So I only got 2 reviews last chapter, which is making me pretty skeptical about posting this story, but I figured that you guys would want something with the actual CHARACTERS before you start reviewing. Understandable. So here you are with your first OFFICIAL chapter. Also, thank you to Sgdp1261 and ShadowsOnTheMoon for your reviews, and for your kind words toward my writing. I'm so happy you both are so excited to see how the story pans out. Now I just hope my delivery will match your excitement! Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy, and please please PLEASE review/follow/favorite/WHATEVER :)

September 1st

Spencer Hastings kept her head held high as she strolled down the concrete sidewalk at King's Cross Station with her family in tow. Her hands were tightly gripped on the handles on the cart in front of her, which held her luggage that stretched so high she had to constantly crane her neck to the side to see in front of her.

She soon halted to a stop at her destination, right between Platform 9 and Platform 10. She turned around and pressed the edge of her hand to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the blinding sunbeams, as she surveyed the scene around her. A small boy was perched on a wooden bench, his nimble fingers rapidly punching the keys on the Game Boy in his hands. A homeless man was sitting crisscross applesauce on an old beach towel, strumming chords on a guitar as he looked up with pleading eyes at each person who walked past him, begging them to drop some change into the baseball cap balanced upright in front of him.

In just a few minutes, Spencer would be leaving this world behind her for 9 full months.

"Spencer!"

Spencer jerked her head toward the source of her name being called, and a familiar perky brunette ran up to her. Spencer smiled. "Aria!"

She embraced the shorter girl, whose breath shortened at Spencer's tight, tight hug. "Spencer… can't… breathe…"

Spencer immediately let go at the sound of Aria wheezing, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I just missed you!"

"Oh god, me too," Aria agreed. "I can't deal with one more summer away from you guys. And how come I only received one owl from you?" she added as she playfully punched Spencer in the arm.

Spencer's mouth gaped open as she rubbed her arm, as though Aria had actually hurt her. "Excuse me," she said sarcastically. "I was a little busy doing an internship with the Ministry of Magic, in case you've forgotten!"

"How could I forget?" Aria said teasingly. "It's all you could talk about at the end of last year!"

"And rightfully so!" a voice said proudly, and Aria and Spencer both whipped around toward the voice. Peter Hastings walked up to the girls with his esteemed wife, Veronica, and older daughter, Melissa, following close behind.

"Spencer earned her spot interning for the Ministry," Mr. Hastings as he propped his hand gracefully on Spencer's shoulder. "And she's damn lucky that the Ministry is actually in tact this time around; back when that scumbag Fudge was Minister, it was impossible for anyone to get any work done. The guy was clueless."

"He must've been!" Melissa piped in. Well, more like butted in. "I mean, it took him an entire year to realize that the Dark Lord had returned! But it's not like that matters now, it's just important that Spencer was able to cherish such an opportunity! Man, I remember interning for Shacklebolt my summer before seventh year. It was a dream."

"I know, Melissa," Spencer said exasperatedly, giving the impression that she'd heard this story multiple times. "And you were so lucky and blessed and fortunate that the Ministry accepted your application in the first place. You, a measly witch in training at Hogwarts, to intern for Kingsley Shacklebolt. To get him coffee. To deliver messages for him. And let's not forget how everyone was so jealous that the Melissa Hastings got to be within spitting distance of the Minister of Magic! I can only hope to get the kind of attention that you got when you were in my position!"

Spencer said all of this in a singsong voice that made Aria snicker slightly, but the minute Melissa jerked her head in Aria's direction, shooting daggers at her with her eyes, Aria stopped dead in her tracks.

"Whatever," Melissa scoffed. "Let's just get your shit on the train." Folding her arms across her, she marched toward the stone pillar; dissolving into it completely the minute she made contact with it. For someone so intent on getting Spencer's shit on the train, it was ironic that she hadn't even taken any with her.

Aria stared at the spot that Melissa was originally in, making a what's-her-problem face, before turning back to Spencer. "Well, I for one am very proud of you!"

Spencer sighed. "Thank you," she said tiredly as she stared at her parents, who were now engaged in their own conversation, paying Spencer no mind. They hadn't seen the rift between Spencer and Melissa go down at all. They never did.

"Aria!" another voice shouted, and Aria and Spencer turned again. This time, approaching them was Aria's family; Ella and Byron Montgomery, her parents, and her little brother, Mike, who was going into his sixth year at Hogwarts.

"Really, Aria?" Mike said breathlessly as he used one arm to push his cart of luggage, and his other arm to pull Aria's cart of luggage. "You were just going to leave me with all of your stuff to carry?"

"C'mon Mike, lighten up," her dad chuckled, giving Mike's shoulder a firm pat while Mike wiped his brow clean of sweat. "It's your sister's last year at Hogwarts! She rules the halls now! Next year, you can order some underclassman to do your dirty work."

"Well, I technically can't do that," Aria said carefully as she shuffled her shoes unsurely. "Only prefects like Spencer can order people around!"

Spencer beamed slightly, happy that her title was being acknowledged, even if it didn't mean much to Aria's parents, who were muggles.

