First Meetings and a Train Ride | Quirinus
I trembled as I stepped into Diagon Alley, my Letter clutched in my shaking hands, the Iguana resting on my shoulders, and shoulder bag bumping against my knees. Around me, people hurried about, parents bustling their children, older kids hurried around in either small groups or pairs; it’s the back to school rush.
And I was alone.
It hadn’t been much of a fuss, getting here. Stuck out my wand arm and hopped on the Knight Bus, it was really easy. Sure, people stared, sure, I stuttered when giving my destination and the Conductor kept asking if I was really going by myself, but it was okay. Really. It didn’t matter that my siblings were busy or that Tío had drunk too much of his sleeping stuff to notice my leaving. I could do things by myself, I’m almost ten afterall. My Letter crinkled, in my hand, my knuckles were white. I was fine.
And I had shopping to do anyways. Realizing that I was blocking the entrance, I stumbled further in.
Diagon Alley was very loud and very crowded. As people bustled this way and that, I was jostled along with them. I couldn’t make out much, apart from brightly coloured skirts, robes, and trousers. What I couldn’t see, I could hear, the footsteps of the crowd, the stall owners’ shouting, the chitters and roars of animals, and the conversions of those around me, made unintelligible from the other noises. And like a fog, magic cloaks everything. Glowing, spiraling shapes fill the air and are woven into the very stones and bricks that make up Diagon Alley. It crackles, oozes and makes itself known. It is beautiful, and it is far too bright and far too much. Involuntary, I stop in my tracks, equal parts awed and overwhelmed. I cannot breathe. My hands turn into fists, nails digging hard into the soft flesh of my palms. The Iguana gives a hiss that I feel more than anything. Coming here alone was a mistake, I realize. But there is no one to come for me,
I yelp as an old wizard shoves me out of the way. To my right there is the sound of fire, and magic, pinkish-purple and lace like patterns, creeps into my peripheral. I duck as flame bursts out of the Magical Menagerie, my palms scrape painfully against the ground. There was a lot of screaming, yelling and, oddly enough, laughter coming from inside. People swerve around me, like I’m nothing more than a pebble on the road. Tears began to well in my eyes as I register the stinging of the cold air against my palms. It feels like there is a pufferfish inside my chest, growing larger and larger, stabbing its’ toxic spines into my heart and lungs. I want to curl up and cry, but I am in the middle of a crowd, and can’t.
The Iguana digs his claws into my shoulder, and I bite my lip. Remembering the Letter still clutched tight in my hand, I realize I still have shopping to do. With trembling hands, I open the now horrible wrinkled Letter, its edges are ripped, the ink is smudged something awful, and it’s smeared with the blood from my hands. The pufferfish inside my chest swells a little more, because the Letter had been quite pretty, with its swooping words and neatly folded creases. I’d wanted to keep it, tuck it away into my photo album so I could look at it later.
Scanning through, I find the section where enclosed is the list of required First Year items;, wherein, is the section on books and that all required reading is found at Flourish and Blotts’. The pufferfish starts to deflate at the thought of a bookstore. Standing up proper, I begin to shove my way through the crowd and to the curbside. Spotting Flourish and Blotts’, where all required reading is found, I make a beeline to the entrance, slipping past the door.
Books were always a good thing, always made everything seem quiet and calm and distant.And, I’ve never bought books of my own before, all of the books I’ve read are well and worn. Excitement at buying new books, even if they’re required reading, fills my chest, and the pufferfish starts to swim away.
Flourish and Blotts’ is filled wall to wall with books, with the smell of fresh parchment and ink. Magic, gold and twinkling, carries books and scrolls down from top shelves and into the hands of patrons. I bounce on my heels, wondering where to go first. Yes, the pufferfish is gone now, replaced with a bunch of tiny little fishes, swimming about in my chest and head, bubbling with excitement.
