Ali took one look at the two small cars the ministry had sent before turning back to George in disbelief.

"So, what? Are the cars going to take half of us to the station and the rest of us get to take the subway or walk or something?" George laughed and ruffled her hair playfully.

"Never been in a magic car, eh? No worries, every one of us'll fit, trunks and all." To Aludra's surprise, he was right. The trunks of the cars seemed to expand to fit all of their meager belongings and, when they finally piled into the back seats of the cars, the cars seemed to expand as well to accommodate as many Weasleys (and friends) as was possible. She was sure they could've all fit into just one of the cars if they had wanted to, but that might attract undue attention from the Muggles that would be there. Squeezed between George and Fred (they seemed to like having her between them, whether it was to conjure up further pranks to pull on her, to keep an eye on her from pulling pranks on them, or, heaven forbid, to protect her in some way, she wasn't sure) they made the tedious drive to Kings Cross train station and unloaded themselves and their possessions from the cars. As soon as they were clear, the cars began their long, winding journey back to the elusive Ministry of Magic. The thought of how Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would be getting home crossed her mind, but she decided that they had their ways, probably apparating or something. The Weasleys, and Harry, Hermione, and Aludra, stretched out in a kindergartener's version of a 'line' and wheeled their school things toward the secret station that only wizards and their families knew of.

She was doing it; she was actually going to Hogwarts. Throughout the past few days she had, of course, known she would be, but somehow stepping through the bricks onto the platform where the Hogwarts Express would be waiting for them made it that more real. She couldn't remember the butterflies ever being worse than this moment, but she was sure more nerve-wracking moments would await her in the future. At last they reached the divider between platforms 9 and 10 with the magical 9¾ awaiting them in the middle. Honestly, she had no idea how they were supposed to find the platform; none of the children at the orphanage had ever known for sure, though there had been much speculation. Nothing prepared her, though, to see the twins run full speed at the brick barrier…and pass through it like it wasn't even there. Her heart skipped a beat the second she knew they should've hit the bricks and didn't. Looking around excitedly, she realized that none of the muggles were even paying attention. She wondered how they might react to see what she just had. The Ministry would probably be down here in a half a second fixing memories before things went to far. They were good at that, covering up what they didn't want known. The thought suddenly occurred to her: How much covering up had they done in her case? All Dumbledore had told her was that her grandmother had been trying to protect her from Voldemort and that's why Aludra had ended up where she had, but what made her need more protection than anyone else? Was her grandmother just a worry wort or was there more to it that Dumbledore hadn't told her. And the Ministry had been involved in putting her in a wizarding orphanage, so what else had they done? Something told her the Ministry had had a much bigger hand in the whole mess than Dumbledore had let on, and she was going to find out just how big…

"Come along, Aludra, dear. Your turn now." Snapping out of her reverie, she realized that only she remained, with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley waiting eagerly. It was almost time for the train to depart. Taking a deep breath, she picked up speed wheeling her trunk and other belongings until she was in a full run just as she met the wall and passed through. It was an amazing, yet disorienting feeling, and Fred had to catch her arm on the other side to keep her from stumbling and spilling her things all over the platform. Moving aside, they watched as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley followed them through and immediately began to hurry them onto the train cars. One of the men who worked on the train took the trunk and broom from her, but she held tight to the owl's cage, not wanting to let him out of her sight. Mrs. Weasley's eyes began to water as the train whistle sounded and she gave all her children one last hug before they boarded, including Harry and Hermione. Aludra turned to hop aboard the train when Mrs. Weasley stopped her and gave her a rib-crushing squeeze. Holding her by the shoulders, she looked Aludra square in the eyes to prove her sincerity.

"You are always welcome in our house whenever you need." Aludra knew this was the time to offer hope, even if it might be false hope.

