We stood there awkwardly for a few moments before Hermione spoke.
"He shouldn't have come with us," said Hermione in a worried tone.
"Oh, lighten up," Ron said, walking down the train slightly to make more room. "He hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke."
"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later." He shot me a warm reassuring grin before disappearing down the corridor to the right.
The train began to gain more speed as we jolted slightly over a part uneven track. We fell over, knocking into some first years on our way down.
"D'you want to find a compartment?" I asked. Ron and Hermione exchanged looks then looked at Harry.
"Er," Ron said.
"We're - well - Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefects carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.
Ginny snuck over to stand by me and pretended to look out the window. I did the same, not wanting it to be any more uncomfortable between them.
"Oh, right. Fine," Harry said nonchalantly. But we could all tell it bothered him.
"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."
"Fine," Harry said again. "Well, I - I might see you later then."
"Yeah, definitely," Ron cast a shifty anxious look at Harry and went to say something else 'reassuring.' But reassuring in Ron's Dictionary, was actually tactless in everyone else's.
"See you guys later," I smiled trying to hurry Harry and Ginny down the corridor with me.
As we walked along many people began to stare. It was all to do with Harry and the prophet however there was the occasional talk of 'new girl.' I looked down embarrassed.
Out the corner of my eye I could see Harry doing the same. He probably thought that most people hated him (which they did) but that will all change.
In the very last carriage we came across a boy that could only be Neville Longbottom.
He had a very round, shining face and was having difficulty managing his trunk, his toad and a very strange plant. I vaguely remembered that it was rare and his uncle had brought it him. I suppose I would find out later.
That's the one fault being here. I already know what's going on so there is no surprise. I have to listen to stories that I've read a hundred times. Or participate in conversations when I know exactly what they were going to say. Like just when we were all talking in the corridor, I'm sure that the exact conversation happened in the books; excluding me butting in and hurrying everyone away of course.
Harry and Ginny introduced Neville to me before going into an almost empty carriage.
"Hi Luna, is it ok if we take these seats?"
The girl by the window looked up. I made a note to thank the casting people again because Luna looked exactly like Evanna Lynch. The resemblance was so uncanny it was scary. Harry looked a lot like Daniel Radcliff but Luna was her.
Luna looked at me, Harry and Neville before nodding her head and returning to her book.
"Thanks," Ginny said brightly.
Harry and Neville stowed our four trunks and Hedwig's cage in the luggage rack before sitting down. Luna, who held The Quibbler upside down in front of her, was staring at Harry.
"You know, You're Harry Potter," She said finally.
"I know I am," said Harry.
Neville chuckled. Luna turned her pale eyes on him instead.
"I don't know who you are."
"I'm nobody," Neville said hurriedly.
"No you're not," Ginny said sharply. "He's Neville Longbottom, this," she pointed to me. "Is Allie Tonks, a transfer from Salem. And this is Luna Lovegood. Luna's in our year," she told me. "But in Ravenclaw."
"Wit beyond measure is a man's greatest treasure," Luna sang. I pursed my lips tightly, trying not to giggle and saw the others do the same. Thankfully, Luna had returned to her magazine and didn't notice a thing.
"I got this for my birthday," Neville said, motioning toward his plant. "It's a mimbulus mimbletonia."
We all stared at it. It was pulsing slightly and looked like a green tinged diseased heart or something.
"They're really rare," He continued. "I don't even think Hogwarts has one. My Great Uncle Algie brought it for me."
Ah, so I was right. How unfulfilling.
"Does it do anything?" Harry asked.
"Loads of stuff. It has a brilliant defence mechanism. Here, hold Trevor..."
He dumped Trevor into Harry's lap before pulling out his wand.
"I remember how this ends," I muttered, rushing to the door quickly, but it was too late.
I dived down, just as the plant exploded, landing in Harry's lap. Thankfully only my back was hit.
Ginny had managed to cover her face, but Harry and Neville weren't so lucky. They were drenched in it.
I sat up and laughed at Harry; the precise moment the compartment door slid open.
