Another Year Coming

"Well here's another year to come" Ellie wispered nervously under her breath. She pulled herself up to board the train, it wasn't the first year she's had to do this, but every time she did it felt like it to her. The feeling she got by that one motion was that of pure happiness, and she hadn't felt that way since last year and she loved it. Ellie was half way up before turned to scan the crowd of parents waving their children off to another or first year at Hogwarts.

A down hearted sigh escaped her lips as she turned around and reached the door. Another year. She thought. And opened the door.

Inside, in comparison, was much like outside, Crowded. This of course put Ellie on edge. Her nerves raced around her body, her throat felt dry, there were too many people around. Some of them must have been watching her. It took whatever little strength she had left just to move to look in each compartment to see if anyone was inside, and of course most were occupied. Ellie wasn't scared of other people, she just didn't know what to say. Minutes, possibly hours to her, went by as she looked and bumped into things, even the trolly, which spilled a bunch of sweets. After many apologies and cleaning up she finally found an empty compartment and went inside. She shut the door and sat down to enjoy the peace.

"I don't like people! I don't like people! Why am I a prefect again?!"

Faith's mind was screaming at her as she chased down some first year who had been causing havoc in the train for quite some time. She had been told to watch the halls, so she watched the halls, in fact she watched them pretty hard, and then this kid had come up and pushed her aside, jumping from compartment to compartment, wrecking havoc the entire time.

Faith was pretty used to rowdy children, she had been taking care of Khaat Lupin's kids since she had moved in with them, and normally she knew exactly how to figure them out, and make them do what she wanted, but that only worked on very young children apparently. This eleven year old was having none of it, and had taken off, pulling the pigtails out of a second years hair, and disappearing into a compartment at the end of the train, screams were heard, and finally Faith caught up to him.

"Listen here you little brat, if you don't get back to your compartment and sit down right now, I swear, the second you get sorted you'll lose fifty house points, and that's not the best way to start off school now is it?"

The kid looked at her and sighed slightly before nodding. She let go of him, and he went down the hallway, She followed him all the way back, before glancing into a compartment just beside his. "Ellie!" Faith opened the compartment door and slid into the room, collapsing into the seat across from her. "I'm hiding in here for a bit." She said, half laying on her seat, staring at her, sort of friend. Well as close to friends as Faith got.

At the sound of the compartment door opening Ellie gave a startled jump. But when she saw who it was, she gave out a slight sigh and relaxed. "How are you doing Faith? I heard the commotion." Ellie said with a shaky voice from subsiding nervousness. "First years giving you trouble?" Though Faith wasnt her best friend, she still like their conversations together. As Faith made herself comfortable, Ellie relaxed a bit to get into a comfy position, it was killing her back to sit straight up.

Slouched in the seats, she turned her head to the window. She didnt see much of the ground, but she loved to see the blue sky and the clouds. Which somehow reminded her of the candy she had to pay for after knocking over the whole trolly.At the thouht Ellie blushed a bit as she got up to get the bag she had managed to stash in extra bag she carried.

The bag she got down was practically about to overflow she reached in and grabbed a random candy that lie on top of the pile. Opening the bag for Faith, she offered her any candy she wanted, and she wasnt about to take 'no' for an answer. "Trust me tou van have anyone you'd like." Ellie said with a slight giggle. "And please dont ask how i got all of this."

Faith grinned at her sort of friend and nodded a few times. "First years are always trouble, it just so happens that this year, I have to actually deal with them." She said pointing her at prefect badge and rolling her eyes. "I'd so rather be reading than taking care of them, but I guess I'm pretty used to it, you'll never believe what happened to me this summer." Faith said, looking both excited to tell the story, and a little upset over some aspect of the story. Specifically, the beginning of it.

When Ellie offered her sweets, Faith immediately took one, and nodded once. "Thanks, I could use the sugar, I think I've been sweating buckets since I had to start chasing that kid down.. I am not a violent person, but I sooo wanted to punch that little snot." She muttered, kicking her legs onto the seat, before rolling around and placing her feet flat on the bottom of the luggage rack above her head, her head tilted back on the edge of the seat, she was sitting completely upside down.

