Avery had left the compartment a while ago leaving her with Cedric, who, while enjoyable, was not exactly the person she wanted to be spending this train ride with.

"I'm going to go use the loo, I'll be right back," she called to Cedric as she left the compartment. Everyone was probably asleep, it was raining quite heavily outside. Alle was feeling a bit tired as well, yawning until she ran face first into another figure, but before she could even stumble the person had steadied her.

"I'm so sor….Alle?" Her heart skipped a beat, or two.

"Nathan, I.."
"Oh my gosh it's you," before she could react he had thrown his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace, without her thoughts giving her the chance to hesitate her instincts slid her arms up around his neck. "I'm so so sorry, Alle, I just.."

"Shut up," she mumbled, "no more apologies. Please." She rested her head on his shoulder, her mind screaming in protest.

"But I could have helped you."

"No, no you couldn't have. You know it was Dexter." The boy dropped his arms to her waist.

"I know, but," he took a step back, "if I had been more careful and he hadn't noticed, you would have been safe."

"Nathaniel Malfoy, you listen to me," she took his face in her hands. "If I had to make the choice between being petrified and never having gotten the chance to get to know you I would make the same decision all over again." She dropped her hands as he looked her in the eyes. She had never noticed how fascinating his eyes were, she couldn't look away. A sudden blush spread over her face and she looked down, brushing a piece of hair out of her face.

"Alle, I," he took her right hand into his left, sending a bolt of energy through her body. He tilted her head up gently before planting his lips on her cheek and stepping back.

"Would you like to, I don't know, talk? Sometime? I don't know….catch up?," she looked down at the floor.

"I think I'd like that a lot," Nathaniel grinned.

Avery had left Cedric and Alle back in the other compartment and was headed to see Caiden. He had free sweets, or at least that's what he had said. He seemed trustworthy, so she let herself look forward to all the candy. She lightly knocked on the door, afraid that the people inside might be sleeping.

"Hey! You made it!"

She smiled brightly at Caiden when he opened the door and sat next to him, looking around questioningly.

"Where is everyone?"

"I made them leave." He rubbed the back of his neck shyly, suddenly reminding Avery of someone else. "I got the sweets for you!"

"Oh, thank you."

She took a chocolate frog and gently started nibbling at it, looking anywhere but at Caiden. She'd never been this close to a boy she thought was cute. Well that isn't entirely true, now is it?

"Can I say something?" Caiden suddenly asked. "I, um, I like you. I've been noticing you for a while now, and I've always thought you were cute, and then when I helped you in the library, I knew it was fate. So would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

"I… uh…" What was there to say? She'd never had a boyfriend before. Was it hard to be someone's girlfriend? "Yes. I'd love that very much."

"Yes! She said yes!" he shouted to himself with a fist pump. "I mean, uh, thanks. So, uh, how about I owl you this summer?"

"I'd like that."

Alle left the compartment with a small smile on her face, heading back to Avery and Cedric. Suddenly, however, she bumped into a certain Weasley, one she would very much rather never see.

"Ah, Percy, hello," she greeted awkwardly, quickly scanning for an escape route.

"Miss Jones, what a coincidence to run into you right outside of the prefect compartment. Was there a meeting I was unaware of?" He leaned in closer with a smirk. "I'm a prefect you know."

"Yes, I am quite aware of your standing as a prefect, Mr. Weasley." She quickly leaned back to cover the door with her body. "I was just checking to make sure there was no canoodling going on in the very much empty prefect compartment. Do not worry; there was absolutely nothing of the sort happening."

"I' not so sure of that," he said with a shake of his head. He grabbed her wrist and gently tugged her towards him. "Quick, get behind me and I shall open the door, then we shall walk inside, and I will close the aforementioned open door and to insure our 'telling off' of the canoodlers will be quite private to save them from any embarrassment from their peers."

"No, no, really I have already made sure that there were no canoodlers as you say," she protested, tugging on his arm.

"Well, if you are quite sure, then I suppose I could take your word on it. Would you by any chance have any chocolate frogs?"

"No, sweets are actually rubbish for your teeth!"

"Ah, that's too bad, I was hoping we could travel to the sweets cart together," he said with a wink.

"Actually, I do believe my cousin is calling me at the moment. Yes, Avery?"

She quickly turned and scurried down the train, heading back to her compartment.

"Write me, or I shall be forced to write you!" he called after her, causing her to gag.