Chapter 2: Aboard the Hogwarts Express
Time seemed to have sped up until Martha was to start at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although she was nervous, she was also quite looking forward to getting there and starting her magical education.
It wasn't long before the start of term that a letter was sent to Natalie, saying she had got the job as the first-ever teacher of Medical Education.
"Congratulations Natalie, the first Medical Ed. teacher ever! Now that's got to be an achievement." Sirius said enthusiastically, hugging Natalie, who was still looking rather bemused at actually getting the job.
"Well Mum, it looks as though you'll be spending the year with me then, won't you?" Martha added, laughing.
Soon after that, Martha and her parents had decided it was time to get the books she would need for her coming year at Hogwarts. Sirius transformed into his dog form and Natalie fastened his collar and leash, along with the leash of their family dog, a Labrador named Snuffles; before dropping Georgia off at Penny's place and taking Martha to a small wizarding alleyway called Diagon Alley. There, Natalie and Sirius, with Snuffles still with them, led Martha to the end of the alley, in which they found a large white building, with the words Gringotts Bank stamped across in golden letters.
After the family had withdrawn some money, they entered several shops to get a whole range of books, potion ingredients, scales, a cauldron, and a wand. Eventually Natalie led Martha into a shop called Magical Menagerie. She tied Sirius and Snuffles up outside the shop and led Martha in.
"What pet would you like for the Hogwarts year, Martha?" Natalie asked her daughter and Martha looked around the shop thoughtfully.
"Ummm…do you mind if I get a pet…bat?" Martha asked her mother and she looked at the list of pets students were allowed to get, saw that they were allowed bats as well and nodded.
Once they got back home, Sirius transformed back to his human self and helped Martha put her things away.
"I still need a name for my bat." Martha said once all her books and clothes were in her trunk for school.
"Ummm…well, let's see it then." Sirius said.
"It's a her, Dad. The bat is female." She laughed, gently taking the bat out of her cage and cupping her in her hands.
"Alright, get off your high hippogriff, Martha. I didn't know." He laughed, looking closely at the little bat Martha was holding. "God, she's teensy." He breathed. "I'd have to wear glasses to be able to see her! How about you call her Tiny?" he suggested and Martha laughed.
"Actually, considering her size, I'll agree that she is a miniature thing. Okay, Tiny is a good name." she said, placing Tiny back into her cage and hugging Sirius. "Thanks Dad." She whispered.
Martha farewelled her parents on Platform 9 ¾, which was the platform where she caught the Hogwarts Express. She carried her trunk and Tiny's cage on board the train and found a compartment, placing the cage gently on the seat and hauling her trunk into the luggage rack, above the seats. It wasn't long before she was joined by another girl with blonde hair that reached just below her shoulders and green eyes.
"Ummm…excuse me, but is it alright you if I join you? It's just, everywhere else is full." The girl said timidly and Martha nodded slowly.
"That's fine with me. Are you new?" she said.
"Yeah. What about you?" the girl said, placing her things into the luggage rack and sitting down, placing her mouse cage on the seat next to her.
"Same here. My name's Martha Black by the way. What's yours?"
"My name is Lannastar Potter." She said and Martha's jaw dropped.
"You're one of the Potters?" she breathed.
"Yeah. But I'm not the daughter of James and Lily Potter. They were my aunt and uncle. James' younger brother, Jason, is my father. And he's still alive."
"Oh. But who's your mother?" she asked.
"Her name's Learra." Lannastar said softly.
"But Harry obviously went to Lily's sister's place. Why didn't he go live with you and your parents?"
"Lily was disapproving of my parents. And Dumbledore agreed, so he sent him to live with the Dursleys. You know; Harry's muggle relatives?"
"I know." Martha said, just as another two girls walked into the compartment. Martha had just realised the train had already left the station, and they were now speeding past farmland, covering the land like patchwork.
"Hi, my name's Adelyne Marlo, and I hope you don't mind if Dora, here, and I join your compartment?"
"We don't mind, Adelyne." Lannastar said, before Martha could open her mouth.
"Thanks." Adelyne and Dora said in unison. Adelyne had medium-brown hair that reached past her shoulders and green-grey eyes, and she wore glasses. Dora, on the other hand, had long, black hair that reached down to her elbows and dark brown eyes.
"Hey Dora, what's your surname?" Martha asked Dora kindly.
"Snape." Dora replied shyly. "What're your names?"
"I'm Martha Black, Sirius Black's daughter." Martha replied and even Lannastar looked shocked.
