2. Fit To Burst.
It was quiet for a while, the train lurching occasionally as it turned corners in the city, and it was very lonely. Her mother had made promises of her making friends but she doubted that with her condition she would, so she passed the first few minutes after leaving in perfect isolation. But it was not to last, as she found out when the door burst open and a small but exuberant looking boy burst in, a camera swinging from side to side around his neck.
"Hi!" he said, pulling a trunk and a satchel into the carriage, practically heaving the trunk. He stood on the seat of the carriage and pushed the trunk into the stow-away. As the train lurched around a bend, so did he, but caught himself quickly and placed his other bag next to his trunk. Wiping dusty hands on his jeans he sat down, bouncing slightly on the seat opposite hers. "I'm Colin Creevey, nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand.
She regarded Colin's pale, slightly calloused fleshy hands and looked at him nervously. Even though still gloved, and longing for human contact, she was still wary of even the smallest contact. He looked hurt and wary, as if he had done something wrong, and before he pulled his hand away, she reached out and shook it firmly with her gloved hand.
"Oh good, I err…thought I'd done something wrong then. I don't know if witches and wizards shake hands or not, I'm Muggleborn, you see." Colin explained, rapidly grinning as if proud of that fact.
"Neither do I, I mean about the handshake. I'm Muggleborn too," she said quietly, her old spirit being lifted by a simple introduction.
"Really? Then why are you wear- I mean your clothes are a bit, err…aren't you hot in all those clothes?" Colin asked, his cheeks flushing with colour. She looked at herself in the window, her dark clothes covering her from neck to toe and she remembered the stares of the other girls on the platform. The girls who were laughing at her because of her strange appearance.
"I'm boiling," She answered truthfully, hoping not to have to explain why she was wearing all these layers to him.
"Then take something off!" He said laughingly, his arms flailing slightly as he bounced in his seat. He never perceived this as anything more illicit but she blushed despite both their innocence.
"I can't, I have a condition.," she said quietly and ashamedly. A condition that put exuberant boys in the Intensive Care Unit, a condition that caused her to go catatonic and slip in to coma's. Despite the other gifted children around her, she knew even here in the Magical world she would still be treated like a freak.
"What kind of condi-" Colin stopped mid word and turned to look at the frizzy haired girl who had just entered the compartment and was staring at them both.
"Have either of you seen two boys- one with dark hair and glasses, the other's tall and has red hair?" she asked bossily and, noting their confused looks, sighed and huffed slightly. "Never mind, bloody boys." The girl left as suddenly as she'd arrived and left them alone, but the interruption was what was needed, as Colin didn't stray back onto her condition.
They talked; or rather Colin talked, about their families. And she learned that Colin had a younger brother named Dennis, that his father was a milkman and that he had inherited his camera at the age of nine, from his grandfather who had passed it on to him in the hopes of keeping the family tradition going. She learned that wizard cameras were nothing at all like their Muggle counterparts but that Colin still favoured his old trustworthy camera.
As the lady with the food trolley came around, Colin went and managed to persuade her to give him small samples of the food. He ended up buying a stack of pumpkin pasties, some bottles of milk and some chocolate frogs. She bought some liquorice wands and a pumpkin pasty and sat back down with Colin who was eating his with exuberance and thanking the lady profusely.
Taking off her gloves she picked up the pasty and bit into it. It was delicious, if a little strange and she enjoyed the feeling of eating with bare hands again. As soon as she was done she wiped her hands and replaced her gloves, although she couldn't pull them back up all the way and ended up settling for the ends hanging loose around her wrists. Colin noted this but didn't say anything to her, and sat quietly for a while eating the food he had bought and offering her some of his milk.
The night was drawing in and according to a clock they were approaching their new school. Colin left to change into his robes and she re-adjusted the long gloves, put on her tie and pulled the robes over her skirt. She looked odd, and felt odder. Nearly all of her skin was covered with material of some sort and her cheeks were flushed from the heat, she must have been dripping with sweat but she didn't care. She was too nervous about the fast approaching school.
Colin knocked and re-entered the room, giving her a little twirl of his new ensemble. He picked up his camera and held it out to her, taking it from his hands she wandered what he wanted her to do.
"Would you take a picture, it's for my parents, I told them I'd take lots when I got here you see," Colin said and smiled awkwardly. "The focus should be alright so all you need to do is flip this back and click the top," Colin said, demonstrating."Okay," she looked through the lens and centred Colin, clicking the button she was careful not to jerk the camera, as that would ruin the shot. Handing the camera back to Colin she smiled slightly. "I hope it turns out okay."
"It will," Colin assured her, winding the film on and pointing the camera at her, fiddling with the focus he looked through the eyepiece and then looked over the camera at her. "Do you mind if I take your picture?" Colin asked and she shook her head. Colin snapped quietly and repeated the process. "Now I have a picture of my first friend at school to send back home."
She smiled and wondered if he would still be her friend if he knew the truth. She wondered if he would distance himself like her old friends and then have his memory erased like they had. She wondered if he would take another picture of her again if she told him. Nodding as a Prefect told them to leave their stuff, Colin blatantly ignored this and took his camera, they left the train compartment and stepped onto the platform.
They followed a tall man to the lake where they got into a boat with a blonde haired girl and a boisterous dark haired girl. She clung desperately to the side of the boat and let it pull them into the safety of the shore where she was grateful to be on firmer footing. The tall man, apparently named Hagrid, knocked loudly on the door and was greeted by a stern woman. They were led up the stairs, into an anteroom and left there; during the time it took the woman to reappear a loud-mouthed redhead proclaimed that they were about to face a troll. She recognised the girl as being the girl whose mother had kissed her fondly and worriedly thought about the fact that the girl had elder brothers here who had probably told her this.
Colin nudged her slightly encouragingly as the doors opened and they were led into a great, and completely overwhelming, hall. Told by said stern woman that they were about to be sorted, they were mystified when a hat was produced and she felt enormously relieved when it was revealed that they would just be wearing the hat and not facing a troll.
Colin was one of the first and he tripped on his way up, bouncing on the stool slightly and the hat, seemingly frustrated with his eagerness to take pictures, sent him quickly off to Gryffindor. Colin ran towards the red and gold banners and sat at the table, where his housemates warmly accepted him.
More students were sorted and then it was her turn. She regarded the old man who had visited her in hospital, he winked at her- as her name was read out.
"Marie Holmes."