Hermione's face...she wasn't sure if it was meant to be a smirk or a real smile.
The red haired boy and the dark haired boy had definitely smirked and returned to their wobbly game of chess with a shake of their heads. It appeared that each of the figures would beat on each other as a piece was taken.
She read silently for a few minutes, then looked up with surprise as she noticed one piece attacking another for the first time "What kind of chess is that?" she asked, and received an alarmed look from the red haired boy.
He opened his eyes wide, the freckles on his cheeks seeming to stretch as his forehead wrinkled "you don't know what wizard's chess is?" he asked in surprise. It was as if it was unheard of for someone not to know. The dark haired boy looked from her, with surprise, to the other with a smirk. "Well now, Ron, when I first came to Hogwarts, I didn't either now did I?"
Ron blinked, and tipped his head to the side "Well, no, I guess not."
The dark haired boy turned back to her, and smiled "I'm Harry, this here's Ron. That girl there is Hermione, and that one is Ginny, Ron's little sister. This is Neville" he said, pointing at last to the other dark haired boy in the car.
For a moment, she remained silent. Finally she opened her mouth to tell them her name, when behind her she heard a snicker, and a snobby sounding voice saying "Oh, look, Potter's found a new friend" he nudged her shoulder as he stepping into the car, and Harry looked at him from his seat with a great amount of distaste.
When Harry responded to Malfoy, Hermione and Ron seemed to be waiting for what he had to say "Malfoy, get lost" was all he finally said. Penny turned to Malfoy, who had his wand out of his pocket and seemed to be debating if he wanted to cause trouble. When he turned to face Penny he said "So, what are you?" and she frowned.
"What am I? What do you mean?" she asked. Her question was followed by a handful of laughs from the boys behind Malfoy, and a cough from Hermione.
"Well, are you a witch or a mudblood?" he asked, and she noticed that his nose turned up as he said "mudblood" and Hermione rose to her feet. "Malfoy, if you've got nothing better to do, you need to get a life" she said, and Malfoy raised his wand. "Why should I listen to you filthy Mudblood?" he asked, and though she didn't know what the term meant, she reached her arm up and punched him hard in the shoulder. He dropped his wand, and cried out in sudden pain as her muscular arm left an instant bruise on his.
Suddenly he looked as if he wanted nothing better than to cry "Mommy!" but she didn't give him a chance. She picked up his wand, and pushed him into his friends "Get him out of here" she said, throwing his wand out the door and slamming it as the three of them stumbled out of the room.
Behind her, the entire group had grown silent. Hermione was blushing but her face showed a furious anger as her eyes had not yet left the door. Harry and Ron were very obviously cheering her on, and Ginny and Neville were both silently gaping.
"You've just made a bad enemy, miss" said Harry, and before he could go any further, Penny spoke again.
"Penny, if you don't mind." She looked at the door, and growled under her breath. "I don't like the looks of him. I hope I don't see much of him this year" she said, and turned back to the still silent room.
"Oh, you will" said Hermione, and motioned her to sit back down. "Malfoy believes that anyone who's not pureblood wizard aught never to have been born. Unfortunately for him, there are a lot of us" she said with a smile that said she could not have been happier to make him squirm. "That's a good left hook you've got there." she smirked, and grew silent, waiting for some sort of a response from Penny.
When Penny spoke, her voice was quiet, and shaking "I'm not going to get into trouble for that am I?" she asked, and it was obvious from her voice that she was afraid that she might be expelled before she even got to school. "I wouldn't have done it, but I knew that he was insulting you, Hermione, and he deserved it. I was sure he did."
Hermione laughed, and nodded "Don't worry about it. If you're anything like us, you'll get out of any trouble. What year are you?" Hermione's tone suddenly changed, from slightly angry to suddenly curious.
Penny smiled "First year, you?"
When Hermione answered "Sixth year" suddenly her hopes fell. Penny thought to herself for a few moments after a soft "Oh" issued from her lips. That meant to her that she wouldn't be spending much time with her new-found friends.
Someone spoke, and she blinked, looking around "Hunh?" she asked, and Ron smiled "welcome to Hogwarts then." She grinned. They didn't seem to care that she was so much younger.
"Thanks" she said, as Hermione started, looking at the watch on her wrist. "Well, we'd all best get into our robes, we're almost there" Hermione said, and started pulling her robe out of a bag on the floor by her feet.
Penny lifted the robe from her own carry one bag, and slipped it on over her uniform. The others in the car followed suit in silence.