"You are, Martha?" she whispered, before regaining herself again and looking towards Adelyne and Dora. "Anyway, I'm Lannastar Potter, niece of James and Lily Potter."
"Well, that means you two are also daughters or relatives of Marauders." Adelyne said. "My father is Marcus Marlo. Another member of the Marauders."
"That's where I recognise your surname from!" Martha said, clicking her fingers. "I knew you must've been his daughter, considering not many other people have the surname Marlo."
"Good point, Martha."
"You girls are lucky. None of my relatives were members of the Marauders."
"Oh well, that doesn't matter Dora. The main thing now is thinking of a name for our group." Lannastar said.
"Well, one thing most of us have in common is that we're descendents of the Marauders. Even if Lanna isn't directly descended." Adelyne said, looking thoughtful.
"But we need to think of one thing we've all got in common, we don't want to leave anyone out." Martha said earnestly.
"Well, I'm a prankster." Dora said softly.
"So am I, come to think of it." Lannastar added in.
"Same here." Martha said.
"Me four." Adelyne said and it suddenly dawned upon the group.
"And I love canines." Martha added, grinning.
"So do I." Adelyne said.
"Me three." Dora added.
"I like dogs, but I don't absolutely love them." Lannastar said.
"Well, at least we all like dogs." Martha said. "Now adding those three into our name…"
"The marauders were all pranksters, we're all pranksters, most of us are descended from the marauders, and we all like dogs…"
"Why don't we call ourselves the Canine…?"
"And we are all girls, so we can call ourselves the Canine Maraudesses, Maraudesses being the female version of the Marauders." Lannastar suggested and everyone agreed enthusiastically.
They were barely halfway to Hogwarts, and night had just fallen, when the train stopped suddenly.
"What's going on!?" Dora exclaimed, sounding panicked.
"Dunno. But it's obviously not going to be good." Adelyne whispered, as Tiny started flying around her cage, squawking madly with fright. Lannastar's mouse was hiding, Dora's owl was hooting with fright and Adelyne's cat was meowing loudly in its basket. Suddenly the lights all went out and everyone sat still, the fear growing inside them. Then everything went deathly cold and a dark shape appeared in the window of the girls' compartment door and they all looked at it in silence. Even their pets were silent with fear.
Then the door suddenly opened and all the girls screamed. In the doorway was a tall, cloaked creature that sucked in the air around it with a rattling sound.
"A-a Dementor." Adelyne said softly and Martha remembered her father being sent onto the train with her. She remembered seeing him walk past her compartment in dog form towards the front of the train.
"I know who can help!" she said as the Dementor approached.
"Who, Martha?" Lannastar asked her friend softly.
"Wait here, use your wands to repel it if you have to, but I'll be right back. I've just got to run quickly." She said and her friends all nodded, taking out their wands as she ran out of the compartment and into the corridor of the train, running towards the front.
Martha found her father sitting in human form in an empty compartment and she ran up to him and hugged him.
"What's wrong Martha?" he asked her, startled.
"Dad, a Dementor just entered our compartment and none of my friends and I have any idea how to get rid of it." She said and Sirius stood up, transformed and ran after Martha.
They entered the compartment again and the Dementor began approaching Martha, it's scabbed, rotten hands reaching out towards her.
"Oh no you don't!" a voice yelled and Sirius appeared out of nowhere and pointed his wand at the Dementor. A silvery-white dog appeared from his wand and charged at the Dementor, and it fled. Martha collapsed into the seat, and Sirius appeared at her side.
When Martha awoke, the floor was once again vibrating and the lights were back on. The train was once again on the move. Sirius was still sitting by her side and her friends were all looking unsure of what to make of his sudden appearance.
"Are you alright Martha?" Sirius asked her softly.
"I-I'm fine, Dad." Martha said, before realising her friends were still with them. "Oh yeah…Dad, this is Adelyne Marlo, Dora Snape and Lannastar Potter. They're all starting at Hogwarts too."
"Hello all, Adelyne, I know your father, and Dora I also know yours, but he and I didn't like each other very much. And Lannastar, I remember taking you out of the destroyed home and back to your parents after you were kidnapped by Pettigrew. I went for Harry after his parents' deaths, but Hagrid was also there. He told me he had orders from Dumbledore and I had no choice but to agree. So I gave him my bike." Sirius said as Martha sat up.
"I also know you're my godfather if anything happens to Mum or Dad." Lannastar said and Sirius nodded.
"That I am. But anyway, you four should get into your robes. We'll be there soon, I expect." He said, transforming into his dog form and left the compartment.