Warning: This story is rated for future violence, death, smut, and strong language. You have been warned B| *wiggles fingers creepily*
The train rumbled with movement and the pounding footsteps of Hogwarts students attempting to find spots. Groups of friends dove into compartments, claiming seats like they were fighting for plots of land. The few who didn't have groups of friends to sit with all piled in to near-full compartments or migrated to near-empty ones. The entire train was bustling with hollers and playful screams and shoving of all sorts. Some were even kind enough to mutter a 'excuse me' or an apology of sorts. Others shouted "Get out of the way!" and plowed through the crowd. It stunk of teenage body odor, hundreds of different perfumes all mixing together, and the faint scent of magic sparking the air. Not to mention the lingering smell of every person's breath that whisked by. An assortment of books held firmly to her chest, Haven tried her best to weave through the crowd without smelling every part of them or being toppled over. Wolf first and human second, Haven was having to concentrate harder than usual not to start thinking about the smells of every thing every person on the train had for breakfast. Just one group of girls she could smell pancakes cooked with bacon grease - the best kind - that was topped with honey syrup, butter, and cinnamon powder. To chase down the pancakes she had orange juice. The tangy after-scent of the juice wasn't nearly as pleasant as the pancakes, Haven thought. Most people she passed, though, offered her a clap on the shoulder, arm, or patted her head like a puppy, and offered her 'good mornings' and other greetings that simply drowned in the noise of everything else. Those rushing by in a hurry, some shoving her into other people or walls, convinced Haven to take a spot against a wall and wait until the hall was a tad more empty before proceeding.
It was just her luck, though, that someone else would come bulldozing down the hallway. "Out of the way!" Haven froze mid-stride, eyes widened. At the last second she managed to flinch, attempting to twist and dive out of the way. A forceful hand on her back shoved her into an open compartment as the person whisked by her. She closed her bright, pastel green eyes tight in fear of the inevitable impact of her becoming friends with the floor and held her breath. The sound of her books scrambling along the floor rang in her ears as her knees slammed down hard shortly after them. Haven flailed her arms out in front of her to grasp at whatever she could to stabilize herself. All her slender hands found, however, was the hem of a shirt and a thigh.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Cooed a male's voice. Hesitantly, Haven peered up at him. He had unruly, black hair, grey eyes, and a grin on his face like he'd just won the jackpot. She could hear the snickers of the others in the cabin. Almost too afraid, she glanced at the other three men. Black hair and hazel eyes hidden behind glasses, and a smug look on his face meant Haven had been shoved into the compartment of James Potter and his group of misfits. She could feel her cheeks immediately heating up with the realization. The other two: Light brown hair and green eyes with his nose in a book, and a stump with blonde hair and blue eyes. In her assessments of the others she hadn't thought to inch away from the boy she was practically groping.
"Maybe she's a mute." James' voice was teasing.
"I bet I could get some noise out of her." Haven was surprised by both the comment and by the boy gripping her arm and pulling her up. She surprised herself even further by the sudden shriek she let off and yanked her arm away from him, backing up into the bookworm, instead. A hand on her back prevented her from falling into his lap. He spoke nonchalantly to his friends.
"Perhaps you're too much of a creep and a pervert for her to be comfortable responding."
"Naw. I'm too loveable. I mean: Look at me!" He swayed in his seat and ran his hands down his body. "No one can reject this~" He even went as far as to drag the gesture out a second time. The whole compartment burst into laughter and James leaned forward enough, slapping his friend's knee.
"Don't worry, Padfoot, I can think of a few."
"Oh yeah? Name 'em!"
"That's easy." Haven could tell they were about to get into it and jumped to the floor, swiping up her books with the intention of silently leaving. The male she had landed on, however - 'Padfoot' - seemed to notice.
"Where do you think you're going?" He reached out and attempted to grab her again. Haven immediately spun out of his reach, swatting at his hand.
