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Under the cover of darkness, a team of aurors was dispatched late last night to transport some of the most dangerous and vile inhabitants of Azkaban. These demonic souls were Death Eaters close to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, due for trial and sentencing in the Wizengamot Chambers this coming week. These wretched souls maimed and dismembered the British aurors and disappeared into the wind, no doubt looking for more innocent wizarding children to kill. The Ministry of Magic offered this official statement: "We are using all resources available to use to capture the escaped individuals. Anyone with information should contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement immediately via our Floo Powder tipline. Please exercise reasonable caution until further notice."

For those parents dropping off their children at King's Cross today, perhaps it's time to invest in some anti-dark devices? Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was not available for comment... You would hope that the safety of his students remains the top priority at Hogwarts - rather than tearful pondering of his explicit relationship with the previous Dark Lord!

Know something about the escapees? Send an owl to Rita at the Daily Prophet today!

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"Alright, you're all set luv," Paige's father said with a cheeky grin, ruffling his daughter's hair to her annoyance. Her mother hadn't managed to come to drop her off this year for the Hogwarts Express - with the escaped Death Eaters, the editor of the Daily Prophet had assigned her to apparate around the country, interviewing family members of the murdered aurors. "Don't get into too much trouble, alright?"

"Pfft, since when do I get into trouble?" she replied with a smirk. She took after her father in the troublemaking department - he had practically set a record at Hogwarts for the number of detentions he had served for Gryffindor. "And you've done far worse, Father dearest - or did someone else try to bring the Giant Squid as his date to the Celestial Ball?"

Her father shook his head. "If you're going to get up to mischief, young lady - which I completely do NOT approve of, especially if your mum is asking - at least try not to get caught. The poor school owls are overworked as it is."

"Alright, alright, I swear Dad," Paige giggled, before giving him a hug. The train was going to leave at eleven sharp and she didn't want to be on the platform still when the scarlet steam engine pulled out. A few kids last year had missed the train and it had been awkward to see them come in halfway through the feast. "I'll see you at Christmas," she promised, before climbing onto the train. Her stuff was already in one of the compartments. Turning her head over her shoulder to wave goodbye, her father was gone.

There were about thirty compartments, with Paige occupying the thirteenth one from the front of the train. The first compartment was reserved for the prefects. Shutting the door behind her, she went up to her cat, Hestia, and let her out of her carrier. Paige figured she'd change into her robes later - it was a long journey to reach Hogwarts from King's Cross. "How are you feeling, baby?" she mumbled, scratching Hestia behind her ears.

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The summer had been kind to Mary. Her father had been able to spend a good portion of it with her and the two had even gotten to go on vacation. It had been a lovely two weeks. Coming back had been rough. The news now was almost as bad as it had been in what had felt like forever ago, but really had only been almost three years.

On the platform, Mr. Winthrop pulled her tight and said "My little prefect. Even I didn't get that honor while at Hogwarts." He placed a kiss on the top of her head, something that was significantly difficult for him compared to the year prior. She enjoyed the praise but her cheeks reddened and she squirmed out of his hug. "Sorry darling, I'm just so proud of you."

"I know dad, but I'm fifteen now." He seemed to understand, but looked sad about the whole matter. "Besides I'm looking for the twins. Artemis got prefect too. I want to go on the train with him." Her father raised an eyebrow at her mentioning of the twins, she ignored it. While he couldn't tell the twins apart on sight he did know their differences from the stories Mary had told. Artemis was the Hufflepuff and Mary would excitedly tell him the best dancer at school. Mr. Winthrop didn't say it but he suspected one of the twins would end up being Mary's boyfriend someday. If he did say it Mary would have contradicted him. She didn't like either of them that way.

It was frustratingly close to the time the train would leave. They only had ten minutes. Where were those twins? And Georgina. She didn't want to leave Apollo alone. Mary thought of everyone they were friends with and was quite dismayed that Apollo would only have Georgina to hang out with on the train, but at least he would have her. Even Madalyn was a prefect. Mary kept her eye roll at the thought of Madalyn to herself. There was nothing technically wrong about the older girl...except her choice in friends from Slytherin.

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Georgina had been looking forward to this day since her fourth year at Hogwarts had ended. While she enjoyed her time away, spending time with her mother and other family, plus receiving letters from Artemis (of which she kept them all), she relished the opportunity for another school year of learning. How else was she to follow in her father's footsteps?

As she strolled up to the platform, carrying her luggage, her mother followed quickly. Her mother looked frantic, but she often did whenever she was seeing her daughter off. And even more so when the news of the escaped Death Eaters was sent out in the paper. Her mother may have seen it as dangerous, and Georgina could sympathize, but she saw it was a call to action.

"Do you have everything, love?" her mother asked. Georgina checked. All her bags were there, filled with various magical equipment, school books she picked up from Diagon Alley, and she had her cage in hand with her wonderful owl Remmington, who at the moment was sleeping peacefully. "Yes, mum. I have everything. No need to walk me to the train, I know where it is." But of course her mother would follow her through the wall and right up to the train. She hoped to run into either Artemis, Apollo, or Mary so she could make an excuse and go with them.

"I know, lovey, but once you get older and have a family of your own you'll understand. You're my baby and always will be. After your brother.." her mother began, but Georgina could tell as soon as she said the word 'brother' that the tears threatened to fall. It hadn't been a while since her brother left the magical world to join the Muggles in America, but the pain was still there. He never sent letters, never sent word he was all right, so her mother stayed awake many a night, worrying about her children, especially after her father was killed.

