United We Stand

The Docks ~ Megan

MEGAN

                Part of me wished I would fall. Even though we were almost a week into September it was still hot out. Falling in the lake seemed like a great idea, but part of me knew I shouldn’t. That part was keeping me balanced on the post I was sitting on, instead of leaning forwards and letting myself slide into the cool water. Instead only my feet were submerged.

                “Don’t fall” Isn’t it weird how people can seem to read your mind? Peter plopped down next to the post I was sitting on.

                “I was only briefly considering it” I grinned and Tracey, who was sitting in the middle of the dock laughed.

                “So first week at Hogwarts, what d’ya think freshies?” He smirked as he looked between the two of us “I see the house rivalry hasn’t set in yet.”
                “Says the Gryffindor talking to a Slytherin” Tracey retorted.

                “Hey once you get to be older the feuds seem to die away a little,” He leaned back against the post “First years are always so uppity about house points and all of that.”

                I flicked the top of his head, and he promptly swatted my leg. Tracey just smiled at us. She’d seen us fight dozens of times, yet somehow it still entertained her.

                “Seriously though, first impressions?”

                “There are way too many stairs. I’m pretty sure they’ll be the death of me” Tracey rubbed her leg “I’m so sore.”
                “I will never know which way to turn, would it kill them to put up some signs?” I remembered the parchment that Kevin had pulled out of his bag “Or a map, that would really help.”

                “You got lost, didn’t you?” Tracey raised an eyebrow.

                “Maybe-“ They laughed at me.

                “Why didn’t you stay with the rest of the first years?” She already knew the answer, but they were going to make me say it anyway.

                “I was running late-“ I mumbled.

                “Lucky for me.”

                You know what’s really good advice? Be careful what you wish for. The voice in my ear was just enough to make me flinch and fall into the water. And as I sat dripping, I wondered why I’d wanted to fall.

                Peter and Tracy were laughing, hard. Kevin had a stupid grin on his face “Hey Indiana”

                “You shouldn’t go around talking in people’s ears like that!” I started to push myself up.

                “Excuse me if I don’t offer you a hand up” Kevin took a step back “But I think if I do you’ll probably pull me in after you.”

                “Would not” Yeah I defiantly would have.

                I pulled myself back onto the dock and this time sat soundly on the wooden planks “Why Indiana anyway?”

“That my friend requires a movie marathon order to explain. Unfortunately Hogwarts seems very primitive. No TVs, let alone a VCR-“
                I blinked at him. Was he speaking English?

                “Electronics don’t work at Hogwarts” Tracey told him “Something about all the magic makes them malfunction. My dad said something about it once-“

                “We’ll see about that” They were smiling at each other, both ignoring the confused looks Peter and I had.

                “Come on Kevin!” Someone called from the grass by the shore.

                “It appears my housemates are in a rush” He shrugged “See you around Indi!”

                And he was gone, as fast as he’d appeared. Tracey looked around “Who was that?”
                “Kevin-“ It hit me that I didn’t know his last name.

                “He was in an awfully big rush, wasn’t he?” Peter laughed.

                “He always seems to be” I shrugged “He said he was going to try and make a map to give future first years, which is where I got the idea.”

                “You’ve talked to him before?” Tracey seemed surprised, though I wasn’t sure why.

                “On the first day. I was lost, he was lost. We ran into each other, literally,” Technically he ran into me “Spent the rest of the morning trying to figure where we were.”

                We’d been exploring, but there was no way I was going to tell Peter that. The fact that I spent the first day wondering around the castle on purpose, not actually looking for my class would be blackmailing rights for a very long time.