@LordofthePies

Karen leaned back, her little pale face beaming incandescently. A friend! Truly, a friend for her? It was something she had never had the pleasure of knowing before, and to find one so quick was . . . well, exciting, to say the least. Was it really this simple to make a friend? She wondered if it was so, but decided, oh who cares! If it was, then it was so. No point in looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Smiling from ear to ear, Karen responded to Bishop, a trickle of her excitement exiting from her self-control. "I'd be happy to come, Bishop, happy and honored, and I shall most certainly bring a gift. I insist - it is the least I could do, as your friend." Karen tasted the worth as it left her mouth, and found that it made the corners of her mouth curl upwards even more. She really couldn't help it.

Bishop's smile grew with Karen's and he sat correctly in the chair, now facing her.

"It should be sometime next week, I'll have to give you an invitation. Oh this will be great, although I'm not quite sure what we would do. I guess I'll have to figure it out as we go," he spoke excitedly as he thought of the things that they would do at his party, if he had one that is. Veil let out a small squeak at the sudden shift of Bishop, but went back to nuzzling herself into the seats.

"What do you like to do?"

Terance Neston

"A little money?" Terrance's family isn't poor, the job of auror pays pretty well. But buying all the candy from 'a little money' with no care for leaving some for later? That was...well, a lot more than his family's definition of a little money. His family's definition was a few Galleons tops, usually nothing over one Galleon...least as far as giving Terrance some pocket money was concerned. They had given him a bit more than that for the year at Hogwarts, but he didn't plan on wasting a significant fraction of it on candy. "Welp, if your family sees fit to provide you with the means to entertain yourself and your friends like kings for the year, then by all means I will happily leach off their hospitality for as long as you allow, my new best friend by virtue of overwhelming riches!" Terrance announces with a jocular grin.

@LordofthePies

Though the smile on her face was slight, bordering on imperceptible, the excited bobbing of her head betrayed her to her true feelings. "Next week is it? Very well, I'll be sure to prepare something in time," she affirmed. Thinking on an answer to Bishops question, Karen lifted a finger to her lip in thought. "Well, I don't think we'll be allowed to go to Hogsmeade this year, but . . . hm, I wonder if we could borrow a few brooms. Do you know how to fly, Bishop?"

"Not very well, but learning how shouldn't be any more difficult than learning to ride a stubborn horse," Bishop replied, wondering how fast he could learn something like that. He convinced himself that it was possible to, at least, become adept at riding a broom in a week if he really put his mind to it. Bishop smiled again, already excited for his upcoming birthday, which was a bit of a first for him.

@TheHangedMan

Cal chuckled.

"Of course you can live off of - " The train should violently, throwing some students to the floor. More than half of the compartment lights went out, and the train became shrouded in mist. There were more violent shavings, and the whole train powered out, and stopped in the middle of the tracks, illuminated by a few students' wands.

"Lumos." Cal muttered, and his wand flickered with a light, enough to fill their compartment with a dim light. Outside, figures could be seen moving from the windows of the closed compartment doors. There were sounds of doors being forced open, blinding flashes of light, and the piercing screams of students. Cal pressed his face againts the window, as well as his wand, and could see at least ten masked people opening compartment doors, and forcibly dragging people out. Other students went willingly, and others opened their compartment doors, and walked over to them, as if friends. Cal sat back in his chair, his heart pounding. What the hell is going on! First the breakout, now this! Cal thought to himself, and then thought the horrible thought, that the people in the cars, were the escaped prisoners.

---

Elena Lestrange walked down the train, humming a happy tune as she listened to the screams of students who were the victims of her torture curse. She the walked up to a compartment, and stopped. She sensed something. The girl. She quickly slid open the compartment door, and shouted.

"Stupify!" She waved her wand in a motion like that of a whip, stunning a group of students (@SouffleGirl123 @Weird Tales @Dutchess Sarah @BlackPanther) and grabbed the other girl (@Classpet) by the hair, and pulled her out of the compartment.

"You should be honored y'know. Not everyone gets the privilege of being taken by someone as nice as me." Lestrange grinned maliciously, and cackled, before being shot in the back by a red bolt of light, being forced to let go of Brynn. The headmistress ran to the compartment of stunned students, and revived them. She then proceeded to walk over to Brynn, where she found that Lestrange had gone, as well as all of the others. McGonagal helped Brynn up off the floor, and led her back to her compartment. She started to say something, but stopped, and rushed to the front of the train.

---

"Has it been done? Do you have the girl?" A raspy voice called out. The voice belonged to a cloaked man that was sitting in what looked like a crude throne.

"N-no sir. It was McGonagal. She aided in her rescue. There was nothing w-we could do, by then the teachers had arrived." Lestrsnge spoke in a shaky voice as she kneeled on the ground in front off the man. In anger the man shot a red jet of light at Lestrange, causing her to be knocked over and scream.