"Well I haven't anywhere to spend next summer yet." With a smile she hugged the kind woman, tears welling up in her own eyes before she realized it. Despite all her protestation, one thought rose above the rest: would her mother have cried to see her boarding the train for Hogwarts, too? Willing back the tears that threatened to spill out onto her cheeks, she smiled, turned, and leapt aboard the train as the wheels began to spin. As the train cleared the station, and she began walking down the hall in the middle of the car, she realized her most immediate problem right now was finding a room with space for her. Moving through several full cars, she finally happened upon one car in particular that proved promising. At the far end of one of the cars, a sliding door was open and she could hear laughing and raised voices, like excited chit-chat. The fact that the door was open gave her hope that perhaps there was an empty seat within. Glancing in the door she saw four people within. The one who noticed her first was a girl with mocha colored skin and curly black hair. Her chocolate eyes danced with joy as she laughed at one of her friend's jokes. Spying Aludra peering in awkwardly from the hall, the girl smiled and beckoned to her.

"Looking for a seat? We have space here if you want." Ali felt relieved. Slipping inside she smiled at the others in a friendly way. There were three girls and a boy. The girl who had invited her in scooted to the other side of the car and sat between the girl and boy there. Stretching out her hand, she gestured for Aludra to sit and then introduced herself when she did.

"Th'name's Rica Clobbert. This here's Mandy Brocklehurst and Anthony Goldstein, but we call 'im Tony. And the girl next to you's Lisa Turpin." Rica seemed like a very personable girl and Aludra had to admit that she took a liking to her almost immediately.

"I'm Aludra Perse. Pleasure to meet all of you, and thanks for the seat."

"No worries, luv. We were just going on about our summers. Lisa spent hers with her unbelievably wealthy grandparents, as usual, but this time her grandparents spent their efforts on finding her a 'beau', as they call it." Lisa blushed, a faint pink rising in her cheeks; it was a very dainty blush.

"Very old-fashioned, them. I actually have to go through the whole debutant thing when I come of age and all that. Not looking forward to that, I promise you." She brushed her light-blonde bangs out of her face and smiled timidly. She seemed like a very shy kind of girl, very different from Rica's overwhelming boisterousness, but they complemented one another well.

"Maybe you can get that handsome Cedric bloke to escort you through that whole big ordeal, when it comes around, that is." Lisa gave Mandy a withering look. She wasn't so cute and demure now. Obviously there was a button to avoid there.

"We're just friends, Mandy, I've told you all that. Sure, Grams is trying her best to set the two of us up, but it would just be awkward; we've been pals since I was still in diapers."

"Sure, sure, but you can't deny how absolutely gorgeous he is and you would be the envy of every girl to snag him up." Mandy was obviously one of those would-be envious girls. Mandy was a little heavier than the other girls, but not by much, then came Rica who was thin, yet still curvy, and then Lisa and Aludra in the 'stick-figure' category, though Ali was at least a head taller than Lisa. Anthony was tall as well, but thin and lanky; built like a football player.

"So Ali, what's your story then, luv?" Caught off guard, Aludra stared blankly for a moment.

"Oh…um…what do you mean, exactly?" Rica leaned forward with an eager expression on her face and lowered her voice, as if she was about to be privy to the greatest gossip in the world.

"You know, parents, siblings, where you're from, the like."

"Well, I'm an orphan, so dunno about parents or siblings, but I've lived in London as long as I can remember. Couple of days ago the Headmaster showed up at the orphanage to collect me and my few belongings because apparently they made some sort of mistake in my case and now are accepting me as a third year here. So I spent the last couple of days with the Weasleys, very nice family I must add, and now I'm here." Oddly, Rica's eyes seemed to light up even more at the mention of the Weasleys.

"The Weasleys, really? Yes, quite a nice family if I do say so myself." The other three let out huge guffaws of laughter (well, Lisa wasn't really a guffaw, but as much of one as she could manage) and Tony nudged Rica hard in the ribs. Rica became very cross all of a sudden and glared at her three friends. Amidst the tears of laughter, Mandy was able to explain their actions.

"Rica fancies that Fred Weasley, ever since the first moment she laid eyes on him. It's a sick, sick obsession," she teased. Biting her tongue Rica gave Ali a half-smile in her embarrassment. Ali smiled back at her with a knowing smile.

