A Fresh Start

[Thomas]

Mark shoved against the wall at Platform 9 ¾ with his shoulder and slipped across the magical barrier. It was still quiet on the platform but he knew that wouldn't last for long, as he could already see a few of the younger students heaving their bags up onto the train. He turned and waited for his mother to appear this side of the wall. She stumbled across the wall and he stifled his grin and she smoothed her clothes and attempted to look dignified.
"Watch you don't fall Mum"  he chided "It'll only get you down". 
His mum rolled her eyes and turned her fussing towards her eldest son "Now Mark, you haven't even boarded and you're already looking scruffy" She grasped his shirt's sleeve and straightened at it.
"Mum!" He pulled his arm away and pulled up the sleeves again, then ruffled his fingers through his hair "Just leave it, alright? I'm away to find the others..." With that he turned and sauntered off in search of the rest of the group.

[Jazzie C]

She was sat, currently alone, in the staff car of the train. She couldn't remember why she'd left the castle in the first place. It had been useless, futile and she had not been able to reach the person she had tried to reach... She would though, eventually. Jey Garland was waiting to resume her position teaching at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her hair fell in dark waves past her waist and her eyes shone green with a depth which no-one could see.

"I can't keep failing. I cannot keep doing this."

A small line appeared in the middle of her forehead as she frowned. She gripped her wand in her hand and murmured something quietly. Her skin glowed, her eyes shone and her hair glittered as the spell worked its way into her very fibres. This one had to stick. She had to remain the same. She would look the same for a long time. She was invulnerable. Silently, she tucked her wand away and sat back in the carriage, waiting the eventual chugging of the train beginning to move.

The year was only just beginning.

[Nicci]

Having arrived at Platform 9 ¾ earlier than most of the herd of students and armed with an official looking parchment; Heath stepped down from the second carriage of the scarlet steam engine and descended onto the filling platform.
Straightening his emerald and silver tie and running his hand through his overlong hair one last time, he unrolled the document and gave it a reassuring glance. Heath knew the words on the list off by heart; he made it his duty to know as a prefect. Today was the last chance for him to impress the faculty to stand a chance of being selected as Head Boy at the evenings sorting ceremony.

Mouthing the words out loud under his breath he glanced over the list of permitted items for first years and the ones that weren’t: No brooms, No excessively large items of luggage and No exotic animals. Cats, Owls and Toads must all be securely caged and be accompanied by an identification label; this is for the welfare of the animal and all passengers aboard.
The breakdown of the train compartment segregation followed: teachers, prefects, students and their luggage all neatly arranged in a diagram. Easy stuff, for the last few years he had secured his own spot up near the front of the train, the prefects always got the first pick of the sweets and cakes on the trolley.
Lastly came the lengthily list of assigned prefect duties for the upcoming journey, Heath himself had been assigned the responsibility for overseeing the boarding of Carriage C and the escorting of the student body up to the castle at the other end.
Finally having eased the nagging worry at the back of his mind, Heath folded the parchment back up and slipped it into his back pocket. Gazing over the clusters of gathered heads of fussing parents, Heath looked for the signs of anyone he knew or for the matter of fact the whereabouts of most of the other prefects. Where was Sporus? Even when persistently told to arrive early he was cutting the time fine.

(ooc: Eeeee I love him already)

[Nicci]

“Wait” a high pitched female voice called out across the station platform through gasps of inhaling breath, followed by the approaching thunder of her low heel flat shoes on the concrete.
“Please wait…” she yelled again as the shape of her familiar friend disappeared into a crowd of students and their parents.

Stopping close to Mark’s mother, Robyn drew in a deep lungful of air and dropped into a polite silent curtsey.

“I’m so glad…I caught you” the cheerful blonde continued, her face beaming with a thoughtful smile and a flushed expression. “I wanted to thank you for your hospitality over the summer, I made you a vanilla sponge cake to show my gratitude. It’s not perfect but it was the least I could do, you have been ever so kind”.

Offering the cream coloured box with red ribbon that she had been tightly clinging onto across to Mrs White, Robyn affectionately giggled beaming with a sense of pride.

“Mark told me it vanilla was your favourite, I couldn’t resist baking… oh I nearly forgot….”

Reaching into her cloak pocket, she pulled out a small handheld, ornate folding mirror that was adorned in small sparkling clear crystals in a shape of a butterfly and also offered it with an open palm.

“I bought this for Kelly, I felt terrible that I couldn’t give her mine so whilst I was in Diagon Alley I bought her one. It’s very similar except mine has a decorative leaf shape. I hope she’ll like it?”

