December 2006
Kiara ignored the conversation behind her as she searched for an empty booth. As the last ones on the train, most of the booths were full. They should have expected the reason for their delay. Eleanor had woken up Haley with a last-minute prank. The girl still has glitter in her hair after three scourgifys. Kiara knew all the booths would be full till the end of the train but she was hoping she was wrong. This morning's mess caused them to be late for breakfast and then late for leaving.
After nineteen full booths, they stumbled into an empty compartment. Quinn skirted the arguing pair to get to the window opposite Kiara. The two girls rolled their eyes at the stubborn ones of the group. By the time the train pulled out of Hogsmeade station, Eleanor and Haley settled down from threatening to curse each other to week-long jinxes. In the, thankfully, quieter compartment Quinn stuck her hand into her bag and pulled out a strangely familiar shape.
"Why is Beatrice in your bag?" Kiara asked with a dismayed sigh.
"I couldn't just leave her in my trunk!" Quinn exclaimed.
"Well, you can't have her out here."
"Why not? The train isn't at school. I'm not breaking any rules. You can't say no to this puppy." Quinn pressed Beatrice up to Kiara's face.
"Are you sure about that technicality?" Haley muttered.
"Well, Kiara can vouch for me as a prefect."
The mention of her role gave Kiara a start. A small amount of guilt crept up on her but she pushed it away. She wasn't hurting anyone by keeping Beatrice a secret.
"Alright, alright," Kiara shoved the happy dog away from her, " Just keep her with you and don't let her make a mess."
Kiara watched the green puppy snuggle into Quinn's arms. If someone saw them they would all be in big trouble. The fact that the dog was a failed transfiguration assignment wouldn't help. Kiara searched her mind for a spell that would hide the creature. Her Spell-crafting class popped into her head. They had been learning how Roman wixen wove magic deep within their lives. Their intentions alone could channel their magic. Kiara wished she had such a connection to her magic. For now, she would have to use spells she had learned or manipulated. Most spells were combinations or altered versions of older ones. After a while, these changes could make a whole new spell.
Kiara whispered, "abscondere ab oculis aliorum "pointing her Cyprus wand at Beatrice. A shimmering bubble appeared on the end of her wand before it floated over to Beatrice. It hovered for a second until it fell onto the dog and popped. The shimmer of the bubble transferred to the porcelain dog. Quinn's pet disappeared for a moment before glittering back into vision.
"What'd you do to her?" Quinn asked, looking at her dog. She picked her up, peering at Beatrice to see what the spell was for.
"It's a charm I read about in Spell-crafting. It hides an object from people who didn't see the spell being cast. It only works for three hours. I couldn't find a way to lengthen it."
Quinn nodded at Kiara and went back to snuggling Beatrice. Maybe they should ask Professor Sprout for an exception to the pet rule. The rule on only having toads, cats or owls was outdated anyway. Kiara didn't even understand their reasoning, they let familiars into the school. Why were other pets not allowed? Having Beatrice might finally stop Quinn from attempting to adopt any animal she happened across. The pet was magical and wouldn't need anything but ambient magic to continue existing. Kiara smiled at the picture the two made before finally setting up for the long ride home. She transfigured her scarf into a blanket and wrapped herself up in it. She leaned onto the cold window before curling up against it.
– o – ️ – o –
The ride was as interesting as all the ones before, which was to say long, cold, and monotonous. Kiara slept through the first few to get some rest to try and limit the jet lag that would catch her at home. The trolley lady had come by before lunch with meals. Eleanor and Quinn grabbed food for the girls before she moved down the carriage. Kiara and Haley transfigured a panel of the train into a table for their meal.
Many parts of the train could only be used with magic. There was no rule book or announcement, it was found out by the students over the year. Not even the headmaster knew all the secrets of the train. The founders had made it at the same time as the castle. They both ran off the same magic poured into the land by the founders, Merlin, and Lady Morgana. The train was as magical and protective of its students as the castle.
Kiara whispered a prayer to Apollo and Hecate after casting an incenido minima. Her friends didn't bat an eyelash at the small puff of smoke from Kiara's ritual. In a world of magic, nothing was out of the ordinary. They chatted for a while about their plans for the break. Haley was visiting an Aunt in New Zealand. Quinn was staying at home with her mom. Eleanor's parents were hosting her tens of relatives for the holidays. Kiara mentioned Camp Half-blood to her friends. She had to omit the fact that Capture the Flag included weapons and that the climbing wall spewed lava. It was necessary. Lady Hecate had separated the wixen from the demigod world a long time ago. Other than a few instances—like Kiara and her mother—they stayed separate.
– o – ️ – o –
Kiara had left right after lunch for one last prefect meeting before the break. She slipped out of her compartment into the quieter hallway and down the carriage. The door slid open with a thunk and she quickly slid it back shut before the cold air could rush into the hallway. Kiara rushed into the next carriage before the chill could fight through her coat at warming charms. Kiara waved at those who saw her making her way to the prefect compartment. She whispered the password for the week, ilex verticillata, and the chamber unlocked.
"Kiara," Phillip beckoned, over by the window of the enlarged compartment.