"Your lucky your my favorite, Lestrsnge. Do not fail again, as next time, I will not be so lenient."

Brynn was about to explain to all her new friends, mostly Jay as he had been the one who asked about what they were looking forward to in the first place, about how excited she was for the new school. Her first school. And how she couldn't wait for magic history, and magic gardening, and magic animals, and all kinds of magic spells. She'd want to tell them all about the minister of magic in his big magic office at the ministry that she'd only just heard about existing during her trip in diagon alley. She knew as soon as she saw his smiling news paper face that she wanted to be a minister of magic too. Really though, she hadn't thought about it until when Jay asked about ambitions or whatever.

But she didn't get to say anything, a strange women came in and her friends were all killed. The witch waved her wand and they all fell stock stick with fear on their faces anyway, and everyone know that means you're dead. Brynn had seen enough movies and read enough books to know when someone was dead. Then the women grabbed her, Brynn. Dragged her from the room by her short hair, as she screamed more from the pain of her hair being pulled then the situation, which she didn't understand even a little. She yelled at the witch, something along the lines of "Let me go you best friend murdering old walnut!" or maybe she had called her a burnt buscuit, it didn't matter really for how the tall dark women responded, something about honor and how nice she was, the women was talking about herself not Brynn. Whatever she said wasn't uplifting or in anyway true, and to make matter worse another women showed up. It was all a blur after that, before as well but less so. Brynn was sure she'd be dead soon when the tall women shot another red bolt from her wand, but then the dark women let go and the other women helped her back to the carriage, leaving with a bewildered face and not another word.

Brynn didn't know what to do, she was shaking and by the way her eyes were starting to burn she could tell that soon she would be crying too. And her friends maybe weren't dead and poor Gregory was croaking away again sounding like a drowning monkey, not even the cute kind. And what is anyone supposed to do about everyone almost dying and a sad frog. @SouffleGirl123@Weird Tales@Dutchess Sarah@BlackPanther

When the train first shook, Bishop's first instinct was to grab Veil and move away from the windows. He crouched next to the door with rat in his pocket, ready to jump at anything that came into their train car. Bishop glanced at Karen but quickly looked away when a shadow passed by the window. When the train shook again he caught himself on the wall and quickly fixed himself, but he was badly shaking. Bishop quieted himself and expected something horrible to open the door. He hoped Karan knew more spells than he did, otherwise, this will most likely end poorly.

@TheHangedMan @AbysmalDemon

Charlyn Avalon

Charlyn sat alone in a department. She was just thinking about how excited she was to meet new friends, when the train shook horribly. She let out a loud gasp, almost a little scream. The owl that was in it's cage sitting across from Charlie woke from it's sleep. It made a loud sound, telling her how unpleasant it was to wake a sleeping king. Charlie hushed the owl and listened. The lights went out, footsteps. She grabbed the cage and sunk to the floor, her back pressed right next to the door. She hoped, that whoever had entered the train, would only look through the door window and decide that this department was clear.
Rascal's eyes went big, ears on edge. He knew something was up. From the light being out to the heart racing of it's owner. Please be silent. Charlyn begged for it all to end well. I am not scared. I am not scared. I am not. Scared.

Isaak chuckled trying to keep himself from bursting out laughing when Brynn thought of Hufflepuff as being an ideal house to be put into. He guessed that being raised by muggles didn't really help a child of magic learn what's what when it came to what houses mattered. Isaak didn't hate Hufflepuff, but it wasn't a house that he could see too many people being proud of. He was ambitious and being as good as possible was what drove him. He would become a great wizard and he would try to prove the stereotype of Slytherins turning out all bad completely wrong.

Isaak was about to speak up when the train came to a sudden halt and he almost fell out of his seat. Then the lights went out and the compartment was shrouded in darkness. Isaak was certain that this wasn't suppose to happen and he felt scared. He then heard screams coming from other parts of the train and this made him extra worried. What the bloody hell is going on?! he thought to himself almost frantically. Was the train now being attacked and then he remembered the break out in the news not too long ago. Could it be Death Eaters?

Isaak was about to take out his wand in preparation for an attack, but then there compartment slid open and a woman came in and cast a stun spell upon. Isaak was helpless as the woman grabbed Brynn to try and take her away. Isaak wanted to do something, but the effects of the spell wouldn't let him. Then he saw a flash of red light and headmistress McGonagal came into their compartment and lifted the spell. Isaak quickly got to his feet and was about to try and chase after the woman who had taken Brynn when the headmistress brought the girl back into the compartment before leaving again without a word. Isaak quickly moved over to her to check and make sure she was okay.

