Scene 2: (Continued)
Lucius, Narcissa, and Barty enter the train compartment. Inside on the left there sat a young man with long brown hair, emerald green eyes and another prefect badge, across from him another young man who was awkwardly pale and had greasy black hair. Closest to the window sat two girls who looked as though they could be twins. The only difference was that one had obviously put more effort into the way that she looked and held herself in a way where it seemed that she was constantly looking down her nose. She did not seem to be enjoying herself. The other girl, sitting across from her and next to the young man with long brown hair seemed more approachable. They all looked up as the three entered. The young man on the left spoke first.
Regulus: (standing up to greet his friend, extending his hand and patting Lucius on the back)Lucius! Mate! Where have you been? How was your summer?
Lucius: Quite spectacular, but nowhere as spectacular as yours, as I've heard
Regulus: I see the rumor mill hasn't ceased. (Turning to Narcissa)Cissy! Thank Merlin's shaggy grey beard you've arrived! Bella was about ready to hex all of us into next year! (Indicating towards the snobby looking girl)
Bellatrix: If our precious Lucius had just gotten on the bloody train right away then there wouldn't be a problem!
Narcissa: (sitting between Regulus and the other girl) Oh Bella, will you calm yourself?
Bellatrix: I'm not in the mood to! (Noticing Barty standing awkwardly in the doorway and snapping at him) Who is this? Who are you? What do you want?
Lucius: Bella! Where on earth have your manners ran off to?
Bellatrix: (Scowling to the girl sitting across from her) Dromeda, I told you I didn't want to sit with these people! I warned you that we all wouldn't get along!
Andromeda: We're all getting along fine; it's YOU that isn't getting along with anyone. (Responding to Lucius)Her manners must have ran off back to Paris after we arrived back home from holiday (smirking at her sister who was fuming) Poor Bella just can't stand to be away from Rudolf!
Bellatrix: (Staring daggers at her sister and any who dared to laugh) IT'S RUDOLFO! I've told you time and time again it's not funny in the slightest when you call him that! I don't need to be here! I have many BETTER friends who I can go sit with! (Standing up and grabbing her bag she stormed out of the train cabin not before shoving Barty out of her way and he fell into the bench landing next to greasy looking boy)
Lucius: Bartemius! Are you okay? (He asked as he filled Bella's empty seat, Barty nodded) my friends, let me introduce you to Bartemius Crouch Jr. His father and mine are friends at the ministry and Barty here is a first year. This is Regulus Black, he's Narcissa's cousin, then Narcissa whom you have already met, this is her sister and Andromeda Black, and then here is Severus Snape. And that fiend fire storm that just met was Bellatrix Black, Dromeda and Cissy's older sister.
Regulus: Nice to meet you Barty! (Shaking hands with him)
Andromeda: Did you say Crouch? Are you in any way related to a Caspar and Charis Crouch?
Barty: uh- yeah, they are my grandparents, why?
Regulus: So sorry for your loss, mate! I did hear from my mother while I was on holiday that they passed at the beginning of this summer
Andromeda: Charis' full name is Charis Crouch née Black! She's my Grandfather's, cousin's, wife. I have the whole Black family tree memorized; Regulus has a whole room devoted to it at his house! When we were younger I used to sit in that room and just stare at the tapestries for hours on end! ButI knew you looked familiar! I must have seen you at the funeral!
Barty: Ah- yeah, the funeral was kind of a blur for me. (Barty shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck)
(The group fell silent, sensing the insensitivity to this young boy who was practically a stranger)
Regulus: Severus, how about you? How was your holiday?
Severus: (melodramatically) Fine – I suppose
Lucius: Ah yes, Severus. Seen you're little girlfriend around?
Severus: No, and she's not my girlfriend or my friend (his voice rang with disgust but his face looked sad, Severus stared at the floor as if waiting for what came next)
Lucius: You know Regulus; I think he misses his little Mud-blood friend
Regulus: He can't help it Lucius, that's what happens when you have even the slightest amount of muggle blood, isn't that right Mr. Half Blood Prince.
