"Nah, I'm good." Logan said waving a hand. He had enough treats in his tummy, there probably wasn't room for the start of term feast. He sighed. He heard it was delicious!

As Tahnee walked through the compartments on the train, she noticed a familiar head of brown hair. Looking more closely, she saw Logan and Cardigan sitting together with two other girls in a compartment. Pheeew, thank goodness! She thought she was going to have to sit alone!

Tahnee popped her head into the compartment and smiled widely at her two friends. Hi Cardigan! Hi Logan! Hi everyone else, she said, nodding at the two girls she didn't know. Do you guys mind if I sit here with you? It seems like this entire train is filled to the brim with higher years than us!

Ryan was wandering through the corridors before he found a boy that looked alot older then him.He slid open the door and said''Hey do you mind if I sit here.''

Still feeling some of the remnants of the knock to the head Professor Roslund carefully maneauvered himself onto the train. In her carrier Luna was making small meowing sounds to be let out. Seeing a vacant compartment he called back to Althea "I found a nice, big, empty compartment just a head." Dragging his trunk after him he opened the compartment door and held it up for Althea. Edvard face was still scraped and looked bad but at the moment he wasn't troubled by its aching soars.

"You're an old hand at this now." Althea pointed out, following him into the compartment. She took the seat by the window, facing the front of the train and settled there comfortably.

"Sit with me, I'll fix you up." She instructed him.

Eddie grinned "You really think so?" he asked almost boyishly. It was only the second year in a row that he took the Hogwarts train. Taking a hold of his trunk he shoved it into the luggage rack with ease. Gesturing towards Althea's luggage he asked "Want me to lift yours up too on the rack?" Waiting for her reply Eddie went over to the seats opposite Althea and let Luna out.

The grey coloured kneazle pranced out straight away arching its back and purring. Smiling fondly at her Edvard sat down next to her. "If you can don't give me any scars, Thea. I don't want to scare the first years on their first day by looking like a bad version of frankenstein." He instructed his friend.

"Hey, Tahnee!" Logan said excitedly. "Yeah of course! There's plenty of room." he said smiling at her.

"Well you are at least as excited as you were last year." Perhaps less nervous. More bruised.

"Its fine Eddie, I only have my handbag." So no, no need to put it on the rack.

Althea gave him a look. It was only one of mild outrage. He was joking. Surely. SHE wouldn't leave scars, even if he had been injured enough that it was a possibility. Which he wasn't.

She looked down at the kneazle and then ignored it in favour of drawing her wand and catching Eddie's chin to hold him still. "Don't move." She told him, and began using a few charms to heal him up some.

"There." Well. That looked better.

Making her way through the train, Kurumi brushed her bangs down again more as a nervous habit than anything else. She wasn't used to having that hair right there where it was almost poking her eyes without actually doing so. Sure, the look gave her a bit of an edge and took away some of the school girl charm that she once had, something Jonathan certainly wasn't protesting, but the mature appearance she gave off certainly wasn't matching how the lioness was on the inside.

She weaved her way through the corridor and was about to head to the front when...she heard a voice that was far too deep to belong to a student asking about a trunk. Hmmm? Kurumi tip toed closer to the compartment and ever so slightly peered in. Merlin, what she wouldn't give for an invisibility cloak right about now, especially after what she was seeing. This was the SECOND term in a row that she had spotted Professors Roslund and Schirmer on the train...toooooooooooooogether.

Kurumi decided to crouch down a bit, you know, pretending to pick up some invisible something, and listened a bit more intently. Either Professor Roslund was dependent on Professor Schirmer or they were hiding a hidden love affair. There really was no other option.

She peered in again JUST in time to see the Charms Professor working her, erm, charm on the man. OMGTHEYWEREGOINGTOKISS!!

Kurumi squeaked...rather loudly actually...maybe they wouldn't notice?

No one here but us mice....

Edvard grinned "Is it so obvious?" Stretching out a hand to scratch Luna behind the ears he mused "We're going Home. What's not be excited about that?" He wasn't as over-excited as last year, but excited none the less.

Hogwarts had become a second home to him and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. Why did she carry so light luggage? *shrug* Weird.

