The Language of Flowers | Fred Weasley

1: A R B O R V I T A E - unchanging friendship

Taking in a deep breath, I stepped up onto the train. It was a bit of a struggle pulling all my luggage up into the train car, but this was my fifth time and counting, so I shouldn't be complaining anymore.

Hogwarts Express was just as loud and crazy as always, my fifth year no different than any other. I stood still in the door of the train for a moment, taking in all of the sounds around me. I had truly missed the loudness of the students.

My Great Aunt Adollya's house was so quiet over the summer that I couldn't barely even breathe without my aunt telling me I was disturbing her silence. It was a miserable summer. My great aunt liked it that way too. Cold, silent, and empty. Hence why she didn't even bother accompanying me through Platform 9 ¾. Instead, she left me here alone.

I didn't mind it. After nine long weeks with her, I couldn't stand another moment.

The sound of squealing second years filled up the hallways and sounds of the fourth year Hufflepuffs cheering loudly outside one of the first compartments were music to my ears. A Hufflepuff girl, I think her name is Hannah, waved at me, a giant smile on her face. It was so nice to see a friendly face after my 'isolation', a.k.a summer break. I waved back at her, continuing my way past their crowded train booth.

I walked down the train, searching for an open compartment. Most of them were filled with only one or two kids sitting quietly. The compartments looked the same as they always had, the green material of the seats as ugly as always. I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same as when my mother went to Hogwarts. Hogwarts was usually consistent when it came to things like that.

The space of each compartment was just big enough to be comfortable alone, but when more than five people came into the same compartment I was in, it got too stuffy. My first year, I had a fit in the hallway after several students came into my compartment to talk about what houses they thought they'd get. I hadn't had another episode on the train since then. The day turned out alright though. That day I had met my best friend.

The first empty compartment I found was right across from the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan so I hurriedly skipped past it, hoping they wouldn't see me. I did not feel like getting in a argument with the twins on the first day of school I loved the loudness of school but the twins were a different kind of loud. They were infamous for being pranksters, and sure, they had their funny moments, but they were nuisances.

With my eyes on the Weasley's compartment to make sure they weren't coming out to bother me(I wasn't mentally prepared to have an argument just yet), I nearly fell as I was grabbed and dragged into the nearest compartment. I startled slightly, dropping my things to the ground as I was pulled into a fierce hug.

"Ellie! We missed you so much, it was so strange without you being there." Joanna, my best friend and fellow Gryffindor, chirped, her dark raven curls all I could see as I hugged her back.

"I missed you guys too," I grinned, pulling out of Joanna's arms to avoid a mouthful of curls and taking a look at the rest of our group, "Though I do think I'm going to start bunking in with the sixth years now. My aunt made me read through every single one of our textbooks out loud, twice. So I'm pretty sure I could get O's on all of my O.W.L.'s." I rolled my eyes as Joanna released me, her dark eyes wide.

"You actually studied!? Like for real? This isn't some clone of you, is it? Merlin's beard, I'm impressed." Joanna chuckled darkly, throwing herself onto one of the seats.

"Your aunt has done the impossible. Who knew that 1994 would be the year Ellie Hawksley began doing normal people things." Katie Bell added from her seat on the bench. She was braiding back María's glossy black hair into an intricate braid. Katie liked to braid other people's hair, it gave her something to do. She had a hard time sitting without doing anything and teaching her how to braid was the smartest thing we've done since becoming friends.