---

Elspeth grimaced as her name was called out across the din. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

"And good morning to you too, Thomas." Always Thomas, never Tom. Despite his attempts at getting closer to her, Elspeths' interactions with him never approached anything past pleasant politeness. Certainly, she had never attempted to be cordial with him. She wondered if it stung his pride, to so obviously attempt an uncharacteristic friendliness, with someone he had no actual intention to be friends with.

She wondered why he kept it up.

Still, she did not dislike him. Far from it, actually. "I look forward to working with you as well. I expect nothing but excellence from you, after all." And it was true; for all that he was an abrasive, unpopular bully among the student population, to her knowledge, he had never under-performed. He was no Jaxon, but few could match him in terms of pure ability - what mattered was that he tried.

Her upperclassman gave a short cough at her words. Apparently, he did not share her sentiment. No matter, his opinion counted for very little, and she ignored him.

They reached their destination shortly after, and after the Head Boy and Girl disseminated their instructions ("You're allowed to dock points from hereon; Don't abuse your power; etc, etc.), the prefects were released and were to begin patrolling the train until they arrived. Before leaving the compartment, Elspeth returned Edith to her box.

"Stay here for now, Edith. I can't carry you around and risk having you scare the first years." The beautiful tarantula for her part, simply stared at her from her burrow, as if understanding her.

Satisfied with her preparations, she made to leave and begin her patrol. Turning to her partner, she nodded. "Well, shall we?"

---

Piper grinned triumphantly at Damian's comment on her bulgers.
”I think I got some ideas on how to outmaneuver those deadly bludgers in out games though, so we’ll see," Jaxon piped up with what seemed like a hint of his usual air of superiority. Piper chuckled at that, muttering a "we'll see indeed" under her breath.

Jaxon only lighted up more at Piper's remark about the duelling club, shrugging and saying: ”You’re only hurting yourself if you don’t. You already spar with some of the best fighters there, if you put the time into it you could be one of those as well. And you can’t even use my excuse of ‘people are scary’ because you’re awesome with new people.”
Now it was Piper's turn to shrug. It's not like he was wrong, he had a point. Piper flashed a lazy grin, taking the constructive compliment. She didn't have time to think of a witty comeback though, as she once more heard her name called, this time by a voice she would recognise anywhere. An instinctive smile tugged at Piper's lips. Halle.
”Piper! Is there room back here?” the pretty Hufflepuff blonde asked as she appeared in the hallway. Piper hadn't realised how much she'd missed her friend, it was only in that moment she realised it.
Damian had fallen back to staring out of the window, but Piper barely noticed.
"Hal!" Piper exclaimed, motioning the girl to get in, face glowing from happiness.
"Did you have a nice summer?" Halle asked Piper all the while she was manouvering her luggage with a handy spell. The girl also greeted the two Ravenclaws sitting in the same compartment, extending the same question to them.
Piper sighed, a little exaggerated, before getting into it:
"You wouldn't believe how boring my summer was. I was so bored I invented a spell that specifically makes your tableware sing a random song off-note when eating ice cream," Piper told while emoting. "That's why I'm super excited to hear all about your summer! What do muggles do during the summer? Please say it's something more interesting than what I've had to endure," Piper all but pleaded. She really had been rather bored. A whole summer in her parents' farm, no friends, tons of magical creatures that all no doubt hated her guts... It had been a nightmare. And that didn't even cover the Ward family reunion they had. It had been - to Piper's endless misfortune - the pinnacle of her whole summer. And that was saying something, given how frustratingly ordinary her relatives were.
”Uh, yea. My summer was pretty good, we spent the break in Australia with my dads family. The beaches were really cool," Jaxon said, making Piper groan.
"See? Even that's way cooler than what I did the entire bloody summer!" the girl exclaimed, slumping in her seat with a fake pout. Barnaby cooed in his cage, confused. Oh, how she'd missed talking to - you know - people that were actually her age.
Then another voice came from the aisle, and a distantly familiar Gryffindor entered their compartment. What was his name again...?
”Oh hey Elliot. I’m amazing, err.. Good? Yea, good. How are you?” Jaxon all but stuttered, suddenly seeming a lot more flustered than seconds ago. Maybe it was just Piper who noticed, though. It could've been just Jaxon being Jaxon; he was really quite socially awkward, not to mention there were already three others to divide his attention.
'Elliot, that's what it was,' Piper thought to herself, relieved she got an indirect answer to her question so soon. A mental thank you to Jaxon for that, no doubt. Giving the Gryffindor an approving nod, as if to say hello, Piper settled back into her seat. Eying all the animal companions in the compartment, she felt a little antsy. It wasn't that she didn't like animals, she did. They just never seemed to like her. And it was all because of that incident that had made Piper so nervous around them in the first place.