So if she had to grin and bear this embarrassment, she would do so.

She passed through the wall and scanned the scores of people there. The train was set to leave soon, but her eye caught Mary. She quickly ran over to her with a smile. "Mary, how are you?" She wrapped the girl in a hug before letting her go. "Hello Mr. Winthrop. Nice to see you again." Georgina's mother managed to catch up. "Goodness, warn me next time you want to run off with your mates. Hello Mary dear." She gave Mr. Winthrop a knowing nod and smile. They had done this dance before.

"Have you seen the twins? We need to get moving soon."

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Today was the day! The day his parents―he knew Apollo was looking forward to today because Hogwarts, you know?―were probably looking forward to after the entire summer of random screams and bursts of excitement when the bubbling anticipation became far too much for him to hold inside. The moment they’d set foot off the train after last year, the anticipation of another year learning magic kicked in. He was of course just as excited to see his parents. He’d definitely missed them despite the letters he tried to send home at least once a month but he couldn’t deny that when he jumped off the train and barreled into them, it wasn’t just the excitement of seeing them again and he felt a bit guilty about that. But who in the entirety of Britain wouldn’t look forward to magic? It was literally a dream come true for him!

And sometimes, Arty couldn’t help but pinch himself. Even five years later and the end of the perpetual terror of He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Name’s reign, he got the horrible feeling that none of this was actually real. That he’d wake up strapped in at some snake pit and totally mental. He wasn’t sure he could handle the shock. He’s imagined this more than once. He’d talked about it more than once with Apollo. He’d determined that at best, there would be waterworks. At worst, he’d unhinged even more. Probably completely if he wasn’t already.

Sometimes in the first years, after the Sorting and when the sound of sleep was the only thing breaking the stillness, he wished his fear was real.

But he was over that. They’d made great friends. They’d learned magic. He made Prefect! Him, Arty Harrington, a prefect. When he got the letter, he’d bolted with the letter raised high and waving it in everyone’s face but was off again before they could read it. It was like when Mr. Hopkinson told them they weren’t in fact inase but minus jumping over the fainting sibling. He’d admit, he was annoying but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He was excited and proud and everything in between! He wasn’t one to bottle the happy stuff and this fell hard into the happy stuff category.

Arty’s feel barely touched the ground as they passed through 9 ¾, snickering as he bumped into Apollo’s cart. The family took up their passing positions: ever since the first year when Mum stopped in the middle of the wall, or tried to, Dad wrapped his arm around her waist and then twins followed on their heels. She laughed about it and promised not to do it again but they all recognized that look. It was a threat.

“I’ll never get used to that. I mean, it’s right odd. Hiding a platform behind a not-wall? I absolutely love it!” Olivia gave the wall a lingering look but Arty was off the moment the platform appeared and the cacophony of the crowd washed over them. One hand on the trolley ladened with school supplies, another firmly wrapped around his brother’s arm, and he was dragging Apollo as well as he could. Where were the girls? They only had so much time and they had to find them. He didn’t want Apollo feeling lonely on the train since they wouldn’t be sitting together this year and he definitely didn't want to show up to the Prefect’s compartment without Mary. He looked and looked and looked, weaving through people and barely avoiding hitting them until…

Jackpot.

“Hold this, thanks!” Arty shouted cheerfully abandoned his cart with Apollo, bounding forward until he all but jumped on them, pulling them both in for a hug. “My favorite people! Are totally we excited? I’m totally excited!” He kept his arms around their shoulders, offering a wave and a grin at their respective parents. “Okay, we gotta move! Trains leaving in a few minutes and right here, right now I’m calling bagsy on a window seat, Mary. This year is gonna be totally ace!”

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To say that Zelda was not too thrilled that her sister was the one taking her to the platform was an understatement. Sure, it over all was quicker to just side-along apparate to King's Cross, but she actually would have preferred her parents to be the ones to take her. Of course, her parents were busy with their jobs, as always, off trying to catch to catch Death Eaters as always. Though she swore that her father tended to go off and about after Death Eaters in an attempt to find her grandfather. Her family life was way too complicated sometimes. However, she looked over at her sister with a bit of a huffy breath. "You didn't have to come along with me you know..."

"Of course I did," April said, shaking her head. She worked in the Department of Mysteries as an Unspeakable and had taken the day off, just so that way she could take her baby sister to King's Cross. "You're my baby sister and it's a big day - you get to start studying for your N.E.W.T.s!" Pulling out her wand, April cast a non-verbal spell, levitating Zelda's trunks up into the air. "Which compartment do you want me to stow these in? Oh and I'm going to come to all of your matches this year, I've already got the time off approved by Mr. Billingsley."

She rolled her eyes slightly at her sister. This was completely ridiculous in her mind, especially considering the fact that her sister was a crazy chatterbox and never seemed to understand the meaning of the words shut up. "Uh, no you didn't... And it doesn't really matter where they go or whatever I don't think..." she was more then willing to just take off to meet up with Paige. It was just was a matter of time before she popped into her feline form or something and took off with Goose to go run up and meet her.

"Don't you have some friends you want to meet up with? We can put your stuff with theirs. If not, grab your robes out so you can change into them before the feast. I doubt you want to deal with Professor Snape staring at you with that death glare of his," April commented, a bit giddy to see the scarlet steam engine. "I'm jealous of you. You're going to have so much fun!"

