"Miss McClain! Would you like to demonstrate how to cast the levitation charm, since I've seen you paying attention quite well." Professor Flitwick said, pointing to Ember, who was now smiling brightly, ready to prove herself to her class.
"Wingardium Leviosar," She said, almost welling up in tears when the charm failed to work.
"Ahem, well, that's okay. Miss Hale, would you like to give it a try as well?" Flitwick said, gesturing to the confident Slytherin as she pulled out her wand.
"Wingardium Leviosa," Aspen calmly said, while using the swish-and-flick motion that the charms professor taught.
At her command, the feather quill levitated in the air for a few seconds, waiting for Flitwick's command to levitate it back down.
"Good job! I'm very pleased with you, Miss Hale." He said, giving her a nod to levitate the quill back down, which she did.
"Okay, well, class, dismissed. Everyone, please remember to keep practicing the levitating charm. Swish and flick!" He said, while the sea of first years hustled out of the classroom.
"Great job, Aspen." Ember heard Draco Malfoy and some other students say to her arch-nemesis, making her blood boil.
'Why am I never good enough,' she mumbled in between tears. 'Why am I always forgotten?'
*End of Flashback - Sponsored by the Hogwarts Express*
"Ember? Wake up!" Pansy Parkinson said, shaking her best friend, Ember McClain violently.
"Ugh! What do you want Pansy?" She said, groaning and sitting up on the long, uncomfortable wooden bench.
"We're about to board. And you're welcome, I could've left you here to miss it." Pansy grumbled.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that, Pug Face!" Ember shot, sending her friend into tears as she shuffled away.
Ember just rolled her eyes and picked up the beautiful black cat next to her, setting her in her lap and staring deeply into her glorious blue eyes. She sighed and gave the cat a hug.
"At least I'll always have you, right Eleanor?" Ember whispered to the cat.
'Mreow!' Eleanor purred, rubbing her face against her owner's.
Ember tucked Eleanor back into her carrier, stood up, and wheeled her luggage onto the long red train that led to Hogwarts.
"C'mon Lilli, we're gonna be late! Vivi's probably already taken a seat!" Ember heard her beloved enemy say from across the boarding station.
"Ugh! That brat has everything, doesn't she, Eleanor?" Ember whispered to her cat, only to receive a faint 'meow'.
---------------
"C'mon Lilli, we're gonna be late! Vivi's probably already taken a seat!" Aspen said to her best friend, Lillian.
"I'm coming! Not my fault that someone tripped me during our passage over here." Lillian shot back with an annoyed tone.
"It was an accident!" Aspen said, rolling her eyes in a joking manner.
The two friends boarded the train near the back, where most of the Slytherins sat, most likely because it was more of the secluded section and Slytherins weren't the most 'social' people.
"Lilli! Aspen! Over here!" The third year Slytherin girls heard their fourth year friend say from across the train's section. They eagerly raced over to her, not really caring who they bumped into on the way, but most of the people had already cleared or found a spot. Aspen immediately found Draco sitting in the cabin across from them, maintaining eye contact with him, even as she sat down.
"Nice spot!" Lillian said sarcastically, brushing some stray crumbs off the table. "No one asked for your vote-" Vivid began.
"Hello, dears. Would you like some snacks?" The kind lady who towed the food cart asked. "Chocolate Frogs and Beartie Bott's Every Flavour Beans are on sale." She added
"Um. I think we'll take three of everything." Still keeping eye contact with Draco, not breaking it until she had to take out the money.
"Make that four." Everyone looked toward Vivid. "What? I'm hungry!"
Aspen sighed, then nodded to the lady, taking out more of her spendings and passing them towards her. The snack lady grabbed their order, giving them what they wanted, then left for the next cabin.
Aspen picked up eye contact with Draco, once again, but this time she waved him over and smiled a bit. Draco sneered at his thugs, Crabbe and Goyle, then got up and walked over to Aspen, who got up, remembering that he liked the seat closest to the window.
"Hello, Malfoy." Lillian sneered, rolling her eyes at Aspen as he sat down, then her after him.
"Pleasant to see you too, Rose." Draco spat back, annoyed.
"So, what did you do over the summer, Malfoy?" Vivid asked in a friendlier tone.
"Oh, just helped my father with ministry stuff. Have you heard? Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban!" He replied. "My father made sure that I was the first one to know. He's a very dangerous man."
"How? Does anyone know? Or did your father fail to mention that to you?" Lillian said, her eyes rolling in a sarcastic tone.