Thomas Korevny

Interaction: Elspeth @TheHangedMan

---

Tom gave a short nod. Elspeth always addressed him with the proper formalities, and he typically followed suit. It just seemed to be the nature of things. She wasn't bitter towards him, but Tom did not miss the slight cough from the upperclassman prefect. Tom went quiet, refusing to try and drum up a conversation at that point. He had expected this sort of mistrust, but it didn't make the sting of it in the moment any easier to deal with. Tom shuffled along behind to join the prefects for the meeting.

In a move that surprised certainly most of the people around, Tom actually took the effort to pull out a notebook to take notes. While he was certain he could keep note of everything in his mind, having a written list of his responsibilities acted as a backup plan, for when the accusations of him abusing his powers began flooding in. At least he'd have something to immediately turn to as evidence that he wasn't outside of his boundaries.

Tom was finishing placing the small pocket notebook back into the folds of his robe as soon as the meeting was over. He pulled out a small box to place in his self-refilling quill when Elspeth approached. He gave a nod as his partner approached, stuffing the box into an inner pocket of his uniform as well, giving a flash of a forced smile. "After you, Miss Macbain."

---

"Thank you," said Elspeth as she stepped out. First order of business, expecting the different compartments. They were assigned to patrol the last coach, so that was where she was headed. Naturally, she remained silent on the way there; Elspeth was not in the habit of making small talk, and she had nothing she felt she had to discuss with Thomas at the moment.

Students, particularly the 5th years who were familiar with the both of them, by reputation at the very least, gave them a wide berth, especially after seeing the badges pinned on their chests. People were intimidated by Elspeth and scared of Thomas before, now they for certain doubly so.

Elspeth realized that this, much to her vexation, might hamstring her attempt to widen her social circle this year. She didn't let this show on her face.

Piper listened intently to Halle's summer adventures (or lack thereof). She held Barnaby's cage on her lap, resting her arms on it, chin coming down to rest on her folded forearms. Barnaby chirped inside the cage like he was not a dignified owl but a sparrow, his beak trying to nibble on the hem of Piper's cardigan from between the bars.
"That's cool. My summer was...uh...pretty boring. I can't carry my wand with me, so I just kind of hung around with my parents, visited some relatives, watched the news on the television...you know, the box with the screen that shows a moving image of somebody else? I think I explained that one already," Halle explained while Piper's head bobbed in anticipation. Her face immediately lit up at the mention of something she was familiar with.
"Yes! The tellovision! You told me about that one before," Piper excitedly exclaimed with a self-satisfied look on her face for remembering it. "I wish we had those, instead we just have moving newspapers. And they don't even display sound," Piper huffed, shaking her head. Muggle life sounded so interesting! All the little gadgets and odd customs, Piper really wished she could just visit the Muggle world sometime. Maybe Halle would take her there, someday. A warm feeling enveloped Piper at the thought.
"I kind of wanted to lock myself in my room and try some spells, but I don't want to risk breaking the Ministry of Magic's laws. I'd rather not get expelled... But overall, pretty boring. Not the worst, though. I could think of a lot of ways it could be worse," Halle continued after a brief pause. Piper nodded, getting lost in her thoughts. I suppose it could be a lot worse in many ways. But now Piper got distracted by beginning to think of all those ways it could've been worse. She chuckled, then. Her and Halle's summers hadn't been that different, after all.
"Yeah, it could've been worse. I assume your relatives didn't bombard you with questions of if you had a boyfriend yet. That was my summer at the family reunion, it was the worst," Piper recalled, chin firmly nested on her arms. Evading those questions had been so frustrating, not to mention the way it had seemed to be the only topic of discussion her far relatives had come up with when addressing her. Like, they could've talked about anything else!