[Thomas]

Steph turned to the direction of the calling student and instantly lit up as recognised her face.
"Robyn!" she exclaimed happily as her son's friend reached them. She beamed with pleasure as Robyn mentioned the vanilla sponge cake.

"For me? Oh Robyn you shouldn't have went to all that effort" she said as Robyn handed her the the box
"It was a pleasure to have you over Robyn. I'm really glad you enjoyed your stay, you are welcome any time, any time at all. Vanilla is my favourite."

As Robyn handed over the little mirror Steph gasped "Robyn that's far too much. No she'll only ruin it Robyn you keep it. Kelly couldn't make it, she's at St. Malachy's for her final year. Bless her she was very upset at not getting to come. Sorry there's me blethering on. Mark went that way - I'm sure you'll spot him soon enough"

[Nicci]

“Honestly, I insist…” Robyn announced clasping the mirror gently in Steph’s hand with her own pair now free of holding the cake. “I’m only sorry I didn’t know before when her birthday was, but please I’d be honoured if you took it for her. I don’t mind if it gets ruined or lost, but as soon as I saw it I couldn’t break my promise to Kelly”.

Glancing around at the new crowd of students surrounding them, Robyn nodded sadly. As much as she wanted to stand chatting on the platform with Mark’s mother she would have to be boarding shortly and secure a good compartment for the long journey up North.

“I’ll make sure we write often, make Mark study hard and ensure he always has his shirt tucked in. I promise you that too. I must be going but send my love to everyone for me”.

As she left behind Steph and disappeared into muddle of bodies, a well of emotion hit the back of her throat and she swallowed hard trying to hold back any further guilt of leaving her precious loved ones behind. She had known Steph, Brian and Kelly for so long now and she loved them as if they were her own blood relations, each year was always one step easier than the last to leave but the emotional anxiety never truly went away.
Stopping in her tracks for a moment she saw ahead who she had been looking for, maybe this was why it got easier to leave home…....maybe a piece of that comfort and security always came with her, he always had.

Creeping up quietly behind him and standing on full stretched tiptoes, she slipped her long, slender fingers over his eyes covering his vision momentarily.
“Guess who?” she giggled childishly like a first year, as if he could never have figured it out.

[Thomas]

As Robyn disappeared into the crowd Steph looked down at the mirror clasped tightly in her hand. It would be a welcome distraction for Kelly. This was always a hard time of the year, when the family were split up after such a short time together. She stifled a sob and placed the mirror safely in her coat pocket.

Mark stiffened as his world suddenly turned black then grinned "Well let me see. Who has freezing cold hands. It must be that blonde girl from hufflepuff... what's her name... Robbie?" He asked smiling and already turning around.

((Happy Birthday Nicci))

[Nicci]

(Yey you posted for my birthday ^^ I know exactly the reaction to your post so I will hopefully type it up for you tomorrow x eee Robbie is so cute)

[Nicci]

As Mark happily turned around Robyn beamed gleefully back at him, initially flipping her hands over to evaluate them for a split second if they were indeed cold but naturally flung them together clasped against her chest in delight. To her being reunited once again with her dearest friend in the entire world was like the force of attraction between two opposite ends of a magnet, undeniably strong and virtually unbreakable. The build up of a Summer full of upset and grief from being cooped up at home alone with the dog melted into a background haze at the warmth of his smile and the sudden fact that even more she had to look up at him.

“Could you really tell all that from just my cold hands?” she replied, knowing the silly small talk between them was just to take the chill off of his rigid ‘out with his parents’ persona.
She never could quite work out what Mark thought was so embarrassing about his family all the time and actually thought Steph’s motherly ways were quite charmingly adorable. She wished deep down that her mother had stuck around long enough to accompany her to the station every year and to teach her the fine art of decorative napkin folding. Who knew twenty seven ways was just the beginning.

“Did you miss me?”
Blurting the question first accompanied by an air of smiles and giggles, Robyn hoped it would mask her hidden distress and prevent the question being turned back on her. He didn’t need to know that she had spent several ritual hours hidden in the airing cupboard sobbing her eyes out (no less than twice) over the last few months because she had to be away from him. That would not only solidify the fact that she was clingy, but would suggest obsessively to the point of freaky.

**********************************************************

About to hear the end of Mark’s reply, a hard shoulder barge unexpectedly came out of nowhere and caught Robyn off balance sending her off to the left and colliding with her palm against the station platform.

