Daisy was happy to be going home. She had stowed her trunk and was now ambling down the corridor to find a seat for the ride home. She hoped that by staying near the fro t of the train she would avoid her annoying brother, Xander.

Having found a suitable compartment, Daisy slipped her satcheln off her shoulder and settled into the seat by the window. She hoped the weather cooperatedfor the trip as she planned on window gazing most of the way. Right now, her scenery consisted of othe students stowing the trunks and boarding the train.

Finding a suitable compartment on the Hogwarts Express could sometimes be a daunting task. But for the first time since his first year, Damien found himself one of the first students to actually board the train. Finding a place to sit would be relatively easy, right?

Wrong.

Damien Murray wasn't exactly the "Hufflepuff everyone wanted to be friends with". Actually he wasn't anyone's friend, period. He mostly kept to himself and preferred to not have any attention drawn his way. This included conversations with his peers (Why else would you only see him now? At the END of the year?!).

Precisely

He meandered through the front compartments, spotting a girl about his age sitting alone, and that was about it. In the distance the hum of other students and other thuds and bangs in the luggage compartment meant the train would only too soon be packed full, and if Damien didn't find a spot soon, he'd be out of luck. He chose the compartment across the aisle from the girl. Sitting down, he fumbled with the sleeves of his jacket before feeling somewhat comfortable in his seat. He put his feet up across the compartment to rest them on the seats.

"Home," he sighed.

Double barf.

The door opened. Daisy turned to look at the boy who entered fearing momentarily that it was her brother. Man would she have liked to hit him with one last jelly leg curse for the year. It would serve him right too, as Daisy knew he would be attempting to set her hair on fire or cut holes in her books by this time next week.

Instead she found a rather morose looking fella about her age. Shr arched an eyebrow as he made himself comfortable and stuck his feet up on the seat next to her. "Excuse me," she said tersely. "Do you mind? You're getting ditt over everything." Honestly, what did he do? Walk through the greenhouse beforeheading to the boats?

In an attempt to not draw the attention he didn't care for, Damien laid his head back on the seat and closed his eyes. No sooner had he done this, the girl from across the way was complaining about dirt. Dirt that apparently he was tracking. The Hufflepuff opened one eye to acknowledge the girl, and then both eyes to look at his feet. Indeed a bit of dirt and sand on the bottoms of his shoes that had gotten onto the seat.

Did he care?

Nope.

But apparently she did.

Damien scooted forward on the seat and put his feet down on the floor. Rather than make remarks on how she was overreacting, and a little dirt never hurt anyone (doesn't like attention, remember?), he wiped the seat as best he could while mumbling "Sorry" across the way.

This might be a long ride.

Slightly surprised to not redieve a retort, Daisy sat quietly for a moment. And then the train surged forward and they were on there way home. The jolt brought her back to her usual self. "Thank you," she replied an forced a smile. There was something about this boy that just didn't seem friendly. She figured he had to be a Slytherin or at leasta very socially awkward Ravenclaw.

She turned back to the window and watched as Hogsmead fadedinto the distance.

Well ... That was over relatively fast.

Damien didn't have his bearings, and nearly fell forward off the side of the compartment he was sitting on when the train lurched forward. He recovered as if nothing had happened, and saw the girl staring out the window, anyway.

No harm done.

He ran his hand through his hair, as he noticed it might just be the two of them sitting together the whole way home. Granted, Damien wasn't exactly all for friends, but that didn't mean he couldn't carry a conversation. His high marks in most of his classes will testify to that.

Clearing his through he scooted over a little towards the window. "I'm Damien ... by the way," he said, Irish accent slightly noticeable.

Damien? Daisy thought. Interesting. If she remembered correctly, it meant devil child. Definately made him a Slytherin. She looked at him quietly for a moment as if assesing him. She certainly hadn't seen him around all year, but that didn't mean much. She herself hadn't exactly been super social.

"Nice to meet you Damien," she said in response. Shr didn't neglect to tell him her name, it just didn't occure to her to do so. Daisy, while smart, lacked some basic manners. "You don't look happy to be going home." Where she lacked in manners, she made up for with her observational skills.

Annaleecia walked into a compartment and sighed. She curled up on one of the seats, laying down, she really just wanted to sleep the entire way home... Make Hogwarts seem a little more like a dream maybe and make it easier for her deal with the horrid orphanage. She was just going to hope this summer would pass quickly and that she wouldn't get into any trouble, though they tended to blame her for anything that went wrong.

