Middle Cars
 

Nat <3
 

Kelly walked through the train, not really paying attention to where she was going. No motivation, no smiles, no mauve. Dressed in all black the Slytherin walked through the corridors. Peeking in here and there, but she didn't really want company.

This new year was starting just the right way, maybe it was tome for a personality change too. New term, new Kelly.....caught up in the tangled web that were her thoughts the blonde almost walked past an empty compartment. Walking backwards quickly, she opened the door and flopped onto one of the seats. Music on, world off.

#daslan
 

Summer was over, it was a cliched thought and Aslan was well aware, but that hardly revoked the truth behind it. Summer was over, Egypt was now a craving instead of a dream and the money she had spent the better part of last term gathering up was, well, spent. Gone. Poof.

In retrospect she considered herself immensely foolish for not accepting Bastien Toussaint's monetary gift, if she had said yes... She would have felt indebted, and poor, and foolish in ways she would never have forgave. No, it was better this way. Better to be broke and have kept her shredded dignity than to be owe a friend what she might never be able to return (even if it meant less money for Adrastos to spend on Honeydukes).

Indebted. Indebted. Everyone was indebted in one way or another to the people around them. Friendship was a debt to be repaid, or that was the way it seemed to the Laconic Gryffindor. She had participated in many friendships over the course of these five years. Many had faded, some had endured, but all were a battle of give and take. It was fascinating, occasionally frustrating and in certain cases... Comforting.

Aslan reached up, her small fingers itching to busy themselves with her hair, the string of her peasant blouse, or the small garnet dangling from her choker, but she stopped herself, instead sticking her hands back into the pockets of her jean shorts as she walked in search of Brian Woods, Hazel Haddock or even Esme... Whatever her last name happened to be. She had left Adrastos to his own devices and despite being a solitary creature, Aslan felt her time on the Hogwarts express would be best wasted away in the company of another.

Peeking into compartments, she found most to be empty or at least, empty of those she hoped to find.

Clucking her tongue, she carried on in her search, her foot falls light, her mind heavy.

There was only one person she wished not to meet, but soon she would see that Fate had other ideas.

She had just left Roman and entered the train. This was hard! She wasn't ready to go back, no, summer was to fun. She liked her summer job and the Sirens playing. She was definitely not ready for this.

Holding Storm close she walked around trying to find Kelly. Best friend time was a must. Finding herself in the middle of the compartment Natalia she thought she saw a familiar blond duck into a compartment. Finding her way there she looked in. "This seat taken?" A small smirk on her face she made her way in to sit down.

"So this bites." They were both. Thinking it Nat could see it on besties face. Why did they have to go back?

Kimi was wandering the train he was wanting to meet as many people as possible and seeing a girl who looked as though she was reading sheet music alone and said "Hey there may i join you?"

Azura's humming came to a stop as she hears a voice and she smiled up at the boy who stood in the doorway with a smile.

"Of course you may join me. " She said as she gave him a warm smile before she gathered up her papers and put them back in her notebook. She placed her hands on top of the blue bound book and looked back over at the boy.

" I'm Azura. " She said by way of introduction. " Are you a first year? " He looked pretty young.. So it was either that or a small second year?

Kimi smiled at Azura and took a seat across from her and said "Nice to meet you Azura and i am a first year" Kimi was so excited to be actually now on the train to school but he missed his home a lot but he would see it next summer once school was over

Azura leaned back in her seat as the boy took a place across from her. She pushed some of her Raven hair behind her ear before giving him a smile.

"Ohh! So you are a first year? How exciting! " She could still remember her first train ride, when she had met Jasper on the platform and they had become instant friends. And then of course the feast, with the food right and the rain..

It had all been so magical.

A slightly nostalgic smile crossed her lips for a moment before focusing her attention back on the male in front of her.

"Are you hoping for any specific house? Are you excited about coming to Hogwarts? Scared? Nervous? " She asked him curiously.

Kimi smiled at Azura and said "Well i am kind of hoping for Hufflepuff and well i am a mix of the three at the same time"

That he had had an eventful summer was an understatement; indeed, every one of Daxton's summers since starting at Hogwarts had been 'eventful', and never in a particularly good way. The last couple of months had been a time of uncertainty and instability, and he had not had much time to settle into any of the places he had stayed.

The last few weeks had been spent with the Kettleburns, thanks to Daxton's own moment of weakness wherein he had confided in Char about his situation, and she, in turn, had offered a temporary solution. Now, however, since the events of the last few days had played out, Daxton was no longer sure just how temporary a solution it was likely to be.

Now traversing the train corridor alone, Daxton took the time to reflect on how strange it was that he could be so resentful of the fact that he was going back to Hogwarts, and yet feel almost relieved to be in familiar surroundings, heading towards a familiar location, and surrounded by familiar people. He resented that, too; the idea that only familiarity should be any source of 'comfort' to him. That was not the kind of person he wanted to be.

Treading his way through the middle section of the train, tired and only really half-present, Daxton kept his eyes fixed on the hair of the girl walking a little way ahead of him, focusing on the way her brown locks cascaded down her back, occasionally glinting in the early September sun that shone through the train windows. It was what Daxton would have considered to be an inordinate amount of time before he finally snapped back to reality enough to realise just who it was he was following.

Aslan.

The revelation made him hesitate slightly mid-step, bringing his foot down half a beat late and interrupting the steady rhythm of his gait. In the next moment, he had lengthened his stride, as though to catch up with her, though there was no sense of urgency in his movements, and he did nothing to actively gain her attention.

Open Post!
 

Open for anybody to take!
 

The front cars just didn't seem adventurous enough.

The back cars just seemed way too crowded for Ariadne's liking.

...and so the middle cars it would be! The brunette third year, who had unexpectedly grown a good bit over the summer, walked down the aisles of the middle section of the train. Her school books and supplies were safety tucked away in the luggage compartment. She would NOT be getting those out now. She'd head to the food trolley later on, but for now, all she wanted to do was get settled. Just WHERE that would be was the question...

claims xD
 

So many students walked passed him, leaving him and Obiwan little space to navigate his way to any available compartment. He kept Obiwan propped securely on top of his shoulder, so she wouldn't be bumped into. Silas wondered if he could find a compartment in this crowded area but everywhere seemed full. Oh well, he guessed he could share then. Hopefully, they weren't too allergic to cats.

