Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter... Sorry I didn't have anything clever to say. I just woke up and I don't think my brain is functioning properly... I do own a new character I just made up...

A/N: I don't know where this is going. I have so many stories started that I haven't finished and here I am starting a new one...

It was the owl that first caught her eye. A huge, white owl with large eyes and sharp talons contained in a padlocked cage. Evee had only seen birds like that on the Discovery Channel. She never once thought she'd see one in real life, much less in the middle of King's Cross Station.

Evee was an avid animal lover. She was one of those children who was constantly finding stray cats and wounded birds and bringing them home and nursing them back to health. And of course, Evee's mother Catherine welcomed the animals into her home with open arms. But there'd be none of that now.

Evee was going to live with her Aunt Gertrude in Manchester. Aunt Gertrude detested animals. But that's where Evee's mother wanted her to live. It said so in her will.

But Evee didn't like thinking about her mother's death or Aunt Gertrude. So she kept her mind busy while waiting for her train by "people watching". She'd pick a person from the crowd and make up something about them based on how they looked. Sometimes, if she came up with a really good one, she'd write it down in a little notebook she always kept in her pocket.

She was just writing a story about a handsome young man with a broken nose (He was a male model who got in a fist fight with another male model over who would wear which underwear at a Tommy Hilfiger fashion show) when she saw the owl.

Naturally, she looked around for the owner. What kind of person would keep an owl as a pet? Her mind was already rattling off a couple of nonsensical ideas (He was an American scientist who just returned from a trip to the North Pole where he was doing research on the blight of the Albino Penguins. He figured out a way to clone them, creating an abundance of new penguins the natives could use for food and such. They gave him the owl as a token of their appreciation... ect.).

So Evee was shocked to see a young boy about her age grab the cage off the floor, place it on a cart, and wheel it away towards the higher number platforms. He was closely followed by a a boy with the most shocking oragnge hair (carrot overdose, perhaps?) she had ever seen.

Evee checked her watch. 10:52. Her train didn't leave Platform 5 until 11:15. She had enough time to follow the boys and be back in time to catch her train. Maybe if she asked politely, they'd let her pet the owl. She stood and shoved her notebook back in her pocket. Grabbing the handle of her never-lost-in-a-crowd-flourescent-pink suitcase, she set off after the boys.

When Evee was within shouting distance, she stopped. Would they think it was strange if she just walked up to them and said, "Can I pet your owl, kind sir?" Evee didn't think so, but then again, her mother always told her she had no boundaries...

No matter. Evee continued on. The boys stopped next to the metal barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. They abruptly stopped talking and looked about them cautiously. Taken off gaurd by their strange behavior, Evee stopped walking and ducked behind a pillar. Why were thay being so paraniod? Then they casually leaned on the barrier and disappeared. Wait. Disappeared?

"No way," Evee mumbled. She rubbed her eyes, Sure enough, the two boys were no longer there. And neither was the owl.

Evee stepped out from behind the pillar and slowly walked to the barrier, looking every direction to see if maybe the boys merged into the crowd going to other platforms. You'd think a flaming red-head would be easy to spot, but no such luck.

She came to the spot she last saw them. "Well..." Evee hesitantly reached her hand towards the barrier, turning her head away and squinting her eyes. Surprisinly, Evee wasn't getting any strange looks from passersby. It was almost as if they were ignoring her. Not that she cared, really. She just kept reaching. But she never touched the barrier.

Evee jerked her hand back and held it protectively against her chest. She gave the barrier a confused look and checked her watch once again. 10:57. "What the hell! I've got time to kill." She shrugged as she thrust her hand through the barrier.

This was surprisingly and emmensly enjoyable to Evee for some reason. She pulled her arm back and then stuck it through again. But this time, her hand was met by another hand instead of thin air. Evee barely had enough time to mutter, "What the hell?" before she was pulled completely, suitcase and all, through the barrier by the unseen hand.

The other side of the barrier was like a world unto itseslf. There were a bunch of kinds hugging their parents on a wide platform and many others loading large trunks onto a scarlet (scarlet?) steam engine. Evee looked up at the sign above her. "'Platform 9 3/4... Hogwarts Express'?" she read.

"That's right... First time through the barrier or something?"

Evee turned to find the red-haired boy standing next to her. It appeared as though he was also the owner of the mysterious hand, on account of the fact he still had a firm hold on Evee's right hand. She looked down at their hands, then back to the boy and raised one eyebrow.

The boy turned a bright (and quite lovely, Evee noted) shade of pink. To cover up his embarassment, he vigorously shook Evee's hand. "Ron Weasley," he mumbled quickly.

Evee (who wasn't embarassed at all, by the way) replied, "Evelyn Collins."

Ron dropped her hand and rubbed the back of his head.

Evee nodded and looked around slowly. "So, Ron Weasley. Would you kindly tell me where I am?"

He gave her a puzzled look and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when the train emitted a large cloud of smoke and a screetching wistle, which lasted about five seconds.

Ron shouted, "Come on before we miss the train!"

Evee looked at the wall behind her. "No. Thanks. It was nice meeting you and all, but I really need to get back and-"

"The barrier's closed." Ron furrowed his brow and gave her a funny look. He turned away and dashed towards the train and hopped in.

Attendants were starting to shut the doors and the engine gave an impatient burst of steam. Evee turned and gave one last look at the wall. "Guess I'm gonna miss my train..." She turned back to the train. "Wait for me!"

A man who was just shutting the last door stopped and swung it back open for her.

"Yer lucky, miss," he told Evee as he helped her lug her suitcae up the steps. "Almost missed the train."

"Thanks," she replied breathlessly. The door was shut behind her. Evee looked around as the train surged forward, causing her to stumble.

"Evelyn!"

She turned to the direction the call came from. "Ron Weasley! Nice to see you!" She walked up to him and resisted her sudden urge to ruffle his hair. "Call me Evee, please."

"And just call me Ron, please. You don't have to call me by my first and last name, you know."

"Hmm... I figured as much."

Ron gave her an exasperated sigh. They had only just met, and he was already getting frustrated with her. This had to be a new record for Evee. "Come in." Ron stepped aside to reveal a tiny compartment holding a few people and best of all: the owl.