Chapter Five: The Best Friends Are Always Made on the Hogwarts Express

She slowly made her way towards the back of the carriage, Sapphira making angry spitting noises from her shoulder. With a jolt, Erin realized she had left her trunk in the compartment with them, but she would just have to wait until the reached their destination in order to go and get it.

It didn't bother her that the boys had thrown her out- no; she was too used to being shoved around. What had really hurt her was the way Scorpius had sat there and done nothing. He hadn't stuck up for her, hadn't stopped them from pushing her out- nothing. And she had thought they were friends. "Well, Sapphira, I've learned my lesson," she said gloomily, peering into compartments only to find them already full. "I knew I shouldn't get close to anybody- they just end up letting you down."

Sapphira shook her head, but Erin ignored her and pressed on past the compartments. She doubted she would find an empty one by this time around, and by the time she had reached the end of the carriage she still had nowhere to sit. She peered, unsure, into the last compartment to her left; from what she could see, inside was a kind faced boy with untidy black hair as dark as hers and glasses, chatting animatedly with the freckly brown haired girl she had seen lean out the window. She couldn't see the boy sitting behind the dark haired one but she saw him nod his head enthusiastically. She turned to Sapphira. "What do you think?"

Before Sapphira could answer, the compartment door slid open, and suddenly the dark haired boy was standing before her, smiling. "Would you like to join us?" he asked politely, moving out of the way to make room for her. She felt a bit uneasy, but moved into the compartment anyway. "Thanks, everywhere else is full." Erin gazed around, trying to determine what her new companions would be like. They all seemed friendly enough. "Albus Potter," the dark haired boy said, pointing to himself. He gestured to the girl across from him. "And this is my cousin, Rose Weasley."

"I'm Erin… Erin Lyths." It felt strange introducing herself to a group of kids who did not snarl when they heard her name. She turned her eyes inquiringly to the only person who had not introduced himself: a dirty blonde haired boy with the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. They looked almost sad. He looked up, as though taking in her features and answered carefully. "My name is Nick."

"What's your surname?"

"Where're you from?" he asked almost immediately. She saw Rose's eyes narrow suspiciously. So she wasn't the only one who noticed Nick had evaded the question. "Orphanage," Erin said simply. No need to go further than that. Albus looked up, glee on his face.

"An orphanage? Oh, does that mean you're a Muggleborn?" There it was, that silly word again. "But then, you don't know anything about Hogwarts!" He leaned forward going into depth about the different things he had heard from his parents, Rose and Nick occasionally cutting in to voice their opinions.

A rosy faced woman with a food trolley came passing by after a while, and Erin's companions had jumped to their feet in eagerness. She remained alone in the compartment, looking at the fast fading scenery out the train window. From the money Dippet had given her for school supplies, she only had what they called two Knuts left. She pulled out a sandwich from her bag and unwrapped it, staring distastefully at the lump of soggy bread.

"Do you want some of mine?" Albus said, returning with an armful of sweets. Erin felt her stomach grumble, but she shook her head. "No, its fine, I don't want to take your-"

"Oh don't be silly," said Rose, coming in with Nick behind her. "Do you really expect us to let you eat that lump of a sandwich?" They pooled all their items on the compartment seats and Erin smiled to herself. It was actually quite nice, eating their way through all the sweets as though they were… She laced her fingers together as the word rebounded itself through her head.

Friends. She liked the sound of that. She had never had real friends before, to laugh with, to talk with, share sweets with… and what strange sweets they were! For although she had never really had an assortment of snacks at the orphanage, she knew they didn't supply anything close to what her new friends had bought from the trolley. There were Fizzing Whizbees, Sugar Quills, and even Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans: colored jelly beans that had every possible flavor imaginable! The Chocolate Frogs were by far her favorite, for they came with small cards of famous witches and wizards that moved. After she voiced her amazement, she was told that all portraits and pictures in the Wizarding world moved. This made her feel uncomfortable about how little she really knew.

"What house do you think you'll be Sorted in?" Nick asked between a mouthful of Bertie Botts beans. Erin finished chewing the Chocolate Frog. "House?" Rose leaned forward. "You get Sorted into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Raveclaw, and Slytherin." Erin had a vivid memory of the seal of the lion, badger, raven, and snake. "I personally think I'll be in Gryffindor (both my parents were there, after all), but I'm also considering Ravenclaw- it sounds enticing."