Next thing Piper knew, Halle had launched into a ramble directed at the Ravenclaw boy sitting across from them. Piper let out a small huff with a knowing smile on her face. She had a hard time keeping up with the oncoming babble, but she remained unfazed by it, simply enjoying listening to the voice of her friend. The Hufflepuff girl was talking about their upcoming OWLs, a topic which made Piper's stomach turn unpleasantly. She knew she'd have to study her arse off if she wanted to succeed. Not quite the academic genious as her brother had been... is, Piper reminded herself sourly, is, not was - Piper would have to do a lot of studying to please everyone in her life. She just felt so... tired.
Finally Halle finished, probably realising her speed, since her cheeks reddened into an adorable blush. "Sorry," Halle apologised quietly, "I do that a lot." The blonde took a seat then. Piper just smiled at her friend with an understanding look in her eye, mind wandering off as she watched her.
"Ow!" Piper cried out next, sitting up straight and pulling her hands off the cage on her lap. Her finger had been absent-mindedly fondling the bar of Barnaby's cage, and the damned bird had gone and nibbled her finger. Offended, Piper examined her right index finger, which drew a small drop of blood. The messy haired brunette glared at the oblivious bird in the cage. "Not cool, man. Not. Cool," Piper chastised the bird who was now pushing his head against the bars of the cage, trying to nudge Piper to pet him. Clearly, the bite had been a cry for attention.
Holding her hurt finger, Piper sighed and wiped the drop of blood off, going in between the bars to scratch Barnaby under his chin. The owl seemed way too self-satisfied, almost smug that he got the attention he seeked. He leaned into the scratch, giving a small hoot of approval. Piper couldn't bring herself to stay annoyed at the creature because she actually got it; she, too, was in constant seek of attention and validation.
Elliot was greeted into the compartment with Halle's bluster of winning the House Cup this year. Piper snickered at the girl's attempt at boasting, pipng up with a daring comeback: "You wish. Mark my word: I take no enjoyment from it, but I will hit you hard with a Bludger if necessary." Piper wasn't actually sure if she was capable of hurting her friend even if she wanted to, even if victory was at stake. That might've been her biggest downfall. She always put duty above everything else, but with Halle... she didn't seem to know how to.

---

Damian listened in as Halle went on to go talk about her summer to Piper. Damian smiled slightly as she explained what television was to Piper. Believe it or not, there were some things muggles actually did better than wizards. Inventing the television was one of them. Damian agreed with Piper as she spoke of the television and how she wished the magic world had them. Instead, we got stuck with moving newspapers.

Damian's mind began to wander as he petted Jax's cat Sandstorm, the cat started to purr next to him. Looking around at the students that filled the compartment with him, he sighed quietly. They all had been going to the same school as him for 4, going on 5 years now and this was probably the most interaction aside from Jax, that he's ever had with them. He smiled a little though, perhaps this was the start of some great friendships.

Damian had snapped back into reality shortly as Piper went on talking about her family reunion, and how they had been pestering her about a boyfriend. Damian chuckled slightly at that, he knew that feeling all too well as he recalled his mom doing the same thing about a girlfriend. He always shrugged it off though, as he did with most things. Whenever it happens, it happens.

Halle turned her attention towards Damian, addressing his question if she was ready for the school year. "This year? I mean, we have OWLs this year, right? That's cool. But also kind of nerve-wracking. I mean, I totally bombed Potions last year and now I'm kind of worried that I'm going to fail it this year _{and the same thing with Herbology they're tough classes and even the other classes that I did well in will be harder so I don't really know if I'm going to make it next year to move on with my education but overall I'm excited, but a little nervous, but excited."} Damian listened as intently as he could. The Hufflepuff rattled off words, in what seemed like one breath. Dame smiled at Halle, she seemed so bubbly and he envied that trait. Wishing he could harness only 5% of the energy she had, he wouldn't need to take his naps every day.

Halle's cheeks started to turn red in a blush as she realized her rambling ways. _{"sorry, I do that a lot,"} she said quietly as she sat down. Damian chuckled a little, "No need to worry Halle, You're very talented. I've seen you in charms, and you're a natural." Damian scratched his cheek as he continued, "And hey, I bombed potions last year too. So if you ever need someone to bomb with, I'm here for it. We can drown in our disappointment together." Damian gave her a smile as he joked around. Well actually, I bombed more than potions last year. He thought to himself, but she didn't need to know that.

"Ow!" Piper cried out, apparently, she had put her finger in the cage absent-mindedly as she listened in. Damian laughed at that. If he had gotten 1 bronze knut for every time he did that with his Owl Rondo while he zoned out. He would be a very rich man. Piper chastised the bird, "Not cool man, not cool." She was met with the Owl pushing his head against the cage bars, trying to get a pet. After Piper wiped the speck of blood off her finger, she went between the bars to give the Owl as he pleased.