Glancing down at my Letter for what books are required, I realize that it isn’t as badly damaged as I’d thought. The tears aren’t that noticeable and the blood and dirt just add some character is all. The Iguana flicks his tongue against my neck, just below my pagri, when I reach Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I hum. We have that book at home already. But it would be nice to have it new, to own something not touched by ghosts,
The Iguana gives a rumble of approval as I had towards the stacks of books labeled with a Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them sign. Flipping through the books, I try to find one that’s ‘good’. I haven’t gone book shopping, but I have gone grocery shopping. And when grocery shopping you have to look through the fruits and veggies for one that’s ‘good’. After a bit I find one that looks ‘good’. It’s different from the rest, its cover is a light purple instead of sea green, and written in with golden words, it says; ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Limited Edition’.
I don’t really know what kind of limited it is. Like strawberries, where will they be available next season? Or like dragon fruit, which I’ve seen once and never again? But I do know it’s purple, purple is my favourite colour, and it’s the only purple copy there. But then again, limited things are more expensive. Like strawberries in winter. I try to think of how much money is in my little mokeskin pouch. I think the extra money a Limited Edition Book would cost is negligible.
Happy with my soon-to-be purchase, I turn to find my other books. Just in time to catch sight of the multi-colour blur barreling towards me. The Blur slams into me, knocking me backwards and into the stack of Fantastic Beasts.
There was a crash, and a great clattering as the books, Blur and I tumble towards the hardwood floor.
I thud painfully against the floor, pain sparking up my elbow. Rubbing at it, feeling only the fabric of my jumper. The Iguana hissed irritably. He was okay too then. A groan caught my attention, and I realized that the Blur was a little girl. She was about my age, with golden brown skin, bright pink hair in messy little pigtails, and freckles speckled on her face like stars in the night sky. She turned her head round towards me then, offering me an apologetic grin. She was missing an incisor. I think I might be staring.
“Oh! Sorry mate! I didn’t see you there!” She scrambled to her feet. She’s tall. Really tall, with long and skinny limbs like a bowtruckle. I barely came up to her nose.
She held out a hand then, reaching out for mine. Her nails are painted, all different colours. She seems really cool.
“My names Dora, Dora Tonks! What’s yours?”
I don’t really say anything, just sort of mumbled something. I wasn’t staring at her anymore, the floor seemed like a much better place to be looking. The pufferfish has returned, dispelling all of my little excitement fish, and it feels like my chest is about to burst. I think I want to cry again. Everything was very quiet and awkward, even the other patrons had stopped, attention drawn by our clattering. I want to look back at her, accept her hand and act like I’m okay. But I don’t. Can’t. I can feel the stares of the witches and wizards around us, I can feel Dora’s eyes. All I can do is hold my Limited Edition Book.
Dora ummed and The Iguana digs his claws in hard. I force myself to look up at her. The Iguana relaxes his grip.
She’s smiling, but not the happy kind though, the kind where your face doesn’t know what else to do. Brown eyes trailed over to my shoulders, where the Iguana sat. Her eyes sparked with curiosity and her face brightened,
“Whoa! Where’d you get that guy! He's huge!” Dora made a grab for my upper arm and hauled me up then. I felt myself relax, her attention now on The Iguana instead of me.
“O–oh, uhm.. He– he is– was– m–my aunt’s” Dora was bouncing, her eyes locked mine, and I smiled a little. I like her, I think.
“What's his name? Wait, what is he? Is he a moke, or a, or a–”
“NYMPHADORA!” I tense. That’s not my name. It’s not Dora’s either. Dora scowled.
“I told her to stop usin’ that.” She mumbled, turning away from me. Oh, I guess it is her name. A witch and a wizard came up to us, they were tall. The woman looked familiar, I didn’t like that. They were quick to fuss over Dora, checking her for scrapes or cuts, and I can’t stop the stab of envy.
“Oh Nymphie, what happened? Are you okay?” the woman looked over to me, “Did you knock this poor boy down?”
The man let out a little sigh, waved his wand, restacked the books and crouched down.
“You okay son?”
I nodded and looked away. He smiled and patted me on the back. The Iguana hissed in warning, Dora’s father was quick to draw his hand back.
“Sorry about Dora, she gets a bit excited at times, tends not to watch where she's going.” His face was filled with adoration and love. Dora’s mother ruffled her hair.
“S’okay. I wasn–wasn't wat–watching wh–where I was goin’ ei–either.” The man made a noise of acknowledgement. I clutch my new book closer to my chest.