Albus nodded enthusiastically. "That's where I want to go, Gryffindor… where the brave dwell at heart…" Then he looked unsure. "Only thing is, I'm not sure I fit the description of 'brave and courageous'." Nick shrugged. "But your whole family has been in Gryffindor, right? I mean, your father is Harry Potter, so there's no doubt about your placement." Erin noticed the way he said Harry Potter as though speaking of someone of great importance. Who was Albus's father? "But me… well, lets just say most of my family hasn't really been the Gryffindor type. More like Slytherin."

Rose had the same suspicious look on her face, but Albus cracked into a grin and playfully punched Nick in the shoulder. "Slytherin? And to think I was actually considering becoming friends with you!" Nick smiled back, though Erin could see it was reluctant. She could no longer contain herself. "What is so terrible about this Slytherin?"

Rose hesitated. "Well, I'm not sure what it is, but anyone who's ever been in Slytherin has gone…" she cast an apologetic look at Nick before saying, "Bad. I guess it's the whole power-hungry and ambitious thing; they're Sorted into Slytherin, so all that goes to their head and drives them mad."

Erin was silent for a moment as she took this in. "Still, better than Hufflepuff, my dad always says," Rose said grinning, causing the others to laugh. Erin didn't really understand the joke, but it felt good to laugh. Then suddenly, for the second time that day, the compartment door was flung open. Four boys marched in and Albus moaned, sinking lower in his seat. "Hi, James." Erin noticed the top of Albus' forehead turned considerably red.

James flicked a strand of brown hair out of his eyes and smirked widely back at him. "How are you doing, little brother? I don't think you introduced me to your friends…" he peered distastefully around the carriage. "Anyway, I brought some of my pals, they were so eager to meet you. This is Felix Corner, Alexander McLaggen, and Jace Moon." One by one the boys stepped forward with a "Hey, little Potter" as James called their names. "So, this is your first year, huh, Albus?" McLaggen laughed. "Better watch out for Peeves- he likes to mess with you guys big time." Albus threw them a look, and they laughed harder.

McLaggen continued. "And if you get on the wrong side of those thestrals…" Albus's eyes grew wide, and James chuckled. "I told you I wasn't joking about them!" At this point, however, Jace intervened. "C'mon guys, that's enough. Leave them alone. I hear Onniker got a real fire breathing chipmunk, and I want to go check it out." James shrugged, and reluctantly said, "Alright guys, let's go. We'll always get to see Albus and his friends around school." They left; shutting the door to the compartment behind them, and in unison six pairs of eyes stared at Albus.

"As you must have noticed, my brother, James," he said for Erin and Nick's benefit. She noticed he said it rather glumly and could understand why. She hadn't exactly liked James at first glance. "I'm always living in my brother's shadow. You saw how he was: popular, outgoing, cool. I want to get into Gryffindor, but if I do, it's no big deal, because he's already done it. It's really annoying having a brother like that."

At least your brother isn't a killer.

Erin peered out the window to take her mind off things, and noticed how dark it was becoming. "I think we're nearly there," she said, trying to make out any landmarks through the speeding darkness. Rose stood up, rummaging through her bags. "We'd better get changed into our robes, then." Erin sucked in her cheeks. "I think I'll just change into mine afterwards- I left my bags in a compartment with a bunch of people, and I'd rather not go back there." Nick turned around. "Where's the compartment?" After she told him where the compartment and her luggage was, he opened the door and casually walked out. "Where are you going?" she called after him. He didn't turn around. "I'll get you your robes."

"But you-" Erin tried, but Nick interrupted. "Trust me," he said darkly. "I probably know them." He walked down towards the front of the train, leaving Erin to go back inside with Albus and Rose. Rose was talking in a low voice to Albus. "Al, I don't know how much we can trust him," she said, already in her robes. "There's something fishy about him, I know there is! Didn't you notice he kept avoiding questions about his last name? And his entire family has been in Slytherin!" Albus looked up and met Erin's eyes, and rolled his eyes. "That doesn't mean he's different than his family, Rose. I say we give him a chance. And by the way, Erin," (Rose spun around; she hadn't noticed Erin reenter the compartment), "I've been meaning to ask you about your falcon." He pointed at Sapphira. "You don't keep her in a cage?"