Severus: My father is an imbecil muggle, that for sure does not run through my veins as you all very well know, especially after all those high marks on all those parchments that I wrote for- I mean that YOU wrote all on your own.(Lucius and Regulus looked slightly taken aback by Severus' outburst. The remained quiet until Severus stood and exited the cabin mumbling to himself). Now where's that damn trolley lady…
Regulus: hey, mate, do you think this means he won't write our paper's for us anymore?
(The boys exchanged seriously concerned looks and got up following him and calling after him. No one spoke again until Lucius and Regulus' voice faded in the background)
Narcissa: What foolish boys
Andromeda: Hey now, Cissy, I'd be careful talking about your boyfriend like that
Narcissa: He's not my boyfriend, not yet at least, I haven't been able to sit him down to have that conversation | I better go find him though.
(Narcissa sighed and left the cabin)
Andromeda: (Andromeda turned to Barty and moved so she was sitting directly across from him but not before looking both ways down the corridor on the train) so Barty – you don't mind that I call you Barty do you? (Barty shook his head) Good! You can call me Dromeda by the way. But hey! I bet you're excited to get sorted huh?
Barty: Hardly (he said shrugging once more and licking his lips, not it a spastic way but in a un noticeable casual way, as It were a habit of his and he was constantly suffering from dry lips)
Andromeda: Now why is that? I remember my first year and the sorting ceremony. It was splendid, and as magical as – well, magic (she giggled)
Barty: It's my father; he's putting all this pressure on me to be put in his house.
Andromeda: What house is that?
Barty: Ravenclaw
Andromeda: Ravenclaw is good, it's not a great as Slytherin though (she said with a signature Slytherin smirk) who knows? My whole family is Slytherins, always has been and always will be… well, with the exception of Sirius, my other cousin, and Regulus' brother. He's a Gryffindor for some reason… The whole family isn't very happy with him because of that. They're all quite disappointed in him, but he doesn't seem to care. He's a fifth year, same as me.
Barty: Does he like it in Gryffindor? I heard gryffindor's are known for their bravery. Ravenclaw for their knowledge, and slytherin for being cunning… I don't know much about Hufflepuff though.
Andromeda: Yeah, Hufflepuff is alright, if all you care about is making friends. Sirius loves Gryffindor though, I don't know if he loves it because it upsets his mother so much or if he actually just likes it, but he's pretty happy. He and his friends are constantly torturing and hexing Severus, but then again, so do Regulus and Lucius, just not in a physical way, just emotionally I think. He has never spoke to them like he did just now as he's usually just Lucius and Regulus' slave boy. They don't particularly like having him around; it's just that they use him to get good grades obviously.
Barty: Before I got on the train Lucius and Cissy were saying something about me and Severus, do you think they'll make me write their papers for them?
Andromeda: No, probably not, they make Severus do their work load because he is a half blood. My whole family, except for Sirius once again, and I guess myself as well, is pretty much disgusted with the idea of anyone with muggle blood. Sirius and I are probably the closest two in our family, and neither of us really cares about the whole segregation between pure bloods, muggle born or half-bloods, 'Blood traitors' and 'mud bloods' as my family would call them. But Cissy and Lucius were probably just saying that you'd be someone that Severus could hang out with because he mostly just follows our whole gang around awkwardly and I guess they're just looking for someone to actually be his friend so they don't have to. Severus is a good guy; he's just a little odd and socially inept at times. I guess he's finally tired of being taken advantage of and is speaking up, well good for him.