"To find somewhere to sit!" She practically screeched it. Embarrassment seemed to catch her face on fire. Clearing her throat, Haven tried again. "I-i . . . just wanted . . . t-to g-go find . . . a p-place to s-sit." Now she just felt stupid as she listened to Padfoot and James mock her stuttering. Haven could feel her face heating up even further, if it was possible. But, embarrassment was being accompanied by anger, by this point. Balling her fists and hugging her books even tighter against herself, she lowered her head enough to hide her face some behind her bangs. The plump one fumbled over words as he whispered to the others to knock it off. James roughly patted him on the shoulder, saying it was all in good fun and to relax. The bookworm paid no mind to the ruckus around him.
"Wormtail, hop off it. We're just screwing around."
"Screwing? Good idea." Padfoot chimed in."How long do you think it'll take to get in trouble?"
"That depends. How many missing articles of clothing does it take to catch a Prefect's attention?"
"Well, we could always bet on it."
Haven didn't want to be apart of this conversation any longer. She was afraid they might start using her to test their 'theories'. Ever so slowly she begun backing out of the cabin door, watching the four like a hawk. She could feel the train still rumbling as it sped along the tracks. The vibration felt good against her feet. She figured she could be nose-deep in a book about now, sitting in a quiet compartment, the vibrations relaxing her and possibly even putting her to sleep. Padfoot hopped out of his seat and wrapped an inviting arm around her. He gave his speech about how they could all make room for her or she could just sit on his lap. Along with his invite he offered promises of being gentle and not biting . . . too hard. Haven was preparing to hit him with one of her books. The thought was certainly tempting. Pulling more off to the side, away from him, she let her fingers slip between her books, grabbing one firmly and half-preparing for a war. When Padfoot went to move closer to her, she whirled the book around, shouting at him to "Stay back!" A little surprised, Padfoot recoiled a step but mostly held his ground. He threw his arms up defensively, catching her wrist in one hand and gripping the book in the other. Haven almost felt at a loss, thinking to herself that this was going to be a lost battle. Padfoot pulled her closer, removing her choice of weapon from her grip. He leaned in close, whispering in her ear, his breath hot down the nape of her neck.
"Now, that wasn't very nice."
"Give it up, mate, let her go." One of the others inside the cabin hollered. Haven's mind was racing too much to pick out which male it was. Being wolf, Haven was - usually - surprisingly good at controlling the awkward ability to smell everything; but, today was an off day. She smelled just about everything - especially about Padfoot, being as close as they were. What he had for breakfast, his deodorant, the scent of every person he'd been around that day, the dirt and scent of explosives and mischief on his clothes, and - most of all - his desire. All the scents made her dizzy and she was almost glad he held so tightly on to her for fear of toppling over otherwise. Haven attempted to speak but all she got out was noises. Even if she wasn't fumbling over words, at the moment, she wasn't sure what she'd even say to him. This wasn't right. She wasn't interested in James' sexual deviant of a best friend, she was interested in James. Haven had been interested in James for years and only wished she had the balls - so to speak - to tell him. The intoxicating scent of biscuits in the morning snapped her back to reality as her green hues and his grey hues met. They shared an intense stare.
"Black, mind telling me what you're doing?" An irritated voice rang through the halls. A devious smirk spread on Padfoot's face. "Harassing fifth years, I see." Lily strode up to Haven and Padfoot, scowling at him.
"Self defense. She attacked me with a book."
"Oh? My report may just 'accidentally' forget that bit if you don't unhand her." He immediately let go. "Besides, I'm sure she attacked you out of self-defense. Do I have to file a report on sexual harassment, Black? Or perhaps attempted rape? That ought to keep you out of trouble for a while." Padfoot's face went ashen as he raised his hands defensively once more.
"I had no intention of doing anything she didn't want me to."
"Of course not!" Howled Alice, rounding Lily to snatch the book from him. "You can't ever behave." Lily put a hand on Alice's shoulder and stepped between her and Padfoot. Before she could say anything, however, James came up beside them.
"Now, now Lily. All of this can be talked out over coffee and tea. You, me, a private room. How about it?"
