A New Reign

2 || The Hogwarts Express

Book 1 || Chapter 2

Selina

It's an odd little sight, I have never seen anything quite like it. Alice doesn't seem all too out of place but her eyes gleam a little and her lips turn down as she watches the families around us. Her eyebrows crease and she seems deep in thought. An unknown feeling grips at my stomach and I think of my own parents, who are too busy minding our kingdom at the moment.

"You miss your mother, don't you?" I observe and she turns to me, blinking fast as if her thoughts had been clouding her vision.

"Of course, don't you?" She seems almost taken aback and it's as if my calm demeanor is a personal offense.

As we make our way through the crowds on the station, I turn over her question in my mind. "Well, no," I say, "I'm not quite sure I can say I do."

"Why not?" She questions, eying me from the side with a frown.

"I'm not sure what it should feel like," I say slowly. "Missing someone, I mean."

Alice tilts her head thoughtfully but says nothing. We have nearly an hour until the large scarlet train is scheduled to leave so we board in order to secure our own compartment. It isn't long before even our bodyguards leave us, having served their purpose to escort us to the train and Alice and I are left on our own.

I lean against the glass pane beside me with my sketchbook and drawing quill set on my lap, but no inspiration seems to follow. Behind the window, a family of redheads talk animatedly, the children are visibly excited and the mother seems to be reprimanding them.

It's not long before the train begins to move and I'm scribbling away in my notebook. I'm starting to draw two bright green eyes when a knock on the compartment door, causes me to look up in surprise. A girl with bushy brown hair slides opens the door. Curiously enough, she's already wearing her uniform robes rather proudly.

"Would you mind? I was searching the other compartments but the rest of them seem to be already full and I would rather not be alone on the train ride to Hogwarts. It'd be a rather dreadful and humiliating predicament, wouldn't it?" Her voice is quick and nervous but she seems nice enough.

"Sure, I don't suppose we'd mind," I say, looking to Alice for confirmation and she nods, closing the book in her lap.

"Oh thank you," The girl says, smiling widely. She rolls in her luggage and, after whipping out her wand from inside her robes, uses a spell to lift it into the overhead shelf. She sits next to Alice, across from me and introduces herself. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Granger?" I say quizzically. It isn't a pure-blood family name I recognize immediately, and there aren't very many to remember.

"Well it isn't such a peculiar name in the muggle world but I do suppose you mustn't have very many here," She says, rambling a bit.

"Oh, muggle-born? That must be fascinating," I say, watching Hermione intently.

"Well I suppose so," She says, looking a little at lost.

"She doesn't get out much but she's read a lot about muggles. She's fascinated." Alice teases.

"Oh hush," I say, rolling my eyes but smiling a little. "Do tell me about the muggle world, Hermione."

"Well for starters, where there's magic in the wizarding world, there is technology in the muggle world," Hermione starts, "Technology makes several things much easier for muggles but I don't suppose you can really use technology where there is a lot of magic, from what I've read it would interfere with the signals."

"Signals?"

"Well yes, electronics often use wireless internet signals that are connected to large satellites scientists put in the sky," Hermione explains.

Alice and I share a look of astonishment. I had never quite imagined muggles would be quite so resourceful.

"I realize I never quite caught your names," Hermione says with raised eyebrows.

"My apologies," Alice pipes in. "I'm Alice Black, and this is my cousin, Selina."

"Cousins?" Hermione does a double take. "You look as though the both of you could be sisters."

"Thank you, I suppose," I say, laughing.

"Well then, it makes sense that you would both try and get into the same house, right?" She asks thoughtfully.

I share a look with Alice before turning to respond to Hermione, "Well we haven't really talked much about it if I'm honest."

"Well I've read all about it," Hermione says matter-of-factly. "Gryffindor sounds the best- I've read Dumbledore himself was in that house- but I guess Ravenclaw wouldn't be all too bad."

"My mum was a Gryffindor, she says it's the greatest house there is," Alice brags while grinning. They talk animatedly about the houses but for the most part, I stay silent. After some time I return to gliding my pencil over the pages in my sketchbook. Every so often they ask for my opinion, which I provide without so much as looking up at either of them.

After perhaps an hour, a round-faced boy opens the compartment door, sniffling and wiping his nose on his robes. "My- my t-toad. Have you seen him?"

"Sorry, we haven't," Alice says, sharing an alarmed expression with Hermione who seems equally surprised as Alice.

"We can help if you would like," I offer. "You needn't be worried, I'm quite sure we can find him."

"Yes, please," He mutters, looking down at his trainers.

I stand, retrieving a handkerchief from my cloak pocket. "It'll be alright," I say, with what I hope is a comforting smile as he takes the handkerchief to wipe his eyes and nose. "What's your name?"

"Neville," He says, sniffling loudly.

"Well, Neville, you and I can take the front of the train," I suggest softly, turning to Alice and Hermione. "And, I suppose you two can take the back."

"Alright," Alice agrees and Hermione nods. I hold Neville's arm to guide us out of the compartment and the girls follow suit. We part ways with the girls, looking for Trevor- which does happen to be the rather unfortunate name Neville had given his pet toad.

We continue our way down the train until we come to one particular compartment. I open the door, greeted by a lanky red-head and dark-haired boy- Harry.

Author's Note

I cannot possibly express how unbelievably sorry I am that I haven't gotten out as many updates as I had hoped I would have had at this moment. In my defense, last week I was on break so I hadn't been home and in the brief time I had wifi, I was focused on finishing my spring break homework. I'm sorry to say but school work comes before my writing. I do look forward to more updates coming soon and hopefully, I may update even sooner than Monday (don't count on it though). Per usual, please leave a vote and comment telling me what you thought about this chapter!