“Diagon Alley’s really something else, isn’t it?” Dora’s father says, and I’m not really sure why, but I think it might be small talk. I don’t know why it’s called small talk. Feels like a big talk. But The Iguana presses his head against my pagri, so I respond,
“Yeah, I g–guess.”
Dora’s mother focused her attention towards us, introducing herself as Andromeda and Dora’s father as Ted. They seem cool too. Though, they made Dora apologize again. I guess they don’t think she apologized earlier?
Mrs. Tonks hummed, before looking around. Looking for something? No, someone.
“Where are your parents dear?” Oh. I don’t really have an answer for that, and all three are staring. I squirm uncomfortably in my shoes, pressing my book closer to my chest. The pufferfish inflates more, it’s starting to hurt and I have to fight to keep my breathing even.
“Uhm.. Th-they’re a–a–at h–ho–home…” It’s not a lie. Mrs. Tonks purses her lips, and shares a glance with Mr. Tonks. I know they’re talking. It’s a look I can remember my Papí and Amma sharing. It’s not a good talk. I try to ignore Dora’s staring.
“Uh, we–well, my old–older sist–ter is coming soon.” Not to Diagon, but Quina is coming to visit. Tomorrow. Which is also soon. Mrs. and Mr. Tonks look convinced. Almost. But they don’t press.
“Well, if your sister is on her way, we’d best get back to our shopping,” Mrs. Tonks slips my hand off of my book, giving it a squeeze, “But we’ll be around if you need some help.” Behind her, Dora’s face draws up into a pout. Mrs. Tonks kissed her forehead and grabs her hand. “I’m sure you’ll see each other later.”
They turn to head out, Mr. and Mrs. Tonks wave goodbye. I stare. Dora turned around then, waving her free hand as high as it would go;
“LIZARD BOY! I’LL SEE YOU ON THE TRAIN!!”
I giggle and wave as back, as large as I can,
“okay”
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Hogwarts Express was pulling out of the station. Nervous excitement fills my belly as I wave out the window. I could see my family waving at me too. They’d all come to see me off! My sister, brother, Tío, and even my tías. I didn’t think they’d come, but they had! Qaraja had scooped me into his arms, telling me;
“Oh Quinito, we wouldn’t miss this for the world!”
Slowly, they all fade into little pinpricks, indistinguishable from the other families. Indistinguishable. Huh. I smiled to myself, something sharp but warm was in my chest, not at all like the pufferfish. Now that’s a thought.
I stroked a finger along the scales of The Iguana, he was purring while he slept. It’s very cute. I turned my attention to the window. It was pretty, prettier than the view on the Knight Bus. We were out of the city now, trees, farms and fields flew by. I began to kick my feet back and forth, Fantastic Beasts; Limited Edition was on my lap, I could re-read it, but... it was nice, watching the world fly by. It was peaceful. Like watching the rainfall in the garden.
I whipped my head ‘round towards the door, feet were thumping hard and fast on the wooden floor. The door to my compartment flew open as a girl ran in, her trunk thunking down on the floor. She slammed the door just as quick as she opened it. The Iguana snarled, now wide awake. She turned her head towards us, her pale face widening into a grin. I scoot towards The Iguana. She’s small, maybe only a little taller than me. Her brown hair is cut into a neat little bob.
“Lizard Boy!” I felt my face screw up in confusion. Only one person’s called me that, and this girl definitely isn’t Dora. The girl must have realized my confusion as she began to speak,
“Oh! Right! You don’t know.” I gasped as magic, like glowing specks of pollen lifted off her skin, her skin which was beginning to darken. Freckles faded into view as her skin settled on a familiar shade of golden brown. Her body stretched, growing taller and lankier. And her hair brightened into a bubblegum pink, as it curled into something wilder. The magic floated off of her body and Dora gave me a gap toothed grin.
“You’re a– you're a–”
“Metamorphagus, yeah!” Dora dragged her trunk closer towards the center of the compartment and sat down opposite to me. She leaned back a little and then, as if remembering something important, leaned forwards again.
