Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, I'm just borrowing them, and no profit is gained.

"That barrier looks pretty solid to me."

"Are you sure we are supposed to go through it?"

"That's what is says, and she said it herself."

"Anyways, do you see any platform nine and three quarters?"

"No..."

"Well then, it seems there's no other way."

"Look, look, they were just heading towards the barrier, then they disappeared, so they had to have gone through it, no other explanation, I'm going."

The three Dursley's were at the train station on September first and it was ten to eleven, starring at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Dudley and Vanessa were the ones that had been the discussing going through the solid barrier, though Dell spoke the last line.

"OK honey, we are going to leave you here. That OK? You think you'll be alright...getting through by yourself?" Vanessa said, fixing Dell's jacket.

"Maybe we should go onto the platform with her." Dudley said, nervous to let his little girl go.

"I'll be fine." Dell said, batting her parent's hands away. "Bye mom, dad, I love you." She said, kissing them on the cheeks. She then pushed her trolley containing her trunk and bird cage with Lola in it toward the solid brick barrier. She hurried up, a bit frightened, though never would she have admitted such to her parents. As she got closer, going full speed and with no way to stop, Dell closed her eyes, bracing herself for the collision that never came. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a whole new world. Her world.

A breeze blew Dell's blond hair out of her face, blowing snatches of conversation towards her. "Now, you didn't forget your wand again, did you?" "I'll send it to you when-" "Look after your sister, won't you, it's just her first year remember-" "What have I told you about that! Now-" "God! You're going to break the record for the fastest gained detention ever-" The last one caught her attention, but other conversation quickly overlapped it before she could find where that one had come from.

Dell dragged her stuff over to the train, remembering the guy she had met in Diagon Alley and the invite to sit with him and his friends. That would be better than sitting by herself, but she doubted he even remembered her. She wasn't going to search them out, or anything. Reaching the train, Dell tried to pull all her stuff up onto the train, but was having difficulty, when no other than the guy Tyler Finnigan that she had met at Diagon Alley showed up on the train.

"Having a bit of a trouble?" Tyler asked with raised eyebrows.

"A bit." Dell replied, looking up at him. He just kept on watching her struggle until she burst out, "Are you just going to just stand there or are you going to get your sorry little arse over here and help me?" Tyler laughed and jumped up the train, grabbing one end of her trunk and helping her pull it up onto the train, her bird cage soon after.

"Thanks. Tyler, right." Dell said, though she clearly remembered his name.

"Yep. Dell?" When Dell nodded she could tell that, like she herself hadn't forgotten his name, he hadn't forgotten hers. "The trains about to leave, come on, my friends and me have already got a compartment. Unless you'd rather find another one...they're filling up pretty fast, though." Tyler said, shaking his black hair out of his eyes, his chocolate brown eyes looking as though he was afraid he had just offended her.

"I'd like to meet your friends." Dell said before they headed off.

Tyler led her into a compartment just as the train began to move. He quickly hurried to the window where two other boys already had their heads stuck out, and stuck his out, saying good bye to his parents and whoever else. Dell barely managed to heave her trunk up above by herself, when Tyler pulled himself in just in time to catch it from dropping on her and help her heave it up. Then she put Lola in her cage beside it, before turning back to the rest of the compartment whose occupants had seated themselves once more. Dell sat down beside Tyler as she was introduced.

"Dell, this is Fred Weasley, and James Potter. Fred, James, this is Dell Dursley, the girl I told you I met in Madam Malkin's." Tyler said. Fred was a tall boy with vividly red hair, and blue eyes which his hair was just swept away from. While James had black hair like Tyler, it was messy, though not as long as Tyler's, and just stuck up at all ends, and his eyes were a light brown. All three boys had a rather mischievous glint in their eyes, as though they were up to something. It was the same look her mother said her father was so blind to in her eyes.

"Nice to meet you." Dell said, settling down in her seat, not knowing how long the journey was, only guessing it was long.

"Hey." James answered, rummaging throw his pockets, seemingly looking for something important, as though he had lost it.