(Cissy returns back into the train compartment)
Narcissa: (in an exasperated sigh) caught up to the boys, they were threatening Severus and I convinced them to back off since they were both already late for the prefects meeting. (receiving a surprised look from her sister) don't you look at me that way, I did it not because I actually care what happens to Severus, but because Lucius' grade are very important this year for his NEWTS and we all want to avoid an incident of the likes of last year
Andromeda: (puts her hand up to her mouth guarding her words from Cissy and filling Barty in on the details) Regulus got a little out of hand with his bullying last year with Severus, almost got expelled
Narcissa: I'm just surprised as to how he even got chosen to be a prefect this year at all! No doubt it has to do with that stupid little slug club that Regulus and Lucius are in. I just don't understand Dromeda, you and I both are highly more intelligent and have more talent in our pinkie fingers then the latter of the two.
Barty: What's the "slug-club?"
Andromeda: It's the name for a special little group of students that has a monthly dinner with professor Slughorn, the potions teacher. It's all men and all they really talk about is Quidditch.
Narcissa: Yet they make it seem that they're really having "intellectual" gatherings
Andromeda: Hmmph! Intellectual my arse!
Narcissa: Dromeda!
Andromeda: What? I'm sorry but it's the truth! I hear that Slughorn is retiring after this year though… maybe he'll consider inviting a girl for once!
Narcissa: If he does he's likely to choose that muggle born girl that Severus chases after, Lily Evans. (Trying desperately to changing the subject) So what have you two been talking about while I've been gone?
Andromeda: Well! Looks like Barty here is likely to be a Ravenclaw (smiling at Barty)
Narcissa: (Obviously trying to sound nice but looks highly unimpressed) Well that splendid, at least one of the boys here will be able to actually hold a decent intellectual conversation
Barty: Well I haven't been sorted yet, who knows I might get Hufflepuff.
(Barty shrugs and the two girls look at each other and begin to laugh)
Narcissa: Oh my! You are quite funny for someone who is so quiet!
Andromeda: Listen, Barty, I know the type to be in Hufflepuff, and YOU are not the type, yeah, it's nice to make friends… but ALL the houses makes friends. You are Ravenclaw or Slytherin, and I'm guessing that with your father's ties, you're going to end up in Ravenclaw (Barty looks a little disappointed and slouches lower into his seat) I totally get where you're coming from with the whole pressure from your family-
Narcissa: (interrupting Andromeda) Ravenclaw and Slytherin are the Elite houses. Of course Gryffindor and Hufflepuff beg to differ. In all honesty, you aren't a Gryffindor, and that's a good thing (turning to Andromeda) could you imagine him with Sirius and that Potter boy? (She giggles)
Andromeda: What Cissy is trying to say is that Ravenclaw is your best bet
(The train conductor walks past the compartment popping his head in speaking to the three with a tip of his cap)
Conductor: Good evenin' ladies an' gent! We shall be arrivin' at 'ogwarts in just a short while. Better be getting' into yer school robes (looking at Barty) Ah! Ye must be a first year! Well, once you exit the train, you best be heading t'wards the end of the platform to the lake where ye can meet up with the others and board the boats. (Addressing the girls) Have yer'selves a good school year (turning back to Barty) and welcome to 'ogwarts!
(He smiles with a twinkle in his eye and heads on to the next cabin. The girls get up and pull their luggage off of overhead storage and fasten their cloaks over their street clothes. Narcissa exits the cabin giving a slight 'good-bye' nod to Barty before doing so. Andromeda helps Barty lift his trunk off the storage rack and gives him a quick good bye hug)
Andromeda: (whispering in his ear) Good luck! (Pulling away from the hug she begins to exit the cabin) If you ever need anything, or if you ever need someone to talk to, never hesitate to come to me. Family sticks together no matter how distant the relatives are.
(She exits the cabin and Barty fastens his own cloak just at Narcissa and Andromeda had done before. The train comes to a complete stop and he breathes deeply once and exhales. He turns and leaves the train cabin, pulling his trunk behind him)
So that was it for scene 2! Hogwarts at last! Please Review and let me know how I'm doing! It would be greatly appreciated! I plan to get the next act up no later than a week from now.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights of the Harry Potter Franchise. This is merely a fan tribute to the spectacular J.K. Rowling, who is the mastermind behind the whole concept. Thank you!