Was she super early or something?! Why was the train so deserted? Maddie hesitated. It hadn't taken off to Hogwarts, left her, and already come back had it? That would be terrible! Her very first train ride to Hogwarts, and she'd miss the food trolley altogether! It wasn't until she saw another student or two that she realized that it was all okay. She was still going to Hogwarts, and the train just hadn't left yet. She picked up her step and half-skipped from the luggage compartment to the front of the train. She knew zero people at this school, which meant she had nobody to sit with. Not that she had many choices anyway, since all of two or so people were on the train. Even if she knew a million people going to Hogwarts, she'd still have zero people to sit with.

This meant she had the whole train almost to herself! The world was at her fingertips! She had her pick of whatever carriage she wanted, which was the coolest form of cool she'd encountered all day. She wandered along the corridor, and it took about three seconds before she realized that having the whole train almost to herself was pretty boring. She frowned and opened a random compartment door. This was the chosen one. It would be her seat for the entire ride or until she got bored and ventured somewhere else. Probably the latter one. She couldn't imagine herself staying seated in one place for that long.

She started to close the door behind her but thought maybe somebody else would see her and want to come inside. So with the door wide open and anybody and everybody being able to see inside, Maddie plopped down onto the seat and waited. And waited. And waited. Merlin, train rides could be boringgg.

As excited as he was to be out from his parent's grasps and on his own for the next WHOLE YEAR, apart from holidays (he would not be skipping those), the actual getting on the train part was difficult. Couldn't seem to get out from his mother's watchful eye. Something about Hogwarts and danger blah bleh. The first chance he got, Ryder dodged into the nearest entrance of the carriages and slipped into one of the compartment. Wasn't the front, nor the back. Disappointing. AND this compartment was already occupied.

BY A GIRL.

He snorted to himself and plopped down on the opposite seat. "You hiding too?"

First there was what looked to be a leaf suddenly drifting on the compartment's door.

From out of nowhere there was a scratchy thud as a kneazle suddenly leapt up at it, trying to catch the leaf. The leaf seemed to float just out of the feline's clawy reach, to settle further up the glass pane. Not to be daunted, the kneazle leapt up at it again, scratchier and noisier than before.

Then a louder thudding as a big dark blur zoomed for the feline. "NEELIX!" the Curly Top yelled as he tackle-swiped the furry furball away from the leaf, tripped on his own feet and smacked his shoulder against the door frame. The leaf dislodges and seems to float on its own for a second before settling down on the young man's overgrown curly hair.

"I said stop it! Leave Scorpy alone I mean it!" he berated the kneazle as he picked himself up then realizing that the compartment had TWO new faces in it. Faces of the youngest variety. Oops.

"Uh, hey there! Sorry about that, didnt mean to scare ya. Tenacius Salander. Gryffindor. At'cher service." he smiled apologetically at the young'ns.

POINT ONE - THere were no chandeliers to swing from

POINT TWO - Liliane had LIED. He could not SMELL Hogwarts food on the HOGWARTS EXPRESS.

POINT THREE - Why wasn't everyone in their UNIFORM

POINT FOUR - HELLO BEAU MONTAGUE IN THE BUILDING VEHICLE

Clad in his robes (why, yes, he had made his mother and sister shield him on the platform so he could get changed), Beau MARCHED down the train after boarding at the very front. He didn't want to be TOO close to the Prefect compartment, in case he broke anything. But he didn't want to be too far in case he was the thing that got broken. Were those big kids allowed to do magic if he broke his arm on the train? Surely that would be an exception. SURELY A LOT OF THINGS WERE EXCEPTIONS.

He had pressed his face up against EVERY single compartment door he passed, making faces and most definitely licking a little.

"HELLO HELLO HELLO"

Olivia had been walking past the Middle Cars. She had left her belongings back near the front cars and decided to go look for a couple of her housemmates when she came across a very peculiar sight. Well this could looked excited.... And a little nosy too. She blinked, watching the scene with intrigue. What was he. doing...? ... licking the door? She crinkled her nose. Interesting. There had to be a reason why... Maybe he was just really excited to get to the castle. It seemed like he was excited.

"Hey!" Vi approached the boy. "Excited to go to Hogwarts?" she asked, giving a casual grin to the young kid.

Why was no one saying hello bACK to him?! Were all these HOgwarts people going to be so incredibly rude? Both Mum AND Dad had not told him this. Neither had Liliane. SURE... Beau knew that his older cousins were frightfully mean, but it couldn't possibly be a normal Hogwarts thing. Right? RIGHT? RIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT??

Beau wanted to make friends already. He hadn't been able to over the summer because Mum and Dad had been hauling him between their houses and he had had to go to all of Lilibean's quidditch matches and UGH.

