The Last Car on the Hogwarts Express [Harry Potter] {Vega & Ducktard}

[[Dear god. What was I thinking. I even checked to make sure I spelled it right, and then still managed to fail n my ass. So sorry DX]]


"I haven't decided yet..." Ben said. "I like the lore, but I'm not sure how brave I would be if I actually had to be around magical creatures." Sharp claws and teeth and such things werent among Ben's favorite things, and he knew that most creatures would be able to sense it if he was afraid. "But I'd really like to borrow those books if you'd direct me to them!" He said happily and couldn't wait to bury his nose in a book about dragons and annoy Mitchell with useless trivia for hours later.


Ben flushed a bit at her next question. He didn't know why he found it embarrassing, it shouldn't be. Their parents had always been intent on teaching them that the fact that they were adopted wasn't anything to be ashamed of, and that no matter what other people might say, it didn't mean they were any less brothers than anyone else. "We're... Both adopted from different sides of the planet," Ben said, not being able to help being a bit nervous about what Louise would say to this.
 
[[Haha, don't worry about it! c:]]


"Well, I'm taking it so I'll let you know how many limbs I lose," Louise joked, smiling at Ben. "And sure! I'll show you where they are in the library the next time you're there. What else are you interested in?" Dessert had appeared, and as full as Louise was, she couldn't help but spoon a bit of chocolate pudding onto her refreshed plate. It definitely seemed like she hadn't eaten properly since she'd left Hogwarts the last spring; the jeans she'd changed out of on the train had been hanging a bit loosely around her scrawny legs and knobby knees, and her black robes seemed to swamp her a little. In observing this, she made a mental note to try and charm them a bit smaller later.


Louise supposed she should have guessed that at least one of them was adopted; they looked so different that there really wasn't any way for them to be related, but the wizarding world, as she had discovered, was filled with surprises and made her hesitant to draw conclusions about its inhabitants. "That's cool. Where were you adopted from?" Her voice was filled with curiosity and devoid of judgment. Families, she thought, were too personal to ever pass judgment on, and the thought that being adopted was odd or somehow bad neve even crossed her mind.
 
Ben laughed at her joke, hoping she wouldn't actually lose any of her limbs. Ben lit up when she mentioned the library, he had almost forgotten to anticipate it. He loved it there, the smell of books, the knowlege filled within the walls... He abseloutely loved it there. "Um.. Well I'm interested in household-spells.." He blushed a bit, this being a bit weird. "I know it's weird, but it's interesting to me how people can like... Use magic to do their chores and such. Not that I could do that until I became of age, but..."


Ben felt relieved that Louise didn't react badly to the adopted-thing. He was always concerned to be mocked, remembering in kindergarden and their first years at muggle-school they had been teased. Not much, but enough for Ben to always get extra riled-up and angry over that particular subject. Mitchell would always get so angry whenever someone tried to tell him they weren't really brothers, and often got into trouble for attacking other kids. "I was adopted from Korea," Ben said. "Apparantly I was abandoned in a trash-can, I'm glad I don't remember.."
 
"Haha, I bet your mother will love having you around the house after you come of age," Louise laughed, although not in a mocking fashion. "I swear though, scourgify's probably the most brilliant spell ever invented - not having to do dishes has got to be a crowning achievement, for me at least," she said, smiling. The food was settling in her stomach and she was feeling pleasantly warm and drowsy; she was more comfortable and at ease than she had been in months. "Your first memories are with your adopted family then?" She had never been to Korea, but her interest was immediately piqued by the idea of wizards there. She knew, of course, that there were other wizarding schools around Europe, but she'd never thought about them in Asia before.


Just as she finished talking, Professor Hollinburst rose to her feet again, now that the noise level had grown and most of the students had finished eating. Quiet fell quickly, and all eyes in the hall turned to her. "Now that you've been sufficiently stuffed, it's about time to start thinking about heading back to your common rooms and dormitories. First years will please follow your house prefects and take note of the passwords, and time tables will be handed out tomorrow by your heads of house at breakfast. Welcome to another year at Hogwarts."
 
Ben smiled at her question. "The first thing I remember is being on Mitchell's tricycle while he tried to teach me how to use it," he said, loving the fact that his first memory was a happy one. He was also proud of his older brother, and greatful because he was such a loving big brother to him.


