Odele & Regulus

01

5th year. A time that should be a great year. A happy year. Just turned 15. Going into the last few years of school. Parents by my side at the train station. My brother with them to send me off to school. Sitting with my best friend on the train and waving bye to them through the window as my mother tears up because she's sending her little girl to school once more all alone. Getting to school. Exchanging letters back and fourth with my mother. Telling her how everything is going. If I made the Quidditch team or not this year. If I was practicing my harp like I'm suppose to. Doing my homework getting good grades. Taking my OWLs and passing. Having an amazing year.

But no. Fate has decided to take all that away from me. So here I am. Standing on Platform 9 3/4 alone. Clinging tight to the bag on my arm and having just dropped my cart of belongings with the luggage handlers. I looked around and fought the tears that threatened to fall as I watched all the families around me send their children off to school.

Rubbing my eyes I rush onto the train, alone. Finding an empty compartment before the train was even full and settling in for the ride. In hind sight I was terrified that people would find out I was alone. Especially my best friend. Sighing I pulled out a book. Knowing I wouldn't be able to concentrate but hoping to use it to stare at so no one bothered me. I wanted to be left alone. But fate always had other plans.

As I sat there staring at my book I heard the door slam open and several loud voices pour in from the hall. All boys and all older. Yelling and screaming and not seeming to notice little me huddled in the corner of the compartment. I glanced over my book and rolled my eyes at what I saw.

"Oi! Prongs. This compartment is taken. Let's go somewhere else. Don't wanted to disturb little miss." I blinked over my book and gave a small smile to the older boy. I heard the boy nicknamed 'prongs' groan and head off but the boy that spoke walked over and sat across from me a moment.

"Swan, my brother is really worried that you didn't write much this summer. He wrote me every week asking what I thought. At the risk of our parents finding out." I stared up at the boy in shock, ignoring the fact he used the annoying nickname he had given me the first time we met. "Why would he do that? He could have been severely punished for contacting you." I couldn't believe it. Why would he doing something so dangerous?

The older boy shrugged and stood. "I'm not sure. But it could be...because you are his only true friend. I just wanted to warn you before he found you." He said walking to the door and stopping. "I know you care about my brother, Swan. So please, stop keeping things from him. It really hurts him. He's just really good at hiding it." I frowned and signed hearing him. "I'll tell him someday, Sirius. Just not right now." After I spoke it he nodded and walked out of the compartment to follow his friends leaving me alone once more.

With that I looked back down at the book on my lap but I wasn't reading it. I was just staring. The words began to blur and I felt the train jerk and start to move at the chime of the clock and soon I felt myself drifting off to sleep. I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep since that night.

I heard a strange tapping sound suddenly and I jolted awake and looked around.  Where am I? What happened? I looked down to notice my book was gone and I was still on the train. I grabbed my head and sighed before looking outside and seeing we were almost to school and I hadn't changed yet.

I stopped a moment though. What had that tapping sound been that woke me up? Hearing it again I looked up and screamed grabbing my chest at the fact there was a person sitting across from me that hadn't been there when I fell asleep.

"Regulus Black! How dare you scare the crap out of me!" I said as I practically pounced on him to hit him for scaring me. All he did was laugh. But that was Regulus. He was always picking on me or scaring me like that. Mostly because I tended to fall asleep on train rides. I sat back in my seat and huffed crossing my arms.

"Awe come on. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that. Usually you don't jump that high. I'm sorry, Odele. Please forgive me." He tried to apologize but I just glared at him. "I'm going to change and you better not be laughing by the time I get back or you will be in a world of pain! I promise." He nodded fearfully. He had been on the end on my wrath before and didn't want to experience it again.

I grabbed my bag which held my uniform and left the compartment. I growled in frustration. He didn't understand why I was like this. He didn't understand that I was terrified of death eaters coming after me because of my brother. Of course. He didn't know. I sighed as I pulled my robes on and straightened my tie.

I pulled my hair out from the collar and leaned against the wall. How could I ever tell him I was afraid of death eaters when his family supported them? In fact they wanted him to join. I didn't want to lose him to the darkness and so far he told me he didn't want to have anything to do with that but look what happened to my brother.

Maybe he'd end up hating me too and join them and try to kill me. I covered my eyes and shook my head. No! Regulus wasn't like that. He wouldn't want to hurt me. He was my best friend. The only constant I had left in my life. Despite pushing him away the last year. I had been trying to do better and so far it seems to be working but it was different with Regulus. He was different.

Shaking my head, I took in a deep breath and released it slowly. This year I would do better. This year I would be my best. I nodded and slipped into the walk way with my bag over my shoulder. I stopped in front of the compartment and smiling softly seeing Regulus reading one of my books.

I giggled to myself because he seemed to not understand it. Walking in I closed the door. "Its in French." Regulus looked up at me with understanding. "I still can't believe you can read another language. I can barely read English sometimes." I put my bag down and took the book from him. "My parents wanted me diverse in languages because of the concerts I do. I've done some in other countries where English is not their first language and I had to speak. I wanted to do it without a translator." I said with pride and a hint of sadness because of the mention of my parents.

With that conversation finished the train's whistle blew signaling the station and we headed off the train. Hearing the call for first years I smiled remembering the boat ride and seeing the castle the first time. Shaking my head I headed in the direction of the carriages slowly because of the rush of students around me.

Due to all the students I had been separated from Regulus but that was normal. He always seemed to disappear only to reappear and scare me. I stopped a moment and thought for a moment. This year...it would be different and better then the last.