All her bags are pack and she's ready to go home. She had her nice pastel pink hoodie on because it fits the happy feeling. The feeling of finally, F I N A L L Y she was going to go home and sleep in her own bed. She was most excited to see her cats and is hoping that her father feeds them while she was away for school. She walked inside the train and went ahead towards the prefects' compartment. It was empty. Guess she's the first prefect on board? Or maybe the others are just with their friends in the other compartments.

She took a deep breath and sat near the window.

YESSS!!!

Window seats are the best. Jillian placed her sling bag right next to her and takes an unopened letter from her dad from 2 months ago. Since no one was here yet, it was best if she read it now. She will be finished reading it by the time the other prefects are on board.

The last few days just seemed like a dream nightmare. Even now as he sat with his arms wrapped around his legs, staring out of the window as it slowly moved through the Scottish countryside towards a London and home, he was torn. Did he make the right decision? Part of him knew he and Beth would always be friends even now that they were no longer together but he it didn’t feel that way to him right now. It hurt and now there was nothing he could do about.

Pulling his legs in tighter towards his chest, the lanky Ravenclaw tilted his head to the side so as to rest it on the cold, condensated window and closed his eyes as the damn window eased the sting of throbbing that had taken residence in his head for the last few hours.

Luckily for this Ravenclaw though, this was a prefect compartment which hopefully meant it would be an uneventful journey with little to no drama and human contact, save for other prefects obviously, that of which he didn’t mind. Case and point, the other prefect already in the compartment (Jillian).

Missa did not reflect the moods of her fellow prefects. But though she wasn't sad, she wasn't happy either - she was just somewhere in between.

"Why so glum, chums?" the sixteen year asked as she slid open the door and slipped inside the prefects compartment. Sure, the term hadn't been ALL that great - and felt more like a filler year but were they not happy it was finally SUMMER.

Taking a seat besides Jillian, she looked between the two. Were they really not going talk until Gunnar arrived and gave his goodbye speech?

There will be one, wouldn't there? She was a fan of his speeches.

It was now or never. As brave and daring as Carsyn was, somehow standing up to tell Gunnar McCarthy her feelings was something she had often thought about never found the courage to do so ... and so after the feast of last night she'd stayed up writing her feelings. Because speaking them seemed too real and she knew she needed to tell him even though she'd likely never see him again after Kings Cross. Who knew though, right? He did still have younger siblings at Hogwarts including one who was in her house.

Palms sweaty, she reached into her pocket for the carefully folded note but it was more just out of caution to make sure it was still there. Gunnar wasn't here yet. Only Jillian and the two Ravenclaw Prefects who all seemed .... mellow? Wait that wasn't the right word for Ewan, but the two females, sure.

"Looks like we survived our first year of Prefecting, huh?" She said conversationally, taking the seat next to Ewan. Since Missa had sad next to Jillian.

The letter from her father didn't say much other than the gift he sent along. It also said something about the summer that maybe, just maybe they will go on a short vacation. Maybe he misses his coworkers back in Russia, who knows. Jillian doesn't really want to but it's fine. She can manage things by herself. She folded the letter neatly and tucked it back inside her sling bag and boom, the next person to arrive was Ewan- was he................ sulking? Jillian stared at him for a bit as he took the empty seat near her. She pursed her lips to the side and gave him a soft smile, clearly she doesn't know what to do. Was it his grades? Or was it the fact that he was in detention for something. Nevertheless, comfort was not her strongest quality.

Meh, worth a shot.

Just when she was about to reach and tap him to get his attention, the other Ravenclaw prefect(Missa) comes in. Her hand dropped right back to her lap as she looked at her, taking her seat next to her. She smiled at her "Hello" she greeted in a soft tone. She shrugged at the Ravenclaw prefect when she asked Ewan how he was. "What's wrong, Ewan?" she added.

Cue in, Carsyn.

She smiled at the fifth year Gryffindor this time. "Yeah, it was a hell of a year" she chuckled. Thank Merlin no one really got injured- except for one professor (huhu). She was trapped in a portrait but other than that... yes, they all survived their first year of being prefects. Phew.

"Any plans for summer vacation?" a conversation starter for everyone in the compartment.

Why so glum? Well, that didn’t take long did it? Briefly, Ewan cast a glance over at Missa before giving Carsyn a reluctant smile as she sat in the seat next to him.

Choosing to ignore Misa’s question because, well, it could have been aimed at Jillian and not him, he turned to Carsyn “I guess so, although we’re not home yet. It wouldn’t surprise me if the train derailed or something” a small smile spreading across his face now as he imagined that happening. It would be just typical Hogwarts. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was Sir Cadogan. He’s going to be the next ghost to leave his portrait”. He knew full well that that was about as likely to happen as a Crumple-Horned Snorkack turning up but it was amusing to picture it. At least it took his mind off Beth.

Sitting back, he crossed his legs and looked out through the window pensively for a moment before he replied to Jillian’s question. Not to be dramatic but because it was a little complicated. “Uh..It’s nothing really” hesitating now, unsure exactly how to say it. This was never his strong suit after all. “Me and Beth broke up after the feast” There. He’d said it. Might as well get it out in the open because everyone would end up knowing at some point. At least this way it came from him instead of someone else. Slightly embarrassed, the tall Ravenclaw somehow managed to bring his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. What a way to start the summer off. Could it get any worse? Forget he asked that.

“I’m just going back to Canada. You know, to spend some time with the family. Work on their farm. That whole shebang” he mumbled now in answer to her question. He’d already told Missa this at the feast so going into the whole story was just not necessary.

