Ollivander's

Boat Ride

Kat, Zoe and Cassie stepped off the Hogwarts Express, holding onto the overlong sleeves of each other's robes to keep from getting crushed in the multitude of students swirling around.

"Where do we go!?" Cassie said, shouting to be heard over the voices.

"Um, I think that someone's gonna call for us," replied Zoe, scanning the crowd. "In the books, it was Hagrid, and once, Professor Gunther-Haagen, or whatever her name was. It's been, oh, 50 some years since then."

Just then, a voice cut through the crowd. "First years! Over by me! First years! This way!"

Kat grabbed her friends and yanked them in the direction of the voice.

"Hello, children, I'm Ms. Saqua, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Five to a boat, if you please!"

Kat looked at the petite woman in front of her. She had wispy blonde hair and pale skin. Her eyes were a cool, silvery blue.

"C'mon, guys, we don't want to be late!" Cassie exclaimed, pulling them over to an open boat.

"The number of first years isn't divisible by 5, so if we're lucky, we can get a boat to ourselves," Zoe panted, vaulting over the edge of a boat. It rocked wildly in the water, nearly tipping before Kat, in her infinite wisdom, followed suit and completely tipped the boat.

There was a puddle of water in the boat, about three inches deep, and all the other boats had left, by the time they had finished getting out of the water and rescuing the boat. They were about to cast off and catch up with the rest of their year when two shapes ran out of the dark towards them.

"Wait! Wait!" Richie Richard's voice came from one of the shapes.

Kat growled in his direction. "Why should we?"

"Because we're gonna be late anyway," his friend, who's name Kat couldn't remember, the one Cassie liked, called.

"There is room for five people," Cassie replied. "You guys can definitely sit with us!"

Zoe leaned over to whisper in Kat's ear, "We'll give them the wettest seats."

"Hell yeah," Kat breathed. She wasn't entirely sure what her favorite invectives meant, but they sounded nice, and people went pale when she used them, so that was fun.

She and Zoe jumped back into the boat, nearly tipping it again.

Cassie face palmed. "Guys, no!"

"Guys, yes!" Kat and Zoe chorused.

Cassie sighed, and climbed into the boat, barely making it wobble.

She, Kat and Zoe chose the dryest seats for themselves, and when the boy Kat now decided to refer to as "the Bae" and Richie Richard clambered in, making the boat wobble a lot, causing Cassie to clutch the sides of the boat worriedly, and Kat and Zoe to yell out.

"No!"

"Not again!"

"Not again?" Richie Richard exclaimed. "Hey, why is my seat wet! Is that a fish there?!"

"No." Kat said shortly.

The Bae looked at it. "That is a fish."

"No," said Zoe, picking it up. "That's my kitty's dinner!"

Cassie sighed and didn't speak to them for the rest of the boat ride.