[Edited 07/26/16]
It wasn't long after Remus left that Elizabeth requested help in finding the bathroom on the extensive train. She was ready to change into uniform, as Remus had suggested, and to have a few minutes to herself. It would give her time that she needed to collect herself after Lily acted so coldly towards her. It had hurt, much more than she would have liked to admit, but it was done.
Sirius, who had showed her the way, sat down angrily upon reaching the compartment again, only to stand up and pace in their expanded space.
"What gives her the right? Elizabeth never say a word to offend that girl! She only defended us to that hardhead!" he growled loudly, ignorant to the passersby. It was Peter that had the good sense to put a silencing charm around them, a subject he was particularly gifted in, so as not to alert other compartments, or worse, the stars of the topic.
"Padfoot! Calm down, alright? Lily was just being—"
"Rude, and you know it, Prongs! Just because you're head-over-heels doesn't make her perfect!" Sirius replied gruffly in his irritation, turning to his best friend.
"He knows that, Sirius... Er, I think. But come on, Pads! One girl couldn't be the only reason you're pissed with Lily," Peter reasoned, looking at his friend strangely. He was never this possessive, not with anything but his food, and that never last long.
"I'm just saying that Elizabeth didn't deserve it!" Sirius defended with a huff. Whether he was defending Elizabeth or himself, no one was sure, but he was incensed. "She didn't do anything wrong, not to anyone in their right mind. Evans needs to get over herself! The girl can't stand the idea that anyone isn't who she wants them to be!"
"Pad-"
"No, Wormtail! I am so sick of her getting on everyone's case because we don't all think like her! Who does she think she is, the bloody Queen? She doesn't know- she's so wrapped up that that twisted- I don't have to listen to her bloody judgmental BS!"
It dawned on James that this was more than the anger of one incident with one person. While he could house his best friend for part of the summer, he couldn't always give him an out.
"Sirius... did something... happen this summer? Something you want to talk about?"
The boy in question froze for a second, then tried to recover as naturally as he could. No such luck was to be had though, as even Peter could see the flinch in his charade.
"No." Sirius took a deep breath, looking to his friends with his usual charming smile. "No, nothing at all. Not unless you lot want to hear about the bird I met at Sandy's cafe and-"
"Sorry that took 'bout forever! The line was jus' unbelievable!" Elizabeth greeted, adjusting her skirt beneath her opened robes. Upon seeing the uniform for the first time, she'd thought the long skirt was about as hot as a nun's habit. It just would not do. A few alterations later and her pleated skirt was closer to that of a mini skirt, a little more than enough fabric to keep her in clear when sitting.
"No worries, you didn't miss much," James reassured her while she returned to where she had sat before, giving Sirius a hard look behind their new acquaintance's back. Whatever it was Sirius refused to talk about, he would get it out of him. If anyone could, it would be James. Not here, not now, but soon.
Putting her purse on the seat behind her and standing up straight, Elizabeth smiled at the trio.
"So? How's it look? Am I Hogwart-y 'nough yet?"
"I'd say so," came Remus' voice from the door, accompanied by a kind smile. "But I think you need a little help with the tie there."
"Why do girls have to wear ties? Imagine what Mama would say!" Elizabeth whined without any seriousness, gesturing for him to come towards her. The blond made short work of her tie, despite the knot she'd worked into it. He muttered a few words to her as he retied it more neatly, and she nodded along.
"I'm fine, really. I feel good," the boys heard when Remus stepped away, showing the properly put-together uniform on the girl. "Better? I mean, I still need my house colors, but am I all ready?"
"Perfect," Sirius grinned, his eyes making their way down from her tie to her Mary Jane shoes and everything in between.
"Sirius Black, you keep your peepers to yourself!" Elizabeth admonished playfully, sitting back down in her spot, but not before smoothing her skirt from underneath and like the young lady her mother trained her to be.
"We should change ourselves; Bobbins nearly had a heart attack when I came in without my robes and my patrol starts in about... 45 minutes," Remus informed his friends, glancing down at his watch. After some groaning, complaining, and all-around lazy moaning, the boys finally got up and out with their robes in hand.
"Can't say you let your marauding behind, Moony. First day and you've already given the Head Boy an aneurism!"
They hadn't been gone five minutes when a knock came to the door. Looking up from her magazine, Elizabeth stood to greet her visitor.
"Anything from the trolley, dear?" asked a smiling woman of about 40 years. Elizabeth's eyes lit up at the sight, and she immediately stepped out and began to browse.
