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.