Glum was a very small word compared to whatever Ewan was radiating right now. His energy was bleak and Missa wanted to get away from it. She wasn't usually so dismissive of whatever was going on with others, but she had enough of her own issues to take on other's.

But .... this was all talk. Especially when he announced WHY he looked so upset. Oh. "I am sorry, that sounds rough" she said softly, glancing briefly at Jillian before looking back at Ewan.

And then there was Carsyn. The sixteen year old smiled at her fellow prefect before nodding, "honestly thought I wouldn't when I saw Gryffindor waving his sword about the school" It was definitely something underwhelming compared to the ~mist~ days - but maybe that was a good thing, and Hogwarts had really ended up preparing them for whatever ridiculous thing life threw at them.

Speaking of, she wasn't sure she'd survive a train derailment though - so she just awkwardly smiled at her intense Ravenclaw buddy over there, and ignored his emo-ness for the time being. Turning to look at others though, she spoke of her own plans, "first think I am doing is hitting the beach - I think I am gonna have as much fun as possible, before NEWTs become a thing"

Gunnar wasn't planning on staying long. But he did want to make an appearance to give them their final prefect duties for the year and to say goodbye. He wouldn't be seeing, well... maybe any of them after this. And he'd like to congratulate them for a job well done. For the most part, they did well and he knew that prefecting wasn't always an easy job. And hey, they all survived, didn't they?

And so he stepped into the prefect compartment and gave those already assembled a small smile. "Hello, everyone," he greeted. "Ready for summer?" He certainly was. He had some big plans he was looking forward to. And he was unaware of any mood or conversation that had already taken place before he walked in. It was hard not to notice that Ewan was in some sort of fetal position, but he'd prefer not to be involved in his drama, thanks. Unless it involved his sister, then he'd make it clear that he wasn't happy. But truly, he just wanted to begin his summer drama-free.

That was one heck of an understatement by Jillian. But hey, no one who didn't belong in portraits got stuck there? And no one died? So those were two big wins as far as Carsyn was concerned. Sure she would miss Professor Nostredame, but not as much as she was going to miss Professor Sandhu.

Wow though, talking about Mr Pessimistic. Carsyn frowned at Ewan for even suggesting such a thing. "Can you not put something like that out into the universe? The train has been traveling this route for centuries and has yet to derail once. That kind of negativity is not what we need to start off the summer." Okay, so he and his girlfriend broke up? But was that reason to bring everyone down with him?? To be honest this was one reason why Carsyn didn't particularly care to hop on the relationship train just yet. It made people crazy. "So think about Canada... think about the fact that you're no longer gonna be pressured to write or call Beth while you're half a world away. This isn't the end of the world." Empathy was not in Carsyn's cards; she preferred blunt honesty. If you wanted empathetic, that was her sister.

Speaking of the end of the world, she had to smile at Missa's comment on Gryffindor waving his sword around the school. "I mean can a dead founder really have slaughtered the whole school? Maim, maybe, but i doubt it would have done more damage than that? It was like fantasy and real life mixed together and those two worlds don't mix... do they?" Perhaps she should have taken Divination more seriously and she'd be able to understand that...

"Beach sounds great! I'm pretty much just going to relax for a little while and not thinking about the impending owl of my OWL results before quidditch." Sure they knew she played for Wales Under 17, yes? It would be her second summer as such.

And there was Gunnar, who seemed like he had a weight lifted off his shoulders - was that what it was like to graduate?? Carsyn would have expected anxiety about the uncertainty of what followed Hogwarts, but yet here was this seventh year in all his charming good looks, looking quite carefree. "You've got no idea. Congrats on graduating! What's next for you?" She asked, genuinely curiously before reaching into her pocket for the folded letter. "Here, just some good wishes for you."

Doing his best not to antagonise the Head Boy who had just arrived, Ewan simply gave him a nod, and turned his attention back to Missa. “Thanks, Missa” he replied, giving the girl sitting opposite him a small nod. It was rough. There was no denying it. But at least he would be away from everyone for a few weeks where he could reset and finally decide if he was coming back or not. In all honesty, after making the decision and finally telling Beth, her did feel as though a weight had been lifted and coming back, it didn’t seem as bad somehow. “The beach sounds pretty fun. The NEWT’s on the other hand do not” although he’d spent so much time studying this year that he had a feeling they wouldn’t be as hard as he though.

Some people just didn’t seem to have a sense of humour. Briefly, he wondered if it was in fact the school that sucked it out of you and all of the dangerous things that happen every year. Then again, maybe joking about the train derailing wasn’t the funniest of things either. Not really acknowledging Gunnar as he walked in, Ewan simply turned to Carsyn, his answer measured “Sure, I can imagine Canada” and how far away it is from this train compartment he thought to himself. Taking a steadying breath, reminding himself that is wasn’t anyone in here’s fault he was in a foul mood, the Ravenclaw prefect decided to shut his mouth rather than get into any more arguments this year. After all, he did in fact like all most of the people in this compartment so chewing them all out for a lack of understanding wasn’t the best idea.

Instead, he forced himself to think of Canada. The farm. Kingsley, the chocolate Labrador that would bound up to him as soon as he set foot on the farm, his Aunt and Jordy who were ready to greet him from the airport and of course, little baba Eleanor. Suddenly, the small smile that appeared across his face wasn’t forced. He had found his happy place. “Good luck on your OWL’s though. I remember waiting for mine last year. Not fun at all”. Actually, taking the tests were no where near as bad as waiting for the results, in his opinion at least.