Behind it stood a pretty girl with long, shiny black hair. It was Cho Chang. She looked around the room in amusement before her eyes rested on me, glaring. I shimmied off Harry's lap and looked down awkwardly.
"Hello, Um..." Cho said. "I just thought I'd say hello... Bye then."
Rather pink in the face, she closed the door and departed. Harry sank down in his seat and groaned.
I remembered the quote in the book. He wanted to be seen with a bunch of cool kids, telling a joke. But instead he was sitting with Luna and Neville covered in slime with another woman on his lap.
Oh well, I'm a big supporter of Harry and Ginny. As soon as Cho's out the picture the better.
The sweet cart came around next and I stood up excitedly.
"Food!" I exclaimed, throwing myself at the trolley. Sirius had kindly given me some pocket money, so I was able to buy some chocolate frogs.
"Is that the only thing you do, eat?" Harry asked, laughing though I could see he was slightly upset with me over the Cho thing. Oh well, at least he's over me.
"No," I grinned. "I can also say the alphabet backward... To the tune of The Adams Family."
"Go on then," Ginny said, smiling expectantly. The others all stopped their eating and turned to me.
I cleared my throat dramatically.
"Z,Y,X,W..." I began, but Hermione and Ron came in and plonked down, helping themselves to food.
"We have to do so many patrols," Ron complained. "And..."
I switched off, not really wanting to hear the many woes of Ron Weasley. I gazed out of the window and stared at the passing countryside.
"Ally!" Hermione called, snapping me out of my day dream. "Are you ok, you've been staring out the window for a while."
I grinned at them reassuringly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm just tired. I barely slept last night."
"Can you do your alphabet thing," Luna said in a slow dreamy voice. If I knew any better, I would say she was stoned. "I'm curious to see how it turns out."
"Z,Y,X,W... V,U..." I was cut off by the door swinging open. "Can't a girl finish a song?" I muttered.
Draco Malfoy, followed by Crabbe and Goyle (I didn't know which one was which) strutted inside.
"What do we have here?" He drawled glancing around the room.
"Shove off Malfoy," Harry muttered darkly. Malfoy laughed.
"Easy now Potter," He pointed to the prefects badge that was attached to his robes. "We wouldn't want to get any points taken away would we? You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."
"Yeah, but you, unlike me, are a git so get out and leave us alone." Harry said. We all laughed as Malfoy's lip curled.
"Tell me Potter, what's it like being second best to Weasley?"
Both Harry and Ron turned red.
"Malfoy, If you don't leave now I shall report you," Hermione said sternly. I rolled my eyes as they laughed. Malfoy's eyes suddenly landed on me as he noticed a new addition to the group.
"Well, who do we have here?" He smirked down at me. He raised his eyebrows in a weird way that I think he thought was flirtatious. I pursed my lips and smirked, trying not to giggle. "Speechless in my present; No need to be shy sweetheart," He said obnoxiously. I couldn't contain myself any longer and began to laugh, as did Ginny who was sitting next to me and saw the entire exchange.
"I'm sorry, but your dog like face and terrible flirting skills make me want to retch. And if I opened my mouth, vomit would be projected all over you. Though that might be an improvement." The compartment burst into laughter as Malfoy glared at me. He leant down and looked me in the eyes. Ron and Harry went to jump up, but I motioned for them to stay.
"I wouldn't associate with these people, Alyssa. You'll end up in a bad way."
I went to say a witty comeback but then realised, he knew my name. I hadn't introduced myself and no one had said it.
"How did you know my name?" I asked curiously. He smirked at me again before walking back to the door.
"You're famous already," He said. "But if I were you I'd be dogging my footsteps."
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks when he said dogging, but I couldn't worry about Sirius now. The way he said that I was famous was quite sinister, like he knew something.
But he couldn't, I was just being paranoid. No one knew. But he did know about Sirius that was for sure. He wouldn't do anything about it. If I remember right, Lucius would be in the prophet spreading rumours. Hopefully, nothing would come of it, but I had a feeling something's were about to change.