"I was gonna see about meeting up with Paige or whatever... And why are you jealous of me? You've already been to Hogwarts!" she responded with a bit of an eye roll at her.

"You get to take interesting classes - you're starting alchemy now, right? Those lessons are a symphony of knowledge, my heart is beating a little faster just thinking about the first time I turned lead into gold. And you have the Celestial Ball this year, which means beautiful dresses and music and just getting to spend time with your friends without a care in the world!" April gushed. "They don't have events where you can get away with wearing ball gowns in the real world."

"You seem more excited for my school year than I am April. Seriously... Little bit ridiculous don't you think?"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" April pulled a camera out of her purse, Zelda's school things still levitating off to the side. "Smile, please? It's for Mum, she begged me to take a back to school photo of you. Try not to look too grody."

"Ugh, you are so lame!" she said, not really smiling or frowning, more of just somewhat glaring at the camera her sister had pulled out.

April took the photo anyways. "I'll develop that later," she said, not wanting to push her sister too much to smile or the glare would just worsen more. "Do you have everything you need? Need me to pop off real quick to Diagon and grab you something? Does Goose have food? Please don't hunt for him, it can't be sanitary for you to kill mice and drag them for your cat..."

"Goose hunts all on his own, and he has food you know!" she protested, looking at the cat that was with them. Sometimes she envied the cat, and that probably was part of the reason why she became an Animagus who could turn into a cat. Life seemed so much simpler when you could just sleep two thirds of your life away.

"Okay, okay, I love you - have a good time at school and don't forget to write each week or Mum'll go nuts and you know Dad, he'll show up at school and demand proof of life."

"...The sad thing is that you are probably right about that one..."

April gave Zelda a tight hug. "And if you choose to drink this year, be careful, okay? Don't let them put love potion into your drink," she said seriously. She waved her wand and Zelda's belongings glided onto the train and were stowed away carefully. "I'll see you soon," she promised, before there was a crack and April had vanished.

"Honestly... So annoying..." she muttered under her breath, before she looked down at her cat. "Come on Goose, let's go find Paige," she said with a smile, before she took off, and suddenly her body shifted so that she was racing along and jumped into the train as a cat with Goose right behind her. It didn't take long, but eventually she came to compartment, and was a little bit annoyed. She instantly shifted back with Goose at her heels, and she opened up the door.

"Hey there Paige, what's up?" she said with a smile as she entered the compartment with her cat, shutting the door behind her.

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It was finally here! They're fifth year at Hogwarts was rapidly approaching and Apollo couldn't help but be excited. As much as he loved his brother, and he did love him ever so dearly, he couldn't wait for the time alone. Being pent up with him all summer, his energy practically vibrating through him, made Apollo all the more happy he learned how to controll that gift of his; his legilimency. If he had to listen to Artemis in both real time and the thought process then chances were he'd have lost the plot earlier on. His twin could hardly ever contain his energy for anything, and it was a wonder how he managed to focus long enough in classes. Then again, Apollo would get to enraptured in lessons that it was as if no time had passed at all and he was sure that's what had happened to Artemis.

Their summer together as a family was amazing, and theyd gotten so many more vinyls to take back to school this year so that he could share with Mary and the others. It was already looking to be a start to a great year! Before going off Apollo check to make sure he had everything, patting himself down as he recited the items on his person ending with his tarot deck that was nestled inside a leather pouch strapped to him. As he felt the cards shift slightly, he too began to radiate with excitement thinking of all the new spells that he would learn and all the other divination techniques that he could acquire this year. Apollo didn't care that the other students thought it was a joke, he full heartedly believed in the art and had spent all break researching more ways to utilize it via muggle means.

Just as Apollo was about to wave his parents goodbye, Artemis began to pull the pair towards the platform leaving Apollo only able to shrug and wave at them as he made his way with his brother. Every year he would make it through that column and every year he winced as he passed through, never knowing if it might fail and have him go careening down like a buffoon. This year was no different and they passed with ease as Arty immediately began to search for their friends, Apollo using his right hand to check his pocket watch and note the time. If they dallied any longer theyd miss the train. Just as he was about to place his watch back he felt Arty leave his arm and watched in horror as he abandoned his cart too. He swiftly pulled out his wand and cast a spell towards the runaway cart, leaving his watch to dangle by the chain. "Locomotor" the charm clung onto it as he used the spell to help direct the cart and find his way back to his twin.

Apollo motioned for the cart to stop at Arties side as he placed his wanted hand on his hip and gave the twin a knowing glare. "Maybe you could call bagsy on your trolly before you pop off eh?" The tone was teasing enough, but really, he should be more careful. "Mary, Georgina, it's so rad to see you again. How was the holiday?" His tone had shifted slightly to a more polite and excited one. "I'm sure you can give me the 411 on the ride there but for now its probably best that we book it before the train does. Besides we don't wanna get stuck in a cart with you-know-who." With that Apollo had removed Nonnie from atop the luggage and motioned for Scamander to stand by his side as he gave a flick of his wand. The luggage began to levitate and move just before they trembled and fell to the floor in a clatter. "Heh, perhaps it best if we just carry these in ourselves I suppose."

