"Wait," she says with a sweet smile and follows Hermione to the door, the frog hidden behind her back. "Let me help you."
"Did you pack your winter coat?" Gemma Parkinson asks her daughter, while the platform nine and three-quarters is slowly filling up.
"Yes, Mum."
"And your books?"
"Yes, Mum."
"Good, good, good ... oh dear - your wand!"
"You've packed it into my suitcase an hour ago."
Edward Parkinson puts an arm around his wife, smiling. "Forgive your mother, she's getting on in years."
Pansy grins.
"How flattering!" Gemma hisses. Then she strokes Pansy's chin-length, dark brown hair and kisses her lightly on the cheek. "Behave yourself, and always be diligent, will you?"
"Of course, Mum. It's just, the train is leaving in twenty minutes, and I really want to sit by the window. So can I go now?"
"But only if you take Mabel with you," her father says, handing her the wicker basket from which a pair of yellow eyes is staring out. He bends down to hug her one last time. "Take care of yourself, Pancake."
A moment later, Pansy makes her way through the crowd, basket in one hand, suitcase in the other, until she finally gets on the scarlet red train that will take her to Hogwarts - a boarding school in Scotland and one of the world's most prestigious schools of witchcraft and wizardry.
She manoeuvres through the narrow corridor, when suddenly, just a metre ahead, a compartment door opens and a tall, fat boy steps out. Pansy can barely avoid a collision.
"Where are you going, Crabbe?" someone asks from inside the compartment, obviously unnerved.
"Finding the food trolley," the boy replies.
"Are you kidding? You just finished eating a pumpkin pasty!"
"But just a small one!"
"Trust me, your body will endure it, and now sit down and close the door, I've got to tell you something!"
"Darn," the boy mumbles and goes back inside.
Rolling her eyes, Pansy continues her way until she finds an empty compartment. It's large enough for six people, maybe even more when sitting closely together.
She pushes her suitcase under the window seat, places the basket opposite her and takes the pocket mirror out of her tiny satchel; her hair is still straight and neat, she has neither dark circles, nor cracked lips or a pale complexion (which her mother likes to point out frequently). Today is a good day.
Her father once told her that she is the prettiest girl in the world, but of course she's not naive enough to believe him. She has inherited some nice features, such as his hazel eyes framed by thick lashes, or her mother's heart-shaped face, but also his thin lips as well as her slightly upturned nose. She's also rather small for her age, and the fact that Hogwarts doesn't allow heels higher than one inch isn't really helping.
Pansy puts the mirror back again and opens the wicker basket. A three-coloured kitten pokes its head out and sniffs excitedly before hopping onto her lap.
"You don't need to worry, Mabel, you're such a pretty one."
Mabel already had her name when Pansy bought her a month ago at the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley.
A moment later, the compartment door is opened by two girls, who look very much alike. They're wearing their long, black hair in braided plaits.
"Hello, I'm Parvati."
"And I'm Padma."
Pansy thinks they're pretty, but not prettier than herself. She returns their smile. "I'm Pansy, and this is Mabel."
"How cute!" Padma sits down next to her and starts petting her cat.
Parvati sits opposite them. "I hope you didn't get her from that terrible shop in Diagon Alley, where they keep the animals in cages."
"Of course not," Pansy replies hastily. "She, um, appeared in front of our house! The poor thing was completely neglected and starved, can you imagine?"
"Oh no, that's awful!"
"I know, but we nursed her back to health - ouch!"
Mabel has sat up to knead Pansy's silk blouse with her paws.
Padma giggles. "Want me to hold her?"
"That would be better, I guess," Parvati murmurs, glancing at the hummingbird emblem on Pansy's cuffs. "Cécile Caron is a very expensive brand, isn't it?"
Pansy gives her kitten to Padma. "The blouse was a present from Cécile, she's friends with my mother."
"Really? How come?"
Pansy takes a meaningful pause, then says proudly, "Mum is the founder of Spellbound Couture."
Parvati gasps. "No!"
"Yes."
"Padma, remember what I said the other day about the Spellbound dress that was featured in Hi, Society! ?"
"Nope."
"It was a black evening gown," Parvati continues undeterred, "with a cape and golden ornaments - I said if I could wear this once in life, I can die happily."
"She's a little theatrical sometimes," Padma explains with a wink.
"Hmm, I know that dress, but it's too dark," says Pansy, tilting her head. "You're more of a summer, you need loud colours. Yellow, pink, maybe even orange."
Padma snorts in amusement.
