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Chapter Three: Adjust to Change

Last Chapter: "Amanda Jayne Brocklehurst! Open your eyes this instant!" Mandy's eyes snapped open at the commanding voice and, one look at the person in front of her, widened to the size of dinner plates, her jaw scrapping the ground.

"What the hell happened to you?"

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"So," Brigitte giggled, "Like it?" She fluffed her hair, which had gone from curly and full of split ends to straight, sleek and sassy. Her hair wasn't the only thing that had changed. Her braces had been removed and her thin-wired glasses had been replaced by--

"Contacts?"
"Yup. My glasses were getting annoying so I asked my mum to get me some contact lenses - coloured ones."
"Yeah, pretty green ones," Mandy complimented although her insides were churning. "Why the sudden change?"

There was a slight pause before the redhead replied, "Oh, well, I decided to go for a new look, you see. Just for a change." She gave a slight smile before looking out in the crowd for someone. "Kay here yet?"

"Dunno."

While Brigitte looked for the tall German girl, Mandy looked at her friend. The short redhead was wearing a denim button-up knee-high skirt, a red tank top that showed off her stomach, black knee-high socks and black shoes. Mandy raised an eyebrow at the other girl's outfit. "Yeah, big change," she mumbled to herself.

Brigitte hadn't seemed to have heard her friend but, instead, greeted a passing Hufflepuff boy. Mandy stared at her usually shy friend in shock and was about to say something when a nasal voice hissed in her ear.

"Vot ze hell iz she vearing?"
"Her new change, apparently," Mandy murmured to Khira-Li.
"I vought she hated clothes like zat?"
Mandy was about to agree, when Brigitte spun around and her face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Kay! Long time no see! How was Germany?" she asked, immediately latching herself to the spiky blonde, who was trying, in vain, to get away.

Mandy smirked at her best friend's helpless moment. "I'll wait for you on the train," she said and turned off, ignoring the cries of protest from the others, the German in particular. Finding an empty compartment, she flopped down onto one of the seats and closed her eyes, an arm reflexively resting on her forehead. The door slid open for a second before sliding shut, the unknown person walking away from the occupied compartment. The train's whistle blew at exactly 11 o'clock before jolting forward. Mandy didn't worry about her two friends absences and as she started drifting into oblivious, the doors slid open once again and heavy footfalls entered. Opening one eye, she grunted a greeting and rolled over onto her side before falling asleep.

Khira-Li just smiled at her best friend, deciding to hold off civilised conversation until later, and got out her astronomy book instead. No sooner had Khira-Li turned the first page, did the door slide open once again and a blithe Brigitte stepped in. Khira-Li suppressed a groan and shuffled over in the seat to make room for the red head.

"Hullo again, Kay!" she chirped. Khira-Li mentally cringed but acknowledged her presence nonetheless. Brigitte ignored Khira-Li's greeting, or thereof, lack of, and looked over the German's shoulder. "Whatcha reading? Ooh! Is that in German? What's it about?"

"Astronomy," came the muffled reply from the other seat, "And if you don't pipe down, you'll find it halfway to Uranus."

Khira-Li sniggered and Brigitte smiled, "Sorry Dee. I'll leave you to get your beauty sleep."

Both girls had gotten used to threats from the brunette therefore they weren't taken seriously. As Khira-Li flickered her gaze from her book to the quiet Brigitte, she nearly dropped her book in shock when she saw the red-head with a compact make-up container.

"Vot ze hell is zat?"
Brigitte looked up and smiled, "Make-up. Want some?"

The horror on Khira-Li's face was short lived when the door opened, for the third time that morning, and the lunch lady poked her head in. "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

A snore from Mandy's direction was her apparent answer and Brigitte shock her head saying, "I don't want pimples." Khira-Li, on the other hand, was searching for her moneybag. Once found under her unused school robes, she leapt up and looked at the trolley with pure delight.

"I'll haff, uh, vone of those, four of those..."
Two minutes later, she bounded back in, her arms laden with many different sweets.
"You'll get fillings by eating all those," Brigitte warned.
Khira-Li snorted as she bit into one of her many Chocolate Frogs. "You sound like my muzzer."

A quiet snigger from the other side went unnoticed.

Four chocolate frogs and one box of Bertie Botts beans later, Mandy rolled off the seat and fell unceremoniously onto the floor. At the same time, Khira-Li stalked back into the compartment wearing blusher, red lipstick and a faint pink eye shadow. However, her eyes were very dark from where her eyeliner used to be.

From her upside down position on the floor, Mandy sniggered. "Is it me, or do you look all ugly?"
Khira-Li snarled and sunk onto the floor. "Oh, shove a sock in it. Zat girl vos annoying!"
Mandy looked at her thoughtfully. "How the hell did she do it? You don't give in that easily.
"She threatened to take my lollies!"

Mandy stared in surprise. Nobody dared to threaten Khira-Li with her beloved sweets and get away with it. Falling onto her side, Mandy looked at her friend again and began laughing.

"It iz not funny, Mans!"
"Sorry, it's just that you look so...weird,"
"Oh, go eat crud."
"Hey! That's my line! Umm, want something to wipe that crud off with?"
Khira-Li rolled her eyes. "No, I vont to stay like zis for ze rest of ze night," she said sarcastically. "Vot do you bloody zink?"

