Acacia

The Scarlet Steam Engine

Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for Acacia and her storyline, the rest is down to JK Rowling, god bless her soul. Be warned that there is infrequent and mild swearing, and perhaps sexual references, though I'm not quite sure what nature it will take on yet. My warning is mostly just a precaution. Oh, and be sure to leave comments if you enjoy this! Perhaps it will motivate me to write more if anybody is actually reading it! *which they probably won't be* :(
Oh, and, if you were wondering who did my book cover- all credit goes to potterheadsunite7 who is an absolute babe, make sure to go and check out the account.

Shining icy orbs as brilliant blue as the retreating tides of the ocean sparkled with excitement as they looked on at the merriment ensuing before her, a sea of joyful faces bidding farewell to each other. Tears were wept, smiles were induced, words were said- and the mass of family and students raised an incredibly loud hum of continuous chatter.
The beaming face of Acacia Fox shined with the light of unmasked and unbridled anticipation, her big bright cyan eyes reflecting the heartwarming view before her.
She rushed an anxious hand through her thick silky curls of rich ebony, adjusting the unruly mass of soft dark ringlets slightly.
Hurrying forth into the dense crowd toward the whirring steam engine painted with vibrant scarlet, edging closer the edge of the platform in a desperate attempt to board the train as quickly as she possibly could before her nerves and or excitement got the better of her. The faint cries of distraught mothers saying their emotional goodbyes and the shrill giggles of happy children were all white noise, drowned out as Acacia heard only silence, and the gentle hum of her hastily working mind- thinking of anything and everything from the sorting ceremony and her dinner tonight all the way to her first broom ride and excitement for meeting new friends.
She hopped onto the train, after slipping through the busy crowd, and continued further within the steam engine through the narrow corridor to find a suitable compartment.
She peered in each compartment she passed, seeing one after the other packed full with students of all ages, crammed within like sardines.
Nearing the end of the train, she strolled through the final carriage, bouncing on her toes as she walked, optimism not hindered as she scanned the many compartments.
Acacia's smile only brightened when she approached the penultimate door, seeing that behind it lay a sparsely filled compartment containing only two boys in their first year.
The first boy had a charming warmth to him, his eyes holding a welcoming kindness in their pools of rich hazel, the colour of smooth caramel. His hair was scruffy and slightly straw like, the same deep gold as crunchy autumn leaves laying upon damp grass muddied by dirt and age. He bore pronounced facial scars across his structured features, staining his otherwise comforting aura.
The second boy was a portly one, his belly round as the tip of his upturned nose, his hair a pale mousy brown and his eyes a shimmering murky blue like the water of a lake, sitting upon the sallow canvas of his pale skin. Acacia watched as he shifted around in his seat uncomfortably, telling by the nervous glint in his beady eyes that he was a mild and slightly unstable character.
She stepped forward slightly, piercing sapphire orbs sparkling with kindness, and placed a gentle hand to the door- her small delicate porcelain digits knocking against the thin glass pane. She carefully twisted the door knob after gaining their attention, and swung open the door so she could face them properly from her position in the doorway.
"Do you mind terribly if I joined you? It's just, everywhere else is packed full." Acacia asked in her usual melodic yet chirpy tone, flashing her gentle full-lipped smile at each young boy.
"Not a problem, you're very welcome." The lanky one replied quickly, reciprocating her smile. Hearing their permission, Acacia proceeded further with the room, closing the door carefully behind her.
"Thank you, my name's Acacia Fox- nice to meet you." Acacia told them politely, outstretching her long-nailed hand.
"Remus Lupin," the first one spoke clearly as he shook her offered hand.
"P-Peter Pettigrew..." the other boy spoke in a small voice, an uneasy smile resting on his thin lips as he awkwardly accepted her invitation of a hand shake.
"Please, sit." Remus spoke with warmth, gesturing at the empty seat opposite him and Peter.
Acacia nodded firmly, moving to the offered space and sitting herself down upon the cushioned bench.
"Now, what house are you both hoping for?" Acacia asked in an interested tone once she had settled down, her big eyes darting from boy to boy.
"Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, I reckon." Remus answered, a satisfied sparkle in his honey brown orbs as he spoke of each house.
"I'd like to be a Gryffindor too." Peter nodded, his expression clearly displaying his ultimate lack of confidence when placed in the spotlight.
"Yeah, I think Gryffindor sounds best. But I'm not entirely sure if I'm brave enough, though I can only hope." Acacia agreed in a wistful tone.
"What lesson are you most excited for?" Remus asked the group, slightly raising one of his sparse dirty blonde brows.
"I think Herbology sounds nice. I've always loved plants, I used to help my late grandmother tend to her garden." Peter replied, speaking in a far more eager tone that he had not yet made use of.
"That's sweet, but I think I'd be more suited to Charms or Potions, I want to be a world class healer when I grow up, one of St Mungo's finest." Acacia told them with unbridled passion within her excited tone.
"Impressive. I'm looking forward to Transfiguration, my father said I should be good at it." Remus added, a proud smile playing upon his dry lips.
"I heard the History of Magic professor is an outstanding bore." Peter informed them in a slightly amused voice.
"Isn't he a ghost?" Remus queried.
"A dead professor? How intriguing." Acacia giggled softly.
Before Peter could add to the subject as he had been planning to, the compartment door whipped open suddenly and two tall boys rushed in, clutching their chests as they both heaved deep wheezy breaths- visibly recovering from physical exertion.
The first boy to hurry inside had messy raven hair that strongly resembled a bird's nest, warm hazel eyes hidden beneath circular spectacles, a gangly lean figure and fair skin.