Sapphira chirped angrily. "Keep her in a cage!" Erin cried in disbelief. "That would kill her- she's a wild animal, afterall!" Albus laughed. "No offense was intended," he said, inclining his head slightly to the bird. Rose smiled too, but her grin was wiped off her face as the door to the compartment slid open and Nick reentered, holding a bundle of clothing in his hands. He beamed at Erin. "I got your robes."

Her eyes widened in gratitude, and she took the clothing from his arms. "Thank you so much, Nick!" she said happily, taking off her jacket and pulling on the long black robe. He shrugged. "It was no problem. They were eager to let me in."

"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately." A voice echoed through the train, and Erin felt her stomach twist itself into a knot. They were here already? She didn't have anytime to prepare herself for what was coming. She glanced around and saw she wasn't the only worried one; all three of her friends looked suddenly pale and peaky. They all joined the crowd thronging the corridor, none of them talking, contemplating what lay ahead.

The train slowed down considerably and then eventually stopped. The students pushed each other on their way to the door and out onto the platform. Erin, shivering from the cold, noticed that none of the first years had brought their pets with them. "Sapphira," she said through chattering teeth. "I think it'd be best if you waited for me in the room." Sapphira understood, and in one sweeping motion, glided off her shoulder and was lost in the night.

A hand suddenly pulled her back, and she spun around until she was staring into a set of blue eyes. "You never really told me where you're from," Nick said, his eyes concentrating hard on something. Erin shrugged carelessly. "I'd rather not talk about it. And besides, you never told me your surname."

Nick shook his head, ignoring her comment. "It's just that… you have strange eyes, you know that? And I'm sure I've seen them somewhere, but on a boy, I think. If you just told me…" But she didn't hear the rest of his sentence. She felt her insides turn to ice. Her eyes on a boy, he had said. Could it be…?

"Hey you guys, where do you reckon we go from here?" came a voice from behind them. Albus was there, accompanied by Rose. Almost at once, they heard a voice call out, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

Erin's mouth dropped open, and she closed it immediately, looking around to make sure no one had noticed. Standing before them was a man of such abnormal size he couldn't possibly be completely human. He had a graying, shaggy beard that gave him a wild look, and she backed up immediately. However, to her surprise, Albus's face shone brightly. "Hagrid!" he cried happily, and Rose smiled too. The large man, Hagrid, broke out into a bushy grin. "Albus, good to see yeh! I'll talk with yeh later- FIRS' YEARS! Is that all for yeh? Alright, mind yer step now- follow me!"

The group of first years followed Hagrid down a slippery, narrow path through dense, dark trees. Nobody spoke, though Erin could feel Rose breathing nervously beside her. Suddenly, the path opened suddenly onto the edge of a black lake, and the students all gasped in wonder. There, perched atop a high mountain on the other side of the water, was a vast castle with sparkling windows and uncountable towers.

"Yeah, that's Hogwarts," said Hagrid wistfully, beaming at it. "Hey you there, no more'n four to a boat!" he called out to six students trying to squeeze themselves into the little boat. Erin found herself, unsurprisingly, sitting in the same small boat as Albus, Nick, and Rose. Albus shook his head and muttered, "And James was telling me you ride the actual thestrals to school!" Erin tried to laugh but couldn't; her voice had bunched itself up from nerves.

Hagrid settled himself into his own boat, and shouted, "Everyone in?" A few of the first years acknowledged feebly, and he raised a pink umbrella, saying, "Right then- FORWARD!"

At that moment, the fleet of boats glided across the smooth surface of the lake. Erin's companions tipped their heads back to see the great castle overhead, growing larger and larger as they sailed nearer to the cliff on which it stood. The first boats reached the cliff, and they all ducked their heads as they passed through a curtain of ivy hiding a wide opening in the cliff face. The water swept them through a dark tunnel that seemed to be underneath the castle, and they stopped before a harbor made of rocks and pebbles. Everyone scrambled out onto the ground and followed Hagrid's bobbing lantern, out the passageway and up a flight of stone steps that led in front of a massive, oak front door.

A thought traveled, unbidden, through her mind. She was home.