Chapter – 7.1

Boarding the train, the siblings soon found themselves in an empty compartment at the end of the train. Alex placed their luggage and lay on the seat to sleep. Meanwhile, Nicole stood by the door, looking through the window at the parents who came to send their children off.

 

"Brother, don't you ever wonder who our parents are and where they are?" Nicole asked without turning her gaze away from the people outside.

 

Nicole had no memory of her parents. In fact, the first memory she has of herself is of just a few days before she came to the orphanage. So, apart from the boy in front of her, whom she miraculously remembered as her brother, she remembered no one. And no one was there to tell her who her parents were, not even her brother. So for her to ask Alex this question while staring at the horde of parents standing on the platform with their kids was something that came unconsciously to her.

 

"No."

 

"Liar. I don't believe you didn't think how nice it would have been if we have also come with our parents today?" Looking at her brother, who seemed indifferent, she asked. She did not believe that he never missed their parents.

 

"No," yet again, an indifferent reply came from Alex.

 

"You..." Nicole wanted to continue but was cut short.

 

"Let me sleep. I couldn't sleep because of you today," an annoyed Alex replied.

 

"Humph... As if... You were in bed till eight," walking up to him, Nicole pinched his waist grudgingly, but he didn't even winch. And as she looked at him lying there relaxed, Nicole could only swallow her anger.

 

"Being in bed does not mean I got to rest. A certain rat was squirming throughout the room, not letting me get a wink," Alex said and turned to have his back towards Nicole, bringing an end to the conversation.

 

Giving up on him, Nicole sat on the seat in front and turned her attention outside, lost in her own thoughts. She was so lost that she did not even pay attention when a black-haired guy came and stood by the door. It was only after he knocked at the door that Nicole turned to look at him.

 

"Can... Can I sit here?" The boy asked, hesitating. He had checked quite a few compartments, and they were either already full, or were full of commotion.

 

And to Nicole's surprise, he was the same boy she saw outside the station with that giant man and again at the platform, talking to that plum, red-haired lady.

 

"Sure, come in," Nicole said, full of smiles. If she were to travel alone with her brother, she might die of boredom. Now there was someone she could talk to.

 

"Hi, I am Nicole Ashbridge, and he is my older brother Alexender Ashbridge," Nicole said while extending her hand.

 

"Harry Potter," the boy took her hands and sat beside her, introducing himself.

 

"Oh... My... God! I can't believe I met someone famous very first thing on my way to school. You are the famous Harry Potter. I have read all about you in books. I am so glad to meet you," Nicole was surprised and happy to meet the guy. Meanwhile, Alex also opened his eyes hearing the name but soon got back to sleeping.

 

Soon after the introduction, Nicole and Potter engrossed themselves in chatting about Hogwarts, magic, Diagon Alley and other fascinating things about the wizarding world.

 

Meanwhile, as Nicole and Potter were busy chatting, the whistle sounded, and with a jerk, the train began to move. Both Nicole and Harry bent forward and, from what little they could see through the door and the window, found parents waving to their children bidding their farewell.

 

"This is my first time travelling by train. I feel nervous and excited at the same time," After the train had crossed the platform, Nicole leaned back and said.

 

"Mine too," Potter said with a faint smile.

 

"Really? I thought since you are a celebrity, you get to meet all kinds of people and travel a lot," Nicole asked, surprised.

 

"It's just the opposite," Harry whispered, "I was always alone." Potter's voice was so soft that even Nicole sitting beside him could not hear clearly. For her, it was as if the conversation, for the time being, had come to an end.

 

Soon the station disappeared from their sight, and what followed was complete silence in the compartment. Sensing no intention from Potter to start the conversation, Nicole was about to pull out a book from the bag she had with herself when, all of a sudden, the compartment door was slid open. And a redheaded boy walked in without even taking permission.

 

"Anyone else sitting there?" He asked, pointing at the seat opposite Potter and Nicole. "Everywhere else is full."

 

But before Nicole or the Potter guy could reply, the boy walked up to Alex and shook him.

 

"Wake up, dude. Not the time for nappy-nappy," the boy said.

 

"Hey! If you want to sit, feel free to sit here," Nicole stopped him and pointed at the space beside Harry, "Why are you being bossy out of nowhere?"

 

The red-haired boy looked at Nicole, then Alex and finally sat beside Harry. He glanced at Potter, but when their eyes met, he quickly looked away out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked.

 

And the awkward silence continued. Nicole pulled out a book to read. It was science fiction about countries trying to control the weather. Potter was looking outside the window while the red-haired boy was busy stealing glances at Potter.

 

"Hey, Ron," the silence was broken when the sliding door of the compartment opened again, and two boys peaked inside. Both of them had red hair and looked identical. They were twins.

 

"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train. You know Lee? That Lee Jordan's got a giant..." one of the twins said, looking at the red-haired boy, but as his gaze shifted to Potter, he stopped speaking all of a sudden.

 

"Harry?" The other twin looked at Potter, unsure, "Is that you?" From the looks of it, they knew Potter.

 

"Ummm..." Potter, on the other hand, was hesitant. But he still nodded.

 

"We thought so," the first twin exclaimed, clapping his hand, "You may not know us, but let us introduce ourselves."

 

"I am Fred," the other twin took over, "And he is George. We are the Weasley twins," the twin named Fred introduced, "And Ron here is our younger brother."

 

"Hi!" Potter nodded, "But how did..." Potter wanted to ask how they knew him, but the twins were too impatient to stick to one topic.

 

"And who is this pretty lady beside you, Harry?" George asked.

 

"Nicole Ashbridge, nice to meet you," Nicole replied.

 

"Likewise," the twins replied. And with that, they were pretty much done there. For them, meeting the famous Harry Potter was nothing but a moment of excitement. It did not appeal to them, though.

 

"Well, see you later," and the twins darted off like the way they came.

 

"Bye," said Harry and Ron, but the twins were long gone sliding the compartment door shut behind them.

 

"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron finally asked, turning towards Potter. He had been holding it for so long.

 

Potter nodded.

 

"Have you really got that? You know..." Ron asked, pointing towards Potter's forehead.

 

Getting the meaning behind his words, Potter smiled and pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar.

 

"So that's where You-Know-Who... ?" As Ron stared intently, he pried further.

 

"Yes," said Harry, "But I can't remember a thing," Potter said, shaking his head.

 

"Nothing?" asked Ron eagerly. His hesitation was slowly leaving, and he was beginning to pry more and more.

 

But before Potter could reply, Nicole snapped at Ron, "Hey, isn't it a bit rude to bring out someone's painful memories just so you could kill your curiosity?"

 

"It's alright. I don't even remember..." Potter stopped the both of them from getting into a verbal fight.

 

There was complete silence in the compartment for a while. Still, soon Ron and Potter got involved in a conversation about muggles and their families.

 

While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. Nicole was quiet this time, watching the fields and lanes flick past. It was an unusually peaceful feeling. Relaxed, she turned towards her brother, hoping he would enjoy it with her, but she knew he had seen many sceneries like this.

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