DISCLAIMER!!!! Leon Mason belongs to Lord Cargyle, and is used with his permission. Kylin is mine, and the rest belong to J. K. Rowling. Rated for Mild Language.
The bustle of the city seemed almost like a homecoming for Kylin, but she didn't have long to revel in that conclusion. Mrs. Weasley herded the group forward like cattle, pushing through the crowd as easily as a stick slides through water. Her grey eyes bright with excitement and familiarity, Kylin was more than happy to merely allow herself to be steered for now. Still, as they reached King's Cross Station, moving through the crowd grew more difficult and her fingers twitched to attention at the close proximity to the people around her. She found herself scanning them, analyzing as carefully as if she had never even met her new 'family.'
"Keep moving," Mr. Weasley said tightly, urging the students towards the train. "We're a bit late as it is."
"Can't have you falling behind, Kylin," Ron tossed over his shoulder.
The reply prompted a sharp smack on the shoulder by his sister. "It's your fault we're late in the first place!"
Kylin grinned, allowing Mr. Weasley to usher her up the train's steps. To her surprise, he put his hand on her arm, halting her progress when she reached the top. As she turned around, he turned over the hand so that the palm stayed up. "Kylin, if you please."
It was obvious that feigning innocence wouldn't work this time. She sighed heavily, rolling her eyes before reaching into the pocket of her jeans and pulling out two billfolds. "It was just for practice. I would have sent them back as soon as I could have."
"Of course. You might refrain from such practice while at the school, hm?" With a final pat to her arm and a smile, he stepped back, letting her scramble her way onto the train.
It was just as packed inside the train as it had been outside. Students pushed, trying to get to the empty compartments, to meet up with their friends, or to find lost items. Kylin paused a moment. Where had the others…There! She saw Harry slip into a compartment, closing the door behind him, and she started forward without thinking.
It was surprising to suddenly find her path blocked. The boy sneered down at her. "What have we here?" he asked, and the goons behind him snickered.
Kylin skidded to a stop, her hair falling over one shoulder. "Writing a book?" she demanded.
The boy laughed. "American? You're a long way from home." He took a step forward, his gaze traveling up and down her form. "Too bad."
Kylin bristled. "Hey. Keep your eyes in their sockets," she warned. Shaking her head, she stepped to the left, shouldering her way past him. It only led to her path being blocked by the two goons. She rolled her eyes. "You've gotta be kidding me," she muttered darkly. "Look, I don't have time for this right now, so if you'll just move over a little, I'll let you try to beat the crap out of me later. Deal?"
The thug closest to the window rolled his shoulders menacingly. "What do you mean, try?" His accent was almost too thick to make out.
"Aw, I'm sorry. Was 'try' too big of a word for you to understand?"
The boy bristled, and the blonde swaggered back to join the bodyguards. "Calm down, Goyle. She's more bark than bite." His accent wasn't nearly so thick, but the sweet, velvet texture instantly put her on high alert.
Kylin arched an eyebrow. "Care to test that theory, peacock?"
"Malfoy." The boys turned as one in response to Leon's quiet warning. Surprisingly, though, the blonde merely sneered again before stepping back passed Kylin. His bodyguards followed. After several moments, she finally allowed her gaze to meet his. He shook his head. "Can't you ever just stay out of trouble?" he rebuked.
"Character flaw," she shrugged, ducking under his arm easily and entering the compartment.
Hermione glanced up from her textbook, giving Kylin a smile of welcome. "What was that all about?"
"She was flirting with Malfoy."
"I wasn't flirting, Leon. He wouldn't let me get past him." She flopped unladylike onto the nearest seat, leaning against the wall. "Who knew that there were asses in England?" she added mildly, pointedly ignoring Leon's teeth-grinding.
"Don't swear, Kylin." Hermione murmured, turning back to her book.
In the opposite seat, a boy and girl watched with undisguised curiosity. "What are you doing here?" the girl asked bluntly.
Kylin arched an eyebrow. "And people say I'm the rude one." The girl didn't seem to hear.
Ron cleared his throat. "Luna, this is Kylin." He had sat down next to the blonde-haired girl. "Ky, this is Luna and Neville."
"Nice to meet you." The silence that filled the compartment almost made Kylin want to cringe. She couldn't stand quiet for very long. Glancing around, she stood on her seat, rummaging in the case she'd thrown up there when she'd first arrived.
"What are you doing?" the boy Neville asked.
"Relieving the mood a little." Kylin sat back down on the seat, an ancient guitar cradled in her lap.