Silas was too preoccupied trying to find a compartment for them and accidentally bump into someone. "Woah...sorry, didn't see you there...are you alright?" he asked the girl.

Daisy the flower <3
 

Back to Hogwarts again. And this time, for her second time around.

In all due honesty, Vivian wasn't really sure if she was just as excited as she was in her first year. Of course, it was her first last term. She was supposed to feel excited... but now, the twelve year old sort of wished the summer had been extended. She wanted to spend time with her aunt, and her twin baby cousins who turned one this summer, her sister, parents, and well... that Romanian boy. It made her sad for the last few days of her summer, that she wouldn't be seeing him again.

Here's to hoping Aunt Elise would keep her word and not tell dad and Uncle Chris about said boy, yeah?

Trying to keep her positive vibes all around, Vivian forced a smile on her face. She'd be able to see her Hogwarts friends again, and her favourite professors, and all that. Merlin, she also missed the house elves and their great food too! Guess there were other reasons to be happy about, so the blonde kept her mind on that.

After she found an empty compartment, Vivian settled her things. Marshmallow, her Kneazle, was with her. She also tuned her new guitar - the one she got from her parents for her twelfth birthday. Music was her company for the next few hours, unless a friend came by. Would be really comforting.

Whoa. Suddenly person and cat in her face. "Yeah. I'm fine." she said squinting and taking a step back. This school sure did have an obsession with these furry creatures.

She, of course, preferred dogs.

"Are you alright?" That was the polite thing to ask.

Silas shook his head. "Don't worry about me. Obiwan here is okay I think. I'm really sorry for bumping into you..."he apologised once again. Silas had never been onboard the Hogwarts Express before which explained much of his current dazed state. It was all very new to him. Silas noticed the girl had already put on the school dress robes. He wondered if he had to wear them too? "Do we have to wear our uniforms already?" he asked.

claims <3
 

How was it that the school term seemed to take forever to end and yet the summer holidays seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye? Not that Trixie didn't enjoy going to Hogwarts but you know...who wouldn't rather be holidaying somewhere?

With her trunk packed away in the luggage compartment, Trixie made her way along the aisle of the train, peeking into each compartment as she went by looking for someone that she knew or perhaps someone new to talk to.

She shifted the box she was carrying, a going away gift from her father, from her left hand to her right and slowed to a stop when she spotted one Ariadne Greingoth looking rather indecisive.

"Hey Ariadne." Trixie greeted the girl. They didn't really know each other but they had a couple of classes together. The third year glanced into the compartment they were standing in front of. "Did someone let off a dungbomb or something?" Is that why she wasn't going in?

*casually crashes* :3
 

He's done it again. Cornelius Orion Baltazar has lost Mustard, the bearded dragon, again! The boy kept telling himself he did not lose the Mustard. The Mustard lost itself. It wasn't his fault, really. Cornelius had provided the lizard with different options of settlement. There were his pockets, which thanks to his dad's help were made roomy for the lizard. There was his hair, it made a great bed, soft and bouncy. Then there were his shoulders. Room everywhere. But did the Mustard appreciate all of that? No.

Hands tucked into his pockets and ignoring the empty feeling, Cornelius strolled down the corridor, not freaking out yet. If Mustard didn't turn up in a while then that's when he'll allow himself to lose his beans.

That's when he heard a soft faint tune. Music. Cornelius had to find! Taking larger steps towards the sound, the boy poked his curly head into the compartment. "Is that a guitar I hear?"

Oh, heeeeey!

"Hey, Vivian." Long time no see.

Vivian was just casually singing along to honestly whatever song came into mind. But maybe it was a bit too loud that it could actually reach the eardrums of whoever was outside. But, of course, why would Vivian ever think of it that way? She was so engrossed at strumming to the chords and humming to certain parts of the song she didn't remember the lyrics to. When someone poked in her compartment, the Slytherin abruptly stopped, blinked at the boy standing in front of her, and turned pink.

Oh, Merlin, that was sort of embarrassing.

But good thing it was a familiar face! Otherwise she would've turned as red as a tomato and crawled her way inside her luggage and hide there. Err... right. "Hi, Cornelius!" the blonde said and moved her guitar to her side. "Was my jamming a little bit too loud?" Or was her fail!plucking evident? She had only learned how to play this a couple of weeks ago!

"Wanna come sit?" Company would be greatly appreciated, anyway, despite her loudness.

Anyone can grab him
 

Anyone?
 

Cherry was just relaxing on her hand at this point. Dora knew better than to let her wander while on the train. The last thing she wanted was a squished spider, after all. One wrong jostle and things could get BAD. The blonde had to go snooping around though. See if she could bump into anyone worth speaking to.

This train ride had, as of yet, proven to be a rather boring one and Dora intended to change that. Pronto. If she could. Ugh. Where were the cool kids at? Or she would settle for semi interestING at the mkment.

Open Post!
 

Lizzie can't believe it! She was finally heading to Hogwarts!!!! She is been waiting impatiently ever since she first got her letter over the summer. She kept bugging her uncle to tell her all about Hogwarts.... not that he told her anything.

She made her way to the middle cars, her uncle's favorite from what he says. She found an empty compartment, so she open the door and let herself in. She took off her bad and tossed it on to a seat, before following it. She giggle when she realize it was bouncy. She bounced up and down for a few minutes, before stopping, getting distracted by the scenery outside. She placed her head on the window, and watched the scenery go by, daydreaming about her new home

Chrissy come play
 

Chloe's summer had been in-cred-i-ble. Interning for Ellsberry was, like, a dream come true for the newly minted fourth year. And after spending the whole summer with Josh, her absolutely fabulous supervisor, she had been exposed to so much beauty and fashion and culture that she felt sparkly new. Or at least she did most days when she was in higher spirits. The back half of the summer had been less than pleasant.

But she was feeling extra special this morning. She had her sister at her side after nearly a whole summer apart and she was going back to Hogwarts. There was nothing better than school. The Ravenclaw longed for her favourite, quiet spot in the library all summer.

