Chapter 4: Hogwarts Express

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Platform 9 ¾ was rapidly filling up as students appeared and began loading their trunks and belongings onto the Hogwarts Express.

Standing off to one side was a petite, slender girl with long wavy hair of a deep auburn color pulled back in a loose braid.  Her eyes were a deep emerald green and, though she appeared to be scanning the crowd ahead of her, had a very distant look in them.  She was dressed in casual muggle fashion- capri pants and a short t-shirt that barely reached the top of her pants.  She was casually perched on a bench, knees pulled up and her arms wrapped around them.  In the midst of all the confusion, she seemed strangely calm with a slight amused smile showing on her face.

"Alinora!"

She looked up as she heard her name called, smiled and got up to go meet Katie who ran to give her a hug.  They were soon approached by Angelina and Alicia who also gave her hugs.

"You look… different some how Ali.  I can't quite place what's changed, but you look… comfortable with yourself- happier."  Katie looked at her curiously, trying to place what had changed.  "Did you have a good summer?"

"She looks absolutely spiffing Katie- she must have had a great summer!" Fred said, picking her up and swinging her around once before setting her down again, as George and Ginny joined them.

Alinora grinned at him then turned back to Katie.  "Yes, I did have a good summer."  Her voice seemed different too- there was more depth to it, though it was hard to define- and she seemed a bit amused by something.  "I'm really sorry I couldn't visit this summer, and that I was such a pain to get in contact with.  Dumbledore told me you'd tried to owl me.  I was a bit swamped- I had to take my O.W.L.s since I wasn't here fifth year.  It didn't leave me with a lot of free time."

"They made you take your O.W.L.s over break?!?"  Fred sounded outraged for her sake.  "And you'll have N.E.W.T.s this year…"

She laughed "I had to take them sometime and best to get them over with when I had the time.  I haven't decided if taking them a year or so late was a good thing- I got the extra year to learn more, but I think they made the test harder too!  Not the most relaxing end of break though and I've been spending a lot of the last couple days trying to catch up on my sleep."

As if to prove that she was still a bit tired, she yawned and stretched, causing the t-shirt she was wearing to ride up showing a bit of her flat stomach.

Ginny noticed George was staring rather hard and gave him a quick jab with her elbow before anyone else noticed, hiding a grin of her own.  She had a feeling that was the effect Alinora had been going for the whole time though, judging by the slight smile on her face…

The train was preparing to depart so they split up to find a compartment: Ginny to find Ron, Harry and Hermione and the rest to hunt down Lee Jordan.

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