The Hogwarts Express, New Friends, and Getting Sorted

"All right Bella, you watch out for Sirius now. Make sure he gets on fine at Hogwarts." A woman dressed in a black robe said to a scrawny, but tough and mean looking girl who had scraggily black hair falling around her face. She smirked at a boy next to the woman who looked about MaryJo's age. He had equally black scraggily hair, but it was shorter and fit his look better. He wasn't as scrawny or mean looking as her though, but looked like his mother, holding himself tall - chin up- and he had a small trace of arrogance on his face. To sum it up, he was really attractive. "And you too, Narcissa..."

"Excuse me, Miss," MaryJo started, pushing her cart toward the woman. "Um, how do you get to platform 9 3/4?"

The woman stopped talking abruptly and looked at her. She stared long and hard into her eyes, looking for something, yet not quite sure what. "You a first year, then, right?"

MaryJo looked puzzled at the questioning and felt a breeze as the woman talked to her, "Yeah, I am.:

"So is my son, Sirius. Maybe you'll be in the same house," she paused and took on a look of pride, "Slytherin."

MaryJo smiled as the woman stared at Sirius, drowning in pride. 'I hope not' MaryJo though to herself, 'The name itself seems kind of dodgy. But on the other hand, Sirius is pretty cute...'

"We better go, or we'll be late." Bella stated icily, breaking the silence and interrupting MaryJo's thoughts. "The train'll leave in a few minutes."

The woman snapped out of it and turned briskly. "Yes, she's right. Just watch Bella and Narcissa, honey, and you and Sirius can follow them together."

MaryJo watched the girls disappear between the barrier between platform 9 and 10, then she peered over at Sirius. "All right, kids. Don't be nervous now, just run through like they did."

They both took a deep breath and ran through the barrier to the other side.

When they got through a man yelled, "Train leaves in 5 minutes!" and then Sirius said suddenly, "We better move, mum'll be coming." and just as they moved a few feet the woman had appeared.

"Well Sirius, I don't know what to say besides good luck in Slytherin. Where is your cousins?" she said after ruffling his hair.

"I dunno," he responded almost automatically, "Probably off with their friends on the train already."

"All right, well tell everyone I said goodbye and that I'll see them at Christmas. I have to go; important business. See you." There was a loud pop and she disappeared.

When MaryJo turned to ask Sirius what happened, he wasn't anywhere in sight. 'Well, cute or not, he moves fast.'

After gathering all her things and loading them on the train with her, MaryJo went to find a compartment to sit in.

"Hey, can I sit in here?" she asked a group of girls in one of the compartments.

"Sure, what's your name?" asked the girl closest to the door, who looked like she was the most outgoing, with the most wonderful looking red hair she had ever seen.

"MaryJo Burl." She responded, sitting next to a quiet looking girl with dirty blonde hair.

"I'm Marlene McKinnon, and this is Raven," She stated, putting her hand on a dark skinned girl with beautiful, shiny black hair, who was sitting next to Marlene, "and she's Daisy." She finished, pointing at the girl sitting next to her who had just pulled out a book and started reading it.

MaryJo smiled, then it went quiet for a few seconds until Marlene filled it up, "So, where are you from?"

"Michigan," she answered, but Marlene gave a questioning glance that MaryJo understood, then elaborated, "in America."

"Oh yeah. Why are you going to Hogwarts then? I thought there are schools there."

"I think there are some schools, but my dad and grandparents went to Hogwarts, so..."

Marlene nodded, "I'm from London. Both my parents went to Hogwarts..."

With that, they hit it off. They chatted almost all the way to Hogwarts, until they had to change into their school robes and get ready to get off.

"Firs' years over here!" A giant man called out from over the many heads.

"Come on." Marlene grabbed MaryJo's arm and they walked over to him.

"I'm Hagrid – "

When their trip across the lake ended and they entered the Entrance Hall, a strict looking woman met them and started talking about the Houses and the Sorting, but MaryJo wasn't paying much attention, the only thing she picked up was that the woman's name was Professor McGonagall. What distracted her was the beauty of the room in which she had just entered, though she wasn't the only one. She looked around at her fellow first years and at least half of them were looking around amazed.

She spotted Sirius and the next moment he looked in her direction and smiled, his friend had made a crude joke and everyone either laughed or grinned nervously; some gave him a look of disgust. But the next minute McGonagall started off towards the now open doors of what looked like a giant cafeteria.

When they entered, MaryJo could see that she would be starting over and making the memories of her adolescence. As they stood waiting to be called, she got only a little nervous, but became more and more excited.

When her name was called it was really quiet, but not because of her, but because Sirius was right before her and she thought it had something to do with him getting sorted into Gryffindor.

In only a few minutes' time MaryJo was sitting at a bench at the Gryffindor table, and when the sorting was done Marlene and Daisy had joined her, along with Lily Evans and Kimberly Hamilton.

- i know, i know, long wait. u can hate me. but i'm trying to get better. please leave a review. thanks for everything!