The chamber was large. Instead of two rows of seating, it was made up of upholstered benches on the walls and beanbags on the floor. The window seats were always the first to fill up. Phillip had to have arrived right after the train started. All prefects were allowed into the room whenever they wanted but many chose to stay with their friends except for meetings.
Kiara waved at Melissa and Ben as she made her way over to the window seats. The compartment was chilly even with warming charms. The window that was so sought out was also the coldest part of the compartment. Kiara couldn't get annoyed with Phillip. Watching the countryside roll by was worth the possible frostbite. As if reading her thoughts Phillip pulled a blanket out of his bag and offered it out. Kiara started protesting not wanting to steal from him.
"I know you get cold," he said, stopping her before she could get going, "Don't deny it. I've seen you shivering on our rounds."
Kiara glared halfheartedly at him, "That doesn't mean I want to take it from you."
Phillip shook his head before covering them both with the blanket.
"Aunt Sarah would be disappointed if I used it and left you in the cold."
Kiara huffed annoyed at his insistence but the warmth of the blanket lulled her into submission. She leaned on him as they waited for the meeting to start. Hours of late-night patrols had brought the housemates together. It was not unusual for their friends to find them collapsed in the common room on particularly long nights. Most prefects got along well, their responsibilities required them to. Spending hours organizing and planning events did not have space for competition. House allegiances all but faded away when they were all together. Their weekly meetings in the head's commons were filled with serious subjects along with inside jokes.
Kiara asked Phillip about his plans for the break and they settled into a comfortable conversation. The only noises in the room were the quiet conversations of the occupants of the compartment. The two discussed the upcoming holiday as the other prefects filed into the room.
– o – ️ – o –
Sophia Dixon, head girl, counted heads before asking, "Has anyone seen Logan?"
A multiple of head shakes caused Sophia to slump.
"That kid," she muttered, but everyone heard.
Logan was the youngest prefect, his birthday being in August, and almost always off thinking about one thing or another. He was a wonderful addition to the group but half the time he seemed to be on another planet. He had created a system for fair demerits within his first week as a prefect.
The door slammed open startling everyone in the compartment. They all turned to see the boy they were waiting for huffing and puffing against the door frame.
"I'm not late," he exclaimed after throwing a tempus with labored breaths.
A few chuckles rang out as he realized his mistake. With a sheepish grin, he skittered over to where Kiara, Phillip, and Alexis sat. He squished in between Kiara and Phillip, even more of a heat leech than her. Alexis laughed at the two of them trying to compensate for the new member. Kiara pushed off the blanket along with the boy on top, pulled Logan next to her, and threw the blanket all in one swift move. At Alexis' questioning glance, she whispered, "I don't want to let out the warm air."
They laughed at her before an assertive cough brought the prefects to attention.
"Bryan and I wanted this last meeting to focus on our goals for next term," Sophie announced and stepped back a little for her partner.
Bryan nodded next to her, "Everyone break into your groups. We have to prepare events for the beginning of term as well as get ready for the O.W.L.s to finally hit the fifth years." A few grumbles rose up from some of the fifth years present. "I know that in the next few months, our sixes are going to have to take over more. We all have to work hard but if things get too much you can always take a little break."
The prefects worked for an hour before the Head Girl and Boy dismissed them. Kiara picked up her notebook stuffing it back into her bag as she listened to Alexis chatter about James Potter's recent attempt at wooing Lily. The mention of one of the Marauders brought to mind her embarrassing interaction with Remus. She glared at the wall, frustrated that she thought of it again. She had accepted that she was a little over-eager to help. Sue her, she worked in an infirmary every summer. Some of the instincts had spilled over. Her reaction was similar to Will's. She could not believe she acted like the ten-year-old. At least she stopped herself before his methods took over her. Covering a patient in band-aids was not as helpful as he thought. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she completely missed the person who had got her into such a state starting to come up to her. She distractedly waved to Alexis and Logan before heading out of the room.
The cold woke her up from her thoughts and she checked the time. The glowing numbers made her curse and rush down the hall. She stumbled past the occasional people in the hallway trying to make her way back without an accident. Glass sped past as she barreled down the carriages. Every booth was filled with students snacking on sweets. She could not be late. Stepping into the carriage her friends were waiting in she stopped for a breath. Her lungs struggled to pull air in as she spotted who she was looking for.
"Madam Meredith! Please wait!" Kiara called to the trolley lady.
There was a candy that only existed on the train. Kiara had tried to recreate it with her roommates but every time it ended with an explosion. Though might be because of Quinn's horrible potions skills. Her second year, she brought it back to camp and it was an instant hit. Kiara had tried but ever since then, she missed the trolley, and thus the candy.
This time she had to get them. Kiara had to get Fizzing Chocolates or else Austin was going to kill her.
Hi! I edited the old one and added more! After the next chapter, I will be back into the story and less editing. My editor has gotten busy so many of these chapters will be posted without editing. I'm thinking about doing that at the end of an Act but I'm not sure if I have the time right now.
Any questions are welcome. If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a vote. Thanks for reading!
- Natalie