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Madalyne stood next to her cousin and gave him a friendly smile, he was a year younger than herself she looked over at her aunt and uncle who were there with her. "Your mother would have been so proud of you." Her aunt said, as Madalyne smiled she really did miss her parents letting out a slight sigh wishing that they were there to take her to. Madalyne walked over and gave the two of them a loving hug, she was glad that they were the ones who took her in the first place. "I love you guys, and i'll send you mail whenever I can." She said to them, as she looked over her things, seeing that she had all of her school supplies on the trolley.

"Be safe okay, and don't get into any trouble, I don't want you to get hurt." Madalyne's uncle said, and the recent news with the escaped Death Eaters was also pretty scary to hear as well. But Madalyne knew that they would be safe while they were on the school grounds. Her cousin hugged his parents before making his way through to Platform 9 3/4, she did the same thing and waved goodbye to her aunt and uncle before coming through the other end.

She stopped when she heard some stuff falling as she looked to see where the sound had came from seeing Georgina, Artemis, Apollo and Mary there. Madalyne didn't really care much for Mary at the moment since the girl hated her for whatever reason, she approached them giving them a smile. "Looks like you are a little rusty there Apollo." Madalyne said teasingly as she gave them all a hug, except for Mary she just gave her a slight nod.

"I'll see some of you in the Prefect compartment then, don't want to be late at all either unless you all want to walk all the way to Hogwarts." Madalyne said as someone went to grab her things and set them onto the train, though Madalyne quickly grabbed her crate as well as her bag containing some of her books as well as her chess set, and quickly climbed up onto the train. Madalyne eventually found a spot and sat down, setting her things down on the ground but took Felix out of his crate who immediately jumped up onto her stretching himself out over her shoulders which made her smile as she started to pet her cat and rubbed under his chin.

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Fae pushed her cart of luggage into King's Cross Station alone, not escorted by either of her parents. The luggage was relatively light, with a small trunk, her broom, and Dickhead perched up on the top of it all. She preferred going in alone. Her father had once tried to escort her to the Hogwarts Express her first year, but started crying in the terminal, which caused Fae to begin crying as well. The Mintfrees, Fae and her father especially, had never liked it to be known that they had emotions past anger and delight, and, as such, Fae's father never tried dropping her off at the station again. Instead, they opted to say their goodbyes before she left home. In years past, much to her dismay, Fae's mother had chaperoned her in getting to the train on time and with all of her things. This year, however, Fae had convinced the woman to let her go alone. Or at least, she'd thought she'd convinced her, until she saw her familiar stern face waiting near the entrance to Platform 9 3/4. The woman looked older than she was, her face covered in stress-induced wrinkles from years of worrying, and her dark brown hair, pulled back into a tight bun, was decorated with various streaks of gray.

"Mum? What are you doing here? I thought you said-" the girl began, before her mother held up Fae's wand, silencing her. The thing was a crooked mess that looked like someone simply polished a stick they found on the ground, which Fae had always found fitting given her inaptitude for casting. She winced slightly upon seeing it, a small bit of embarrassment present on her face.

"You forgot this," her mother said. Fae stopped the motion of her cart, quickly walking in front of it to grab the wand out of her mother's hand.

"Right, that's...that's probably important," she said, sliding it into the inside of her leather jacket. Her mother's cold eyes became less piercing then, instead becoming more fretful and disheartened. Her shoulders dropped slightly as she let out a sigh.

"Fae, you're almost an adult. You need to start learning what that means. The responsibilities, and the planning for your future," Miss Mintfree said, though as she spoke, Fae seemed to pay little attention, instead walking back to the other side of her cart. The two had had this conversation numerous times over the course of the summer. Fae had told her too many times that she knew exactly what she was going to do: she was going to join the Harpies! But her mother never listened, always brushing it off as a pipe dream. So she'd stopped trying to reason with her mother. Instead of responding, Fae pushed her cart straight at the older woman, causing her to step out of the way as Fae ran through the wall, coming out on the Platform. She was immediately met by a number of familiar faces, which caused a smile to come back to her face.

Through the crowd, Fae caught sight of Madalyne. Well, she caught sight of Madalyne's hair first. Despite being a brunette, the girl's hair had a certain characteristic, with the way it curled and such, that allowed Fae to pick it out of a crowd. Her smile spread wider, and she pushed her cart through the groups of children standing outside the train. She managed to get to where the girl had been standing, in front of Mary and the Twins™️, just in time to see her enter the train. Her smile fell to a small smirk.

"Haven't seen her all summer, and she doesn't even wait around for me?" Fae complained to the trio, though her tone sounded less annoyed and more amused, making it clear that there was no actual ill will. "One fancy title and I'm chopped liver. Here I thought the bond between beaters was unbreakable. Silly me," she then pushed her cart a few feet forward, before stopping, her eyes going to Mary, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Oi, Winthrop, your a Prefect, yeah? Do me a favor and give Maddy a little shit for leavin' me in the dust when you get to your little VIP compartment. Make her think I'm all torn up about it. Thanks, I owe you one," she said, not even waiting for the girl to agree to her small-scale scheme to start the year off as she pushed her cart away from the three, leaving the three of them behind her. She hoisted her things off the cart they’d been placed on, not struggling with her few items. She walked through the train, eventually nestling herself in an empty compartment, stowing her things and setting Dickhead in the seat across from her own. Once she had her things all put away, she settled down in her seat, staring at her bird with nothing but contempt in her eyes, and the bird returning with an equal amount of contempt.