The second had a thick mop of tousled ebony waves, an olive toned pale face with a sharp jawline and defined cheekbones, as well as striking stormy grey eyes like drizzly rain over a choppy sea.
They were both fairly handsome for boys so young, yet the second one had to be the most attractive, holding an appeal past his years.
"Um... hello there?" Remus spoke unsurely, seemingly reminding the intruders of their presence.
"Hiya, sorry 'bout that, I'm James Potter." The bespectacled one spoke with a polite nod to the trio, his voice still breathy.
"Sirius Black, pleased to make your acquaintance," the second one spoke in a rich velvety voice dripping with charm, sending a suave smirk to Acacia as he spotted her opposite the two boys, "Especially you."
"That was cheesy," Acacia laughed lightly, a silky melodic laugh that echoed in his mind like a broken record.
"That was classy." He protested with a slight pout.
"If you say so," James sung in an amused voice, chuckling when his friend sent him a sharp glare.
"Come, sit down, there's plenty room." Remus told them politely, gesturing at the spare seats beside Acacia.
The duo strode over with obvious confidence and planted themselves down in the spaces, Sirius next to her and James on the end.
"Acacia Fox." She greeted the boys, smiling kindly and presenting them her hand to shake.
James shook it politely, before Sirius brought it up to his lips and placed a light peck upon her alabaster digits, before releasing it again.
A soft laugh passed Acacia's plump lips as she raised one of her thick gently arched brows, as if asking him to rethink his actions.
Sirius just smirked in return, confidence remaining unabashed.
"Sorry for rushing in like that, we were fleeing some rather uncomfortable circumstances involving a slimy hopeful Slytherin." James grimaced slightly as he vaguely explained their presence.
"Ah." Remus replied with raised brows, as if automatically coming to an immediate understanding, a small glint in his toffee orbs and soft thin lipped smirk growing noticeable.
"You're not part of that snake clan, are you?" James asked quickly, realising that he didn't know much about the group they were among.
"Snake clan?" Acacia asked in a muddled tone, her well groomed eyebrow quirked with confusion.
"Slytherins, duh," Sirius laughed lightly at her obliviousness, "Do you live in a hole?"
"Don't be rude, Sirius, she might be a muggle born or something." James told him quickly, voice urgent as he looked at Acacia through pitying sympathetic eyes.
"I'm not a muggle born, I just... I-I'm... oh, it doesn't matter." Acacia stuttered awkwardly, her eyes glimmering with pain that had previously been so deeply buried within the fabric of her being, her sad past shining through within her bright cyan pools.
"Are you okay? Acacia?" Remus asked with slight worry in his eyes over seeing the previously bubbly and bright girl diminished to a quiet stammering one.
"I-I'm fine." Acacia told him shortly, a fake smile finding its way upon her soft pink lips, though not quite reaching her eyes.
"Good. Now, what were we talking about? Oh that's right, the snake clan." James changed the subject abruptly.
"They're Slytherins, that's the symbol of their house- a snake." Peter filled in Acacia with a faint smile.
"Though I'd say they deserve a cockroach instead." Sirius interjected, a cheeky grin plastered across his face, extracting a chorus of light laughter from the group.
"Seconded." James added with a low chuckle, delivering an encouraging pat on Sirius' shoulder.
After a short while of continued chatter, mostly centred on their excitement and/or nerves regarding the first day at school, they began to near their destination- the whirring wheels of the train never ceasing in their labour.
"Excuse me, I'm just going to go change into my robes." Acacia smiled slightly at the group, making her way out so that she could find the changing rooms at the foot of the train.
After changing, she braided her ebony curls neatly into an intricate Dutch plait that fell down her back to her waist, and proceeded to leave the changing rooms and return to her compartment. On the way, she passed a rather distressed looking fellow first year, with gorgeous bright auburn waves and glimmering emerald orbs.
"Excuse me? Pardon if it's none of my business, but you look slightly stressed." Acacia expressed her worry for the girl, who whipped her head up to meet Acacia's gaze.
"Oh don't worry about me, I just feel slightly shaken, is all. Two horrible boys were taunting my friend Severus, you see." The girl explained briefly, tucking a stray strand of her red hair behind her ear.
"Oh dear, is he okay?" Acacia raised a surprised brow, she didn't really expect Hogwarts to be a home to bullying.
"I think so, but I'm just angry with those irritating toe-rags, what did they say were their names?" Lily queried to nobody in particular, her voice faint, "Ah! Potter and Black, that was it."
"Potter and Black? As in, James and Sirius?" Acacia asked with a taken back expression, her friend Severus must have been the hopeful Slytherin they had mentioned.
"That's the ones, do you know them?" Lily asked her interestedly.
"Um, sort of, yeah. They came in our compartment complaining about your friend." Acacia explained with a puzzled expression, trying to mentally figure out who was in the wrong.
"Complaining about Sev? He did nothing wrong. I mean, he may have slightly controversial views- but he's a wonderful person inside!" Lily squealed, visibly annoyed by what Acacia had told her.
"I'm sure he is, but I'm afraid it was probably just a clash of personalities- James and Sirius aren't that bad, they seemed very polite and funny when I met them. Maybe jumping to conclusions isn't the best of plans." Acacia advised her kindly, looking out for the charming boys she had met previously.
"I suppose your right, but if they say anything remotely cruel to him from now on, I will not hesitate in hating their slimy guts all over again." Lily spoke with passion and bridled fury.
"Glad to hear it." Acacia giggled, amused by the redhead's fiery personality.
"Now we've almost arrived, I better get a wiggle on and change before we do." Lily told her with a faint smile.
"Alright, I suppose I'll see you around then." Acacia nodded, watching as Lily disappeared down the corridor in the direction from which she had came.
Acacia made her way back up the train to her compartment, finding all the boys dressed and ready when she entered.
"We'll be there soon." Remus informed her helpfully.