Linked arms with Clara, the twins searched for seats on the train. When Chloe spotted Dora. The blonde smiled lightly and called her friends name, "Dora!"

Dora had been off in her own little world, lost in thought as it were... until she heard her name. Spinning around, the blonde beamed immediately knowing the voice before even spotting the girl attached to it. "Chloe! And Clara! " she exclaimed before starting to make her way over. The girl was always excited to see the twins, but it also made her heart twinge a bit. She so wished Al would come to school with her. U G H.

Dora had actually heard about Chloe interning seeing as her Aunt Addy worked for Ellsberry. Hehe. She was so happy for the other girl since she knew she loved makeup so much. Perfect opportunity for her! "It's so good to see you guys! " she said as she stopped right in front of them. There was no more forcing her hugs on people... but they could each have one if they wanted! "We're fourth years. How wild, right? " A smile crossed her lips, but the bouncy ball of energy she used to be had subsided a fair bit. Did Chloe notice? Surely she did!

Philipe looked up seeing shadows pass, please just pass... Just pass... He truly didn't feel like talking. He fiddled with the two dog tags on his necklace and looked at the door still... He sighed slightly. Why couldn't he just go home and be with Sara... He'd never been to Hogwarts without her, he'd never ridden the train without her... He barely ever went to class unless he knew she would be there.

He stood up, planning on moving, there were just too many people for him here, he just wanted to be alone without his girlfriend here. When he opened the door though he ran straight into another girl who looked close to his age. He blinked and looked at her, "Oh... Sorry..."

The redhead was not happy about this day. Not happy that her summer exploring was over, not happy that she couldn't venture into the jungle with Daddy yet again, & now here she was feeling a bit exposed with this skirt that Chloe begged her to wear so that they could match. She was reluctant at first but loves her twin very much, so it didn't take much convincing. Besides, she hadn't seen Chloe practically all summer because the two were both busy, so again, she wasn't going to argue it much.

She walked close beside Chloe as their arms were linked & tried to look for any seats they could fin. Suddenly Chloe called out Dora's name, making Clara jump a little but soon relaxed as a bright smile formed on her face. "Hi Dora!" Hearing Dora mention how they were fourth years now felt weird for her to hear that so all she could say in a surprised tone was, "It's definitely weird. BUT that means I'm one step closer to truly becoming the strong independent woman I'm going to be!"

Chloe was not a hugger so she appreciated Dora's restraint. In fact, she appreciated a lot about Dora right now, including her newfound lack of energy. Gryffindors were a lot for her most days, all days. And she would take a calm Gryffindor when she got one without complaint.

Now that she thought about it she had too many Gryffindors in her life. Maybe she needed to reassess what that meant about her. Or them. Yes, it couldn't have been her so she was gonna blame the lions. Pass the blame, a Chloe Newman game patent pending.

Her lips quirked, "It's nice to not be such an underclassmen anymore." Fourth year had a bit of prestige tagged on to it. And she was going to eat it up this term. She tucked so stray hair behind her ear, "Wanna grab a compartment?" Catch up?

Kelly had her headphones in and didn't notice her best friend walk in at first. Only as she heard the compartment door shut and saw her sit down the blonde took out her headphones. Hello world. " If it was I would throw them out for you silly",with a smile on her face she put away her music. Even thought she wanted to be alone, Nats company would help her.

Moving to sit next to her best friend the slytherin sighed. This was a terrible start to a year...." A lot of things bite right now....but I don't mind. Better get used to it." Resting her head on Nats shoulder she closed her eyes.

She grinned at that. She knew her best friend would throw people out and so would she. They were a force to mess with to be honest and if people really tried Nat felt sorry for them. " Have you seen Hady or Lily yet?" She knew the other two would be around at some point. Plus Hady had head girl duties.

Setting storm down she got a bit more comfortable. She wrapped an arm around Kelly for best friend cuddles. These were very much needed. "We have lots to look forward to. Boring classes, endless homework, and maybe another gig in the room of requirement. I was thinking possibly Halloween this time." They could all dress up and have a fun theme.

Ariadne was just about to feel really awkward about standing in the middle of the corridor, when she heard her name coming from somewhere beside her. Shifting her gaze, she saw a Gryffindor girl she knew was named Trixie. They were both third years, so they pretty much had most of their classes together. "Hey, Trixie!" she greeted. "What's up?" Ariadne peered into the compartment the girl was looking into, and for a moment, she had no idea where the dungbomb reference came from. Was something smelling?

...and then she felt dumb. "Oh, right!" she said, and then she kind of opened the door of the compartment and walked just instead the doorway. "No, I'm just being indecisive. I was trying to figure out where I wanted to sit, and I guess I was just overthinking this." She was getting to that awkward age where appearance and her peers' opinions meant a lot. "You want to hang out?" She gestured inside the compartment. "So what's in the box?" Please tell her she had just invited someone into a compartment who had with them a box full of cupcakes!

Aslan Evans was many things. Quiet, bright, hard-working, stubborn and occasionally judge mental, but one thing she absolutely was not, nor would ever be was aware of her surroundings. It was an odd contrast when placed beside the young woman's attention to detail.

It was also the trait that aside from her curiosity, got her most into tricky or uncomfortable situations.

Lost in her head, Aslan paid no attention to the steps growing steadily closer. She had little reason to, after all the hallway was full of students running hither and thither in their own quests. Nothing special, nothing of interest...

If she had turned her head, that statement would have been revoked /real quick/.

But she didn't. Aslan slipped into an empty compartment, sat herself down and stared out the window dispassionately, all the while still completely unaware of Daxton Prince's unholy presence.

It was on the tip of her tongue to say "the sky" but she stopped herself. Not everyone got her jokes and she didn't want to offend anyone. She smiled back at Ariadne. "Trying to psych myself up for another school year." Sometimes it was hard after spending two months of no homework or study.

Trixie raised her eyebrows as Adriadne began over explaining the situation before grinning at the invitation. "Sure. Sounds like fun." She said as she moved into the compartment and flopped down into the vacant seat and placing the box she had been holding beside her.

"It's a gift from my dad." She glanced down at the unopened box and then back to the Slytherin. "And knowing my dad, it's likely to be something from WWW." Trixie lent back in the seat with a slight grimace on her face. "He has no idea what a thirteen year old girl likes...unfortunately." Practical joke products had been fun when she had been a little kid, not so much now though.

