Moolie: It's finished!

Aggie: Good, let me proofread it.

Moolie: I already sent it…

Aggie: *Bangs her head on table*

Ginny: We apologize for any of Moolie's horrendous grammatical errors.

Chapter Two: Treats from the Tranny

This was Conductor Amadeus Gloucester's fiftieth embarkation aboard the Hogwarts Express. He looked back at the gift basket that his wife, Clothilde, had bought for the occasion. All his favorites: Darwinkle's Dinner Crackers, Golworth's Assorted Dreamable Cheeses, a miniature chocolate dipped strawberry bonsai bush, and a big bottle of Odin's Ale. After a few longful glances (he wasn't suppossed to drink on the job) Gloucester gave in and took a swig of ale. He jittered with delight as the bubbly warmth spread from his eyebrows to his arthritis-ridden kneecaps. He leaned back in his conductor's chair, bottle in hand. Ah...this was the life.

…

"Hurry kids," Mrs. Weasley yelled. "Say your goodbyes!"

Rose ran, teary eyed, into the arms of her father and mother. The crowd of gingers surrounded her, blocking out Effie. Effie frowned and ran to hug a passing stranger. The man looked confused, warily patting her on the head as he glanced around for help.

Albus stood apart, sharing some heartfelt words with his parents.

Mac and Jack were the first to break the red headed huddle.

"We must be off!" Mac said, skipping majestically across the platform. "Places to be!" He blew kisses.

"Love you always mother dearest!" Jack kissed his mother and took off running after his twin. A little ginger waved gleefully as he clung to Jack's back.

"Come back!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. "You've still got Hugo!"

The whistle sounded as the rest of the Weasley-Potter Clan clambered on. Steam was rising, and the whole platform rumbled with energy.

"Goodbye!" Rose waved.

"Have fun!" Effie shouted.

"Wait a minute," Albus said. "We're supposed to be on the train!"

"Hurry!" Rose scrambled with her luggage into the nearest car. She turned and pulled Albus in by the scruff of his neck. Effie tucked Captain America under her arm and dove headlong into the train, knocking into the other two. They all tumbled to a heap as the door slammed shut.

"Well," said Albus as he sat up. "Seeing as that's done-"

The train jolted forward.

….

Gloucester giggled, and took another swig. So maybe he shouldn't have started the train that suddenly, but it was part of the fun! He'd had this job for fifty years, they couldn't fire him.

Looking in the security sneakascopes he saw a peculiar sight. A ginger girl, a scrawny boy and a hippie were sliding down the corridor from the sudden force of the train. A barn owl bounced blindly off the walls after them, fluttering pathetically and a demonic looking cat had its jaws clamped onto the boy's foot and was holding on for dear life as the group continued to hurdle down the freshly polished floors of the Hogwarts Express

Gloucester looked worriedly at the bottle, he then hurriedly put it back in the basket. Shaking his head, he turned back to the brass controls, just in time to look out the rear view mirror. A mad woman with bushy brown hair was running after the train...

…

"My baby!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked as she ran after the train.

The twins were dangling their little brother out of the train car window. Hugo was having the time of his life. He waved happily to his mother as she struggled to keep up with the Hogwarts Express.

"Mum, I'm goin' to Hogwarts!"

"No you're not! Relashio!"

There was a thud as Hugo flew out of his brothers' arms, and hit his mother. The twins roared with laughter.

"You two are grounded for Christmas Holidays!" Mrs. Weasley yelled after her sons as the Hogwarts Express picked up speed and chugged into the distance.

….

"Here's a car," Albus slid the door open, allowing the girls to enter first (oh, what a gentleman!). The three situated themselves, putting their trunks up and making their animals comfortable. Effie made sure that Captain America was far away from Smellycakes and Albus' owl, Hercules.

"So what part of America are you from?" Albus said as he sat down and opened his lunch. He grimaced at the lumpy sandwiches. "Why must my mother make these? She knows I hate them..."

"My dad makes them too..." Rose said as she eyed her own lunch bag. "He keeps on mumbling about passing down the pain of his childhood."

"I'm from New Orleans," Effie said, finishing her BLT.

"Did you get your wand here or there?" Rose asked.

