Chapter Text
The chatter of Platform 9 ¾ was overwhelming. There were children and families running around. Next to Emmeline a young girl was clutching onto her older siblings as they tried to board the train. There were parents sobbing and saying goodbye as students climbed aboard to Hogwarts Express.
“Come now, apo, we must get going.” Lola began pushing Emmeline’s trunk towards the train.
“I can carry it, Lola!” Emmeline said, grabbing the trunk from her grandmother.
“I will miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, Lola.”
“Do you have enough food for the train ride?”
“Yes, Lola.”
“Good. Now get on the train, before you are late.”
Emmeline blew her grandmother a kiss before pulling her trunk over to the open doors of the train. She took a deep breath and stepped onto the train, and just like that, a new chapter of Emmeline Vance’s life began.
Most of the compartments on the train were full. Even after growing up in the Wizarding World, Emmeline still had not met most of the children her age. Her parents had sent her to a muggle primary school, so instead of befriending the other wizards her age, she had been playing house with little muggle girls.
Finally, at the very end of the train, she found an empty compartment. After heaving her trunk through the door, she curled up by the window and pulled out the book she was reading. It had been a going away gift from one of her friends at muggle school and she wanted to finish it on the train ride so she could write home to her friend about it.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” A girl with short blonde hair poked her head into the compartment. “All of the other compartments are quite full and I need a place to sit that’s not with those nasty Slytherins.”
“Oh. Of course!”
“Thank you so much! I’m Alice!”
“Emmeline. Vance.”
“Oh! Are you reading A Wrinkle in Time? My brother loves that book! I meant to bring it with me to read but I couldn’t find his copy. Maybe he packed it with him...I’ll ask him when we get to Hogwarts. He wouldn’t let me sit with him and his friends because I’m a first year-”
“You could borrow my copy!” Emmeline said, partially to cut her off, but also because she wanted to impress Alice. She wanted to be friends with this girl, even though they had just met.
“Oh! Really? That would be wonderful! Are you excited to start at Hogwarts? I’ve been waiting to start ever since my brother did two years ago! He always has such a good time and he made so many friends! I hope I make friends. Would you want to be friends?”
“Yes, I think I would like that.”
Alice smiled. “I would like that too!”
Alice sat down across from Emmeline and started to look out the window.
“What house do you think you’ll be sorted into?”
“I’m not sure.” Emmeline responded. “I hope not Slytherin. I’ve heard such terrible things.”
“Oh, yes. You definitely don’t want to be in Slytherin. All of the people in that house are awful. They always try to hex my brother’s friend because he’s a muggle born.”
“Oh, that’s terrible!”
“It is. My mum thinks I’ll be a Ravenclaw.”
Emmeline thought for a moment. Her parents had been Hufflepuffs, so she had assumed she would be one too. “I suppose if you’re a Ravenclaw, then I would like to be one too.”
Alice smiled. Emmeline decided that she liked it when Alice smiled.
A loud crash from the compartment next door pulled them out of their conversation. Both girls jumped up instantly and rushed into the hall. Four boys were sprawled on the floor of the train. Emmeline looked up to see that the compartment they had fallen out of was covered in some sort of blue goop.
“What in the world!” Alice exclaimed.
One of the boys pulled his glasses out of the goop and shook them off before jamming them crookedly on his face.
“Nothing to see here, ladies!” The boy said, wiping the goop off his brown skin and onto the floor.
“James Potter, pleasure to meet you.” He said, sticking out his hand.
“Potter?” Alice’s face lit up. “Like Sleekeazy's Potter?”
He grinned. “The one and only!” He gestured to the other boys. One had scars on his face, one had longer dark hair, and one was shorter and plumper. “This is Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew.”
“Watch out,” The one with long hair, Sirius, said. “The goop is starting to move.”
Emmeline looked down, he was right. She was now standing directly in the goop.
“Don’t worry, I can fix this.” He flipped his hair out of his face and muttered something while flicking his wand. All of the goop disappeared.
Sirius grinned at Emmeline’s shocked face. “And you are?”
“Emmeline Vance!”
“Vance...I believe I know your parents. They work at the ministry, correct?”
“Yes! Department of Muggle Affairs!”
“I knew it!” He seemed quite pleased with himself for remembering this.
“Sirius!” James called from inside the compartment.
“Duty calls!” Sirius kissed Emmeline’s hand before shutting the door to his compartment.
Alice pulled her back to their seats.
“They seemed nice!” She said, “You quite liked Sirius.” Alice wiggled her eyebrows.
Emmeline scoffed. “Please, he just cleaned up whatever that goop was. It’s not like he’s even allowed to be doing magic!”
“Whatever you say!” Alice grinned and looked out the window, observing the beautiful landscape that was passing outside.
Emmeline rolled her eyes before going back to her book. She’d never even met Sirius before, but he was quite charming. He was handsome as well. Maybe Alice was right. Sirius was a nice boy and girls were supposed to like nice boys. That was it, she decided. She must fancy Sirius. Even though they had just met, Emmeline had made up her mind. She fancied Sirius Black.
“Oh, shoot!” Alice exclaimed. “I promised my mum that I would take a photo on the train! She wants me to take one at every major event so she can make a photo book when I get home!” Alice leapt out of her seat and began to dig through her trunk until she pulled out a polaroid camera. “Want to join?” She asked, looking at Emmeline.
With a nod, she made her way over to where Alice was adjusting the camera. She smiled and Emmeline did too. Throwing one arm over Emmeline’s shoulder, Alice grinned at the camera before snapping a photo of the two of them on the train. Emmeline leaned her head into Alice’s arm and decided she wanted to stay in that photo for the rest of time.