Handing her friend a tissue, Mandy got out her school uniform and got dressed. Once both girls had changed, they both indulged in Khira-Li's last Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans box. The same time Brigitte bounded back into the room, Mandy threw a 'tomato' bean into her mouth and began to chew on it. Pulling a funny face, she spat the offending bean out and waved a hand in front of her mouth.

"Oh, bloody hell! Chilli! Hah! Hot! Got any water?" she rasped. Receiving no response from the laughing pair, she got up and ran out crying for water. No sooner had she left did the compartment, did she return and with a relieved look upon her face and holding a yellow waterbottle in one hand. "That Thomas boy is a lifesaver!"

The next hour was drowned in the chasm of gossip as the trio talked about their holidays. Although nothing came up over Brigitte's new look and attitude, Mandy saw the glances of disgust targeted at Brigitte from Khira-Li. Khira-Li was not one known to adjust to big change, and it seemed that Brigitte's big change was not adjusting well. Oblivious to the glances from the German, Brigitte commented on the loss of Khira-Li's make-up. Khira-Li lied and said she had to remove it or it would get all over her uniform when she put it on. Brigitte had accepted the lie and Mandy hastily changed the subject to their upcoming Hogsmeade visits. That was when Khira-Li let out a horrified cry and buried her face into her hands. The other two looked at her in shock.

"Are you alright, K-Li?"
"Ach mein Gott! Ich habe vergessen! Ich habe keine Erlaubnis Notiz!" came the muffled reply in German.
"Uh, could you translate that?" asked Brigitte.
"I forgot my permission note!" Khira-Li wailed.

The other two girls looked at her, stunned. This was a major blow to the gut as all three couldn't wait to go to the magical village together. Khira-Li was very distraught at the thought of no lollies from there.

"We could always ask Professor--" Brigitte started but was cut off by Mandy.
"He won't let her go. Same thing happened last year to some other girl."
"Blutige Hölle! Ich bin ein Idiot!"

The two British girls looked at each other in confusion, only understanding 'idiot' but decided to drop it. Bragging about their luck wouldn't make Khira-Li any better. Mandy looked at the floor, when she was the waterbottle. Picking it up, she stood up and said, "I've gotta take this back to Dean. Back in a tick!"

No sooner had she left, did the train begin to slow down, then stop. Brigitte looked questioningly at Khira-Li, who was staring out the window.

"Are we there already?" she asked.

Khira-Li frowned and pressed her face against the window. "It doesn't look like it. It's too dark." No sooner had those words come out of her mouth did the lights go out. "Uh...does zis usually happen?" she asked stupidly.

Brigitte shook her head, even though Khira-Li couldn't see her, and pushed herself into the corner, her eyes frightful. Khira-li, however, stood up and felt her way towards the door. There was muffled commotion from both sides, as other students wondered what was going on. Khira-Li's first thought was to find her best friend then find out what was going on. However, she didn't get very far when the door slid open and she gave a loud shriek. She stumbled backwards as a bonechilling cold swept through the compartment and fell to the floor clutching her forearms.

"Kay?" came a shaky voice. It was Mandy! But Khira-Li was lost in the coldness of lost happy thoughts. She felt something collide with her legs, and she gave out another shiek as something landed on the floor beside her. "K-Li?" The German didn't answer as the weight on her legs shifted and she soon found herself wrapped in warm arms. There came the sound of a whimper in the corner as a shadowy figure floated in the corridor...

Then the coldness left, the lights returned and the train lurched forward. The light found Brigitte huddled in the corner, her eyes wide with unfallen tears; Mandy was pale and shaking but not as bad as the girl in her arms. Khira-Li lay sprawled on the ground, her upper body held my Mandy, and tears cascading down her face. Her breathing was heavy as her whole body shook with fright, and she seemed to have paled seven different shades.

"Kay? Are you alright?" Mandy asked quietly, though she doubt her friend was after feeling what had just happened. Mandy looked up at Brigitte, "Are you ok?" Brigitte nodded and slowly uncoiled herself from the seat, and sunk to the floor beside the shaking German.

"Will she be ok?" she asked timidly.

Mandy looked down at the girl in her arms and nodded her head slowly. "I hope so. You don't have any chocolate do you?"

Brigitte blinked but shook her head. "I think Kay might, though..."

"Sc..schokolade?" came a quiet, accented voice. "I haff some. Or...or I might haff eaten it all before." There was a pause then a groan. "I zink I did eat it. Crud."

The two British girls laughed weakly at Khira-Li before gently sitting her up. "Are you ok?" Brigitte asked. Khira-Li nodded and leant against the wall.

"Vot ze hell voz zat?"

"Dementors, I think," Mandy frowned. "Horrible things." Brigitte nodded in agreement and Khira-Li sighed.

"Horrible? For vunce, we disagree on somezing. Zey are awful!" Mandy smiled weakly and leant back against the seat, Brigitte mimicking her. "So, going to try out for Quidditch zis year?" There was a collective groan, and conversation resumed from there.

It wasn't long before the train stopped again, but this time at the right place. Gathering their gear and stepping out of the train and into the throng of students, the trio made their way over to the carriages that would take them to the school. Making their way to their second home, none of them knew what their third-year held for them but it would have a greater toll on their friendship, even when one Dean Thomas followed a certain brunette.


End Chapter Three.
To be continued...


Notes:
Ach mein Gott! Ich habe vergessen! Ich habe keine Erlaubnis Notiz! = Oh my God! I forgot! I do not have a permission note!

Blutige Hölle! Ich bin ein Idiot! = Bloody hell! I am an idiot!

Schokolade = Chocolate

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