He could have sworn he had been on the Hogwarts Express not that long ago. How had summer flown by so quickly? No matter, no matter. Asher was actually super excited to get back to school. He was no longer a first year and therefore KNEW some things. Plus he wasn't the shortest kid in the school anymore since he was a SECOND year now. Life was great, really.

Now that he was on the train, it was going to get better. Before even bothering to get settled in one of the compartments, the Hufflepuff began his hunt for the trolley lady. His mum had packed him some sandwiches to eat for lunch, but all he had on his mind were nomming on a handful of sweets.

Some things just never changed. Including not being aware of where exactly he was walking with that mop of curly hair on his head. He really should have gotten a haircut so he didn't look like a sheepdog.

Noah also thought that going to stock up on some delicious snacks for the train ride was also the move to pull. But there were two questions on his mind.

The first was surrounding the location of said trolley lady. And the second, which was way more important, was which snack would he want the most? He didn't know if he wanted some sweet like candy or.... savoury like some chips or crisps as they say it here... Nuts. The first time he heard the word used over the summer he just stared blankly at the person for a few moments before his mind translated it. Still he knew it would take a while to adjust but if he wanted to learn the vocabulary more quickly than he assumed that he ought to start using it or pretending to think that way? Eh.. Anyway, he didn't know if that philosophy would be helpful but oh well - he'd do what he'd normally do and just roll with it.

He continued down the corridor until he saw a younger boy ahead of him. A younger boy with very, very curly hair. Maybe he'd know the answer to the question... Maybe? He paused before considering it'd also be worth to ask him what was the best thing to get from the trolley. "Hey.. umm.. excuse me," he started, his neutral American accent present, "I'm new.. Transferring to Hogwarts this year. I wanted to get your advice on the trolley. What's the best thing to get from the trolley?"

Inside intel was helpful. Mhmm.

Walking up and down the train did have certain benefits. One, the tall prefect could peep his head into the train and see all of his friends as he patrolled and two, he could purchase some sugary snacks for the train ride ahead. Being in Canada, some of his favourite treats just weren’t available and he’d had a hankering for a chocolate frog all summer! Sure, he could order some and get it flown out but that was just way too much effort when he could just wait and get them now!

And the was no queue? Talk about being lucky!

Pulling out some galleons, he handed them over to the old trolley lady with a friendly smile and a “I hope you have a good day”. It really did confuse him how she seemed to be there never really aging. Like, she was ancient when he was young and she was still ancient now but…the same kind of ancient? Like she wasn’t getting older. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him or maybe he just needed glasses. His seventh years eyes just didn’t seem to be working like they used to. Okay, that was being dramatic but it was still strange.

As he turned to leave, he opened the box to grab his frog but it was gone, out of the box before he could he make even take a bite out of it. “Grab that froooog! It’s escaping!” he called out down the hallway to anyone who was near. He would not let this delicious treat escape his hands, not after waiting all summer!

Snacks and going to check on Morgan made the seventh year move from her compartment that she was relaxing in and enjoying some social time with Curtis and other friends. As she made her way around the train trying to find the little brother in which she now felt even more responsible for with Gunnar gone she noticed a very tall familiar figure standing near the trolley.

As she went to sneak up on him and try to scare him, he decided to do the scaring by turning and yelling about a frog escaping. Seeing the frog jump she caught it in the air, 'They only have one good jump, so good thing I was here to catch it." Moving closer she lifted her hand to give it back to him.

"Fancy meeting you here Mr. Prefect." Slipping past him she bought some cauldron cakes before turning around. "Glad you got back from Canada alright."

Well, if it wasn’t one of his favourite Ravenclaws saving the day? “Well, I hope this one has more than just one good jump because he wasted it trying to get away from me” laughing now as he strode towards here in two large steps, his hands outstretched, ready just in case the little chocolate frog tried any funny business. Grabbing it with both hands, he rammed it back into the box to save it for later seeing as he clearly wasn’t meant to eat it right now.

“Thanks. You saved the day!” holding his hand up for a high five. Was his hand too high for her to hit because she was a tiny, little gnome sized person? Most likely.

