It's the special! In this, we get to see Starlie's thoughts as she meets Harry on the train. So, buckle up and grab your amptipoculators! Enjoy!
-LLF

Starlie sat lonely in the corner, watching the purple-ish creatures flutter in and out of sight. The train started to rumble, and the nargle resting on her hand startled and floated away on its veiny bee-like wings. She watched as a couple knocjocs (beetle-like creatures with opalescent shells) crawl around her feet, and then, they all flew away, leaving sparkle-filled dust in their wake. A soft, cool draft brushed her long dirty-blonde hair into her face, and she swatted the silky strands away. The seat on the trains was surprisingly comfortable, so she shifted and settled in. The movement caused her amptipoculators to slide down her narrow nose, and she pushed them up, only to fall down again as the compartment door opened and the train hit a bump.

"Can I sit here?" someone said, and Starlie turned her head, studying the nervous boy in front of her. He had wavy auburn hair and startling green eyes, and a couple wayward freckles scattered across his nose.

"Yes, you can. I've just been looking for nargles and wrackspurts with my amptipoculators," she replied, tilting her head. No wonder she hadn't been able to find any wrackspurts; they were all flying about his head!

The boy sat nervously across from her, sinking into the warn leather cushions. He set down a spotted brown owl next to him, and Crescent stirred inside her coat pocket. She patted the kitten's furry calico head, and studied the boy closer, noticing the subtle shifts in his hair's coloring. He must be a metamorphmagus, she realized. Interesting.

"What are amptipoculators?" he asked, the nervousness in his slightly accented voice giving in to curiosity.

"What is a thought?" she asked. This usually determined who people were. Nice people usually politely asked what she meant by that question, then tried to answer it. Snotty people asked something like, "what is your hair" or something dumb like that. Bullies didn't know what she meant and got in her face, and the arrogant ones ignored her questions and asked thiers again. The boy thought for a moment, his eyes relaxing to a light sage green as he pondered, and Starlie couldn't help but hope he was one of the good ones.

She was amused, incredulous, impressed, and fairly happy when he rattled off a long definition. No wonder the wrackspurts loved him so! She cut him off before he could drone off any longer.

"Amptipoculators are my glasses. They see creatures and things." The boy was even more fascinated now. She smiled, taking off the large silver spectacles and tucking in one of the many pockets lining the inside of her coat. "You've got quite a lot of wrackspurts flying around your head. You must be smart," she stated, making the boy blush and shuffle his feet.

"What's your name?" asked the boy, hair tinted pink at the tips.

"What's yours?" She watched curiously as the boy hesitated for a moment. "Harry Potter," he eventually spat out. She hadn't been surprised; he looked exactly like the pictures in the books looked, and with his metamorphmagus ability, she had been certain that he was the Boy who Lived. And frankly, she didn't really care. All that mattered to her was how good a person he turned out to be. Maybe even how good a friend.

"Starlie Lovegood," she said, responding to his earlier question. "My dad edits the Quibbler. Have you read it? Me and my younger sister, Luna, help too. I even write the astronomy section." That she did. She spent hours and hours finding new information, then scurrying up to her telescope to see if it was true. Luna usually accompanied her, white-blonde hair fluttering in the gentle breeze, usually holding the book they had discovered. Starlie missed her already.

"I've heard of the Quibbler," Harry said, squinting his eyes like he was trying to recall a memory. "Don't they have spells in the margins?" The reminder sent a sharp pain through Starlie's heart, but she smiled softly anyways.

"Yes. They are quite useful. Did you know my mother invented the Expelliarmus charm? She was quite famous."

"Was?" said Harry, a startled expression crossing his face and a burst of warning yellow shocking through his hair as he caught the word Starlie had hoped to avoid. She cast her gaze down as she told him, "Yes. She was experimenting on a spell when it backfired. Me and Luna watched her collapse," she sniffled a bit, hoping Harry wouldn't notice. "I was 10, it was last year. Her name was Pandora Lovegood. She was lovely. I miss her terribly and wish…" she trailed off, cutting the thought into smithereens. It wasn't good to dwell in the past, as Father always said. "But I still have my dad, and he's the kindest. And then there's Luna. She can't help but put a smile on everyone's face. We are still a happy family. No matter what happens." The last words were a promise she'd made to Luna, and she didn't intend to break it. She focused back on Harry, who's eyebrows were furrowed and his hair a dull, mottled blue. His eyes filled with a deep, brimming indigo while she looked at him.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered softly. Everything around him seemed to dim; grey-blue hair, charcoal-y eyes, and matte skin, which had lost its lively shine. "I lost my own parents too, but I didn't know them very much. Maybe… maybe we could be each other's…" his eyes twinkled. "...friend?" Starlie felt her lips lift in a warm smile. "Why not? I've never had a friend before!" Harry smiled, the happy twitch of his mouth bringing back his fiery hair with its golden highlights that streaked through it, and his giant emerald eyes glimmered with stars, especially lighting up his skin, which shone with life (and freckles) again. His talent was incredible, and Starlie was fascinated. And… that little nagging ache that always lingered like a persistent nargle in the corner of her thoughts slowly faded away in his presence.

Starlie guessed that's what friendship really felt like.

Aww Starlie the funny thing with this chapter is, when I was originally planning it, I just outlined it to be Starlie rambling about creatures and generally being ridiculous… just goes to show how stories have a life of their own. Thanks for reading! I hope you liked this special!

-LLF out