"How was your summer?" The box could wait for now. So could the disappointment.

Kaycee looked at the cat. "Your cat is named Obiwan." That wasn't really a question or a judgment. Just a statement while she digested that.

She shook her head. "Nah. I just didn't want to change later. I'm on patrol." Probably. Sort of? Kind of? She tapped the badge on her chest. Prefect, see?

"You do have to change before we get there though. Don't worry. You have plenty of time."


Kaycee nodded. "Yeah, actually. Big plans. Can't wait to do the things." she said with a smile. "What about you?" It was her seventh year too, wasn't it? She really needed to learn to expand her group of people. But, of course, with Maggie as a best friend, one might not have time to be a good friend to others.

Following Aslan was something akin to what Daxton imagined it might be like to track a wild animal. He had never done such a thing himself, of course, having no interest in any animal bar those with practical uses. He had read a variety of books before, however - both fiction and non-fiction - in which the topic of animal tracking had been either briefly touched upon or explored in great detail. As Aslan continued down the train and Daxton followed, he wondered exactly what type of creature she would be in this scenario.

It was... hard to say, and he ruminated on it for quite some time, making the most of his not-quite-quarry's general obliviousness. For long enough, at least, that he was in danger of losing himself within his own thoughts, as had been happening so much more often over the last few months.

Having watched Aslan slip into a presumably compartment, Daxton, again, followed, as if on autopilot - and, indeed, he felt very much like that was exactly the case.

Sliding the door closed again behind him, Daxton stared right at Aslan, deciding not to take a seat just yet. He just needed... to look, just for now. Almost as if to just make sure she was actually there at all. A tiny frown creased his features, and he tilted his head just ever so slightly to the right, and he stared, his cold blue eyes glinting ever so slightly from time to time, thanks to the occasional flare of sunlight in the compartment.

Quoting you both in my head. <3
 

"Yes, her name is Obiwan. My 6-month-old kitten." Silas smiled. He named his cat that because he really liked that one character he thought was super cool from Star Wars, that muggle sci-fi movie. His brown eyes squinted at the badge she (Kaycee) wore. Oh, she was a prefect? He noticed she wore a red and gold striped tie so she must be in a house called Gryffindor, yes? "Ah I see, thanks. I'm new here ...so I'm not quite sure if we should wear our uniforms now." Silas turned to face the person who he recognised almost instantly. He grinned, "Oh hello Paige, its great to see you again!"

Oops. Look at her pink little face. Had he interrupted? Cornelius checked the compartment for another face. The place was so tiny it only took him a second to register Vivian was on her own.

"Naah, I got super wizard hearing," he grinned, tugging at his earlobe as he strode inside and flopped on the seat in front of her. "I didn't know you did music. How come I've never seen you in the music room?" Because besides the pitch, the music room was his favorite place at Hogwarts.

Yes. Kaycee knew of the movie. It was an interesting choice for a female cat name though. But, whatever. You do you, new guy.

New Italian guy apparently.

She laughed and shrugged. "Maybe. I did have fun doing that last year. Maybe I'll do it again." A few professors even joined the pumpkin carving adventures. It was always an interesting experience to see them out of their element.

"Pleasure to meet you Silas." she said extending her hand in greeting. "What she said." Down to the outstanding dancer part. She wasn't going to deny it. She had trophies to prove it.

She nodded. "Yeah, I've done it a few times. It's good for stretching and relaxing." As for the club thing, that sounded like effort.

Paige and Kaycee
 

They were talking about pumpkin carving and he didn't want to interrupt them. Were they talking about Halloween? Did they have a pumpkin carving event in this school? Was it an annual kind of thing? Must be very fun and interesting to see. Then Paige started to introduce them both, that was nice of her. Kaycee loved to dance apparently. "Interesting...." Thanks to Paige, he learnt something new about the Gryffindor prefect. Silas took Kaycee's hands and grinned, "Pleasure is all mine."

Silas chuckled at the mention of him taking interest in yoga. "Yes, yoga to me is a stress reliever. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does it too." A movement group? Silas didn't think he was influential enough to start something big like that. "As much as I would love to, Paige, I'm afraid my Quidditch training will take up most of my time here. I'm prepping to get a good scholarship in the near future." Yes, he had big goals in mind. "But of course, I don't mind at all if you girls would like to join me for a small yoga session." Definitely.

Super wizard hearing? Vivian blinked at first, but then a chuckle escaped her mouth the moment after. Was there really such a thing? Did being magical have its auditory perks? "Does that I mean super witch hearing skills too?" It was indeed a theory the twelve year old wanted to test. And her normal victim? Her dad. It would have to wait until the holidays, then.

But the music part of the conversation? Vivian shrugged and smiled at the Slytherin boy. "I only learned how to play the guitar just last month," Vivian shared while nodding. "I asked my dad for one, and this was my parents' birthday gift to me this year. Just some simple chords, really. I'm still learning." And as for that music room question... "I've been there a couple of times. If you happen to know Mason Stevens, I saw her there the first time I went and she could have skewered me with her cello bow for eavesdropping." Okay, that was a bit too much information... but just sayin'!

The blonde then tilted her head at the boy. "Do youuu have secret talents too?"

Err. "Dunno, do you? Sometimes you gotta tap into your own skills." He winked. Really, he was just making that up and had not imagined she believed him. Then again...she did believe when he made that little dramatic scene about a bug in the corridor.

Oh, so she was a newbie in the music department, understandable. It would explain the color on her face he had poked his head in. "Hey, that's pretty awesome--and happy late birthday," he grinned. "I got a set of drums last summer for mine." WHICH.....he had been banned from playing this summer because he had been ground-DEAD. His ears perked at the mention of Mason. "Mason's pretty awesome. A lil' intense but awesome." He couldn't help but chuckle at the skewering part. Mason was his friend for a reason. LOL.

The Slytherin boy ran a hand through his curls to get them out of his face and SIGHED as if he were holding that talent under lock and key. "It's a secret."

Sorry It is short....
 

