The Next Generation and the Followers of Darkness

Melody Smith ran her trolley straight at the barrier, Lux screeching angrily as her cage rattled. The beautiful barn owl had never been placed on top of a trolley in King's Cross Station, let alone advance on a very solid-looking wall. Melody tried to calm Lux down, but she couldn't blame the owl for fearing an impact with the wall. Although Melody had walked through onto platform nine and three-quarters with her parents since the age of three, pushing her luggage and owl at the barrier was a different story. She winced slightly when the trolley was an inch away, still expecting the crash, but opened her eyes a moment later to the usual sight.

The Hogwarts Express was scarlet and gleaming, billowing steam onto the platform which was swarming with people. Trunks were lying on the platform, waiting to be loaded; owls hooted indignantly from their cages; toads hopped about followed by curious cats. Some students were standing beside the carriages talking to family and friends while other hung out the windows of the train, discussing the adventures of the summer holiday. Parents were embracing their children tearfully, holding them close for as long as possible. Prefects, identifiable by the badges on their chests, were strolling about with their noses in the air, ocassionally barking orders at younger students. Most were already wearing their school robes. Melody looked down at her trunk, where her own robes were stored for the time being.

Suddenly, someone nudged her in the ribs. She jumped a bit and turned to glare at the person. It was Oliver, of course. He had been waiting for her to come through the barrier and merely grinned mischievously in response to her expression. Her elder brother was always doing things to try to scare her, and he usually succeeded. But despite the teasing, the two of them were the closest of the Smith children.

Amelia and Jeremy, now a seventh and a sixth year, had left for Hogwarts when Melody was only a few years old, so they and their younger sister had never been very close. Only returning home for the summer and Christmas holidays, Melody had seen her eldest siblings for part of the year before they were whisked off to Hogwarts for another term, leaving her at home with the memories of who they were. Oliver, on the other hand, was only two years older than the youngest Smith, and they had gotten along quite well until he, too, had began going to Hogwarts. It was true that Melody was devastated by his sudden disappearance from her life, but now she would be joining Amelia, Jeremy, and Oliver at school. And she couldn't be more excited.

Her mother and father had just come through the barrier behind her. They smiled at Melody and Oliver then led the way down the platform toward the end of the train. Melody looked around for Amelia and Jeremy. They were nowhere to be seen at the moment but would come to say good-bye to Mr. and Mrs. Smith before the train disembarked.

Almost every student who passed them knew Oliver, and the Smith family had to keep stopping as he and his friends caught up with each other. He was always sure to introduce Melody to them, and she began to blush at every mention of her name. Going to Hogwarts, she knew almost no one and realized that she would make friends once she met the other first years. But now she would have people to converse with on the train at least.

Melody, Oliver, and their parents came to a final halt beside a carriage about halfway down the train that was almost empty. While Mr. Smith and Oliver loaded the trunks and owls into a compartment, Mrs. Smith gave her youngest daughter a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh, you'll be perfectly fine, love," she kept repeating over and over, more to herself than Melody. "You'll be all right, dear. Just be a good girl, stay out of trouble —"

"I know, Mum," Melody mumbled into her mother's shoulder. She gasped for air as Mrs. Smith released her. "You don't need to worry. I have Amelia, Jeremy, and Oliver. Heaven knows Amelia will keep me in line."

Both mother and daughter chuckled. But a moment later, Mrs. Smith's expression had become concerned again.

"For now. What about after the Sorting Ceremony?"

"Please don't remind me."

Melody sighed. Of course her mother would bring up this point now. As much as Melody was excited to go to Hogwarts, she was just as nervous. She had heard the good and bad about the school from the other three for years, not knowing what to believe. And the upcoming Sorting wasn't easing her conscience.

Each of Melody's three siblings was in a different House at Hogwarts. There were four in all: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each had separate traits attributed to it from the when founders had started the school, as well as honorable histories and notable students. Amelia — who was brilliant, studious, and followed in her mother's footsteps — was a Ravenclaw. Jeremy was much like his father in both appearance and personality: tall, caramel-coloured hair, dark brown eyes, kind, loyal, and obviously a Hufflepuff. Oliver, on the other hand, was a Gryffindor, brave and adventurous at heart. Melody would most likely be in one of the three, as she was not nearly as sly as Slytherin's typically were. But being sorted into Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor felt like picking a sibling. Still, if she could choose, the choice was obvious.

As Oliver stepped off the train and his mother enveloped him in another rib-cracking hug, two figures walked out of the mist toward them. The Head Girl and Hufflepuff prefect sauntered over, their heads held high.