Seeing the look Althea gave him made him blurt out hurriedly in his own defence "I was Joking, I know you will patch me up just as well as any healer could do..." Eddie really didn't question Althea's skills since he had seen it firsthand many times last year. Not to self never get on Thea's bad side!

As Althea took a firm hold of his chin he sat as still as he possibly could as she worked her magic. If he didn't Eddie almost feared she'd hex him.

He was relieved when she was done. Taking out his wand he conjured himself up a mirror to look at his face.



Eddie was about to view the damage to his face when he heard a loud squeaking sound coming from outside the compartment. "Did you hear that noise too, Althea?"

Privately Althea saw it as the complete opposite. Home? No. She was going to WORK. She did smile back at him as she dropped her hand from his chin though. "Yes. Excited." Or something.

Joking? Well, she supposed that was alright. Althea let it go.

While he was busying himself with vanity, she put her wand away and began searching through her bag for a bottle of water. It was in there SOMEWHERE.

"What noise?" She looked up and frowned faintly at Eddie. The whole TRAIN was noises. Full of children and all. And really that wasn't a particularly specific description was it? A noise. Really.

"I didn't hear anything, Eddie." Maybe he had even MORE of a head injury than she'd thought?

Kurumi's hands flew to her mouth to prevent any more noise from escaping her lips. She remained there, crouched on the floor, completely still in fear that even the slightest movement would cause some sort of noise and give her away. The floor was rather squeaky. Perhaps the Hogwarts Express was in need of some renovations. A skilled Metal Charmer perhaps. Then again...Professor Schirmer seemed to be the most skilled with all sorts of...charms.

Kurumi pressed her hands tighter to her lips to hush her giggles. Nope. No mouse mice out here.

Still...one thing DID confuse the prefect. Didn't their Astronomy professor fancy Professor Bentley? They had had a joint lesson together and he had seemed rather starry eyed when he looked at her. Then there was the time he had danced with Professor Magnus. Come to think of it...wasn't he making sparkly eyes at most of the female professors? MELRIN! Did she have a scoop for the Aparecium! She just needed to find one of those parchments to send its way...

Slowly, and with some random object in her hand that she could pass off as having just picked up, Kurumi walked past the door to the compartment towards the opposite side where she could lean against the wall and look...less conspicuous...

Arabella certainly was happy then, and all worries diminished out the window and into the passing scenery. She wasn't that late, woo! Twirling her hair around her finger, Bells watched her new friend, and nodded. "I was...until I got preoccupied by a pretty person, and then she ran off and stuff... And people are not kind! They didn't move out of the way or anything for me! I had to like...weave!" And little Miss Unathletic wasn't good with running. As she would state to anyone going. Dear Merlin, Valentina even had a WATCH! Bells worried for a millisecond that her new friend would be timing everything she did, and said , but then shook it off. Because atleast she had a new friend. "Ogh, six minutes isn't that bad.." She said, honestly.

Bells giggled and glanced down at Princess Diana. "Her sister'scalled Princess Kate, too!" Princesses were the Dudley sister's things. Disney Princesses, actual princesses, whatever princesses you could find!

The blonde listened to her new friend as she told her her own cat's name, and clapped and giggled! "Grace Kelly? Oh Valentina! You are A GENIUS! It's beautiful! And she's so CUTE!" Yes, Aravella was getting all excited over a name. Hehe. Valentina Kelly. Thatwas such a lovely name, actually! Bells' first Hogwartian friend has a super de duperly pretty name! AVALON WOULD BE PROUD. "But still! YOU may have found someone you wanted to sit with, or something! It\'s still awfully nice of you." And Bells decided she was now in DEBT to her new friend.

"Excited? Oh, I don't know. More wary! How about you?"

Cocking his head sideways he frowned "Really? You don't sound excited." Althea needed to herself have fun and just enjoy the moment. Working came soon enough starting with the feast.

Picking up the mirror again he examined his face as his kneazle played with the zipper on his coat. She always knew how to entertain herself on her own.

Satisfied that he didn't look like Frankenstein Eddie made the mirror dissappear and instead focused on holding up a piece of string over Luna's head.