Lizzie was in the middle of day dreaming about exploring the castle, when she heard someone saying something. She blinked away the day dream, and sat up straight to investigate the new voice. She glanced around around and spot a girl, who looked a few years older then herself.

"Oh Hello!" Lizzie smiled at the newcomer "My name is Lizzie." She waved vaguely at any of the seats "Sure! Any of these seats are free" She said grinning at the older girl.

Dora opened her mouth to speak... and then it happened. She was knocked sideways by something. SOMEONE. A person. HMPH! Her eyes darted to the offending person as she righted herself. "Rude! Please watch where you're going. You almost made me drop my spider!" OH THE HORROR! No really, she would have been SUPER angry had that happened, but now she cracked a smile when the boy apologized. "JK. It's not a problem. Happens all the time." Legit. People seemed to not notice her a LOT.

Now turning her attention back to the twins she smiled widely at Clara. And that was a SHORT skirt. Dora noticed her legs. Nice.

"Strong independent woman... you know you can be strong and independent now, yeah? Well as independent as we can be anyway." THEY WERE WOMEN, HEAR THEM ROAR! :whaa: "Yeah, I get what you mean though. We're a step closer to leaving every day." BEAM! The thought of graduation always made Dora perk up a bit. HEHE. She, for one, didn't care to be trapped in the Hell that was Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. U G H. No thanks!

"Nice stems, by the way," she said with a wink. Hehe.

The next comment from Chloe made her pause to think for a moment. Last year she hadn't really felt like much of an ickle. But yeah, this year she DEFINITELY felt different. The older, wiser, less bouncy version of herself. Which was, in her personal opinion, quite a lovely change. Although, her thoughts still had the tendency to wander. Heh. "Yeah, but that just means we have to sit exams next year." Cue the woe is me face.

"Yes, please! I was gonna look for Maia, but I reckon she can find me if she wants to." Was it terrible that the blonde KIND OF hoped her girlfriend didn't come looking for her? Yes, it was bad. She knew it. But, she wanted some time with HER friends. Yep. "I would totally hook arms with you guys, but I don't think we can fit down the corridor like that. So lead the way!"

[SPOILER=das + lan] The compartment was particularly warm thanks to the sun shining through the window and August's lingering, almost clingy warmth. It was a good job she hadn't yet donned her robes, otherwise the young woman would have been fairly uncomfortable rather than only /mildly/ so. Her wand was behind her ear, tucked there for safe keeping and she reached for it, her attention still on the passing scenery, and with a muttered spell the compartment was cooler.

The spell was simple, but Aslan wore a small smile of satisfaction.... Until she noticed the reflection in her window.

Red.
Red.
Blue.
Blue. Blue. Blue.

"Daxton." She muttered, eyes widening as her fist clenched around her wand. She didn't turn to him, but sat as still as ever, her eyes trained on his form through the glass. He looked... Well kept, normal, much like himself with no visible changes aside from the scar. The sight of it sent a tingle to her palms, and Aslan clenched her fists again, trying to subdue the response. She had, of course, expected to see him at one time or another, but she had not expected it to be so soon.

Everything suddenly felt so still, so silent. The giggling from the other corridors seemed to fade, the rumbling or the train vanished all together and even her own thoughts felt muted. Whether the emotions attempting to flood through her were good or bad Aslan didn't know, but she was well aware of one thing.

Daxton Prince was a force of nature, one she wasn't sure she wanted to meet head on, again.

The literal change in the atmosphere did not go unnoticed by Daxton, who was sensitive to the heat at the best of times. He kept his eyes on Aslan's wand even as the coolness reached him, mentally cataloguing the spell - the wand movement, the muttered incantation - so that he might use it at a later date. It would be a useful spell in his arsenal.

But the temperature was not the only thing to change in the compartment. Daxton noticed it all - he noticed everything, especially when he was paying attention - the way that Aslan tensed up, her tightening grip on the wand, even the subtle change in her face from what he could see from the angle he stood at.

He did not respond when she said his name, not at first, only continued to stand where he was, gently swaying with the movement of the train, holding his silence as he always did.

But not for long.

Still without moving from his spot, still stood in front of the door to the compartment, still looking at her as she continued looking away from him, Daxton blinked, his eyelids fluttering slightly. In a moment of decisiveness, almost impulsiveness, he ever-so-slightly parted his almost-chapped lips, sore from the frequency with which he had been chewing and biting at them - a recently developed habit.

His voice did not cooperate at first, most likely through lack of use, but Daxton only licked his lips and took a breath, before...

"A-... Aslan."

The murmur of his voice came out low, hoarse, almost unsteady due to lack of practice, more of a mumble with the way he barely opened his mouth to speak. He said nothing more, and just left it at that, still standing, still staring, waiting for the reception from Aslan that he usually got. Almost like he, for some reason, did not fully understand any reason why it should be different this time.

"Oh. Yeah, I know what you mean," Ariadne said, responding to what Trixie had said about psyching herself up for another year of Hogwarts. "I can remember back when I was a first year, and I was SUPER excited and happy to go to school." She had actually been counting down the days if she remembered correctly. Heh. "Don't get my wrong. I still enjoy the school a lot, and I'm glad I'm getting a good background in magic. It's just...well, who doesn't enjoy summer holidays?" She laughed a little, but she could actually remember hearing her mom and dad talk about that very thing once. Apparently, her mother hated going home for the holidays, although Ariadne never found out why.

She was glad Trixie had decided to join her in the compartment. Riding all the way to school with nobody to talk to not even for a little bit would be such a bummer. She raised her eyebrows as she looked at the box. "You mean you haven't opened it? Not even just a little peek?" she asked. Ariadne would have torn into the box the second her hands touched it. She had no self-control with those kinds of things. Also, she kind of thought something from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes sounded like a ton of FUN, but she didn't say that, since it would probably make her look uncool in front of Trixie. "Well," she said, with a shrug, "at least he tried."

Then the topic changed to summer. "Oh, it was so much fun! We went to Paris!" she said. Ariadne had actually never been there before, and she'd ended up having a lot of fun. "It was such a pretty place! What'd you do?"

Kaycee smiled at the new kid. See. She could Prefect. Befriending new students was a thing she was supposed to do. She nodded. Ooh. Quidditch. Interesting.

