I dragged my trunk behind me as I followed my father through the crowds of King's Cross, knowing better than to fall behind, to make him have to slow down for me. With my free hand, I laced my fingers through the strap of my purse where my sweater and robe were folded tightly next to my wallet and my wand. We approached the barrier to the platform where I knew we would say our goodbyes. Father never went through with us, although I never minded. This was my third year going back to Hogwarts. My first without Tommy.
I slowed as we neared the bricks and looked up at my father, setting my trunk on the stone floor in preparation for our goodbye hug which he insisted on every year. Any other year I would hardly notice this interaction, so focused on getting to the train that would take me away, back to where I was rarely ever anything but happy. Any other year, Tommy and I would have scampered past the bricks before any of the Muggles could have noticed our bodies disappearing through solid rock and not thinking about our father for months.
I felt his arms wrap around my back and I stood perfectly still, not wanting him to feel the shudder as I waited for our embrace to end. When he pulled back, he gestured for me to grab my things and gave me a straight smile.
"Be good. I know you will."
I nodded and returned his smile, hoping he didn't notice my hurry to gather my things and crossed to the brick wall in less than 5 steps, watching the world flitter around my eyes. I smiled at the attendants as I walked towards the nearest entrance to the train, only feeling the tears drip down my face as my hand reached for the railing. I had never done this train ride without Tommy. He was a year above me, this would have been his fourth. We always sat together, usually with his friends, but I was thankful that he let me tag along.
Most of the students remained outside, exchanging heartfelt goodbyes with their loved ones and excited greetings with their old friends, showing off new pets and telling stories from their summers. I had my pick of the cabins, but I continued down the hall until I reached the one Tommy's friends had always sat in before stopping at the room in front of theirs. They would want to sit in their own cabin, who was I to ruin that for them? They didn't want Tommy's sad younger sister ruining their trip. They missed him too.
I slid the thin door open and threw my trunk into the overhead before settling into the seat nearest the window and letting myself watch the last of the students out with their families, a soft smile coming to my face without my notice. For a moment, I let myself wonder what it would be like to have my mum bring me and Tommy here every fall, to give us goodbye hugs and cry tears for how badly she would miss us.
I shook my head hard and pulled the blinds down on the window, breaking me from my trance for good. There would have been no hugs, and definitely no tears. It was because of her that Tommy was gone. If she had stayed, if she had even thought about taking us with her, wherever she went, Tommy would be next to me right now.
My attention was pulled again as the door slid open allowing three students to enter. I recognized them immediately, although none as much as the last boy. The unruly black hair almost covering his scar. I had been in many classes over the years with Harry and his friends. Hermione and I studied together last year for Charms nearing exams, however I didn't think I had ever spoken more than three words to the boys.
"Cassidy! How are you?" Hermione's face lit up as she rushed to me for a hug. "You don't mind if we join you? Everything is nearly full, besides one compartment with a sleeping teacher. I assume he's a teacher, if not, Hogwarts is about to have a homeless problem."
"Yeah, of course! It's good to see you." I shot her a smile and turned to the boys as Harry held a hand out to me.
"I'm Harry."
I took his hand gently and shook it once, shooting him a smile and biting back the 'I know,' that I was sure he got probably once a day. I looked to the taller boy with the ginger hair and he nodded at me, pushing his trunk above the seats next to Harry's before sitting across from Hermione. "Ron Weasley."
"Nice to meet you guys, I'm Cassidy Olsen."
I watched Ron's eyes bulge in shock. "Olsen? Like..." He trailed off and I felt my heart drop, yet I couldn't break his eye contact.
"Like Tommy Olsen?" My voice sounded like a whisper, but I knew that's where he was headed.
"I'm-" He stopped, looking to his friends as if for help, but neither of them knew what he was talking about. Tommy and I were in Hufflepuff, the trio sat before me was from Gryffindor, not to mention a year below Tommy. I wasn't sure how this lanky third year knew him at all. "I'm really sorry." He finished, his face a light shade of crimson at this point. "My brothers, uh. Knew yours. They said he was a great guy, great quidditch player too."
I smiled though I felt the prickle of tears lining my eyes for what felt like the millionth time today. "Yeah, he was. Thank you."
The door jostled once again almost simultaneous with the train beginning it's push out of the station. I looked over, blinking the recent tears from my eyes as two more gingers entered the cabin. "Mind if we join you lot? Apparently no one around here wants to have any fun on this train ride." They flashed matching wild smiles and Ron groaned as they plopped into the last two seats next to Hermione and, who I guessed from the matching hair, their brother.
"I just spent three months with you idiots, all I wanted was a relaxing train ride to school." Ron whined, eliciting laughs from the rest of us.