Althea apparently hadn't heard anything. Surprised he said "It was a loud squeak-like noise. It sounded like it came from the corridor. You really didn't hear it?"



He was trying to relax against the seat, but the noise irked his brain and made it come up with loads of scenarios some right extraordinary. Sighing Edvard got to his feet and stalked over to the compartment door just as Prefect Hollingberry passed it. Opening the door Edvard stuck his head out to address the lioness prefect "Good day Miss Hollingberry! Did you hear a loud squeaking sound just now in the corridor?" Please confirm that I haven't got a concussion and is imagining things...

"I am excited enough." She just was also still seething mad at Dash Scabior. Details that Eddie didn't need to know since she was rather sure if she tried to explain it she'd sound like a mad woman.

She twitched a little, annoyed just at the thought but then Althea gave Eddie a proper smile to reassure him. "I'm sure this year will be great. We'll have new colleagues."

She shook her head. "I suppose if I did, I simply didn't register it as important." A squeak? She frowned slightly as he got up and then Althea blinked. Miss Hollingberry? She couldn't see past Eddie into the corridor but she was immediately suspicious. What was the prefect doing?

Kurumi was just about to take one more step when the door to the compartment opened completely and Professor Roslund stepped out.

Fudge.

"Professor Roslund," Kurumi smiled with only a slight quiver of nervousness on the edges of her lips. Fancy seeing you on the train? No, that was far too obvious. "A squeak? You mean...like a mouse?" she asked innocently, blinking several times to create the appearance of confusion. Yes, her brothers had taught her well these past few years. "P-Perhaps I should let Walnut out of the Prefect compartment then..."

She eyed her nearest exit as she heard what she could only assume was the Charms professor move within the compartment. Kurumi felt extremely intimidated by her, but not in a negative way like she did with Professor Lafay. While Dragon Lady demanded respect, Professor Schirmer didn't really NEED to. It was sort of already there.

So...the woman really didn't need to get up...Kurumi could just, you know, go and get Walnut to search for the forever elusive mouse...

Edvard decided to just drop it. If Althea wanted to tell him what was really bothering her than he was all ears but he wasn’t going to push her. Only because she could be a teensy bit scary. It was like with his sisters you sometimes had to tread carefully or you could get stung.

Smiling he said slightly nervous "I hope our new colleagues will be eager to teach and easy to socialize with." It would be nice if there were some more males on staff which he could bond with not that Dash Scabior wasn’t enough. It was just good to broaden your friend circle frome time to time.

Edvard walked out of the compartment to scan the floor. Looking up at the prefect he contemplated out loud "Now that you mention it Miss Hollingberry it could possibly have been a mouse, but on a train like this?" It seemed highly unlikely.

Looking back over his shoulder he asked "Althea, can the train be infected by mice?" It sounded unbelievable. Turning to the prefect Edvard continued "No, Miss Hollingberry you don't need to go let Walnut out. My Luna would have shot out the door like a lightning bolt if the noise had been from a mouse." Peering into the comparment he saw luna comfortably curled up on his coat. That ruled out mice, right???

"Sounds like a lot of hard work to me" he laughed. He wasn't afraid of doing a lot of work but he would rather not have that as a career. Still, if she enjoyed it he wasn't going to argue. "But I guess if you enjoy it." He felt that he probably wouldn't need potions in his future, he was still planning on going down a muggle route right now. It was what he knew best after all. "I'm sure you'll be great" he smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. He had no idea how well she played himself but she seemed to know a lot about music and so that was a positive wasn't it? "Nah. It ain't really gonna use it in my life" It would be of no importance and getting a drumkit might prove quite expensive. Unless he got it second hand.

"Me parents are dark haired. Ain't really no special reason. We're all from London, always have been" And until now they had always lived quite a low class life. Living in blocks of flats and with very little positives for the future. He was so grateful that his mum had received a promotion. "You wouldn't call her cute if you'd met her" he laughed. "She's nine. Bit spoilt but she's pretty down to Earth" Perhaps it had changed now that Bradley had this special ability that she didn't share. The siblings were fairly close though, he was a family guy. "Ain't the youngest supposed to be spoilt?" he joked.