The rest of the journey past uneventfully. When it started to get dark, we changed into our robes.
As I hadn't been sorted, I had the plain first year Hogwarts robes. Due to the fact I was so tiny, they actually fit me. The downside was that I did look like a first year. Something that Fred and George found hilarious when I passed them coming off the train.
"Shut up," I whined, walking straight past and not even looking at them.
In all the hustle and bustle of the crowds, I had managed to lose Ginny, Harry and everyone else. So I was standing, leaning up against the train, alone.
I turned back and ran over to Fred and George who were now talking in a group of seventh years.
Not feeling intimidated in the slightest, I jogged over to them and tapped Fred on his back.
The whole group turned to stare at me. Ok, I felt slightly intimidated now.
"May we help you?" He asked sarcastically.
"I don't know where to go," I smirked mischievously, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Go with the other first years," One of the girls explained kindly.
Fred snickered, so I kicked his shin.
"I'm not a first year," I said sheepily. "Just incredibly small. I'm a transfer."
"Alyssa!" Lee Jordan exclaimed loudly. They all nodded, understandingly. "You're the talk of the train."
"Ok, so where do I go?" I asked again.
"Where's Ginny?" George asked.
"If I knew do you think I would be standing here talking to you?"
The crowd 'ooohh'ed as they mock glared.
"Use your nosey little hearing and locate her," Fred muttered quietly, so only I could hear. I was about to object when I realise that it could work. I closed my eyes and focused on the chatter coming from the crowd.
"France was amazing I met this boy..."
"... Hogsmede. She'll definitely say yes..."
"Ally Tonks. Yes, she's American I think..."
"Excuse me please. Thank you..."
The last voice I heard was Luna. I had known her for just a few hours, but I already knew her distinctive dreamy voice from a large crowd.
"I've found Luna, that'll do." I told Fred. I offered the group a sweet smile. "Nice meeting you."
I nodded and went to the left by the benches. Luna was somewhere around here.
Luna had Ron's owl, so we would meet up with them eventually.
I caught a glimpse of her silvery hair and raced over, being careful not to crush people with my trunk.
"Luna!" I called. She spun around and smiled.
"Hello there Alyssa. I seem to be lost," She said quietly looking around.
"Me too," I said pulling her in the direction that the crowd seemed to be going. "Let's go to the carriages."
As we approached we saw Harry and Ron squabbling over the carriages.
"They're there, can't you see them?" he said pointing to the black skeletal horses. Ron stared at him as though he was insane.
"You're not mad, I can see them too," Luna butted in. "And you're just as sane as I am."
Harry looked quite worried when she said this, so I smiled at him warmly and took Ron's hand.
They all looked at me confused as I lead him over to the thestral and put his hand on its back.
Ron jumped back in shock.
"You believe them now?" I asked.
"I never said i didn't. Why can you guys see them?" he asked, prodding the thesteral with his index finger. I slapped his hand away and climbed into the carriage.
"They're Thestrals. They can only be seen by those who have seen death," I explained. A solemn mood settled around us. An awkward tension filled the carriage.
"Who have - Who have you seen die?" Harry asked me quietly.
"My friend Jack's brother. We were mugged by a gang and he chased them. But on the pursuit, got hit by a car. He was like a brother to me." I said sadly. That was probably one of the worst days of my life.
I shook my head, trying not to think about it.
"I'm sorry," Harry said offering a reassuring smile.
"Did everyone see that Grubbly-plank woman?" Ginny asked. "Why is she here; where's Hagrid? He can't have left."
"I'll be glad if he has," Luna said. "He isn't a very good teacher."
"Yes, he is!" Said Harry, Ron and Ginny.
"Well, we in Ravenclaw think he's a bit of a joke," Luna said, unfazed.
"You've got a rubbish sense of humour then," Ron snapped.
Luna didn't really seem to care what Ron said and simply watched him for a while as though he was a really good TV program or something.
"Look Hogwarts," Hermione said, a little too excitedly. I looked out of the small window and gasped.
