And here's Chapter Two! Sorry, might not be able to update as soon as I'd have liked to… just broke up with my boyfriend of two years. But hey! I've still got my Jamie Potter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing and nada. Enjoy!
A leaf fell from a tree onto Lily's luggage. She dropped the handle and mopped her brow tiredly. Who knew spellbooks were so heavy? She picked up the leaf and examined its pretty golden-brown hue.
"Lily, stop dawdling and go get that blasted owl of yours!" Mr. Evans panted as he rushed back across the road pushing a metal trolley. "It's making a bloody racket!"
Mrs. Evans glanced at her watch. "Darling, we've got about fifteen minutes to get you onto that train before it leaves! Do you have that paper that says how to get onto the platform?" She joined her husband in his attempt to heft Lily's trunk onto the trolley.
"It's right here, Mum!" Lily said as she pulled a crumpled paper out of her shirt pocket. "Run straight at the barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten to reach Platform Nine and Three Quarters," Lily recited. "As soon as you have gone through the barrier, kindly step out of the way to help avoid any accidents and/or collisions."
"Oof!" Lily's mother let go of the trunk suddenly and her husband almost toppled over. "Yes, all right, now – Lily, why have you got a leaf in your shirt pocket?"
"It's pretty."
"You look strange, dear."
"I like it."
"Take it out."
"No."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I said so!"
"I won't!"
"Fine!" Lily's mother threw up her hands in exasperation. "Now we really have got to find that platform. Henry, I'll take Lily first and then you follow with the trolley."
Lily joined hands with her mother and they ran across the road. Mrs. Evans pushed on the old revolving door and they jostled their way through the thick crowd of travelers to the signs that read 9 and 10.
"Mum, I don't think the barrier will let you in," Lily said, glancing at her letter.
"Oh, dear," Mrs. Evans said sadly. "I suppose we'll have to say good-bye to you when your father gets here, then."
Mr. Evans appeared in the midst of the crowd, pushing and shoving a number of people. "Watch it, you!" he yelled at one boy's retreating back after running into him.
"Here's your trolley, my dear," he told Lily, grinning, "and did you see the way I told off that boy who –"
"Not now, Henry." Mrs. Evans cut in. "We've got to say good-bye to Lily here. The platform won't let Muggles through."
"Stupid thing," Lily added, kicking at the barrier. To her surprise, her foot went right through.
"Oof!" She pulled her foot hard and fell backwards into someone. Turning around, she saw a boy about her age.
"I'm so sorry! It's just, I didn't know my foot would –" she stopped talking, horrified. What if the boy wasn't –
"Don't worry, I'm a wizard." He smiled shyly at her. "And it's okay, really."
"Lily, darling, only five minutes left!" Mrs. Evans pulled her daughter into a hug. "Promise you'll write, don't blow yourself up, you know, the usual," she grinned.
"My turn, Mary!" boomed Mr. Evans, striding forward and seizing his daughter into a bone-crushing hug. "Now, poppet, I want you to get into lots of trouble and start fights whenever possible…just like you did when you were seven. Oh, and no boys!" He added with a wink.
"Now, off with you!" Mrs. Evans said, smiling slightly as she pushed her daughter toward the barrier. "And remember, good grades or no new broomstick next year! I love you, darling!"
Lily blushed at the amused look the boy was giving her and turned to face the barrier. She took a deep breath and sprinted the short distance. A moment later, she emerged onto the other side and let out a huge breath of relief. In front of her was a huge scarlet steam engine with the words Hogwarts Express emblazoned onto the side.
In her wonder, however, she had forgotten to step aside. The boy she had met earlier came through the barrier and collided with her, knocking them both over.
"Oh!" Lily helped him up. "Er…I'm sorry – I seem to be causing you rather a lot of trouble lately."
"No problem," the boy said, carefully straightening the collar of his shirt. "I'm clumsy myself. We'd better get on the train."
The two wheeled their trolleys to the door, but as neither one of them was particularly strong, they couldn't lift the trunks into the baggage compartment.