Standing there for a moment, he waited for her to get whatever she was buying until he answered her “Well, I did say I was coming back, didn’t I so you shouldn’t really be surprised Miss Ninja Assassin” . Getting back from Canada had been easy, just a simple portkey, but she would know that all too well having made the journey herself this summer after she came to stay with him. “You know me now, I’m an expert at this international travel buinsess” which wasn’t completely false. He’d bee to Germany now too as well as Canada, Wales, England and Scotland.

“So, how was the rest of your summer? Don’t tell me, it wasn’t as fun as Canada?” his voice mocking and sarcastic because Canada must have been boring in comparison to the rest of her summer. No doubt it contained a load of flying and quidditch training but that was pretty cool, wasn’t it? He didn’t know. Quidditch was a little boring for this Ravenclaw prefect.

"I got skills and not just on the pitch, what can I say." She jumped up a bit too high five him. Her five foot one frame was tiny, but he could deal. She couldn't help he was over six feet, but still adored short people like her. At least she was hoping he did, but that was another thought that she was refusing to think about right now. She was going to be good, though she didn't feel like being very good at the moment. She just bit the inside of her cheek and grinned playfully.

Laughing at his newest nickname for her she just shook her head, "I know you said you were, but I've been there. I see how pretty it is and how close you are to family there. I can still worry, but I'm glad you are back. This year is going to be epic." She was determined if nothing else to make this the best year so far.

Leaning against the wall she just shrugged, "I mean the season was over before I came to visit you so all my summer dealt with after I got back was babysitting for mom and helping int he dance studio. I finished my internship and did some shopping. Not too exciting." Taking another bite of the cauldron cake she thought about the week or two after she got back from seeing him. Not much had gone on and once Gunnar took care of the teammate that was bothering her it was smooth sailing once more. "What about you? Anything exciting after I left?"

Man oh man, Louise was happy to be on the train back to Hogwarts. Her summer had been fun for the most part, but the end had gotten a little boring. Her mum had ALWAYS worked a lot, but she had seemed to be working a lot more lately. Not to mention she had started acting weird, too, but Louise just chalked it up to being an old lady.

Apparently her mum had also grown forgetful, because she didn't even pack her snacks for the train ride like she had done last year. But, since Louise had some coins, she headed to the food trolley to buy some sweets.

“You’ve got skills that are not on the quidditch pitch? I’m shocked. This is the first that I’m hearing of this. How did you manage to hide this from me for all of these years?” smirking at her a little now, his mind having a flashback to a time, many, many years ago where she was trapped outside their common room and couldn’t answer the question to get in. How long ago that seemed now. Look how far they’d both come? In their seventh year and about to go their separate ways in only a few months.

Trying to put that depressing thought as far out of his mind as possible, he focused on Chloe and the sound her laughter made in the compact train corridor. “Well, I’m usually pretty good at keeping my word. I said I was coming back and here I am, in the flesh, chocolate frog and all” although that had almost escaped.

Falling in beside her, his eyes fell on the sky outside and how it was slowly becoming darker with every passing minute, a sigh that they were getting closer to Hogwarts. “That sounds pretty fun though. You know, dancing and all that and your internship! How was that?” he didn’t even know where she ended up or how that went. Strange how he managed to spend so many days away with her in Canada and somehow not ask her that question. Some friend he was.

“My summer? Uh…about the same as before you came to Canada” laughing a little now because his summer was far from interesting. “I just looked after the piglets and the rest of the animals at the farm. Ooooo, actually, Eleanor started crawling!” his expression melting for a melting for a moment as he thought of his niece crawling across the soft, cream carpet that covered the floor of their house back home. “Other than that, nothing at all interesting”.

Chloe gasped dramatically when he accused her of hiding things from him. "Please you know I have skills, you saw me with those pigs this summer." He saw her fall right into the mud. She fully knew most of her skills were on the pitch and clearly when it came to guys and talking to them she had zero skills.

Green eyes on him she picked a piece of her cauldron cake off and popped it in her mouth. Yes, he was there and she was really glad he was. She couldn't help but stare up at him just happy that they were near each other, she had worried he might change his mind and not come back. The conversation had gone both ways with that, though in the end, he did say he'd be back. "I know you keep your word." She couldn't help but wonder if his word about seeing what happens stood true as well or if that was said just to be nice at the time.

