A/N: This fic is a co-written work between myself and my friend Cassie, who posted it on the WB Harry Potter Forums- it received high reviews. Therefore, it is obviously not entirely in my writing style, and is not as fluid and detailed as some of my other work. However, if you are a fan of Harry Potter and the Sacred Soul of Vietsvar or some of my previously-posted fanfiction, you may find that you enjoy it just as well. Sometimes change is good. Enjoy.

Looking In

Rated PG-13

By: Handsofftheshinyshirtitsmine Co Author: Cassie

Chapter 1

Cassie lazily pushed a strand of her blonde hair back behind her ear as she wandered aimlessly down a London street with her friend Dee. Both girls were burdened with many large shopping bags filled with clothes and makeup from a long early-morning shopping trip, and they were quiet and content from the huge breakfast they had just eaten. So they walked in total silence between them, listening to the traffic and the people of the city they had been visiting all summer, saddened a bit by the fact that they were leaving the next day. "This sucks" Dee commented dryly, breaking the silence. She looked over at Cassie, who nodded in agreement, that thought having crossed her mind only moments before.

"Well, it's been great" she responded after some time. Words seemed hart to find to describe just how either of them felt, and both drifted off into their own minds once again.

Though the day was already warm, a cool breeze picked up in the early-September air, promising the onset of autumn, making the outdoors a popular place to spend the day. As the two girls approached the train station, they could see a bustle of picnic-basket toting mothers and young children heading out to catch a train into the country for the day. "Wanna take one last train ride?" Dee suggested, stopping so suddenly that a freckled-faced, redheaded boy plowed clumsily into her. "Excuse you" she snapped. He blushed and hurried into the train station followed by a girl with very similar features as the boy and a boy with shaggy black hair. "That was rude" Cassie said pushing her hair once again out of her face.

"Yeah it was, so what about that train ride?" Dee replied. Cassie nodded and the two girls walked into the station and joined the large crowd of people. They bought their tickets and proceeded towards platform 10. "Look Dee, there is the boy that ran into you" Cassie said pointing in the other direction. Dee turned to look but saw no one. Cassie then started to laugh, causing Dee to push her playfully towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10.

Seconds later, Cassie stumbled onto another platform. Catching her balance, she again pushed back her hair, and looked up at a sign, which read 'PLATFORM 9 ¾' "Uhh...Dee... where are you?" she stammered, a bit dazed, and extremely confused. She looked at the barrier, and soon began to yell vociferously "Dee! This isn't funny! Where are you?!" Cassie jumped a few times, repeating the name of her companion, which earned her more than a few queer looks from some of the people milling about.

On the other side, Dee stared stupidly at the barrier through which her friend had just passed. "Umm.... Alright..." she muttered, taking a step backwards and cocking one well-arched eyebrow onto her forehead. "I always knew these old-world countries were a bit weird" Now pursing her lips, she stepped forwards to touch the bricks, which failed to move and felt completely normal. The dark-haired girl stepped back again, replaying what had happened over and over in her mind. "I wonder," she murmured. Dee them took a few more steps backward and lunged towards the barrier.

Cassie began to notice the odd looks that she was receiving and tried to say something, but was out short by none other than Dee who collided with her. Dee stood up and brushed off her pants, before pulling Cassie to her feet. Cassie, happy not to be alone, hugged Dee exuberantly not noticing the fact that their collision had scattered all the items from their shopping about the platform.

"Where are we?" Dee asked absently when the hug was ended. Her large blue eyes traveled across their surroundings, and then back at Cassie, who shrugged.

"Platform 9 ¾?" She offered. Dee cast her a look.

"Thanks" she responded sarcastically, before turning to a boy who had tapped her on the shoulder. It was the same redheaded teenager who had hit her outside the train station. "WHO ARE YOU?" she was slightly irked, and her furious expression caused the boy to turn as crimson as his hair. "Uhh... Ron Weasley..." he stammered, and nervously he extended his hand to give her a pink and white sneaker that had been flying out of the shopping bag. Now it was Dee's turn to blush.

"Oh, Thank you" she mumbled, taking the shoe from him sheepishly. Cassie snickered, and covered her mouth with her hand in order to hide her smile. "Um, where are we?" Dee asked Ron.

"Platform 9 ¾" He answered simply. "If your headed to Hogwarts, your in the right place." Now the boy's companions returned to his side, and before Dee could inquire as to what exactly Hogwarts was, they drug him away. A rather confused expression passed over both of their faces briefly. "Whats Hogwarts?" Cassie asked of no one in particular. Dee shrugged in response, and both girls looked about them. "So...uh...how do you think we get out of her?"

"Probably like we got in," Dee concluded simply, and she cast Cassie an extremely sly look. "But aren't you a little curious as to what Hogwarts is?" She pointed to the train, which was waiting at the platform, on the side of which were written the words 'HOGWARTS EXPRESS' "I guess" Cassie agreed, nodding firmly.

"Are you thinking what I think you are?" Both stared at the train for a long moment, and Dee broke into a huge grin.

"Oh yeah..." she whispered excitedly. The people about them had already started to file into the cars.

"Well we should probably get on if we're going" Cassie concluded, resigning to the fact that she couldn't argue with her friend. Still looking at the train, Dee nodded, before stopping to pick up a sweater that had tumbled from its bag. Soon Cassie followed suit, and when they had managed to gather their belongings, they headed for the train, along with the last of the passengers.

"Do you think they'll notice that we don't have any tickets?" Cassie hissed as they scrambled into the nearest car. Dee shrugged.

