::AN:: Ah, chappie four! Thanks to randomblinx, gemstar2, Tintalu, and msj for reviewing! (yay!)

Chapter 4

I watched patiently (ish) as four figures walked inside. Two boys and two girls.

Well, hello, Hogwarts-y-students! Do you mind LEAVING as I sit here wallowing I my own self-misery?

"Can we sit in here?" One girl asked, who, might I add, had worse hair than me. It was brown, bushy, and wouldn't stay still. But she at least appeared to be nice, so I didn't ask her if she had seen any good birds lately, what with that nest on her head and all. (Don't laugh! Don't laugh! Brain, SHUT UP!) She said, "All the other compartments are full."

Really? Are they? Geez, you'd think they'd have more compartments if there were so many students! Talk about a cheap school, I mean COME ON! Whatever, though.

I nodded, but didn't say anything and they sat down. The boys and one of the girls sat across from me, but the girl who had spoken sat down next to me – I guess so that she wasn't bunched in the seat with those boys. Who, might I add, aren't too shabby looking…

I mean… er… What the hell? I don't even know them! They're Hogwarts weirdos! They're probably friends with my brother or something… Gah, involuntary mental shudder. Thank Merlin I managed to bite my lip before I actually shuddered. You, know, literally.

The four Hogwarts students looked a little uncomfortable.

Well, I'm sorry! You could act like I'm not even here, you know! I couldn't have the slightest interest in what it is you gossipy little twerps have to say. No doubt they'll want to "catch up" after not seeing each other over the summer holidays. Or maybe they did see each other and they just want to start gabbing away anyway.

People who talk too much tend to bug me. I like peace and quiet. You know, to think. Remember?

I turned to look back out the window, only stealing small glances at my intruders out of the corner of my eye every few seconds.

Okay, so there's the bushy-haired girl. Her hair's not that bad, now that she's not moving. All she'd have to do is straighten it out a little, you know. She's actually really pretty, but it seems like she doesn't like to accentuate any of the features on her face. She's not even wearing lip-gloss, let alone any other type of makeup! She must be an intellectual. Only smart people can get away with not caring about their looks.

Then there's the red-haired boy and red-haired girl. (Maybe they're related? That color hair and those freaking freckles can't just be a coincidence.) The girl looks very pretty and she seems to be wearing a bit of makeup, but thankfully not enough to look like some prostitute or something. (Bite lip again and hold back shudder…) The boy is very tall. I can tell even though he's sitting down, but you know, I did see him standing up just a few seconds ago, sheesh. He looks pretty cute, but his clothes are a bit raggedy. So are the redheaded girl's now that I think of it.

Then of course there's the black-haired boy. I have to say, he's a bit too skinny, if you know what I mean. Not sickly skinny, mind you, but he's still skinny. Kind of athletic skinny, now that I think about it. Maybe he plays Quidditch? He seems to be, what's the word? Lean (ish). He wears glasses, though, which is totally cool, since I can sympathize for the poor bloke. His clothes actually seem to be a bit too loose for his body (er… weird…) and he has fringe falling in his eyes a little. It's the kind of fringe that mother hates on young boys. She used to slick back my brother's hair every day so that it wouldn't fall in his eyes. I guess she stopped, though, since he actually looks like a normal person and all that now.

The spectacled boy seems to be shorter than flaming-haired boy and

Oh… wow.

Spectacled boy has a scar on his forehead.

Don't stare, Lucy, don't stare. That's right, just gaze out the window as if you didn't even notice a single thing…

Merlin's trousers… That's HARRY POTTER! Whoa.

I so totally forgot that he attended Hogwarts…

Gah, he must be so stuck up. I remember reading about him in the newspapers when I was at Durmstrang. Well, actually, I had a girl translate the newspaper for me every day, since it wasn't printed in English or anything.

Honestly, how are we ever going to get anywhere in this world if foreign people keep insisting on speaking their own language? Seriously, I mean, I should start a petition for English rights! This one time, I saw this man in the streets and he was talking to this other man and they were pointing at a map… and the sad thing is that they were speaking English, but I had NO IDEA what they were saying… That was when I went to America with Aunt Carolina that one time.

But don't tell anyone I spoke of her again, will you? I can't bother with all this "it couldn't possibly get any worse" nonsense. My life is the pits, as I have so lovingly told you previously.

"So, Hermione, did you find out who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor is this year?" The red-haired boy asked out loud.