As the headmistress got up again, Ben smiled as he watched her talk, feeling ready for bed. He was sleepy and full, and content. He thought he had nade a new friend, and he thought Mitchell had also gotten along well with her. He felt like the year would go a lot better than they both seemed to have thought.


Mitchell yawned and stretched as the finishing words of the headmistress were spoken. He couldn't wait to get up to his dorm to let Ratchet off to the owlery, and get to bed himself, remembering how lovely and soft the beds of Gryffindor tower were. He was still a bit worried about sharing his house with those who were angry with him, but he would make the best of it.
 
There was a sudden burst of noise as the headmistress finished speaking, and the benches were pushed back from the tables, scraping along the stone floor, as students attempted to snatch a last dessert before the food disappeared off the plates. The crowd was quickly separating Louise and Ben, but she attempted to wave at him, mouthing that she'd see him later as they were shunted off towards the Ravenclaw dormitory. They climbed the stairs to the fifth floor and headed for the west side of the castle before reaching another spiral staircase and beginning the climb. Louise was squeezed uncomfortably tight along the railing, pressed so hard that she thought the banister was sure to bruise her ribs, before the fifth year prefects a few yards ahead of her reached a door. Although she could not see it from her vantage point, she knew full well that there wasn't a door knob; instead, the only feature on the smooth, wooden surface was a bronze knocker, shaped like a eagle. Its scratchy voice carried down the stairwell, and Louise knew that it had sprung to life, probably staring keenly at the the first years in front, sizing them up. "What can you have in your pocket when it's empty?"


"A hole!" someone called from a few steps ahead of Louise, and she heard the wooden door creak open, as the prefect raised his voice. "Unlike other Houses, Ravenclaw does not have a password to get into the common room. Instead, you have to answer a riddle, and if you can't get it, you've got to wait for someone who knows the answer to come along. Anyone with questions should find me in the common room afterwards--" but his voice was lost as the entire house surged forward up the stairs and through the door. Most people streamed through the common room, which was large and circular with a domed ceiling, gothic windows framing the stars outside; Louise, however, allowed herself to be pushed to the side, towards the tables and couches, deciding it would be easier to wait until the crowd at thinned somewhat before attempting to go up to her dorm.


It smelled like home, here, she reflected, looking around at the slightly dusty book shelves and deep blue carpet. The house elves hadn't draw the silk curtains, done in house colors, over the windows yet, and she peered out, spotting the lake reflecting the night sky back up at itself. Finally, as the stream of students drained to a trickle, she rejoined the last stragglers and made her way to her dorm room, exiting the common room through the double doors opposite the entrance, which were flanked by a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw, whom she gazed admiringly up at as she passed. The dorm room was stone and circular, housing five other people. Alcove beds were recessed underneath the windows with shelves at one end and space for the trunks underneath, the posters having sky blue curtains to allow for some privacy. In the center of the room was an enormous circular bookshelf, each column of shelves labelled in brass with a name of one of the room's occupants, so they had extra space to store textbooks and other volumes for personal pleasure.


About half of her room mates had already drawn their curtains closed by the time Louise entered, the other half chatting animatedly amongst themselves about their summers. She had never been particularly close with any of them, but she was on speaking terms with them all, and she gave the other girls a small way before pulling her trunk out from under her bed and undoing the lock. The interior was neatly stacked with books, folded clothes, and other assorted personal possessions. With a wave of her wand, most of the books went soaring over her shoulder to stack themselves on the bookcase in the center of the room, while Louise put the remaining ones on the shelves at the foot of her bed: these were the ones she referred to most often, where her textbooks lived outside of her school bag. She also stuck a few of her favorite chocolate frog cards to the open bits of wall between the books with a tap of her wand, featuring particularly interesting wizards and witches. Finally. when she had finished most of her unpacking, she changed into her pajamas, pushed her trunk back underneath her bed, and crawled under the downy blue comforter with her transfiguration textbook, reading until she fell asleep.
 
