Keira sat on the Hogwarts Express listening to her little sister hum, "We're off to see the wizard..." and thinking about her summer. There were so many things she had to tell Myla and Tillie that it was unbelievable.

The first thing that came to mind was her being a werewolf. Yes, she trusted them, but she didn't feel ready to tell them. Keira knew it was only a matter of time before Myla found out, but it still didn't feel right.

Keira had been bitten the summer before, and for the entire year she had made excuses for why she was away the nights of her transformations. But the excuses were getting harder and harder to think of. Keira could tell by the looks on Myla's face that she was becoming suspicious. No doubt, she had probably already noticed that Keira was always gone on the full moon and pointed it out to Tillie. They didn't press anything, though, or point it out to Vanessa and Leanna – the other two girls in their dorm.

Keira's thoughts were interrupted by Melena, who had apparently thought of something new to ask Keira about Hogwarts.

"Keira, how do they sort us?"

Keira smiled, remembering when she first thought about that question. It was something she had conveniently forgotten to ask her mother. "Relax, all they do is put a ragged old hat on your head and it tells you where you belong."

Melena's eyes grew wide. "How does the hat know?"

Keira grinned. "It goes through your head to find out stuff about you. And it talks to you. Don't worry, no one else can hear what it says until it decides where you go."

Melena sighed in relief and started humming something by Hannah Montana, an American Muggle pop star that Melena and Myla drove her crazy with.

"Found 'em, Tillie!"

Speaking of the devil, Keira thought as a flash of pink highlights and a purple top bounded in and hugged her. Keira hugged back, but Myla still didn't let go.

"Erm, Myla? I can't breathe."

She refrained letting go. "Myla! Don't strangle her!" Tillie's voice sounded from the door of the compartment. Myla let go and Keira actually got to see more of her then just her dark brown hair and pink highlights.

Myla was wearing a purple t-shirt that said, "Most Likely to be a Rock Star." She also wore black jeans with a matching belt that had electric guitars and purple and white stars all over it. Typical Myla.

Tillie, on the other hand, was wearing about the same top as Myla, along with a sour expression on her face. Tillie wore a dark blue t-shirt that said, "Most likely to marry rich." Along with that, she wore dark blue jeans with a light blue belt. Typical Tillie.

As if reading Melena and Keira's minds, Tillie announced, "We did not plan this. I've been meaning to wear this outfit today all summer. And I made sure Myla had no idea."

Myla, as if on cue, took notice of Melena. She then began pointing and bouncing up and down while saying, "Oh! Oh! Oh! I know who you are! You're Melena! You're Keira's little sister!"

Melena blinked at Myla, then turned to blink at Keira. Then back to Myla, then to Keira again.

"Don't worry," Keira laughed, "that's Myla for you."

Melena glanced at Myla once more before scooting a little farther away.

"So, Keira, how was your summer?" asked Tillie, who hated silence.

"Fine, yours?"

"Fine, except for the time Edwin and Billy decided they'd push me into the pool."

"Can't you wait 'till next year when they get to come here with us?" Myla grinned.

Tillie glared at her. "Don't remind me."

Keira smiled. Sometimes Myla and Tillie acted more like the sisters they may as well be.


A couple of hours later, they were changing into their robes, Keira stopping to help Melena every few seconds.

"I got taller over the summer!" Myla giggled. Keira, Melena, and Tillie looked at her. Indeed, she was five inches taller than she was when she got on the train. Tillie reached up and smacked Myla on the back of the head.

"We know you're a Metamorphmagus, you idiot!"

Myla stuck her tongue out at Tillie and shrank back to her normal size.

The train slowed down and the girls looked out the window.
"Wow, we're here already?" Myla voiced. The train continued to gradually stop.

"I've never been to Hogwarts before, but I have a feeling that this isn't it," Melena replied. All they could see out the window was a large, bright green field.

"What the heck is going on?" Keira asked no one in particular as the train jerked to a surprising stop. She and Myla walked across the compartment and stuck their heads out the doors. Apparently, several other students had the same idea as them.

Keira heard Myla gasp.

"What?" Keira asked, looking at her friend's surprised face.

Myla grinned and pointed to a first year about four doors down whose hair was changing from green to blue.

"I wonder who that could be," Keira uttered.

"Who?" asked Melena and Tillie in unison as Melena squeezed her way in between Myla and Keira.

