For once, I slept without any dreams. It was nice, especially since I'd only gotten about five hours of sleep, due to dormitory mates that stayed up late talking about their vacations. They hadn't seemed to have gotten the hint when I'd sighed loudly and drawn the curtains around my bed. Sure, they blocked out light, but not sound.

Yawning, I stumbled into the girls' bathroom in the dormitory and took a shower, the water finally being what woke me up. I darted back to get ready. Biting my lip, I threw on Muggle clothes for the time being, my usual winter combination of sweater, jeans, boots, plus my encrusting of bracelets on one wrist and a wristlet on the other to minimize any risks. I set my coat aside after checking that my hat, scarf, and gloves were firmly tucked inside a pocket.

Time to pack. I went over and dug in my big trunk, pulling out a messenger bag that was large enough to fit my mini-trunk through the opening. Of course, like the trunk, it was charmed with an extension charm. After first throwing in the trunk, I put in a nondescript pair of black hooded robes to wear over my clothes, as I always did when dealing with shady people. After that, of course, I threw in some more Muggle clothes, as I didn't particularly want to wear these the entire time, along with my money bag. The last thing that I threw in was a bag that normally went to Potions class with me, containing my own personal stock of ingredients. I was taking this because A) I needed to restock, and B) I would be needing to use them.

I slung the bag over my shoulder, pleased when I felt what would amount to a "normal" schoolbag's weight, the charm deceptively hidden in this one by a simple compartment at the top that snapped to the side and held a bound parchment book, along with quill and ink. No one would be the wiser. Tucking my wand into my left boot, I snagged my coat and left.

Heading down to the Common Room, I wasn't surprised to find Alex already waiting there for me. What I didn't see on him was a bag of any kind, although he was wearing robes that would blend in nicely to what we were going to embark on.

"Er, Alex? Did you plan on changing clothes for...15 days? You don't have anything to take with you!" I pointed out, walking over. "I, on the other hand, I said smugly, "I'm ready. Look."

I opened the bag and pulled aside the compartment, you could clearly see my unexpectedly packed bag.

"Just saying, we might want to be prepared. Well, want to grab something and head to the carriages as we eat?"

I flounced out the door of the Common Room and headed toward the Great Hall, where I didn't bother to sit down, just grab some toast, spoon some eggs and sausages between the slices, and wrap it up in a napkin to take with me. I waited for Alex to grab something of his own, then grinned and struck up a nondescript conversation with him as we headed out.

Once we reached the carriages, I patted a thestral on the flank before climbing up into a wagon. It would wait until it was full before taking off, as it usually did. Then off we were on to the station, the Hogwarts Express, and finally to London.