As he moved beside she couldn't help but blush a little but moved her eyes to outside so that her face wasn't directly facing him. With the train moving, she leaned into him for a moment. "It was great, I worked alongside my dad for most of it. Herbology is definitely a passion I have, but I just can't see myself working in a ministry and not being outside on a pitch. It is something to fall back on I guess." Though she was still thinking about going to Uni parttime for counseling, not herbology. Looking up at him all of a sudden she smiled, 'You know that teammate I was telling you about, Gunnar took care of him for me. Had no more issues." You couldn't be more thankful for her brother.

His niece was cute and Chloe enjoyed her time with his family. She loved that farm, though she still didn't like the thought of all those cute animals being sold. Now that she knew their faces and personality it was just too sad to think about. "Oh that can be fun, but she will start getting into everything now. That's when Aidan started finding all kinds of stuff." She barely remembered when Morgan crawled, though she did remember him taking her toys once he could. She assumed Ewan wouldn't have to worry about his niece taking his toys though.

Poking fun at her had been worth it just to hear the gasp that escaped her lips. “Skills? You tumbled down into a load of pig poop and then decided to try and pull me down into it! And then when that failed, you gave me a hug” Would you call that skills? No. Not really. If anything, that just confirmed how clumsy she was and how much he kind of didn’t want Quidditch to come back again this year for fear of seeing her get hit in the head with a bludger.

He couldn’t help but cast a glance at her as she conceded that he did in fact keep his word. His eyes meeting her green eyes momentarily followed closely by a smile, a blush and then the diversion of said eyes to the window. Laughing, he simply replied with an “Exactly” with his eyes firmly positioned on the window. Their friendship had been one that had come so easily for so long and now, it just seemed to be filled with a lot of half looks, blushing cheeks and many things that were better left unsaid.

This wasn’t exactly helped by her leaning into him but he just played it off and listened to how her summer went. “That sounds pretty fun to me. I mean, working alongside your Dad must be fun” He himself didn’t have that luxury but he did enjoy working with Jordy and helping him around the farm whenever he was home so he supposed that was a tiny bit similar. “He did? Good” his answer short and abrupt now as his mind flashed back to that team mate of hers. Finally, something Gunnar had done right.

Smiling now as he imagined Eleanor roaming around their house, playing with her toys and trying to get to Kingsley at all times, he couldn’t help but grin. Sure, it made him a little sad that he was missing all of this but he would at least get picture updates throughout the year. “It’ll keep my aunt and Jordy on their toes at least. I’m sure she’ll be fine anyway”. He knew the both of them had their hands full with the farm, a new born baby and a dog but he’d never met anyone who worked harder than the both of them.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah", she rolled her eyes dramatically at him. " I meant to do all of that. It wasn't an accident." Of course they both knew better and she was so grossed out when she realized it wasn't just mud, but the pigs were cute running around her. "You know you enjoyed that pig mud hug, admit it." She enjoyed watching him work those couple of days she had visited. The farm was fun with all the animals.

She didn't know why his eyes on her brought butterflies, her stomach flipping, and a sense of ache all at the same time. As she watched outside she reminded herself they had these conversations, they were just friends, and this time next year he could be fully in Canada if he picked to live there. That thought bringing more then she wanted for the start of term so she pushed off away from him and turned so she wasn't close enough to touch. She knew she needed to stay distant if they were going to make the friendship stick.

"It was, he's great at what he does. I've watched him in the greenhouse since I was little. Gunnar is really good at it as well, I try to be as talented but sometimes I think I couldn't be as talented as both of them. I learned so much though, they were doing some cross-breeding that I got to look in on, but I mostly just helped with paperwork and watering some of the plants in the greenhouses." It was a great experience either way and she was glad she ended up doing it.

"You know how protective he is. I came in from practice after two of Fynn's friends decided to bug me about going out with them. I was so frustrated and Gunnar just happen to be home and see how upset I was. It didn't take long before he left the house and came back saying it was taken care of and they wouldn't be spreading any stupid rumors again." It had made the end of the season better and she did get an apology from Fynn which was good.

"You know she'll be walking before you go home again." At least that's how it felt when she left for school and Aidan was just crawling. She figured by the time she got home for Christmas Adele would be so much bigger as well.

