Hogwarts: My New Home (HP FanFic)

The Train Ride

Chapter 8: The Train Ride

The next morning, everyone was up at dawn. Ginny and I were finishing packing Ginny's trunk, seeing as Mrs. Weasley had already packed mine the night before. I could hear Mrs. Weasley shouting at the boys upstairs to hurry up. After finishing packing Ginny's trunk and making sure Sydney, who was safely back in her cage, was calm, we gave our trunks to Mr. Weasley who nearly tripped over a loose chicken in the yard putting them in the trunk. Seeing how small the car was, I wasn't sure how 9 people, 7 trunks, 3 owls, and a rat were going to fit. Mr. Weasley whispered something to Harry and opened the trunk that seemed larger than it should've been. He then loaded all of the luggage into the trunk with ease.

When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the backs seat, where Harry, Ron, Fred, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and I got into the front seat, which had been stretched out so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?" I opened up my mouth to tell her that most cars weren't even half this size, but closed it when I saw the pleading look Mr. Weasley gave me.

With that, Mr. Weasley started up the engine and we trundled out of the yard, I looked back at the house. I barely had time to wonder when I would get to see it again when they were back-George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.

Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.

"Molly, dear-"

"No, Arthur-"

"No one would see-this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed-that'd get us up in the air-then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser-"

"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight-"

We reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for our trunks and we all hurried into the station.

"Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to get into the station. Mr. Weasley had already told me how to get onto the station, so I was ready to go.

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed. After checking to make sure Sydney was safely wedged on top of my trunk, I ran into the barrier.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. I looked behind me and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it.

Smoke from the engine drifted over to the people that were saying their last goodbyes. Mrs. Weasley pulled me into a bone-crushing hug and said, "Behave and have a good term." The whistle blew and Mrs. Weasley quickly ushered us into the door and waved at us until the train started moving. We closed the door and Ginny went off with Fred and George while I went to find an empty compartment by myself. After searching through most compartments, I finally found one near the back of the train. I tried to heave my trunk onto the rail above after putting Sydney on there.

After a lot of heaving and huffing, I just gave up and left my trunk on the ground. I leaned back and closed my eyes, but was soon interrupted by a round-face boy with dirty brown hair, green eyes, and a light skin tone. "Excuse me, but all of the other compartments are full. May I sit here?" he asked clutching a toad.

"Sure," I gestured to the seat across from me. "Have a seat." He sat down and put his toad into a cage and tried to heave his trunk onto the ledge. "Here, let me help," I grabbed one side of his trunk while he had the other and together we lifted it onto the ledge. He then helped me lift mine onto the other ledge after he put his toad next to his trunk.

After we had sat down he introduced himself. "My name's Neville, Neville Longbottom. I've never seen you. Is this your first year at Hogwarts?"

"I'm a first year and my name's Maddi." I responded.

"Last name?" he asked, but I didn't get a chance to respond because a small girl. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty blonde hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant silver grey eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of bottle caps.

"Excuse me, but may I sit here?" she asked. With a glance at Neville who wasn't nodding or shaking his head, I nodded my head and the girl plopped down next to me.

"You were saying?" Neville asked me trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had started.

"Fairchild," I responded not making eye contact.

"Was your mom Lucy?" he asked me. I nodded. My gran knew them, but isn't she-"

I cut him off. "Dead, for about 10 years now." I replied dully.

"I'm sorry," the girl told me and gently touched my arm. I jumped, I had forgotten that she was there. "My mum died when I was young too. I saw it happen. She died inventing a new spell," she said looking down at her lap.

"Sorry," Neville and I said at the same time.

"It's fine," she replied. "By the way, my name's Luna Lovegood," she said to lighten the mood of the depressing compartment.

"Neville Longbottom," Neville said shaking her hand.

"Maddi," I said shaking her outstretched hand as well.

Before we could even bring up any conversation, the compartment door opened again. And guess what platinum blonde haired git walked in...

A/N: Okay so it's not really a cliffhanger, but I wanted to post another small chapter, because I've been feeling guilty for not uploading very often. I'll upload again soon and then hopefully get into a normal uploading pattern. Please comment and give me ideas for anything you want to be in the story. I'll do my best to put it in! Please VOTE-COMMENT-LIKE-FAN!

Thanks for reading!

Bye for now! :)