"Anyway, I hope you guys are ready to get crushed in Quidditch this year. We Puffs are taking the House Cup," Halle boasted, "You don't stand a chance." Piper was the first to speak up on the matter, "You wish. Mark my word: I take no enjoyment from it, but I will hit you hard with a Bludger if necessary." Damian once again shuddered at the memory of one of her bludgers hitting his back, "Yeah trust me. You don't wanna get hit by one of those."

---

Damian was going to go on and boast of his own quidditch team, Ravenclaw and their chances of winning the house cup this year. He was interrupted, however, with the start of the train. Damian looked out the window, to spot one of the large clocks overhanging off the side of one of the pillars. 11 O'Clock. Damian thought to himself, time really flew by since he first sat down. All the conversation must have made time fly by. He shrugged, as he looked to the people that filled the compartment with him. "I guess we're off."

The loud train whistle bellowed throughout the platform, looking out of the window Damian watched as all the parents waved their students off. The Hogwarts Express was on the move, once again leaving right at 11 O'Clock without fail. The same destination it made it's way too every year. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a few pleasantries had been exchanged, the group fell into an amicable silence just as the train left the station, something that Lara was beyond happy about but was also causing her already on-edge nerves to have a field day.

Is it alright if I pull out a book? Or would that be rude to read while I'm around them? It would be rude, wouldn't it? I'd basically be telling them not to bother talking to me at all and even though I like the silence, who's to say they like it to? They might hate the silence but not want to say anything about it out of politeness for all that I know! If that's the case, what do I do? If I'm wrong they might be irritated, if I say something stupid they'll think I'm a weird idiot and regret sharing a compartment and on the off chance I'm right and manages not to say anything dumb, they'll want to continue talking and I don't know what to talk about! The weather?

Her thoughts could very much have threatened to continue on like that for the entire trip to Hogwarts, had she not been pulled out of them by a soft mewl from her cat. All nerves forgotten for the moment, she stopped subconsciously wringing her hands, a soft smile crossing her face as she glanced towards Salem.

Looking at her travel-companions, she momentarily threw her doubts away, choosing to prioritize her cat's happiness.

"Would you mind if I, um, is it alright if I let my cat out? I promise t-that he's very well-behaved."

Not too bad...animals are usually a safe topic...right?

Silence, all but the engine of the train causing the compartments to jostle forward. The trip had finally begun. Even though it was obvious all three of the occupants of this compartment had every right to be excited, they all still sat in silence. Brady had scant started to settle into his own peace, before Lara caught his eye. Trying not to be obvious, Brady stole a few looks. It seemed the girl was nervous about something, almost having an internal debate with some hidden other person.

As she spoke, Brady raised his head and smiled at her question, "I wouldn't mind at all." Brady responded, with a soft smile and a firm, yet quiet tone. In truth, he loved cats dearly, and had almost wished he had gotten one. Stone was a good pet, though, and Brady couldn't wait until he got to Hogwarts to see him. Instead of taking him home every year, Brady had arranged a situation for Stone to stay at Hogwarts year round, giving Brady's current living situation.

"What's your cat's name?" Brady spoke up, in his same gentle yet strong tone, looking towards the gentle mewling coming from the carrier. He figured it was the polite thing to ask, and if there was one thing Brady could always enjoy, it was animals. He also figure it'd be a nice bit of conversation that might serve to put Lara at ease. Even to someone like Brady, he could tell Lara was nervous, something he had been all too familiar with. Luckily, he was very good at hiding his own anxiety. Talk to people about what they like. Brady thought, as he smiled down at the beautiful looking feline Lara had brought on the train with her.

Giving Brady a small smile and nod in thanks for his approval, Lara immediately reached over to open the door, beyond eager to let her baby out of his cage, only pausing slightly at Brady's question.

"Salem." She said as she finished up opening the carrier's door. A soft chuckle escaping her as the lazy lug stretched out before meandering over to her and stretching out on her lap. Out like a light. "It's a-a reference to a popular muggle television program, 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch', I'm not sure if you've heard of it..."

And the anxiety is back. Okay, It's okay, just...focus on petting the cat! Yes, I just need to focus on petting the cat and to try not to think about whether or not I just sounded like a total idiot. The cat is safe.

Her fingers running through Salem's soft black fur, she sent Brady another tentative smile, trying not to let her anxiety show.

"D-do you have any pets?"