She MEANT to fall into all of the muck? SUUUUUURE she did. Shaking his head and laughing, he just retorted quickly ”Yes. I just love pig muck. I live for it” Well, technically he sort of did because the muck helped the pigs but that was beside the point,. She did not mean to fall in, but he didn’t care all that much. It had been funny.

Try as he might to pay attention to her now, he simply couldn’t. His mind was on…other things. Decisions in the near future that continued to creep closer and yet not get any easier. [B]”I mean, you’re good at different things to them. You’re great at quidditch. Most likely better than them” although he didn’t really know how good they were. He was going off how good she was and for him, that was enough.
”Good. I hope he left more than just a few strong words in his psyche” because he would have certainly made sure everyone could see how much of a dirty little liar he was. Some people just need to realise how much damage a rumour can do. But then again, rumours aren’t the only thing that can do damage. Hopefully Gunnar saw to it that way.

”What!? You mean, I’m going to miss her first steps? Okay, that is not cool” Coming back this year had been a close call but he’d decided to come back. Had this been brought to his attention, it might have swayed him ”I guess my Aunt can just mirror me but…It’s not really the same”. He would make sure that she at least record it if she couldn’t mirror. Slightly crestfallen, the taller Ravenclaw boy pushed off the wall he was leaning on with a sigh and turned to his fellow seventh year ”I need to go get changed into my robes. I’ll catch you later at the sorting, yeah?”.

He was joking, she knew that, but at the same time, there was truth behind his words. He truly did live for that farm and you could see it. Which made her worry about if he would stick around for University or head to Canada for good. She knew he wasn't sure what he wanted, but she felt like she already knew his choice even if he didn't.

As the conversation turned to other things and what she was good at, she thought about that. She was good at quidditch, but both her parents and brother did play too. Maybe she was a little better, but still, she wouldn't compare her skills with her family. Just nodding she smiled thinking of what Gunnar had done for her. She wasn't going to say that having your brother fight your battles was good, but she still appreciated him all the same for sticking up for her.

Her eyes looked up at him as he pushed off the wall, had she said something wrong?Yes, it was about his niece, some days she had a feeling he thought that little one was his own the way he got all upset over missing things, but she adored that part of him as well. He was so loving when it came to his family and it was adorable to see. He looked like he was trying to rush to get away and she figured it had to have been something she said, most likely about the walking. "Oh, yeah, okay. I guess I did tell Curtius I'd come back to the compartment when I was done. Sit together at the feast though, right?" She hoped they would at least, they had sat together at most of the feast throughout the years.

Was he going to sit next to her? Of course, he was, like she even had to ask. Walking away for a moment, he turned, flashing her a grin and just shrugged ”Maybe…” pausing for a moment to see her reaction before continuing ”Of course we can sit together. Wouldn’t want to break that tradition now would we?” Teasing her was just too much fun. It was honestly one of the things he’d miss the most when he eventually left Hogwarts. Once they all left, how many of them would he see again? Sure, most of them he didn’t really care for but there we some nestled in, some he cared about even if they didn’t even realise but still…he had one more year to enjoy and he was going to make the most of it.

Still grinning at her, he gave her a quick wink and then turned and headed down the corridor towards the prefect’s compartment, popping his head into one or two cartridges on the way just to make sure that there wasn’t anyone doing anything they weren’t supposed to be. Maybe this year he’d actually set a good example and become a good prefect. Maybe.

Maybe?

Did she really say something that bad that he didn't want to sit with her? Why did she torture herself so much when it came to him and their friendship. "Ugh" throwing her hands up when he turned and said about just kidding. She needed to calm down, this was getting crazy. "No, we can't break tradition. Have fun dealing with behaviors Mr. Prefect." She smirked and watched him leave.

Looking back out the window she sighed, a sigh of knowing she was going to either have to figure out how to get him to stop being stubborn and give them a shot or move on, but which should she do? Maybe she should talk to Missa and Nettie about this, they would know what to do, wouldn't they?

Was it worth it though? She just wasn't sure if her efforts would blow up in her face like they did last term. The thought of that fight from last term made her just stay and look out the window longer.