Amelia had been bragging about becoming Head Girl since she had gotten the letter and badge about mid-July. It was getting annoying after a month and a half. Jeremy was happy, of course, as he hoped to be Head Boy next year and had gotten the idea into his head that his elder sister being Head Girl this year had sealed the deal. And while Oliver hadn't said a word yet, he was on the verge of making a very sarcastic comment.

Melody crossed her fingers as Amelia and Jeremy walked over to say farewell to their parents. Oliver bit his lip.

"Good-bye, Mum," Amelia said, hugging her mother and father in turn. As she pulled out of their arms, Amelia straightened the badge on her robes, rubbing it with the end of one sleeve. Oliver's mouth thinned.

Jeremy, too, embraced his parents, giving Oliver a warning look over Mrs. Smith's shoulder. The younger brother stuck his tongue out.

"Oh, look at all my babies," Mrs. Smith choked out, nearly in tears as she looked upon her four children. "All of you in school — it will be so lonely without any of you at home —"

Without warning, a loud sob escaped her. Everyone around them looked about to see who was breaking down this year. Amelia, Jeremy, Oliver, and Melody all gathered around their mother, attempting to console her as she continued to bawl.

"Mum, please don't cry —"

"— it'll be Christmas before you know it —"

"— we'll write to you as often as possible —"

"— it's not as if we're leaving forever."

After several long minutes of crying and reassuring, Mrs. Smith wiped her eyes on her sleeve and managed to smile weakly at her children.

"Now, you all need to take care of each other," said Mr. Smith, wrapping his arm protectively over his wife's shoulder. "Even though you're in different Houses, you're still family. Don't turn your backs on each other — not ever."

Suddenly, Jeremy looked at his watch as if he forgot something. His eyes bulged slightly.

"Damn!" he said, slapping a palm to his forehead. "Amelia, come on, we were supposed to be back at the prefect's carriage five minutes ago. That badge won't be your's for long if we're late all the time. 'Bye, Mum! 'Bye, Dad!"

Mrs. Smith pecked him on the cheek as he hugged her again, Jeremy shook his father's hand, and took off into the steam back up the platform. After embracing her parents once more, Amelia turned to Melody. The elder girl's green eyes met Melody's hazel ones.

"I'll come and find you once I'm done at the front of the train," she told her little sister. "We'll eat lunch or something together."

"All right," Melody said, uncertainly.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Amelia, it was just that her elder sister hadn't been there for her all the time. The age gape between them caused more problems than it should have, resulting in a permanent doubt that Amelia couldn't be relied upon.

"I will. I promise. Just don't get into trouble. I wouldn't really recommend Oliver's friends, then."

The two of them laughed and looked over at their brother, who was talking to a large group of boys nearby.

"Okay," agreed Melody.

But Amelia wasn't looking down at her any longer. She was watching something past Mrs. Smith's shoulder, a sparkle in her eyes that Melody had never seen before. It was irresistible. Melody glanced back over her own shoulder.

A tall boy was standing by the nearest column, talking to a group of girls who giggled obnoxiously every time he smiled. Amelia was watching him closely, studying him. His blue eyes twinkled as the girls commented on what he had just told them, making them giggle even more. Running his fingers through his dark hair, the boy looked right at Amelia for a split second. Their eyes met, and she diverted them quickly, blushing furiously.

Melody grinned, but stopped as Amelia shook her head, as if clearing it.

"Are you all right, dear?" Mrs. Smith asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," replied Amelia, a bit faster than she had intended. "Just a little tired, I guess. All this prefect business is hard work."

Oliver had rejoined his family and couldn't hold his tongue anymore.

"Oh, yes," he snapped. "It's such hard work yelling at people and shining your stupid badges. You're so shallow. How am I even related to you?"

He had hit a nerve with the badges. He knew he had crossed a line. Even Mr. and Mrs. Smith backed up a bit. Amelia looked as if she might explode. Better it come out now than later, when it had been able to simmer for a while. But Jeremy had appeared again, looking irritated.

"Amelia!" he called. "The train's going to leave any minute now. We're being filled in on duties! Come on."

With one last scowl at Oliver, Amelia kissed her mother and father good-bye and stalked off up the platform, her robes whipping behind her.

"Good one, Oliver," said Mr. Smith. "Have fun with that later."

Their father checked his watch, then smiled sorrowfully at Mrs. Smith.

"It's time."

