A/N: You can thank my school having Harry Potter week for this. Got me inspired. So, I kinda quit NaNo when there was about a week left . . . I wasn't even halfway so unless I got hit with a divine bolt of inspiration (Or Robin would tell me what ticks him off ...) there was no way I'd hit the mark. Plus my reading rate also dropped so . . . I did this. To kick myself back up. Read the bottom note, to help me in a very important dilemma. Now, here's the next bit of Evelyn's life! Enjoy!

Running, running, the trees kept changing. One moment she was sprinting through a forest with trees so wide and high it seemed older than time, only the slightest things shifting around her. Then it seemed to tremble and vibrate and suddenly it was a different forest, dark and twisted and full of strange things.

She ran, not sure where she was going or why. She had to get somewhere, but she didn't know where. Was it in the light, old forest or the dark one? She couldn't tell. It felt like she was being torn in two.

A dark shadow swooped over her. She ducked and screamed; more of a warning than of fright. It dove again. "Get back!" She screamed, as everything twitched and the forest changed again. "Get back!"She slid to a stop, the world around her split in two. She raised her face angrily. It wheeled and dove at her. "Stop!"

"Evelyn!"

"Get back!" She bolted up right, looking around wildly in her little back closet home. Her heart beat slowed and she pushed a messy curl of hair back as it was opened and Dustin's irritated and worried face looked down her.

"Evelyn! Hurry up! I don't care if you were up last night; you're going to be late for the train!"

Evelyn gave a squeak of terror and rolled to her feet. "Git a hansom!" She gasped out sharply, spinning and grabbing her used trunk and the bird cage with her owl, Erron. Dustin was muttering, "Why'd you talk me in to this?" as he pushed out of the front of the Tea Cozy.

In a swirl of an unneeded tattered coat Evelyn pushed out of the back closet and through the alley side door. She jogged haphazardly to the street curb as Dustin's whistle faded in to screeching brakes.

Skidding next to the hansom, Dustin threw open the trunk and back door. Quickly Evelyn tossed her trunk in the back of the hansom and slipped in the back seat, fighting with the covered bird cage to get in. Dustin got into the front.

"Where too?" The driver asked, not even batting and eye at the cage that hooted.

"King's Cross Station," Evelyn said. "Extra pound if ya step on it!"

Dustin shot Evelyn a frantic, annoyed look as the hansom jerked forward at a dangerously fast pace. A moment later he twisted around in the seat to face Evelyn.

"Look, I got talk to you," he said.

Evenly frowned. "'Bout what?"

"About this school. I don't like it. You shouldn't be going to it, it's not right –"

"Ooh, don't start again!" She snapped. "I'm going and you can't stop me!" Her grey eyes flashed and Dustin turned away, looking troubled.

Uncomfortable silence fell as the hansom sped towards King's Cross. Minutes passed and as the station loomed up Evelyn dug through her coat for her ticket. She clutched it in her hand as the hansom screeched to a stop.

Rushing in excitement now, Evelyn hurried out of the cab, Dustin following at a slightly slower pace. Beaming Evelyn dragged her trunk and held her cage aloft as she walked in to the Station. She froze just inside the entrance. She's never been there before. It was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen.

"So, where we going?" Dustin asked her. Evelyn let go of her trunk and squinted down at the ticket.

Her reading skills had improved over the summer, as well as her math skills. She'd had Dustin teach her maths. She'd caught on quickly. It was simply too easy for her. Even the advanced stuff.

"Uh, nine and three . . . four? Dustin, it's a bloody fraction!"

"What?"

"Yeah, says nine and three-quarters. What do I do?"

Dustin didn't have a reply so Evelyn simply set her face and marched on. She moved on through the station until she found platform nine. Then she stopped and looked around. Now what?

Evelyn and Dustin stood side by side, looking curiously. Evelyn was at a loss until she noticed something strange. Some people had seemed to disappear. She looked to it and swore as she saw someone vanish.

