Chapter Three
Andrea Sparks
The Hogwarts Express was a working wonder; both to Lilly and all the other first-years on the platform gazing at the huge train. A sign on a pillar read, '93/4'. Lilly was both excited and nervous. What if I never meet anyone?, Lilly thought worriedly. However, she did not have time to think about it because her parents were rushing her onto the train. It was ten-to-eleven – ten minutes before the train left for Hogwarts.
When Lilly had found an empty compartment with her parents, it was time to say a dreaded goodbye. Lilly stuffed her trunk under her seat and put Doan on top of the seat, then turned to her proud, beaming parents. Joan was on the verge of a waterfall of tears, before wrapping Lilly in a vigorous embrace.
"Lilly, I want you to know how proud I am of you, and how much we'll miss you," she sobbed. Joan withdrew from the hug before blanketing her nose with a handkerchief in which she blew her nose. Folding the lightly saturated cloth into her shoulder/hand bag, she knelt slightly to look Lilly in her eyes, advising, "Remember, we're only an owl away, and we'll write to you as much as we can. You be good and make a lot of friends, all right?"
Lilly smiled and hugged her mum again, separating quickly. "Yes, Mum, of course. I'll miss you, too."
Joan retreated to stand beside Daniel, who took the movement as his cue to say his own farewells.
"I really will miss you. Good luck at the Sorting Ceremony. Your mother was in Hufflepuff, and I was in Ravenclaw. Don't mess around with Slytherin, respect the Gryffindors, and pay attention in your lessons. I think you'll be the finest witch in all of Hogwarts," said Dan affectionately.
Lilly hugged him and said, "You needn't worry, Dad. I'm sure I'll have the time of my life!"
Dan smiled. "I'm sure you will, too. Make friends, dear, and we'll see you soon." He gave Lilly one more hug and so did Joan. Then they walked out of the compartment and off the train. When the train started to inch slowly out of the platform, Lilly rushed to the compartment window and quickly scanned the crowd for her parents. When she spotted them, she waved furiously and beamed. They did the same until they were no longer in sight.
Lilly sat down and pet Doan. If she did not make any friends, Doan would be her friend. Still, it would not be the same as a real one. Lilly thought she probably would meet someone in her dorm, maybe, or at a feast or lesson. Lilly had a bit of hope. She gazed out the window at the rolling mountains and hills and it reminded her of her own home. Then she thought of her new home, Hogwarts. How marvellous it must be! Something suddenly dawned on Lilly. I'd better get into my robes, she thought.
When she opened her trunk, she saw a rather thick square of parchment in the corner. Lilly picked it up curiously and read it. It said:
Dearest Lilly,
We are proud of you for going to Hogwarts, and we're sure you'll have fun and make friends, just like we did. To remember your adventures, we give you a Mamer: it's a special kind of camera that allows the pictures you to take to move if you brew it in the potion on the back of this letter. We wish you the best of luck at school.
With Love,
Mum and Dad
Lilly smiled. Dad must have slipped this inside my trunk when he got the trolley, thought Lilly. Then she glanced in her trunk and she saw that underneath where the note had been was a small metal square with a big black lens in front and a small button off to the side. It looked like a digital camera, but it said 'Fencee's Wizard Shots' on the back. Also, underneath the Mamera was a little picture of Joan and Dan eleven years ago, when Joan was still pregnant with Lilly. It moved, snow was falling, and Dan and Joan were waving at her. Lilly smiled and she felt her heart glow with happiness.
Lilly put it back in her trunk and put on her new robes. She thought she looked splendid in them. Then Lilly took out her wand, her copy of Standard Book of Spells: Grade One, and her miniature Boggart. She found the spell to ward off something frightening, and it was to say, 'riddikulus' to make it amusing. Lilly held out her wand and unlatched the chest that the Boggart was kept in and got prepared. Then, out of the chest came a bat the size of her fist.
Lilly was stunned. What was a bat doing in the Boggart's chest? Oh, now I remember! A Boggart turns into something you are afraid of, Lilly recalled.
"Riddikulus!" Lilly cried. With that, the bat's body turned into a bat-headed pig. Just as Lilly laughed and was about to wave the Boggart back in its chest, a rather heavyset, brown-haired, and brown-eyed girl slid open the compartment door.
"I'm sorry," she said. "All the other students were making fun of me. May I join you?"
Lilly felt a jolt of sympathy. How mean could these kids get? But then again, a bat-headed pig was waltzing around on the seat.
"Of course," said Lilly smiling at her. The girl sat down and saw the Boggart.
"Here, let me help you with that." And then, the pig disappeared into sparks and the chest's latches snapped shut and jumped into Lilly's trunk which closed itself. Lilly's eyes were wide open in amazement.
"How on earth did you do that? You are a first year, aren't you?"
"Yes, I just … er … learned it on my own." The girl said, stuttering. "I'm Andrea Sparks, pure-blood. You?"
"I'm Lilly Green," Lilly racked her brain for a moment, "and I'm pretty sure I'm a pure-blood."
Andrea looked relieved. She sighed. "Good, erm … I mean – fine. Nice cat." She looked admiringly at Doan who lay comfortably on his back, a sign that he wanted a fuss from either of the girls.
"Thanks. His name is Doan, after my parents."
Andrea obliged Doan's needs by brushing the soft fur on his underside.
There was a knock at the compartment door and a jolly looking witch was wheeling around a cart of colourful sweets. Lilly went bug-eyed. Andrea looked at it as if it were grass.
Andrea bought Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and a chocolate frog, whilst Lilly bought Pumpkin Juice, Fleeky's Gummy Amphibians, and Cotton Coco Balls. Lilly shovelled her purchases down bit-by-bit, savouring and enjoying every minute of its flavour. However, Andrea was sceptical. The wizard card in her chocolate frog container was Dumbledore, and when Andrea thought Lilly's back was turned, she took her wand, whispered something that lit the card on fire, and then threw it out of the window! Lilly did not really like this girl now, because she was acting so mean and mysterious. Nevertheless, Lilly quickly forgot, because the train had stopped.
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A/N:
OOOOOOOOOO cool? I love it. The long awaited chapter................Anyway, things heat up quite a bit in th next chapter, so read on!