After one last hug each, Mrs. Smith allowed Melody and Oliver to board the train. She waved at them from where she stood on the platform as doors began to close all down the train. Tears were running down her cheeks as the Hogwarts Express slowly began to pull away from the platform. Her youngest children waved back at her until the train had gained too much speed and rounded a corner.

~~~~~

For a few minutes, Melody and Oliver sat in almost complete silence, watching the world fly by outside the window. Lux was asleep in her cage in the luggage rack beside Oliver's screech owl, Magnus, who was grunting slightly. Trunks rattled slightly beside the owls. They had changed into their Hogwarts robes in turn. Sitting alone in the compartment, Melody was able to relax a slight bit. But the peace of the moment was soon broken by an explosion of noise as the door of the compartment burst open to admit three rambunctious third year boys.

"Oliver!" the three of them exclaimed.

"— never thought we'd find you on this damn train —"

"— prefects kept telling us to shut it —"

"— the first years look terrified this year —"

Melody stared down at her feet, trying to focus on her black and white plimsolls rather than what the boys were saying. But was it true? Did she really look terrified?

"Who's this?" one of the boys said suddenly.

She looked up, wide-eyed, to see that the three other boys were staring at her. She felt her face go pink.

"My little sister, Melody," explained Oliver, smiling at her encouragingly. "Obviously, she's a first year. Melody, this is —"

"Hayden Trent." A blond boy with freckles and glasses offered his hand. She shook it gingerly, a bit taken aback by the friendliness of these boys.

"Richard Pendleton." This time, the boy in the seat beside the door spoke. His short, dark brown hair and blue eyes reminded Melody of the boy Amelia had been staring at. She wondered if they were related.

"And I am Luke Salisbury," the last boy said. "The bravest Gryffindor present." His brown eyes watched her intently. Offering his hand, she took it. But rather than shake it, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it lightly. She blushed bright pink.

"That's my sister!"

"Just introducing myself to the newest Gryffindor."

"She hasn't even been sorted yet."

"But I know, because I have 'the Sight.'"

"Don't tell me you signed up for Divination!"

"Well . . ."

The boys' voices faded away. Melody was caught up in her thoughts, thinking about the Hogwarts Houses again and the Sorting Ceremony. Her eyes flickered in Oliver's direction. The smiling third year in front of her was a Gryffindor. There was no doubt about that. He had always been troublesome as a child but took responsibility for his actions. Melody liked to think she was like that. Still, she knew better.

The scenery going by now was wide-open countryside, the ground covered in crops and pastures. The Gryffindor boys continued talking about classes, plans for Hogsmeade, Qudditch teams. Prefects strolled up and down the corridor, popping their heads in at any particularly loud laughter. Once they had made sure that no one was doing anything problematic, they would leave to go check on other students.

Melody leaned her head against the glass and closed her eyes, trying to relax. The boys didn't bother her for about ten minutes, but sudden silence in the compartment was unnerving. She opened her eyes and turned to see the door slid back. Amelia was standing in the doorway, an expression of fury on her face. Out of instinct, Melody cowered in her seat by the window.

Amelia was normally good-natured. But any time someone teased her about being a prefect, she blew a fuse. The badge on her chest was very important to her. Slowly, she stepped toward Oliver.

"You are a complete arse!" bellowed Amelia as soon as she was only inches from her youngest brother's face. "How could you say that to me in front of everyone! Now everyone thinks I'm a complete bitch! I swear, if you cross me again, I will make sure that you can't join anything less than the Gobstones Club, let alone try out for the Quidditch team!"

No one in the compartment moved or spoke. Prefects patrolling the corridor scuttled by without saying a word while other students stood listening for a moment before risking Amelia's wrath any longer. Oliver sat with his head down, ears red. He was embarrassed beyond belief.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that again!" She checked her watch. "Dammit!"

And she stalked out of the room, leaving the door wide open. Melody glared after. She knew that Oliver had pissed her off, but that was no reason to explode in front of all his friends.

The room stayed silent for a while, then Melody stood up.

"I think I'm gonna go explore," she said.

"Just be careful not to mess with that one," said Oliver quietly. "I guess you should try to meet some other first years. Oh, and be back a bit before one o'clock, that's when the food trolley comes 'round."

Nodding, she waved to the boys and walked down the corridor from carriage to carriage until she reached the end of the train. Most of the compartments she walked by were full of students, and being as shy as she was, it was unthinkable to stroll right into a compartment and introduce herself. But just as Melody had made up her mind to go back up the train to where Oliver, Hayden, Richard, and Luke were, a red-haired boy came running out of the nearest compartment and bowled into her, knocking her to the floor.

"Oi! Watch it," she said without meaning to, covering her mouth as soon as the words had come out. The boy's brown eyes flashed angrily for one moment, but the next, he was peering at her with great curiosity, grinning stupidly.