She sighed and gently laid her head down and curled up under her blanket, hoping the fairy tale would get her through the summer of horridness she had ahead of her.

That's an understatement.

It's not that Damien had a rough home life. It was just ... different. Something he didn't talk about freely, just kept it as basic as could be. He tugged at the left sleeve of his leather jacket. "I usually have nothing to do at home over Holidays," he said matter-of-factly. It was truth, but not completely. After all, he barely knew this girl.

Good point.

"You're name is ...?" he added.

Ian walked down before finding a compartment that didn't seem like it would get terribly crowded. He walked in to see a girl curled up into a ball and looked like she wanted to sleep. He grabbed one of his new books, borrowed from the library for the summer and began to read about the fantastic magical beasts of the North Sea. He remembered hearing tales of strange creatures from his father's fishing crew, but before he'd gone to Hogwarts, he didn't believe them. Now he knew that there was a whole other world awaiting his discovery. He hoped he'd get a chance to go out on the fishing boat with his dad once or twice. He didn't mind being at home with his mum, she let him read most of the time, but he was getting older and should really begin spending more time with his dad and older men.

Anna looked up as someone came into the room. She paused, not remembering if she’d met the young boy. She sat up slightly, wondering if he’d want to talk when he pulled a book out… Oh, no, maybe not. Annaleecia gave a small smile hello at least not wanting to seem rude before she laid her head back down. She wasn’t one to force conversation, so she readjusted herself slightly and looked up at the compartment ceiling. She paused though and glanced at him again, “I’m Annaleecia… Just in case you forgot.” She didn’t say it rudely or anything... She just knew the last time they’d had just a minor conversation was right after she’d kissed Kace and he might not recognize her without her tear and makeup stained face, “We um… Met at the Valentine’s ball thing.” Or maybe not… she was pretty sure it was him, but maybe she’d come off as some crazy girl for mistaking him for someone else.

Ian noted her smile hello and returned the greeting. He looked at her a little more closely after she said they had met and he smiled. Yes. I remember you. Though you were a little disheveled that evening. I hope things got better for you afterwards. I'm surprised you recognized me. I'm so grateful I was able to be cured of that aging thing so many of us were afflicted with this year. He set his book to the side, in case she wished to talk. He didn't want to seem rude. That was kind of how things went sideways with Bart last summer.

Mackenzie boarded the train, she was so glad to finally be headed home. She couldn't wait to spend her days in Diagon Alley and getting to look through the countless number of books at Flourish and Blotts. She found an empty compartment and slid in, Mack wasn't entirely sure anyone would even sit with her but she didn't want to take a seat from some of the older kids in another compartment. The blonde pulled out the muggle book Pride and Prejudice again and began where she left off.

Daisy was about to respond to Damien's inquiry for her name when another student sat down and her attention was transferred momentarily. She realized then that a few other students had joined them. She turned back to Damien as the girl pulled out a book and said, "You don't have choirs or a project to keep your interest?" She herself, would probably help her father out with his latest potion experiment and was hoping her mother would let her help with the dragon rangeling this summer as she had gotten high marks in her flying class.

Mackenzie had read a chapter and a half when she realized that there were others in this compartment. FLIPSTICKS! she yelled at herself.. she had been rude. so she sat the book in her lap, the index finger on her right hand holding her page. She didn't want to interrupt, so the blonde patiently waited for a lull in their conversation. "h-hello, my names Mackenzie, but most people call me Mack. " Mackenzie smiled and hoped they wouldn't think her rude.

Laura couldn't believe it, this was her last train ride ever home from Hogwarts, that meant no more hanging out with Ella or Sophie in the dorm room or having fun like they had in their second year.

*sigh*

Why did all the great things have to end. Surely they should have great times until they were like 50 of something, maybe school should go on until they were 21 or a bit older though she didn't think most people would enjoy that. She just wanted to stay at Hogwarts because there was a lot she hadn't explored.

"I'm... Alright I guess. I mean, getting go home isn't the most exciting thing for me but..." She shrugged and trailed off, "But believe me, I know how it felt being old... Shortly after the ball I started aging too." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Being young feels good again." Annaleecia smiled and sat up slightly and looked at him, "But what're you're plans for summer?" Or did he want to read and not talk, that was fine too... She didn't want to annoy him.