"What Ron meant to say was, these are my brothers-" The one to the left of Hermione started, holding his hand out to me. "I'm George,"
The second twin grabbed my free hand and locked eyes with me, "And I'm Fred."
"Cassidy." I stopped myself before I got to my last name, not wishing for a repeat of Ron's discovery.
"And how did you get stuck in a cabin with this sorry lot?" George joked.
"How did you get stuck in a cabin with our sorry lot?" Ron asked, incredulous. "Because no one fancies a puking pastille or waking up from a nap with purple hair."
I chuckled, more to myself than aloud, and looked up, meeting eyes with Fred again. A shock flew down my spine faster than I could snap my eyes away. The twins were quite good looking, nearly as tall as the compartment doors, with messy red hair, and even beneath their robes I could tell they sported quidditch related muscles.
Once the trolly came and we all shook it off, not wanting to waste our money before we even arrived to school, Hermione pulled her bag from next to her trunk and turned to me.
"You want to go get changed, Cass? We're probably halfway by now."
I reached up for my purse and pulled my robe and sweater out. I purposely wore a black shirt beneath my yellow hoodie and was already in my skirt and tights every train ride so I could simply pull on my sweater and robes and not have to find somewhere on the train to change. Hermione realized this and looked to her friends, who followed her out of the compartment to where I assumed the bathroom was, leaving me and the twins.
"So Cassidy, you a third year like Ronny?" George asked as I pulled my hoodie over my head and felt my hair fall back into place.
"Yeah, we've had a few classes together I think. I was closer with Hermione, we studied together."
I had just finished pulling the robe over my black sweater when I turned back to face them, sitting down and meeting Fred's gaze again. This time, however, he looked confused up to my face and back towards where my arm had been exposed seconds ago. I knew immediately what he had seen.
"Uh, how about you guys? Fourth or Fifth?" I spoke quickly, rubbing my fingers over the deep slices lining my bicep that Fred had noticed.
"Fifth year, the time is really dragging, innit Freddie?" George sent a kick to Fred's leg and pulled him from his train of thought.
"Yeh." He answered, moving his attention from me at last as the trio re-entered our cabin.
No sooner had they taken their seats when the train screeched to a halt, the lights flickering a few times until they finally gave out and the rooms fell into blackness.
"What the hell?" Ron and George echoed as they scurried to the windows to look outside, jostling me and Hermione to the edge of the cabin.
"We can't be there yet." Hermione's voice sounded curious, with a hint of nerves.
"Well, for once we know it wasn't Fred and George." Harry joked, "Unless... Was it?"
"We can't stop the entire train, you git." I heard Fred hit what sounded like Harry's arm, obviously not hard as it was returned with a laugh.
My attention snapped back outside as I saw a wisp of black pass the cloudy windows. Hermione must have seen it too as I heard her gasp from next to me, Ron ducking away from the window back to his seat.
"What was that?" His voice broke on the last word.
"I don't..." One of the twins started and stopped as a strange light appeared down the hallway outside of our door.
"Guys..." Hermione's voice was soft, as if she thought the light wouldn't be able to hear us if we whispered.
Gasps from down the hallway were met with some screams before the glass door to our compartment slid open slowly, two large figures whisking inside and gliding in front of us. I heard Hermione and Ron scream and felt my jaw drop, yet no sound came out. It was as if everyone and everything had left the train, my mind went blank and I felt my knees start to give out. In the dim light, I saw one of the twins step over to block Hermione and I from the figures as a loud thud echoed through the cabin.
"Harry!" Ron shouted, as a bright light blinded us for an instant. After a few blinks, I watched a slender glowing wolf chase the dark figures from the cabin and down the hallway away from the students as the four of us dropped next to Harry's still body on the floor.
"Watch out, watch out." A new voice entered the cabin and I looked up to see a tall and lean man with graying hair bend down to Harry.
"What's happened to him?" Hermione nearly shouted at the assumed professor.
"I'm not sure, I think it was just a scare." The lights flickered and finally came back on at his last word as he jostled Harry lightly in an attempt to wake him.
I looked to my left to see which twin had come to Hermione and me in the dark and decided that it was Fred, although it was still difficult for me to tell them apart. He must have noticed me watching him from the corner of his eye and I watched his nervous eyes scan my face and quickly down my body, making my stomach drop before I looked back to Harry.
A/N: I've been wanting to write a Harry Potter Fic for practically months now, but I swear every time I read a new one I talk myself out of it. All of the ones out already are so well written. Anyways hope you guys like it so far, I know this was kinda just setting the scene but I have big plans!