Rina peered into a cabin of what looked like Ravenclaw sixth-years then hastily looked away. She'd spent the first part of the journey in a cabin with a group of fourth-years. They were friendly enough, but after realising that they had so little in common, the group gave up on their attempts to include her and carried on as if she wasn't there.
Normally, Rina would've preferred it that way. She'd become so used to staying still and blending into the background that she'd refined it down to an art. It came to her naturally and comfortably. She always liked standing back in the shadows where it was safest. But even from the shadows, she was watching; she was always watching, always too curious to look away but too scared to step into the spotlight. Now, things were different. She didn't have to be alone anymore. Although she wasn't sure, she decided to at least make a decent attempt to get to know more people.
That's why, instead of going back to the cabin after she'd changed into her robes, she went to look for Scorpius. Within the two hours she'd spent on the train, she'd already heard several rumours about the Malfoys. Rina didn't know what to expect. Although she didn't know what he'd be like around other people, the few times they'd met in the woods were the closest thing to friendship she'd had in years. They weren't extremely close, but he was the only friend she had, and certainly the only person she knew on the train.
Rina reached the second to last cabin in that section of the train. The last cabin was the one she'd started in and beyond that was the door, then the section of the Hogwarts Express which housed the professors and prefects. She sighed inwardly. If she couldn't find Scorpius in here, she would have to give up. She peered through the glass and saw a familiar face. It was, surprisingly, not Scorpius's. No, it was Al's. Albus Potter. Rina knocked on the door gently and slid it open.
There were three people in the cabin. On the left was a girl with ginger hair which looked like it had been tossed hastily into the ponytail it was in. Her robes, without any badge or crest of any house, gave her away as a first year. Rina identified the book she was reading as "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4".
Not a bad book, Rina thought, although the next one was probably even better.
She decided that the girl was the smart, honest type.
She'd probably make a good friend. That's where Rina caught herself. She couldn't hope for too much.
The boy closest to Rina on the right was the first to notice her. Everything from his robes and sunny, light-brown locks to that golden spark in his eyes screamed Gryffindor. He looked around the same age as the boys who'd been loitering outside the cabin earlier. Rina wouldn't have been surprised if they were his friends. Although he only had the other two for company right now, Rina thought he looked like the popular type, the type that everyone else couldn't help but like. She couldn't help but feel a little threatened under his confident, unwavering gaze. He looked decent enough, but then again, it was hard to tell…
The Gryffindor elbowed the younger boy beside him by the window. Al followed the older boy's gaze and met Rina's. There was a spark of recognition in those emerald green eyes that hadn't been there before. He smiled a small, friendly smile. It was the same smile he'd given her when they'd first introduced themselves to each other.
"I'm Al, Albus Potter," the boy's smile was shy but friendly. There was something in his emerald green eyes which reflected her own dark brown; his eyes had a look of withdrawn depth. The pools of green seemed to be hinting at buried deep inside. His eyes drew light into them, unlike the eyes of so many whose only reflected from the surface.
And even more unlike the boy next to him, who's hazel eyes seemed to shine with light pouring out from the inside. It was odd, the way the two contrasted each other but looked similar at the same time.
"Hey," the older boy greeted her with a nod and a smile, "I'm James. You are..."
His gaze lingered on her expectantly.
"Rina," she replied, "Rina Gami."