Even though he had pretty much grown up in the muggle world, Drew still found it weird to travel by something as ordinary as a train to get to a magical school. Then again he had always heard that Hogwarts was different.

He had dumped his luggage in one of the compartments and headed back up the aisle with the intent to check everyone out and he had to admit that he was a little disconcerted with how many good looking guys there were. That was going to give him a lot of competition for the girls attention.

Distracted by these thoughts, Drew was not really looking where he was going and managed to bump into someone standing in front of him. "My apologies." He reached out a hand to steady the person. "I didn't see you there."

Well, you know what they say: a good way to get a girls' attention was by plowing them down in a train corridor.

Not really.

The smallest squeak slipped out of Louise's mouth when a large mass ran into her. The coins in her hands all fell to the floor, but thankfully she didn't - partially due to the hand that was steadying her. She had already been in a NON excellent mood, so this didn't particularly lift it.

He didn't SEE her there? "Obviously," she muttered, stooping down to pick up the coins he made her drop. Jeeeeeeeeeeeez.

Oops.

Looks like he had upset someone. It wasn't like he had done it on purpose, he truly had been distracted and if he had wanted to get the girl's attention he would never have done something as lame as bumping into her.

Drew did his best to hide his smirk as he bent down to help her pick up her coins. She was very pretty but also very young."Let me make it up to you." He said, holding out a couple of coins he had picked up. "I'll shout you anything you want."

Standing back up straight, Louise went to grab the coins from the boy's hands, only then actually getting a good look at him. And boy... he was a good look. Looking good. He was GOOD looking.

Louise was momentarily frozen, registering the boy's nice face and whatever he was saying to her at the same time. Her cheeks turned pink rather quickly (it was part of the curse of being fair and ginger). "Shout?" she finally replied in confusion. Why would she want him to shout anything?

Oh man! This is why Drew loved girls so much. The way they blushed and got all flustered when they saw something that they liked. He was used to this kind of behaviour, it happened to him all the time but it was still a boost to his ego. Not that he needed anymore ego boosting.

He grabbed her hand and gently placed the coins he had picked up into her rather soft palm. And judging by her confusion, Drew got the impression that she did not know very much about muggles. "It means I'll pay for your food." He grinned down at her before giving her nose a gentle poke with his finger. "And don't you know that it's rude to stare?" Of course he didn't mind, not at all.

Louise watched the boy's hand take hers and place the rest of her coins in it. She was half enthralled, half shocked, which caused her to stay frozen for another moment. Then she came to her senses and pulled her hand back, right at the moment he BOOPED her on the nose.

..... What?! She wasn't THREE.

Louise went to swat his hand, but was too late and just swatted at the air in front of her nose, a scowl returning to her face. "Don't you know it's rude to POKE strangers on the nose?" Not to mention WEIRD.

"But you can still pay for my food." Since he offered.

This time Drew could not stop himself and he burst out laughing. Oh man, she was really very cute when she got all angry. If he wasn't careful she might just punch him but he was having so much fun. "But you don't seem to mind taking money from a stranger." He chuckled as he gestured her forward towards the trolley.

"My name is Drew by the way." He wasn't sure whether to offer his hand or not seeing how she still looked miffed at him. He glanced into the trolley and wrinkled his nose. Just as he thought...junk food. "So what would Madam like?"

You know, she might JUST punch the older boy because she was the daughter of the senior undersecretary and she could do what she want. But maybe only if he continued to harass her. "No, that's completely different," she responded simply, standing off to the side so he could make his way to the food trolley itself.

Louise was still wary of the older boy, despite how cute he was. Cute boys were extra dangerous, after all. That's what she had been told. "My name is Louise and I want a muffin. Blueberry, please." And she was no longer making eye contact with him so she could think straight.

Of course it was. Girls always seem to have a way of turning things around just to suit themselves. Even if it wasn't logical. Not that he minded or anything, most times Drew was too busy with a girl's looks that half the time he wasn't really listening to what they were saying.

"It's nice to meet you Louise." He paid for the muffin and then handed it over to her. He was about to ask about her summer but he noticed that she was avoiding looking at him and he raised his eyebrows. "Do my eyes freak you out?" It did to some people, others were mesmerised by them. Either way they were a good talking point.