Kitchen level? Food. Did all this talk of brilliant food in this school mean that the lean and well built fourteen year old would become fat. Bradley raised his eyebrow at the talk of Common Rooms. "I think Slytherin still sounds coolest" But he couldn't complain whatever house he was in. "Thanks" he smiled.

He had stayed low in Diagon Alley, visiting when most of the students had gone back home, just before the shops were due to close. That way he wouldn't get lost or look ridiculous in front of the other kids. "Oh. Yeah can't read German" he smiled. He hadn't been one of those kids to like collecting cards and various other stuff. "Yeah I ain't really interested in the cards. The frogs sound nice though, I'll eat anythin' made of chocolate" Provided it was charmed again and not an actual real life frog.

Finally taking a seat by the window, Gwen listened to the other girl talk. 'Nice to meet you', she grinned, thinking again why she couldn't smile like normal people. Oh well... 'Hufflepuff?', she mumbled, looking at the girl, trying not to frown. Then, Gwen realized she behaved rather odd and decided to explain herself. Just say something...anything!, she told herself. 'I don't know many Hufflepuffs, that's all...',she began talking. Well, that is true. But for Jory, I don't think I'm friends with any puffs. Meh...

'I'm in Ravenclaw', she said proudly. 'Third year', the girl felt the need to add. Looking out the window Gwen closed her eyes for a second. Ah, she couldn't wait for this term to start. While making plans about what she was going to do in the first days back at Hogwarts, the Ravenclaw looked back at the girl. 'Um...thanks', she said taking the chocolate frog from Daisy. Opening it, she quickly looked at the card. 'Salazar Slytherin...' AGAIN! She had like 15 of him so far. Then, she burst into laughing. 'You see, a friend of mine had this theory about the cards... something about reflecting some stupid stuff about our personality and blah blah', she said.That was why she got Slytherin so often. Great, nice going, she ‘congratulated' herself. Now she’ll think I’m crazy.

Edric stared out the window with disinterest as Cornelius and Emma exchanged words. May Merlin have mercy on his soul, this was going to be a loooooooooooooooooong ride. The Gryffindor wasn't sure he would make it out of that compartment alive, not with Cornelius throwing him around like a rag doll and this Emma girl's high-pitched voice buzzing in his eardrums.

And then Cornelius began to freak out.
Involuntarily, Edric jumped in his seat and turned to the door wide-eyed, assuming for a moment there that the train had just been broken into by serial killers or something - but nah, it was just Cornelius being Cornelius. Y'know, giving Edric heart attacks. The usual.

As the boy went on about secrets and stuff, Edric merely raised an eyebrow at him. And then Cornelius went on to explain his excitement - he was new too, and was also starting his fifth year.

Edric stared at him blankly for a good ten seconds before his face suddenly transformed, his dark eyebrows rising and his lips widening to the largest - but not brightest - of smiles. "Really?" he began. "You don't say? What a coincidence! Who would have thought!" he continued, tones dripping sarcasm as he mocked the other boy's excitement. "Golly gee, let's see what other great wonderful things we've got in common!" He grinned, mouth open wide in the largest of smiles, before ending the act abruptly and putting a serious face back on.

Seriously.
It was NOT that big of a deal, this kid was being ridiculous.
Thoughhhhhhhh, it might be true that Edric felt a LITTLE, TINY, MICROSCOPIC bit better knowing that he wasn't alone in starting a new year at a new school full of strangers.
Of course, though, he'd never admit to that. Cornelius must NEVER find out he was a source of comfort to Edric Barlow for 15 whole seconds.

And then the Emma character was offering Edric her hand and inquiring about his name. Edric merely stared at her for a moment before, much against his will, he shook the girl's hand. "I'm Edric," he said simply. Then he just waited for them to go ahead and get it wrong. About 98% of the people he'd met in his 15 years of life ALWAYS got it wrong and called him 'Eric'.

Edric listened as Emma then pretty much assigned herself the job of tour guide before going on to ask what Houses they were in. "Oh, I do," started Edric, "Cornie here, though, wants to know if the houses come furnished," he explained.
Of course, though, Edric was already familiar with the House system and Hogwarts and all that jazz, but he wasn't going to waste his time trying to explain it to the other boy, so he figured he might hand that chore over to blondie over there, who looked ever so eager to help.