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As the clock strikes eleven and not a moment before, the train's horn sounded off three times. Anyone who was going to get on the scarlet steam engine needed to do so now - otherwise, they'd have to find other transportation back to Hogwarts. (Strictly speaking, this most likely would be side along apparition to Hogsmeade village - and most definitely not taking an enchanted, flying muggle car). Students wave cheerful goodbyes to their families from the windows as the train pulls away, beginning the lengthy journey to Hogwarts.

The trolley witch was currently busy readying her cart of sweets, having dropped off a few in advance to the conductor. Most of the sweets are purchased during her first pass through, though some students may have brought food from home to eat.

In compartment 1, the Head Girl and Head Boy were waiting for all of the prefects to arrive. Penny Haywood was seated directly next to the compartment door. They had a rather simple talk to give - more or less outlining the basic expectations of prefects, which the heads of houses would elaborate on more later. Once that speech was finished, everyone would be free to go mingle in any compartment they desired, but usually the prefects tended to stay in compartment 1.

In compartment 15, Andre Egwu was running an Exploding Snap tournament. The players were mostly Ravenclaws, with a few Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors as well. Barnaby Lee was the only Slytherin participating, a miniature owl perched on his shoulder.

In compartment 21, Bill and Charlie Weasley were chatting about life at Hogwarts with Nymphadora Tonks.

In compartment 27, Merula Snyde was hanging out with the remnants of her gang. They weren't nearly as numerous as they had been in previous years, but they were still a formidable force of bullying across Hogwarts.

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Paige glanced up from Hestia, ceasing scratching the black cat behind the ears. "Raww!" Hestia protested, before jumping down from her seat and going up to Zelda, purring as she rubbed herself up against her feet. Hestia more or less ignored Goose, wanting all of the attention for herself. "Take a chill pill, Hessie. Zelds will be around all year to pet you," Paige chastised her cat, shaking her head slightly. "You'd think no one pet you, like, ever." She then got up from her seat and gave her best friend a hug. She had written Zelda over the summer and had even managed to visit her once or twice, taking the Knight Bus to London.

The train started to move, Platform 9 3/4 rapidly disappearing from view. It was a gorgeous train ride from London to Hogwarts, although it always struck Paige as at least mildly unneeded. There were so many faster ways to get to Hogwarts than train. She could have had her dad apparate her there in seconds, but at least the train ride meant time to spend with her best friend. She was in deep denial about Zelda only having two more years of school. Paige had no idea what she was going to do without her. "Eh, not too much. Y'know, the usual sort of things. Making sure Hestia doesn't jump off the train after a rat."

"What about you? I heard your sister had to drop you off - I still want to know what her damage is, she sounds insaaaane."

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"Hello, Mrs. Locke." Mary brightly greeted Georgina's Mother before giving Georgina a hug. "Not yet-" She started to say when she was semi-tackled by Artie. Mary laughed and turned the hug into a little bit of a dance jig. Her father seemed to mentally share a look with himself. Now that her little group was all there she was ready to get on the train.
"Summer was banging. Father and I went to the beach." She responded to Apollo. "We stayed in a nice little cottage some family member of ours owned and had lent us. It was very kind and a fantabulous couple of weeks."

Of course, Madalyne had to say her hellos. Mary shared a nod with her. Their relationship would only ever be tense. A part of Mary just couldn't trust Madalyne. And now she was reminded that Madalyne was a prefect too. She was going to have to work with her. Mary kept control of her face and the groan that threatened to escape her at the thought. Mary wanted to remind Madalyne that Apollo was muggleborn so he certainly wouldn't have been able to do magic at home, but she kept her mouth shut about it. Blessedly Madalyne was gone and even better replaced by Mintfree.

Mary smiled brightly at Fae, "How did you know I made prefect?" Mary asked, her father laughed and asked: "oh you didn't post it in the Daily Prophet?" Mary shot her father a glare at the joke. She wasn't certain if she would actually rib Madalyne about not waiting for Fae. She was a bit concerned it might make their relationship even tenser. But she flushed a little when Mintfree said she would owe her one. Mary was nodding and watching Mintfree leave so she didn't see her dad's dawning realization cross his face.

"Right train." Mary said snapping out of it. "Love you dad, gotta book." She said giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll catch up with you two later." She said to Apollo and Georgina and dragging her luggage, bird and all, into the train. Then made her way to Compartment one, she waited for Artie to catch up with her before entering.

Opening the door she smiled at Penny and took a seat near her after shoving her luggage in an open spot. She held onto on her owl though. The thought to tease Madalyne crossed her mind and she decided against it. For now.

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It was that time of year once again, where school was starting and life was about to get considerably better and more interesting. Summers were always the worst for Elizabeth, being relegated back to the Muggle world, unable to share a peep of what she'd spent the last year of her life doing. Her orphanage wasn't as bad as it could be, but it always felt odd going back there. She wasn't about to be adopted by a muggle couple, especially at her age, and she never had the chance to keep any kind of bonds with her housemates, since she was only around for two months, and people came and went between her long absences. So, after a very boring summer, Elizabeth was ecstatic to be arriving at Kings Cross for the sixth time now.

