"Be good, or I'll catch the next train to Hogwarts and beat you black and blue," Seline threatened. Alexis grinned and gave her a hug. Her mother said these sort of things a lot of the time, but there was no real threat behind them.
"I wouldn't dare step on your shoes," she promised.
"Love you, Lex." They hugged again, and she kissed the top of her head.
"Getting emotional?" Lexi teased.
"Oh, pfft." She smiled laughingly as her mother shooed her away.
The platform was clouded with smoke and students. She could see the train through the smoke. In one of the windows she could see her best friend, waving avidly at his family. The train lurched, and she jumped aboard, turning with a swagger and flinging open the compartment door.
"Al!" she exclaimed. He spun around. His hair was as jet-black as his father's, but it was straight like his mother's. He wasn't really that pudgy, but looking at him gave you that feeling that he spent a lot more time reading than running. He wore thick rimmed glasses, and his electric green eyes mimicked those of an owl's.
"Lexi." He smiled nervously. "I was just saying bye to my dad," he explained, blushing.
"I know. Wish I had a window." She grinned at him. He laughed a little, and gestured at the spot across from him.
"Go ahead." She shoved her carry bag into the shelf above, then plopped down, setting the basket she held down next to her. In her lap she dropped the paper sack of snacks she brought.
"Where's James?" she asked, opening the bag. He made a rueful face.
"Why should I know? Off with his friends, I assume." She smiled a little. They had gone to Muggle primary school in the years before Hogwarts, so she knew James relatively well. He was a year older than them, so they were never in the same class, but they'd hang out during their breaks. He was handsome, kind, funny but smart.
She'd always known him to be conscientious of others, but Albus said when he came back from Hogwarts he was like a whole other person. She hadn't seen him at all since he got back, as he left halfway through the summer to visit a friend of his that lived in Hogsmeade. She had a feeling that Al was overplaying his brother's change, but she didn't voice her thoughts for multiple reasons.
The door slid open again and one of Al's cousins peeked in. Her name was Rose Weasley and she was one of Lexi's greatest friends, seeing as they were all neighbors. Plus Rose's father and Lexi's mother had dated a few years after Hogwarts.
Her eyes were a thoughtful chocolate-color, outlined by long black eyelashes. Her hair was a sweet auburn, cascading in curly waves down her back. She was pale, with a splash of freckles across her cheeks and nose. Overall pretty, with an air of one that knew more than half the words in the English vocabulary and was fascinated by even the simplest of them.
"Hey, Alexis," she said softly. In response, the basket to Lexi's right twitched, and a disheveled grey kitten poked his head out. She chuckled. "And Rascal."
"Rosie! Come on, sit down!" Lexi pushed the basket unceremoniously to the floor. A plaintive meow rose up as she patted the spot next to her.
"Quiet, cat," she snapped. Rose simply lifted the little kitten into her arms.
"Don't listen to her, Rascal," she whispered. In response, he began to play with her hair. "My father hinted I might receive a kitten for Christmas."
"Ooh, a kitty?" Lexi perked up at this knowledge. "Hear that, Rassy? You might get a buddy."
"Noo," Albus moaned. "Not another cat! That one already hates me, and he's only been alive for two months!" The girls laughed at his discomfort. She reached across and patted his arm.
"Don't worry, Al. I'm sure any cat Rosie gets will be just as sweet-spirited as its owner. Maybe it'll even show this one how you treat the people that raised you." She gave Rascal a pointed look, then glanced down.
"What've you got in there?" Albus asked, gesturing to the bag.
"Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's, and..." She rummaged around in the bag. "Mm, Acid Pops! Who should I force-feed these to?" She lifted up a package of sinister-looking lolly pops as proof.
"That Malfoy kid, perhaps," Rose mused. She grinned mischievously at Lexi's aghast stare. "What?" She feigned an innocent smile.
"All these years, and I never knew you had a dark side!" she exclaimed. Albus burst out laughing.
"Oh, she has a dark side. Definitely a dark, dark side," he confirmed. Then the door flew open again, and a handsome boy about a year older than them strutted in.
"Who has a dark side?" he drawled. He was irresistible, with rougish black hair that stood up on top of his head. His eyes were a smug hazel. His skin was tan and he carried himself with ease. He was the cutest boy she had ever seen. She hated him at first sight.
"Me," Rose said simply.
"Wow, and no one realized that? My cousin so definitely has a dark side," he chuckled. Cousin? This was James? Had someone taken away the James she knew and replaced him with a decoy? Was he under Imperio? She looked to Albus for help but he just shrugged and gave her an I-told-you-so look.
Then James noticed Alexis. He did a double take, she could tell — and she couldn't help it. She blushed under his gaze. She knew she wasn't pretty in the general way, but people had taken notice before, and she had definitely never been grouped with the "uglies." Her blue eyes sparked with confidence. Her skin was tan from Quidditch, and her short black hair was sleek and shiny.
"What?" she challenged. He grinned again, and she was almost relieved.
"Nothing. Just surprised that my brother has a girlfriend." He smirked, knowing he had thrown the perfect punch.
"Has a year changed me that much? It's Alexis, you smug git," she snapped. He reeled with surprise.
"Lex?" He squinted to get a better look. "Wow, you have changed a lot. But, in both our defenses, it has been an entire year and a little bit more since we last saw each other."
"Yes, I suppose we've both changed." Her voice was cold, and there was a brief silence before he turned around and left without another word.
"What was that?" Rose managed. They both stared with shock at her.
"What?" She raised an eyebrow. Underneath her smile her heart sank with guilt. Maybe she should have been a little kinder. Maybe if she had been more friendly the old James would have resurfaced.
"Uhh, alright." Rose and Al shared a glance.
"Come on, guys. We should put on our robes." She stood and tugged her robes out of her bag. Albus did the same; then he turned and left the compartment.
"I'll find you guys in a few minutes," he promised.
~
Students flooded the narrow hallway as the train lurched to a stop. In their little compartment Rose tucked Rascal away in his basket as Lexi gathered up her stuff.
Albus slid open the door and stepped out first. Then Rose and Lexi followed. They filed in with the rest of the students, slowly making their way to the door.
It was dark outside. She could make out various students on the platform, including a towering giant shouting for the first years.
"Firs' years! Firs' years o'er here!" Hagrid yelled, his voice booming. They joined the crowd around him. Once the older students left the platform he led them to a fleet of little boats on the lake.
The water was calm. They kept their eyes down, focused on the black liquid. Then Alexis glanced up.
"Wow. It's... Amazing."