"Oh! What are these? And those look different! My oh my, what to choose!" Elizabeth looked to the woman driving the cart, looking like a child on Christmas morning. "I'd bet my behind ya know 'bout everythin' on here! What's your favorite? And the best chocolate?"
The woman looked equal parts surprised and flattered, answering all the more enthusiastically. As she spoke, the young American nodded along, hanging on every word that gave any hint of sugar.
"I might suggest the Acid Pops and Fizzing Whizbees, but the best chocolate would surely be the Chocolate Frogs. You can collect the cards, you know, of the famous witches and wizards. We also have a muggle selection. A Hershey's bar, perhaps?"
"That all sounds real good!" Elizabeth deliberated for a moment, then remembered her absent friends. If she knew anything about them, they all loved to eat. "Righty then! I'll take some of all of 'em!" Her arms were positively full, the chocolates especially, and added a box of Bertie Bot's Every Flavor Beans for good measure.
"Thanks a million, you were such a help!" She remarked gratefully. Caught by a sparkle, her eyes drifted to the woman's dazzling necklace. "That's goooorgeous! Where didja get it?"
"Why thank you! It was a gift from my husband," she replied, beaming.
"You're lucky ta have a husband with such good taste! What I wouldn't do for a man like that... But I'm not half as patient as you were, I have to thank ya again for your help! Just lemme put these down." And so she did, placing the goodies on the seat next to hers, where James had been lounging previously. Moments later, she reemerged with her purse. "What do I owe you...?"
"The name is Sharon, and it'll be 1 galleons and 7 sickles," she responded.
"What? For all of that? It's gotta be more—" Elizabeth replied, astonishment. Was food in England all that cheap?
"No, no, love, you'll be paying 1 galleons and 7 sickles," Sharon winked. There was a discount for the nicer students, while others tended to ignore her entirely.
"Oh! Sharon, I couldn't, really—"
"You absolutely can and will! Come on then, deary."
And that was the end of the argument that never really started. Elizabeth thanked her profusely as she took out her wallet, paying what the middle-aged woman said she was due.
"Have a nice day!" She called out, watching Sharon walk away. Meanwhile, the Marauders made their way down the corridor. Elizabeth turned just in time to find them right behind her, giving her a jolt.
"AH! You're back! Scared the life outta me, ya know that?" She huffed, catching her breath. "There are snacks inside, y'all jus' missed the nicest lady—hey!" The idea of apologizing immediately faded from their minds, however, at the mention of sustenance for their growing bodies. Rushing into the compartment, their faces expressed their excitement at the sight of the pile on James' seat.
"Bloody hell, best new friend ever!" Sirius thought aloud, nods echoing the same sentiments all around. In no time, the four had dug into the pile with enthusiasm.
This all took place over a matter of seconds, leaving Elizabeth's mind whirling, trying to catch up. It looked like a third of the pile had been depleted by the time she made room on the seat for her to use, as James had taken hers.
"Merlin! Hungry much?" She joked, sitting and picking up a pentagonal package—chocolate frog, wasn't it? "So these are good? Flavor-wise? Can't imagine wantin' ta eat a frog, why on earth would they pick frogs?"
"Yeah, but you've got to be quick with them," Remus told her, being the chocolate expert he was before taking a bite into his Hershey's bar.
"Quick? What do ya m—AGH! Omigod!" Elizabeth shrieked, the enchanted frog jumping out of its casing towards her, bouncing off her nose, and hitting the compartment door. In less than 5 seconds, it had wiggled out of a crack between the doors, only to be stepped on moments later.
The boys laughed uproariously and teased her mercilessly. Elizabeth decided then and there to stick to candies she already knew.
"A chocolate bar is all I need," she told them decidedly. "Tastes good 'n helps bring back feelin' after a dealin' with those nasty dementors."
"Does it really?" Remus asked, his brow raising in interest.
"Well, yeah! I learned that when I was... 13? Yeah! What do they teach y'all here?" She asked, genuinely surprised they weren't aware. Wasn't that pretty basic lesson plan stuff.
They had never learned that in class. Then again, there was bound to be some information gap with every new professor they got. The curse of Defense Against the Dark Arts position would probably go on forever, what with the awful teachers they had and their ultimate fates. Their professor in their first year had gone on a summer expedition to Romania and lost a leg to a dragon. Their professor during their third year had a nasty dealing with a wild hippogriff and was too embarrassed to come back. It was almost a game now, theorizing what awful thing would happen to that year's professor, bets being placed and collected the next term.