"Are you alright?! Those were Death Eaters! How the hell could have gotten on the train?!" he asked almost frantically. This whole incident had shaken him quite a bit and he wondered how parents and the ministry of magic would react to this.

@Classpet @SouffleGirl123 @Weird Tales @BlackPanther @Dutchess Sarah

@LordofthePies

Karen was about to respond to Bishop that a stubborn horse was actually comparatively more difficult than learning how to ride a broom when the trait abruptly screeched to a halt. The vehicle began shaking and Karen could only look around, wide-eyed and confused as to what was happening. The lights went dark a the sounds of students screaming pierced the air, accompanied by flashes of light.

She had suspicions on what was going on behind their compartment.

The people that escaped from the prison!

A shiver ran down her spine as she realized that this was a very, very dangerous situation. Her body began shaking in fear as Karen slowly inched away from the door, unable to think of anything else. That was when she caught sight of Bishop, crouched by the door and shaking. He was afraid, but still ready to confront whoever was there to threaten them. It was then Karen realized how despicable she was acting.

Karen pulled out her wand, a red rage building up inside her. How dare she! How dare she cower and hide without so much as trying!

No no no no NO! she roared internally, her ears pumping with blood. She was just so angry with herself right now!

The wand began to issue small sparks from its tips as Karen lost her cool and crouched right next to Bishop. Her eyes blazed and she had stopped shaking. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she readied her wand.

After awhile, things settled down, and it seemed the hijackers had been repelled. Karen settled back down into her seat, agitated, but not shaken - not anymore. She was too angry to be scared.

"Darn it all," she cursed. The incident had embedded itself into her memory - not for the terror it brought with it, but because it had made her feel so spineless, and she found that she absolutely loathed the feeling. "Never again, never again."

She looked up, finally feeling a little calmer. "How are you feeling, Bishop?" she said perfectly collected by now.

Bishop tensed up at the sound of his own name, "I'm fine, do you think the teachers dealt with whatever was going on?" He sat back in his seat but moved away from the window, he clearly thought that it wasn't over yet. Bishop locked his knuckles and looked down at his hands, trying to calm his nerves. He pressed his thumbs together and took in a shaky breath. He wondered if the attack on the train would mess up anything at the school, or that they might be late. Bishop began worrying about the possibility of getting kicked out of Hogwarts before he even set foot in the building.
What if I'm late because of this and then they won't think I'm good enough to be a wizard? What if they think this is all my fault because of my past? Different scenarios went through his head, scaring him even more than the thought of being murdered by a deatheater. Before he knew it, Bishop was shaking all over again. He didn't want to go back to the train yard scrounging for scraps, he didn't want every little thing to remind him of his dead brother, and he especially didn't want to go back to fending for himself.

@TheHangedMan

@Classpet @SouffleGirl123 @Weird Tales @BlackPanther @Dutchess Sarah
Jay watches the others but then freezes getting a bad feeling. He slowly takes out his wand as jewel hisses. he doesn't like this feeling, not at all.
Then, the lights go out. Jay doesn't panic, instead he tries to do a luminous spell. He feels frustration well up as he cant remember how to say it correctly. He takes a deep breath and decides to remain in darkness. He slowly turns to face the doorway and whatever may happen next. Of course, he wasn't expecting what happened. He wasn't expecting a dea theater woman. And he definitly wasn't expecting to be hit with a spell. This causes jewel to react, she coils up hissing loudly her jaws open wide showing large fangs.
And then, it was all over. Jay shakes his head and picks up jewel trying to get her to calm down. Then before to the other side of Brynn seeing if she is okay.

@SouffleGirl123 @Weird Tales @BlackPanther @Dutchess Sarah
Brynn stared at them dumfounded. They weren't dead and they were worried about her. That was it, before she could stop then tears began making their way down her face. The whole experience was just too much to take in all at once.

"you're all alive? She questioned in disbelief. To her it was some sort of mirical that they weren't hurt at all. She wiped her face off with her sweater sleeve, drying her tears before answering anyone. "I'm fine, really," Brynn said though she didn't know if that was entirely true. Aside from being confused and scared she was perfectly alright so it wasn't a lie.

She had no idea what a 'death eater' was but it sounded dumb. Who would think death sounded apatizing and what would they want with magic children. What would they want with her? She was nobody important, she didn't even know anyone important. She didn't even know how they could've gotten on the train or who they, the death eaters, even were.

Watching her friend get dragged off like that, having to watch without being able to interfere, had scared Lavender. She had understood that Magic could be dangerous, when messed with. Her parents had made that abundently clear. But the dangers from those who used Magic to hurt others was something she had not considered before. The thought had frozen her in place, even after McGonnagal had lifted the spell.

