The Ice Queen [s.b.]

The Fifth September First - 41

September 1st.

The second Lily and Anna get on the train, everything feels normal once again. But this year, just like all the others, the Marauders stay stark clear of Anna and the Slytherins.

Annalee sits with Regulus, Dorothy, Severus, Lily, Marlene, Dorcas, and Alice in their own compartment. Nobody dares to bother the combination of the friend groups.

At one point, the Marauders wander inside. All of the laughter stops, and they all (except Anna) turn to look at them.

Black stares with a fierce intensity at his ex-girlfriend.

"Glad to see neither of you got the other killed," Black remarks dryly, gesturing between his brother and the Fawley girl.

Anna stifles a laugh then taps on Lily's shoulder in an ask to plait her hair. Lily turns around and allows her, taking her red hair out of its ponytail.

Regulus rolls his eyes. "Glad to see you're still alive after you left for the rest of the Summer. Hello, Potter. Lupin, Pettigrew."

The rest (minus Annalee, Severus, and Lily) say variations of, "Hello, Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew."

"French plait or Dutch?" Anna asks Lily politely, pulling a hair tie onto her wrist. The girls chuckle at her nonchalance.

"Are you asking about Snivellus' hair?" Potter jeers.

Lily's face scrunches up in infuriation. "Dutch, please, Lee."

"I've never heard of Dutch kissing," Potter speculates, looking deep in thought. "French, I've perfected. But Dutch?"

Sirius grins, "Yeah, Prongs, it's real fun. You see, you do it after se-"

"And... done!" Anna interrupts happily, placing the tie on the plait.

Remus and Peter sigh at their friends' antics.

"Marls? How's it look?" Lily asks, turning around to show her hair.

"Beautiful!" Marlene applauds. The others nod their approval (except James and Sirius).

Anna smiles.

Finally, she turns around, wrinkling her nose in disinterest as she runs her eyes over the crowd.

After a moment (and the rest of the car practically holding its breath), she says, "Reemes? You prefect? Sev and I are the ones for Slytherin and I know Lils is the Gryffindor one."

"Yeah," Lupin replies, shooting a triumphant grin to his friends that he was the only one spoken to. "I know the Bones twins are the ones for Hufflepuff, I dunno about Ravenclaw, though."

Anna nods her head with his words. Abruptly, she turns to Regulus. "Reg? Plait your hair?"

He shoots her a quick glare. "As bloody if. Ask Marlene."

"Marlene?"

"Sure. Two Dutch, please."

Apparently getting bored, James calls entirely too loudly for the small compartment, "Evans! Go with me to Hogsmeade?"

Evidently very bored, Lily drawls, "I'd rather drown at the bottom of the Pacific. Or the Atlantic. I don't happen to care."

"Personally, I'd go with the Arctic," Anna commentates loftily. "Maybe your body is preserved and found centuries later."

Behind them, the door slams shut and Annalee plaits Marlene's hair.

The most interesting element during the Feast is just that there's a new student sorted into Slytherin, called Ginger Sullivan.