Something Told Me To Run
Chapter One: Poppycock
The heat beat down through the windows, warming my skin as the sunlight came through the glass down onto my knee. It wasn't really bothersome, but I shifted in my seat anyways, pulling down the skirt so it went down a bit further over my legs.
Seventh year. And just like the previous years, sitting beside me in the train compartment was Maggie Gibson. Dorm mate, best friend, not to mention the girl with the biggest mouth in the Ravenclaw house. Then, across from us, was Nicole Brampton. Where Maggie had the biggest mouth, Nicole had the biggest (and probably worst) reputation.
Curled up next to the window, there I was. Dayna Van Houtan, with a capital 'v'. The girl in the background of things, the one who sits there and lives vicariously through her books, her studies, and her friends. I was doing what I do best- listening.
"I still feel guilty doing magic outside of school," Nicole was saying, glancing back and forth from Maggie to me as she spoke, "Mom asked me to help her clean out some of the cupboards using magic, and I think I made them dirtier than they were before. Then when I tried enchanting the mop to clean the kitchen floor, it went a little haywire and cleaned all the carpets along with it."
Both Maggie and I laughed at the thought of it. Nicole was muggleborn, so we could only imagine her family's reaction to their daughter's mistakes.
"Hey, at least you were thorough," I said, grinning. The train was lugging it's way along the track, going at a speed that probably wouldn't be safe for any other sort of train. Considering this one was enchanted, though, and filled with hundreds of young witches and wizards, I didn't worry about it.
"Try telling my parents that," Nicole said, dryly, rolling her eyes as she ran a hand through her auburn hair, "They made up a list of rules for me. Number one- no using magic for personal gain. What's that even mean? I'm a witch, and they don't expect me to embrace it?"
"Poppycock. " Maggie had a habit of using words, or phrases that most other people didn't. Like in this case, she was trying to assure Nicole it was a silly rule, but everyone who knew the real Maggie Gibson knew she just wanted to say something with the word 'cock' in it.
My gaze flickered out the window in time as the train was chugging over one of the hills- normally, we took that as our sign to start getting our robes on, and preparing ourselves for the momentary chaos of getting off the Hogwarts Express and finding our way up to the school.
I stood up without saying anything, listening vaguely to the girls conversation. They didn't bother asking me where I was heading- seven years of this, we all knew there weren't many places you could go on the train. To the restroom, or to find the trolley. I reached up for my bag, standing up on my tiptoes to grasp onto the strap.
Nicole cracked a short joke, and I glanced back briefly to give her a dirty look before finally getting a hold of the paisley overnight bag my mother had loaned me. I always packed my school clothes in a separate bag than everything else, just so that it'd be easier in the long run. I normally put in some books, too, just in case the ride got boring.
"Be right back," I mumbled, sliding open the compartment door before heading out, and closing the door behind me. Glancing down the long hall, various doors were opened, while others were closed. People could be heard talking and laughing. That was the thing about Hogwarts. None of us were really upset to be going back like muggle kids were on the television. Even I had gone to a public school all the way up until I got my letter, and I had despised it.
Going to a school where you learned magic made things different, though. You wanted to learn. It was like another world, and you were special enough to step into it. Different animals, different ways of dress. You'd never even expect it was within the same country you were born into.
Or at least, that's how I viewed it.
I took small steps as I made my way down the hall, glancing into various compartments. A few rotten Slytherin's sneered at me, but most people ignored my curious nature. I held my bag close to me, barely glancing at the next compartment. It was closed expect for a small crack, and I didn't really think twice about it until I heard a voice.
"C'mon, Prongs. Just one last time. Snape'll never know what hit him! It's our last year, we should be making the best of it. For old times sake?" A male voice rang out into the hall, and I slowed my pace, listening just a little bit closer. They must have been talking about Severus Snape. No, they had to of been, since there weren't any others with a name like that in our school.
I felt bad for the guy, a lot of the time. He was practically a genius, but couldn't make friends for anything. He used to hang around with some Griffindor, but from the looks of it they had a falling out. As bad as I felt for him, though, he had been a bit callous anytime anyone tried talking to him, so I wasn't really eager to talk to him myself.
Still, what'd they mean 'he'd never know what hit him'? And who was this Prongs character? Nobody in the school went by that name. I lingered a moment outside the door. Were they going to do something bad to him? Should I say something? Let them know I heard them plotting, or should I go find Snape and tell him?
"Looking for something?" I nearly jumped out of my skin, spinning on my heel at the sound of the deep voice behind me. Standing there, his hair falling loosely into his face, his sad dark eyes watching me suspiciously, was Remus Lupin. I opened my mouth to speak, but words seemed to fail me. He sidestepped me, raising an eyebrow as he reached for the compartment door, "Or just admiring the interior?"
The compartment went quiet very suddenly, and I felt my cheeks turning a bright red. Caught in the act. Of what, though?
"Sorry," I mumbled, brushing passed him with my head down. I held my bag closer to me. I walked briskly towards the restrooms, my mind swarming. I was probably over thinking it, but what if I wasn't? What if they were going to do something against school rules? What had I just overheard? Who had I just overheard?