A/N: Here is the prequel to my other story Illusions of a perfect marriage which only has one chapter left till it ends *cries*, it's not necessary to read it to understand this story.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
I dedicate this to my cat Zonky. :-D
Amazing chapter image by AtomicPanda @ TDA
“Adam get back here,” came the scream of a tall woman. She was in her forties and had a stern look on her face as she yelled at her son who had tried to run off from where they were standing.
They had arrived on the platform a good ten minutes ago and the woman was trying to make the most of the time she had left with her two children before they left to go attend their school. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a boarding school and she would only be able to see her children when they returned home during the holidays. It was tough leaving her children but she knew that this was the best place for them to get their education.
“Calm down dear,” said the older man who also was in his forties, he placed a hand on his son Adam’s shoulder and gripped it tightly as he threw his other arm around his daughter’s shoulders. “The kids are just excited to see their friends that’s all.”
The woman calmed down considerably before she pulled her son into a hug, crushing him slightly. Adam held his hand out to his sister for help, she chose to ignore him. “I know. I just want to spend more time with them that’s all.”
“It’ll be alright mum, I’ll send you letters so will Amelia.” Adam said muffled by his mums hug. Amelia stifled a chuckle; every time they went back to school the same scene would occur between her family, her mother almost refusing to let them go back on the train and her dad having to be the one to convince her mother she was being silly. It was embarrassing the first few years but now she sympathised with her.
Adam however was still embarrassed, even though you could tell that he was a total mummy’s boy, he thought that he was too cool for his mum’s hugs, what with being a seventeen year old boy.
“You big girl!”
Adam pulled away from his mother finally as he turned around with a smile, a tall dark haired boy skipped up to where they stood and engulfed Adam in a big bear hug, making sure to squeeze him tightly as he lifted him into the air. Adam let out a small yell before James dropped him and turned to the rest of them as Adam recovered on the floor.
“Hello Mr and Mrs Campbell-Price,” he said grinning widely at Adam and Amelia’s parents before he turned to face Amelia.
“Amelia you just get more beautiful every day!” James cried as he pulled Amelia into a much gentler hug then he gave Adam. “And how is my second family?”
It was true that James was like another family member, being in the same year and house as Adam at school, the two became inseparable quickly into their first year at school. Which meant that James and Adam alternated between staying over at each other’s houses during the holidays, the only time they seemed to be separated was the last two days but even then they sent each other many letters. If Amelia didn’t know that James had a girlfriend then she would get suspicious by just how close the two were.
“I think the trains about to leave,” James told them, Amelia and Adam were both quickly engulfed in the same hug from their mother. James let out a small laugh as he waited for the others to free themselves, when they did they each gave their father a hug goodbye and grabbed for their trunks, their mother wiping her tears behind them as they dragged their trunks.
James was quick to take Amelia’s from her and lifted it onto the train, Adam scoffed next to him as he lugged his own trunk onto the train, James laughed before shoving him with his shoulder and Amelia climbed aboard the train after them.
They all walked down to an empty compartment which already had James’s trunk in and set themselves down, after they had all helped to put the trunks up in the rack they relaxed.
“I can’t believe this is our last time travelling to school,” Adam said, James nodded at him.
“It is really weird that this time next year we’ll be having jobs.”
“Here you lot are!”
Amelia turned and smiled as her best friend came into the compartment dragging her trunk behind her, Adam was quick to pick it up for her and place it with the others. Kelly thanked him before sitting down next to Amelia.
“Sorry we didn’t wait for you,” Amelia said honestly. “But James had to drag us away from mum again.”
“Oh,” Kelly said in understanding she knew exactly how Amelia’s mum was when saying goodbye to her children. “I’m quite surprised you made it onto the train.”
They all laughed as Kelly pulled off her light jacket and placed it next to her. “I was nearly late; my dad thought it would be a good idea to attempt to do some shopping before dropping me off here. Why he thought he’d have time I have no idea? I just made it onto the train before it started moving.”