"Well, this is a problem!" Lily declared, sitting down on her trunk heavily. "Why isn't there a…a guard here to help, or something?"
"Here, I'll help out!" A boy with incredibly light blond hair in a red shirt picked up Lily's trunk with little difficulty and shoved it on to the rack. Once he had done the same with the other boy's, he grinned at them.
"I'm Sam."
"Lily." That was nice of him. "And this is…"
"Remus."
The train whistle started to blow and Lily gasped. "The train's leaving!"
She quickly mounted the steps onto the train, making sure the boys followed her. Once they were safely on board, Sam gave her a little wave and turned right down the corridor. Remus hastily followed him, leaving Lily alone in the train corridor. She sighed and turned left to find someplace to sit.
The first compartment she looked into was full of rowdy older kids playing cards – she shut the door quickly. The second held two girls in their late teens, both impeccably made up and clutching fashion magazines. They glared at her and she continued to the next compartment.
Lily slid open the door to find three boys who must have been about fourteen or fifteen. They were in the middle of an animated discussion, but stopped when she entered.
"Hello! You a first year?" said the one closest to the door. He had a friendly, freckled face with large brown eyes.
"Er…yes." Lily noticed one of the other boys whisper something to his friend. The friend chuckled.
"I'm Benjy Fenwick!" the freckled boy announced. "And these are my friends Robert Harris and Michael Ross."
Lily smiled at him. "I'm Lily."
"Well, Lily," said the one named Robert who had laughed before, "we've decided that you can sit with us."
"And d'you know why?" said Michael before Lily could answer.
"Because we think you're quite pretty for being eleven –" continued Robert.
"— and we wouldn't want you to fall in the hands of those nasty Slytherins!" Michael concluded. "Like Lucius Malfoy."
"Luscious Mouthful!" Benjy joked, making Michael snigger. He motioned for Lily to sit down next to him, which she did. "But really, Lily, they're not ones to cross. Last year Malfoy took a first-year girl somewhere alone. They came back an hour later and the girl's been strange ever since!"
Lily shivered. "But you say – he's a Slytherin? What's that?"
"Lily, are you Muggle-born?" Benjy asked. When she nodded, he grinned. "I love Muggle-borns. They're so much fun!"
Michael sat back against the wall and put his feet up on Robert's lap. "Tell 'er about the houses, Ben." Robert disgustedly shoved his friend's feet onto the floor.
"Well, first off, there's Hufflepuff. That's the house we're in. Everyone says it's for the duffers who don't fit into any of the other houses," Benjy said.
"Yeah… those are the real bloody duffers. Hey, Lily, want a bean?"
She caught the tiny dark green bean tossed at her. "A bean?"
Robert made a face. "Sorry, I reckon I gave you spinach. 'ere." He handed her the bag. "Pick another."
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans," Benjy explained. "Very dangerous."
"They don't look dangerous…," Lily said, picking a pink bean out of the bag.
"Tha's what you fink!" said Robert with his mouth full. When he finally managed to swallow, he continued, "They've got all the usuals, you know, bubblegum, cherry, marshmallow…But then they put a few odd ones in there…like spinach and bogey-flavoured." He spat something out in his hand. "That one was foul. Endive, I reckon."
"Anyway…" Benjy continued loudly. "The other houses are – "
"—Ravenclaw for the brains – "
"—Literally – they're all brains and not much else – "
"—Slytherin for the slimy gits – "
"—Malfoy's a great example – "
"—and Gryffindor for the loyal and the brave," Michael finished. "'course, the real brave ones are in Hufflepuff. We're just overshadowed."
Benjy rolled his eyes. "They always finish each other's sentences," he told Lily, jerking his thumb at the other boys, "ever since first year, they have."
"W-what year are you lot in now?" Lily ventured. Her bean tasted like an undercooked radish.
"Fourth, and as innocent as we were when we got Sorted."
"Sorted?"
Benjy started to explain, but Robert cuffed him on the back of the head. "Shove off, Benjy, she'll see when she gets there."
Suddenly, the compartment door slid open. Standing there was a short boy with messy black hair.
Review review review, darlings!