Ben saw Louise waving and felt a good feeling down in his stomach. He was full and sleepy, but even better he thought he had found a friend both for him and his brother. Of course, it may not work out still, but he had the hope. He had learned from Mitchell that if you find it, you should hang on to it. So Ben did this as they were all shunted down to the Ravenclaw commonroom, and solving the riddle to get in everyone started to chatter and scatter. Ben followed some of the other boys to the Dormatories, waiting to get into the soft bed. He blinked when he saw Bobby sitting on the soft blanket, meowing a greeting as he approached. "There you are Bobby!" He said, happy the cat had found his way back easily. He stroked his soft black fur and smiled, before getting ready for bed and drawing his curtains, Bobby curling up next to his head, as Ben's last thought went to Mitchell.


As all the Gryffindors clambered to get towards the tower, Mitchell made sure to slag behind as much as he could. He didn't want to get caught up between any of his former friends and he knew they always pushed up front. He couldn't wait to get to bed, and he was sure Ratchet was screeching his head off for not being let out to go to the owlery just yet. Mitchell listened closely as they were stopping at the painting, trying to hear the password so he wouldn't have to ask someone later. "Nettle-Soup" He heard the prefect spout, and he wondered if they were running out of ideas. His fellow Gryffindors, new and old, climbed into the red and gold colored room, taking in the sight of the wonderful cozy commonroom. Mitchell loved this room, and he and his friends had spent many a night sitting in front of the fireplace talking...


He gave a small sigh before heading to the dormatories. He could hear Ratchet screetching even over the chatter of the others, and as he entered the dormatories, some of his housemates looked disgrunteled at him,covering their ears. Mitchell gave a cheeky grin as he opened the cage and his tiny owl shot out of the cage and into the glass of the window. The annoyance from the others was turned into scattered laughs, as Mitchell smiled beninely at Ratchet and opened the window, letting him off to the towers.


Mitchell walked over to his bed and drew the hangings, changing into his pajamas and lying down, barely even hitting the pillow with his head, before falling asleep.
 
Louise woke with the rest of the girls in the dormitory to the sounds of curtains being pulled back and people rummaging in their trunks. A grey light was peaking through the window by her bedside, and she sat up and looked out over the grounds, inhaling deeply as she ran her fingers through her hair, straightening out a bit of her bedhead. It was good to be back. With a lurch, she swung her legs off her bed and began to get dressed for the day, slipping into her robes before pulling a brush through her hair and twisting it into a bun, held in place by her wand at the moment. Before long, she was shuffling off down the spiral staircase with most of the rest of the Ravenclaws and down to breakfast, where she pulled herself off a chunk of bread and waited for the time tables to be distributed so she could see which classes she had that day.


Looking along the table, she idly wondered where Ben was, before peering over through the Hufflepuff table to see if Mitchell was down yet either. At the high table where the teachers sat, they were all present too, chatting amongst themselves. Unintentionally, Louise caught Professor Sparrowsdale's eye, and she quickly looked down, blushing. The woman had an eery stare, and the brunette felt like the other woman could see right through her. Transfiguration teachers were always tricky; Professor Sparrowsdale's predecessor had been uncomfortably close to guessing why Louise went missing once a month, she thought, and she resolved to try and be more careful with this one.
 
The next Morning, Mitchell awoke when the other boys started to shuffle around him, getting dressed for breakfast. He yawned and stretched, brushing his hair carelessly wiht his fingers and finding his robes, dressing in them while purposidely avoiding the gaze of the others around him, obviously trying to find some reaction to the summers events in his eyes. He payed no mind and left by himself out of the commonroom, walking down for breakfast and sitting by himself where the least amount of people were sitting, scouting around the room hoping to spot Ben.


Ben was woken up by Bobby as he meowed for food early. Ben stretched and yawned, putting on his glasses and blinking around the room. Ah, that was right, he was back at hogwarts. He smiled contently at this, getting the rest of his clothing and dressing himself, barely being able to wait to get his shcedule for the week. Ben walked down for breakfast and looked around the room for Louise, hopinh he could sit next to her this morning, spotting her down the table and walking up as close as he got and sat down a few spaces down from her on the other side of the table. "Good Morning," he said to her carefully, hoping she wasn't annoyed by him.
 
