Through Thick and Thin

Part one, Kings Cross

My brother Rodger and I wheeled our trolleys carrying our Trunks and my owl cage across Kings cross station. "Shh Jewel! You're scaring people." I pleaded with My owl, Jewel, It means 'to delight' in old french.  "Rodge, I don't see a platform 9 3/4!" I whined. He smirked and just kept right on walking, I rolled my eyes at him. We got to the barrier between platforms 9 and 10

"Okay, Lottie, listen closely. You see that barrier? " Rodger asked, I nodded "You are  going to start walking toward it and as you get closer speed up. The key is to do it casually so no one notices" I looked at him, a panicked expression on my face.

"I'm going to WHAT?" I half shouted at him. His eyes widened telling me to shut up. I sighed and turned toward the barrier. I started walking strait at it, about halfway I started running, I squeezed my eyes shut braced for impact. But it never came. I Cautiously opened one eye, I was standing on a platform staring strait at a Scarlett steam engine. "well I'll be .." I breathed. A smile slowly forming on my face. I looked back and Rodger was joining me, just bursting through the wall. 

"I told you." He said grinning . I grinned back at him, ignoring his jab. Together we walked toward the train. We made or way down the long crowded corridors, weaving our way in and out of people. Rodger stopped turned back to me and said "I'm going to sit here, are you okay to find a place yourself?" I nodded and kept walking. 'Okay, lets try to find an EMPTY compartment.' I told myself . I looked ahead and saw a round faced scared looking boy being harassed by a blond haired bully and his cronies 

"Watch where your going! Longbottom! I moved to stand right in front of the scared looking kid. I shot him a glance that said GO! NOW! and he happily obliged. 

"How about you watch were you're standing." I retorted. He looked  at me in surprise then a malignant  grin spread across his oafish face. 

"Oh, you asked for it." His one of his cronies fist flew at me and I prepared to duck and run. But before it could even come close to colliding with my face, a little redheaded girl who looked about my age  had grabbed it and was twisting his arm 

"Pick on somebody your own size, will ya." She snarled. She dropped his hand and put an arm around me steering me away. As soon as we got to an empty compartment we help each other lift the trunks onto the luggage rack. 

"Who are you?" I asked as we sat down, not caring if I sounded a little rude. 

"Oh, I'm Lilly." She replied "And you?" 

"I'm Charlotte, Charlotte Davies,  you can call me Lottie." I answered pushing my glasses back up my nose in that nerdy way I have. She un latched the hook of the basket she was carrying and to my surprise a tawny coloured cat leapted out of it. We sat there for a few minutes in silence before I couln't take it anymore and asked

"Why did you help me back there? She looked up in surprise, she gazed at me for a moment  I could see in her eyes the battle that was going on in her brain. 'Trust her? or don't trust her?' I guess she decided to trust me, a little anyway,   because she replied

"I always fight for the underdog no matter what the situation is, it's kind of my fatal flaw." She shrugged and pulled a book from a pocket inside her coat.Well, I guess that was a good thing that she decided to trust me.

"I never got to thank you so..." I muttered "Thanks." Lilly she nodded and went back to reading. She really was pretty. She had long red hair that fell to about the middle of her back. Her eyes, light blue. She was a little on the short side and was defiantly very thin. She was waring dark blue jeans, a turquois coloured blouse, and convers Trainers. I looked at what I was waring, A short sleeved  green and white flowered dress that looked like it was from the 1940s, and black mary Janes.   I wished the outfits were switched. Feeling conversational I asked her "Where are you from?" She looked up and there was a pained expression on her face finally she replied with

"The coast." Okay, I was sensing some issues here, most people are proud to tell you where they are from.

"Do you have any sibling?" I Inquired She nodded "How many?" She looked out the window avoiding my question I sighed. Just then the sliding door opened and dark haired boy wearing Blue jeans a wierd sisters T-Shit and black trainers, poked his head in.

" Hi, my name is Will and all of the other compartments are full."  He said

"I'm fine with you sitting here. Lilly?" Lilly nodded and the boy drug his trunk in and I helped him lift it up into the luggage rack. I turned back to Lilly, and Restated my question 

"How many siblings do you have Lilly?" She lifted her book higher covering more of her face. I sighed "What do I have to do to get you to trust me?" She dropped her book in surprise. She reached down, picked it up and straited herself again  before answering 

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I shook my head and smiled. 

"I am afraid to say Miss Clarke that you have some very serious trust issues. Now do tell how I can break this barrier of Mistrust between us."  Will gaped at me from the his seat. Lilly cracked a little smile and replied 

"Well, you were off to pretty good start with defending that kid earlier, but tell me about yourself and we can go from there. And that is how the three of us spent the time until we arrived, simply talking, and it felt marvelous.