When Emma opened her eyes, night had fallen, and the train had stopped moving. She sat up quickly, rubbing her eyes. The cabin was empty, she heard nothing. Would they seriously leave the train here with a sleeping student still inside? She prayed the carriages hadn't left yet.

She grabbed Necromance's cage handle and the back of her trunk and pulled them, hurridly, into the corridor and out of the train. In the light of the Hogsmeade platform she could see the students of Hogwarts school being directed into their opposite directions. She hurried over to the 6th years, falling into the group that had formed in place for a line for the horseless carriages.

She saw the back of a girl's head, intricute orange-brown curls hanging down to her mid back and poked her shoulder. Gabriel turned around, looking plesantly surprised.

"Oh, there you are!" she grinned, brown eyes smiling. "I didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful!" she explained, still smiling. Emma nodded, trying to smile.

"How... thoughtful." she said with underlying sarcasm. She didn't want to yell at this new girl for almost making her miss the carriages. She shook her head, forgetting about it. The group of students shifted suddenly as they began to pile into the carriages.

Emma shuddered seeing the thestrals at the front of the carriages. The hot smoke billowing out of their nostrils seemed not to bother most of the students standing there. Gabriel seemed peacefully oblivious, peering over taller peoples' shoulders to see if the carriages were moving. Emma shivered in the cold night, uncomfortable.

"Will you be in a carriage with me?" Gabriel asked suddenly. Emma looked around, startled by the close sounding voice.

"What? Oh yeah... of course." she nodded as they were both somehow pushed through the crowd towards one of the black, window-lit carriages. Emma looked down at the thestral, feeling cold inside again. She grabbed Gabriel's sleeve as she passed, not taking her eyes from the skeletal horses long black wings and red glowing eyes.

"Do you see then?" Emma asked. Gabriel looked vaguely confused.

"See what?" she asked. Emma turned back towards her, shaking her head.

"Never mind." She said, climbing into the carriage and finding her seat. Gabriel took a moment to peer at the front for a moment and then clambered in next to her.

The carriage shook momentarily as they bags were placed in the back. Someone else climbed into the cabin as Emma put her feet up in the opposite seat. The door shut and there was a moment of silence before any of them spoke.

"Still going to win the cup this year, Beech?" asked a new, yet familiar voice. Emma looked up, focusing on the other person who'd climbed in. She smiled widely as she recognised who it was. The last time she'd seen Chase Carver it was after a stormy end-of-school Quidditch match. Gryffindor had won the cup and Emma, as usual, was a sore loser.

"Of course." she grinned, playing along. "How was your summer?" she asked politely. She didn't really know Chase, just the after-game talk.

"Fine. My dad was working most of the time." Chase said, shrugging slightly. "Yours?" The carriage jolted again, and suddenly started to move.

"Um... the same. You know Ministry dads... workaholics." she said nervously. She didn't need to boast about her excentric holidays in France and Italy, and then in Majorca with her cousins. She suddenly remembered Gabriel, feeling guilty for momentarily forgetting she was there. "Oh, Chase, this is my friend Gabriel. She's new." she said, gesturing to her.

"Hi." Chase said. "Oh, you're going into Gryffindor?" he asked, noticed the red and gold hemming on Gabriel's skirt.

"Um... yes." Gabriel said quickly, not making eye contact. She seemed to have become extremely nervous and tense. Emma bit her lip.

"See, look." she said, trying to make the new girl feel better. "You've already got someone to talk to when I go to the Ravenclaw table." she smiled. Gabriel looked at her and nodded slowly. Emma glanced back at Chase. "She's nervous." she explained, not sure if it was truthfully or not.

"It's fine." Chase said. "You'll make friends quickly." He said to Gabriel, flashing a white smile, which just seemed to make Gabriel blush more. Emma's mind suddenly clicked. Chase ran a hand through his shiny black hair, momentarily pushing it out of his blue eyes and looked through the tiny window in the carriage. Emma tilted her head to the side, looking at Chase, then she glanced at Gabriel, a questioning look in her eyes. She leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Are you fancying Chase?" she asked, coming away with a smile on her face. Gabriel widened her eyes and shook her head vigourously. Emma laughed. Chase looked over.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing." Emma said. Chase opened his mouth to say something again, but as he did the carriage stopped suddenly. The doors opened automatically. Emma grabbed Gabriel's wrist and pulled her out. "See you, Chase!" she called over her shoulder, starting up the castle steps with Gabriel.

"Who was that?" The Portugese girl asked suddenly, pulling her to a stop.

"Chase. He's in Gryffindor. Why the nervous face?" Emma said, looking at her suspiciously.

"Nothing, I just-" Gabriel began. The was the sudden noise of clapping echoing in the halls.

"This way students!" Professor McGonagall called, dismissively. "You know the drill!" Emma looked back at Gabriel.

"Just go to the Gryffindor table and tell one of the prefects what to do, they'll make you feel at home." she smiled.

"Okay, thank you." Gabriel smiled. "When will I see you again?" she asked.

"Er... Tomorrow morning. Breakfast." Emma promised. "I'll wait for you. Now I've got to go, there are the Gryffindors." she said, ushering Gabriel over and into the crowd of red, gold and grey. She waved and hurried back to her group of Ravenclaw friends, embracing each one of them, having not seen them over the summer.

They made their way into the Great Hall and took their seats, ready to watch the sorting.