With a FLOURISHED WIGGLE, Beau pulled back off the window he was currently salivating on and GRINNED. "HELLO. I'M BEAU AND IT IS DEFINITELY NICE TO MEET ME."

Caroline had struggled with her trunk. Her trunk was just as big as she was it was waaaaaaaaaaaay heavier than she thought it should have been. She was now focused on trying to find some place to sit.

"Hey!" Caroline squeaked when an older student stepped on her foot. "I know I'm tiny but I'm still here!" She called out. Maybe this year she would grow and not be so tiny? Sure she was only eleven, but she was small for an eleven year old or at least that's what her Gran said.

In a carriage on the train, Teddy put his trunk out of the way and flopped onto one of the seats, facing forward. No motion sickness for him, no. From in his backpack he pulled out a bottle of water, and one of his many chocolate frogs. He opened the box, pulled out the frog, and started eating it. He pulled his card out, and it was another Donaghan Tremlett. He had a few of those. There were only two cards he didn't yet have, and he had been on a mission since. He pulled out his half full shoebox of cards and added it to the box.

Half way through the chocolate frog, he took out his book and started reading it. Ship of Magic! He was almost finished, and ready to go, in his trunk, were a few more books from home. But he would be having a trip to the Library tomorrow to get more, anyway.

Maddie was almost unprepared for the sudden burst of BOY right into her compartment. She kind of eyed him and thought that maybe he didn't even realize he'd dashed into a compartment with a whole other person at first. He made himself at home, with a snort, she might add, then asked her the most random of questions. Ohhh, she liked random questions! Was she...hiding? "Nope. I'm trying to be found," she said. "Why? Are you hiding?" And if he was...from who? Or what?! "Is it the headmistress?" Maybe that rumor about the woman hiding mummies in her office really was true!

She was so involved in her sudden string of questions, that she missed the leaf-like object light on their door. The next object got her attention, though, when it pretty attacked the window with a loud THUD. GASSSSSSSSSSP. Maddie cast a look at the boy sharing the compartment with her. "Is this what you're hiding from?!" she asked him. They hadn't even been on the train for a whole five minutes, and they were officially off on their first big adventure. This was going to be AWESOME! Maddie's head looked like a ping pong ball as it turned from leaf to kneazle to human. LOOK AT 'EM GOOO!

Everything kind of came together for her, as she realized what was happening. It was kind of a downer in some ways but a relief in others. "You didn't scare me!" she said to the new guy, the slightly older one. YOUR FAMILIAR SCARED ME. "Hi, Tenacius Salander. What are you at my service for?" she asked. Did he run the food trolley or something?

After the prefect meeting in the compartment, Noelle went looking for someone new to talk to. Walking down the compartments, she peeked into random compartments before stopping at one.

Teddy!!

Noelle grinned big as she slipped into her wifey's brother's compartment. "Hey Teddy!!" She said with a grin before sitting beside him, being mindful of his belongings. Of course Teddy would know her. Ava and her were pretty attached and since this was her twin, she knew him well.

"Got an extra chocolate frog?" She said with a big smile.

Ryder was a bit thrown off there. A rather unexpected reply. "What...?" He was tempted to say no, obviously he wasn't hiding, that would be ridiculous, ignoring the fact that he said so in his original question... but now he was curious about the Headmistress. For one, why was it a Headmistress and not a Headmaster? And two, he wasn't told the Headperson would be on the train ride. Or why he would be hiding from them--

WHAT in MERLIN'S WHAT.

He flinched a little, leaning away from the compartment door, eyeing the feline creature attacking whatever that was. A fuzzy or whatever. Most unwanted creature. He scoffed, frowning as he stood up to move further away from it. "I do not hide from--" SO MUCH HIDING! SO MUCH. SO much flinching and flying away from the door as far as possible. Such heart attack. Most frightening.

"I wasn't.... yea." What she said. No fright here. Just people banging into their door. No biggy.

Daisy decided to choose a seat in one of the middle cars. She carefully made her way and sat down in a vacant compartment. She sat by the window, her hand resting on her chin. The second-year witch casually waited to see if anyone would join her.

He was totally licked that window or something.... Olivia nearly took a couple of steps back and searched for a Prefect, a Head Boy, or Head Girl that could assist this young salivating kid. In the meantime, she just would take a deep breath... This was just like baby sitting though she had never encountered an eleven year old licking a window. She had only seen that from babies... Toddlers even. She just hoped he wouldn't ask to shake her hand or offer it. "Hey!" she said and waved her hand by wiggling a few of her fingers. His statement made her chuckle. Well wasn't he an eager one? "Nice to meet you, Beau. I'm Olivia." Perhaps he was just nervous.. Though that didn't explain the salivating.

