A/N: Guess what date is it today~? It's the first of September! It's…the day we all go back to Hogwarts! Wrote this wondering what life would be like there
For the usual credits, all characters except my OCs are all to the wondrous J.K. Rowling!
Reviews are greatly welcomed, they can be exchanged for a free cookie!;)

~Back Home~

Anne couldn't believe it. The summer holidays had passed in the blink of an eye. Were they fun? Of course! Did she want them to end? Well, not quite, but again...

She had been looking forward to this moment since the last semester ended, and the waiting had seemed like forever.

'Goodbye, Anne! Don't forget to send us mail every week! We love you, sweetheart! Stay safe!' Her parents' voices echoed from the car as she turned, smiling, and waved her goodbye.

And now, the fun began.

She grinned maniacally, as she threw her bags on one of the nearby trolleys, grabbed hold of the handle, and pushed forward with all her might, charging into the crowd, with adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Cries of 'Watch it!', 'Woah, slow down, girl!' and 'Good heavens, teenagers these days...' filled the air as she dashed down the aisle, her cat meowing in protest on the trolley. 'Right, 'kay, I'm sorry, Kira! I'll buy you another yarn ball, but just let me do this once!' Laughing, she sped past security, slowing down a bit to let them begin chasing her, before she smirked and accelerated, straight into a wall—

And arrived at the wondrous scene that greeted her.

White smoke billowed out of a train painted a brilliant shade of red, as the squawks of owls and the meowing of cats filled the air. Shouts could be heard in corners where friends were chasing after each other, some with their wands extended, as parents could be seen hugging their children, giving them last-minute reminders. The organised chaos was wonderful. Anne took a deep breath and nearly gagged on the smoke, before her face broke into a wide smile, upon seeing the two figures running towards her.

'Sarah! Monica! It's been ages, you guys...! How have—' The rest of her words were immediately muffled, as the two best friends jumped on her, hugging her tightly, laughing, while the small crowd of gathered onlookers whooped and cheered.

It was this exact feeling that she missed so much. Seeing the smiling faces of her precious friends, looking at the students all crowded on the platform... It felt as though her heart could melt. The feeling was indescribable, really. Something like exuberant happiness, bubbling up from the core of her soul, but yet even more.

Finally pulling herself away from their crushing embrace, she giggled as she watched the crowd part, the doors of the train opening, and the students swarming aboard.

Dragging their belongings along, the three of them chatted and updated themselves on the newest happenings, as they sauntered over to the train, and into one of the carriages, passing countless snatches of conversation along the way.

'Did you hear? The Ministry of Magic passed that rule which forbade employees to bring in guests to the Ministry, unless registered! I wonder what on earth were they thinking!'

'Oh my goodness, I heard that Emelda's mother, Romilda Vane used to have a crush on the Harry Potter!?'

And Anne smiled again. This was it, too. She had never remembered a place she felt she belonged to more. She felt...so at home. Everything was just so normal, the way everyone dressed, the gossip everyone spoke of... This was so much better than the life she had known before entering the school. It honestly wasn't a bad life, but...this just seemed more natural.

Sitting in the cabin, the built-up excitement gave in to joyous satisfaction, as she looked at her two friends and wondered. What would life be without them? It would be terribly miserable, to miss out on such amazing people. Sarah Dale and Monica Eastwood. Sarah was a Hufflepuff- Kind, cheerful and fiercely loyal. Monica and Anne were both Slytherins, with Monica being-albeit unbelievably-the more outgoing of the two. Anne herself preferred sitting in a lonely corner of the library at times, or just staring at the night sky from the Astronomy Tower, hoping not to get caught, with Monica frantically trying to make sure there were no teachers nearby, earning a smirk from other roommates who always thought she was too soft and scared to be a Slytherin.

But they were wrong. Monica was a devilishly smart student, always topping the classes, while Anne only truly excelled at Potions, and did only slightly-above-average for the rest of her subjects.

'But this again shows how wrong the stereotypes are...' she wondered out loud.

'What? Anne, you said something?' A blunt voice asked, shaking her.

'Ah!' She jolted back into the present, resurfacing from her reverie. 'Oh...'
'No way, you guys are never going to let me off now, are you?' She joked, sighing dramatically.

The tiny cabin broke out into laughter once again, as Sarah and Monica poked fun at Anne for the rest of the train journey, only pausing halfway to change into their robes.

And at last, the train reached its stop.

'First years! First years this way!' Hagrid's familiar booming voice echoed through the noise as the three best friends rushed to pack their belongings, stepping out of the train into the cool misty night air.

'Okay, I'll go join the rest of my house now! See you guys later!' Sarah smiled and waved as she ran towards a group of students all sporting the same yellow colours.

'Hey! Anne, Monica! You guys coming with us?' A tall, blond boy clad in green asked, standing right in front to obstruct the duo's view.

'Oh, hey there, Karias! Sure! How was your holidays?' The group once more started talking, heading towards their house mates, the people who had been with them for the past five years.

As they travelled on, echoing gasps suddenly filled the air, as the clouds cleared to reveal what everyone saw in unison.

Well-lit turrets rising to the sky with stone gargoyles on tall pillars came into view, as the grey stone castle blazed with the warmth of all the Earth. Anne held a hand to her mouth, the other clutching Monica's, as the two beamed at each other with tear-filled eyes.

And of course, as they great oak doors opened, they knew they had at last arrived where they belonged.

Hogwarts.

Back home.