---

---

---

---

---

Jax was struggling, at first he had been proud of himself for handling the conversation as it was and actually being a contributing member to it. But as more and more people showed up, especially a certain Gryffindor, Jax was getting overwhelmed. He tried to keep up, he really did but he just fell farther and farther behind. He envied Halle who just went on and on with her chatting as if she felt so comfortable talking to relative strangers. He supposed she and Piper were good friends but Jax felt his stomach clench at the idea of going that wild in a compartment full of other ‘strangers’.

He sent a pleading glance to Piper, his go-to ‘social help button’ and then over to Dame who was petting Sandstorm. He couldn’t help but smile softly at his cats antics, the furball pressing her head into Dame’s hand and flopping into a more comfortable position. Halle continued to go on, but did apologize for it and Jax just gave a quick chuckle. ”As they said, nothing to apologize for. I-” he stopped as Piper let out a loud yelp of pain and his head instantly pivoted over to the Slytherin who was admonishing her owl.

HIs face was a mixture of amusement and concern as he watched his friend suck the prick of blood and then give the owl the attention it so desperately wanted. WIth a flick of his wrist Jax had his wand out of its dueling holster and was going to prepare a quick healing charm but then reconsidered, it was just a small prick after all. He shrugged to himself and replaced the wand after polishing some of the white grain wood finish.

He briefly considered the worries of his classmates about their grades and was slightly embarrassed since he never really had to be concerned. He was a picture perfect student, and the classes/tests came extremely easy to the Ravenclaw. Between that, his photographic memory, and talent at using magic he breezed through everything. His main competition for top spot coming from a certain Slytherin whom Jax respected quite a bit. He was curious on where Elspeth ended up on the train and figured he'd see her in class or the first dueling club meeting.

"If anyone needs help with a subject, feel free to ask by the way. I um... Well, I do a lot of tutoring anyway, so you can always jump in!" He tried to spin as a nonchalant thing and also actively tried to reign in his arrogance. It was one thing to be confident and arrogant in ones dueling, chess, or Quidditch. But grades were another thing entirely, and very important for someone's future.

As the conversation swapped back to Quidditch, Jax was at least able to follow along without looking like an imbecile and just chuckled as the two talked about how good their teams were going to be this year. He thought about his own team, and looked over at Dame just as the Keeper was going to speak and then the train whistle. A spark of excitement fluttered through Jax and his smile grew as the train began to slowly move forward. It was time for another year of Hogwarts and if there was -anything- he had learned at the castle over the years, it was that you never knew exactly what was going to happen.

He kept shooting random but quick glances over to Elliot as well, wondering how the Gryffindor was doing with the large assortment of personalities assembled within the compartment. He also briefly wondered on how -he- a social outcast was in such a compartment as well and figured he was getting a headstart on his parents wishes for him to ‘act his age’, ‘make some friends’, and ‘enjoy breaks’. He wasn’t to sure exactly how they expected him to enjoy breaks with the OWLs coming up however and a humorous thought, that he was the only kid that was told to take it easy in their fifth year, crossed his mind.

Brady's soft smile eventually turned into a large grin as Lara went on. It was funny, in a subtle and charming way. "Yeah, I've heard of it." Brady managed back, slightly chuckling. The way Lara interacted and spoke about Salem spoke volumes about her, and bore heavy implications about a love for animals. It was admirable.

"Oh. Yeah. Stone. He's my barn owl. A little bit of a ditz. He stays at the school year round." Brady replied, folding his arms over his chest as he spoke. He missed Stone, a lot. The bird was admittedly a goof-ball of an owl, but it was lovable and maybe Stone all the more adorable. A gentle owl that somehow always managed to make Brady smile.

Some of the tension left Lara as she heard Brady say that he heard of the show before and she filed that information away for later. Most likely it meant that he had at least one muggle in his family, something that is not all that uncommon these days, it also meant that if the conversation somehow went on to television programs, she wouldn't have to spend twenty minutes explaining what a television was, which is in and of itself a very refreshing thought.

When he mentioned his owl though...her heart went out to him. He obviously cared about Stone a lot so to have to leave him alone during the holidays must be awful, heck, she knows that if she had to leave Salem behind...yeah...just the thought didn't sit right with her. Salem started to purr and she increased her petting.

"H-he sounds amazing. I've always wanted an owl, but my dad's a-allergic to feathers," Scratching behind the cat's ear, she gave Brady a smile, "I don't mind though, this lazy guy is enough.

Pretty sure that didn't go too bad...