Louise had been lost in thought when Ben had approached, and she jumped, as usual, when he spoke to her, as though someone had poured ice down the back of her robes. She turned around quickly to see who it was, but upon recognizing the small black-haired boy, she relaxed a little bit and let herself smile. "Oh, morning!" she replied, scooting down with her plate to make room for him. "Sleep well?" She knew the question was lame, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. After a full night's sleep, some of the initial relaxation she had felt from coming back to Hogwarts had worn away, and she was skittish again.


Before she had finished talking, the murmuring at the table died down slightly as the Ravenclaw Head of House began moving down one side, calling out names and years as she passed out sheets of parchment, neatly detailing their course schedule for the term. Louise gave her a wan smile before accepting her own and turning back to her food. She looked pale and slightly sick, as always, although the lines under her eyes had eased slightly; it was the first night in a while she'd slept comfortably.


[[sorry I vanished! My internet connection at home has been out, and I get off work too late to go to the library and use internet there. I'm still trying to get it fixed. T___T]]
 
Ben smiled happily at her question, noticing that he had startled her. "Oh sorry. I slept like a baby," he said in response to her question. He really loved sleeping at Hogwarts, and he was always thouroughly tired whenever he came up to bed so he slept well usually. "How did you sleep?" He asked back politely, filling his plate with breakfast and watching as the timetables were starting to be passed around.


As Mitchell had recieved his timetable, he went to talk to Ben, as he had noticed him earlier. "Hey Ben!" he said cheerily, as he then also noticed Louise. "Oh, and hey Louise, how are you guys this morning?" Mitchell put his hand on Ben's head and shuffled his black hair a bit, smiling friendly at Louise.


(Well things like that happen sometimes, sorry you're having internet troubles, I know that's a pain D:


And I'm also sorry this post is kinda weird, I have a bit of Writers-derp X_x)
 
[[Haha, it's fine. We all derp sometimes.]]


"Fine," Louise responded, busy looking over her timetable. She had Care of Magical Creatures first today, followed by Potions, a break, transfiguration, lunch, and then double charms. That wasn't bad at all; she was a bit disappointed that she didn't have Ancient Runes, but as long as she didn't have History of Magic, she'd count it a good day. Glancing up from her schedule, she looked towards the teacher's table again and studied Professor Sparrowsdale, wondering what kind of teacher she'd be.


Her thoughts were interrupted as Mitchell hailed them, and she turned, masking her surprise at someone calling her name. "Oh, I'm fine, thanks. You?" the response was automatic, but she felt a quavering feeling in her stomach. It took her a moment to realize that she was pleased that he'd asked, and she smiled up at him, feeling a small rush of warmth. "What's your schedule look like today?" Louise craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of his time table.
 
"I've got Care of Magical Creatures first," Mitchell said. He was looking forward to it. He looked closely at both Ben and Louise. Mostly at Ben. He studied his face for unhappyness, but he seemed to find the hope he had noted in him only bigger than yesterday. Louise must be turning out to be as nice as Ben expected. Mitchell was glad they seemed to become friends. He smiled at Louise, glad she was friendly.


"What you got?" He asked her, wondering if they had any classes together. He supposed it was on the schedule, but he hadn't read it very thoroughly. He didn't really care to, he just needed to know what he would be having to begin with. "And you Ben? What you got?" He asked. "Uhm, History of Magic," Ben replied, studying his schedule.
 
"Oh really?" Louise perked up at Mitchell's response. "So do I! Do you want to go down together then?" Her immediate afterthought was that she shouldn't push him, but she let the moment pass; he either would or he wouldn't. What was the worst that could happen? He'd say no, and she'd go back to minding her business, that's all. Mitchell seemed to be as friendly as yesterday, she noted, looking at Ben, then back at her schedule. She studied it for a moment, repeating which classes she to herself to make sure she remembered, then folded the sheet of parchment and tucked it in an inside pocket in her robe.


[[assuming he said yes... if not I'll edit x33]]


"I should probably go back upstairs and get my books. Do you want to meet at the bottom of the stairs before we head out?" she asked, swallowing a last mouthful of bread before pushing the bench back and stepping out, careful not to entangle her bony limbs in her robes. Brushing herself off, she turned to Ben. "I'll see you at lunch, then?"


