Disc.: I do not own any of the characters only my OC, all the rights go to their respectful owners. If you like the story leave a heart or a comment :)
Ethan and Penny said their goodbyes to Lee as they left for the Leaky Cauldron to meet up with their mother.
"Do you think she bought the books?" Penny asked looking up at Ethan who was a head and a half taller than herself.
She tugged at the side of her dress unconsciously. Ethan noticing the gesture smiled a bit as he looked down at her.
"What? Don't tell me you're worried?" He teased her with a big grin plastered on his face.
"No, I couldn't care less. I still have your old books that will do just fine." Her eyes grew a bit colder at that sentence but her face remained stoic. Ethan hummed to himself, his grin slowly fading as he saw her regaining her cold appearance. There were moments where Penny couldn't control her body language. Small gestures like that just now were rare, but Ethan was happy to notice them despite of them disappearing as quickly as they came. Grabbing his sister with his free hand around her shoulder he pulled her to the side of his body, looking down at her smiling.
"You know you can always count on your big brother?" His smile grew bigger when he saw her detach her hands from the side of her dress.
"You are truly an idiot." She murmurs up to him, pushing him away from herself.
"But I'm your idiot. Right? Right? I'm your idiotic brother that loves you aloooot." As he said this his grin only grew wider and he spread his arms wanting to hug her.
That sentence made her stop in her tracks a few steps ahead of him. She looked at him over her shoulder, her face revealed nothing but he prepared himself mentally for what she'll say.
"Love…Such a useless feeling to have. It's bothersome. It makes people do things that they shouldn't. You don't need love to live. Love only kills you." Ethan would lie if he said that hearing those words from his sisters mouth didn't hurt, in fact they stung and left a bitter aftertaste. He dropped his hands down and gave her a gentle smile.
"I still love you, no matter what." He said to her ruffling her hair as he passed her.
After walking side by side for a few more minutes they reached the Leaky Cauldron where they found their mother chatting away with a friend of hers. As Isabella saw her kids walk through the door she stood up and said her goodbyes to the lady she was talking to. Penny could not take a good look at her since the place was as dark as ever.
"Did you two get everything you needed?" Their mother asked smiling at both of them, making Penny mutter a small yes in response.
Before she could ask her mother about her books her mother showed her the bag and smiled.
"I bet you thought I forgot." Her mother said and smiled at her, making Penny apologize and say a thank you.
At home Penny rushed to her room with the little kitten, not saying anything to Ethan and her mother. Closing the door behind her she made her way to her bed putting the little kitten down on the bed sheets. Looking at her cat she contemplated for a few minutes how to name him as he ignored her and jumped around her bed. She heard the door crack and turned her head to see Ethan.
"You gave it a name yet?" He asked her pointing his finger at the kitten, who chewed happily at her bed sheets.
Picking the kitten up she scolded him not to do that. Ethan looked at the cat with interest.
"What about, Mr. or Mrs. Fluffykins?" He asked with a chuckle.
"It's a male. And no." she said holding the kitten up in her arms above her head looking at him.
"Then you should name him Fabio the fabulous, look at his nice fluffy coat. It screams fabulous, if you ask me." He picked him up from her arms and the kitten hissed slightly.
"No." She said as the kitten jumped out of Ethan's hands into her own.
"Angus." She muttered setting down the ball of fur.
"Are you serious? Angus! What is wrong with your head?" He asked in between breaths as he kept on laughing.
"I like it." She said and that was the end of their conversation.
A few weeks passed and September 1st came around. The day she and Ethan will go to Hogwarts for the whole year. They reached King's Cross Station around half past ten. Ethan and Penny each had their own trunk and pet on a cart that they wheeled through the station. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all. Of course Penny knew the passage for the platform 9 ¾ , seeing her brother run through it two times before.
"Have a good term." Their mother said to them hugging them both "I'll miss you two." She said a bit quieter with small tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"We'll come home for Christmas" Ethan reminded her before he turned to Penny.
"Since you are new to this, why don't you go first?" Ethan said and ruffled her hair.
She fixed her hair looking everywhere but at Ethan. Before she went through the stone wall she noticed a boy with round glasses and messy brown hair asking the guard for the platform. Not thinking much about it she appeared on the other side. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. Penny looked up and saw a sign overhead that said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. She looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, but still no sign of her brother.
"Penny!" She heard her name being shouted, there was a high chance that someone was calling for a different Penny and not her, and thus she didn't turn around.
Soon after she felt someone tap her shoulder and she turned around. The first thing she saw was the unchangeable bushy brown hair the girl had, and her rather large front teeth smiling at her.
"Hermione." She muttered in acceptance.
"So nice to see you" Penny nodded her head a bit and noticed two silhouettes coming towards them.