“So” she held the ‘oh’, “What's your name? Because I kinda, sorta, maaaaybee forgot to ask earlier.” Dora smiled, a bit sheepishly.
“Oh, uhm, m–my na–names Qui–Quir–Quiri–Quirin-” I scowl, my facing growing darker with embarrassment, Why was my name so bloody long?, the Iguana blinked at me, slowly. I took a deep breath and let it out. “Quirinus.” Dora nodded, rather seriously then.
“My full name is Nymphadora. I have no clue why my mum decided to name me that of all things.” I smiled.
“Do–doesn’t tha’ mean ‘loved li–little g–girl'?”
“Yeah! I mean, what's she gonna do if I become a ‘hated old woman’ or something?” I shrug. Maybe Dora could rename herself? But I don’t think there are many names that mean ‘hated old woman’ anyhow.
“I thi– I think mine me–means sp–spear.”
“Spear? That’s a cool name!”
“I thin– I think there's also som–some god named tha–that too. App–apparently he’s the god of begin–beginnings and endi–endings.” Dora nodded. Wizarding Parents tended to name their kids after some trait in the hopes that they have gifts or abilities related to the name. It’s really sweet that Dora’s parents want her to be well loved.
There was a thunk as my foot knocked into Dora’s trunk. We both looked at the trunk. Dora tilted her head towards me and pointed up at the luggage rack.
“I should probably put this up there.” I nodded, tucking my feet up, out of her way. I watched for a bit as she struggled to lift it. Dora managed to get it upright. Her hands underneath it, trying to push it up. Realizing she couldn’t get it up by herself, I joined her on the other side of the trunk, and we managed to heave it into the air. We grunted as we tried to heave it onto the rack. We were too short. Dora huffed and I scowled. Quina had lifted my trunk up for me. Maybe we could ask an older student? Dora and I nearly dropped the trunk as yelps and shrieks echoed from down the hall. They sounded angry. Dora’s face grew ashen. She looked over at me, nervously shuffling from foot to foot.
“Okay, so, you know how I burst in here?” I nod. “Well, I kinda sorta maybe, most definitely, stuffed a dungbomb or two under the seats of some older kids.” I blinked. And blinked again. “Wh–why?”
“I heard them, while getting on, they were, they used,” Her tone shifted like she was gonna say something she wasn’t supposed to say, “the M–Word.” I gasped. “And, they were talking about what they’d do to any ‘little M–Words' that tried to sit with them!”
I wince. The War’d only ended recently. I shudder as the ghostly image of a snake and skull, looming like death over The House, comes through my head. The sound of doors slamming made us both jump. There was yelling. It sounded like they were looking for something. Or someone. I looked over at Dora, she looked scared. We should try- we should try and act like we don’t know anything. But, what about the trunk? If it’s not up, then they might suspect something!
Dora apparently had the same thought as me, and we began to heave the trunk with renewed vigor. We were still too short. I cursed.
I screwed my eyes shut and focused all my might on shoving the trunk up. We shoved again, in my head there was a woosh, and the trunk lifted out of our hands. It thunked as it slid into the compartment wall. I opened my eyes, a sense of pride looped its way through my chest. Dora was staring at the trunk in amazement. She looked like she was going to say something, but there was the sound of an opening door and we both shot into our seats, trying desperately to look like nothing had happened. The Iguana chittered as I landed down beside him.
We flinched as our door was flung open. There were three other kids.They were big. All older. And looking very mad.They also smelled foul. The girl upfront spoke first, she was tall and looked like she could break me in half like a twig.
“Did either of you two see a little girl? Yey high, pale, brown hair kinda pasty?” Dora and I shook our heads. One of the boys behind her pointed at me.
“That one’s short!” I curled in on myself, The Iguana crawled onto my lap and gave a warning hiss. The boy shifted away, “And- And the kids next door said they heard running, and a door opening here!”
The girl pinched her brow and shot the boy a look. “Osman, that kid, that kid isn’t even... Do they look pale to you? Did we see a purple turban? No! But,” she looked at Dora and I, “they might be hiding her!”