"Of course I'm running late, hell of a way to start of the year." Elizabeth muttered to herself, hurrying through the station, looking for the station between stations that would take her where she needed to go. She had a trolley in tow, and she barely managed to dodge between muggles in her way. Her cat, , was not happy about the arrangement, loudly meowing from the carrying case he was trapped in. Hurriedly, she smashed her way through the dividing wall between Platforms 9 and 10, coming through to the blaring of the trains horn. Before long, she'd managed to slip herself onto the train, taking a haggard breath and a cough as she calmed herself down. She had a priority now, and it was to find her friend. Thankfully, the universe decided to be kind to her, and she saw Fae settled on her own. Shoving her way into the room, she unceremoniously started unloading her stuff. "Bloody train thinks it can leave without me." She started, without saying hello. "Fuckin' showed it I did, nobody abandons Elizabeth Flame." She shot a grin over to Fae, and, as she rested down on seat across from her, she laughed, "That'd make this year too easy for ya', wouldn't it?"

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“Look at this sibling! Coming in clutch!” Arty beamed as his trolley rolled to a neat stop next to him, still laughing as he spun a few steps with Mary. That was another thing he was looking forward to. His muggle friends didn’t mind dancing but none of them ever wanted to spontaneously boogie like he did at Hogwarts. It was football this, football that, and they always looked at him oddly when he didn’t know the newest songs and TV shows. Arty didn’t mind the occasion jog down the pitch but when Quidditch was an option, muggle sports utterly boring. He whirled out of Mary’s steps to wrap his best friend up in another hug when the clattering of his luggage hitting the floor made him jump and turn on his brother, horror written across his face. “What’s your dama- Oh, you have Nonnie! Aw, baby come here!” He cooed at his cat in her carrier, taking her from his brother with a reassuring clap in the arm. “Don’t worry, Apollo. Its common to have performance problems.” He snickered as he picked up his scattered luggage. He gave his parents a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before he bolted after Mary.

“Georgina, Apollo we’ll be back. Can’t be skipping on the first year!” Arty said to them. “Send me a Patronus once you pick a compartment so we can find you without looking more legless than we need two!” He bounced off down the train, excitedly waving and greeting at anyone he passed. His wave may have been a little less excited around the Slytherins but as long as they weren’t part of her little group, it should all be peaches! He hooked his arm in Mary’s as he caught up with her, throwing the compartment door open, and immediately dove for a window seat. “Penny! I’m so chuffed! Prefect buddies!” He beamed at the other hufflepuff and he looked around, waving at Madalyne. “This year is going to be totally happen’en! Look at this rad group we got here!” Arty turned to Penny as she spoke and nodded. “Oh, she’s old enough to attend! If she’s as awesome as her older sister, she’ll totally be a hufflepuff! Gosh, it totally slipped my mind she was coming with the prefect letter. We should have put her with Gerogina and Apollo. I don’t know two better mates to hype up all the fun of school! How excited is she? I can only imagine she's absolutely bonkers right now!”

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Zelda chuckled slightly at Paige's cat, before she lowered her hand and pet Hestia. "Your cat is clearly a drama queen Paige, maybe she shouldn't get so many pets or something?" she said with a laugh as she sat down across from her, patting her lap slightly and Goose jumped up onto her lap and rolled over. The cat more or less shot a glare at Hestia, before he settled down purring, rubbing up against her. It was very clear that the cat was saying This is my person you have your own! Zelda just rolled her eyes slightly as she started scratching the cat behind the ears as she contemplated how best to answer Paige's question.

"If I am going to be perfectly honest, beyond insane. She's apparently already asked for the days of every single Quidditch match I'm playing in off so she can go watch! Then she started going on a bit of a ramble how she wishes she was in my shoes wanting to go back to school blah blah blah. She needs to not but her head into everything that I'm doing or whatever, it gets annoying. I wish for once that my parents could have dropped me off or whatever, but they are off dealing with escaped Death Eaters or whatever... Constantly off some place else for their job, so half the time I had to deal with a certain chatterbox during the summer for the most part... Honestly April needs to learn when to shut her mouth if you ask me..."

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Georgie received the love from all around her, filling her with a sense of pride. She had managed to find a group of friends she connected with and supported her as she did them. She saw others move along to the train, one such person was Madalyne who walked over to them. Georgie accepted the hug, but her eyes darted over to Mary, who she knew had a tense relationship with Maddie. Even Georgie was skeptical, knowing her friendship with Paige, but Madalyne seemed cool. She'd see Paige for who she truly was eventually.

Someone called over to Mary and it was Fae, the beater for the Gryffindor team. It seemed relationships were tense and she was thankful for when the train whistle sounded. She gave her mom one last hug. "I'll see you mum." Her mother fought tears back, as she always did. "Be good love. Have a wonderful year. That goes for all you," she called out to the others and she stood back. Georgie picked up her luggage and the cage that held Remmington, who hooted politely. "Ready Remmy? Let's get going!" She followed the many other children as she got her luggage up and entered the compartments.

The prefects would be in 1 so she, followed by Apollo, walked a bit further along until they got to compartment 3. She entered and set Remmy's cage on the seat. She sat down, almost bouncing. "I'm just so psyched for this year, like, beyond it. We're so close to the end of it, but still, have much to learn. Oh let me let them know what compartment we are in." She stood up and pulled her wand out. Flicking it and saying "Expecto Patronum!" Nothing happened. She tried again, "Expecto Patronum!". A whisp came out, barely anything. Frustrated, she did it one last time. "Expecto Patronum!" Finally, a form appeared. It was dim, but it was her Patronus, a Siberian Husky. She knew the spell was difficult, but that took a bit too long. She would need to practice. "Finally. Ok, let Mary and Artie know we are in compartment 3 waiting for them." She sent her patronus off with the message and resumed her seat. "So, what are you most excited for this year Apollo?"

