The Beaudrie Girl

Chapter 1: The Train

     Marie's grandparents had decided not to accompany her to the Kings Cross Station the morning of September 1st, much to her relief. She had already been nervous enough and she didn't need her grandmother nit picking at her hair and clothing. The station was busy that day and her bags felt unusually heavy as she lugged them through the crowds of non-magiques that littered the train station platforms. Her ticket was clutched tightly in her right hand as she made her way to a platform with the most peculiar name, Platform 9 ¾.

     She rounded the corner onto Platform 9 and walked to what she assumed was about ¾ of the way down. Marie glanced around her, unsure of where to go next. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted what appeared to be a witch and a wizard, pushing carts similar to her's. They stopped in front of a wall and then began to run towards it before disappearing into what appeared to be a bridge between the wizarding and non-magique world. As she approached the wall, it looked hauntingly solid and she almost felt ridiculous when she began pushing her cart towards it. Marie closed her eyes, expecting her cart to smash into the wall and create a scene, but instead she felt a cool rush of air and appeared on a platform similar to the one she had just left. The only difference between this platform and the other, was the red steam engine with the words "Hogwarts Express" written in gold writing on the side that rested on the tracks.

     Witches and wizards bustled about the area, many of which appeared to be students getting ready to part with their parents for the year. She pushed past the crowds, setting her bags down where she was instructed to and boarded the shining red and black engine. The interior of the train was filled with individual compartments that appeared to seat four to six people and most were filled with students already having avid conversations. Marie kept her head down as to avoid the stares from other students. She found an empty compartment towards the center of the train car and sat down by the window. She sunk into the seat waiting for the train to leave.

     "Ouch, Cam! That was my foot!" a boy's voice called out from the hall.

     "Well, maybe if your feet were smaller I wouldn't be stepping on them." a girl spoke, chuckling at her own comment.

     "It's not my feet that are the problem, it's your inability to walk like a normal human." The boy spoke as he entered the compartment back first. He turned, spotting Marie in the corner. "Oh, well everywhere else is full. Hope you don't mind that we take a seat." He smiled, setting his things down.

     Marie smiled at them. "Oh, pas de probleme. It's not a problem."

     "You're French?" The girl spoke up, grinning. She poked the boy. "My friend here comes from France as well."

     "You do?" Marie said, raising an eyebrow.

     "Well, yes. But I haven't lived there for a long time." He smiled gently, giving a small glare to the girl.

     "Where are my manners! I'm Camila and this is Fitz." She smiled, reaching out to shake her hand. It took Marie a moment to realize that she intended on giving her a handshake, as they didn't do that it France. She smiled slightly, taking the girls hand and shaking it. The gesture felt extremely foreign.

     "Marie, it's good to meet you." she spoke.

     The boy, Fitz, smiled gently and leaned in to and give her a kiss on each cheek. In France, this was called a bisou. She smiled, sitting back down and looking at the two.

     Fitz had short brown hair and a square jaw, with blue eyes a bit darker than Marie's. He was tall and a bit lanky with a lopsided grin and a pleasant demeanor. Camila was a tall girl with a curvy waist and a stare that she thought might kill her, although her personality in no way matched the intimidating look in her eyes.

     "So, what year are you in?" Camila asked, cracking her knuckles as if it were an old habit.

     "5th year. I've just transferred from Beauxbatons." Marie spoke, smiling softly.

     "Great, we're both in fifth year as well. I suppose we'll have similar courses." She chirped, standing to buy something off the trolley which had just rolled in front of their compartment.

     "She's got a bit of a sweet tooth." said Fitz, smiling slightly. "I suggest you take what you want before she eats all of it."

     Camila turns around, shooting a small glare at Fitz before turning to her. "You're welcome to take as much candy from me as you want. I'm no hoarder."

     "Surely." scoffed Fitz, taking a Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean, much to Camila's dismay.

     They sat for a bit, chatting about school. Camila and Fitz couldn't seem to describe Hogwarts in a nicer way. She sat and wondered how long it would be before Fitz realized which family she belonged to and how long it would be before he no longer wanted to associate with her. She smiled when she was supposed to smile and laughed when she was supposed to laugh, yet the nervous feeling in her stomach hadn't gone away. A comment from Fitz snapped her out of it.

     "Adelaide! It's about time! Where have you been?" Fitz said, looking up from his fiddling hands.

     "My brother here decided to stop and talk to every single person on the way here." The girl called Adelaide said, exhaling.

     "It's not my fault that I'm the better twin." The boy said, turning the corner. They looked absolutely nothing alike, so much so that Marie was a bit taken back.

     "You wish." she muttered, taking a seat beside Marie. "Hi, I'm Adelaide, but you can call me Adi."

     "Marie, it's a pleasure." she smiled politely.

     "I'm Oliver, Oli for short." he smiled at her, shaking her hand and taking a seat on the other side of Adelaide.

     Oliver and Adelaide were twins. Their mother was of Swedish descent but their grandfather on their father's side was Ethiopian, giving Adelaide a beautiful caramel skin tone. Oliver however, showed no signs of his Ethiopian descent and if they hadn't said anything, Marie never would have guessed that they were twins.

     The rest of the ride was quiet and Marie sat and listened while the four raved on about their previous years at Hogwarts. Towards the end of the train ride, everyone was asked to change into their robes. Marie had been sorted into the Gryffindor house privately, as requested by her grandparents as to not let it slip that Marie did not possess the cunning traits like the rest of her family. Fitz wore the Slytherin green, Adelaide and Camila sported the royal blue of Ravenclaw, and Oliver wore the same red color as Marie.

     As the train sped down the tracks, the castle came into view. Its elongated towers reaching up towards the sky like fingers and the wide arches welcoming students to the new term. It stood on top of a hill, almost as if it were looking down on its surroundings and keeping guard. The castle was perhaps one of the safest places in the world and the atmosphere around it demonstrated that. Marie's stomach flipped as the train pulled into the station, slowing to a halt. Of course the other students whom she had met were not as struck by the beauty of the castle, but Marie couldn't seem to stop admiring it and the promises that the architecture made. 

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Adelaide, Oliver, Fitz, and Camila are not my characters. They were created by some friends of mine and I give credit where credit is due. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this.