"Where did you get that?!" Ron demanded.
"Your attic." Kylin hummed slightly as she strummed a simple set of chords. "I figured no one was going to be using it, so I brought it with me."
"I didn't know you could play."
"You didn't ask. Now, who has a request?"
Before any of them could answer, the door to the compartment slid open. A girl that looked a good three years younger than them stood in the opening, breathless. "I'm supposed to deliver these to Leon Mason, Neville Longbottom, and Harry P-Potter." Her voice cracked over his name, her face exploding into a violent scarlet.
Kylin chuckled, strumming another random chord.
Neville was already reading the invitation he'd been handed. "Who's Professor Slughorn?"
"New teacher. Well, I suppose we'll have to go, won't we?" Harry didn't seem very pleased about it.
"Not necessarily. You could just stay here and pretend to be possessed by a very lazy demon that wants to catch a few Z's."
"I can tell by your tone, Ky, that you think you're funny, but you're not."
"Aw! Ron, I'm crushed!"
"Enough, you two." Harry stood, stretching.
"But what does he want me for?" Neville asked nervously.
"No idea." He paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Listen, let's go under the Invisibility Cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he's up to."
Kylin blinked. "I don't think being creepy is a reason to be spied on."
"He's more than creepy," Leon muttered. "And trust me, he needs to be spied on."
She rolled her eyes slightly and merely sat back in the seat, playing out a complicated string of chords again. "You're awful morbid. More so than usual."
"I just have an uneasy feeling, that's all."
"Geez. One might think you psychic or something."
Leon rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Kylin," he sighed wearily.
Hermione glanced at him, pausing slightly. "You sure you're okay?"
"Fine." He met her gaze, smiling slightly before kissing her cheek. "See you guys after a bit, okay?"
"They're still not back yet."
"Really. I couldn't tell." Kylin was nervous. She'd put away the guitar and was pacing restlessly around the cramped compartment. Her arms were folded across her chest, her dark hair still in its pigtails, though she occasionally tugged at the Hogwarts uniform she now wore. Her sharp retort was laced with heavy sarcasm, another warning side.
Hermione frowned, but kept her gaze on the book she still held. "Kylin, sit down."
The other girl did as she was told. In the next minute, she was up again, peering down the hall. From behind, she heard the book snap shut, and she glared at Hermione from over her shoulder. Kylin growled a warning, baring her teeth slightly.
The look of surprise on Ron's face was enough for Kylin to realize what she'd done. "Dammit…" She exhaled sharply. "I need some air." Without waiting for a reply, she slipped through the compartment door, closing it sharply behind her.
She waited until she was several compartments from her starting point. Only when she was sure they weren't watching did she break into a run. It wasn't like her to slip like that, and it wasn't like her to worry over someone else, but the fact that Harry and Leon had been gone for so long was just nerve-wracking. And she didn't understand why.
At the end of the hall was a door that led to the next car. Maybe if she just stood out there, listened to the moving train, she'd be able to get herself under control. She wasn't prepared when the door to the last compartment opened and the people started filing out. She ran into the first person in line and fell flat on her back.
Neville was just as shocked as she was, but he was able to recover a bit faster. "Are you alright?"
Kylin stared up at him, dumbstruck for perhaps the first time in her life before she let her breath out in a huge rush. "I'm fine." She pushed herself up to her feet, only to trip over the hem of her robes. As she regained her balance, she cleared her throat. "So, y'all got out of the meeting okay?"
Neville blinked. "Didn't they come back to the compartment?"
"No…Should they have?"
"They left right after Zabini. That was quite a bit ago. I would have thought they would have gone back to the compartment."
Kylin's internal alarm was buzzing again, and unfortunately, it had no snooze button. She swallowed carefully, trying to feign indifference. "Who's Zabini?" she asked curiously.
"He's a Slytherin that was invited to Professor Slughorn's compartment." Neville stepped to the side, letting some of the others slip through so that they could get ready for the train's arrival. As they filed past, he seemed to notice her unease. "I'm sure they're fine. Maybe they decided to follow after someone else," he suggested.
"Maybe…" She leaned against the far wall, her gaze distant for the barest of moments. "We must be there," she said finally. "The train's slowing down." Indeed, the train had started to slow down, and out of the nearest window, the castle's lights were fully visible. Kylin watched the building before smiling humorlessly. "A castle. It's always a castle."
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Okay, I know. Not the best in the world, but I needed to get things moving. Next chapter will be MUCH better, I swear!