"Sorry," said the boy, extending his hand to help her to her feet. She took it gingerly. Her head tilted to the side, she stared at him. "I'm James, by the way. James Sirius Potter. And you wouldn't happen to be Oliver Smith's sister, would you?"

"Yes . . ." Melody said slowly. "Melody Smith. How'd you know?"

"Well, we're in Gryffindor together, and I used to snoop through his stuff when he wasn't looking." James chuckled. "I remember when he walked in and I was looking at his picture of his family — he nearly had to wrestle me to the floor to get it back. But I was too curious for my own good, I guess."

Melody laughed hollowly. It was a little unnerving to know that this boy had seen a picture of her. She edged away a tiny bit.

"Anyway, do you know where he is?" continued James. "I've been meaning to come looking for him. Just met up with my brother and cousin. You should introduce yourself, they're first years, too."

"Oliver's about halfway up the train," Melody said, "talking to Hayden Trent, Richard Pendleton, and Luke Salisbury."

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna go pick a fight with him. Come on, I'll introduce you to the family."

She followed him cautiously into the compartment he had just ran out of. By the window was a girl with bushy brown hair and blue eyes, who was petting a tabby kitten on her lap. Across from her was a boy with messy, black hair. His green eyes were staring intently at his fingers, which were curling and uncurling in front of him. They both looked up at the sound of someone re-entering the compartment.

"I thought you were headin' off to find your friends, James," the girl said.

"Or have you come back to mess with us some more?" said the boy bitterly. He still smiled at James.

"Actually, I was going to find them, but I happened to run into Melody here — literally," James laughed. "She's a first year like you two. Melody, this is my little brother, Albus Potter, and my cousin, Rose Weasley."

"Hello," Albus said.

"Nice to meet you," chimed Rose.

"You, too," said Melody. She smiled. Maybe she would have some friends at Hogwarts.

"Well . . . I'm gonna go find Oliver," said James. "See you three later, then."

He turned on the spot and disappeared out the door, running off up the corridor.

"So, James ran into you, did he?" Rose asked. "That's so like him. Almost as reckless as Uncle George."

"Sorry about him," added Albus. "At least you don't have to live with him."

The three of them laughed. During the next hour, Melody, Albus, and Rose talked about their families, instantly becoming friends as the time flew by, much like how a wilderness was now flying past the window. The mountains in the distance were dark with thunderclouds. It was quite possible that it might be raining when they arrived at Hogwarts.

Melody looked at Albus for a short while, remembering something she had read in a book some time ago.

"What are you staring at?" said Albus sharply.

"Sorry," Melody said. "It's just — just weird to think that you're Mr. Harry Potter's son. You're not different at all. Not stuck up or full of yourself. . . . Just kind, not flouncing about what your father did. Not using him to make yourself popular. It's a pleasant surprise."

Albus went pink, and Rose grinned at him. The compartment was silent for a few moments before all three of their stomachs grumbled.

"Do you happen to know what time the food trolley come by?" Rose said. "James wouldn't tell us."

"Yeah, one o'clock," replied Melody. "That reminds me, I need to get back to my brother's compartment. Albus, what's the time?"

"Twelve fifty-five."

"Oh, God! I've got to go. I'll be back later. See you soon!"

Melody nearly trotted back up toward the middle of the train. Being late would probably make Amelia angrier, and the thought of her waiting with Oliver created a knot in Melody's stomach. Her brother had already been embarrassed enough by the Head Girl. No reason to make him even more miserable.

But as she entered the second to last carriage, an argument caught her attention. Although no words reached her, the sincerity in one of the voices attracted her to the compartment from which it was coming, just as a boy with pale blond hair and a thin face was pushed from it. She backed away. He hadn't noticed her yet, and neither did the second years he was speaking to. The boy looked up from where he sat on the floor, his grey eyes narrowed.

"I'm not like him!" he yelled. "I'd never do what he did!"

"Whatever," a second year muttered and slammed the door shut. A bout of laughter came from inside.

The boy got to his feet, glaring at the compartment.

"I'm not like him," he whispered, dusting off his robes. He was just about to turn away, when Melody spoke quickly from behind him, making him jump.

"Are you all right?"

"Fine," the boy snapped, obviously still annoyed by the rudeness of the other boys.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you a first year?"

"Yes. Are you aware that you ask a lot of questions?"

Melody glared at the boy but couldn't help grinning. He had a hint of a smile on his lips.

"I'm just curious. You did get thrown out of a compartment."

He opened his mouth to retort. Instead, thinking better of it, he just looked at her. Melody stared back at him, trying to understand why he was so determined to be unfriendly. When he didn't say anything to explain what had happened moments earlier, Melody decided he wasn't worth her time.

"Well, I've got somewhere to be," she snapped finally. Pushing past the boy, she added, "Excuse me."

He moved a little and watched as she walked away. As she walked up the corridor, she could feel his gaze on her back. But she had barely walked ten paces before he called after her.

"What's your name?"

She spun around and looked him in the eye. The boy actually smiled at her for a moment. He wiped it off his face once he realized what he was doing.

"Melody Smith. Yours?"

"Scorpius Malfoy."