The voice sounded familiar, but I thought nothing of it, as I didn't know anyone on this train until today. I did stand up however, to see what the commotion was about. I stepped up to the compartment door and stuck my head out as a boy screamed at another person. I could feel the boys behind me doing the same. What I saw appalled me.
A boy and a girl were going at it in the middle of the aisle way, and it seemed the girl was winning. She was kicking some serious butt. I couldn't see the girls face, as her chin-length brown hair covered it, but the boy's face was bad enough. He had sallow skin, a greased nose, and his hair was messed up from the fighting. He was not a good fighter, but he had held up until now.
Making the final blow, a kick to the back of the boy's knee, the girl sent the defeated boy to the ground. Only when she turned around did I get to see her face. It took me half a second to recognize my best friend.
"KYO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. She didn't realize who had called her, so she looked around at the group of students that was starting to form. Then she glanced my way and a look of surprise passed over her face.
"Jay? Jay? Is that you? But…but…I thought you were at a boarding school." Kyo said looking me straight in the eye. She walked toward me, her brown and yellow eyes sparkling with delight.
"I am! I got the same letter you did. We are both going to Hogwarts!" I replied. We embraced and reentered the compartment I had been in moments ago. Kyo sat next to Remus and across from me. We talked about our families and how they reacted when we each got our letters. This time it was the boys who were silent for quite a while. Once in a while, Remus or James would reply to a question about the wizarding world, but Sirius was quiet the rest of the train ride.
Finally, the scarlet express train pulled into the Hogwarts/Hogsmeade station. Eager to begin the new school year, dozens of students were cramming the hallways. Everyone wanted to be off the train and out into the open air. In the crowds, I lost track of my group. I couldn't see the school from here, but I expected we'd get a chance soon enough. I was reunited with Sirius, James, Remus and Kyo when we all followed the voice of a man calling "First Years, First Years this way!
As a group, all of the first years followed the man who I supposed to be a teacher. He looked old enough to be a professor, but he was clean-cut. He introduced himself as Professor Cuthbert and he lead us down a winding trail through a dense forest of evergreen trees. Our first view of the school came when we followed the teacher around a bend in the trail he was leading us down. On the other side of a huge lake stood a castle so big that one could only assume it to be the school.
Professor Cuthbert led all of the first years down to a fleet of boats at the edge of the lake. He told us to get in and to not touch the water or the lanterns that hung from a pole sticking up at the front of the boats. Soon enough we were crossing the lake toward the huge castle. I pinched myself to make sure that this wasn't a dream, and then looked over at Kyo who seemed to be doing the exact same thing. The boats drifted across the gigantic lake and into an inlet that seemed to be directly underneath the castle. Professor Cuthbert was the first out of the boats, directing us onto the shore and helping the sallow skinned boy who had fallen into the lake moments before. Sirius, James and I were laughing, while Remus tutted behind our backs. Once everyone was safe and dry, the professor knocked on a giant wooden door in the rock wall.