Feeling triumphant by Damian's agreement, Piper grinned.
"Yeah trust me. You don't wanna get hit by one of those," the Ravenclaw shuddered. Piper stopped petting the very disappointed Barnaby to imitate a small swinging motion with her hands, like she was hitting a Bludger.
"Gee, thanks Piper. Glad to know you got my back," Halle replied with her tongue poking out. Piper settled on giving a cheeky thumbs-up with accompanying brow wiggle.
"Always," she nodded, hands once again finding the edges of Barnaby's cage. This time very careful not to put her fingers between the bars, mind you.
Feeling a gaze boring into her, Piper shot a glance at Jaxon who was currently signaling her something with his look. Piper was an observant girl, sure - one of her more Slytherin-like features - but she wasn't always as intuitive in figuring out nonverbal messages sent. It was this time, however, that Piper didn't need to struggle to figure out what Jaxon was trying to communicate. Giving the boy a nod of encouragement and a discreet thumbs-up, Piper tried to let him know he was doing brilliantly. The social situation might've been a bit burning, if not downright odd: even though Piper knew most of these people, Jaxon couldn't say the same. Maybe Halle's bubbliness was sort of intimidating in its own way, if social situations weren't your forte to begin with. Piper made a mental note to try and nudge Jaxon a bit more, and to include him in conversation. Her own medicine to fear of social situations was just diving headfirst into them, and she believed that in this particular instance it wouldn't hurt Jax either.

The conversations came to a halt when the train gave a small nudge before slowly getting on the move. Piper could hear all the parents' shouts of goodbyes and the steam of the train as it picked up speed. Halle, ever precious, squealed in excitement. Damian gave a shrug and a 'I guess we're off' just as the ever so nostalgic steam whistle blew off, announcing their departure. Piper smiled and leaned back in her seat. She couldn't wait for the sweets cart to reach them, although that would take a while because they were in the back of the train.
Seeming to have build up confidence, Jaxon piped up: "If anyone needs help with a subject, feel free to ask by the way. I um... Well, I do a lot of tutoring anyway, so you can always jump in!" Piper thought he sounded almost his normal self, an air of carefully contained arrogance to him, while trying to sound very casual. It seemed to work, since Halle was the next to talk, bringing up Potions.
Piper herself had always found Potions to be one of the less challenging subjects. Well, in theory, at least. She was quick to learn new potions and everything seemed so easy on the text, but when she actually tried making a solution... they never seemed to agree with her. Her hard studying paid off though, and she was always on the heels of others. It was exhausting to never seem to be quite good enough, but Piper never stopped trying. Maybe someday, she thought to herself with a sad undertone. Maybe someday she'd be simply enough.
It seemed that her years spent in Slytherin had really rubbed on her. She wasn't quite the same, happy, unconditionally kind girl she had once been.
Piper then noticed Gawain had begun to make threatening gestures towards her Barnaby. Surprised by this, Piper glanced at Barnaby. The dumb bird seemed totally oblivious to these threats, his big eyes looking out of the window as the scenery went by. The messy brunette chuckled at this. Poor Gawain, her little Bee was a lousy fighting partner.
"Oh hey, I almost forgot! I got new stones during the summer!" Piper remembered, her face lighting up. She looked at Jaxon who was quite probably familiar with Piper's gem collecting hobby, as she often told him about it when they were duelling. "A red beryl was my favourite of the bunch. They're quite rare, you know, so I was really lucky to get my hands on one," Piper explained with enthusiasm that not many people might share when it came to a subject like this. Piper was a girl of many weird hobbies, anyway.
"Oh, and also? If any of y'all buy a chocolate frog, please consider giving the cards to me. I've almost completed my collection, I'm only missing a few wizards and witches," Piper added.

Elliot

Elliot listened to Jax as he looked around taking notice of the other two faces in the compartment who he'd never really spoken to before. The only times he'd taken notice of them properly was during quidditch games and they were both pretty good from his memory. There were many times that Piper had nearly wiped him out with a bludger during their games against each other, she had a canon of an arm when she smashed it. After Jax finished speaking, Elliot looked back to him and replied, "Yeah I'm all good, no complaints with me! I don't think I'm ready for getting up early for classes after sleeping in late all summer." Elliot let out of an over the top sigh thinking about getting up and then laughed.

Elliot laughed a long with the rest of them when they started to talk about who was going to win in quidditch. He grinned to himself, thinking that he'd be taking the cup back with him for the Gryffindor's. The conversation changed between quidditch and work and Jax mentioned about tutoring people. "Yeah well as long as you help me get through charms again like last year, I'll be happy about that! I would have definitely failed if you didn't force me into getting the work done." He smiled at Jax, always having a soft spot for him ever since he helped him pass charms in the second year and the following years after that.

