"Gwendolen Joy Crowley, stop bouncing," her mother said, with a little exasperated laugh.

"Can't," Gwen said happily. "Too excited."

"I've never seen a kid so happy to go back to school," her mother observed.

"Not to school," Gwen said. "To see my friends."

The plan to see Remus over the summer had fallen through. Although they had written each other regularly, they had never organized to see each other in person. Gwen was relieved. After all, there were things she hadn't told him in her letters… The thought threatened to sober her, and she pushed it away.

Platform 9 ¾ was as crowded as it had always been. Gwen's mother hugged her goodbye.

"Now, if you have any problems, remember, I've written to Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall knows…"

"Mum, I'm fine!" Gwen said, exasperated. Her mother didn't look so sure. "Really!" she added.

After a pause her mother nodded. "Alright. Have a good year. Love you!"

000

Gwen was one of the first ones on the train. Eunice and Grace joined her in the compartment she'd chosen, and the train soon filled up with happy chatter.

Remus poked his head in the compartment. "Am I disturbing anything?" he asked.

"Remus!" Gwen sprang up and hugged him.

He laughed. "Careful, Jenny! You'll knock me over."

Gwen grinned. He had addressed all his letters to "Jenny" over the summer. She loved it. But thinking of their correspondence reminded her of how carefully she had pared down her activities in her epistles, and this time, the uncomfortable feeling would not be banished. She pulled back from the embrace, almost a little embarrassed.

Luckily, she was saved at that moment by the advent of Sirius and James, who burst into the compartment and began greeting everyone and clapping Remus on the back.

"You're blocking the corridor," Grace pointed out conscientiously.

"Oops! Guess we'd better grab a compartment before they fill up!" James exclaimed. "Come on, lady's man, leave the girls alone!" This to Remus, who blushed but smiled at the epithet.

"Yes, go on!" Grace agreed. "You've written to Gwen all summer, and we've barely heard from her! Go and catch up with the latest Quidditch news."

Remus, blushing even brighter, took himself off to join James and Sirius in another compartment.

"Did you have to make them leave?" Eunice complained good-naturedly. "A few more moments wouldn't have harmed anything."

"A few more minutes of sightseeing!" Gwen interjected, laughing. Eunice opened her mouth. "And before you say it, Yes, Sirius is even better looking than he was at the end of term."

Lily knocked at the glass.

"Mind if I have a seat?"

"Lily!" Grace jumped up and gave her best friend a hug. "It took you long enough!"

"I was helping Peter find James and Sirius's compartment," Lily explained, stowing a suitcase in the overhead compartment and taking a seat. "I managed to make my escape pretty quickly."

"Couldn't stand James's impassioned expression?" Eunice teased.

"Oh, he drives me mad!" Lily exclaimed. "If he says 'Hey, Evans' in that tone of voice again, I'll—I'll put the bat-bogey hex on him!"

"Anything but that!" Gwen exclaimed in mock horror. "You're terrifyingly good at that spell, you know." Lily was fantastic at charms, and had joined the dueling club the year before.

Lily smiled. "I would love to see James Potter's own bogeys attack him," she said in a wistful tone, then shook herself. "But that's enough complaining. How were your holidays?"

"Uhm, fine. A little boring," Gwen mumbled. "How were yours?" Lily told some stories about her sister Petunia's horrible new boyfriend. Grace had gone to the continent over her holidays. By dint of asking leading questions, Gwen managed to keep the conversation as far from herself as possible until someone turned the subject.

TBC

AN: I've decided to do this story episodically, and in very short chapters (as I'm sure you've noticed). It has to cover quite a span of time, so it'll be easier this way.

Please review!