"Well, I can see why. The twins are quite a charming pair if they're not constantly plotting how to trip you up next." The conversation moved on to more casual topics, like bands and quidditch. The others were very excited to hear that Ali was going to try out for beater of her house if she could, maybe one of the other positions, as well, if beaters were already taken. Eventually they ran out of things to talk about so they digressed into a silly game of Go-fish in which Lisa continually gave herself away with giggling. Time passed and before they realized it, the sky was dark outside and the moon was the only outside light to be had. Inside, the lanterns shone brightly, swaying with the movement of the train. Ali had just made another set when there was a knock on the door of their compartment and they all looked up to see a ruggedly handsome boy with dirty blonde hair and sterling-tinted gray eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him and, for the first time in a while, she worried about the way she looked in others' eyes.

"Cedric!" Lisa jumped up from her seat by the window and hurried over to throw her arms around his neck as he opened the compartment door. He chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Wow, Lisa, you'd think we hadn't seen each other all summer."

"Don't feel special, she does that to everyone." Mandy craned her neck slightly to sneak a peek at Rica's cards while she was distracted. She realized Ali was watching her and gave a sly wink.

"Come in, join us! We're in the middle of a game of Go-fish but you can jump in if you'd like." Cedric gave Lisa a questioning look and just smiled.

"I think I'll pass, Lis, but thanks for asking. I was just passing by and noticed you lot so I figured I'd say 'hi' and not be completely snobbish and rude." Cedric stood in the doorway, leaning against the jam in a very confident sort of way, but he still seemed a little awkward in a shy sort of way. She realized that he must normally be a very shy boy and it comforted her to know that even a handsome, confident boy like him could have his own social issues. In the slightly uneasy silence that followed, he glanced at Ali and pretended to notice her for the first time. She had seen plenty of bad acting in her lifetime to know that he was indeed pretending.

"I don't believe we've ever met, I'm Cedric Diggory." He straightened up and extended his hand to her, which she gladly shook.

"Aludra Perse. Nice to meet you." His head cocked to the side momentarily as if he was trying to process the name.

"You don't go by anything less complicated, do you?" Aludra smiled.

"My friends call me Ali." She wasn't exactly lying, except for the plural on 'friend'.

"Well, Ali, it was very nice to meet you and I'm sure I'll see you all around the grounds at some point. I should be on my way, though, my mates are waiting on me." With a wave, he turned to leave. Suddenly they heard the train braking and Cedric almost fell sideways from the unexpected jolt. Mandy pressed her face against the window, trying to see out, while Rica glanced at her watch.

"There's no way we're there yet. What's going on?" Cedric glanced up and down the corridor as they felt the train continue to slow at a rapid pace.

"I'm not sure, but I don't like it." The train gave a jolt as it stopped completely. Cedric grabbed onto the door jam to keep from falling over. Without warning the lanterns all went out, plunging them all into darkness. They could hear a whimpering from down the hall in one of the other compartments. Ali's heart beat really fast and she gripped the edge of the chair in anticipation.

"Someone's getting on the train!" Mandy had wiped a tiny area of the window clean from the steam of their breath and was pressing against it as much as was humanly possible. From somewhere to her right, Ali could hear Lisa breathing very quickly and loudly, an edge of panic in the sound.

"Oh God, grab a bag, she's gonna hyperventelate again." Tony began scrambling around in the trunk over his head at Rica's alert. Cedric, who until that time had still been in the doorway, pushed his way in and shut the compartment door quietly.

"Everyone just needs to stay calm. I'm sure this has all been planned and approved by Dumbledore." Scooting around Aludra's feet, he sat in the empty seat between her and Lisa and put his arm around her.

"I can't find a bag!" Now Tony was beginning to worry.

