Lindsey Burge, sat on the Hogwarts Express, solemnly looking out of the window. She watched the surrounding lush green countryside blur by the fog-covered window.
It was odd being able to see what lay beyond the thin piece of glass and yet not quit being able to make it out. In the same eerily odd way it matched Lindsey’s mood.
She wasn’t quit sure what was wrong with her. Something was just off, leaving her feeling very distant. She tried to pull out of it. She should feel happy. She was on her way back to Hogwarts to start her sixth year. She was surrounded by her best friends and her amazing boyfriend.
As if on cue Hugo shifted his free left arm and reached around Lindsey to trace a smiley face in the droplets that covered the glass window. Lindsey turned to look up and smile into his handsome face. She couldn’t help but feel better, Hugo’s grin was contagious.
"Come on Lins the rest of your summer couldn’t have been that bad." It was Hugo’s cousin Lily who sat on the seat across from them with her best friend Maddie. The three had been animatedly talking about quidditch why Lindsey had been in her trance. Maddie was a seventh year and she was also the Gryffindor quidditch captian .
"Oh it wasn’t. Thank you for coming and rescuing me for that week though." Lindsey winked at Lily.
"So does that mean that your step-da never found out then?" Maddie laughed. Lily and her mother Ginny had gone to get Lindsey so that she could spend at least part of her summer vacation with Hugo.
"Pshhh. NO but it’s not as if he tried to hard either. Mr. Connor." Lindsey mimicked her step-fathers surname. "Would much rather believe that everything is as it should be."
"Well not everyone can have parents like Hugo and Lily. My mum would never let a bloke stay at our house for a whole week."
"Honestly it’s not like they were ever alone. Even if Aunt ‘Mione wasn’t their constant shadow I can bet that Rose never was to far away."
"I just love it when my whole family takes an interest in my love life."
"Shut up Hugo, I just might have a boyfriend if it wasn’t for you."
"I wish that I had a bigger family. I get jealous when you two bicker." Maddie laughed.
"Oi you might as well be family you were at my cousins house nearly everyday. I seem to remember that you wee there for Christmas last year too. I seem to remember having quidditch drills on my vacation." Hugo laughed at the death look that Maddie was giving him. "Not that I didn’t like it. Or wouldn’t have done them anyway. Serious."
"You should thank me. I keep your boyfriend in shape. He is really lazy you know." Maddie pointed her finger at Lindsey who was laughing at them.
No one noticed when the smiley face sketched into the condensation on the window started to run. Eventually all that remained was vibrant clear spot that revealed the passing lush green countryside.
Lindsey was three years old the first time that it happened. Her mother hadn’t seemed upset about it at all, actually Bess Connor had delighted in her daughters new game.
The first time was an accident. Three year old Lindsey had been in her mothers bedroom sitting on the bench in front of the large oak dresser. Lindsey sat trying to diligently color in the dress of a princess so that it would match the pretty one that Bess had colored on the opposite page. It was proving to be much harder for Lindsey, then Bess had made it look earlier.
As she sat concentrating on keeping her crayon inside the flowing lines her nose began to itch. Lindsey tried to ignore it and focus on her picture. But the harder she concentrated the worse the itch became.
"Auuchoo........ooo!!" Little Lindsey nearly lost her balance on the bench, she had managed to grab on to the dresser just in time. As she pulled herself up she caught a glimpse of herself in her mothers mirror.
At first Lindsey had been stunned, and then she began to giggle. Bess must have heard because she opened the door to the adjoining bathroom, and stepped out, while running a brush through her wet hair.
Lindsey stood on the bench her little hands spread out on top of the dresser bracing her. She was jumping up and down on the bench while looking at her reflection.
"Look mummy. ‘OOK at my hair. It matches her dress." Lindsey picked up her forgotten crayon off of the dresser and jumped off of the bench.
Her little arms were wrapped around Bess’s legs when the older woman’s ashen face finally gave way to an enormous smile.
"Linds how did you do that? How did you make your hair turn purple?" Bess laughed while stroking her daughters "usually" dark brown curls which were now a shade of bright purple.
The two spent the rest of the morning in front of the large dresser mirror laughing, as Lindsey tried to turn her hair to match all of the colors in the box of crayons.
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