Kurumi shrugged. "If there is anything that Hogwarts taught me, professor, it is to always expect the unexpected." And that included the presence of an invisible mouse. Maybe he would believe nargles? There had been a girl running around earlier saying that they had taken her shoes.

She tensed up just a bit when he looked over his should to call for...Althea? Was that her first name? Usually professors addressed each other by their last name plus professor when speaking in front of students. Hmm...Kurumi's suspicions were intensified even more now.

But...was he seriously all that worried about a squeak? It only meant that he DID have something to hide, right? It wasn't like there was a baby house elf running around the train.

Daisy was trying not to stare at Gwen... Sure, she seemed nice enough and friendly, but there was something about her that was a little different... Like the way she frowned a little when Daisy said she was a Hufflepuff. But then, she always looked weird when she dumped ketchup over her food, and it wasn't nice to judge people... Gwen then explained that she didn't know many Hufflepuffs... Daisy thought fo a second... the way she said it didn't sound very convincing, but she didn't want to spend the start of the year interrogating people about what they really meant, instead she smiled and said,
'Yeah... It's hard to meet people in other houses sometimes, I only have a few friends in Gryffindor and your house, and none really in Slytherin,' she smiled.

Daisy half watched Gwen open her frog a little more slowly than the average person. She herself usually looked at the card, and then shoved it in her pocket, digging into the chocolate as most people did, but Gwen didn't really seemed concerned about the chocolate that was hopping around the compartment.
Hearing Gwen cry out in annoyance at getting Slytherin again, she laughed. That always happened to her... Daisy could've sworn she had at least 30 Ron Weasley cards once, before giving them away to cousins and friends.
'Really?' she said, listening to what Gwen was saying, 'I've never heard that, but If it's true, i'm definitely Ron Weasley,' she laughed.

She snuggled her back up against the seat in the compartment as Gideon found his way in. He finally sat across from her and laid his guitar and sachel on his lap. It was kind of nice just being the two of them in the compartment, not that she did not like her other friends, but sometimes it was just nice to be alone. Especially because they got on so well. Although she was still slightly embarrassed that she did not know he played the guitar. Of course, it never came up in conversation. Like now she was not sure if he knew that she played the flute- the most random instrument in the world.

A few years. Well that was still more than she knew. And he seemed pretty comfortable with it on his back so she was not exactly buying his whole modest story, but when he said he would be playing it more this term she smiled. She crossed her feet Indian style on the seat and then asked, "Can you play me something?"

Oh great… see- that’s why I’m not friends with many puffs. They are annoyingly kind!, Gwen thought and looked at Daisy while she was talking. ‘Maybe… sometimes it’s easier to make friends from your own house- but in my case… well, I do have many Ravenclaw friends, but not as many as the ones from Slytherin and Gryffindor. I don’t know why. Really’, the girl mumbled and smirked. Just drop it, Gwendolyn told herself and glimpsed out the window. ‘Also, my best friend is in Gryffindor’, she felt the need to add, still looking out the window.

‘Oh, nono…’, she began saying. ‘I don’t mind having Salazar Slytherin so many times. And yeah, I actually start believing that stupidity about the personality stuff.’ Indeed. Slytherin suited her the best. ‘I um…’, the ravie started talking, but then paused, thinking if it was a good idea to say that. ‘I actually wished to get into Slytherin at first. But Ravenclaw proved to be great too. I soon started liking it more than the other houses.’ Great. Another rude thing to say. ‘No offence’ Hufflepuff is… acceptable, Gwen thought and smirked.

‘Ron?’ Tee hee. ‘Nice character, then’, she nodded while grabbing her notebook. Let’s see… Pam pam pam, the ravie thought while flipping through the first pages of the notebook- the ones containing the drawings with King’s Cross and Diagon Alley, and things like letters and muggle postcards. Finally finding a blank page, Gwen started drawing a few lines.

Oscar was nervous... He looked around, but saw nobody familiar, of course. He sighed, what if he never got to make any friends? Oscar had been just fine being home schooled.
He smiled at Wally, his owl, and sat down in an empty seat, for now he should just try to believe his father and try to enjoy himself.