The Great Divide (Golden trio era)

Meeting and greeting

Anika POV:

The sound of a steam train blowing its horn washed me with a sense of nostalgia. All around me, people were waving goodbye to their parents and greeting their friends. My brother and sister had already found their friends, leaving me with my parents while I waited for mine.

"Anika! Over here!" A voice shouted at me. I spun around and was tackled by none other than Paige Michelle. She hugged me like she hadn't just seen me a week ago.

"Paige. I can't breathe-" I spluttered out attempting to get her to loosen her grip. At that moment Alicia bounded towards us followed by Jocelyn, Ellen, Mady, Tia, Laura, and Helayna. They had already put their luggage carts at the front of the train.

"You all ready to sit on a train for seven hours?" Paige asked the group, her voice laced with sarcasm. I rolled my eye and tried to hide the grin that was forming on my face. We all said our last goodbyes before heading onto the train. We sat in our usual compartment with me at the window, Paige across from me, Ellen squashed in between me and Jocelyn, Mady sitting next to Paige and Alicia, Tia crammed in beside her, and Helayna and Laura near the door.

We were slightly squashed but it was comfortable. Ellen got into an argument with Helayna about who was the better chaser, while Paige napped on Mady's shoulder.

"I'm just saying, I could probably beat you when we go back onto the field!" Helayna argued.

"As if! I am nearly faster than Harry and he's the best seeker we have had in years!" Ellen rebutted. At that moment Paige started mumbling in her sleep.

"I love you, Harry," she began, obviously dreaming of her three-year-long crush on Harry James Potter. I attempted to hold back my laughter at my friend who was in constant denial that she didn't like him like that. Jocelyn started cracking up and soon everyone joined in. Paige woke up very confused as to why everyone was laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You were dreaming about Harry again!" I said whilst dying of laughter.

"I was not! I'd never dream of Harry Potter-" she spat out but was interrupted by the door swinging open to reveal the golden trio.

"Who was dreaming about me?" Harry questioned innocently. I was about to speak when Paige clamped a hand over my mouth.

"No one Potter, mind your own business!" Paige said whilst standing up and barging out of the compartment bumping into Neville who was on his way to see me.

"What's her problem?" He asked as he squashed in beside me. We had been good friends ever since I found his toad Trevor in first year.

"She's just having a little a little temper tantrum because she's in denial about her love towards Harry," I replied. There was a bunch of agreements thrown around the compartment. Harry had a face full of pure shock.

"Well, that's perfect because Harry's been crushing on her for years! Keeps talking about what it would be like to snog her." Ron said while roughly smacking Harry on the back. He went crimson red.

"I've tried every pickup line in the book and it's still not working!" Harry replied glumly. Over the next hour, we tried to figure out a plan to get them together.

The golden trio and Neville left to go talk to some other people, and Paige finally returned with a sour look on her face. There was a knock on the door and the trolley lady was there.

"Anything from the trolley dears?" She asked the group.

"I'll have an acid pop, please," Alicia asked the trolley lady. Mady shot her a look of disgust.

"How can you eat those, I had one once and I couldn't eat for a week!" She questioned her.

"These are the best! You just have a low spice tolerance." She argued back.

"I'll have some pepper imps please," Jocelyn asked next.

"Can I get a skiving snack box please?" Laura requested.

"Fizzing whizzbees, please!" Helayna asked.

"I'll have a Licorice Wand thank you!" Tia said.

"May I have a cauldron cake?" Mady asked after her.

"I'll have five sugar quills please!" I asked next.

"Can I have a chocolate frog?" Paige's expression was full of excitement at the chocolate.

We all got our sweets and the usual banter of our group went back to normal, for the rest of the train ride.

~~~