"There.. much more comfortable." she said settling into the position before looking at Ellie, upside down. "How was your summer, shy girl?" Faith asked, using a little nickname she had started to call Ellie last year.

Ellie about burst out laughing when Faith described the first years, but then she remembered she was use to be one of them. "I feel sorry for you, i could never deal with kids." She said as she looked at Faiths prefect badge. "But i can say i would agree with a good book, with the simple feeling of getting lost in the pages..." Ellie caught herself from rambling on and on. She loved books, so it was easy for her to get caught up talking about them. Another thing she loved was to have others to talk, so it came as a relief when Faith wanted Ellie to know about her summer. In response Ellie gave a nod of her head and said, " Yeah, i'd to know about your summer."

When Faith took some candy and sprawled out up side down in the seat, Ellie had to give out a small laugh. She put the candy down in the middle of the compartment so each could get some when ever they wanted. She sat back down and swung herself around in the seat so she was laying down in the seat. With her heigth it wasnt difficult to do, and found a comfy position easily. Ellie let Faith complain about the snot nose brat, and let herself laugh at her some what friend's day.

When faith turned the tables on her, it took Ellie by surprise. Though she had to laugh inwardly when Faith used the nickname she had started calling her last year. And she had to admitt to herself that she is a very shy person, not to people who didnt know her, but to everyone.

"My summer went well, I spent most of it with my mom in London, lots of fashion shows and packing of her new line. Though we did go to the beach and country side for occasion. Mostly it was just my brother and I hanging out or we invited friends." Ellie tried her best to keep her summer experiance at a minnimum, it was a tough subject for her to talk openly, even to Faith, whom she considered to be as close as a friend as she ever had. She didnt like giving off to much about her parents or the fact that both are muggles.

Faith grinned and reached for another piece of candy, but before she could bring it to her mouth, there was a soft thump against the door. Faith frowned and leaned up slightly, before reaching up, grabbing the metal bar that ran along the side of the luggage rack, and hoisted herself to her feet in a smooth motion. Going to the door, Faith slid it open and looked around. Nothing.. but before she could close it again, there was a soft squeak from around her feet.

"Nereus! There you are!" Faith exclaimed, scooping up her tiny, brown Pygmy Puff and setting him on her shoulder. "Sorry about that bub, I got a bit caught up chasing a first year around." She said and slid without hassle right back into her position, the pygmy puff scrambled onto her stomach and curled up, cooing softly.

"Sorry about that, shy girl. He gets sad when I'm not around, and he likes to try and find me." She grinned and fed the little guy a piece of candy before looking back at Ellie and sighing.

"Sounds like you had a good vacation though! Mine wasn't the best, my dad got killed, turned out he's a werewolf or something like that, I didn't even know! But I got adopted by this woman named Khaat Lupin, she runs St. Mungos! And I've been riding horses, and taking care of unicorns, and she gave me this little guy.. and it's just.. it's been incredible.. I went from.. what you know of last year, to nothing like that anymore at all!" She grinned in an upside down way over at Ellie and settled farther into her seat.

"It was a crazy summer, oh and turns out I look like some dead girl, she just got murdered or something, it was in the Daily Prophet, no one really knows what happened, sad right? But apparently I look JUST like her, people keep thinking either I'm her, or her sister.. it's weird."

Relaxed Ellie leaned her head against the the wall and shut her eyes for a short time. The rocking motion of the train usually made her sleepy. Then came the knock on the door, propping her head up Ellie opened her eyes. She watched as Faith quickly monuevered herself to get to the door. As Ellie watched the door open, she expected another student to be standing outside. Instead there was no one there, no one tall, to say. But when the soft squeak eminated toward the floor, Ellie dropped her gaze down toward Faiths feet.

There in the door way was the cutest creature she had ever seen. She heard about pygmy puffs but thus was the first time she had ever seen one up close. Immediately Ellie told Faith when she got back into her upside down position, " I definately dont mind, he's so cute!" Ellie shifted around so she could grab some candy. She listened to Faith talk about her summer, and was glad that she had a decent summer.

As well Ellie was learning things she didnt know about her somewhat friend, like the fact that her dad was a were wolf. Ellie didnt know that. Plus with the fact that Faith was adopted was good. She had seen a difference to Faith from the last time they had hung out last year, it was a good difference.