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Apollo wrung his hands around his wand for a moment as he heard Madalyne call out how rusty he was. "Yeah, it's totally bogus that I'm not allowed to practice magic on break. Such a disadvantage" Just as quickly as her cheeky comment had come so to did she already leave, off to the prefect cabin it seemed. It's true though, his casting was off, both spells so far either barely worked or just failed all together. He needed to practice more and perhaps the fall of you-know-who along with the incarceration of Death Eaters made him a bit lazy. His thoughts were disrupted by the loud and familiar voice of his brother worrying too much about nothing. Really, did Artemis actually think he would attempt a spell with a living creature? He ignored his twins jab at him as he listened to Mary talk about their holiday while he picked up his luggage. "Sounds like a real delight, we'll have a proper chin wag later when you've been briefed about your duties."

As Georgina lead the way into their cabin, he began to set his cases above the seats, allowing Scamander to roam the floor of the cabin freely. Georginas excitement was contagious, really everyones was. He watched in delight as she began to produce a Patronous, sure it wasn't perfect but it was a right bit better than most others could do. Her question clung to him however, what was he most excited for this year. As he thought about it he opened up his leather pouch pulling out his tarot covered in a black silk cloth with silver sun motifs embroidered across. The question continued to look in his mind as he asked the cards about the year ahead, shuffling them before finally holding the deck in his right hand and drawing with his left. "Well that's easy, being with you guys and learning as much as I can. That and hopefully beating Slytherin for house cup this year."

As he spoke he had laid out three cards face down. His left hand flipped the first card as he spoke, his eyes glancing at the image that was revealed. A man sitting upright in bed with nine silver swords strewn on the wall behind him, his hands clasped before his face as if sobbing. This card represented the past, and it did so so accurately. Even now he was letting his mind think about the previous reign and this card reminded him that there was one before that too. His hand glided over towards the next card and he revealed the image of a sunny day with a moon hidden inside. Two dogs barked up at the moon with an expansive field behind them. This showed him having to make a choice with potentially blind consequences, something loomed over his present that he couldnt see and it worried him slightly. His final card was upside down, though its meaning remained virtually the same. A skeletal man clad in black armor riding a white horse. A corpse lay at his feet as someone appeared to be begging at him. A drastic change was about to appear this year, and it would be one that he wouldn't handle well. Someone close to him may be in peril, but why?

Apollo held onto that hard, staring at it as if its meaning might change. His eyes peered above it and met Georginas with trepidation lining his voice. "Georgina, did something happen while we were gone? Artie and I don't get the prophet when we leave for the muggle word so I'm a bit behind on news I'm embarrassed to say." Apollo wrapped his cards back up and placed them inside the holster once more as he awaited an answer.

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Madalyne leaned back in her seat while Felix was completely content with sleeping on her shoulders, taking a moment she looked over towards Penny and smiled towards her. "How was your summer Penny?" Madalyne asked, she saw Mary again and gave her a slight smile though she didn't say anything to her right now. Mary rarely ever did anyway as well, and then a few seconds later Artemis came into the compartment as well.

Always having a lot of energy, she remembered him nearly destroying her chess set if it wasn't for Apollo during their first year. "I think it's going to be a really interesting year." Madalyne said towards him Madalyne made note that she should go in and check on Fae, she hadn't seen her best friend all summer either also Bill she knew that his brother was coming to Hogwarts for the first time this year as well.

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The glaring contest between Fae and her bird was put to an end when the compartment’s door was slid open. Fae popped her head up, causing Dickhead the Owl to let out a victorious squawk, and there she saw the most mischievous of her friends standing in the doorway. An impish grin spread across Fae's lips as the girl dealt with her things. If Fae was a bigger believer in destiny, she might've taken the fact that she'd be starting her year off with Flame as foreshadowing to how her year to come would go, but she wasn't. Instead, she saw what she knew would be her entertainment this train ride.

"You're tellin' me all those Galleons I gave the conductor to leave early was for nothing?" Fae asked, faux disappointment present in her voice. It was a joke, of course. She never carried Galleons with her. Hell, she wasn't sure the last time she even held more than one Galleon. As soon as she was done talking, she let the fake dismay drop, lifting her foot and using it to gently push her bird's cage to the side to make room for Flame. The bird responded with a high-pitched screech of annoyance that, despite its key, managed to sound like an old woman who'd smoked excessively her whole life. "Honestly though, I'm not sure I could get through this year without your lovely mug to help stir shite up, what with all my other mates goin' and becomin' prefects. Even Maddy! Fuckin' A man!" she vented, though, despite her words, she wasn't all that upset. She knew that having prefect friends, with her record being what it was, would have more benefits than downsides.

As soon as Flame sat down, Fae stood up. "Oi, I saw some Ravenclaws playing Exploding Snap on my way in. I'm feeling a bit like watching some nerds blow themselves up." While it wasn't phrased like an invitation, that was definitely the tone. An unspoken, 'want to come with?' went along with her words as she stepped out of their compartment. Fae, assuming the other girl would follow behind her, continued to speak. "So how'd the muggle world treat you? Oh, and what kind of weird shit did they invent this go-around?" she asked. Fae wasn't intensely passionate about muggle-kind, but she did have a subtle amusement for them in much the same way one would be amused by a drunk aunt embarrassing herself at a wedding. She thought the people were humorous, constantly coming up with solutions to problems that only really existed once the solution had been made.