Who the hell is he talking to?!

The girl next to me shook her head. (Oh, her. I guess her name is Hermione?) "No," she said. "I'm sure it's someone qualified, though. Dumbledore would never choose an unfit teacher."

I snorted. I couldn't help it! I've heard about what goes on at this school! They're teachers are constantly turning into werewolves and taking over the school and trying to get that stone-thing that that really old guy, Nicholas Flannel, made. (Flannel…? What a funny name… I'm sure that's not it…)

Although I'm almost positive that that wasn't just one teacher who did all those things. I hope.

"Are you new?" The bushy girl asked someone.

Ooh, I think she asked me. Social interaction. Oh joy.

I turned to face her and nodded. No reason to speak, that's for sure. When someone asks you a yes-or-no question, there's no reason to talk aloud unless they asked "why" or "why not"? Or something like that.

"What's your name?" The red-haired girl asked.

"Where are you from?" Her male-version-look-alike asked at the same time.

"Lucy." I said simply. "Durmstrang."

"You don't sound like you're from Durmstrang." Hermione stated.

Uh, duh.

I shook my head. "I'm English." I said.

"What year are you in?" The red-haired girl asked.

"Have you been sorted?" Hermione questioned.

"Fifth." I said to the redheaded girl. (And might I add how rude it is that they wouldn't introduce themselves.) I turned back to Hermione. "Er, what?"

"Sorted." She repeated slowly. "Have you been sorted?"

I blinked at her. Honestly, when someone asks "what" it usually doesn't mean, "repeat the question, please." I obviously heard her. "What's sorted?" I asked dumbly.

She just smiled and opened her mouth to speak, but the redheaded girl spoke first. "It's where you put the hat on your head and then it tells you what house you're in. I'm in fifth year, too, so it would be mad fun if you got Gryffindor."

I furrowed my brow and totally lost my cool indifference. "Okay, I get that you're in fifth year but what in Merlin's name do griffins have to do with anything?"

They all smiled and started snickering. Well, excuse me! I caught stuck-up-Potter's eye and he smirked.

"Have your parents spoken to Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione asked me once she stopped giggling.

I nodded. "Yeah, but my mom didn't say anything." I paused and shrugged. "Well… she might have. But I don't think I was listening."

The girls smiled as the red-haired boy chuckled. Hermione gasped. "Oh," she exclaimed, "I forgot!" She gestured to herself and said, "I'm Hermione Granger." She held her arm towards her friends as a hint for them to introduce themselves.

Granger, Granger, Granger… No, that doesn't sound familiar… Muggleborn?

"Ginny Weasley." The red-haired girl said.

The redheaded boy nodded. "The name's Ronald Weasley. Well, Ron. Nobody calls me Ronald."

"'Cept Mom." Ginny filled in.

Ah, so they are brother and sister…

I am so smart.

Weasley… Oh, I've heard of them!

I turned to silent-Harry-whose-name-I-"don't-know" and he simply said, "Harry Potter."

I suppose this is where I gasp and go, "It's Harry Potter!" But I didn't really feel up to gasping and pointing in a giddy fashion, so I just nodded to him and the others. "So what's a sorted?" I asked.

They all let out a breath they seemed to have been holding. Hermione smiled. "You don't know what the sorting hat is?"

I shook my head. "Er, no." I shrugged then. "All I know is that I'm supposed to look for a Professor McGonagall before the feet." I paused and thought for a short moment. "I mean feast. I think."

Ginny giggled. "Yeah, you're not a first year so she'll probably sort you first. Or she'll give you a private sorting." She shrugged and grinned again. "Do you have any favorite houses?"

I blinked intelligently (not) at her. "I thought it was a castle. Why are you talking about houses?"

"That's what they're called." Ron supplied. "There's Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin."

Oh, now I know. I've heard of Slytherin…

"We're all in Gryffindor." Hermione said. "They're not literally houses. It's more of… dorm assignments. You had dorm rooms in Durmstrang, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah… Girls' Dorms and Boys' Dorms. First Years' Wing, Second Years' Wing, Third…" I trailed off and blinked at her. "They only separated us by year and gender, that's it."

"Well, I suppose McGonagall will explain it all to you." Hermione said calmly.

I shrugged and was about to ask what year the rest of them were in when the compartment door opened again and in walked my brother with two extremely large boys.

Sorry to end it there, but I seem to be catching up with myself (gotta keep writing!) Please review and much love to all!!!