"Hey," Fred said, looking at Dell with interest shining in his blue eyes, his bright red hair gone a mess.

Dell looked at him with raised eyebrows, wondering why he was looking at her that way, and he looked away, his cheeks growing red. Dell looked at Tyler questioningly – for he was the one she knew best among the boys – but he just shrugged and rolled his eyes, while James sent a smirk Fred's way while still looking in his pockets for something.

"What are you looking for James?" Fred asked, seemingly trying to cover up his embarrassment from but a few seconds earlier.

"I nicked it from his desk just last night and I put it in my pockets – I swear he didn't grab it back – it would be just the thing he'd do, you know just what he is like." James mumbled, still searching through his pockets. He seemed to have many of them.

"Who, your dad?" Tyler piped up, looking interested. Dell just kept quiet. She was at that moment an outsider to the group – friends forever they had seemed to be – and she had only been invited to sit with them. But that didn't mean she wasn't interested.

"Of course my dad, who else's desk would I take from, and who else would most likely nick it back without a word? Bloody hell! Ah, here it is, I knew he hadn't realized I'd taken it!" With a flourish James pulled out an old piece of parchment. Everybody just sat there, staring at the thing silently.

"Um… James, it's just an old bit of parchment." Tyler said, giving Dell a look that clearly meant 'sorry my friends an idiot'.

"Just an old piece of parchment! If it was just an old piece of parchment would my father have hidden it from me and put it in the drawer that it took us years to figure out how to get into?" James said indignantly. His friends looked taken aback and Dell just looked confused.

"Well – then what is it?" Fred asked, looking at it with more interest. This seemed to throw James off a bit.

"Umm, well, I don't really know. My dad does, so he didn't have anything saying what it was. But, I think your dad does Fred, 'cause there was a note by it saying to ask George whether they should give it to Fred, James (which wouldn't really matter anyways, because it would be like giving it to us both), Albus, Roxanne, or Lily. So I'm guessing your dad had it once." James said.

"Well, if they were planning to give it to us anyways-" Fred started.

"But they weren't!" James cut him off. "They were also considering giving it to one of our siblings. I mean, Lily isn't coming for another four years, Albus another two. And Roxanne, she's coming next year, but, she's your sister, imagine Roxanne with whatever this is, and it is obviously a very good thing." Fred's face looked horrified.

Dell suddenly remembered back to the summer and her conversation with Tyler in the robe shop. "Roxanne, the rebel. She's not bad, though. Just . . . different." Tyler had also mentioned how James had dared her to end up in Slytherin, so, since she never turned down a dare, she was going to. And Fred had just about killed him when he had. Wow, this was an interesting family.

"Oh, OK, fine. I'm glad you nicked it from your dad, though you know he is going to figure it out. Hopefully we either figure out what it is and how to work it before we go back for Christmas break, or he doesn't mind you nicked it and sends you a letter telling you how to work it – or he'll send you a letter getting you in trouble. Oh, imagine your mom finds out – she can be as bad as Grandma Weasley, she'd probably send a Howler! Imagine a howler in first year!" Fred said, smirking. James scowled at him.

"What's a howler?" Dell asked, interested at the word used in a context she never heard before. Fred and James looked at her in shock.

"You don't know what a howler is?" James said.

"She's muggle born, remember?" Tyler said to them before turning to Dell. "A howler is like a letter, except it actually speaks. Well, more like yells. Everybody hears it. It's really embarrassing, especially since you're usually in trouble when you get one."

Dell nodded her head before saying, "I may be muggle born, but my dad's cousin is wizard." Her eyes flashed to James, but only for a millisecond. But it seemed James had noticed her looked, and he was putting two and two together.

"James?" Fred said, looking at James dawning look.

"Dursley!" James suddenly said quite loudly. Fred and Tyler looked at him alarmed, and a few people passing the compartment jumped, and looked in confused.

"Yes?" Dell said sweetly, though the look on her face clearly said she understood, and what he was getting at was correct. James looked at Tyler and Fred, and seemed annoyed that he had to explain.

