Chapter 1 - New Friends

                                    

                                          
- 6 years later -
I sat on the train to Hogwarts and pondered at the lack of people who wanted to share my compartment. Was it me. Was my resting bitch face turning potential new friends away. Or was it the scar that cut across my left temple and trailed down to my chin. A simple jagged line that served as the only reminder of what had happened six years ago, the only proof it wasn't just a horrible nightmare. Other than the fact I still had no parents.
That wasn't true. And I immediately felt guilty for even thinking it. Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy may not have shared my blood but they did share my heart. They treated me like their biological child and over the course of the six years I spent with them, the pain of losing my real parents faded to nothing but a dull ache at the bottom of my heart.
I was deep in my thoughts when I heard a tremendous clatter coming from across the aisle of the train. "Get back here boys!" The cloying voice of a furious old lady drifted to my ears. Then my compartment door was suddenly yanked open and a set of twins stumbled in. They looked panicked, their flaming red hair ruffled against their freckled faces. I knew what they needed. They needed a place to hide.
I calmly, but by no means slowly, grabbed my trunk from the overhead compartment and spilled the contents all over the floor. The twins looked at me, dumbfounded, when I simply pointed at the now empty compartments. They smiled in unison. It was slightly creepy. It was a tight squeeze but by the time the compartment door opened and the haggard-looking old lady barged in, asking "Can I search your compartment for two meddlesome troublemakers?" The twins were safely tucked away.
If the woman had looked up, they would be toast. And so would I for hiding them. But when I effortlessly turned on the waterworks and looked at the old lady with a pout on my face, stuttering, "I d-dropped my th-things. I'm j-just so n-n-nervous." The old lady simply gave me a kindly pat on my shoulder, helped me pack my things and walked out of the compartment without ever looking up.
When the coast was clear I wiped my eyes and turned to the twins as they clambered out of their hiding spot. I gave them a debonaire bow as they silently applauded me. The one on the left took my hand and shamelessly kissed it. I tried and failed to rein in my blush. "Fred Weasley, at your service." He introduced with a flourish.
"And I'm his better-looking twin, George." The one on the right said. 
"Elizabeth Abernathy." I responded with a nod, stumbling a bit since I was still, even now, unused to introducing myself with that name. "But you can call me Lizzie," I finished with a smile.
"Are you a first year too?" The one on the left asked. I already couldn't remember which one he was. I would need to work on that.
"Yes," I responded. "I'd be a little less nervous if I had any friends to go through this with." That came out a bit more self-deprecating than I had intended.
"Well you helped us out-" one of the twins began, "-and that makes you a friend in our book." The other finished. I smiled when they both sat on the bench opposite me. We talked and laughed and joked for the remainder of train ride until it clunked and spluttered as we pulled into Hogsmeade station.
We clambered out of the train and simultaneously stared up at the gargantuan castle in awe. It was the grandest thing I'd ever seen... right up until a ginormous man stepped into my line of sight. "Hello, Hagrid." The twins said in unison. 
"Ah," the giant sighed, West Country accent thick and strong. "Young Percy said you lot was comin' ter Hogwarts this year." He turned his beetle black eyes to me. "An' who might you be?"
"Elizabeth Abernathy, sir. It's nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out and watched as it was enveloped by the giant's. A small dog, well it was only small in comparison to the very large man it stood behind, crept into view. "I like your dog." I smiled as I placed out a fist for him to sniff.