"Did you play at your old school?" That was probably a dumb question. Anyone looking for a scholarship was good and played somewhere.

She then nodded at Paige. "Yeah. I'm down to do it again this year." Among other things. It was their last year, she planned on milking it to its fullest. "Any other things you can think of to do?" She'd put it together.

Kaycee and Paige
 

Silas nodded towards Kaycee. "Yes, I did. My position is a seeker." Sometimes, he played keeper as a reserve for their team too but didn't think it was necessary to tell them. Of course, he was very passionate about the sport. Silas wouldn't consider any other options when he was this close to achieving something great and worked so incredibly hard for. Naturally, he did not wish to let the opportunity slip away. "Do you have plans to becoming a professional dancer, Kaycee?"he asked, his curiosity piqued.

Hmm? Silas blinked at Paige when she suddenly took his hand. Was she doing a palm reading on him? He wondered what got her buzzing with excitement at the mention of Quidditch. Amused, he let her inspect his hand as long as she wants. "You did? Can you sense that by just touching my hand?" Fascinating, he thought. What is she?

Anyone?
 

"Exactly." Trixe agreed, thinking the very same thing. No one in their right mind would rather be at school then on holidays. Unless of course you were a Ravenclaw. She wondered briefly what the kids in blue did during their summer holidays? Probably went to fancy libraries or something. She realised that her mind was wondering off again and she gave herself a small shake and focused back on Ariadne. "Well at least we get to go to Hogsmeade this year. It will be nice to see what all the older students talk about, won't it?"

Her gaze went back to the box and she realised that she probably sounded ungrateful to the Slytherin but she wasn't willing to share the real reason why she was upset with her father. That was a story for Livvy, behind closed doors in the dorms. So instead Trixie picked up the box and carefully removed the lid. "Just as I thought." She pulled out a few items. "Extendable ears, dungbombs, a portable swamp, exploding whizz poppers, decoy detonators..." There were more items inside but she was sure that Ariadne got the idea. "He seems to have a bit of theme going to." Obviously these were the kind of things he used to do at school and thought his daughter should follow in his footsteps.

The talk of Paris caused Trixie's eyes to light up. "Oh how cool. I'm from Paris. Well I was born there and have visited there heaps of times. What did you like best about it?" She picked up an extendable ear and wrapped the string around her finger. "Well I actually spent quite a bit of time with my Uncle Oliver." At least her Uncle didn't have some ditsy blonde hanging around. "He taught me how to surf." Which had been pretty cool actually.

Ariadne just nodded along when Trixie agreed with her about the summer holidays. Who wouldn't agree with her? Well, maybe some people would disagree, but Ariadne just couldn't understand that line of thinking at all. "As a matter of fact, my brain is still on summer holiday. I don't think I could calculate something in Arithmancy or tell you the most important date in the history of magic right now," she said with a laugh. "My brain just wants me to sit around like a flobberworm. And eat chocolate frogs." That last line was an afterthought, but it was true!

Her eyes lit up when Trixie mentioned Hogsmeade. "Oh, I know! I've already questioned a fourth year about that very thing!" she explained. "Did you know I live in Hogsmeade, though? I'm still excited to get away from the school some, though, and just hang out with all my school friends." Up until now, she'd just hung out in Hogsmeade with her mom, dad, and sisters. Surely Hogsmeade with FRIENDS was way different! She leaned over when the girl began opening the box. Prank stuff, just as the girl had thought. It was still exciting! "Don't throw it away!" Ariadne exclaimed. Did she want it? NO. "...you can trade it with another student in exchange for something! Like them doing your homework!"

"We went to Paris mainly for my mom's potions business," Ariadne explained. "Apparently, there's a big market there. We got to tour the city a lot, though. I think my favorite part was how beautiful the place was when it was lit up at night." Trixie had been born there? Cool! "I was born right here in the United Kingdom. Somewhere." Heh. "Surfing sounds fun! Did you catch some waves or crash into them?" What did they call that? ...a wipe out?

"Well then..." Trixie rummaged through the pockets of her jacket and pulled a handful of chocolate frogs..."we can't disappoint your brain now can we?" She laughed as she threw Ariadne a couple before unwrapping one for herself. "And I'm pretty sure that my brain is permanently on holiday." Definitely took after her father in that department.

The chocolate frog was halfway to her mouth but quickly forgotten at this little piece of information she did not know. "You do? That is so cool!" She had heard so much about the place but had never been there. Something she liked to remind her parents about but apparently it would be so much more fun to discover the place on her own. According to them anyway. "So you'll know all the cool places to go to." Trixe was practically jumping up and down in her seat. "Does the Hogs Head really let in Banshee's?" She was so excited to hear about Hogsmeade that she had almost forgotten about the box of Weasley's products. And she had no plans in throwing the contents away. "Or I could sell it for a slightly discounted price." She said with a sly grin. She would have enough galleons to go wild in Hogsmeade.

Ariadne didn't know where she had been born? That was weird. "Did you see the lights from the Eiffel Tower? The view is really pretty from there." Trixie finally took a bite out of her chocolate frog and happily chomped on it for a few moments. "Oh Merlin yes!" She said with a laugh and almost spitting out a bit of chocolate frog. "I crashed into the waves all the time. I'm not particularly good at surfing but I had fun. My Uncle Oliver said it takes talent to ride a surfboard. Pfft..." she let out a snort as she lent back in the seat..."he's only good at it because he cheats by using magic." Her father and uncle needed to learn that she was not a kid anymore and wasn't fooled by their stories.

Well, she did ask him about his and about how a person would find out if he or she had awesome hearing senses. Vivian opened her mouth for a second and then closed it immediately. She didn't really know. "Are there any diagnostic tests or some sort?" Like sticking her tongue out for two minutes and singing the alphabet... or pushing her ear over the facade of glass window? Those sounded like funny suggestions but really, how would you know?

Oh well... that was thoughtful. Vivian smiled at Cornelius. "Thank you," she replied to his late greeting. And ooooohh drums! "Awesome! And... why's you get grounded?" What a sad thing to be grounded during the summer! How was he able to survive and enjoy his vacation with such restrictions? Vivian would never have dared! The blonde then grinned at the mention of Mason. "She's pretty cool too. Although being skewered wouldn't really be... uh... the most ideal way to make a new friend." If she were to be honest, Vivian was kinda scares of that cello bow. But let's not disclose more than what is relieved already, yeah? Heh.