"My dad's Aunt, Uncle, and cousin's last name was Dursley." James said, and suddenly Fred and Tyler realized it and looked at Dell in shock. Dell just smiled.

James looked at Dell and said, "So that makes you my – cousin? And your parents my Aunt and Uncle? Right? God, another one." Dell laughed, but shook her head.

"No, my dad would be your first cousin once removed, and we'd be second cousins. Distantly related." Dell said wisely (omitting the fact that she had actually had to look that up). She had no direct cousins, since neither of her parents had siblings. James looked slightly confused, but just nodded rather than getting into it.

"Wait, does that make us related?" Fred asked confused. Dell shook her head.

"Nah, your dad is related to James mom, my dad is related to James dad. We are related in no such way." Fred nodded his head, looking relived he didn't have another cousin, or so she assumed that was why he looked that way.

The rest of the train ride went smoothly. Apparently James' dad hadn't talked about the Dursley's a lot, even having lived with them, except they didn't get along, and didn't like the magical world. Dell said her dad didn't mind it, but he hadn't told his parents because he was afraid about how they would react, mainly his dad. Soon they moved away from that subject and onto different ones. Dell found she liked these guys. She had been right about the rather mischievous gleam in their eyes. They liked to pull pranks, and already had a list of pranks to pull at Hogwarts. Apparently Fred's dad and his dead Uncle (who had been his dad's twin) had a big record at the school, along with James' Grandfather, his dad's dad. The three of them planned to beat both those records. Dell laughed at that.

"You can help us do it if you want." Fred said. James and Tyler exchanged a smirk but Fred didn't seem to notice, and Dell just ignored it, deciding not to get into it.

"Ya, that sounds cool." Dell said. "Awesome!" Tyler said.

Dell learned that out of the three, James and Fred were best friends, and Fred was the oldest, a fact James hated, then Tyler, then James. James really hated that. Especially since he found out Dell was older than him but younger than the other two. Also, some people came by.

"Hey," A boy said, opening the door to the compartment. Dell was surprised by his turquoise hair and purple eyes. The others seemed to be used to it.

"Hey Teddy," James said looking up at a boy who had to be at least 17. The others murmured their hellos while Dell just looked at him curiously. "Oh, this is Dell Dursley," Tyler said to the boy named Teddy. "Dell, this is Teddy Lupin." Teddy smiled at Dell and Dell watched in shock as his eyes changed from purple to the light blue of hers.

"Oh, Teddy's a Metamorphagus," Fred said.

"A person who can change their appearance at will. Dell's a muggle born," James said first to Dell's confused look, then to Teddy's raised eyebrow.

"Hey, James, what's that?" Teddy asked going to snatch the thing James had stolen from his dad's desk. James went to grab it but Teddy grabbed it first. "Your dad gave it to you? I wasn't sure if he was going to; your mother said you'd get in enough trouble without it." Teddy said looking impressed.

James looked like he was struggling for a second before he blurted out, "You know what it is?" Teddy looked at him in surprise, then understanding.

"Ah, you stole it; your dad's going to be angry." Teddy said with a small smile, though he looked impressed.

"We're betting on a howler from his mom," Fred said with a smirk and James hit him will Tyler just shook his head and Dell covered her mouth trying to cover up her giggling.

"Yeah, I know what it is, and how to work it. Your dad gave it to me for a while, but took it back at the begging of the summer, saying he was thinking about giving it to you or Fred. It's really good." Teddy said.

"Well, what is it?" Fred said impatient.

"A map of all Hogwarts."

"You're kidding!" Exclaimed Tyler, staring at the thing as though it was a prize.

Teddy shook his head, putting his wand to the map he said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." On the front words appeared that said 'Messer's Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present The Marauders Map.'

"Wow," James whispered, staring at it. It was in-fact a map of what Dell was going to take their word to be the Hogwarts castle and -

"Is that Hagrid in his cabin?" Fred asked in shock.

