Sixth year. Wow - she was... Old. And old was precisely how she felt when she stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. After saying goodbye to her uncle - who had insisted on reminding her every five seconds that this train ride was pointless because she lived five minutes away from the castle - she rummaged through her back just to check that she had everything before walking up to the train, her trunk already in place.

Rachel's sixth year... The year before last. It was supposed to start off fun, lively but because of her 'eventful' summer, she felt like she wanted to do nothing more than sleep. Which is what she had been doing ever since returning from Paris. She had cried herself to sleep more times than she'd care to admit and while she knew she was justified, Rachel still felt a little ashamed of how she handled things.

But she was more ashamed of her current physical state, if truth be told. True, she could have applied some charms but they weren't actually supposed to do magic outside school so she had dropped that idea. And as a result, she looked like the worst version of hell you could possibly find. Her skin had a pale, unhealthy glow to it - one you get from not getting enough sunlight. Her hair, now pulled into a ponytail, was frizzy and unkempt; a huge contrast from the sleek, shiny, perfect hair she always has.

But the worst - in her opinion - was the state of her eyes. Her green gray eyes, usually bright and sparkling, were dull and slightly bloodshot. The bags under them were so big they almost reached the tip of her nose and the fact that she kept rubbing them did nothing to make herself look any more presentable.

Well, at least the black and blue Hogwarts Ravenclaw uniform she had on couldn't look bad.

First stop - Prefect's compartment. Sliding open the doors, she walked in and almost groaned to see that all the occupants were guys. Great. "Hey Chris, Dominic, Jack," she said, her voice steady and clear as she addressed each of them with a polite nod. She wasn't a big fan of the opposite gender right now.

Walking into the compartment, she took a seat next to Chris Potter, preferring him to the older Dominic for reasons that if she thought about them, would make her collapse.

"Congrats on the Head Boy," she stated suddenly, noticing for the first time the difference badge he had on. Suddenly more tired than before - no sleep can do that to you - she leaned her head back and rolled it so that she was staring past Chris and out the window.

Year Six - here we go.