"Found it!" She exclaimed, running forward.

Dustin lunged after her and caught her arm. "Evelyn," he said pleadingly, "I really need to talk to you."

"Not now! I gotta go or I'll be late –!"

"Evelyn if you go you'll be in danger!"

"What?" She pulled against him desperately.

"This isn't you're world Evelyn, you belong in my world – you're a half-blood, see, one of your parents is a god and –"

"Are you out of your bloody mind?!" She fought wildly.

"You have to believe me, I'm a satyr, I'm meant to find people like you and take them to safety and – and –" Dustin suddenly kicked off his shoes. "Look!"

A hasty glance down showed that instead of feet he had hooves.

Evelyn let out a sound, struck with her fist, turned, and fled towards where she'd seen people disappear. Someone ran into it and disappeared in front of her. Heart pounding, chest heaving, confusion and terror flying through her, Evelyn charged through not even batting her eyes.

A few paces in and she found she was too shocked to go on. She was standing in the middle of a busy train station, a scarlet engine puffing smoke as it waited to set off. Families were everywhere, taking up all the space. There were good-byes and partings and so many people were already on the train. Looking up showed Evelyn a sign that said 9 ¾.

Someone brushed her by accident, and she tensed. There were so many people . . . things always went wrong when she was with people.

She couldn't let that happen.

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn picked up her trunk and bird cage and moved on towards the train. She walked slowly, looking around with wide-eyed amazement. What she saw . . . even her trip to Diagon Alley hadn't prepared her for this. In the corner of her eye, she saw a couple snogging being interrupted by a younger boy. She made sure to turn away.

Evelyn was later than she thought, because she was still pushing through the crowd as the train whistle sounded and someone yelled, "All aboard!"

Foregoing any calmness Evelyn charged through the crowd, roughly shoving others out of the way in her haste to board. Seconds before the train began to pull away she leaped on the train, twisting wildly to get her balance.

A brief smile lit up her face as the train picked up speed. She was onboard. She was on her way. She was really doing this.

She pushed thoughts of Dustin that suddenly crowded her mind. It was nothing, she assured herself. Just him trying to cause trouble. There was no reason to dwell on him. That was behind her.

She stepped inside the car and walked down the aisle. Panic hit her. Where the heck was she supposed to go? She had no idea – she was new to this world! Evelyn's eyes searched wildly for an empty booth. She couldn't find one.

Evelyn's head suddenly snapped forward a second before she walked into someone. He was a boy her age, with black hair and green eyes.

"Sorry," he said, realizing they were about to have collided. "Are you lost?"

Evelyn nodded. "Uh-huh. Can't find a seat."

"Oh, there's space in my booth, if you want, there's just me and my brother and Rose."

This odd kindness caught Evelyn off guard. She only knew kids her age as mean. "Uh, sure, thanks."

"It's right over here," he gestured to the booth a few behind him and started to turn before looking at Evelyn. "Are you a muggle-born? 'Cause you seem a bit uncomfortable." Evelyn had absolutely no idea what to say to that? What was a muggle-born? The boy seemed to take her silence in a different way. "You know, it's fine. Muggle-borns are as good as the rest." He held out his hand to her. "I'm Albus, by the way, Albus Potter."

She dropped her trunk and shook his hand. "Evelyn MacLear."

"Nice to meet you, c'mon, the booth's back here."

Albus lead Evelyn down the aisle and slid open a booth door. Albus was just stepping in, Evelyn looking around him curiously, as a voice that was half mocking half interested asked, "Did little Al find a friend?"

"James!" Albus protested. "You know as well as I do everywhere else is full, else you'd be sitting with your friends."

"'Course I would, you're great to tease and all bro, but I don't need to spend all my time at school holed up with my family."

Albus just gave a half shrug and sat down at the far end of a seat across from where James lounged. An irritated looking girl with bushy reddish-brown hair was on the other half of the seat.

