Eyes rolled as a shouting met the ears of a sixteen year old boy seated comfortably in a compartment. Yes, he was seated upon the Hogwarts Express, the train planned on setting off for Hogwarts at exactly 11:00 am.
Apparently, he hadn't been spotted, but the yells were echoing in his head, causing the boy to get irritated from the continuous yell.
The boy stood up, opening the compartment door in an exasperated well, spotting a few stragglers remaining in the hallway between other compartments, three of them familiar to the amber eyes.
"Over here!" the boy said, with an exasperated sigh. He threw himself back in a seat, awaiting the arrival of his friends in the train compartment. And, of course, they came about two seconds afterwards.
"Though we lost you!" said one of the boys, entering. His hair was black, rather long, his eyes a bit greyish. A usual grin was on his face, and he sat down opposite.
"Didn't we pass this compartment about five times, Sirius?" another boy asked, entering after the first. His hair was also a charcoal black, though it was rather short, sticking up at strange angles on his head, so it looked messy and untamed.
A chubby boy with mousy brown hair entered after them, quite silent, and he, too, sat down.
"I dunno" the boy named Sirius answered, shrugging without care, "I can't bother counting compartments. I thought you knew me, James!"
Yes, this was Sirius Black. One of the famous Marauders at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with his other three famous friends. James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.
"Oh, did you i really /i ?" Remus asked, a boy with sandy brown hair, "I didn't hear a bit of your shouting..."
"Didn't you?" Peter asked, looking at Remus with a confused look, "I thought they were being really loud, actually. Bunch of people looked out to see what the fuss was."
"It's sarcasm, Peter" James said, nodding violently to get his point across, "Everything isn't as it seems..."
"Nice cliche" Sirius muttered, rolling his eyes slightly.
James grinned happily. "Thank you. I was going for cliche!"
Sirius rolled his eyes dramatically, glancing around the compartment for a second. He leaned back in his chair impatiently, looking out the window every few seconds.
"When's the train starting?" Sirius asked, yawning, "I'm bored... and hungry. I'm intent to get to that feast..."
There was a sudden lurch, though it wasn't enough to throw anyone out of there seats. Just enough to give the First Years a jump. Everyone else seemed used to it. So used to it, they made absolutely no sign that it had happened.
"Finally!" Sirius proclaimed, "I was wondering--"
"When the train would start? Yeah, we know" Remus said, grinning.
Sirius grinned sheepishly, before looking out the window impatiently once again. The train had started... now, the next stop was Hogwarts! And it was about time too!
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Now?"
"Er... no..."
"Oh... okay... so, are we there--"
"No! We aren't there yet! And we won't be there yet for another three quarters of an hour!"
"Oh... okay!"
A cheery grin appeared on the face of one of the girls sitting in the train compartment. Most likely the one who was asking if they were there yet... and it was.
Her hair was a dirty brown, at the moment in a plait that went half-way down her back. Eyes were a hazel colour, and her face quite sharp.
The friend she was sitting with? A girl by the name of Jade. She had blonde hair, and emerald green eyes. Both were wearing some dirty muggle clothes with their Hogwarts ties, intending to change soon.
"So... what should we do for the next forty five minutes, anyway?" the girl with brown hair questioned her friend, curiously.
"We'd better change before we get there, I guess" she answered, "We only made it in the nick of time last time, eh, Hilary?"
Hilary snorted in answer, remembering this. Probably one of the most interesting times she had encountered, almost being stuck on the train to go back home because they hadn't changed quick enough. Both of them had gotten off safe and sound. Unluckily, no one else knew of this, as no one else had bothered to remain and pay attention.
Hilary leaned back for a second, stretching. Her arms went straight up, before she climbed to her feet. "I guess so... we should change... yeah..."
She exited the compartment, robes draped over her shoulder as she casually went off to the bathroom to change.
"I'm bored!" Sirius proclaimed, looking at his friends for something to do.
"We know, Sirius" Remus moaned, "We're i all /i bored!"
"Another forty five minutes... this is absolute torture..." Sirius muttered, angrily, glaring at his shoes as he said this.
James frowned. How mightily bored it was being bored. After ruffling his hair, he asked loudly, "Game of Exploding Snap, anyone?"
"You're on, Prongs."
Hilary continued walking up to the bathroom, looking around. No one was out of the compartments. Looked like everyone was lucky enough to have found a place to sit. She dared not to look directly into any of the compartments, preferring not to receive dirty looks from others for invading privacy.
