Silentium
Well, here's chap 1. Please review. Oh, and I own only the characters and magpies you don't recognise. Nothing else.
Chapter 1 Always Be On Time
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."
Swearing under my breath, I run into King's Cross Station. Its nearly eleven and I'm late.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit."
People are staring. Marlow squawks uncomfortably as his cage is thrashed about, partly used as a weapon to get Muggles out of the way.
"Shit, shit, shit…"
I really must look mad, with a cage containing a magpie under my arm, and rolling a trunk the size of a baby elephant behind me. Plus I'm talking to myself. Great.
Not bothering with a trolley and throwing caution to the wind, I hurtle through the barrier.. .
"SHIT!"
The train is already moving slowly from the platform.
I put Marlow's cage into full use and the people gathered on platform Nine and Three Quarters are sent flying out of the way to avoid collision. I rush up to the three-times-god-damned-bloody-Hogwarts Express and slide the door open. Throwing the cage on, I then try pushing my trunk. It's far to heavy. And all this time, the train is slowly departing from King's Cross…
"Here, I'll help you," says a voice, and I suddenly feel the trunk being lifted from my aching hands and then someone's helping me on board. Whoever the someone is, they've got very strong hands…
I take a deep breath and slide down the wall, clutching the stitch in my chest.
"Fuck…" I breathe. "That was close."
"You can say that again."
I lift my eyes. I know that voice…
The grinning face of Sirius Black is looking down at me from under a mop of floppy dark hair.
I gather all the swear words I know, Russian and English, and scream them through in my head.
Fantastic, I have just made a complete arse of myself in front of the coolest guy in school. No, wait a sec…
My gaze wanders to the boys gathered next to Black… The four coolest guys in school…
Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, James Potter and Sirius Black are standing in the corridor, their mouths stretched from ear to ear.
Then I hear a whimper from above me.
Oh, god…
Dreading what I'm about to see, I slowly, ever so slowly, lift my head to look above me…
"BLYAT!" (A/N A very rude Russian swearword. Ed.)
My scream seems to rip the train apart. Compartment doors are sliding open, heads poke out curiously, I hear footsteps, voices, Marlow's alarmed screech, but all I can do is stare at what is dangling upside down above me.
Severus Snape…
His bare legs are flailing about helplessly, I can see his dirty underpants, and he's muttering something, gazing down at me with wide eyes.
"Welcome aboard the Hogwarts Express!" I hear Potter say.
"Potter, you stupid big-headed git, put him down now!"
I'm snapped out of my trance by a furious voice.
For the first time in the past two years, I'm glad to see Lily Evans. She's marching down the corridor, her wand raised, her face screwed up in anger.
"Let him go, Potter!" she's saying, her wand pressed against his chest. "And stop scaring people."
I'm finally starting to register what's going on around me. I hear laughter, jeers, mutterings…
I've just made an arse of myself in front of the entire school.
"Gella!"
I turn around at the sound of my name. Then almost scream with relief.
Drusilla, my best friend, is hurrying up to me.
Quickly, I stand up and grab my trunk. She takes Marlow and we leave the scene at top speed, not even looking back to see what's happening.
We push through the students gathered in the corridor. Its quite an ordeal, as, of course, she had to have a compartment at the front of the fuck-fuck-fucketty-fucking train.
I slide open the door and flop down on the seat, burying my face in my sweater. I hear her shut the door and put down Marlow. I raise my hand…
"Just don't say anything, ok?" I command in a muffled voice.
But she doesn't say anything. A heavy silence follows, and I only surface when I hear a gasp.
I emerge to find Drusilla shaking with silent laughter on the seat in front of me.
I don't believe this…
"Very funny," I say in a murderous voice. "Absolutely fucking hilarious."
She makes hand gestures showing that she can't help it, before completely collapsing on her back, her face in her hands.
"Oh sod off!" I snap, getting up and lifting my trunk onto the luggage rack.
"Heeheeheeheeheeheehahahahahahehehehehehehehehe!"
She's actually rolling around in hysterics.
"Heheeheeheehee - I'm - hahahahaha - sorry - hehahehahaha…" she gasps, clutching her sides.
"You know, you could be at least be a little supportive," I snarl, picking up my all-suffering magpie and placing him next to me. "I have just suffered major trauma, probably with lasting effects, and all you can do…"
At the words 'lasting effects', Dru erupts into fresh bouts of laughter.
"Oh, come on, lasting effects, you?" she practically screams, writhing around on the chair. "Don't make me laugh!"
"You already are," I say, then reach my hand to take off my hat. Except that its not there.
Crap.
"Shit, I've left my lucky beret back there."
"Well, go get it then," she replies. There's a huge grin on her face.
"Go back there?" My eyes widen at how she could possibly suggest such a thing. Its like sending a man to his execution twice.
"Oh don't be a wimp," she rolls her eyes. " Its not that big a deal."
I stare at her in amazement, then snap -
"Fuck off."
She starts laughing again.
"Stop swearing, Gella," she says in between chuckles. "You know, when I heard you scream, I instantly knew it was you."
"Erm, it couldn't be the fact that it was in Russian, could it?" I say sarcastically.
"Oh don't start being moody," she sighs. "It could've been worse."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, like Snape could've dropped on you."
We both turn around. Black is standing in the doorway. And he's holding my lucky black beret.
"I believe this is yours?" he says, stretching out his hand. He's got that charm-the-pants-off smile on his face.
I stare at him. At these points in time, my mind usually goes blank. And my mouth goes dry. And I feel sick.
"Go on, take it," he says.
I slowly reach out my hand, then Dru stops me.
"Hold on, they've probably hexed it, knowing them," she says.
Black sniffs, imitating an injured air.
"I don't know how you could suggest such a thing," he replies. "So that's the thanks I get?"
I can't stand this anymore, I just want him to get out so I can breathe again.
I reach out and grab my hat.
Big mistake.
A dozen flapping bats hurtles out, flying into my face.
"O, dear, dear," says Black. "You really shouldn't keep them in hats, you know, tut tut."
And with that he's gone.
Well, that's chappie one up! R/R!