Brynn's tears melted the remaining fear away, and Lavender realized that in giving it her all at Hogwarts, she could learn to defend herself and others against these Death Eaters. If anything else, this experience made her more determined to learn to master her powers and overcome her fear of her Magical life. She shook her head, almost as if she was shaking off the remainder of the stunning spell, and put an arm around Brynn's shoulders. "We're all fine, Brynn. Are you sure you are okay?"

Lavender looked at the faces surrounding her and realized she was not the only one who had been shaken up by this experience. "A little shaken up perhaps. It was scary, watching her drag you off like that and not being able to move a muscle. What did they want with you, anyway?" Lavender realised what she had said and blushed. "Oh, Gosh, I didn't mean it to come out like that... It's just that you seem like such a nice, innocent girl, and I can't understand why they targeted you."
She realized she wasn't helping herself and looked at the others for help.

@Classpet @SouffleGirl123 @Weird Tales @BlackPanther

@LordofthePies

Karen closed her eyes to think. In all probability, the danger had now passed. "Yes, I think the teachers have seen to it already." Her pale little face scrunched up as she recalled her earlier failure. Once again, she reminded herself that she would never again let herself be conquered by fear. "I'm sure that we're all . . . safe now."

Her words died down as she caught sight of Bishop, shaking more than ever. He looked frightened, and a panicked look had rooted itself in his eyes. Karen was at a loss for what to do. She had never encountered a situation like this before. It occurred to her that she might comfort him, but she didn't know how. She wasn't used to being the comforter, rather than the comforted. All the same, she would not allow herself to be inactive. Doing the first thing that came into her head, Karen stood up and switched seats, sitting besides Bishop. Once there she paused - her father had done this with her whenever she was sad, but she didn't know if it would help.

She reached out her hand and patted Bishops head silently. Wordlessly, she stared Bishop in the eyes, unwavering and determined, all the while ruffling his hair.

Charlyn Janel Avalon was shaking with her whole body. Only with force she got her teeth to stop banging against each other while her jaw went crazy in fear.

The danger was over. Or so it seemed. The dark wizards and witches seemed to have left and none of them even cared about her.

Charlie took a look at her great horned owl Rascal and he blinked at her. She smiled reassuringly. "We're not afraid. We're fine."

But she was afraid. She didn't even get to school yet and already something dangerous has happened. Her father will explode when he reads that in the daily prophet. He will probably command her to come home right now.

"I hope everything goes smooth now, Rascal. And maybe we can meet some friends. Learn some new things." Besides having still a little fear in her stomach she got excited for the year to start. Most of all, she was excited for the sorting hat to sort her into a house. She's played the moment with several old hats in her room when she was little. It's always been another house depending on her mood.

Charlyn smiled big. Her father told her a lot about the sorting hat because she wouldn't stop asking how things worked. She was so excited to see this famous hat herself.

Once Bishop felt Karen's hand on his head he couldn't help but smile.
"Is it really that obvious?" he asked, still looking down at his hands. "Or is this something you do with all your friends?" Bishop looked at Karen, less panicked but still anxious about God knows what. Veil popped her small head from out of Bishop's pocket, curious as to why he moved around so much. Bishop glanced away and focused his attention to the window, unsure of what else to say that wouldn't make him out to be a fool, although his actions have proved him foolish enough, at least, he thought that they did.

@TheHangedMan

Terrance Neston

When the lights go out, Terrance is just a fraction of a second behind Cal in his own Lumos spell, looking outside through the other side of the door window. He looks just long enough to see the shadowy figures running around before he promptly steps back to the other side of the car, wand raised at the door. He didn't actually think he would be able to stand a chance against a real wizard...but hey, it was all he could really do...and his dad had taught him a shielding spell, so why not? Before long though, he sees a flash of red light through the window and hears someone walking briskly past. "Well, I'll give you one guess as to who might be attacking the Hogwarts Express...right after a related news article...for reasons beyond my comprehension...I do hope they aren't here for rich students' pocket money."

@LordofthePies

"I do not know - I've never had any friends before; you are my first, but it is obvious," confirmed Karen. She saw no reason to be dishonest, for there was nothing wrong with feeling fear. She did not understand its gravity before, but now she did. Fear was not a sin, but Karen knew that giving in to it was, and she was the one who had given in first. "You acted admirably there. You have nothing to be ashamed of." She spoke the truth as she saw it, meaning every word and hoping that Bishop understood that she was not just patronizing him.

Retracting her arm, Karen made her way back to her seat on the opposite side, as calmly as ever. She loosed a deep sigh and rested her head on the compartment walls, feeling drained all of a sudden. Once the fear and anger were gone from her system, she realized just how stressed she was, and how tired that had made her.

Karen yawned "A favor, Bishop. I believe I am tired so . . .please wake me up once we . . . near . . . the castle." She trailed off, succumbing to sleep finally.