"Exactly," Mike said challengingly, dipping his head to the side affirmatively as he leaned against the cart and crossed one leg over the other, clearly trying to look mature and threatening. "So stop making me carry your stuff!"

Aria just laughed as she reached up to ruffle Mike's hair, something she knew he hated, as he instinctively tried to shove her away. "If you recall, Mikey, I never asked you to take my stuff! I just came over to see Spencer! I never said I wasn't coming back."

Mike stared at her in confusion, and then his shoulders visibly slumped as the realization hit him. Ella laughed lightly at her bickering children as she looked back up to Spencer. "It's good to see you, Spencer."

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Montgomery," Spencer said, flashing Ella a bright smile.

Ella returned a smile as well. "Where are Hanna and Emily? Have you girls seen them yet?"

"Ooh, not yet!" Aria said, suddenly attentive. "I bet they're already on the other side!"

"Alright, well I won't stop you," Ella said as she embraced her daughter warmly. "I'll miss you, baby."

"I'll miss you, too, Mom," Aria said lovingly as she hugged back. "I'll write to you!"

"Oh, that's okay," Ella said, pulling back as she crinkled her nose. "I can wait until Christmas. That owl scares me!"

"Who, Barney?" Spencer piped in, widening her eyes as she caressed the edge of the cage, resting on the rest of Aria's luggage, that belonged to Aria's snowy owl, Barney, who was affectionately pecking at Spencer's fingers through the holes in the cage. "The little guy wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Yeah," Aria pouted, crossing her arms and looking at her mother with beckoning eyes. "And what if I can't wait until Christmas?"

Ella giggled as she pulled Aria in one last time, planting a kiss on the side of her head. "I'm just kidding. I will tolerate that evil bird for one more year if it means hearing from you!"

Aria's parents gave goodbye hugs and kisses to both Aria and Mike before separating. Mike, without hesitation, grabbed his cart by the handles and dashed through the barrier as though he was running away from a fire.

Ella rolled her eyes. "Keep an eye on him, will you?" she called to Aria.

"I'll try!" Aria called back behind her, before turning to Spencer, an excited glint in her hazel eyes. "You ready?"

Spencer flashed a devious smile before turning toward the column. "Let's do this."

She leaned forward slightly, pressing her weight against her luggage cart, and sped full force toward the stone pillar in front of her. She closed her eyes; half expecting that she'd crash right into it, as she expected every year. But, just as always, she smoothly transported through, and when she opened her eyes, she faced a different world. There was no little boy on a wooden bench or homeless man playing guitar. Instead, there was a gangly boy with shaggy blonde hair leaning against his cart in a relaxed position as he adjusted his tie, proudly displaying his house colors: canary yellow and black for Hufflepuff. A few feet away from the gangly boy was a dark haired girl who was nervously rummaging through her bags, looking like she had forgotten something important on the other side of the barrier. And, most importantly, in front of all of that was a steam train, dark as night, labeled The Hogwarts Express, and above the Hogwarts Express was a hanging sign that read Platform 9 ¾.

Spencer smiled. This felt like home.

"Alright, sport!" Mr. Hastings said gruffly from behind Spencer, and Spencer tilted her head backwards, grumbling. Well, it almost felt like home.

Peter stepped forward toward Spencer, reaching his hands out to straighten the collar on her polo. She lightheartedly slapped his hand away. "Dad," she giggled, "I'm going to be on a train for hours! I don't need to look all prim and proper."

"Maybe not," he said with a shrug of his shoulders and a grin plastered on his face. "But it never hurts! After all, you don't know who could be on that train." He delivered a well-timed wink right after he said this, probably thinking he was being funny, or at least encouraging.

Spencer offered up a weak smile. "Ooookay, dad."

Her dad let out a loud, and seemingly forced, guffaw as he wrapped an arm around her. "I just want this to be a good year for you, pumpkin!" he explained softly. "My seventh year was my favorite, and I want the same for you."

At this, Spencer felt herself actually smiling. She unraveled herself from her father's side hug so that she could fully wrap her arms around him. "Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, sweetheart!" he said as he pulled back. He then gave her a knowing look. "I expect an owl the minute McGonagall changes her mind and you get promoted to Head Girl!"

"Dad…" Spencer whined, feeling the color rise to her cheeks.

"What? It's ridiculous that you didn't receive a letter giving you the title! I'm sure you have the highest average in the class!"

"That's not true," Spencer clarified, trying hard to be modest, but also trying to steer away from the conversation. "I'm sure there's a better student at the school than me. After all, McGonagall used to be the head of the Gryffindor house! She probably chose someone from there."

"Oh, don't worry Spencer!" Melissa piped in – ahem, butted in – again. "If I can manage to get Head Girl my last year, I bet you probably have it in you to do the same! Of course, there's nothing wrong with being just a prefect..."

Spencer did her best to suppress an eye roll. She had to admit, Melissa was getting pretty good at sneaking her own personal life achievements into conversations that were focused solely on Spencer, but that didn't mean Spencer didn't see right through those attempts.