It didn't take long for the train to start moving and he was glad for it, as he was never one for long journeys just because he started to get bored and wanted to get off after a while. The Slytherin girl, named Piper started to talk about chocolate frogs and wanting to finish off her collection. "Yeah, you can have my cards if you want, I'm in serious need of some chocolate right now but I don't collect them. Hopefully the cart doesn't take too long to come around!" Elliot smiled to her, thinking that this would probably be the longest time he'd spent with a Slytherin in his life. Being a Gryffindor, it seemed to be coded into their DNA to be a naturally mistrustful of Slytherins, but Elliot was always willing to give the someone the benefit of the doubt.

@Cio@Hitman@Daydreamz@Cole

---

Hogsmeade station is a rather quaint little station situated just outside the reaches of Hogwarts Castle. The station has a very old-fashioned look to it, with a few stone buildings making up the entirety of the station. Located a few steps just outside the furthest building is a trail, with self-drawn carriages awaiting the arrival of the students. The carriages carry the students the distance from the station all the way to the Castle, where the orientation ceremony will be held along with a giant feast.

The Hogwarts Express came to a screeching halt after it's 9-hour trek throughout the day. The whistle gave one final blow as students from all seven years filed off the train quickly, eager to begin their studies at Hogwarts. Luggage is left behind, as it will be located in your dorm once you make it there.

Once you make it to Hogwarts, you will be guided towards the great hall where you will seat at your designated house table. Shortly after Headmistress McGonagall will give the orientation speech, followed after by the Sorting Ceremony and Feast.

---

Damian had fallen asleep for the majority of the train ride. A few hours into it and Damian was leaning his head against the window out cold. His slumber however was interuppted as the train came to a stop, and the bustling of students leaving their compartments started to amp up. Damian slowly opened his eyes as he wiped the streak of drool that was coming out of his mouth. He groaned as he felt the stiffness in his neck from leaning in such a awkward position for hours straight. Managing to give his neck a good crack and stretching out as good as he could, he looked around the compartment.

The students that filled the compartment with him started to file out one by one, each with their own quips about finally making it to Hogwarts. Damian was still a little groggy from his sleep, so he let all the other students go in front of him. One by one the people that filled the compartment started to file out, only then did Damian find his way off the train. Finally making his way off the train, Damian gave a soft yawn as he rubbed his eyes. He looked around for a minute, for a familiar face but couldn't find any. Guess they went on ahead.

Damian made his way towards the carriages, hopping onto one of the final ones to depart towards the school. Damian found he was seated with nobody, most of the students had gone ahead and there were few stragglers left behind. Damian sighed as he twiddled with his thumbs, the carriage took off down the trail toward the school.

---

Hogwarts Castle is a large, seven-story high building supported with the help of magic. Throughout the school are many staircases that change throughout the day, along with dungeons and tunnels that lead to many different place through the school. The school had been rebuilt from the battle of Hogwarts years ago, with some new improvements to the school. Along with the many greenhouses outside, Hogwarts also has it's own Quidditch pitch for Quidditch games to be played. Surronded by mountains, a forbidden forest, and a lake the Castle is a sight to behold.

---

The carriage ride had been uneventful for Damian. Being alone on the ride, Damian was left with his thoughts and the wonders of the year to come. The students he met on the train all seemed to be very friendly and great people. Perhaps he would try and associate more with them, and try and actually make friends this year. He shrugged his shoulders, if they were meant to be his friends then they would end up being his friends.

Damian gave out a loud yawn as the carriage pull up towards the school, a short walks distance was between him and his 5th year. Making his way to the giant doors, he creaked them open slowly. Throughout the large hallway you could already hear the echo being made from the Great Hall where all the students already were. Making his way down the hall, and taking one of the branches off towards the noise he approached the Great Hall.

Entering into the room, he looked around as he took a deep breath. Tables were already filled with students talking about their summers and their aspirations for the upcoming year. Damian approached near the front of the table, where the 1st year students were going to sit. Sitting inbetween where the 1st year students were going to be and the rest of the students, he looked around the Ravenclaw table for a second before resting his hand under his chin and eyeing the front of the great hall where all the teachers were sitted. Giving out one last yawn before the start of the ceremonies.

As the train to Hogwarts camp to an end, Hugo was on to his usual antics of fucking around. This time he was drawing rather vulgar words and symbols on a sleeping peer's forehead. His peer- later to be named "Marvin"- next to him chuckling softly. "Shut up you fucking dickwad, before I magic you a new asshole."