Looking at them there was no mistaking it, they must be Hermione's parents. Hermione introduced them quickly before they made their way to the train.
Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, cats of everywhere running between people's legs, owls hooted to one another over the sound of scraping of heavy trunks. The first few compartments were already packed with students, some even hanging out of the window to say their last goodbye to their families. Penny and Hermione took a seat in an empty cart and Penny started reading a book called Hogwarts: A history. Not soon after two boys came around asking if they could sit there. Penny didn't say anything since Hermione was a blabbermouth and could speak for two; she even introduced Penny to them. She looked up to acknowledge their presence before she went back to her reading. The boys introduced themselves as Seamus and Dean before they took their seat chattering between themselves. A few minutes after, a round-faced boy opened the compartment door and Penny noticed the toad in his hands. This boys name was Neville, he appeared quite shy as he introduced his toad Trevor.
Hours passed on the train and the four other occupants were chatting between themselves, Hermione tried to include Penny into the conversation with many unsuccessful tries, soon she gave up and let Penny continue to read the book she knew word for word, she herself read it a few times over already at home. Penny and Hermione went to change on the train with their Hogwarts robes in their hands. As they left their compartment something or rather someone hung himself over Penny's shoulders, making Hermione look at the person.
"Yo, sister!" He said in an amused tone "How cute, you already made friends, and here I was worried that your antisocial super power will hinder you." Penny pushed Ethan away from herself looking at her brother.
"This is Ethan. Ignore him, he's just an idiot." She said as she pointed her finger to her brother, before she started walking away from him.
"Penny~" He sang after her but she ignored him walking to the changing rooms.
Hermione confused at his antics, looked from Penny to him and back to Penny again. Before she could take a step after Penny, Ethan stopped her, his goofy attitude disappearing in a second, replaced with a kind smile as he looked down at her.
"Nice to meet you, please take care of my little sister she can be a handful." Hermione blushed a bit nodding before leaving after Penny.
The first thing they saw when they walked back into their compartment was a red faced Neville looking desperately for his toad. Hermione took pity on him and dragged Penny back out of the compartment, walking from compartment to compartment asking if anyone has seen Neville's toad, just to get the same answer over and over again. Penny thought silently to herself why she even did this, it's not like it's her toad or anything, but before she could make her mind about leaving back to their compartment Hermione already opened the door to the next one.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said a boy with red hair.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." Penny looked from the red haired boy and the dirt spot on his nose, to Hermione who obviously just ignored his answer as she sat down pulling Penny with her.
He looked taken aback, and all Penny did was thinking to herself how bossy Hermione could be.
"Er — all right." The boy cleared his throat.
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." He waved his wand around, but nothing happened.
The rat in his lap stayed gray and what looked to Penny, fast asleep.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said Hermione. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard — I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, and this " she pulled Penny to herself, much to her displeasure "— Is Penny Fontaine. Who are you?" She said all this very fast. Penny only noticing the boy with the round glasses now as the boy at the platform as he looked over to the red haired boy.
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.
"Harry Potter," said Harry.
"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."
"Am I?" the boy asked.
"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione.
"Do either of you know what House you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad. . . . Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." And she left, taking Penny with her.
"You talk awfully a lot Hermione" Penny told her as they walked into their compartment.
Hermione looked at her and said "Is that bad?" but Penny ignored the question sticking her nose back in to the history book.
Penny couldn't believe it, again she was dragged through the corridor by Hermione because she just had to go and ask the conductor when they'll arrive. On their way back they passed a familiar compartment and Hermione opened the door to it. When they stepped in Penny looked around the compartment noticing the sweets scattered all over the floor and Ron picking up his rat.
"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry.
Harry looked closer at the rat. "No — I don't believe it — he's gone back to sleep." And so he had.
Ron turned to Hermione and Peggy who were still there "Can we help you with something?"
"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"
"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her.
"Would you mind leaving while we change?"
"All right — I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a slightly sniffy voice as Penny looked at her.
Looking back at the red haired boy she pointer her finger to her nose.
"You've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" Ron glared at both of them as they left to their own compartment.
It was getting dark and the train did seem to be slowing down. Not soon after a voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." The train soon slowed right down and finally stopped. Hermione grabbed Penny around her arm interlocking their elbows as people pushed their way toward the door and out on to a dark platform.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" They heard a loud voice over the crowd.
"C'mon, follow me — any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
They followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them and Hermione was still clutching onto Pennys elbow as to not get separated. Nobody really spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice looking around for Trevor.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
Soon after Penny heard a loud "Oooooh!" as the narrow path opened up suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. There on a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore.
Harry and Ron were followed into their boat ironically by Hermione and Penny.