Amelia laughed as Kelly scooped her long blonde hair up and placed it in a ponytail so it could get off of her face. She then turned to James and began looking around him as though something was missing.
“Where’s Sarah?” she asked, still looking around. “I thought she would have been here practically attached to you.”
James let out a fake laugh before shaking his head at Kelly who smiled at him, Adam laughed before stretching his legs out and resting his feet on Amelia’s lap, she placed her arms on top of them.
“How am I meant to know where she is? On the train somewhere,” James said with a shrug before glancing at the door. James had begun going out with Sarah Harris halfway through last year, she was a seventh year Gryffindor like him. She was a really nice girl and seemed to genuinely care about everyone around her, but she seemed just a bit full of herself.
Amelia and Kelly had made fun of her a few times when they’d had their late night chats alone, that Amelia wasn’t proud of. But it’s what she and Kelly did and she knew that every other girl done the same, whether or not they wanted to admit it.
“So how often did you see her during the holiday?” Kelly asked James, James shrugged and Adam answered for him.
“I saw her about five times in all the time I was with James,” he stated.
“Which was everyday apart from yesterday,” Amelia said with a laugh. “I hope to Merlin you at least sent her letters.”
“Yeah... once or twice.” James shrugged again, his face going slightly red.
“As if!” Adam scoffed shoving James with his shoulder. “You sent her letters practically every day; you should have heard him giggling every time a letter came through the post for him.”
James turned and punched Adam on the arm. “You’re a prick you know.”
Adam laughed as he rubbed his arm where James had punched him before punching him back.
“Ow! That hurt,” James cried before grabbing hold of Adam in a headlock and slapping him on the top of the head. Adam kicked his feet off of Amelia, scratching her legs in the process.
“You loser!” Amelia cried, hissing slightly as she rubbed her legs before she got up and tried to sit on Adam and help James to beat him up. Adam let out loud laughs as Amelia began poking him in the ribs, Kelly soon joined in for the fun of it and helped Amelia to poke Adam.
“Anything from the tro - oh!”
They all looked up from where they were to see that the trolley lady had arrived at their door and was looking at them in shock. They all pulled away from each other laughing and Adam stood up, his hair sticking up in different directions and his face red from laughing. He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a few galleons. “What does everyone want? Me and James are buying.”
“Oh am I now?”
“Yes you grabbed me in a place that shouldn’t have been grabbed, so you’re giving me some money for food.”
James laughed as he too stood up digging his hand in his pocket for change. “Well you should have said if you didn’t enjoy it.”
The trolley lady was still staring at them in shock, her mouth opening and closing as though she was going to say something and then decided against it.
“I never said I didn’t enjoy it,” Adam said as Amelia and Kelly picked what they wanted from the trolley and sat back down, thanking Adam. Adam took James’s money before piling some items into James’s hands. He gave the trolley lady the correct money and a wink for good measure before walking over to where James had placed the food. “But that’s for tonight.”
The trolley lady quickly dashed away leaving the others to laugh loudly.
They had managed to get through quite a bit of the food by the time the compartment door opened again, but before they could see who it was they quickly dived on the floor and hid behind Amelia and Kelly’s legs. Amelia in shock jumped, sending her every flavour jelly beans scattering everywhere, she let out a scream of shock before looking down to see who it was that had just entered.
She could see a mop of black curly hair and a hand sneaking out to grab a bean from the floor. They quickly ate the bean before saying loudly. “Ew! Cardboard box flavour.”
“Albus what are you doing?” James cried shaking his head at his little brother, going to stand up and drag him up from the floor but Albus tried to kick him away.
“She’s after me!” he cried before balling himself up and muttering to himself think invisible thoughts. They all looked at each other with confused looks before someone else ran to the door and looked around.
Mariah Hayes a girl from Albus’s year and house was standing at the door, her eyes quickly searching around the compartment as though looking for someone; she was about five foot seven and had shoulder length brown hair. A frown was set on her face.