It's a secret. Vivian rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at his direction. "No fair! You know about my guitar skills." They'd have to even it out. Come ooooon, Cornelius!

Summer had been busy and Henry was ready to head back to Hogwarts. Not that it was a bad busy or he longed to separate himself from summer, in fact he rather enjoyed his summer. It was more that it was just time and he was ready for the routine in seeing his friends everyday. And it was any of those friends that he was looking for to sit with on the train.

The fourteen year old had spotted someone through the compartment window he wouldn't have minded sitting with when he had first gotten on, but he soon realized he'd be walking into an awkward third wheel situation and thought better of it. He wasn't so sure he had been seen anyway and just kept walking, following his kneazle down the corridor. He alternated his focus on the compartments as he passed and the feline as he walked... and who just walked into an open compartment.

"Oh, I guess we're sitting in here, Chewbacca?" he chuckled as he followed him inside, looking to see who might already be in there. "Oh, hey.." he soon grinned, eventually recognizing her as the new transfer he met at Diagon Alley. What was her name..? Oh right, it was one of the months of the year, wasn't it? "June.. hi!" He did promise to show her around if she needed any help so he thought nothing of taking the seat opposite her, allowing room for her feet, as his kneazle curled up next to him.

for anyone who wants to grab
 

Maaaaan, could the train LEAVE already? June was tired of watching all these parents out the window saying goodbye to their kids. It was sappy and gross and she wanted to throw up on them. Projectile vomit right out the windo--

Oh, there was a person and a creature walking in uninvited to HER compartment. She should have shut the door. Wait, the person knew her? She didn't know anybody who went to Hogwarts...

"Oh. Hi," she said flatly, recognizing the boy from when they met in Diagon Alley with that weird girl who she was pretty sure hated her and didn't care. June's eyes were on the creature that was with the younger boy. It looked like a cat... and a rat... smashed into one hideous creation. And it was freaky. "What the hell is that?" she asked, looking at the boy.

Kelly wrapper herself around her best friend and sighed. There was so much on her mind right now....Maybe she wouldn't mess the band up at least...."I haven't seen them around yet. But when we do we can at least invite Lily over." It was still hard that Kali was gone but the blonde had got used to their new member and they were doing pretty good together. Plus, it made Nat happy an that make Kelly happy. As happy as she could be right now, being freshly separated from her first love....who didn't love her back.

Listening to her bestie the Slytherin nodded. There was a lot to look foward to but right now Kelly just wanted to hide forever. Why oh why had she been such a terrible girlfriend?! Maybe she should not get into relationships at all. "Yeah that sounds like fun." Oh another gig? Their first one had gone so good it was hard to top really. "I am sure the rest of the band would like that too. We could have a theme party."

Henry didn't even question if June remembered him or not, even if she didn't address him by name, because he was certain she did. At the time, she didn't seem to have known anyone who went to Hogwarts - or at least that was what the boy assumed - and he briefly wondered if she had met anyone else school age in the time since. Either way, he wasn't about to let her sit alone. At least not yet.

What..? Henry gave her a questioning look before he glanced down at his pet with a smile as he remembered that she had little experience with the Wizarding world. "Oh, this is Chewbacca, my kneazle. They're a lot like cats, really," he nodded as he looked back up at her. "Do you have any pets?"

See? It was good that Henry was there, so he could answer any questions she had before she actually made it to Hogwarts. She'd fit in, in no time.

aww Kelly *snugs her*
 

She glanced at the door, but soon looked at her bestie once more. "Yeah they'll be around. Hady will be pretty busy this term with NEWTs, band, classes, and now Head Girl stuff. It's exciting to see her get that." She was so proud of her bandmate, but nervous it was the start to the end of them once again. With Hady being a seventh year would she want to continue with the band after this term? Pushing it out of her mind she nodded at Kelly, "Yeah, Lily will find us. She's band family now." Lily had always been part of Nat's group, but now being part of the band made it even better. She was still pretty mad at Kali for just disappearing and hadn't spoke her name all summer. "No one has heard from Ilia that you know of?" Ilia hadn't been around all summer and Nat worried about her.


She smiled staying close to her friend. "I thought maybe we could dress up and make Halloween even more fun." Giving a playful smirk she had a few things up her sleeve as she thought about it. Nat loved to plan gigs, it had kept her mind busy last term when things got bad. They did have a great one last term, but the even more exciting was the talent search over the summer. She truly felt The Sirens were moving in the right direction.

There was a lot going on for their fellow band member Hady indeed and kelly was proud to call her her friend. They had been experimenting with spells and that girl really deserved her head girl status. She was so smart.No wonder Frankie couldn't go long without her. Other than Bast...who probably didn't miss her much. Somehow the Slytherin had to stop thinking about her ex boyfriend, this could not be healthy and it made her feel terrible too. " I know right? We got a real smart one in there", she chuckled a little. Hopefully it would all fit in with their schedule. The band really had taken enough negative things on over the past couple months."Lily always finds /you/". There was definitely some chemistry going on between the two...the kinda chemistry she had with Kali. Sigh. Another person that left her. "Nope nothing about Ilia....i mean where am i supposed to here? its like the world swallowed her...." It was unfair that she just left and expected them to take her on again just like that, she better had a good explanation.


As Nat explained her idea the sixth year nodded along with her besties words. She always had a great ideas and this proved to be one as well. " I really like that and i am sure the others will too. Last time was great fun."Plus it would distract her from wallowing in self pity. That smirk that appeared on her besties face when she spoke about it, kinda made the blonde wonder what she had on her mind now. Nats mind was like a labyrinth of amazing and sometimes disturbing stuff.

Giving the kneazle a few pets as he got comfortable, Henry looked up and nodded. "Yeah, Chewbacca... do you know the Star Wars movies?" He couldn't tell if her questioning tone was because she was unfamiliar with the character name or if it was for some other reason, but for as much as he knew, he was aware that she had been raised around muggle things and he thought it likely that she'd be at least familiar enough that he could mention it. "I really like them and I thought he kind of resembled him," he added with a chuckle. Plus he really liked him as a character.