He listened to her. She seemed rather a melancholy person, just based upon the two interactions he'd had with her. How come you aren't excited about going home? He was absolutely thrilled to go home and share with his mum all of his adventures. She said she loved the stories (though he wasn't quite sure she'd be thrilled he'd been an infirm old man for half the year).

He was mildly shocked when she said she had aged after the ball. He tried to remember if he'd touched her. It seemed that was the way it was transmitted. [b]Well, I'm glad you've been 'cured' as well.[b] He hoped he hadn't been the cause of her getting old, though he wasn't quite sure how he had. Maybe it had been Hannah or Bart. I'll be going back to North of Scotland to my family's village. My dad owns a fishing boat and has a crew he goes out with to catch fish in the North Sea. I hope he lets me go out more with him this year. I'm getting old, nearly a man, and I felt it this year. he said with a grin.

The Hufflepuff's attention was also diverted as another student, younger than him and his ... erm ... "companion?", joined them in their compartment. Damien tried not to roll his eyes. But really? This wasn't his idea of a quiet train ride home. Not that he was in any hurry to get home, but he was hoping he wouldn't attract any attention. Clearly that wasn't the case.

Great.

And then "She-who-will-not-name-herself" mentioned something about choirs? Projects? What, did he look like some kind of Suzy Homemaker? "Mmmm nope," he said rubbing the back of his neck. "I make a point of not getting too involved in things."

The small voice of the younger student caught his ears as she very politely introduced herself. Damien felt slightly bad, but only slight. Sure, he wasn't all for friends, but that didn't mean he was rude and cruel to people. Hence why avoidance worked best for him.

Not in this case.

"'Lo," he said in response to Mackenzie, nodding his head. "I'm Damien. Her, however ... well ... she prefers to be mysterious," he added.

Having decided to make her rounds on the train and visit some of her friends, Lux stumbled upon Laura all alone in one of the compartments. Awww, that was so sad. No one should be alone on the ride home, especially if it was their last one.

Sliding the door open, Lux stepped inside and went to sit beside Laura. "You okay?" Laura had seemed sad at the feast, and Lux wanted to see if she was okay now.

”Obviously,” she stated sarcastically. Was it just Daisy’s imagination or did the boy ooze anti-socialism? She shifted and pulled her feet up under her criss-cross style. “Maybe a little involvement would do you some good,” she said frankly. Living with two older brothers had taught Daisy not to mince words; it just got you more misunderstood then you already were to boys.
Daisy put on a mischievous grin. If he was going to be like that, then yes, she was going to be mysterious. He looked like the kind of boy who could use a good mystery and a good irking. “Whatcha reading Mack?” she inquired pretending to ignore his comment.

“Well…” She looked down slightly and sighed, “Home’s an orphanage where I’m locked up in a room away from the other kids because to them I’m a freak…” Annaleecia looked back at him, “Make a long story short there, I’m a muggleborn… When I was about seven I showed the signs of magic and my parents were so scared of what I could do they disowned me and shipped me off…”

Anna gave a small laugh, “I really didn’t mind being old I mean… just seemed to give me more reason to just hide upstairs in my bed and not go anywhere.” So she was allowed to be a little lazy, even if it did keep her from her quidditch practice’s as well and their final game, but she could hope for next year right? Or maybe find something else to do that was just as fun. She smiled at his plans though, laughing slightly, “That sounds like fun.” At least better then what her summer was shaping up to be. She couldn’t help but wonder how long it would take until she’d remember that at ‘home’ people ran from her in fear, not talking to her like everyone here did.

Laura smiled at Lux. "I'm fine, just a bit sad this is the last time I'll ever be on this train." Laura couldn't believe how fast the time had flown. "I've been thinking about how much everything has changed since I first set foot on this train." Laura sighed, she was getting sad again, why did all good things have to end. "Though I must admit that I'm excited about being a horse jockey." Laura beamed it was going to be fun.

Listening to Laura talk, Lux began to frown the pulled her friend into a hug. "You will still come to Hogsmeade, right?" Visits and seeing people might help Laura feel a little better. Lux would like Laura to come to Hogsmeade and see her.

"I will miss seeing you in school, but I am happy that you will be a jockey. Don't forget my tickets." Laughing, she wanted to lighten the mood, and hoped that she could maybe make Laura smile and feel a little bit better about things.

This was not saying goodbye forever.