Chapter 3: Trolley

"So do you already know how to do lots of spells?" Cristina asks Meredith, as she looks up from her (fourth year!?) Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.

"No," Meredith admits with defeat. "My mother would never let me practice. All about 'no underage magic, and blah, blah, blah…" she explains.

"Interesting," says Cristina, without looking up from her book. "And here I thought I'd be at a huge disadvantage not coming from a magical family."

"Well, I'm actually a half-blood," says Meredith. "My dad's a muggle."

"Really!?" says Cristina. "Though come to think of it, I've never heard of him…"

"That's because he's not magical," says Meredith. "And the magical community only really cares about magical accomplishments. My dad, Thatcher Grey is a researcher in muggle-medicine," says Meredith.

"What is that like compared to magical medicine?" asks Cristina.

"It's actually really interesting. They can't use any spells or potions so they have to use science," explains Meredith.

"That sounds inefficient but interesting," says Cristina.

"I suppose so," Meredith shrugs.

"So how did your parents meet, then?" asks Cristina.

"They met because my mom wanted to integrate muggle-medicine into the magical world. It actually helped her develop the 'Grey Method," says Meredith. "And then well… They had me… But if you ask my honest opinion, I'm pretty sure that I was an accident," Meredith says earnestly.

"That's so cool-" Cristina says.

"That I'm an accident?" says Meredith.

"No, the medicine thing," says Cristina. "Look, I get that you have some serious mommy-issues, but we're free now. We get to go to school by ourselves, and wave wands, and make potions. I'm not usually one of those people who wants to 'look on the bright side,' but your level of dark & twistiness is not going to help us make any other friends," says Cristina.

"We're friends?" says Meredith, hopefully.

"Look I mean, we don't have to do the thing where you say something, and I say something, and then somebody cries…" says Cristina.

"Yeah of course not, I mean, yuck," says Meredith, giggling.

"Let's just hope that we both get sorted into the same house then," says Cristina.

"I bet you'll be a Ravenclaw, you're all smart and stuff," says Meredith.

"And you won't be? With your mother-" says Cristina, before she is interrupted.

"Look, just don't mention my mother-" says Meredith.

"Right…" says Cristina. "Let's just hope that you'll be a Ravenclaw so that you can hang out with me in the common room," says Cristina.

"Okay," says Meredith.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" says the merchant who is patrolling the train cars.

"Yes, could I have three chocolate frogs, please?" says Cristina.

"One pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," says Meredith.

"Coming right up," says the merchant.

"Thanks-" Meredith and Cristina say in tandem.

The merchant smiles at the two young students before she proceeds to the next train carriage and asks them "anything from the trolley?" and Meredith and Cristina are free to resume their conversation.

"Hey, have you ever met a tall redhead girl? I think she's a student here…?" Meredith asks, and she bites her lip nervously, trying to appear uninterested.

"There's like, thousands of students, Mer. Lots of them are redheads," says Cristina.

"Right, of course…" says Meredith, as she promptly drops the subject again.

She'll have to find the tall redhead she's talking about all on her own.