"What's so funny?" her sister snaps. "You wouldn't even recognise style if it slapped you in the face."
Just as Padma is about to reply, the compartment is opened again.
"Ah, there are still seats left here," says a girl. She's already wearing the plain, black cloak that is part of the school uniform. As soon as she has stowed her suitcase and sat down next to Parvati, the train starts moving.
"I'm Hermione Granger," she says, slightly affected. Her front teeth are a bit large and her bushy, brown hair is in dire need of treatment.
"I'm Padma, this is Parvati, Pansy - and Mabel."
"Pleasure," says Hermione, sounding as if she couldn't care less. "I would've been here much earlier, but my parents were very suspicious about the portal between platforms nine and ten. They thought I would get a concussion by running into the wall. But it's not their fault, they are - what's the word? - Muggles."
"Oh." Pansy leans back, crossing her arms. She has been taught not to easily trust Muggle-borns, because it is eventually their fault that the wizarding community has to hide from Muggles. It would only be natural for them to stay in the non-magical world they grew up in, but the Headmaster of Hogwarts has a different opinion; if a child possesses the least bit of magic, it's going to receive the same acceptance letter as the real witches and wizards, for whom the magical education is practically a birthright.
"I see, so you must be very excited today," says Padma diplomatically.
"Hermione shrugs. "Not really, as I memorised all our textbooks, I mean, who wants to go to class unprepared, right? Plus, I've practised a few spells and they've worked every time. Maybe I'm just a natural, but I honestly hope the level will rise soon. After all, for Hogwarts I turned down a place at Westminster School."
Hardly noticeable, Parvati rolls her eyes.
"However, the idea of flying on a broom strikes me as a little silly. I hope they're sensible enough to not assign marks for it."
At that moment, she is interrupted by a knock on the door; an elderly lady asks if they would like something off the trolley, as provisions for the trip.
The twins buy a whole range of sweets, including Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans, Acid Pops and Chocolate Frogs, of which Pansy allows herself one, too. Only Hermione refuses, stating that her parents are dentists.
"Dentists? Sounds scary," says Parvati, opening a Chocolate Frog box.
"It's a recognised occupation," Hermione replies snappishly, but then suddenly backs away. "What is THAT?"
"A Chocolate Frog, what else?"
"Is it alive?"
"Like I said, it's a Chocolate Frog."
"That means no," Padma adds. "Are you afraid of frogs?"
"Of course not, but food isn't supposed to hop away from you! I couldn't swallow a bite of that thing."
"What a pity," says Parvati, biting off the frog's head.
Hermione turns away in disgust.
Pansy exchanges a meaningful look with the twins, then says, "I do hope that they reserve your place at the Muggle school."
"What do you mean?"
"There are a few Muggle-borns coming to Hogwarts every year, but sometimes they're sent back home after a few days, because their magical abilities are too weak."
"I don't believe so," Hermione says suspiciously.
Parvati nods. "But it's true, haven't you read about this?"
"Girls are mostly affected, by the way," Padma interjects.
"Girls with brown hair."
"And beaver teeth."
Hermione jumps up. "You only say that because you're mean!"
The twins bite their lips to keep from laughing, as she drags her suitcase from the luggage rack.
Pansy quickly opens her Chocolate Frog box. "Wait," she says with a sweet smile and follows Hermione to the door, the frog hidden behind her back. "Let me help you."
She opens the door with one hand, and places the wriggling frog into Hermione's hood with the other. Hermione scowls at her, before trudging down the corridor without another word.
Seconds later, the three girls watch the frog jumping onto Hermione's head with a Ribbit!, whereupon she stops dead in her tracks, slowly touches the frog - and utters a high-pitched scream.
The girls hastily close the door before they burst out laughing.
When she catches her breath, Pansy says, "Who does she think she is - Merlin? Just because she read a few books?"
"Seriously," Parvati brushes a tear from the corner of her eye, "if she's sorted into the same house as I am, I'll take the next train back to London."
"While we're at it, which house do you prefer, Pansy?"
"I don't care, my house will be the best either way, otherwise I wouldn't be in it."
The twins laugh.
"Well, it doesn't need to be Hufflepuff," she admits. "They say it's the losers' house. Besides, yellow doesn't suit me at all. But I'll probably be in Ravenclaw anyway, just like my dad."
"And your mother?"
"She went to a school in France called Beauxbatons."
Suddenly, a chubby boy bursts in. "Sorry, did you happen to see a toad?"
"A toad?" Parvati repeats, pulling a face.
