Diverse - HARRY POTTER

Edward - 1

Year one

Saturday - 22nd December – 12:00pm

My hands are freezing in the bitter cold of the snow. When I breathe little clouds of smoke escape. My feet are buried under a foot of snow and I'm beginning to lose feeling in my left foot. Could this train be any slower to get here? I think. Everyone who wishes to go home for Christmas stands with their house near the lake where the train first dropped us off.

I said my goodbyes to Harry and Ron earlier in the common room. Now I am beginning to regret going home because at least if I was inside my nose wouldn't be as bright as Rudolph's. Finally, the white steam of the Hogwarts express comes to a halt in front of me.

I shake my left foot to make sure it's still working; it is but barely. The warmth of the train hits me in the face like needles. I shake off the horrible feeling and search for the compartment containing my friends.

I throw my overly heavy trunk on the rack and sit in front of Jess. Her lips are nearly blue from the cold and her hands are bright red. Her bright blonde hair has little snowflakes all throughout. Two braids sit on her shoulders, on either side of her face, and I notice her cheeks are also bright red. None of the less she still had her huge smile plastered on her face.

"Cold?" I ask.

"Frozen." She replies.

I look to my gloves and take them off, along with my scarf and hat. I then hand them over and she takes them happily. She needs them more than I do anyway. They were way too big for Jess, the hat kept slipping down to her eyes.

Win and Sting joined us and we began talking. Our conversation mostly of school, stories and showing each other cool new spells. It was no doubt, once again, Jess knew a lot more than we did. She levitated bunny and then changed her fur to a bright pink colour. I could barely light my wand.

Everyone poured out of the train when we reached the platform. The four of us decided we'd wait till last. Our parents were all huddled in a group talking. Beside him was Josh's father, it took a minute to register because I would never have expected him to show up. I don't think Sting did either because he dropped his trunk and darted towards him. I think that's the fastest I've ever seen him go. It took his dad by surprise at first when sting jumped into his arms and then he hugged him back tightly.

I smiled at my father who returned the favour. We didn't hug like everyone else did, we just aren't like that.

My father took my trunk and began to walk out of the station. Jess's mother and my father came together, so Jess and I rode home together. The drive was long; the night fell quick. Jess and her mother loved to discuss the stars as we drove. How they knew so much about them, I couldn't tell you. My father was faking his interest, well at least I think he was. I've never heard him say anything to do with his admiration for stars.

Jess's mother had also made sandwiches for the ride home. Thank God I was starving. They were simple, chicken and cheese, my favourite. Jess and her mother always had a sort of knack for baking and whenever my father was too busy they would always invite me around for dinner. My father also if he was available.

We pulled up to my small house. It is an off-white colour with a sort-of fairy-tale look about it. it's not extremely old but it's not particularly new either. It's average. The yard is worse than when I left, clearly in my absence my father has not had time to do the gardening which has resulted in a large garden overgrown with wild plants.

I open the small, black front door and am engulfed by the dark interior. The walls are an extremely dark grey, with black a black kitchen table and presses in the kitchen and dark brown leather couches in the living room. I never noticed how dull it was until now when I compare it to Hogwarts.

I chat for maybe 15 minutes with my father until he's taken away by business. So I lug my heavy trunk up the steep staircase and into my bedroom. I flop down on my bed, exhausted from the day of travelling.

I'm nearly asleep when a loud thud on my windows draws me up. I don't go over to it, but stare directly outside. Nothing. I narrow my eyes at the clear glass. I toss it to the side and take it as a bird flew into the glass.

Bang!

There it is again. I shoot up and slide out of my bed. I open my window a crack. "Psst." What was that. "Psst." The same noise comes again and I look down. Standing there are my 3 best friends. In their bed clothes?

"What are you guys doing?" I shout whisper at them. "We tried to reach you on the walkie-talkie but you didn't reply." Sting does the same back.

"We are sleeping in the common room, are you coming?" Win asks. I think about my options, stay in my warm, cosy bed under secure shelter or go out into the freezing cold with my best friends in a tree house.

"obviously I'm coming." I grab my pillow and a small blanket and head for the door. I don't bother telling my father because he probably wouldn't notice anyway. I'm in my mother's tomorrow anyway till Christmas day so he couldn't punish me even if he wanted.

The snow is thick in West Cave, especially in the field. I hold my blanket up as high as I can so it won't get soaked in the snow. I trudge through the field behind all my friends. It's hard to climb the ladder with all this in my hands, so I use my teeth.

The common room is surprisingly warm, which is suspicious. I look around the room and they have already set up camp, each in our usual seating area. I place my blanket and pillow down and sit cross-legged.

"How is it warm?" I ask suspiciously, I know it couldn't possibly be magic since were not allowed to use it at home.

"My Father bought a portable heater for up here. He doesn't want us to catch pneumonia." Win calmly replies. Right, I forgot his family have so much money they don't know what to do with it. although, I am grateful I won't freeze to death up here.

In the middle of the floor, all our favourite sweets were in a pile. Different chocolates, sweets and even crisps. 2 large bottles of fizzy drinks as well as a bottle each of water. Also beside all this was a plate of warm white chocolate cookies. My favourite. These were soon gone, though.

Jess has brought a flashlight and we tell scary ghost stories. Sting is literally hiding under his blanket during Jess's story and Jess at the end crept along while repeating the word "Coming." Which was a part of the end of the story. She pounced on Josh, which resulted in an ear curdling shriek. I swear I heard ringing in my ears after that.

He pushed Jess off him, "That's not funny!" he shouted throwing his pillow at Win who was crying with laughter. I do feel slightly bad for sting so I try to scare Win. Which to my delight is pretty easy considering it was a full moon out tonight.

"Win, look it's a full moon. Werewolves will be around tonight." I say pointing at the illuminating moon. Win's face drops immediately as he stares out into the night sky. I think he's about to cry. That's when sting pushes him over the edge.

Under his blanket he began making howling noises. Win is sitting there frozen, his eyes huge. On his hands and knees he crawled to the open door of the tree house and slams it shut. using the small bit of rope attached to the handle and ties it around the heater. His face is flushed and he is shaking while he does it.

"Stop being a baby Win, they're not going to hurt you." Jess rolled her eyes as she lay down in her makeshift bed.

"Speak for yourself Jess, I would rather not become a blood thirsty werewolf thanks." He shuffled into his blanket also while sting and I couldn't hold in the laughter. Our laughter died down after about twenty minutes.

Only because Jess yelled at us to shut up. You don't annoy Jess when she's tired, it's just a rule. So sting and I just turned our torches on and made finger shadows, until eventually he drifted to sleep. Being the only one awake was eerie.

The only noise was the gentle whistle of wind or one of the three sleeping's loud breathing. I couldn't possibly get comfortable on the floor, so I just lay flat on my back staring at the wooden ceiling. I don't know how long it took before sleep finally took over.