Draco bit his lip as his expression became bitter and mad, looking as if he was about to start Wizarding War II or something!
"Draco, Lilli, stop it!" Aspen said, placing her hand on Draco's arm. Once she realized what she was doing, she quickly moved it away, flushing from embarrassment. Draco knew she was never going to admit her feelings to him by herself, maybe all she needed was a little push...
"Oh, Aspen, I've got something to show you. I'll go get it, stay right here." Draco said sliding out of the compartment and back to his own.
"And I think I'll take this!" Aspen heard Ember McClain say, snatching a chocolate frog box from behind her. Aspen quickly stood up, angry.
"Give it back, McClain!" Aspen said sternly.
"No Ember? Love, I thought we were down to the first name basis." Ember frowned playfully.
"We're not in the mood for your games." Vivid said.
"Really? Then why are you allowing me to do... this-" Ember made another mad dash for a can of Bertie's Beans.
"Not so fast, Ember." A cold, stern voice said behind her with a smirk, snatching the snacks back and handing them back to Lillian.
"So, Draco, how was your summer?" Ember said beside Aspen, leaning on the table in the middle.
Draco knew Aspen was never going to admit her feelings to him by herself, maybe all she needed was a little push...
"Good, how was yours?" Draco said with a smirk, sitting down, knowing that he was making Aspen jealous as she leaned into her hand, resting her elbow on the table
"Mine was great too... And now my whole year has gotten a whole lot better now that I'll be sharing a new year at Hogwarts with you." Ember batted her eyes playfully at Draco.
"Hmm... I look forward to that." Draco whispered, winking at Ember started to leave.
Ember turned around violently, flinging a pumpkin pastie into Aspen's face, leaving her friends and Draco shocked.
"What was that for!?" Draco shouted, making the whole section of the train turn around to face him.
"I thought you said you were looking forward to a little mischief..." Ember whispered, but loud enough for everyone to hear, flipping her hair, then walking away.
---------------
"Hey Dove, everywhere else is full, um... do you mind?" Harry asked, blushing a little.
"Of course, Harry! Come right in. We also have two more spots if Ron and Hermione want to join us." Dove replied in her cute English accent.
Harry smiled brightly and slid in next to her, earning a cute blush from Dove and a giggle from her friends, Eleara Fernsby and Mya Madranette.
Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger sat down, one next to Mya, the other next to Eleara.
"Hi, you must be Ron Weasley. I'm Mya Madranette." The small blue black haired girl said, shaking his hand. He smiled widely, even as Mya took out her sterling grey cat next to Scabbers, his pet rat.
Eleara and Hermione just exchanged a formal shake and a slight nod as a greeting, as everyone knew that they were cousins.
The food cart pulled up with all sorts of magical candies and treats. "Hello dears, would you like something? Beartie Bott's Every Flavour Beans are on sale for one galleon, and Chocolate Frogs for only forty knuts. But of course we have loads more than just that. So, what will it be?"
"Um... I'll take the Beartie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, please." Mya said meekly.
"And I'll take three Chocolate Frogs and one of the Beans please... And I'll also pay for Mya's." Ron added, pulling out the money and blushing madly. Everyone gave Ron a curious look, but then went back to ordering.
---------------
"Aspen! Are you okay?" Draco said, turning back around, his face still full of anger and rage.
"Yeah, i'm fine, just... shocked." Aspen said, wiping the pastie out of her eyes. Suddenly, Draco grabbed her hand.
"What's wrong?" She asked. "Nothing, just, you'll get it on your shirt." He replied, winking, glancing down at her mint green sweatshirt. "Here, let me help."
"We'll go get more napkins, be right back." Vivid and Lillian said as the giggled all the way down to the cart lady.
He grabbed a napkin off the table and began to wipe the pumpkin pastry off of her face. Aspen, stayed perfectly still until Draco got it all off with the (now messy) cloth napkin. Aspen's breath hitched as Draco stared lovingly into her eyes, feeling herself lean closer.
"Hey, we're back - Wait... were you guys going to..." Vivid trailed off as she entered the compartment. "Maybe we should go get more 'napkins'", Lillian added.
"No, it's alright guys. I'm good." Aspen blushed.
"I think I'm gonna go. My father gets insecure without my 'bodyguards' around to protect me." Draco said, getting up and moving back to his own compartment with Crabbe and Goyle.
"Were you guys gonna..." Vivid started. "Not. another. word." Aspen said, leaning against the wall to take a nap while her friends giggled in the background.