Pansy giggles. "Is a Chocolate Frog enough for you? Then I can tell you exactly where to find one."
"No, we didn't," Padma answers helpfully.
"O-okay," the boy stutters. "So, if you see one -"
Pansy nods. "Then we will definitely throw it out the window."
All colour drains from his face.
"Now go away!"
Startled, the boy stumbles to the next compartment.
The girls look at each other. "Hufflepuff."
"What's wrong with people who take a toad to Hogwarts?" Parvati asks.
Padma grins. "Go ask the red-haired boy with the rat."
"I don't understand why owls are so popular either," Pansy remarks.
"Because they're useful?"
"What's useful about having your own owl? You can't even cuddle it. And if you want to send a letter, you just go to the owlery. Cats are definitely the best."
"I agree." Parvati holds out her package of Bertie Bott's Beans to them. "Take one, but no peeking!"
Padma goes first, with a light blue bean. She carefully bites off a piece. "Hmm … toothpaste. Could be worse."
"Apple," Pansy announces pleased.
Parvati fishes a white-yellow-speckled bean out of the package. She chews twice, then chokes and spits the bean into her hand. "Rotten egg!"
"The worst taste of them all," Pansy agrees.
Padma laughs humourlessly. "Then you've never caught dog food."
They keep going until the package is empty, while Mabel is playing with the beans that accidentally fell on the floor.
None of them notices that the landscape outside their window is increasingly changing; where villages and fields used to be, forests, twisting rivers and dark green hills are flying past them now.
A few minutes later, Hermione sticks her head back into the compartment. She searches the floor, ignoring the girls. "He's not here either, Neville," she calls to someone. "Let's go back to Harry Potter, who is also sitting on the train and whom I've already introduced myself to."
She gives them a smug smile and slams the door.
"Whom I've already introduced myself to," Pansy mimics her.
"So the rumours are true," Padma mumbles.
"Hey, let's go find Potter," Parvati suggests. "I want to know what he looks like, maybe he really has that lightning bolt scar on his face."
"He's not an animal in the zoo, Parvati."
Pansy shrugs. "I don't even know what's so special about him."
"Um, he's the boy who lived, and You-Know-Who disappeared because of him."
"A lucky coincidence," she says. "Potter was still a baby, he might have known where his nose is, but surely not how to destroy the most powerful wizard in the world."
"True ... but don't you want to ask him if he remembers anything?"
"He's always asked that. Would you like to constantly talk about the night your parents died?" Pansy looks in her mirror, applying a cream on her lips. "He probably has only Quidditch on his mind, like all the boys."
The sky has already turned deep-purple and the train starts slowing down, when an announcement sounds, "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage and the cages on the train, everything will be taken to the school separately."
After putting on their robes, Pansy puts Mabel back into her basket. "I'll see you soon," she says and follows the twins into the corridor, which is already full of students.
Further back, she recognises Hermione, who is comforting the chubby boy. His face is flushed and he has tears in his eyes.
"Look at that fat, little cry baby," Parvati says maliciously.
Finally, the Hogwarts Express comes to a standstill and the crowds push their way towards the door and out onto a small, dark platform. A moment later, the light of a lamp rises above their heads.
"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" a deep, growling voice calls. It belongs to a bearded man who is about ten feet tall and remarkably fat. His long, matted hair makes him look wild, and the lantern seems fragile in his huge hand. "C'mon, follow me - any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years, follow me!"
"Who exactly is supposed to follow him?" whispers Pansy. "I haven't figured it out yet."
Giggling, the girls link arms and follow the bearded giant down a path.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec. Jus' round this bend here."
Shortly afterwards, they stop at the shore of a great lake, where a fleet of small boats is bobbing in the water. But everyone's attention is paid to the mountain on the other side, on which a magnificent castle is perched. It has many turrets and towers, and its enlightened windows are sparkling in the night sky.
Admiring exclamations can be heard from all sides.
"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant says, suitably taking one boat for himself.
Pansy and the twins take a seat, followed by a girl with blonde pigtails.
"Everyone in? Right then - FORWARD!"
While the boats glide across the black lake, they're all staring up at their new home. Arriving at the foot of the mountain, they are carried through a tunnel and to a landing stage, where they finally climb out of the boats.
"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?"
"Trevor!" the toadboy cries relieved, taking his lost friend.
Parvati coughs. "Cry! Baby!"
They march on until they come to a long stone staircase. At the top they gather around a huge oak door - the entrance portal of Hogwarts.
The giant raises his huge fist and knocks three times.
They have finally arrived.