A sudden bang met her ears, and she instantly twirled around, looking for where the sound had emitted from. Ah... yes... Exploding Snap, most likely. Well, that was nothing to be worried about, after all!
Hilary turned, snorting silently to herself, as she went to change.
Hilary returned into the compartment, fully dressed in her robes, shirt, tie and skirt. From khaki shorts to a skirt. Such a change.
"Took your time" Jade commented, raising her eyebrows expectantly, "Did you suddenly turn sixteen and decide to have a nice long shower?"
Hilary snorted. "I've been sixteen for the last two months" she commented, "But I get your point. And no. An explosion paused the expedition... just a loud Exploding Snap pack."
Jade shook her head, her loose blonde hair falling into her face as she did so. Absent-mindedly, her hand brushed it back behind her ear.
"Hilary Foxwood afraid of an Exploding Snap pack? What is the world coming to?"
Hilary frowned. "Who said I was afraid, eh?"
"You did, when you wanted to find out what disturbed your trip" Jade answered, grinning as if enticing her to continue the argument.
Hilary scowled. "'Not scared of Exploding Snap pack..." she said, glaring angrily, "As you said... it's Dooms Day when that happens..."
"Right" Jade said in an obvious disbelieving voice, her eyes also revealing her sarcasm. She leaned back, feet waved at the air, as if looking for a place to rest on.
"Is it just me or is that Exploding Snap card pack loud?" Remus asked, glaring at the pack as if it had injured him.
"Just makes it all the more fun" Sirius said, frowning at him, "Just more fun if there's more of a surprise at the end... speaking of that, Peter, did you almost leap through the compartment door when it exploded?"
Peter blushed, looking at the ground, muttering in answer, though it was too quiet for anyone to hear.
"I'll take that as a yes" Sirius said, grinning triumphantly, "Oh, and James, your eyebrows are singed..."
"What?"
"Your eyebrows... the explosion singed them..."
James looked horrified, trying to look at his eyebrows desperately. "How singed?" he asked, still attempting to do this.
"Bad enough for me to notice ten seconds after it happened, mate" Sirius answered, "So I think you can judge that for yourself."
James frowned. It was obvious where his troubles lied here. His obvious crush, Lily Evans. A girl with auburn hair, in the same year as the Marauders.
Of course, it was more than a crush. More of... an obsession. And Lily was absolutely disgusted by his continuous antics. Ruffling his hair, asking her out on sight. How annoying it was to be her.
Sirius rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore the problem. James was still overly concerned with his eyebrows. Remus was reading a book, readying himself for the approaching full moon, while gazing at the others once in a while, to see what they were getting worked up about. Peter was sitting quietly, looking at them and laughing slightly whenever something funny came up.
"Finally!" Hilary exclaimed, feeling the train slow, the landscape outside the window passing at a slower rate, so you could gather more of a view. And right there, towering above everything else, was Hogwarts School. The turrets immense in size, providing a large space for all the students staying at the boarding school for wizards.
Even Jade let out a sigh of relief, as she saw the Castle so near. The feast just a few minutes away.
The two exited the compartment, marching off the train cheerfully, intent to enter the school. Get to the feast, and fill their stomachs.
At the same moment, the Marauders were, too, sighing with content as the train came to a halt.
"Ah! The miraculous Hogwarts!" James proclaimed, exiting the compartment, glancing at his companions as they followed, "The first day ready to just chill and catch up..."
No use to ask, "With who?" Their was always someone to catch up with. One person: Filch. Catch up with him... and let some dung bombs catch up with him as well. What happy dung bombs they would be.
"Coming..." Peter was muttering, as he suddenly ran up to them, having been in a bit of a dream-like-state as they had exited.
It turned into a mass of people, as students swarmed through the door of the Hogwarts Express, chattering together intently, so they perfectly matched the swarming, with all their buzzing.
"I'm perfectly ready for that feast!" Sirius said, wishing for his stomach to be content. It would all happen soon. As soon as the traffic in front of him started moving...
Finally, the Marauders had squeezed through the door, and were nearing a carriage.
Hilary glanced about, quickly, seeming to do this often. She walked forward, nearing a carriage to climb on. They seemed to be driven by something invisible. She had learnt about this somewhere, but she had forgotten the name of the creatures who actually drew the carriages, and had no idea what they looked like, either.
She saw some messy, ruffled hair through the crowd, followed by some long, black hair.
Sirius Black. One of the famous Pranksters at Hogwarts. Everyone seemed to want him. All the girls drooled over him. Most of them, anyway. Jade didn't.