"Sure, Potter. Feel free to accompany 'Yourself' there."
"Awe. Just one date? I promise you won't regret it."
"Give it up, Prongs." Padfoot nudged James, laughing.
"Both of you: Stay out of trouble. If I hear any more disturbances from you I'll get all the Prefects down here to baby sit you. And no . . . I won't be apart of it." James and Padfoot almost looked ecstatic, Haven thought, until Lily said she wouldn't be there. The two shifted uncomfortably under Lily's green glare before she wrapped an arm around Haven's shoulders and ushered her along. Haven could smell the peculiar scent of cinnamon, sandalwood, lemon, and leather combined into Lily's perfume on her Gryffindor robes. "You don't need to be mixed up in their mischief." Haven wondered, though, as she glanced back over her shoulder at James and Padfoot rushing back into their cabin, whether she really wanted not to be involved with James' mischief. She wondered if he even remembered her. It had been her first year when they met and it was only because of him she made it on the train. Of course, she didn't think much of him until the end of that year. With a reassuring pat on the back, Lily informed Haven she should probably change into her robes. "It's best to be ready." She said. The train ride would still be a while, Haven thought, but perhaps Lily had a point. After retrieving her book from Alice she found an empty compartment and changed.
"Watch where you're going!" So much noise.
"Full speed ahead!" Noise everywhere.
"First years this way!" People screaming everywhere.
"Follow the big guy!" Shoving, trampling, racing.
"Race you to the carriages!" Such a big crowd.
"What did you do for summer?" It was the usual hustle and bustle out of the train. Everyone chasing each other around, looking for friends or victims of torture and other means of entertainment as they all migrated towards their destinations. All of the first years crowding around Hagrid and everyone else finding their means of transportation. Haven hopped out of the train with grace and, smoothing out her skirt with one hand and clinging tight to her books with the other, took a deep breath of air only to expel it rather quickly, scrunching up her nose. Something about the smell of horny teenagers, sweets, tree sap, sweat, inky lake water, mud, thousands of perfumes and body deodorants and lotions all blending together, and the ever-present scent of sparks of magic in the air wasn't all that appealing to her. Grumbling under her breath about hygiene and foul odors, Haven proceeded towards the carriages. Only a small handful remained and she jumped on the next one to leave. She squealed when a pair of hands suddenly clung to her hips and the weight of a person shoved her forward. Haven stumbled forward several steps before flipping around to see none other than Padfoot, James, the bookworm, and the stump hopping on. They were in a fit of giggles as they ushered the obviously kidnapped Lily Evans into a seat.
"You're all absolutely insufferable!" Lily crossed her arms over her chest and faced away from the boys who all claimed seats. James moved in right next to Lily, wrapping an arm around her and attempting to convince her to go on a date with him. The stump wiggled in a seat next to James and the other two sat on the opposite side. Padfoot yanked Haven down, half on his lap. She was about to roar her protests when he shifted her to be sitting directly between him and the bookworm, off of his lap. Padfoot then proceeded to tease James and Lily. Content that she wasn't his object of interest at that moment, Haven twisted towards the bookworm to see what he was reading. Instead, she was faced with a nostril full of the thick werewolf scent and his green gaze searing into her. He was tense. There was no need to ask why, though. The full moon wasn't quite near, yet, but Haven was positive he was as startled to find a wolf as she was to find a werewolf. The look in his eyes, however, made her want to be in Padfoot's lap, again.
"Remus Lupin. We call him Moony, though." Haven jumped, startled by the sudden introduction from James. She hadn't realized the conversation around her had halted. Everyone was staring at her and Remus, now. All she could manage was a nod.
"And the others?" She finally asked after several moments of awkward silence. James pointed at each in turn.
"Peter 'Wormtail' Pettigrew and Sirius 'Padfoot' Black. Of course, I'm James 'Prongs' Potter. Your savior here-" he gestured to Lily and she cut him off, finishing the introduction herself.