"Don't worry about it, Tony, Lisa's gonna calm down and be ok, right,. Lisa?" Aludra guessed that she gave a feable nod, though she wasn't watching her anymore. The others seemed to be practically blind in the darkness, but Aludra kept it a secret that she could still see fairly well, though in sepia tones with horrible depth perception. Her eyes were focused on the door of the compartment where a dark, shadowy figure was moving. Without touching it, the figure caused the door to slide open slowly and stood, watching them. Well she guessed it was watching them because it moved it's head from side to side, but the billowy cloak it was wearing came so low that not a bit of it's face was visible. Almost immediately the others realized they weren't alone and Cedric had to press his hand over Lisa's mouth to keep her from screaming out in terror. Not an inch of the creature beneath the cloak was visible, but it was at least 7 feet tall and filled the entire doorway. Through the small, low opening in the hood, the creature drew a long, rattling breath and, in that breath, seemed to suck all the heat from the air. It was so cold in the compartment that they could see their breath hanging in the air now. Cedric's arm was touching hers because of the cramped quarters and she could feel the goose bumps the freezing air, and probably the appearance of this strange creature, brought. A shiver went down her spine as the thing drew another long breath. It was as if all the horrible feelings from her past were weighing down upon her again. There weren't specific memories, but feelings of loss and helplessness that threatened to overwhelm her. She gasped in horror and quickly clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. From who knows where, an incredible hatred rose up in her and she felt very protective of the people in the compartment and this…thing…was a threat. She felt a rumbling that started down in the low parts of her chest, vibrating her ribs in the low base notes. The creature turned towards her and stared at her for a good long time. Taking a step in her direction, it began sniffing the air like a dog on the scent of something. When it took another step towards her, she jerked involuntarily away from it, bumping Cedric's shoulder hard. Instead of yelping in pain, he put his arm across her in a protective manner and she leaned against him a little harder.
Without a second thought, the creature turned back towards the door where a white light was eminating from down the hall. As if in fear, it fled down the hall in the opposite direction and disappeared. After a moment, the lights of the train came back on and they felt the strain as it began to pick up speed again. The creatures were gone. Sitting up slowly, Aludra shook her head as if to dispel some sense of a dream she had been caught in. Blinking her eyes a couple of times to adjust to the bright light again, she glanced around at the others. Tony was checking on Rica who seemed paler than before and definitely shaken up and Cedric was seeing to Lisa who looked as if she was going to be sick and on the verge of tears. Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head against the back of her seat, thankful that nothing serious had happened. That white light that had chased the creature away still bugged her, though. She knew she hadn't imagined it, which means someone had done magic and had known how to get rid of those…things. Taking out her pony tail, she ran her hands through her hair, massaging her scalp a bit to destress.

"You growled at it." Aludra glanced up to see who was being addressed, and realized it was she. "I heard you, I know it was you." Mandy stared right at her, not breaking her gaze for a moment. Ali was so shocked she couldn't respond. She thought she had gotten away, that noone had noticed, but she had foolishly let herself get caught up in the moment and had risked betraying her biggest secret. There had to be a way to play it off as just a personality quirk of hers, the whole growling at mysterious and dangerous creatures thing. Without missing a beat, Cedric jumped in on her behalf.

"Mandy, calm down. I heard it, too." Ali looked at him in surprise. Where was he going with this? "But it wasn't Aludra, it was that creature that was in here." Mandy wasn't convinced.

"No-" Rica cut her off.

"From your seat, Mandy, it could very well 'ave been the creature you 'eard an' not Ali. I 'eard it, too, but I'm sure it was that thing. Ali 'as no reason to growl at something that's threat'nin' to attack 'er." Mandy gave a hard look at Ali before letting it go.

"I suppose I could've made a harmless mistake. Forgiven?" Ali smiled, and felt a little guilty that she should be the one apologizing, not Mandy.

"Of course," not raising her voice over a whisper. Cedric gave her a reassuring pat on the knee as he rose to his feet.

"I should be going, then. People are waiting for me and I am long overdue. Nice meeting you, Ali." Shaking her hand again, he smiled at her and whisked out of the room and down the hall. Her heart skipped in the aftermath of that amazing smile. Ali wasn't the type to allow her heart to be won so easily, but something about Cedric caught her by surprise.