With a flicking glance at them Evelyn tossed her trunk up onto the racks above, making it look easier than it actually was. She kicked the door partway closed and set her owl down, plopping into the only free seat after a moment's hesitation.

James was watching her interestedly. "Well, depending on how well you heard, I'm James. James Potter. Al's bigger brother." He jerked his head at the girl. "This is Rose Weasly, our cousin."

Rose frowned. "I can introduce myself, thanks." James just shrugged. "And you're not that much older than Al and I, only a year."

"Yeah, but she don't know that."

"Actually, I do, considering I've seen kids younger than me who are bigger than you," Evelyn shot out, hardly even thinking. Immediately she wished she had kept her mouth shut. Now they had to know she was from the streets. And she hadn't been wanting anyone to know that.

The other three stared at her, before Rose laughed, breaking the tension. Evelyn put on an easy smile, to show she had merely been joking. If had been, that is.

This seemed to throw James off. "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Evelyn."

"She's a muggle-born," Albus added. Rose perked up at that.

"Really? My mum's muggle-born too!"

Evelyn tried for a smile.

"Who introduced you?" James asked. Evelyn gave him a blank look. "You know, who showed up with your letter and explained things to your parents and helped you out and all." He suddenly seemed to lose the fake maturity and be curious.

"Oh." Evelyn decided not to mention the fact she didn't have parents. Though apparently one's – no, don't think about that, she thought savagely. Out loud she said, "Minerva."

The three family members all raised their eyebrows. "McGonagall?" James asked.

Evelyn just shrugged. "She just had me call her Minerva, for familiarity, I guess. It's probably her."

"Makes sense," Rose said.

"Did she give you the owl?"

"If she did?" Evelyn met James' gaze squarely. "I ain't questioning her reasons. Plus, I did kinda want one." A faint smile curved her lips as she thought of the little tricks she had had Erron do in the back of the tea Cozy. It had been remarkably easy.

"Lucky," Rose said. "I have to use a school owl, or my parent's on a return if I want to send out mail. Same with the boys."

"If Erron's all right with it, you can use him," Evelyn offered shyly. "I don't mind." Secretly, she was amazed she was willing to risk a friendship. This school probably wouldn't be permanent, with her bloody luck.

Rose instantly brightened. "Thanks!"

"So, Evelyn," Albus said, seeming a little annoyed to have been overshadowed by his brother and cousin. "Which house do you want to be in?"

Evelyn cocked her head. "What?"

She got a look in return. "Didn't it all get explained to you?"

Her mind scrambled for a reason as she flushed. "Got ADHD," she mumbled, quoting something she had been told a long, long time ago, in a buried age.

"What's that?"

"It's uh . . ." she fumbled for the memory of what it was. Why did it have to be so bloody long ago? "Something that makes it hard for me ta be . . . normal, when bored for too long. Not sure. Kinda comes and goes. I get a lot of energy and lose focus." That last part, at least, was the truth.

"Oh."

"So what are these houses? I dunno much 'bout Hogwarts." Albus's face lit up, and Evelyn knew she would learn all she'd need about her new school. Somehow, she found herself looking forward to this talk, as Albus began to describe the four houses.

A/N: *grins* Evelyn's getting in with the Potters. Without even meaning to! Yeah, this is what's happening . . . at the moment. Now. I am having a dilemma. See, if you saw my poll on my profile, then you know I'm asking which house I should chose. Up until now, I'd been going with Gryffindor, so some scenes I want to do were planned around that. However, most people chose Ravenclaw (There was one other – what the heck? Slytherin?) so unless something that doesn't make sense happens, there'll be separate houses, and things'll be hard ... I'm not the strongest potterhead, so how well do joint classes work out?
Oh yeah, and I know James seemed a little out of character. That's intentional. He was trying for the older-sibling-cockiness with a new girl around. He should turn a bit more normal later on. I'll shut up now. So let me know what you thought, via reviews and favs and alerts! Until next time!