I looked around the compartment incredulously. Where would we even..? The girl eyed our trunks. Fu-Shi-Oh no. The girl reached for my trunk. Panic gripped me, because I had some things in there that I probably shouldn’t have. Dora stood up then, her voice full of outrage,
“Hey! You can’t do that! That’s his stuff!” The girl looked at Dora, a sneer playing on her face,
“Oh? And why not? Don’t you want us to catch the little miscreant that set off Dungbombs on the train?” Dora wrinkled her nose.
“Doesn’t mean you’ve got to go messing with our privacy and stuff!” The girl rolled her eyes. She began to pull down my trunk. I spoke up.
“Uhm-uh- Wait! We can– w–w–w–w–we can–can't e–even re–reach th–th–that hi–high!” Dora nodded vigorously. To demonstrate, she reached for her own trunk,on her tiptoes, arms going as high as they could. I gesture towards her,
“S–see?” The girl raised a brow. “A–and be–besides, sho–shouldn–shouldn't y–y–you g–g–go an–and ai–air ou–out your comp–compartment? Your st–stuffs go–gonna sme–smell real bad!”
The girl's face whitened. Osam cursed,
“Kid’s right Jara! We didn’t open up a window or nothing!” Jara cursed this time, shoved my trunk back to its spot and bolted out of the compartment, her friends lurching after her.
Dora turned to me, relief clear on her face;
“Nice thinking Quirinus! And,” she giggled a little, “did you see them run? Wow!” She grinned at me. And I grinned back.
“Ho–how do you f–feel ab–about be–being a mis–miscreant?” Dora smiled, almost conspiratorially.
“Pretty good, buuuut, I think I’d like it better if I had a,” her voice lowered a little, “partner in crime.” She held her hand out towards me, “What do ya say, Quinn?”
I smile, wider somehow, and shake her hand. Being a miscreant seems fun. The Iguana purred.
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The Hogwarts Express rocked and swayed as we started a conversation. I learned a bit about Dora, and she learned a bit about me. I was surprised to hear that she didn’t have many friends. Dora seems like the kinda kid who’d have a whole load. Her face bittered a bit at my surprise. Apparently her parents wanted to keep her inside and as far away from any possible Death Eaters as possible.
“Mum’s a ‘blood traitor’ and Dad’s Muggleborn. They didn’t want to put me at risk, especially with the whole ‘metamorphmagus thing’, apparently those on my mum’s side are right awful.”
It makes sense, and I nod in understanding. My parents were like that too, and after the- after the.... (something grows in my chest, not the pufferfish)… incident, Tío Julio was doubly so. Dora was delighted to discover that we were both each other's first friend. It was an odd sort of solace that this would be new to the both of us.
Conversation drifted over to more pleasant topics. Like what house we hoped to be in. I admitted I probably wouldn’t have minded being in Slytherin, if it weren’t for all the Blood Purists. Dora agreed, Mrs. Tonks was in Slytherin. It was kinda funny, because our parents' houses match! My Amma was in Slytherin and my Papí was in Hufflepuff too, just like Dora’s parents. We laughed a bit about that. Conversation flitted between subjects for a while after that. Favourite colours (Dora likes pink, I like purple), favourite animals (Rabbits are Dora’s favourite, I don’t have any, they’re too many to choose), and if we’re in the same house, whether or not we’d be allowed to room together. When the trolley witch came, we pooled our coins together to buy as much sweets as we could. And, after some coaxing, we got The Iguana to let Dora pet him.
After a while, we settled into a comfortable silence. Just watching the world fly by and the sky slowly darken. Blues bled to pinks, then oranges, then purples and finally black. Eventually a prefect rapped on our door and told us to get changed, ‘Almost at Hogwarts now!’. We took turns waiting outside the compartment as the other changed. We fiddled with and fidgeted with our robes as we waited, sat by our window, trying to catch a glimpse of Hogwarts. The train began to slow a little and we both peered out the window, our faces pressed against the cool glass. Dora and I jumped when a voice echoed through the train : We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage and pets on the train, it will all be taken to the school separately.
I squeeze The Iguana tightly and the pufferfish make’s itself known again. Dora was beginning to make her way towards the door. But she saw me, clutching The Iguana, and stopped, confusion then realization flicking across her face.