"Lily Evans." Shooting a glare at James, she continued. "I'm not a savior but his ego partially includes me. For some reason, putting me on a pedestal inflates his massive head."
"It sure inflates something." Sirius snickered.
"How pleasant you are to be around, Black."
"Don't knock it 'till you try it." James winked at her.
"I'd rather not."
"Come on, Evans, you know you're dying to go out with me."
"Well, I'm certainly not dead, yet."
"Awe, don't be that way, Evs."
"Call me 'Evs' again, Potter, and I'll show you another way I can be."
"You promise?" James winked again. The constant flirting with Lily was making Haven feel almost nauseous.
"Look at you two, fighting like cats and dogs." Sirius weasled back in, laughing.
"Oh yeah. Like a real married couple." Haven sneered before laughing. Her laughter, surprisingly, was accompanied by several chuckles. Sirius was damn-near falling out of his seat, patting her roughly on the back. Even more surprising, though, was that she got Remus to crack a grin. James was grinning ear-to-ear, now, Lily swatting at him and objecting profusely. With a slight boost of confidence, now, Haven leaned back over to Remus, who instantly tensed at her drawing closer. She peered curiously at his book. "What are you reading?"
"A book." He stated quietly.
"What book?" He turned the binding towards her. Big, gold, ornate letters spelled out '101 unnatural Potions and Effects.' Being someone who was always into Potions, not even Haven could fathom why it'd be so interesting.
"Is it any good?" He nodded. She scrunched her nose up in disappointment. It felt like she was running into walls with him. Sirius and James had returned to their double-teaming of Lily who was red-faced and looked to be about to breathe fire. Haven sighed and decided to redouble her efforts. "Personally, I love potions. I was researching poison antidotes and using them as a basis of creating a potion to - at minimal - stop curses from spreading or - at greatest - make curses have the exact opposite effect it was initially supposed to have." Haven was no longer leaning towards him and had been staring up at the darkened sky. She was only hoping that she'd be able to spark some form of conversation between the two of them. There was an awkward silence for a moment before she came to the conclusion she was being stared at again. Finally looking down from the sky, she realized she was right. Everyone was sitting in suspense and stared at her in awe. Her face heated up with a blush and she began fiddling with the hem of her skirt. "I haven't gotten very far, yet. I'm hoping to spend much of my free time here to continue my project. I almost unravelled something amazing to really get a head start but wasn't able to continue it before school started." The group seemed to lose interest since she hadn't made any progress and turned their attention elsewhere. Only Lily was leaning forward eagerly in her seat.
"I can help. If you'd like, that is." Her smile seemed to make the night light up a bit more. Haven could see why James was infatuated with her. She was certainly a gem. Before conversation could continue, however, Remus closed his book, saving his place with a thumb as he stared intently at Haven.
"Forgive me. I didn't catch your name."
She fumbled for a moment, realizing she hadn't introduced herself despite having had James introduce everyone else. "H-haven! I'm Haven Nyx." Extending her hand a bit for a handshake only for him to stare at it, she felt once more like hiding from the bookworm. Haven dropped her hand back to her lap.
"Good luck with your work. I'm sure with Lily's help you two will come up with something rather impressive." It almost sounded like he was saying good-bye. She realized why, though, when the carriage rumbled to a stop. Everyone slowly arose from seats. Lily was the first off, stalked by James. Peter wobbled off after James like a leech, and Remus slowly made his way behind them, seemingly no intent on rushing to keep up. Sirius put a hand on Haven's shoulder, giving her an awkward smile.
"Don't worry about Moony, he's just a little antisocial."
"A little?"
He laughed at her question. "You're right. He's a lot antisocial." With a wave of a hand, he lunged off the carriage and bolted after his friends. Haven sighed, climbing carefully off and heading towards the castle so she could get into the Great Hall, already. The carriage ride had seemed longer than normal, probably due to the extra company and not being able to read her book like usual. Dinner, however, was probably going to be rather head aching, Haven thought. Realizing it'd be even noisier than the train ride even was, she slowed her walk even further. There was no point in rushing in.