“Where is he?” she asked the room.
“Who?” James replied, trying to look innocent.
“Albus of course!” Mariah stated before looking at the floor, she spotted a trainer on the floor and saw something behind Kelly and Amelia’s legs. She quickly pointed at it. “What’s that?”
They all quickly exchanged glances before Kelly spoke up. “Oh that’s my robes.”
The others quickly gave each other questioning glances before they quickly nodded along with Kelly. “It’s where I keep them so they don’t...err.... crease”
Mariah continued frowning for a moment, the others knew that she wouldn't believe their story, but they were suprised when they saw Mariah smile widely at them. “That’s such a great idea! Oh well if you see Potter can you tell him that he’s going to die,” and with those words she left the compartment. They all exchanged looks before letting out a few laughs.
“Well that was close!” came Albus’s face as he shimmied out from under the seats. As he shuffled across the floor James was quick to use him as a footstool, stopping him. Albus let out a loud “Oomph!”
“Not so fast baby brother,” James said pinning Albus down with his feet.
“I’m only a year younger then you,” Albus cried trying to shake off James who wasn’t budging.
“Minor details, what in the name of Adam’s sweaty stinking socks was that all about?”
Adam didn’t look offended by that comment.
“It’s got nothing to do with you! Let me up!” Albus cried.
“Speak or we get Adam’s socks and shove them in your face!”
Adam quickly grabbed for his shoes and slowly began to undo his shoelaces.
“No! Not that. Anything but that. Fine I’ll talk!” Albus said slightly muffled from his face lying on the floor. “All I did was try and push her off of the train so she could go live with the herd of cows we saw, but somehow she took offense to that and began threatening my life! Totally unreasonable that girl.”
James shook his head at his brother, before turning to nod at Adam who quickly took his shoe off and pushed his foot in Albus’s face. Albus let out a loud cry before he managed to shove James off of him and scramble to his feet, retching slightly.
“That went in my mouth you Flobberworm!” Albus said rubbing his tongue with his shirt, which didn’t look at all clean. Albus glared at the two laughing boys before lunging forwards, James and Adam both cowered away from Albus, but Albus merely grabbed hold of some of their food and legged it from the compartment.
Strangely enough that was the most entertainment of the whole train ride.
The feast was as amazing as it had been the previous years, stuffed full of food Kelly and Amelia both watched the headmaster professor Neville with tired eyes, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. But Amelia knew that she would have to help take the Hufflepuff first years to the common room, with the help of Kelly, they had both been made into prefects over the holidays.
She stood up slowly as Professor Longbottom told them all to go to their common rooms, and called loudly to the first year students to all walk over to her.
After they had congregated around both her and Kelly they led them out of the hall and off to a separate corridor just near the doors. Leading them past the still life of a bowl of fruit they stopped at a large pile of barrels.
Kelly explained in detail about what order to tap the barrels in to gain entrance to the common room and what would happen if the wrong barrels were tapped. Making sure to explain to them that if they forgot how to get in then just to go and find any Hufflepuff they could and ask them to get either Kelly or Amelia, or to help them get into the common room.
They all walked up a sloping passage and the first years all looked around in awe as they entered the common room. Its ceilings were low and looked a little like a badgers set. It had such a homely feel to it and Amelia stood and breathed in the musky smell that made her feel like she was home.
It was still exactly as she had imagined it, the room was decorated in cheerful yellow colours with black here and there. Plants were hanging all around the ceilings, the tendrils of which were reaching down and going along the ceiling of the common room, resembling roots.
Amelia and Kelly both told the first years where the girls and boys dorms were and the bathrooms, before leaving them to their own devices. Amelia and Kelly each then walked to the sixth year girl dormitories and walked over to the same beds they had used since they joined the school.
Amelia lay down on her soft mattress, running her hands over the patchwork quilt on her bed; each bed had these, and smiled widely as Kelly unpacked her own stuff from her trunk.
It felt good to be home.
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