And this was one of Hilary's disgraces. The fact that she was as shallow as everyone else. And she didn't want to be, at all. But she couldn't seem to change her crushes, no matter how hard she tried.
Who else knew? Who else cared, would be the question. No one else would care. They were too interested in their own crushes on him. It frustrated Hilary how normal she was. She felt like a sheep, going with the others.
She frowned, glancing at the ground, before a voice made her head jerk up.
"Hilary? Hello?"
"I'm alive!" Hilary assured her, before Jade turned to knocking her on the head, "Just a bit... er... doesn't matter."
Jade looked at her for a second, before she shrugged it off. The blonde felt like she'd rather get to the feast, instead of meddling in something her friend didn't want to explain.
The two clambered into a carriage, two other students piling in after them. They were unfamiliar with the two others, but it didn't matter.
No one talked throughout the short trip, all glancing at each other nervously as the carriage moved forward, the creatures pulling them plodding on.
Only one thought remained in Hilary's mind. It wasn't her fault. Once in sight, she couldn't forget Sirius for a while. She was too obsessed, and she wanted to change that one. Other than frustrated with her normality, she knew she'd never have a chance, either.
Hilary looked up as the carriage jerked to a halt. She didn't have to be thrown back into reality by Jade, luckily. She was getting sick of the hits on the head.
James snorted, as Sirius explained a joke throughout the journey. Remus was grinning, broadly, shaking his head as he contained laughter. Peter was chuckling, the sound just being heard through James.
"Was it really that funny?" Sirius said, putting his hand on his chest while acting flattered.
"No..." James answered, putting a hand in his mouth to stifle his laugh, "Not at all, Sirius. Nothing you do is funny... unless it was my idea, of course."
"Can't handle not being in the limelight, eh, Prongs?" Sirius asked, tauntingly.
"You guys can't go five seconds before finding something to taunt the other with..." Remus said, shaking his head, "Ah... the carriage is stopping! Time for the feast!"
"Point out the obvious, why don't you, Moony?" Sirius said, raising an eyebrow, before standing up to exit the carriage.
Each of the Marauders crowded up toward the large castle, others coming up behind him. Every one was intent to get inside, milling about each other to reach the table. The Marauders sat down in a row, at the Gryffindor Table, a banner of a golden lion hung up above. The sky was a murky black, few stars peeking through.
Hilary and Jade followed them inside, both sitting down at the Gryffindor Table as well, waiting for the sorting to begin, so they could dig in to the feast.
Hilary looked around nervously, seeing Sirius a few seats up. She shifted away, wishing she could control herself. Around her friends, everything was sweet. Around almost everyone, everything was sweet. But around Sirius, she either went shy, or she had a loud outburst. And she never knew which was coming.
She was near to banging her head on the wooden table. Who else was disgraced to have a crush on someone? No... who was disgraced to have a crush on Sirius Black?
No one that she knew of. Why couldn't she be normal in that type of scenario, instead of being frustrated with herself in liking him? Maybe it was the fact she felt she was growing shallow?
She was just like every other girl. Most of them, at least.
Hilary looked up, as the First Years walked hesitantly into the Great Hall, looking at the students nervously, each afraid they'd be embarrassed in front of everyone.
"Ah... that's better!" Sirius said, contentedly, as he stood up, and started to walk toward the large doors, to head up to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Definitely" agreed Remus, "'Haven't had a feed like that since... since the End of Year Feast, actually."
"Never have anything like that at--" James begun, before he halted, seeing a red head walk through the crowd.
"Okay, he's out" Sirius confirmed, waving his hand in front of James' face. James didn't take any notice, his vision following Lily.
"Great..." Remus muttered sarcastically, before walking forward, "Come on, let's go..."
Sirius eyed James for a second, before deciding to just leave him there, muttering, "He'll catch up..."
"Ugh!" Hilary muttered in anguish, as the long-haired sixteen year old appeared in her sight once again. He always appeared when he wasn't wanted. Not like he could control that. He was completely unaware.
"What's wrong?" Jade asked turning to her.
"Erm... n-n-nothing!" Hilary assured her, wanting to tame the butterflies now invading her stomach.
Jade followed Hilary's sight, where it used to be, but Sirius had moved, and James was the only one remaining, though he was inching forward to follow Lily's trail.
"James?" Jade said, turning to Hilary, "Very interesting... you're disgusted by the fact he's drooling and acting inanimate in the middle of the hall?"
Ah, her own friend had covered for her. Hilary only uttered one word, while nodding, "Yeah."
James. Pfft. She didn't care about him. Hilary slouched, before walking forward at a faster pace, Jade rushing to catch up with her.