The train seemed to slow with every passing second. Lily stuck her head out into the trains' hallway. Students all along the train could be seen doing the same, all with the same puzzled expressions on their faces.
"I wonder what's going on..." said Lily plopping back down in her seat. There was a shrill scream from somewhere on board and four figures came hurtling into Alex and Lily's compartment.
"What the...?" cried Lily as someone shouted.
"No time! Lily, get behind me!" and Lily yet out a muffled cry of surprise as a figure forced her behind him. Alex was about the pull out her wand when yet another figure grabbed her around the waste and pulled her into a protective hug. To her right, Alex could hear Lily screaming madly.
"James! James let go of me!"
Alex looked at the figure now clutching her. Tall with black hair... could be none other then, "Sirius! Get off of me or I swear I'll-"but she was cut off by Remus.
"Be quite you two and stay still!" he barked as the lights along the train began to flicker and then were suddenly extinguished. Everything went suddenly still. Alex could feel her heart beating violently. She could hear the heavy breathing of Sirius and the stillness of everything... a stillness that was almost frightening. Alex could see Remus standing behind the locked compartment door, eyes wide open and wand stretched out in front of him as Peter curled up and hid in a corner. Shadowy figures were moving in the hallway, stopping now and then to reach out and slide there foot long claws along the door. Alex clutched Sirius and he held her tighter. An odd sensation was building up in the pit of her stomach, slowly growing stronger until she could feel energy pulsating, waiting to be released from her fingertips. Her eyes lit up and Sirius withdrew, every so slightly, and stared in amazement at Alex's flashing green eyes and glowing hands. Alex concentrated on getting the energy out, directing it anywhere away from her body. As she did so, a golden bubble began to surround her and the rest of the people in her compartment. Sirius, still not letting go, just held Alex tighter and squeezed his eyes shut. Now, the whole of the train was glowing, was absorbed in a giant ball of glowing gold. Alex felt her feet giving way, felt her body going limp as she spiraled down, down into darkness.
Alex woke feeling a set of strong arms wrapped around her. What had happened? Her whole body felt weak and frail and she could hardly move. Her eyes fluttered open and her glance fell upon a very worried looking cabin of people. Alex gazed up into the benevolent face of Sirius which broke out into a grin at the sight of her now open eyes.
"Wow, what happened?" she said sitting up and breaking free of Sirius' embrace.
"We don't exactly know that ourselves..." replied Remus a pensive look on his face.
"Your eyes started glowing and your hands made a giant golden ball that surrounded us all. Then you just... went limp. We didn't know when or if you were going to wake up..." said Sirius.
"Well, I'm fine." Said Alex brushing herself off.
"You're sure?" asked Lily "You're sure you feel alright?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Alex answered back, now rubbing her throbbing head. "What were those... things? Out in the corridors?"
Remus straitened up and said "Skeletars.".
"Skele what?" asked James trying to get closer to Lily, who simply moved farther over.
"Skeletars." Answered Remus yet again. "How do you say... woman eaters? They feed on unsuspecting women victims when they-"
"Alright, I think I've heard enough." Said Lily screwing up her face is distaste. "Look, Alex... we should be arriving at Hogwarts soon, so I think we had best get changed. I'll show you were you can dress into your school robes."
Alex stepped out onto the Hogwarts platform with Lily, where they both met the howling wind and the pelting rain on their faces. A low voice was raised and it boomed out over the heads of the students. "First years! First years over here!" it called. Alex looked around to see that the voice belonged to an extremely large man, still at the prime of his youth but hidden under a large brown beard, at least twice the height of a normal man, holding a lantern by a group of spluttering and very unhappy little kids. Alex hurried over to the man and raised her voice. "Hello! I'm Alexandra Marcs and I don't really know where-"
"Ah!" said the large man now looking down on Alex "You must be Alexandra Marcs!"
"Yes..." said Alex looking a bit confused. "But you see I just need to know if-"
"Professor McGonagall gave meh special orders for you to ride up ter the castle with the rest o' the 5th years." Bellowed the man sending vibrations through the air.
Alex yelled "Oh, thank you!" and rushed off to find Lily.
"Alex! Over here!" she heard someone calling her name. Lily was standing on her tiptoes over by a row of carriages, her soaking wet red hair hanging in her eyes. "Come this way!" she yelled.
Alex hurried over and Lily grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her off to a nearby carriage. Alex looked around to see each of the carriages being pulled by what looked like very bony horses with leathery wings and very sharp and elongated teeth. Before Alex could inspect the creatures more closely, Lily pulled her inside and slammed the door behind her. She sat in the seat next to Alex and let out of heavy sigh. The carriage smelled faintly of hay and there was a spring sticking out of the seat by Alex's left hand.
"Glad to be out of that mess" said Lily jerking one of her hands out the window as the other one wrung out her sopping wet hair. "Oh, before I forget." Said Lily perking up. "Alex, this is Molly, Molly, this is Alexandra Marcs. She's just transferred here." Lily gestured to a girl with flaming red hair, a round face and a warm smile.
"Hello, nice to meet you." Said Molly shaking Alex's hand.
"Likewise" said Alex. "Lily?"
"Hmm?"
"What were those horse things pulling the carriages?" asked Alex.
"What? You- you can see them?" asked Lily, a look of shock on her face.
"Well yeah... but, what were they?" questioned Alex, still confused.
"Thestrals." Replied Lily. "But only people who have- oof!" The carriage had jerked forward and Lily flew back in her seat. "I really wish they would warn us before they start up like that..." grumbled Lily.
Alex looked out one of the closest carriage windows to see a giant castle looming in the distance. Glowing lights could be seen in the oddest places and the towers seemed to reach up higher then the sky itself.
"Wow..." was all Alex could say.
"I'm taking you're getting a good first impression?" asked Molly chuckling.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped and Lily lurched forward a bit, causing her the grip onto Molly.
"Sorry Molly...". She said quickly.
The carriage door swung open and the three of them piled out into the freezing rain, yet again. A tall and slender woman, around the age of thirty, beckoned for all of he students to follow behind her. The woman led them in the direction of the castle, through a set of heavy wooden doors and up two flights of steps before stopping and turning around to look at them.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts." She called out. "Now, I suppose you all know what to do... so I'll let you go take your seats in the great hall." She turned around and began heading down the corridor.
"See you later?" said Alex to Lily.
"Definitely. Hope you get into Gryffindor!" Lily hollered back.
Alex smiled and rushed down the corridor towards the woman.
"Umm... excuse me, Professor?" she said.
"Oh yes dear! You must be Alexandra Marcs, very glad to have you with us dear, very glad indeed. If you'll just follow me..." she led Alex a ways down the corridor, to the left, up a flight of stairs, turned right and ushered her to stand with the group of wet and whining kids Alex had seen earlier on the platform. "Now, you'll just wait here with the first years to be sorted. When the doors open up, walk to the front off the hall and I'll give you and the rest of the group directions from there."
Alex nodded her head to say that she understood and turned to the set of double doors in front of her.
"And dear..." said Professor McGonagall in a voice hardly above a whisper. "Just between you and me, I hope you get into Gryffindor. It is my house after all..." she gave Alex a wink and rushed down yet another flight of steps.
Alex took a deep breath as the doors slowly opened up, and walked with the first years into the great hall.