"There," Effie dug in her pockets and extracted her wand. "Cypress, Eleven inches."

"Mine's-" Albus began.

"CANDY FROM THE TROLLEY?"

The three kiddies jumped. There stood an enormous man (or was it a woman?) wearing a frilly apron and bonnet. The children's eye's grew wide when they saw the goodies heaped on the trolley. Albus and Rose looked slowly at their sandwiches, unsure of what to do.

Effie suddenly dove across the car, seized both lumpy packages, and tossed them viciously out the window. Rose and Albus looked at her; she pointed at Captain America.

"As far as we know, he did it." She then grabbed her wallet and slid the glass door open.

In seconds, Rose and Albus had joined her. They eagerly selected pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, and fizzing whizzbangs, paying the tranny before sliding back into their compartment.

"Excellent!" Albus said, his mouth half full of pasty. Rose on the other hand gingerly opened a cauldron cake and took a small bite cautiously.

"What's wrong?" Effie asked curiously.

"She's never disobeyed mummy and daddy before." Came two voices from the door. Mac and Jack hopped into the car, sitting on either side of their sister.

"I have so!" Rose said, turning red and hurriedly taking another bite of cauldron cake.

"I'm just glad-" Albus never got to finish his sentence. The glass door slid open with a bang and a tearful, plump, pretty girl with honey colored hair in neat pigtails tumbled in, straight onto Albus.

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry!" She whimpered, rubbing her eyes as she frantically got to her feet.

"No," Albus said as he helped the poor girl up. "What's the matter?"

"Where you headed in such a rush Longbottom?" drawled a voice from the doorway. There stood the boy Rose had seen earlier.

"You're a Malfoy," she said with narrowed eyes.

He looked at her for a moment. Crossing his arms and surveyed his new adversary. "You're the weasel girl my dad talked about." He lifted his eyebrows, bemused. "Shorter than I expected."

Rose went red in the ears.

"You found her Malfoy?" a voice called from the corridor. A gaggle of boys came to the door. There was a chubby boy with chestnut hair that was slicked ridiculously forward into a single Zefron-style (if you haven't seen Hairspray, you should). He was followed by a sleek taller boy with a clever face and Mediterranean complexion. The rear was brought up by a lumbering hunk of meat with close set eyes and a confused expression on his face.

"Bugger off Malfoy," said Mac, standing.

"Yeah, leave her alone." Jack had drawn his wand.

The boys in the doorway looked a little nervous, not having noticed the upperclassmen before. Scorpius on the other hand looked amused.

"Why? It's a free country." He shrugged.

"Actually," said Effie standing up. "That would be-"

"Shut up American!" Everyone yelled.

"And why the sudden wand drawing?" Scorpius said. "Isn't that against the rules?"

"Right to bear arms," Jack sneered in retort.

"Actually," Efiie intervened. "We came up with-"

"Shut up American!"

Effie hung her head sadly.

"Scorpius," Albus stood up and spoke in a calm voice. "I think its best you and your friends went back to your compartment."

Scorpius paused, staring at Albus for a moment. He gave a curt nod and left. His friends looked confused and followed. Albus Sighed and slid the door shut.

"What was that all about?" Effie looked at Albus.

"Well," said Mac. "You see, years ago Al's dad saved old Malfoy's dad's a-"

"Language?" Rose said.

"Behind," said Jack rolling his eyes. "So Scorpius probably has a weird hate/respect complex towards Al."

"Speaking of which," Mac elbowed Rose in the side teasingly. "Did I sense some romantic tension between you and ferret-face?"

Mac and Jack were soon dashing out of the compartment, dodging a hailstorm of cauldron cakes.

"What's your name?" Albus said, trying to cheer the new girl up.

"Laurie," She hiccupped shyly. "Laurie Longbottom."

The others introduced themselves and Albus stood and grabbed his bag.

"Might as well go change," He eyed Effie. "Especially you."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" She said defensively.

"You look like someone from Godspell."

"So?"

"Hey who's kitty is this?"

"No! Laurie don't!"

"Agh! My leg!"

…..

Moolie: See that wasn't so bad….was it?

Aggie: *Continues to bang head*

Ginny: Stop it dear, you're losing brain cells.