"Possibly" she replied, searching for an empty compartment while they made their way through the train. Cassie's face fell, worried, as she was drug rather harshly into the first empty compartment that Dee found. "Geez!" she exclaimed, catching her balance and straightening her hair. Hee merely grinned at her. "You're really into this, aren't you?" Her friend flopped down on one of the cushioned benches, her masses of dark curls splaying about her head wildly. "Aren't you?" Dee replied from somewhere underneath her hair. Cassie looked at her, unable to deny that she was enjoying their 'adventure', and seated herself on the bench on the opposite wall.

The two sat in silence for a moment, listening to the sounds of the train's passengers as they readied, quite excitedly, for the coming voyage.

"Im hungry" Dee moaned suddenly, sitting up and shaking her locks away from her face. She looked about herself anxiously, as though expecting a hamburger to appear out of nowhere, causing Cassie to roll her eyes.

"What else is new?" she remarked, "so am I" Cassie moved to open their compartment door, and jumped when someone did it for her. "Well aren't you just pretty" the boy who had opened the door sneered at her as Cassie stared at him. He was blonde; pale skinned, with dark, sly eyes that glistened at her. Standing behind him to one side were two blocky, stupid-looking teenage boys. Cassie forced herself to look away as she blushed furiously.

"Can I help you?" Dee inquired, her tone harsh and suspicious. The blonde's gaze now flashed to where Dee stood, one hand placed on her hip, her expression unhappy, and one eyebrow cocked high on her forehead. "Well, you see, my friends her, Crabbe..." he motioned to one side of the boys, and then the other "... and Goyle, and myself, we usually sit in this compartment. Actually, we always do." He pushed his way past Cassie, in the process grabbing at her backside. She whirled around towards him, scowling fiercely.

"Hey!" she growled. The boy ignored her.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Dee asked angrily, stepping forward, and frowning. "You don't know how lucky you are, how luck it is that im a pacifist!" she exclaimed. The blonde merely grinned.

"Why Im Draco Malfoy. I don't suppose you know of me?" I know that I don't know you." All this time, Cassie had been boring holes into the back of Malfoy's head, and now she grabbed his shoulder. "What the" he stammered, cut off when Cassie's foot landed harshly between his legs.

Malfoy's eyes widened and he fell to his knees, sputtering like a fool. Seeing Draco hit the floor, Crabbe and Goyle lunged forward, one grabbing Cassie, the other whipping a stick out of his back pocket.

"Let her go!" Dee screamed.

"Shut her up!" Goyle grunted. By now, other train passengers had heard the commotion and many came rushing to see the cause. Among them Ron Weasley and his companions. Dee was fending off Crabbe, who was attempting to clamp his hand over her mouth, by darting about the compartment, and upon seeing Ron enter, dashed behind him. "Help!" she squealed, ducking around him and hiding.

"How?" he responded nervously as the large boy leapt towards him. The black-haired boy stepped forward, a stick in his hand, which he pointed towards Crabbe. "Bugger off, Crabber" he warned, then waving the stick towards Goyle. "Malfoy, Goyle..." The two boys stared at their aggressor. Malfoy rummaged in his pocket, struggling to stand and now Ron drew out a stick also. "This has to stop here!" Dee yelled, a sudden surge of courage allowing her to stand and stride into the middle of the throng. She scowled at them all intently, her deep-blue eyes narrowed and her chin raised regally. Cassie took advantage of Goyle's moment of stunned silence and tore herself free, running to Dee. "I don't know what you intended to do to one another, or how, but I wont allow it. The violence has to stop right now." Though not large or imposing in any way, Dee was easily taking control of the situation. "Malfoy, if it is true that this compartment is always yours, Cassie and I can easily find somewhere else to sit. I apologize for any inconvenience" With this, she gathered her share of the bags and slipped past Ron and the black-haired boy into the hallway. Cassie looked at Malfoy and his two flunkies for a moment, and then followed suit, Ron and his companions at her heels. "Uh, you guys can sit with us if you want..."Ron offered, siding up by Dee, and casting her a wavering grin. "It might be a bit crowded but it should be okay."

"Alright, thanks" she accepted, looking at Cassie, who nodded.

They followed the two boys and the two females who were with them to another compartment. Inside it, a white owl looked at them serenely from atop a pile of trunks as they all crammed together on the benches. Once settled, Dee extended her hand towards Ron. "Im Denise, but everyone calls me Dee. Im sorry that I was so rude to you earlier" she said softly. He shook her hand and blushed as she smiled warmly at him.

"Its okay" he managed to say.

"And im Cassie" Now he took her hand, shaking it firmly. Dee looked over at his friends, her look inquiring.

"Harry Potter" The black-haired boy introduced himself. "These are Ginny Weasley" the red-haired girl grinned.

"Ron's sister, I presume" Dee remarked. Ginny nodded.

"And Hermione Granger: the unfamiliar girl put in. She had rather fluffy brown hair and an intelligent expression. She was not al that different from Dee.

"That was pretty impressive, what you two did back there" Hermione commented. She smiled across at them, and began to pet an extremely fluffy ginger cat who had climbed onto her lap.

"Yeah" Harry agreed. "... but why didn't you just use your wands?"

"Wands?" Cassie asked, looking over at Dee.

"Like... magic wands?" Dee guessed with a small shrug. Harry and Ron exchanged a confused glance, and then Harry pulled his stick from his pocket again.

"Yeah, you can say that. Don't you have wands?" Harry responded, handing his wand to Cassie.

"Umm, no" Dee's face fell into confusion as she looked at the wand that Cassie held gingerly in her hands. "Are you guys members of occult?"

"... an occult?" Ron piped. "Don't you know about the wizarding world?"

"Not exactly" Cassie responded, returning Harry's wand to him.

"Then why are you going to Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.

"Because we can" Dee reached across to pet Hermione's feline companion. "So... what exactly is Hogwarts?"

A/N: Well there is the first chapter. The plot hasn't even started yet, so if you're looking for one, wait until next chapter! wink