"Like you can, fucking sket, bet you get that skill from your mum, innit?" Said the peer.

" Nah, your mom taught that shit to me, she said it would be useful, she taught it to me while she was at the hospital. She had to recover after the complete destruction on her and her room last night. Shot back Hugo, talking clearly. It was obvious that Marvin was a born Brit, and would possibly be a good friend to Hugo.

"Well you-" Marvin said before being cut off by the breaks of the train. This would make him lurch forward as Marvin was on the edge of his seat, wanting to get a closer look at the man. This would be the last thing before the peer would finally wake up, with the sound of Marvin's face being planted on the floor, and the pure laughter exerting from Hugo as that happened, " You're more retarded than that chocolate frog I ate!" Hugo said in between laughs, "And I'm sure that has too many chromosomes than your 'mum', you toilet drinking, jizz eating, dick cheese cutting, neck beard, lookin' ass." Said Hugo, he was grinning ear to ear then.

The student with the ink on his face looked around, "W-what happened?" he said, looking confused and tired from his 'nap'. It was then the two boys had ran out of the compartment, leaving the confused boy to wander what happened. He later will find out that not ONLY did he had his forehead drawn with "Dicksucker" on it, though Hugo ALSO shaved the top of his head in a line, making it look like a reverse mo-hawk.

Marvin pushed his and Hugo's way into the line of students leaving, Marvin being a bulky boy, standing 5'9, and clearly looked like he worked out 24/7. Hugo and Marvin made their way into the fifth or sixth carriage. Looking inside, Hugo squinted his eyes, eyeing the people that had been cursed to be with him in a short time. Oh, how he's going to make this time go for a long time.

Lara practically flew off of the train after it stopped and she exchanged polite goodbyes with both Brady and Miley, only barely managing not to break out into a full blown sprint. Finally, after nine long hours of being cooped up in a small compartment, they were at Hogsmeade station and if she was quick, she might be able to snag a carriage for herself.

Don't get her wrong, Brady and Miley were really nice during the entire trip and she was starting to really enjoy their company, but, well, it took time for her to really feel comfortable around anyone and while she likes them well enough, it was a relief not having to worry about whether or not she was messing up big time and that they'd end up hating her for it...

And, if she managed to snag a carriage before other people got there, it would mean that she'd have a few precious moments with the entire reason that the carriages are able to move at all.

Weaving through the students, she stopped at a still empty carriage near the back, after all, they'll all arrive at Hogwarts in time anyway, so it doesn't really matter whether her carriage leaves first or not, and looked at the gorgeous creature in front of her with awe. I guess you could say she was unique in that regard. Not many witches or wizards would look at the skeletal creatures and be able to see past their spooky and sinister appearance, but how can she do the same when those majestic creatures has such a kind and gentle nature?

"Hey there boy." The thestral looked up at her as she slowly approached him, bending his head slightly down to meet her touch when she gently held out a hand. Stroking it gently, Lara couldn't help the smile crossing her face. "I see that professor Hagrid has been taking good care of you, you're so amazing..."

If she was worried about someone potentially seeing her talking and petting thin air, she didn't show it, after-all, she already had a less than pleasant reputation as a 'teacher's pet', she doesn't have much to lose in that regard...

---

Patrols in their section had gone off without much incident, asides from a few overtly rowdy first years, where Elspeth made sure to impress upon them the mistake of misbehaving in her presence. So with little fanfare, their tenure on the Hogwarts Express ended, and they were off to the carriages. Thomas, naturally, managed in his own way.

She had to guide the second years to the carriages, however, so she was somewhat delayed in boarding her own. She entered the sixth carriage, and was greeted with the sight of a familiar face, and one not so familiar.

"Hello Marvin, behaving yourself I hope?" she stated conversationally. The boys' reputation was not as reviled as Thomas, in most part due to the fact that unlike him, he frequently got caught and punished. His misdemeanors cost them house points, so he was not well loved by Slytherins either.

"'Course I am Macbain, right n' proper," came his even response. Personally, she was disgusted with him, but since he knew better than to antagonize her and involve her in his 'pranks', she took no action. That may change this year - as prefect, she was now held a position of power, and the responsibilities that came with it.

"See to it that doesn't change." He nodded quickly in response, and she turned her attention to the other occupant of the carriage. He looked around their age, but she wasn't familiar with him. "Good day. I'm afraid I don't recognize you? Are you a 4th year?"