"Yes, said Teddy. "It shows where everybody is at every moment of everyday, invisible or not, it's the best thing to have." Teddy smiled and handed it back to James, "But always remember to wipe it blank, or anyone can read it. Mischief Managed." He put his wand to the paper again at these last words and the map went blank. It really was a keeper. "Oh, and James? I'd bet on that howler if your mom does find out. She really didn't want you to have it - you'd probably be breaking some record for getting one on your first day though." James grimaced as Teddy closed the compartment door.

"Why did my mom have to get Grandma Weasley's temper?" He mumbled.

"So," Dell said, "How do you guys know Teddy Lupin?" She asked. From what she'd heard so far, they weren't related.

"Oh, he's my dad's godson. He lives with Andromeda, his Grandma, his parents died at the fight at Hogwarts just after he was born. But he spends half his time at our house anyways, dad's always joking that he should just move in. He's in his last year this year." James said off handedly. Dell nodded. Later, they also got a visit from James and Fred's cousin Dominique Weasley, younger sister to Victoire Weasley, who would be in her second year that year (her sister her fifth, while her other cousin Lucy would be in her second, too).

"Hey Dom," Fred said, looking up as the girl with fiery red hair opened the compartment door.

"Hey Fred, James, Tyler," The so called Dom said, her eyes stopping on Dell, looking at her questioningly. "This is Dell Dursley. Dell, this is Dominique Weasley, one of our many cousins." Fred said rolling his eyes. Dominique smirked.

"What cha' doing here Dom?" Asked James with raised eyebrows.

"Ah, getting away from the horrors they claim is my sister, but I still think they are wrong." The others laughed at this.

"What she doing this time?" Tyler asked with raised eyebrows. Dom rolled her eyes.

"What else would she be doing in my compartment? Fighting with Lucy of course! The two of them can't get along for a second. A swear, you'd think they were sisters instead of cousins, not me and Vic. But then, those two do clash. Oh, and watch out guys, Vic is planning on using her new Prefects badge well this year, and her aim is your group." Dom said.

"Let her try," James said with a smirk. Dom just smiled then left closing the compartment door.

"Do all Weasley's have red hair?" Dell asked. James laughed, and Fred smiled. "Nah, just a handful. All the originals do, I mean Grandma and Grandpa Weasley's children, the way we are related. Like, Vic has blond like her mom, and Dom and Vic's younger brother has blond. And Lucy has brown, though Molly, her younger sister has red." Fred said.

"How about you tell me all of you and all your hair colors," Dell said with a smile. Fred laughed, and James agreed, as Tyler sat back, already knowing.

"Well, OK, so there's me," James started, "Black hair, then Albus also has black, then Lily with red. That's the entire Potter's. Then there is Fred, red, and his sister Roxanne, red. Then you know Dom and her siblings, and Lucy and hers. So that's my dad, Uncle George, Uncle Bill and Uncle Percy. Ummm….ahhh, Uncle Ron, there's Rose and Hugo. Rose is the same age as Albus – she has red hair, and then Hugo – same age as Lily – he has red hair too. Neither got the brown hair of Aunt Hermione, but Rose got the curliness - is that a word? Anyways – that's it, isn't it? Vic, Dom, Louis, Lucy, Molly, Roxanne, Albus, Lily, Rose, Hugo, me and Fred. Yep, that's 12."

Dell smiled. She doubted she would remember it all – she'd probably only remember as they came to Hogwarts – but hey, she could try, right? At that point, they started to change into their Hogwarts robes as they were approaching the Hogwarts station.

The train started to slow down. "Yes," James said, looking out the window, but they couldn't see anything as it was a dark night. Dell felt giddy inside. It was finally here, she was finally going! She couldn't wait! She bit her lip, and sat on her hands to stop herself from jumping for joy. Then, the train came to a complete stop. She looked at the other three. She saw the same look in their eyes that she felt. Happiness, excitement, nervousness.

"Let's go," whispered Tyler, and they all got up from where they sat, heading out onto the platform, out to Hogwarts, out to their future.

Edited 2020-02-15