Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Hogwarts, nor do I write to interfere with the story lines that JKR has already set up. But, Andran, Owlery, Zinny, and most of the students are my own creations. Steal them, and I hunt you down. Deal with it.
“Andran! You great prat, why didn’t you write? Come to think of it, you could have called me, too, since your Mother keeps a telephone for her Muggle business dealings. Why didn’t you call?”
I smiled at my best friend, Zinny, who had been currently implementing her ‘punch-fist-ask-questions-later’ philosophy to my arm. “Oh, my summer was fine, thanks. And how was yours?” I drawled sarcastically.
Zinny gave me her famous, mischievous grin, “Brilliant. Your sarcasm hasn’t faded at all, I see. I may be lousy at greetings, but you’re not off the hook. I shouldn’t have to ask how your summer’s been, you should have written! Blimey, Andran, I wondered if you’d fallen off a broom and damaged your writing arm or something yet--” she reached out and hefted my right arm up in the air with her left. “It seems to be working just fine.”
I yanked it back from her, “I’m not so sure about that, maybe I should test it out, to make sure…” I flexed it, and then hit her back, harder.
“That’s it, you asked for it!” Zinny pounced. In less than a second, she had me in a headlock, though I had her free arm pinned behind her back. I think we looked like pretzels. That's what we felt like, anyway. Sure, we were close to the same height, but Zinny “ being a girl “ was much smaller in frame. Not that she’d ever let that stop her from trying to “ and sometimes succeeding in “ getting the better of me. Half of the time, she only succeeded when pulling some kind of cheap shot, but I let those slide. After all, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t let her win sometimes?
Several students who walked onto the platform eyed us strangely, I’m sure. They always did. It wasn’t until the Hogwarts Express blew its whistle that either of us snapped out of our brawl.
“Oh, well,” Zinny said, removing her foot from where she’d wrapped it over my shoulder, “Maybe we should get aboard?”
I paused and gave her a thoughtful look, “Yes, perhaps we should. Let me help you there, Madam Graceful,” I grabbed hold of her ankle and started to pull it over my shoulder, just to make her squirm.
“Stop it, Andy! Stop!” Zinny shrieked, somewhat delightedly.
“What ever you say,” I said, letting her go. Zinny fell, yes, but she somehow “ I’m not sure how “ managed to pull me down with her. She could always do that, pull me down with her; I’m pretty sure that’s her cheap shot. She’s got to have a charmed shoe, or something. Either way, I staggered and lost my balance. I fell and crashed into a rather short girl with lots of curly brown hair. I noticed it because it seemed to go everywhere, including in my mouth.
“Ah!” the girl yelped, dropping an armful of books. What, she couldn’t have brought a bag to carry them in? She was practically asking for them to be knocked out of her arms.
“Sorry,” I said, trying to get her hair out of my mouth while disentangling myself from Zinny “ who was laughing hysterically at me from where she was lying on the platform. Once that was accomplished, I tried to help her “ the girl, I mean “ pick up some of her books. She was muttering something to herself that I couldn’t hear, but I noticed that whatever she was saying, it sounded distressed. I tapped her on the shoulder, planning to ask her if she was alright, but when she turned to me, I froze. Her eyes… wow. I’d never seen anything so… anyway, I was speechless. Her large round eyes were a startling color. Violet. And her hair wasn't brown, it was a deep golden color... almost brown, but much prettier. I swallowed, hard.
I think I looked like a troll or something, because she frowned at me. I tried to say something “ anything! “ but those eyes were just so startling. Before I could find my voice, or stop her, she took her books from my hands and dashed off towards the train.
“Come on, Zinny,” I reached down and yanked her to her feet, “If we don’t go now, we’ll miss the train, like last year. Professor Granger wasn’t happy about that at all.”
“You mean, you didn’t enjoy those four weeks of detentions for being careless “ whoa!” Zinny yelped as I dragged her in the direction the girl had gone.
*** *** ***
My heart was pounding in my chest as I raced onto the train and into an empty compartment at the end. I shut the door, only wishing I could lock it and keep the rest of the world out. Why did stupid things always have to happen to me? I should have seen those two wrestling, and avoided them. Placing my things on the shelf overhead, I seated myself in the corner and drew my knees up tight to my chest.