 
"That'd be awesome," Mitchell said in response to her question. She was still as friendly as she had been the day before. He was glad. Ben's hopes seemed to be grounded after all, at least a bit. He wondered if she didn't have other friends that she might want to accompany her, but he brushed it away. Mitchell was pretty sure she hadn't heard what had happened during the summer, and he was also pretty sure he didn't look miserable, so she wouldn't be doing it for pity.


"Yeah, I'll head up and get mine as well," Mitchell said, smiling. "See you at lunch!" Ben said, almost chirping. Ben felt glad, he rarely got to say things like that to others that weren't his brother. They both seemed to be gaining a friend. He sent Mitchell a happy glance.
 
Glancing at her watch, Louise hurried up the staircases and through the common room to her dorm, where she hastily pulled her textbooks off from the shelves and stuffed them into her bag, followed by parchment, ink, and a quill. Ordinarily, she would have taken them with her to breakfast, but she had held off until she had her schedule. Hastily, she redid the buckles and swung the bag over her shoulder, taking a moment to adjust her appearance in the mirror before running down the many staircases again to hover at the bottom of the banister, her small figure almost hidden behind the bannister if someone had looked in her direction from the right angle.


Louise was somewhat anxious about the first Care of Magical Creatures lesson; mostly, though, she was curious about what kind of creature they would be dealing with. A voice in the back of her head nagged that perhaps they would smell the disease on her and shy away, or worse, attack, but she pushed the thought aside. It was silly; maybe not unrealistic, but there would obviously be... precautions. She looked around idly as she waited for Mitchell, watching another group of Gryffindors pass her and exit from the front entrance. For a moment, she worried that he had been with them and forgotten, but another cursory look at the gaggle of boys revealed that he wasn't among them. For a moment, she paused to wonder why, but the question passed out of her head almost as soon as she thought it; it didn't particularly concern her, as long as he wasn't late for class.
 
As Mitchell arrived upstairs, he was outraged to find his stuff all over his bed. Most of everything that could have been picked apart, had been picked apart, by... None other than Ratchet. His owl had picked apart everything, in search of treats. "Ratchet!" He exclaimed, wondering how the blasted owl had managed to get everything out of his locked suitcase. Granted, his key was always next to it, but the owl wasn't that smart. He tried to collect what was left of his things, before abandoning the project and finding his books. They were at least... Still readable.


He sighed, heading down to meet Louise, a few minutes too late. He had had to stop because his carryer bag was also destroyed, and he hadn't realized until his bag tore open, leaving his things strewn across the stairs. On his way he had realized one of his ex-friends who knew what Ratchet was like had to have unlocked his suitcase for him. He was feeling rather trodden on right now. As he saw Louise, he tried to give his face a carefree look, but it was difficult. Especially since his hair seemed to have darkened a couple of shades, in sympathy of his hurt feelings.
 
"Ready to go?" Louise noticed Mitchell wasn't looking quite as dapper as he'd been early, but she figured it could wait at least a few minutes; they would be late if they didn't hurry. The thought of being late had made her anxious, and she was somewhat nervous as they exited the entrance hall and began to head across the grounds. After they had gotten off to a good pace and were approaching the rest of the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, she turned to him, bag slung over one shoulder and tightly clutching her Care of Magical Creatures textbook across her chest.


"Are... you okay?" It was a lame attempt at a question, she knew, but she felt her mouth fumble around the words; now that she saw that the class hadn't started yet, she was able to turn some of her concern to the other boy, who had been previously quiet cheerful. He was still putting up an attempt, but it was a flimsy one, she saw, her brown eyes thoughtful as she looked up at him.
 
Mitchell followed behind Louise, trying to get his mind of his ruined things. He'd have to get a new bag or fix the old one. Right now he had tied it together but it wouldn't hold very long... They were sure mature, huh, ruining his things like that. He was certain he had remembered to lock his suitcase, hell he hadn't even had it unlocked before then.


As they arrived to class, Mitchell was relieved to find at least they weren't late. He attempted to shove his negative thoughts away and focus on class, he didn't want to sulk, he didn't like it. "Oh, yeah I just... I'm a a bit annoyed at my owl, he's rampaged all of my things, look at this," he said, only telling half the truth and howing her the tear in his bag.
 
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