The sweets trolly came trundling down the train just as Anika reached chapter 6 of 'The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1'. She hadn't expected it, but she happily bought herself some sweets with the money that Mr Burke had given her. 

Not moments later there was a knock on the door to her compartment and Anika glanced up to see a girl with mousy brown very curly hair, which she wore in a ponytail. The girl slid the door open and stuck her head in.

"Are you a first-year too?" the girl asked.

"Yes I am," said Anika.

The girl let herself into the compartment, dragging a trunk in after her. She wedged her trunk on the floor beside Anika's and sat down on the bench opposite her.

"Thank goodness, I've been searching for somewhere to sit since we left King's Cross. I'm Mary by the way."

"I'm Anika." Anika set her book aside and offered Mary her hand. 

Mary raised her eyebrows, "that's a bit formal."

"It's polite," said Anika.

"Whatever you say." Mary shook the girl's hand. "So, do you know anything about Hogwarts or magic or anything?"

"Are you a muggle-born?"

"Yes, I think that's what the woman who came to visit us called me. My parents are Greengrocers."

"What are Greengrocers?" 

"They sell fruit and vegetables," Mary explained, "But anyway, I want to know about the magic world. What do your parents do?"

"I don't know, I don't have any parents," said Anika.

"Then who do you live with?"

"I live with Mr Borgin and Mr Burke," Anika said, "They took me in when I was a baby. Then run a shop which specialises in dark magical objects."

"What's dark magic?"

"What it sounds like really, it's a powerful form of magic that is intended to cause harm."

"Oh."

There was a prolonged silence, in which both girls stared out of the window absentmindedly. Questions were whirling through Mary's head at a million miles an hour, but she was unable to decide which she should ask first. Finally, she settled on a question.

"What's Hogwarts like?"

"Well I don't know everything, but it's this big castle which is hidden from Muggles, it was established in the 10th century by the four founders, who each have their own house-"

"House?"

"Yes the first thing that happens when you get there is you get sorted into a house, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor or Slytherin, each has specific traits that it looks for in students-"

The compartment door had been left open when Mary entered and at that very moment two boys were passing by.

"Did someone say Gryffindor?" the boy in glasses stopped the moment that Anika said the word, "WHERE DWELL THE BRAVE OF HEART!" he shouted.

"Hello to you too," said Mary as the two boys entered the compartment without waiting for an invitation. Anika grabbed her owl before the boy with glasses could sit on the cage. 

"You are aware that you're supposed to put your trunks up there," said the other boy, who had black hair, which was a little longer than the other boy's. 

"I couldn't lift it," said Anika, "and my legs like resting on it."

"So are you first years as well?" Mary asked.

"Yeah we both are," said the glasses boy, "what house do you want to be in?"

"I don't know anything about the houses," said Mary, "I'm muggle-born."

"Well, here's a hint, avoid Slytherin, they're all evil," said the other boy, "I should know, my whole family are Slytherins."

"Not all Slytherins are evil," said Anika, "Mr Burke is a Slytherin and he's not evil."

"Mr Burke as in Borgin and Burke's?" asked the glasses boy.

"Yes, I live there."

"Do you want to be a Slytherin?" 

"No, I would like to be a Gryffindor, or maybe a Ravenclaw" Anika said, "I think one of those would fit me best." 

"Well at least your not evil then," sighed the boy with glasses, leaning back against the wall behind him as he spoke.

"Who are you?" Mary asked.

"James Potter," said the glasses boy.

"Sirius Black," said the other boy. "Who are you?"

"Mary MacDonald."

"Anika Smith."

"Why do you have a textbook out?" asked James Potter.

"I was reading it earlier, but I'm done now," Anika said, moving the book away from James, who looked just about ready to pick it up and hurl it out of the compartment.

"Who's owl is that?" James asked.

"Mine," Anika cast a look towards the owl, which was perched atop her trunk beside the window. "His name is Stanley."

"Why are you so nosy?" Mary asked James.

"Just trying to make conversation."

"You're annoying," Mary told him.

"Owch, I guess we should leave then, we were looking for the trolly lady anyway." James got to his feet. 

"She went that way," said Anika, gesturing down the train. The two boys left the compartment, and Mary scooted over to shut the door behind them. 

"I didn't like that James," said Mary.

"Well just hope that you don't get sorted into the same house as him then."

The hours passed by quicker with company, and Anika learnt a lot about Mary MacDonald. She had three older sisters, none of whom were magical. She had a great affinity for french braids and spent quite a long time braiding Anika's afro hair.

"I've never braided hair as frizzy as yours before," Mary confessed as she started the second braid, "it's not as easy as I thought it would be. What's this white bit?"

"I don't know I've always had it," said Anika.

"It looks really cool," Mary said.

"Really? It doesn't make me look weird?"

"No, not at all, it makes you look unique."

As the night set in outside, the girls decided that they should change into their Hogwarts robes. They drew the blinds and located their uniforms in their trunks, before slipping into them.

"Do we need to wear the pointy hats?" Mary asked, holding her hat in her hand.

"We have to wear them for feasts, but not day to day," said Anika, putting her own hat on her head. 

The excitement was building on the train as first year students ran up and down the corridors, hopped up on sugar from the trolly and far too excited about their first experience of the wizarding school. The train began to slow and eventually halted. A sign outside read 'Hogsmeade Station'.