Blood of Ipswich: A Harry Potter Fanfic

The Ginger Haired Girl and the Train

September 1st, 1992

"Is anyone sitting there?" Arathyn looked up as the partition door to the small train car opened and revealed a girl. She was a very peculiar girl, her clothes were aged and everything about her was plain except for her bright red hair and freckles. Arathyn looked around the empty coach, wishing nothing more than to reply it was full; sadly, besides her barn owl Riley, there was no one there to justify her claim.

"No." she replied. The young girl took that as an invitation and entered the compartment only to sit down across from her. The girl smiled nervously and after a few minutes of awkward silence spoke.

"Hullo, I'm Ginny by the way." The young girl stuck out a small pale hand from her worn robes. Arathyn looked at the girl with a strange look on her face, and eventually outstretched her hand to return the greeting.

"I'm Arathyn." She replied and watched as Ginny's face seemed to brighten up in surprise.

"You're from America?"

"Yeah." Arathyn replied plainly, and continued to watch the strange girl. Whenever Arathyn and her family met other wizards they always seemed to cringe away, that's why the only friends Arathyn had while growing up were either her cousins or brother.

"What are you doing all the way out here, don't they have wizarding schools in America?" Ginny asked.

Arathyn was beginning to think this girl was a bit off, everyone knew that the Ipswich family's had been forbidden from attending schools in America. She figured it would be best not to tell her, "My family wished for me to go to Hogwarts."

Ginny made an inaudible 'oh' and continued on happily, "See, my whole family has attended Hogwarts, in fact four of my older brothers are there, I'm the last to go in the family. How about you? Got any siblings at Hogwarts?"

"My older brother." Thankfully Ginny didn't ask anymore questions about her family after that. Instead she asked about America and other random things that popped into her head. They talked about music, clothes, food and one another's native accents. Ginny was very curious about the West which she had only heard in stories.

Ginny had taken a liking to Arathyn, although she didn't say much Arathyn was very attentive and curious by nature. A few times Ginny even managed to earn a genuine smile from the quiet girl. The two talked about many things and Arathyn began to slowly open up about herself. It turned out the two girls had a lot in common they both had old-fashioned names (Ginevra and Arathyn), liked chocolate a little too much and wanted to perfect their magical skills.

Despite Arathyn's lack of social skills the two girls were getting along just fine, Ginny even told her all about the type of sweets that were worth eating when the tea trolley came around. After they stuffed themselves and Arathyn had gained her first collectible wizard's card (Merlin), the two had begun to admire Arathyn's bird.

"I've never had my own owl. My family only shares one owl, Errol, and he's about as useful as a newborn. How did you come across him?" Ginny absentmindedly asked stroking the goodnatured bird's downy soft feathers.

"My father gave him to me as a birthday present."

The partition opened to reveal another girl with thick bushy hair and strangely large front teeth, unlike the two of them, she was already dressed in her black school robes.

"Oh, hello Ginny! We'll be arriving at Hogwarts in ten minutes, I'd advise you both to get dressed." Said the strange girl.

"Thanks Hermione. Oh, this is Arathyn another first year; Arathyn this is Hermione, she's a friend of my brother's."