Those oafs; I just can’t stand stupid people! Horsing around on the platform “ didn’t they know that was dangerous? Man! New school, new country, and a new life, right? Whatever. So far it had been unknown school, dreary country and same life the same as always. What had my uncle been thinking, sending me here? Life had been just as good back in Salem.
Wrapping my arms tightly around my knees, I sighed. Hogwarts, I thought. Give it a chance, Marti. Isn’t that what your Aunt and Uncle said? Just give it a chance. Hogwarts is one of the safest Wizarding schools in the world, right? This is just day one, nothing to really worry yourself over…
*** *** ***
I didn’t let go of Zinny’s hand until we had gotten aboard. She could complain about abuse all she wanted, but I could just as easily ignore her protests. Sometimes, I wonder where Zinny, Zilpha Pearson, would be without me to make sure she did things, like get on the Hogwarts Express before it left. The last three years had been completely her fault for distracting me…
“Zinny, do you want the train to leave without us, again?”
“Of course I don’t,” she said, yanking her hand free, “but I can walk on my own two feet, thank you.”
“Sure you can,” I said absently, beginning to look for an open compartment. “It’s getting you to go in the right direction that’s the problem. Help me find a seat, Zinny… Zinny?”
She’d vanished. I did a complete circle but she was… then I saw her. She had found a compartment of Hufflepuff students she knew, and was cracking jokes while parking herself on one of their laps. Last year, she’d sat on that same boy’s lap, only it was during Divination. Professor Brown looked she would skin Zinny alive for that one, and Headmistress McGonagall practically did.
“Wotcher, Zinny,” I muttered while turning away to look for someplace less crowded. “If I had written you, would you have even noticed? Or had the attention span to write back?”
Most everywhere was full. I made my way to the end of the train, going from compartment to compartment, wondering if I’d have to sit with some Slytherins “ gag me with a spoon. It was the last compartment, at the very end of the train that was empty. At last. I smiled and opened the door quickly. “Always the last place you look,” I muttered as I shut the door as fast as I could and tried to sit down.
“Aaack!”
“What the“” something pushed, rather forcefully “ and in a very inappropriate area, I must say “ sending me stumbling into the opposite seat. I jumped around to see what it was that had attacked my backside. There, where I had tried to sit, was the short girl who I’d blundered into on the platform, slumped down in the seat with her feet up in the air, ready to kick me… again.
She was glaring, her large violet eyes the size of galleons, “Do you try to flatten everyone you meet, or am I the only one who has that honor?” she said straightening herself in her seat.
“My word,” I stammered, more than a little embarrassed. “You have my apologies. It was an accident. I didn’t see you sitting there.”
She raised an eyebrow, “That much is obvious. You should install rear view mirrors so you can see around that rump of yours. Might help.”
I frowned, “I gave you an apology, what more do you want?”
She blinked her large eyes, “You're right. Sorry. You’re welcome to have a seat,” she stated blandly, “Just not mine.”
I found a grin pulling at my mouth as I sat down opposite of her. “My name’s Andran, by the way. Andran Audierus.”
She flashed a quick smile, and then tucked it away again. “Audierus?”
“Yes, it’s from a Latin base, meaning-”
“To listen, I know. Roughly speaking, your last name implies your line is made of good listeners.”
“Yeah,” I was surprised. “I didn’t think you’d know that. Not many know Latin very well.”
A small grin appeared on her face as she pulled her knees up to her chest again, “Nunquam denuo ambulare ab lumeni.”
“Beg your pardon?”
She drew a long curl behind her ear, “Its Latin. Look it up sometime. Where’s your... monkey?”
My face got hot, “My what?”
She scowled, “That girl who was sitting on your shoulder when you plowed into me on the platform. What do you think I meant?”
“Uh … never mind. That was Zinny, my friend. Last I checked she was flirting with a group of Hufflepuffs. She’s extraordinarily social.”
The girl cocked an eyebrow at me, “So it would seem.”
“Look,” I leaned forward, “I’m really sorry about that. Really. Zinny may seem strange, well I suppose she kind of is, but she’s a really nice girl too. Hey,” leaning over, I happened to notice her, really, for the first time. She had to be a first year, she was so short, and I knew he’d never seen her before at Hogwarts. But…I caught a glimpse of her figure behind her tucked up legs. First years didn’t have curves like that.
“Hey what?”
“Is this your first year here?”
“Boy smart. Catch on quick. Yes it is.”
