Hufflepuff x Slytherin

Hogwarts Express

A light sheen of clouds covers the London sky, with occasional raindrops splashing against the pavement. I run into the station, holding my hawthorn wand between my teeth; my mother snaps at me to hide it, on account of the muggles, but I simply roll my eyes and run faster towards the brick wall between platforms nine and ten. I sprint through the wall effortlessly, seeming to disappear into a crowd of muggles. I take a deep breath and smile at the red train, waiting for my mother to come out of the entrance behind me.

"Evelyn! Stop standing around you nitwit, you're going to miss the train!" She struggles to hold my cat, Ambrose, who is desperately trying to escape. I giggle, and she helps me load my heavy trunk onto the train. I realize my wand is still between my teeth, and shove it down into the side of my knee-high socks.
"Here, I'll take him." I reach from Ambrose and hold him close to my chest. I had named him after a character on a show that my muggle-born friend had told me about- I knew nothing about the character, but I thought he had a beautiful name.
"Go! The train!" My mother gives me a quick hug, and I feel her sigh deeply... my last year at Hogwarts. We pull apart and smile, I simply look at her while she rambles on about which classes I would need this year. We look incredibly alike, both short with dark blonde hair and light brown eyes. She never wore makeup, though, and my curvy frame had become wider on her throughout her years. I smile and we kiss each other on the cheek while I run, Ambrose in arms, onto the train to Hogwarts.
"Bye! I love you! I'll see you on Christmas!" we yell to each other briefly until the train starts moving and the doors lock.

"Well, Ambrose," I say, looking into his annoyed amber eyes, "we should try to find Delilah and Amy." He meows, seemingly understanding though I know he just wants to wander the cabin. I knock on several doors, unintentionally interrupting a kiss between a Gryffindor couple until I feel a strong arm pull me into another Cabin. I quickly drop Ambrose and reach for my wand, only to be pulled into a tight hug.
"Evelyn! What took you so long, dummy? I thought you had missed the train."
I smile and laugh, I had missed her.
"Hey Delilah, I almost did! How was your summer?" We settle into our seats, sitting across from each other. I admire her newly dyed dark green hair and new nose piercing. Delilah was a muggleborn, and kept up with muggle style a lot better than I did. She had been teaching me, though, and had even helped me learn to do eyeliner.
"It was amazing!" She stretched her long legs across the seats, smiling. She was taller than even some of the boys in our year, probably almost 5'10. "My parents took me to Scottland again, and we actually saw Loch Ness this time, no sight of the monster though. What about yours?"
"Typical," I said, watching Ambrose stretch out on the seat beside me, "I stayed in and spent too much time missing Josie."
My sister had graduated three years before me, almost immediately getting a job aat MACUSA in New York. An auror, of course, though there wasn't as much of a need for them after Harry Potter. I'm just glad I started at Hogwarts so many years after he left. Delilah smiled sympathetically, she had always liked Josie too. We settle into our cabin, giggling and lightly dozing off on the ride.

I awoke with a start when the cabin door flew open, making Ambrose jump from the shelves above the window.
"Evelyn!" My fellow Hufflepuff, Harper, scanned the cabin and saw Delilah, turning her nose and ignoring her, Harper gushed about how she had searched every cabin for me. Delilah sits up, crossing her arms but keeping her legs extended. I look at her sympathetically, I knew Harper wasn't as accepting of Slytherins as I was. She sits down beside me, throwing her yellow and grey scarf over her shoulder. "How was your summer? We barely talked!"
Unfortunately, that was true. My mother, after much convincing from Delilah, had gotten me a cellphone, which I spent most of the summer using to talk to Delilah.
"I know, I'm sorry. It was busy, my mum and I talked to Josie a lot. How was yours?"
"AMAZING!" Harper went on a long rant, something about a new wizarding band she had seen in concert. Delilah and I exchanged frequent looks, trying not to giggle. I loved being a Hufflepuff, but a lot of my house played into the stereotypes a little too much.
"Anyways, we better get dressed, we'll be there soon. Excuse us, Delilah." Harper opened the cabin door, waiting for Delilah to leave. Another thing about Harper... she was uncomfortable that Delilah was a lesbian. Obviously I never minded, she was an amazing person and I knew it wasn't like that between us. Even if I loved the way her hair swang when she walked, and how she smelled of rosemary...
"Harper, don't." I stood up, several inches shorter than her, while Delilah stood up, an intimidating amount taller than both of us.
"What? It's not like it's a bad thing, but I'm allowed to be uncomfortable." Her eyes shifted, turning her nose up again. I got red with anger, and Delilah stepped in front of me to confront Harper.
"Leave. I don't want you here at all, and I want to watch you change even less. I promise Evelyn doesn't want you here either."
"As if," Harper sniffs, "I'm an amazing friend to Evenlyn, unlike you, Slytherin. Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty!"
"The only thing you're loyal to," Delilah murmers, "is that ridiculous boy band."
"Stop!" I yell, trying to pull Delilah back. "Harper, just go change somewhere else okay? You were in another cabin before this, weren't you?" I feel terrible telling her to leave, but I had gotten sick of her being so judgemental, maybe that's why I had avoided her all summer. She straigthened her back, and stopped out, yelling about how I wasn't welocme to sit with her at the feast anymore. Delilah and I stood in an awkwward silence for a moment, until she started laughing hysterically. I couldn't help but laugh, she was so joyful and sweet, it was a contagious laugh.
"How ridiculous! I can't believe her, what a gag." Delilah quickly tied her green and silver tie, and I couldn't help but notice how silky her hair looked being pulled away from her neck.
"Absolutely. I don't know why we're still friends." I said, pulling on my robe.
"Well, make new ones. Worst case, you always have me!" She smirks and throws herself back onto the bench, pulling Ambrose onto her lap.
"Yeah," I smile, sitting down beside them. "Are we still meeting in the kitchen tonight for late night snacks?" I was suddenly aware of how close I had sat next to her, scooting away a few inches.
"Definitely." She smiled as the train came to a slow stop. Thankfully she hadn't noticed me sitting too close, or moving away so quickly. We opened the cabin door, and Ambrose weaved between out legs and presumably off of the train, to go and hunt mice along the edge of the forbidden forest.

"You ready?" She asks, holding the door open for me, and I nod happily. She clears her throat as I scoot past her and the open door, I guess she noticed how close we got that time. We hurry towards the carriges pulled by invisible threstles, to talk until we're once again separated by houses.