"Oh, leave the girl alone," Veronica said as she stepped forward and hugged Spencer. "I know you'll do great honey," she said warmly, and Spencer appreciatively hugged her back.

Finally, Veronica pulled away. "Knock 'em dead," she said with a wink – a more affectionate one than her father's – and an affirmative pat on both of Spencer's shoulders.

"Okay, I will!" Spencer grinned before grabbing her cart of luggage and taking it on the train.

The minute she got on the train and was about to put her stuff in the compartment above her, she felt the wind being knocked out of her as she was attacked from behind.

Instinctively, she reached for her wand, which was in the back pocket of her jeans, for self defense, but then relaxed as soon as she turned around to a familiar face. "Hanna!"

"Spence!" Hanna screamed, earning curious, and slightly appalled, looks from other students walking onto the train, as she attacked Spencer in a bear hug once again. Spencer felt another pair of arms wrap themselves around her, and when she managed to pry her eyes open, she noticed the flawless tan skin that she would recognize anywhere.

"Hey, Em!" she squeaked out, as the girls were suffocating her slightly. Realizing that if they squeezed any tighter, there would be no more Spencer to squeeze, Hanna and Emily pulled back.

"We were looking all over for you!" Hanna said exasperatedly. "Where were you?"

"We got held up in front of the barrier," Spencer explained as she plopped down on the couch by the window. "Saying goodbyes, yada-yada. You know the gist. You've done this seven times now!"

"I know," Hanna sighed as she plopped down next to Spencer. "There's just always this small part of me that worries one of us won't make it onto the train."

There was something in Hanna's tone that made Spencer's heart stop. She shot up from her repose and looked straight at Hanna with a fierce, as well as suspicious, look. "You can't think like that, Hanna. Remember? The Dark Lord that our parents told us stories about is gone. There's nothing to hurt us now."

"I know!" Hanna assured, her posture straightening. "I know that. But… I don't know. I always have this feeling."

"Wait a sec, guys…" Emily pointed out unsurely as she looked around the compartment. "Are we missing someone?"

All three girls looked around as well, until the realization hit all three of them. "Where's Aria?"

There was a sheer moment of pure panic that was shared between each of the girls, who were biting their nails in anticipation and worry, especially since Hanna was just talking about how she had a feeling one of them wouldn't be with her anymore, before the door to compartment slid open, and the petite brunette in question slid through the opening. She looked around at all three of the girls, 2 of whom she still had yet to interact with for a full 3 months, and flashed a wide, genuine grin. "What'd I miss?"

Hanna and Emily squealed as they shot up and attacked Aria in the same way that they had attacked Spencer just moments ago, flooding her with "How are you?"s and "I missed you!"s as Aria slowly become completely consumed by their embrace. Finally they let go, giving Aria a chance to actually breathe, before all plopping down on the couch. She then looked over to Spencer. "Shouldn't you be in the Prefect's carriage?"

"I'll go later," Spencer said carelessly as she swatted her hand through the air. "It's our last year riding this old guy; I wanna spend it with you guys!"

While the girls cooed in response, Spencer sunk back into her seat. Truthfully, she just wanted to hold off on finding out who really got the position of Head Girl and Boy, but she also missed the girls, and she wanted to spend as much time with them as possible; she wanted to enjoy herself for once.

"Alright, ladies," Hanna said authoritatively, yet also excitedly, as she pulled from behind her a black tote bag, constantly looking up at the girls to give teasing glances as she undid the buckles on the tote slowly to add suspense. "We have a long ride ahead of us, so I figured I should make it a little more bearable!"

She then pulled from the tote a handful of goodies: Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pastries, Licorice Wands, and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. Aria's eyes bulged out of her head as she snatched a Cauldron Cake straight out of Hanna's hand, staring at it intently, as though it was the most interesting, finely crafted piece of culinary goodness she would ever obtain. "The Honeydukes Express came around already? And I missed it?!"

Hanna gasped as she clamped her hand on Aria's mouth before she could say more. Aria stared down, nearly having to cross her eyes, at Hanna's hand, as though the more she stared, the more likely it was that Hanna would let go, but Hanna's hand remained at it's position on Aria's mouth. "No, it didn't come around yet," she whispered hastily. "But it was unattended when I got on the train, so I – "

"You stole from it?!" Emily gasped, eyes as wide as Aria's now.

"When life gives you pumpkins, make pumpkin juice!" Hanna said simply, shrugging her shoulders as she removed her hand from Aria's mouth and sat back against the cushions. "And besides, do you know how much all of this would cost? 11 sickles, at least! Who has that kind of money?!"

Spencer just laughed as she grabbed a pack of Every Flavour Beans from Hanna's hands, opened them, and popped one in her mouth, watching as Hanna rambled on in an attempt to defend herself, and as Emily and Aria just shook their heads in disbelief, but also amazement. It was going to be a good year.

Or so she thought.

A side note: anyone else seeing the irony that the Montgomery parents are muggles, when Holly Marie Combs was on charmed? One of these days Ella will discover her magical powers (I'm HOPING she gets so mad at Byron that she freezes him, and that's how she figures it all out, lol)