"Just a first year that seems to be a Metamorphmagus like Myla," explained Keira as she and Myla went back to their seats. Melena, however, was curious. She skipped out of the compartment, shutting the door behind her.

The other girls glanced at each other and shrugged. Melena was apt to make friends with most people, so Keira wasn't that worried.

What did worry her, however, was the scream that came moments later. Keira, Myla, and Tillie jumped up and ran into the corridor. It was empty . . .

The scream resonated again, louder this time. Keira swallowed hard, realizing whom the scream belonged to.

"Melena! Melena, where are you?" Keira screamed as loud as she could. Myla and Tillie took the hint and started calling for Melena, too.

Melena screamed again, this time along with another girl, from the compartment with the Metamorphmagus first year.

The girls took off toward the door and reached it at the same time. Keira wrenched (nice word choice) the door open, and they ran in.
Immediately, they noticed the air was colder than the corridor. Myla, who barely noticed cold weather, was gaping at the far end of the compartment. There was a dark, hooded figure drawing a slow, disturbing breath. Myla, who seemed to have found her voice, screamed as loud as she could.
Someone grabbed Keira and Tillie and pushed them into the compartment, making room for him to get in. He walked into the middle of the compartment, and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!"

The creature moved toward the door and they all stepped away from it, as if something was pushing them out of the way. Once it was out, the compartment door shut.

Keira glanced at Melena, who was shaking. She walked over to her and put her arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Melena calmed down a little, and Keira let go.

It was now that Keira noticed the man who had made the thing go away. He was tall with red hair, freckles, and blue eyes.

Tillie was shaking with goosebumps still covering her arms, while Myla was still trembling a little. The first year boy was staring at the man with his mouth hanging open. He shut it back, and then opened it again to say something. The man caught the boy's eye, and the boy shut his mouth again.

"What was that thing, anyway?" asked Myla, who looked like she had been more scared of the cloaked-creature-thingy than the fact that a strange man was standing in their Hogwarts Express compartment.

"A Dementor," the man replied through gritted teeth. The girls stared blankly at him.

"A what?" the girl, who had screamed with Melena, voiced everyone's thoughts.

"They used to guard Azkaban. The Minister banished them a few years ago. Wait until Harry hears about this! He'll have a fit," the man sighed, saying the last part more to himself than anyone else.

Keira thought the man's red hair and freckles looked familiar, but she couldn't place who he was. Her mother had told Melena and her stories about a family with red hair and freckles, but she couldn't recall the name . . .

The train started again and the man walked toward the door. "I'd best be going now, but I expect
I'll be seeing you soon." And with that, he disappeared out the door.

The girls exchanged confused looks. "Awkward," Tillie piped.


After what seemed like hours later, the train pulled up to Hogsmeade Station. The crescent moon hung low as brilliant stars dotted the otherwise pitch-black sky. Keira breathed in the night air while Myla stared up at the sky.

Keira smiled. There was one thing that would never change about Myla – the fact that she would always love the night sky. She was fascinated by it.
Keira grabbed her friend's arm and pulled. "Come on, you'll have plenty of time to stare at the sky during Astronomy this week."

"Firs' years, this way!" the familiar voice of Hagrid, the Gamekeeper, and more importantly, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, shouted. Keira smiled fondly at Hagrid; Care of Magical Creatures was her favorite subject.

"Wow," breathed Melena as she gazed up at the half-giant. Keira smiled and gave her sister an encouraging push forward. Melena looked up at Keira worriedly.

"You'll be fine," Keira whispered.

Melena nodded and awkwardly walked over to where Hagrid and a few other first years were waiting.

Keira smiled as she, Myla, and Tillie joined Vanessa and Leanna on the carriages.
Leanna and Vanessa were laughing about something that Leanna had said about Audryna Deakins and Melody Prudence – the snobbiest girls in fifth year.

"So, how were your summers?" asked Myla, mimicking Tillie from earlier. Keira laughed as Tillie glared at Myla.

"Fine, I suppose," Vanessa sighed, changing from happy to sad in a split-second. Tillie raised an eyebrow, earning a whack on the back of the head from Myla. This made Vanessa laugh, which wasn't Tillie or Myla's intent. Tillie just wanted to annoy Myla, and Myla hated it when people raised only one eyebrow, something she couldn't do no matter how hard she tried. But it made Vanessa feel better.

Keira glanced at Leanna who mouthed, "I'll explain later."

"You better," Keira mouthed back as the castle came into sight.