"EVIE!" A black-haired girl waved frantically from a window on the Hogwarts Express.

Evie waved back as she hurried towards the train with her trunk. The black-haired girl appeared at the door the same moment as she did to help get her trunk on board.

"Like my new shirt Eve's?"

"Hey cool an Evanescence tee-shirt and oh you dyed your hair!"

"You noticed? Do you think it looks alright?"

"Yeah Lessa really Gothic, are all the other's here yet?"

"Oh yeah Char's waiting in the compartment with Cathy"

"Hey where's Merlin? You've only got his empty cage"

"I didn't want him to be squashed up for the train trip so I sent him on ahead"

They began to make their way to the compartment down the other end of the train.

"Are you sure it's wise to leave those two in there un-attended?"

"No but I can't stay in there with them, alone. They're crazy"

"Hmmm yes crazy, how crazy? Crazier than usual?"

"They were going on and on about the world being purple when I left them"

"The world is purple?"

"That's what they said"

On reaching the compartment door they could hear loud squeals and what was un-mistakenly laughter.  Evie looked at Lessa for answers but all she got in response was a shrug. She opened the door.

Cathy was pinned up in a corner squealing. A blonde-haired girl stood over her and another brunette, Charlotte, was in the opposite corner giggling over the word purple.

Cathy stopped squealing when she saw them come in "I've been abused" she cried.

Evie gave her a worried look. "Been into the alcohol again have we?"

"No, no alcohol. Nancy, she has been abusing me". She pretended to sob.

"Abusing you? You tried to touch me"

 "You sat on me; I was trying to push you off"

"Ahem, okay calm down peoples"

"Peoples? What are peoples? Are they going to eat me?"

"No Lessa they won't eat you, don't be stupid"

The train whistle sounded and on the platform there was a wild scramble to get onto the train. The families waved to their children as the train slowly edged out of the station. Evie took a seat between Char and Nancy to face Cat and Lessa. She pulled out one of her books from home and began to read "Legolas"

"WHERE?" Char sat upright, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Here in my book"

Char pretended to sob all the while muttering "Legolas"

Evie sighed "He's not real Char"

Char looked outraged "He is so real, he's…….he's home……in my room"

"Umm ok I see where this is going now"

There was another loud pitched squeal from Cathy. "No it isn't true…..it isn't I swear!"

"What, that you didn't try to steal Frodo's pants?"

 "I STOLE WHAT?!!"

"Frodo's pants, I know that you stole them Cat"

Evie decided to intervene before things got too wild "Ok now that we have all finished talking about stealing things-----"

"----I did not steal Frodo's pants"

"I never said you did"

"You all think that"

"Well let's just move on people, new topic for discussion please"

"Hey let's play a game of exploding snap, I know I have some here somewhere"

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"People's"

They all looked up to see who was standing in the doorway "Alex!"

"Alex things aren't trying to melt you are they?" Evie had to ask.

Alexis came into the compartment to sit between Lessa and Cathy. "Melt me!"

Her face became one of fright as she began to hyperventilate.

"Breathe Alex" Evie urged her "Take deep breaths"

Alexis began to breathe in and out slowly until she was back to normal.

The exploding snap game had been abandoned, cards lay scattered all over the floor.

"Where's Amy?"

Alexis shrugged "I don't know"

"Does anyone know where she is?" Evie appealed

"Here" Amy was standing in the doorway.

"Oh good, come on in then"

Amy came in and sat down. The compartment was pretty full now with 7 people sitting in it. Nancy spoke her mind "Is it just me or does it seem a little crowded in here?"

"You know ladies I think I might go and see some of my friends from the other houses"

"What like Legolas?"

Char laughed "No I only see him at night when he comes to me"

"Oh ok, seeya later then"

"Seeya!"

"Bye" everyone chorused as Char closed the sliding door behind her.

The usual conversation or more to the point the usual fooling around, began.

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"Anything off the trolley dears?"

"Ah yes" Evie grabbed her backpack searching frantically for her purse.

Cathy pulled out some coins from her pocket as did Lessa.

Amy contented herself with a lunch packed from home; Nancy had already started eating her second apple for the day.

The food on the school train was always good. There were cauldron cakes, fizzing wizzbees, licorice wands, Droobles Best Blowing Gum, chocolate frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, pumpkin pastries etc.

Evie ended up buying herself a couple of cauldron cakes and a box of Bertie Botts. Lessa had her hands full of candy which gave Evie the idea of buying a bag of chocolate frogs to share with everybody.

Once all the food had been eaten there was a long silence. Several of them had fallen asleep, others were too bored to say anything and Evie was too mesmerized in the pages of her book to know what was going on around her.

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The darkness came sometime after 5 when all the lanterns in the carriages were lit.

By now Evie had abandoned her book and had already pulled out her walkman.

Lessa had her guitar, Ramoth, out and was playing a few cords quietly in the corner.

They all just sat there, silently waiting for the train to arrive at the station in Hogsmeade.

The door opened again and Char snuck back into her seat. "Wow it's quiet in here!"

Cat shrugged "Guess we killed them all silently"

Char laughed "Then that would mean that they're all zombies' right?"

"Yep"

Evie glanced at her watch "Yikes! We'd better hurry up and change!"

"What time is it anyway?"

"Let's just say that we'll be arriving in like the next half hour or so"

Grabbing her trunk Evie pulled out her long black Hogwarts robes, her special black Hogwarts hat and her Gryffindor scarf.

After throwing all these on over her clothes she sat back down in her seat waiting.

After what seemed like hours but was in actual fact 40mins the train wheels began to slow down and the vehicle came to a complete stop.

The corridor was packed with students making their way off the train and onto the station platform. Together Evie and her friends struggled out of the compartment and towards the exit. "Can someone help me? Please I'm a first year! I can't get off the train"

Evie swung around to face a frightened looking first year girl who was being jostled and ignored by all the older students. Without thinking she grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her out with her onto the platform with her. Evie let go of her as soon as they were away from the crowd. "Are you okay?"

The first year nodded "Thank you so much"

Grinning Evie replied "It's ok; sometimes those older kids need to look out for the first years. I'm Evie by the way"

"I'm Laura, Laura Truewood"

"Truewood! Aren't you Aidan Truewood's sister?"

"Yes"

"You live in the street behind mine, how come I've never met you before?"

Laura shrugged "Mum doesn't really want me being with non-wizarding people much. I think it's because she worries that they might suspect that we aren't exactly like them"

"So basically she thinks that everyone in my family are muggles?"

"Well, yeah if that's what you call non-magic people"

"Well then welcome to Hogwarts Laura! Hope you're in Gryffindor! That's the house I'm in but even if you're not then you can hang around with me anytime"

"Really?" Laura seemed stunned "Thanks! Aidan's in Gryffindor so I might be too"

"Great! Oh yeah you better go over to Hagrid over there before he leaves without you"

Laura waved and hurried over to the large man who was waving a lantern and calling all the first years. Evie waved back before heading over to her group of friends over by the school carriages who were waiting for her.

"EVIE! Where were you?" Lessa seemed a little bit angry.

"I helped a first year get off the train, seems like some of the bigger ones wouldn't give her a chance to get off. Anyway it turns out that she lives in my neighborhood"

"Well let's just get into the carriage before we're late"

After re-collecting their belongings they all ran towards an empty carriage.