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Compartment 1 -

Penny gave a friendly wave to Mary as she went into the compartment, but her attention was largely on Artemis as he mentioned her baby sister, Beatrice. "She's so chuffed," Penny said sweetly. "She's in compartment 15, I think, playing Exploding Snap with a mate from back home. I can't believe it though, Arty, we're prefects and my baby sister is finally here - this year is going to be completely rad!"

Once everyone arrived in the compartment, the Head Girl and Boy took a moment to introduce themselves. They then went into the logistics of the role. Prefects could take and award up to 15 house points, although it was frowned upon to award points to your own house. They were expected to assist in patrolling the corridors once every fortnight in pairs, at a time assigned by their head of house. The fifth year prefects were responsible for leading the first years to their common room after the feast that evening. Gryffindor and Slytherin prefects should see their head of house at some point during the feast to retrieve the password.

"And lastly, we're holding the Celestial Ball this year. We need one or two people to take charge of planning the event, largely coordinating and delegating tasks, and deciding the theme and timing," the Head Boy said.

Penny's eyes lit up. She had heard rumors that the Celestial Ball would be held this year - it never operated on a traditional calendar - and she was instantly enthused. Of course, she was working for Professor Snape as a potions tutor, so her schedule didn't allow for her to lead the planning but perhaps someone else would be interested.

They would be able to see the trolley witch outside, waiting for any sweet requests from compartments 1,2,3, and 4.

Compartment 3 -

The trolley witch would poke her head into the compartment. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" Her cart was parked in between compartments 1,2,3, and 4. It was laden with all of the usual wizarding sweets, from pumpkin pasties to chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. The trolley was part of Honeydukes, a sweet shop in Hogsmeade village not too far from Hogwarts.

Compartment 6 -

Nothing of note is happening here, although Fae and Elizabeth will be able to see the trolley witch not too far away from them down the corridor.

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Hestia hissed at Goose, though her act of defiance was cut short as Paige picked her up and set her down on her lap, petting the little ball of anger and destruction. "She needs more pets, she thinks she's neglected," Paige said with a slight laugh, scratching Hestia behind her ears. The black kitty started to purr loudly, as if she was trying to prove to Goose that she was having more fun being pet than he was. Everything was a competition with that cat.

Paige grimaced sympathetically, knowing what it was like to have a sibling you didn't want anything to do with. Her own brother was in the wind, a Death Eater loyal to You-Know-Who. She didn't want to imagine what sort of trouble he had gotten himself into - and she certainly didn't want to see him again. The ministry raid on their house had been a painful awakening as to what sort of person Simon had been at Hogwarts. "Yeah, the Prophet's got my mum on that story. She's going around from house to house, interviewing the victims' families... It's sick, isn't it?" Paige lamented. She always felt closer to her father than her mother. "You-Know-Who is gone, so now people are making money off of all of this stuff. Did you see today's paper, what Skeeter wrote?" Paige asked.

She pulled a copy out of her bag - her house always had the latest copy on hand - and she handed it on over to Zelda. "I wouldn't be surprised if they had tried to interview Harry Potter in his nappies," Paige argued.

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Mostly out of habit she waved to Madalyne, but gave the older girl a smile as well. Mary listened to Penny gush about her sister and for a moment she wished she had a sibling. Sure there were plenty of cousins, most distant. But there was a special bond for siblings. Something she envied of her best friends.

When the head boy and girl started talking about their responsibilities Mary got nervous. What if she didn't know the answer to the riddle that the door knocker asked? Mary bit her lip chewing on it slightly before she decided she would see if any of the first years knew the answer. One thing about the riddles that was helpful was you could always wait and ask a friend if they knew the answer. And of course, her counterpart, Talbott, might know the answer too.

After the Head's asked if anyone would help plan the ball, Mary's hand shot up. She loved the idea of getting to help plan for the ball. She suspected this year would be busy and stressful with the additional duties, but she couldn't pass up the idea of getting to help plan a party. Mary kicked Artie on the shin slightly hoping he would take her hint to raise his hand to offer to help. "I'd love to." Praying mentally that Artie would raise his hand first before Madalyne would have a chance.

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Georgina was a bit surprised that Apollo, and by association Artemis, hadn't heard the news. It was the talk of the wizarding community as far as she was aware. "Guess you haven't heard about the Death Eaters then? A group of Death Eaters bound for trial escaped, killing the Aurors who were with them." There was a hint of sadness in her voice she tried not to show, but it was always there whenever she talked about Death Eaters. The vile people who took pleasure in other's pain. She lost her father to them and vowed to take down any and all she saw.

"They better hope they don't cross paths with me. I've been practicing and I can take them all on." She decided to let the gusto die down and returned to herself in the compartment. As Apollo showcased the cards she watched in wonder. She had never had a knack for Divination like some people so it always interested her when people tried.

Soon the snack trolley came across. She looked over the wares a bit, eager to share sweets with her friends. "Can I get two chocolate frogs and two pumpkin pasties, please?" She would keep a frog for herself (and hopefully add to her card collection) and share the other treats with Artemis, Apollo, and Mary.