Autumn lingered by a pole holding up the train station. All around her, people rushed to get onto the Hogwarts Express, but she was waiting. She really should just forget about it and get onto the train before all of the good seats are taken. Namely, one for her to sit alone in. She wouldn't see her friend until she got to school because June had better things to do. Like their names—they were opposites, meaning June had tons of friends besides the brunette currently waiting for her mother.

Autumn tried scanning the crowd for her mother, but quickly gave up. It would be impossible to see her mother in this mess. A person bumped her, causing her to scoot over from the blow and decide that it was just time to get onto the train. Her mother was supposedly talking with some friends but how long it would take for her to get back, no one really knew especially Autumn.

Finally her mother's short figure came into view. She was pushing her mousey hair away from her face, an exciting smile on her face. Autumn quickly figured out why; in tow behind her mother was Ginny Potter. The proud looking red-head seemed to tower over her mother. Ginny—or rather Mrs. Potter to Autumn—was an old good friend of her mother's from school.

"Autumn," her mother called her, smiling so hard it hurt to look at. She grabbed her daughter's shoulder. "Ginny you remember Autumn, don't you?"

"Of course!" Ginny replied, smiling more gracious looking than Autumn's mum. "You've gotten so tall!"

"Thank you," Autumn said, a little unsure of how to answer that type of compliment.

"So I expect you will have James in some of your classes this year. Harry has told me that they are mixing in the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins into some of the same classes."

"Oh. That'll be nice," Autumn's mother seemed to answer for her. "James is in her year?"

Ginny nodded. "Let me know if he gets into too much trouble. His father had a knack for it and I guess the gene got passed on."

Autumn was too busy watching more and more people board the express. "Er—sure thing, Mrs. Potter." She turned to her mother. "I've got to get on soon or I won't find a seat."

"Right, right," her mother gasped and gave her a quick hug. "Write to me, won't you?"

"All the time," Autumn promised. "Nice seeing you, Mrs. Potter," she said to Ginny and began to stroll off to catch the train.

"Oh and say hello to James for me!" Ginny called.

"Okay!" Autumn replied but she knew that it was one promise she couldn't keep.

Autumn sat alone in the compartment, reading a magazine. It was a muggle magazine she had taken from one of her friend's house and had forgotten to return. She found muggle life very interesting. It was a whole other realm it seemed and she didn't believe how two such different worlds existed within one. Flawlessly too. Muggles were completely unaware of the world she had grown up knowing.

The compartment door slide open and Autumn expected a lost first-year or someone still trying to find a seat. Instead the blonde hair June stood outside, still giggling from something. How her friend found her almost instinctively, Autumn never knew. She might have had some sort of enchanted map or other magical tool to help guide her way.

"Why do you always sit alone?" June asked her as she made her way into the train compartment, shutting the door behind her.

"Don't really have anyone to sit with," Autumn answered automatically.

June was still smiling from something. "You are more than welcome to sit with me and the others. I always have told you that." She took a seat across from Autumn, leaning back and exhaling dramatically. "Two years, can you believe it?"

"Two years of what?" Autumn asked, her eyes glued to pages about make-up tips that seemed to make muggle boys go 'crazy'. In her world, you just whipped up a potion for your face or another popular choice amongst her girl peers—charm the boy to like you.

"Of me dating Daniel, silly!" Her friend went on with her daydreaming. "He's so handsome. I can't believe he is mine."

Autumn wanted to be supportive of the relationship but she couldn't bring herself to. She just wasn't around June enough to like any boyfriends she had, so she stayed out of it and just kept on reading. She wondered where you could buy eyeliner from. She saw that girls wore it at school but whether they used an actual eyeliner pencil or spell, she would never know.

June was already going on anyways. "It's funny how outgoing Albus has become, isn't it?" June's mum and Mrs. Potter had been on the same professional Quidditch team. June was a friend of both Albus Potter and his younger sister, Lily. "And James has kind of had the opposite effect. He is such a loner now, it really isn't healthy. And he doesn't even have to be! He used to get so much attention before he just stopped talking to everyone. It's really a pity."

"Agreed," Autumn said, just to please her friend. She was too far gone reading on skin care to really be interested in people's social life.

"He could be adorable if he tried to do something with himself. His hair is god awful. Like does he brush it?" June went on. "Lily said that he just keeps to himself at home too. Sneaks out of the house every once in a while though and gets into some trouble by Professor Potter. The bad boy thing is cute but he has just taken it way too far."

There was a knock on the door before it slid open. It was one of June's friends. "We were wondering if you were in on that bet or not?" she asked June excitedly.

June's eyes brightened. "Count me in!" She turned to Autumn. "We have a bet going that one of the Potters will put their name into the Goblet of Fire. Would you like to join in?"

Autumn perked up at that. "Get out. The Triwizard is this year?"

June nodded. "So are you in or not?"

"No," Autumn replied. She was definitely intrigued at entering herself though. The Triwizard tournament was just always something that had intrigued her.

"Thinking of entering?" June asked her, looking a little nervous.

"Of course! It's fascinating."

"It's a terrible excuse of entertainment," June's friend sneered. "People get hurt in it."

"Then why make a bet out of something like that?" Autumn pushed right back.

June's friend didn't respond. "Waiting on you," she said to June then left.

"Please don't," June whined.

Autumn pretended not to understand. "What do you mean?"

"Don't enter the tournament! If you are trying to gain popularity or friend—I could help, but don't enter fo-"

Autumn cut her off. "What? As if I would do it for something like that."

June seemed to shrink a little. "I know you have some weird obsession with the tournament but it's really not worth sticking your neck out for. Sure, it's fun to watch, but to compete—well that's something completely different. "

"I'll be fine," Autumn said shortly. "Just go place your bet and I will see you at dinner."

June lingered for a few more seconds but Autumn was already done with the conversation and back to reading. June stood, muttered goodbye, and left.

Autumn suddenly couldn't wait for the school year to begin. This year would be totally different; she just could feel it in her bones.