Unusual

The train didn't look any less intimidating than they had said. It loomed large above, emitting steam like the hot breath of a dragon. Allison imagined how difficult it must be to board this train as a first year, but for some reason it seemed even harder for her. She slowly picked up her courage and climbed the steps to the compartments within.

Walking down the aisle, she clutched her bag to her chest. She wondered how she would ever survive this train ride, not to mention the school year. Allison Steele was equivalent to a sixth year in age, yet it was her first time attending Hogwarts. She didn't know anyone and had never felt more alone. Yet at the same time, a sense of adventure and excitement gripped her; she had never been one to turn away from a challenge. But here she was, facing the daunting task of picking a seat and having no idea where to begin.

Just as she was about to circle back and find an empty compartment, she bumped into a pretty redhead rushing down the rows. "Oh! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, smiling in half embarrassment. Her gaze leveled with Allison's and a confused look crossed her face. "I don't know who you are," she said, as if this was surprising. "You're not a first year, yet I've never met you."

Allison self-consciously pushed a strand of wavy brunette hair behind her ear. "I'm Allison Steele," she said as she shook the girl's hand. "This is my first year here. I'm going to be a sixth year, though."

The redhead laughed lightly and smiled warmly. "I'm Ginny Weasley. I'm going to be a fifth year." She paused and thought for a moment. "You're going to be in the same year as my brother, Ron. I'll introduce you to him later. Why don't you come and sit with us for now?" She grabbed Allison's hand and led her down the rows.

Us? Allison thought to herself. She was relieved that she was going to meet more people and have somewhere to sit, but being surrounded by strangers could still be a bit intimidating. Never the less, she followed Ginny to one of the last compartments. Through the glass, Allison could see two boys sitting across from each other and they waved when they saw Ginny.

Allison was still staring into the seats when she was suddenly pushed out of the way by a boy running past her, clearly in a hurry. He paused and turned as if to apologize, but no words came out of his partially opened mouth. He was tall and slender and had white blonde hair; however, his most striking feature was his stone grey eyes. Allison locked into his cold gaze for less than a second, but it felt like hours. The boy quickly ripped his eyes away and sprinted down the aisle.

It had only been a moment, but Ginny clearly noticed their brief connection. She was looking anxiously at Allison as she breathed in a deep breath. "Who was that?" Allison managed.

Ginny's frown could not be concealed. "That was Draco. Draco Malfoy. He's a member of Slytherin. You'd best be staying away from him. He's bad news." She quickly motioned to the open compartment. The smile had returned. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends."

Ginny immediately sat next to a very tall, dark haired boy and gestured for Allison to take her seat next to a blond, blue eyed boy. "Allison, this is Dean Thomas, and you're sitting next to Seamus Finnigan." She smiled and leaned in closer to Dean and Allison detected that they were more than just friends. She suddenly felt awkward sitting next to Seamus.

"Hi, nice to meet you all. I'm Allison." She blushed and looked down at her hands folded in her lap.

Seamus seemed unaware of her feelings. "Hi! Nice to meet you! Mind if I call ya Allie?" His Irish accent wrapped thickly around each word he spoke.

"No, I don't mind at all. In fact, that's what my friends back home call me." She pushed another pesky strand of hair behind her ear and felt the hotness of her cheeks.

"Yeah, I was meaning to ask you. Where exactly did you come from? It's not usual for someone to transfer in during their sixth year," Ginny inquired. Now that Ginny had resumed conversation, Allison felt the sting in her face lessen.

"Right, I never told you that. My parents are Aurors who work for the Ministry. They were transferred to Spain before I was able to enroll in Hogwarts, but just recently we moved back to London. I received proper schooling in Spain so as to be ready when I returned to England," Allison replied.

"Wow, that's fascinating. Sounds like you have an interesting life," Seamus remarked. Just then, the food trolley came rolling down the aisle to the delight of many students. "Oh Allie! Have you ever tried a Chocolate Frog? You must have one, I insist!"

Seamus leaped from his seat and wandered towards the trolley. Allison followed laughingly. As she cast a careless glance down the rows, her heart suddenly froze. Her emerald green eyes had once again locked with the stone gray eyes of Draco. He had been staring at her, but rapidly averted his gaze once he was caught. Allison suddenly felt the giddiness drain from her body. It was replaced by a feeling of confusion. Something attracted her to Draco, yet she had been warned to stay away. There was something about him that tugged on her in a way she had not felt before. Seamus yelling excitedly in her direction broke her reverie.

"Look, I got you one! You have to try it, Allie." They returned to their compartment and Allison unwrapped the candy. It immediately began to jump around to her surprise, and her shocked face was the amusement of her companions. Seamus finally grabbed it and stopped it from hopping. "Eat it now. It won't hurt you."

Allison hesitantly bit into the once animate candy. After a few moments of chewing, she nodded her head excitedly. "This is really good!" she exclaimed. Her new friends laughed in agreement. They spent the rest of the train ride happily conversing and joking. Allison was so glad she had found great new friends on her first day. Yet the way Draco's eyes had settled on her still perturbed her, though not necessarily in a bad way. All she knew at the moment was that she couldn't wait to arrive and start the new year.