Harry's POV
Kings Cross Station, Platform 9 ¾, 11am start of term.
"Bloody 'ell. Why is everyone sitting up here?" Ron said as we got on the train. It looked like everyone from the school was in the front two cars.
"Maybe they have the back cars blocked off for something?" Hermione responded, sighing. When we couldn't find a car that wasn't full we went to the back. The further we went the darker it got. Finally I realized that all the blinds were drawn shut. That's weird, they've never done that before. I saw that there were people in these cars, but they were different. They were all prettier than most of the students on the train. And a couple of cars had people that looked too old to be at Hogwarts. But the thing that was most noticeable were the tattoos on all of their faces. Some of them had empty crescent moons on their foreheads and others had things that looked like detailed masks framing their eyes.
"What's going on back here? What's with all the face stuff?" Ron muttered. Hermione and I nodded. Finally we were at the very back of the train. With only one compartment left we decided it would have to do. As we opened the door a young tan-skinned woman sat down on the seat next to a blondish-brown haired guy who looked like he was fast asleep. What caught my eye were her tattoos. They were spirals and symbols that mixed together and spread all the way down her shoulders and arms. She took a defensive position over the guy and he stirred in his sleep, mumbling. Evidently she wasn't expecting us to walk in.
"Woah…" Was Ron's only comment, he was still marveling over the woman's tattoos. She sighed. When she relaxed so did the blond guy, going back into a peaceful sleep.
"Hey, do you guys need a place to sit? You're welcome to stay here if there is nowhere else." Ron nodded dumbly and sat down, Hermione and I sat down with him.
"Thanks, I'm Hermione Granger. We're students at Hogwarts." Hermione introduced herself, smiling.
"Zoey Redbird. The sleeper is Stark. Who are you guys?" She asked, smiling at Ron and I.
"Oh sorry, I'm Harry. Harry Potter." When I didn't see any recognition in her eyes I cheered inside. Finally, someone who doesn't recognize me or my name!
"Ron Weasley." Ron said shyly. Oh now I get it...He thinks she's cute…I smiled and looked her over. She was pretty cute. She had dark skin that reminded me of the Patil twins, dark chocolate brown eyes, and straight black hair. She was wearing a white lace tank top and black jeans. You could see her tattoos spread from her forehead, around her eyes, down her neck and shoulders and onto the back of her hands. We sat in silence for a few minutes, staring at her strange tattoos before Ron asked the question we were all thinking.
"What's with your tattoos?" Her eyes went wide and she shook her head.
"Long story" She muttered. Almost like he could sense her discomfort "Stark" shifted in his sleep, waking up slightly and immediately turning to Zoey.
"Hey, you okay?" She smiled and took his hand.
"Yea, I'm fine. Just an awkward question." She nodded in our direction and Stark looked over, glaring at us.
"Stark, this is Hermione, Harry and Ron. They're students at Hogwarts." Stark nodded and looked each of us over. Once he was done he smiled, his mood changing quickly.
"Hey guys, sorry for sleeping so long. I'm Stark," then he turned back to Zoey, "where are the others?"
"In the compartment ahead of us. I had a headache and you looked like you were about to pass out so I brought you back here." Stark nodded again then turned back to us."
"So, what year are you guys?"
"Fourth year Gryffindors." I answered.
"Gryffindor? What's that?" Zoey looked confused. Ron perked up, happy to be able to explain something to his new crush.
"You don't know what Gryffindor is? Okay so, at Hogwarts there are four houses. Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Now, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are like the houses that no one really cares about. They get along pretty well together and they like Gryffindor. But Gryffindor and Slytherin hate each other. There's never been a Gryffindor or a Slytherin that liked the other. That's the big rivalry to watch. The dueling club, the quidditch matches-"
"Quidditch? What's that? Is it a sport?" Stark inquired, intrigued.
"You don't know what quidditch is?! Man where have you been!" Ron asked. Then he dragged me into a long winded explanation of Quidditch, it's rules, regulations and famous players.
That lasted for the next hour or so until a tall blonde girl with blue eyes in a blue halter dress walked in and glared around the compartment.
"Zoey, I swear if your arrow-boy ain't up yet I'm going to have Darius throw him out in the s- Who the hell are you?" Zoey and Stark rolled their eyes and Stark chuckled.
"I'm up…" He muttered.
"Aphrodite, this is Harry, Hermione and Ron." Zoey said, emphasizing our names.
"Yea yea, whatever. I came to tell you that Lenobia just came in and told everyone to dress comfortably and not to worry about our uniforms. She also said that if we were to run across any Hogwarts students to tell them that they need to change into theirs."
"Oh shoot! Is it time already?" Hermione jumped up and started rummaging through the bag she had her robes in and Ron and I got them out of our trunks. We all went to the changing rooms after saying goodbye to Stark, Zoey and Aphrodite. By the time we got back to the compartment they were gone. We went to the front of the train and got off.
We didn't see our newfound friends on any of the carriages to the castle so we figured they had already gone up. We got to the castle and into the Great Hall without seeing them either. Hermione was starting to get worried. Ron and I told her not to worry, that they were probably just late and we all sat down. We were all a little shocked when the food appeared before Dumbledore's speech but we ate anyway. When everyone was finished Dumbledore stood up and began his start-of-term speech.
"Well, now that we're all fed and sorted. I ask for your attention for the yearly notices. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that Hogsmeade is off limits to all those below third year and the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students." After smiling at the Weasley twins he continued. "Sadly, I regret to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year." The Great Hall burst into whispers, some even going so far as to yell "that's rubbish" in the Head Master's direction. After a few moments Dumbledore called out, continuing what he was saying.
"This is due to something that will be starting in October and going throughout the school year. I have the great pleasure in announcing that this year, Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament!"