"That is sad, do you know who they keep comparing you with? I dont get the Daily Prophet often, so Im a little out of touch. But its still so sad to hear about that this girl was murdered or whatever happened." This was other news that Ellie heard for the first. And since Faith was pouring out some things that normally people would keep to themselves, she decided she would try to tell off her biggest secret.

"Hey, prefect. You dont mind if i call you that, right. It only seems right i give you a nickname since you gave me one. Plus it suits you for this year." Ellie laughed "You dont mind if i tell you something really top secret, but if i do you have to promise not to go blabbing it around school."

Ellie started to have second thoughts by now, but she needed someone to know. And Faith was the closest thing she had to a friend. Plus friends told each other secrets, didnt they? She didnt know she hardly had any friends, that included any muggles.

Faith nodded, eating a piece of candy and looking at Ellie. "Yeah, some chick named Chase Moor or something like that, I look just like her they say, that will be fun to explain over and over at Hogwarts.. hopefully people will learn though, apparently she was pretty popular..." Faith shrugged and grinned at her friend upside down, before picking up a chocolate frog and tearing it open, catching the frog before it bounced out and watched it struggle for a moment, before popping it into her mouth.

"Sure, shy girl, call me what you want." She said with a huge grin her hand moving to slowly pet the little round fuzzy ball that was nestled against her stomach. "I won't tell anyone I swear! Promise on my life, promise on Nereus's life!" She said holding up the Pygmy puff so Ellie could see it, before putting him back down to cuddle against her stomach. "Cross my heart or hope to die, I won't tell anyone your secret shy girl." Faith said, reaching back and picking up a piece of candy again.

Ellie had to let out a laugh, she could see Faith explaining herself to others over the whole look alike situation. She then grabbed a few of the bertie botts every flavored beans which she had placed beside her. In an attempt to settle her nerves before they started to fray, she quickly picked one out of her hand at random and pit it in her mouth. In her haste she didnt realize she had picked one of the more unpleasent flavors.

Ellies face contorted into disgust, the flavor of vomit filled her mouth.Why do thy make these kind if flavors. She thought. As she swallowed, she had decided to put what was in her hand back. Taking a deep breath she went on to tell Faith, before she chickened out. "Well as you have guessed... known... oh well. Lets say Ive never told anyone. Im afraid if the right people knew you could count my life would add havoc and maybe constant teasing."

Ellie took another deep breath and exhaled. She couldnt believe she was doing this and ther wasnt any turning around now. "I dont usually tell people or let on that both my parents are muggles." Ellie after her confession, was on the edge and yet relieved. She knew Faith for a while now and knew that she was a really nice person. Though she was still afraid, she had trouble with people knowing, and a fear of being teased. "So yeah. Im not the half blood that Ive been telling others I am."

Faith watched her friend's face contort with disgust after eating a badly flavored bean. Faith burst out laughing and rolled over, her Pygmy puff bouncing out of the way just in time. She now sat lounging on her side, facing Ellie as she choked on the bean. "You have to be really careful with those! What did ya get?" Faith asked, grinning at her before shrugging, watching the girl get seriously tortured over whatever she wanted to say.

What could possibly be so bad that Ellie was terrified of telling anyone it, in case they teased her to no end? What kind of thing could happen that would cause such torture in a girl, and for so long that she hadn't told ANYONE. When Ellie finally said what was on her mind, Faith had to stare blankly at her for a long moment. "Seriously?" She stared at her, before bursting out laughing.

"You got all riled up! For that! I thought you were gonna say something like you were actually a dude! Or like.. you secretly had a third eye on the back of your head!" Faith half rolled off her seat, but caught herself, still laughing loudly. Someone passing in the hallway looked in to see what was going on, before shaking their head and walking away.

"Shy girl, why does that scare you so much? Unless you were in like Gryffindor or something, I guess Slytherin does that too, this house doesn't care what you are. I mean.. Look.. look at Hermione Granger! She was smarter than anyone, and she was a muggleborn! You don't have to be worried about stuff like that!" She grinned at the girl and shrugged. "But I guess that's your choice not to tell anyone, and I respect that, I won't tell anyone." Faith reached over for some candy and grinned at Ellie as she popped it into her mouth.