Caroline

Tears flooded down my face as I said goodbye to my parents. The train, perfect as a Christmas set model, gleamed and smoked as it sat impatiently on platform 9 ¾. I boarded the train, eyes blurred and baggage in hand. I found an empty compartment, put my luggage aside, and settled down, preparing myself for a long ride of nothing but staring out the window. The train started up, and the last thing I saw was my mother and father hugging at the waist and waving, arms outstretched as far as possible.

The countryside landscape rolled by before my eyes, sheep grazing and farmland racing away. The silence grew, humming in my ears, the only movement being the rattling of the car and the occasional passing of students and stewardesses in the hall. My somber quiet was interrupted suddenly by the quick opening of the compartment door and shrill shouting after the intruder. I turned around only to face the rude boy from Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley reminded me of Ron, Hermione, and Harry, the three I had met and dined with. I hadn't seen any of them since my return to a wizarding spot, and this only made me feel like moping some more. I looked back towards the window, ignoring the interrupter and wondering how I would get through the year without any friends. I was just thinking this when I was interrupted just as rudely (in my mind that is; I didn't even consider the fact that I had just blown some stranger off) by:

"Will you help me?" the boy said.

"Um, I'm afraid I don't remember your name, sorry, and help you with what?" I said apologetically, but without any true remorse.

"It's Draco," he reminded me as he looked back as if someone were there.

Now I don't mean to sound self-assured or narcissus, but no matter what, if someone was in trouble, I'm inclined to help them, despite my dislike of them, but then again, I didn't really know Draco, and the only real reason I had to dislike him, was because Ron, Hermione, and Harry had said so. Which is probably why I said, "Okay. What do you need?" Either that or his gorgeous blue eyes. I'm a sucker for good eyes. But it was probably my generosity that made me do it. Yeah, right. Generosity. That's it.

"I know this is a little strange, but I really need this. You see this girl has been following me around and I need her to leave me alone. Please help me." Now what was I supposed to do, after this supposedly pompous and arrogant guy was begging for help from me? I agreed to listen to what I had to do before I decided to help. It was definitely the eyes that did it this time. After I heard what he wanted me to do, however, my eyes widened and my mouth fell open.

"You want me to do WHAT??!!" I stuttered, still shocked. But after some begging and pleading, I (reluctantly) agreed.

Draco opened the door and looked down the corridor. He turned around after a minute and said, "She's coming. Are you ready?"

"I guess," I replied. But before I could do anything, he leaned over and kissed me with the most passion I have ever experienced. Just then, a snide brunette walked by.

"Draco!! How could you?" she cried as she ran off in a flurry and he pulled away.

"Thanks, Caroline," Draco said and left, straightening his tie, and closed to door with a small smirk I happened to not have seen. My mouth still hung open, not because I was so shocked, but because as Pansy had walked by, so had someone with a familiar face. And now Hermione was going back to her compartment, no doubt shared with Harry and Ron, to report what she had just seen. There go my friends.

Just then a small black puppy jumped out of my bag. "What the HECK was that? Young lady, you're not supposed to be going around kissing random Brits. You haven't even met that boy! I'm afraid another instance like this and I shall have to report it. "The puppy yelled to me.

"Quiet down! Other people are on this train, you know. They could have heard you. Now, get back in the bag, I'm going to get Hermione." I whispered back to him.

"No need. She's already here." He replied with a cocky tone as he settled back in the bag, "and could you try not to swing your bag around so much. I've already got three bruises from your carelessness."

"Hush!" I muttered just as the glass door opened, "Oh, hi Hermione! Nice to see you again! How was your vacation?"

"Caroline. What was - what was that?" she said in a small voice and with a face that looked slightly between mad, shocked, and some other undistinguishable feeling.

"Uh, what was what?" I asked back, trying to sound unaware and hoping she hadn't seen the dog.

"You just kissed the foulest, most evil boy in the entire school, if not all of England!"

"Oh yes, that. Well you see Hermione,"

"Did we not tell you all about him? What were you thinking? 'Oh yes, that'??!!"

"Hermione, you've got to understand."

"Understand what? UNDERSTAND exactly what??"

"He didn't say he was going to kiss me! He just did it."

"Okay. You've got thirty seconds to tell me everything. Go." So I told her how he had come in, asked me for my help, my surprise that he wanted me to slap him, and my complete and utter shock that he kissed me. "Well, you did look a bit astonished." She answered back.

"Astonished? I was stunned! And then he just left without so much except 'thanks'. I was so worried you wouldn't understand. But please Hermione, don't tell Ron and Harry. I really want to have you guys as my friends. You're the best people I've met since I moved to England." She agreed not to tell Harry or Ron and we talked for the next hour, until she realized she should have been back in the compartment where Ron and Harry were an hour and a half ago.

"You can come, if you'd like, Caroline," She offered.

"That's okay. I'm good where I am for now. You guys enjoy yourselves. I've got to catch up on some reading anyway. I said back.

"Reading? For school?" she asked, a little surprised.

"No, my library book is due back in a couple of days."

"Okay. See you later. Just remember, Draco is trouble. Stay away from him. You don't really know what he was up to. "

"Thanks, Hermione. Bye!" I finished as the glass door closed. I picked up my book, but without any result. Everything was going to be okay now that I had cleared Hermione up. The snack lady came again and I ordered a small drink composed of Pumpkin juice. It was actually quite good, to my astonishment. But before the lady pulled her cart away, she asked,

"Are you sitting alone, dear?"

"Um, well, yes," I replied, a little taken aback.

"And you wouldn't mind any company, would you?"

"No, that would be okay."

"I'll be back in a minute, then"

"Okay." I ended, wondering why the snack lady wanted to sit with me. But she didn't come alone. With her was a girl of my own age. She had dark brown hair with red highlights and her eyes looked about the same. I welcomed her in and went back to my book. I knew I was being a little rude, but I didn't feel much like talking. She sat down and picked up her own book. We sat there for half an hour in pure silence when out crawled the dog.

"It's getting a little stuffy in there. I thought I'd get some fresh air," he said and I looked up at the shocked girl.

"What. Is that. Did he just. What the heck?" the confused girl said.

"Um, yes. I believe the lady said your name was Nicole? Yes, okay. let me explain. "and so for the second time that day, I had a lengthy explanation to someone I hardly knew.

Nicole

I thought my life was completely over today on the train. I couldn't find a place to sit for two hours, so I had to stand with the lady who sells snacks to all the students. When she returned after her first round, I was incredibly relieved. First of all, the kitchen-like area smelt like burnt pumpkin, and it was hard to stay in the plastic seat the woman had conjured up for me.

"Nicky, dear, there's a compartment with only a girl about your age in it. I think you would be more comfortable there and she has agreed to some company."

I walked to the compartment and found a girl my age reading a book.

"This is Nicole. I'll leave you two alone, because I have to go finish the round."

Feeling she didn't want to talk, I pulled out one of the books on vampires I was reading and flew through the pages. But after half an hour, fate seemed to want to interrupt us, and a black puppy crawled out of the girl's bag and started to talk. At first I thought I was crazy, but she acknowledged the fact that he was talking.

"What. Is that? Did he just? What the heck?" I said confusedly.

"Um, yes. I believe the lady said your name was Nicole? Yes, okay. Nicole, let me explain. "she said back in a hurry. And so she told me about how the dog had to come with her as an order from her parents, and how the headmaster had agreed. I felt she wasn't telling me everything, but I went along with it, for she had just met me. We both put down out books after that, started talking, and before we knew it, it was time to get dressed and leave the train. At least I had one friend going into a new school.