Chapter 2
James had spent the remainder of his summer looking over the books he'd gotten, and trying the familiarize himself with the courses he'd be taking that upcoming year. While James was far from a hard worker, his fear of failure made him keen to learn as much as he could, in hopes of accomplishing something. Wand held tightly in his hand, he repeated spells all throughout the night, where no one would catch him. While his father had warned him that magic with a wand not specifically for him would be difficult, James was fairly sure that the wand wasn't the problem. He looked forward to classes like Potions and History of Magic, were wands, and mental powers were not going to be needed; however Charms and Transfiguration would be nothing less of a challenge, being unable to cast even the simplest of spells.
On September first, at 8:00 sharp, James and his family stood before the large train that would be taking him to his new school. Stomach in knotts, James tried not to think of what awaited him there, but instead looked forward to seeing his cousins Rose and Hugo Weasley, and meeting new friends upon the express. He easily spotted the two, with their unmistakable red hair and freckled faces; and just seeing them helped his worries momentarily slip away.
"Hey guys!" he called out, as he ran up to meet them.
The train was filled with children when they finally got on, having been pulled aside by their parents and pestered with too many warnings of caution, and rule-keeping, whom themselves had done neither back when they'd been students. After much pushing and shoving, they found an almost empty compartment, aside from a small blond-haired girl who seemed very much into the book that she clung so tightly to in her hands.
"Mind if we come in?" asked Rose politely, while Hugo and James proceeded to sit down before giving the girl time to answer. Rose rolled her eyes, but the smile on her lips showed she wasn't upset; while she'd inherited Hermione's brains and structure, she was long used to the boys mischievous ways, something they'd both gotten from their fathers.
The small girl looked up frantically, surprised by the sudden business of the once quiet compartment.
"U-uh, yeah." she stammered, before attempting to return to her book.
"What's your name" asked James probingly, eye brow raised in wonder.
"Lizzie." she mumbled, looking up to meet his eyes, "Lizzie Malfoy." she finished, and both Hugo and Rose's jaws fell open in shock.
James however, smiled triumphantly, "I knew you were a Malfoy!" he said proudly, turning to the others and giving them a stern /stop looking so weird/ kind of look.
"But she seems so sweet, and she's even wearing a /pink/ dress!" Hugo exclaimed, receiving a shove from Rose for his obviously rude comment. James laughed a loud, turning to the girl again, an easy smile spread on his lips.
"No offense, we've just heard a lot about your family." he explained, as if that would make her feel any better.
Lizzie seemed at loss for words, her eyes looking down at her shoes, cheeks a nasty shade of red.
"Leave her alone." snapped Rose, as she turned to the girl with a look of her worry on her face.
"Don't listen to them." she told her softly, "I know they seem like jerks, but they have kind hearts. They just make horrid first impressions, is all." she added with a frown, as she turned to the two boys with a raised eye brow.
"Yeah, we're really not that bad." Hugo pitched in with a smile, as he leaned towards her, hand outstretched.
"I'm Hugo Weasley." he introduced, smile widening as she hesitantly shook his hand.
James cut in, moving hugo's hand hastily to shake the girls, "I'm James. I didn't mean anything- if I offended you. I have a tendency of talking without thinking about what I'm going to say first." he admitted with an awkward laugh.
"But, you seem really nice, and your pretty." he said quickly, before realizing maybe he shouldn't have said the last bit. She looked up at him through wide blue eyes, cheeks deep scarlet.
Hugo gave his friend a nudge, but James refused his eyes, knowing all to well what his reaction would be. Making a play at a Malfor was definitely not an option to Hugo, especially not after all the stories they'd heard from their fathers. James sighed, as he leaned back against the seat, straring out the window at the scenery that moved quickly by.
Rose leaned towards James, "How's the er- magic issue coming along?" she asked in a whisper, keeping the terns vague so that no curious ears could understand. James gave her a look that would answer her question- fear filled his eyes, as he thought of others he'd have to face. His heart hammered within his chest, as he tried to to keep his mind off just what he'd have to face in the coming days. Rose gave his hand a soft pat, before leaning away and engaging in a conversation regarding classes with Lizzie. Hugo, whether upset by James' previous comment towards Lizzie, or just bored, remained silent, as the train made it's way towards Hogwarts...