Hmm....

"Is this your first time on the Hogwarts Express?" she inquired.

Seventh year.

Merlin's beard, she's a seventh year now! Goodness, this would be her last train ride to Hogwarts. Ava was kind of sad but also looking forward to graduate. But obviously she's not looking forward for NEWTs, Merlin help her.

After she loaded her trunk, the Gryffindor tried to find an empty compartment or the one where Phillip had been sitting in and waiting for her. But looking at the front train, Ava couldn't find that Slytherin boy. Oh, maybe he got a compartment at the back so she decided to head there. Boyfriend, where are you? Hehehe. She also tried to find him at the middle cars but instead finding him, she saw Teddy was in a compartment with her bestie. Ah, well... she could find her boyfriend later, right? Right."Hey guys!" She slid the door open and join them. "Did someone say chocolate frogs?"

It was like trying to wrestle with Lady Gaga's wig but had claws, this kneazle of his. But the wriggling rascal gets his firm grip as the focuses his attention on the kids in the compartment, who looks startled... to say the least. Yeah he can see right through you boy trying not to whizz his pants "Nerves of steel good on ya!" he smiled warmly. Positive reinforcement, he's a big believer in that "What am I in service--? Oh! Right well I'm a Prefect so if you kids got any questions or need any help, you can come to me." Would any of these kids be Gryffindors? Never too early to try to make them argue with the hat to put them in his house right? It would be a riot just watching them on the stool at the very least.

Bloody heck why is this feline trying to climb his head? He shifted his kneazle around in his arms "So what familiars did you select to bring to Hogwarts?" Can he take a wild guess that none of them picked a cat?

For some reason, Vivian kinda wanted to leave the prefects' compartment after the little meeting they had. Truthfully, she still thought twice about it and, although she had tons of reassurance from Sky and her parents, Vivian found herself a little lost as to why this badge fell into her hands rather than someone else's. So yes, after that meeting, she was so outta that compartment. For now. She'll probably come back after a few visits to certain compartments. Where were her friends?!

In hopes of finding Skylar in one of the compartments, Vivian literally peeked into most of the ones she passed through. No bestie in the front cars, that was for sure, so she moved on to the middle cars. After a couple of compartments, she still didn't find Sky. Where in the name of Merlin's beard did she go? Instead, the blonde randomly slid open a compartment door and peeked inside. Nope, still no Ms. Diggory in here. But hey! At least there were familiar faces inside. "Hi, guys!" the blonde smiled at them. She knew Miss Noelle! And Miss Ava! And a guy who was obviously older than her. "Can I join? I dunno where Sky is, and she's not in any of the compartments I've checked." She was probably in the back cars with Brent, possibly snogging and whatnot.

Sometimes it kinda sucked having a bestie who had a boyfriend. And then Vivian was... single. This normally didn't bother her, until situations like this happened.

Caroline continued to weave in and out of the older (and taller) students to find a compartment to sit in. At last she found one that appeared to be empty and darted into the compartment before her tiny person feet got stepped on again. "This is a mad house!" Caroline exclaimed shaking her head in the direction she just came from.

Turning around she saw another girl. "Oh! Hello!" Caroline smiled. "I'm Caroline Crossfire." She told the girl. "Can I sit with you?" Caroline asked pointing at the seat opposite of the girl.

The first boy who'd joined her didn't seem like he was having a really good time. Well, who could blame him?! There was only like three people on the whole train! Maybe five. Something like that. "I asked if you were hiding, too," she said. She either hadn't heard him say he was, or she had forgotten. Either one was a possibility, but HELLO. There was a WHOLE CAT attacking the compartment door. He'd never finished ANY of his sentences he's said to her either, so she didn't know what to think about him. "What's your name? Are you new here? If not, do you already have a Hogwarts house? If you are newwwwww, then which house do you WANT?" she asked, unloading a string of questions on him.

TALK TO MEEEE, BOY.

Maddie looked up at the older boy---THE FOOD TROLLEY WORKER. She didn't know if she had nerves of steel, or if she had just been too shocked to think about being scared. The kneazle wasn't attacking the door anymore, though, so they'd all live to see another day. Maddie's face fell. The food trolley worker wasn't a food trolley worker? He was a prefect? "A prefect! So are you the boss? Do they pay you good for that kind of thing?" she asked. Maybe he got free ice cream or something! "Oh, and I have another question for you. Where's the food trolley?"