It was even more beautiful in real life. The small towers that broke off from the main building were dotted with windows with light seeping through them. It was so tall and looked like it should be housing kings. Not me and other students.
"What do you think?" Ginny asked as we pulled to a stop outside a set of large doors.
"It's magical," I said simply.
I was in complete awe with the place. Ginny and Hermione had to guide me along as I was looking around so much and not paying any attention to where I was going.
Outside the doors to the Great Hall stood Professor McGonagall. I had met her twice over the summer and she seemed fairly polite and kind.
"Miss Tonks," She called to me. It was so strange to be called Tonks. I just wanted to scream that my name was Brady, but I don't think that would go down very well. "Please wait here for a moment. You shall be sorted before the First Years, in front of the rest of the school."
Hermione saw my face drop and gave me a reassuring thumbs up before going into the hall.
Thankfully, McGonagall took me in through another entrance at the top of the hall so I would not have to walk between the rows of tables.
I stood and waited nervously behind the teachers until Dumbledore called me out.
"We have a new student joining us from Salem this year: Miss Alyssa Tonks who shall be in fourth year. I expect to be as welcoming and friendly to her as any guest."
He motioned me over to the small stool and I sat down. I looked down the Griffindor table and saw The Weasley's, Harry and Hermione all giving me reassuring looks.
There was a lot of muttering as I waited, but I didn't even try to make it out. I knew exactly what they would be saying.
Dumbledore placed the hat onto my head and time seemed to stop.
"Oh!" The hat said loudly in my head. "Well, don't you have a secret? You've even deceived the great Dumbledore, an accomplishment that most slytherins would love."
I scoffed. "Please don't. I'm a muggleborn, they would eat me alive."
"You're smart. Ravenclaw would be lucky to have you."
"Please put me in Gryffindor," I begged. "That's where my friends are and I could help them out. I can be brave, I have that cool wand and - "
"Dear Miss Brady, there is only one place that you belong... GRYFFINDOR!"
The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers, as I thanked the hat and skipped down the steps. Many people made room for me to sit, but I politely declined and sat by Ginny and her friends.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were quite near us, so conversation would not be short.
"Wow," a blonde girl whispered to me. "The hat barely touched your head."
I stared at her confused.
"I was there for ages. It was - "
"Elena's right, you were up there for about a second." Ginny cut in. "I think the hat must have a time spell. You felt you were there for a minute, when you were really up there for a second."
I shrugged, not even trying to understand what was going on.
"Well done Ally-Wally," George said as the first years began to enter.
I stuck my Tongue out at him and began to watch the sorting.
:-:
"How old are you?" One of the boys sitting near us asked. The sorting had just finished, and food began to appear.
"Four - Fifteen," I corrected myself. "Today's my birthday."
"What?" a chorus of people asked. I looked around and saw it was Ginny, Harry, Hermione and the twins.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know, I guess I just forgot," I admitted. Back home, I would run around for weeks before, so no one would forget to buy me a present. But here, I couldn't accept anything else off these people, they had done enough.
"Happy Birthday to you," Fred and George annoyingly sang. I pulled my wand out and tried to cast a silencing charm, but it only worked on Fred. George continued to sing and managed to get half the hall involved. I hung my head in embarrassment.
Once it was over, Fred began to wave his arms around, trying to speak.
"I'm sorry, I can't remember the counter curse," I admitted. The others laughed but it was true, I had no idea how to lift it.
George cast a non-verbal spell and Fred began to speak again.
"You're evil, pure evil," he said. "And I shall get my revenge. And it will be twice as bad due to your little prank in the summer."
The others watched confused, wondering what I would do.
I grinned over to them.
"Bring it on."
I got my very tattered OOTP book out for this one. I think I've done pretty well, Chapter 9 and I'm only just referencing to the book.
The next chapter's almost finished so I'll put that up soon. However, I have exams so the chapter's maybe a little less frequent, but I'll do my best.
ALSO… Does anyone know anyone in Ginny's year? There's Colin and Luna, but is that it? Let me know if there is anyone else.
Thanks so much for the reviews and for reading ;)