“It’ll be okay, I swear! C’mon Quinn, I’ve bet they’ve done this loads of times! He’ll be fine.” I must have looked at her dubiously, as she came over to me. “I promise.”
I shut my eyes and breathed in, deeply and slowly I released the breath. The pufferfish deflated. Only a little though. I stood and slowly began to set The Iguana down. His tail was wrapped around my wrist. He squeezed for a moment and untwined his tail. I was trembling and a hysterical sort of panic was bubbling in my chest. I was going to cry. I can’t leave him behind, I can’t I can’t I can– I gasp when Dora squeezes my hand. I open the eyes I hadn’t realized I’d shut. Dora was staring at me, her face was filled with an odd sort of determination.
“You can hold my hand okay? Just, just squeeze if it’s too much.”
I sniffled a little and nodded. Shakily. We began to head out the door. I stole one last glance at The Iguana. He blinked up at me. Slow, long and steady. I wiped at the tears welling in my eyes, he’d be okay. I follow Dora out into the crowd.
It was a lot. It was noisy and crowded and I squeezed Dora’s hand a little. She squeezed back. People pushed and shoved and magic whizzed above our heads. All I could see was the black of the school cloaks. The heat from the other bodies was overwhelming. Slowly, we made our way towards the door. I gasp when we stumble out, the cool night air hitting my face. I sucked it down gratefully. Dora tugged me closer.
The platform was tiny, loud, dark and filled with Hogwarts students. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as a small, glowing lantern floated over students' heads. The man holding the lantern was huge. He looks like he could break Jara, Osam and their friend in half!
“Firs’years! Firs’years over here!” He called, voice booming over the din. Dora and I made our way towards him. I could make out more details. He had a wild beard that seemed to merge with his hair, and cheerful eyes, that sparked with joy. He waved us over.
“C’mon, follow me- anymore Firs’years? Minder ‘yer step, now! Firs’years FOLLOW ME!” He bellowed that last bit and a few more small forms came scrambling over.
After giving one last call, the man turned around and set off down a small, narrow path. We slipped and stumbled after him. There was a bit of whispering and chattering as we made our way down the path. Dark trees loomed up into the night sky, it was as dark as coal. Dora squeezed my hand. I squeezed back. The pufferfish was gone entirely.
Slowly, the trees began to thin and more light reached us. The man turned back for a moment,
“‘Yer gonna get ‘yer first view o’ Hogwarts in a sec, jus’ ‘round this bend now.”
I gasped as ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ filled the night air. Dora gripped my hand tightly, bouncing on her heels. The narrow path had opened, and there, and there was Hogwarts. All turrets, spires and windows, the vast castle was perched atop a tall mountain, with the starry sky as a backdrop. It was just across the lake.
“Alrigh’ now, come along. No more’n four to a boat now,” The man was waving us towards a small fleet of little boats by the shore. We were all quick to clamber into our boats. Dora and I shared a boat with another little boy and girl.
“Everyone in?” The man shouted. “Alrigh’ then- FORWARD!”
I squealed in delight as our boat surged forward. Dora let out a whoop of joy. The other girl and boy laughed. We sailed forward, gliding across the lake as smooth as glass. I was on the edge of the boat, gripping the side with my free hand as tightly as I could. It was as silent as snow across the lake, our eyes trained on Hogwarts. Stars twinkled and danced across both the sky and lake. Too caught up in everything else, I missed it when the man called to duck, I giggle as ivy trails across my face, tickling my skin. We were carried along, through a dark tunnel. It seemed like we were under Hogwarts! We arrived soon at a little harbour.
We scrambled out of our boats, Dora’s hand still clenched tightly in mine, and on to the rocks and pebbles. We followed the man, as he began to lead us up a passageway and out into the night. Dora and I squeezed the other’s hand as, we both realized, Hogwarts stood before us, towering high above.
The man walked up the smooth stone steps, and we followed. Everyone crowded around a big wooden door. I squeezed Dora’s hand, she squeezed back. The man knocked on the door. Once, twice, three times.
The door swung open, nearly blinding us with golden light.