Between the very not frightening situation with the dude and the creature and the fuzzy... and the many many questions directed at him from the girl, Ryder would've very much liked to have a different train for transportation to the school. Or maybe just another compartment at a different end of the train. Far far away. The was, until he found out the dude was a PREFECT. Like the girl said, he was the BOSS. AND, those were very good questions asked indeed. Perhaps it was best to stay here for awhile.

Standing up straight and proud, he held his hand out to the Prefect dude. "Name's Carter. Ryder Carter." Siiiide glance to the girl; also an answer to one of the million questions she asked him. Two birds with one stone. "Do you get to punish others?" Serious question. Side note, "And do cats eat owls at the school?"

He quite liked his choice of owl.

It wasn't like he had actively sought out the window with his tongue, but Beau HAD forced the two together in his display of faces being pulled against the glass. WHATEVER THOUGH. For all he knew, this girl had not seen him doing anything. He did however give the wet glass a rub with his robes (you know the robes he was already wearing because he had got DRESSED on the platform!!!)

"OooooooooLIVVVVVVia." He repeated, grabbing her hand with the wiggly fingers and holding it up high to give himself a twirl. See? She really was welcome. Beau Francis was a DELIGHT. Except all the lights were out more than half of the time.

Was this his first time? "NOOOOOO. Why would yOU SAY THAT?!!" Okay, so yes. Officially it was. But last year when it was Liliane's first time on the train, Beau had ran away from his parents on the platform and explored the train as best as he could without actually leaving on it.

So, second time. BUT STILL.

WHAT A RUDE QUESTION. PSHHHH.

And he took her hand. He grabbed her hand. Were they slightly damp? OH GOSH. TOTALLY WERE. WHERE WAS...? Ahem. Play it cool. Play it cool. She couldn't afford to wince... She managed somehow to keep a smile on her lips before she actually smiled when he gave himself a twirl. Well that was certainly unexpected and graceful too. Seriously. Olivia felt as if she should have been taking notes on how to be THAT graceful. If she had tried that, she probably would have fallen on her face... on the floor. Oh well. In any case, it seemed like he liked to have fun. "It is nice to meet you." She liked that he liked to have fun.

The boy seemed kind of offended perhaps by such a question? "Oh... It's just that I don't believe I've seen you before at Hogwarts so I assumed that you must have been new." She simply mentioned, not meaning to offend the kid. She didn't know EVERYONE at Hogwarts but she knew a good majority BUT still... "You also seemed excited about being on the train and going to Hogwarts." She could tell that because he was already dressed in his robes and ready to go. It was nice to see that. Most people seemed excited; however, some people wanted the summer to last longer. Generally the first years were excited for the castle, the train, and everything.

Daisy heard a female voice and turned to the source of the noise. "My name's Daisy Swann and you are free to sit with me," she greeted the girl with a smile. Daisy brushed her hair from her face. "Are you excited about starting your first year at Hogwarts?"

Beau-ey giggled when he finished his twirl and leaned up against the compartment door behind him. "Is it YOUR first time on the train?" Obviously it wasn't because she looked ALMOST as old as Mum did. Probably about 15. Maybe 17. Certainly not 16, because she'd smell like sweets then. All sweet sixteeners smelt like sweets. To be sure, Beau leant forward and sniffed the girls wrist. She didn't wear sugar perfume and DEFINITELY did not smell of sweets. His idea was PROVEN. He was RIGHT. Wasn't this the NORM? Beau being right, that was. Smeliane always said he was wrong but this proved that SHE was the wrong one. Probably why Dad liked her so much. First born Princess blah blah BORING.

"I'm going to be a FIRST year. But my sister already GOES to HOGWARTS." Like he was now. DUH.

This was exciting! Super exciting!

There was a wide grin of excitement and contentment on Hunter's face as he walked in...a corridor within the some part of the train. He wasn't sure what part exactly as he was paying more attention to stalking his brother, whom seemed to be attempting to run away, instead of his whereabouts while he walked in. It didn't matter though, did it? The whole train, with all of its parts, was going to the same place after all; Hogwarts...

....which made him super exciting and happy the more he imagined what the rest of his life was going to be like there living in that amazing castle. While he was also looking forward to get rid of his parents' overly protective means, he knew that he was going to miss them. Hogwarts was the place where they also lived as kids though. This eased his thoughts of being away from them for months. He was going to be walking in the corridors his parents walked, classes they sat in and place they ate so maybe that didn't make him so far away from them.

And also....big boys like him didn't moan and cry about being away from parents. That was for babies and mentioning babies, the boy was disappointed since he seemed to have lost the sight of his brother within the corridor. There were people around and compartments and stuff...but not the twin brother.

*sad face*

Maybe if he yelled loudly enough, his brother would come to him himself.

" RYDEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRR!!!!!"