I was confused. “Is there something I’m missing? Something’s not adding up quite right, here,”
“Oh, that,” she said and waved a hand in my direction, “It’s just the left side of your brain.”
I frowned. That had been uncalled for, completely! “Perhaps I lost it in that jungle on your head. Oh, wait, is that your hair?”
The girl’s face went red and she clenched her fists. “I’d rather have a jungle on my head, and support the environment, than give off your stench, and pollute it!”
My temper began rising. “Oh, sorry about that. I know things must smell different outside of Munchkin Land.”
“Oh, what was that?” she shouted, jumping to her feet, her red face looking rather menacing when it contrasted with her violet eyes. “I didn’t catch that last bit there, as I don’t speak ape!”
“You could have fooled me! It seems you have your Howler-Monkey down, fluently!”
“Oh, that is it, I am out of here!” she grabbed up her books and things from the overhead shelf, and stormed towards the door. She opened it, but turned back rather than going through it. It slid shut again. “You are the most rude, wretched, deplorable, pompous fool I have ever had the misfortune to meet.”
I met her gaze head on. “You are just steaming mad, aren’t you? Oh, my mistake; it’s the jungle mist.”
“Bite me!”
There was a loud thunk as she slammed into the glass door, full throttle. I was shocked she hadn’t shattered it.
*** *** ***
Holy crap, what did I do? I thought as I fumbled with my hand to find the handle to the door. I felt dizzy and my nose was hurting, and I couldn’t find the handle to save my life. Whatever.
And then he started laughing “ laughing at me! Sliding glass doors were dangerous, and I could have been seriously hurt! Some people had been decapitated by them, as Aunt and Uncle had always told me. Geez, the stupid stuff always happens to me.
My fumbling hand finally found the handle and I raced out of the compartment, but my face was feeling numb, so I wasn’t really paying attention, and I smacked into the refreshment trolley, sending my books and pumpkin pasties flying everywhere.
Without warning, I burst out into tears, which didn’t make the fact that nearly a boxful of Bertie Bott’s had somehow found their way into my bra any better.
It was Andran’s fault. Andran Audierus. It was his fault that now everyone in the entire train, except the conductor himself, were now looking out of their compartments to see what was going on, and was seeing a sobbing mess of hair with candy in her bra. Well, they didn’t know there was candy there, but I did.
Ooh, I swore right there, he was going to pay for this. I now had my brazier full ammunition, and I had a mind to use it to get him back.
*** *** ***
Zinny handed the girl a few of her books before she slipped into the compartment with me.
“What did you do?” Zinny asked, somewhat menacingly.
“Excuse me?” I stammered, “I didn’t do anything! That toxic harpy out there started it!”
Zinny raised her eyebrows, “Toxic harpy? That’s a tad harsh, Andy. She’s new.”
I shook my head, “I don’t care. I tried to be nice, I really did, and she just… she…”
“She got under you skin, didn’t she?”
“No she didn’t!”
“Aha,” Zinny laughed. Folding her arms and plopping onto the seat, “She got to you. I’ll bet she got you so riled up that you didn’t even get a chance to get her name, or any information about her. You just let her push your buttons.”
I was outraged, partially because I was still fuming from the fight, but also because Zinny was closer to the truth than I wanted to admit. I grabbed Zinny by her shirt collar and held her up, glaring into her face, “Cork it, Zilpha! She didn’t do anything but pester my temper!”
“Is that a euphemism? If so, it’s not very good. Too many different possible meanings-”
“ZINNY!”
I dropped her as she started laughing hysterically. A glance out of the compartment door showed me that the girl was gone and the trolley with her. I couldn’t believe how angry I’d gotten over a few words… Zinny and I had shouting matches all the time, throwing insults like they were confetti, and I’d never gotten that mad before with her. I shook my head to clear it, then decided to sit down…
…And somehow managed to end up flat on my back. I coughed, completely winded. Zinny doubled over with laughter. Merlin, did she have to laugh at everything?
A moment later, I sat up to check what had caused my fall. At first I thought it was marbles, but then my vision cleared and I noticed it was actually some Bertie Bott’s, scattered under my feet. I’d slipped on them. I frowned…
I know there had been some on the trolley, but how did they get inside the compartment with the door closed?
Oh, please read and review... this is my first humor fic, and I am open to suggestions on what more should happen. Next chapter is waiting in the wings!