But his cheerful grin soon faded as June continued. "Aw, no.. I'm really sorry." Chewbacca being his first real pet, Henry did not know the pain of losing a pet, but he figured it must really suck. "What..?" His eyebrows raised in surprise. What bad luck. "Wow, that's really rough.." What did one even say after that? Awkward.

"Maybe your next pet should be a phoenix." They always came back.

Oh good, so she was familiar with Star Wars and he had assumed correctly. Henry nodded at her confirmation, wondering if she was at all a fan. At least she seemed to know who Chewbacca was. "So what kind of movies do you like?" He loved watching TV and movies, and sometimes it was nice to find someone who knew muggle things to talk to them about.

He hoped he didn't make her feel too bad bringing up her dead pets, but he did happen to catch that hint of a smile and he grinned a bit. "Now that would be a cool pet to have." Not that he knew anyone who had one or where to even get one, but even just the thought of it was cool. "You should take Care of Magical Creatures if it fits in your schedule. Maybe we'll get to handle phoenixes sometime..." That would be an awesome lesson. "We do fun things there most of the time though." Plus it helped that he really liked creatures. And this was the year that Draper was going to teach him how to ride winged horses. So something to look forward to.

Kaycee nodded. "Yeah. I want to go on a tour or something for a few years then work in a dance studio." She honestly couldn't live without dance. It was that much a part of who she was.

It was actually really awesome to meet someone so impassioned about a sport.

She then looked between the two. Should she... *ahem* give them some room? Or they could just hold hands in front of her. That was cool too?

"I didn't realize that quiddtich was recognizable." It wasn't like... chopping wood or playing guitar. Quidditch induced hand calluses just didn't even occur to her as likely.

Seventh Year Girls. Ehem.
 

Silas listened to Kaycee's goal to becoming a professional dancer. "That sounds amazing. Will you show us some of your skills one day?" he asked, interested to watch her perform on stage. Too bad, he got two left feet. He couldn't dance to save his life. He tried, but all he did is embarrassed himself in the middle of the dance floor. Thank merlin, for Quidditch. Silas big retiring dream was to become a known Quidditch coach for the Italian National League team. Absurd, far-fetched though as it may sound, he knew without any doubt that he had fallen in love with the sport and he was going to die trying. Yes, he was quite determined one might say.

He couldn't help but be amused by Paige reaction. He didn't mind, it wasn't as if he would pull his hand away because that would be rude and inconsiderate of him. In fact, he was enjoying the feel of her fingers tracing the calluses on his palm. He chuckled, "Yes, my hands are quite beaten up from holding onto my broomstick for very long. They've been hit with splinters and injuries more often that I could count them myself."

Hady was amazing. She truly was and Nat couldn't be prouder to have a housemate, a bandmate as Head Girl. It was awesome, "Frankie as Head Boy is just as perfect don't you think?" She had heard the buzz at the station and knew he was wearing that badge to. She couldn't help but be glad that Hugo hadn't got it. Not that she wouldn't have been proud of him, but Head Boy was just something else he would have that made him so much better then her. She laughed as Kelly pointed out that Lily found her, "Well what can I say I attracted all the hot girls." She was joking of course, but her and Lily did have a connection that she wasn't going to deny. "She's great though and great for the band. " It was really a perfect fit and maybe there was a reason Kali was suppose to leave.

She frowned about Ilia, where was she? As a sigh left her lips she cuddled closer to Kelly, knowing the blonde was hurting. She knew this hurt, but didn't know how to fix it. "I talked to her right before we left. She has a mirror to contact us. She told me it was because of Henric. That's all she would say." She couldn't argue with her after that, it made sense and Nat understood it. Many might not, but she was still with Roman after everything and would help him if he needed. So how could she be mad at Ilia for doing the same.

The gig was going to be great, "I'll talk to the headmaster soon so we can get started on the planning. Maybe some of the professors could use their advance magic to help make the decorations a bit more spooky." The ROR would do most of it for them though, but why not have some extra tricks for the students. "We will have to think about costumes too." Should they match or should they just have fun and do what they wanted?

She could feel him now that she was trying. There was a certain aura around Daxton Prince, the kind you didn't notice until suddenly you did and by then it over-powering and all consuming. Intoxicating. Aslan didn't turn, there was something in her telling her to stay still, to wait and observe whatever reaction the Ravenclaw would throw her way.

Time moved slow. Aslan... Grew wearier, and wearier, and still there was... Nothing. No movement of the hands, no fire in his eyes. He was as unmoving as she, and yet Aslan was certain that her silence was screaming emotion while Daxton's was as blank as chalkboard's surface.

There was tension. In the room, in her limbs, in the line of her gaze through the glass window. Taut. It wasn't the right word, but it was the word that felt right as the young woman finally turned her head to face him.

A-... Aslan

Her name leaving his mouth felt like an omen, of what, Aslan wasn't sure.

Impulsively, she spoke. "Sit with me, Daxton."

As a general rule, Daxton did not tend to do what anyone told him to do purely because they had said so. Conversely, and contrary to popular belief, he did not go completely out of his way to do the opposite of what he was told to do, either. In actual fact, Daxton Prince did exactly what Daxton Prince wanted to do, regardless of what anyone else said. Occasionally that matched up with what he had been told to do, but more often than not, it did not.

Today, Daxton Prince wanted to sit with Aslan Evans.

And he did so, taking the middle seat in the row facing Aslan - though not before pulling down the blind on the door of the compartment, as he always did on the train, preferring not to have anyone be able to look in and see him from the corridor.

Leaning back against the seat, Daxton watched Aslan closely, peering through heavy eyelids. For just a moment, his eyes flicked to her hands as though searching for something, before he instead looked her up and down, almost drinking in her appearance with his intense, icy blue gaze. He had not expected to see her again, and her familiarity in a time of otherwise total instability was grounding, and he eyed her as if cataloguing the moment.

He said nothing more, and had no intention of trying to. Instead, Daxton only looked at her, watched her, stared at her, searching for any sort of change in her. Whatever he saw, if anything, it did not deter him, nor did it change his decision to sit with Aslan Evans.