“Back on the floor at my feet where you belong Mud Blood! Your kind of filth doesn't even deserve to go to this school let alone think you can board the train before me! I thought we’d established this already last year. Clearly you can’t do anything about stupidity in what’s left of your family.”

A harsh female voice from the perpetrator spat whilst a chorus of vicious whispers and taunting laughter echoed from the sea of many faces now looking down on Robyn. If Alexis’s words at that moment stung worse than the shards of grey grit that had embedded itself in her soft palm, it was nothing combined with the searing silent look from the tall young man observing the scene in his sister's shadow.

(EDIT - Hmm well I had an edit after three days of character bio creating, having Blake as the main bully of Robyn felt quite harsh. I didn't want to shove him into a Malfoy stereotype and I didn't want to automatically think 'oh they have an elitist pure blood attitude lets put them in Slytherin'. So for the edit I've created Alexis as well...bios when complete will follow. Let me know what you think?)

[Thomas]

"Oh yes indeed I could" he said and playfully went to grab her hands, then thought better of it as and instead ruffled his hair, bit his lower lip and grinned.

He was about to continue teasing her when she suddenly blurted out "Did you miss me?". The grin flicked off his face for a fraction of a second, he searched her eyes then looked down at the floor "Uh yeah. I missed everyone of course".

Glancing up to look her in the eyes he frowned for a second then realised what had happened. His blood surged as he rushed over to help her up, turning he glared at Alexis "Shut your face" he spat at her and turned back to Robyn. He didn't want her to see how annoyed he was, if she was a boy he'd have hexed that smug cow in the face. He knelt close to Robyn "Don't give her the satisfaction" he murmured to her and reached for her hands.

[Nicci]

Reaching for Mark’s offered hand, Robyn clenched it tightly and shuffled towards him feeling more secure under Alexis’s piercing scowl. There was never any hesitation from him to jump to her defence, and in her eyes this was a sign of a true friend, Mark just happened to be one she never wanted to live without. She needed him… but recently she often wondered if her clingy behaviour stopped him interacting with ‘everybody’ who he claimed he missed.

“I wont…” she mumbled, leaning in close and strongly holding back any signs of tears.
It was the continuous torment about her blood lineage that made her remember her younger school years where her peers used to brand her differently for her accidental magical mishaps. Now in a world of other magic users she was still the odd ball, it just didn’t feel fair.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Blake. Still he hadn’t said a word or chipped in with a snide remark.

*****************************************

“Wanna make me?” Alexis taunted, tossing her long, straight hair over her shoulder as she reached for her wand in her pocket. She didn’t know he respected not fighting or duelling females but she had no problems with standing her ground against him.
Pausing to observe Mark looking away from her and tending to Robyn still sat on the floor her blood boiled with a new streak of emotion, Alexis huffed failing to brandish her wand. Before she was fuelled by her normal self centred, greedy attitude but now…heavens forbid it to be even considered jealously.

“I suppose you think this is cute, I might have had more respect for you Mark, if you didn’t fawn over pathetic little muggles….But then again…………HEY!”

About to spout further venomous accusations, Alexis was interrupted by a rough nudge from her brother goading her in the direction of the nearest carriage door as a plume of white smoke bellowed from the funnel of the crimson steam engine.

[Thomas]

Mark shot Alexis a dirty look. What did she think he'd do? Fight her? Please. He turned his attention back to Robyn but his heart was pounding... he hated confrontation.
"Here" he mumbled "I'll fix up your hands" Ignoring Alexis ranting behind him he took out his wand. He unceremoniously shoved aside.

"Robyn! Oh Robyn are you ok? Oh look at your hands Robyn" Steph gently traced her fingertips across her palms, cleansing them with wandless magic.

Steam belched onto the platform and the remaining students were piling onto the train. "Mum, quick we need to go" Mark tugged her arm and started struggling towards the train with his and Robyn's cases barely lifted above the ground.

"What happened Robyn?" Steph asked searching Robyn's eyes, but before she had time to answer the whistle sounded.

"Oh quick Robyn the train!", Steph dropped her hands and rushed over to help Mark who had reached the train and was frantically throwing the luggage in the hold. "Wait! Wait!" She pleaded with the attendant.

Mark flung the final bag in, and hurried through the closing doors, just in time. His ears reddened...his mother had made a scene yet again, and now everyone was looking at him. He pushed past them down the corridor and tried to forget what just happened...but wait where was Robyn?

[Nicci]

“I’m fine, honestly.... I just tripped..” Robyn began but her soft, gentle voice quickly got drowned out by the sound of the train whistle.
She hated telling an untruth to Steph even if she had managed to hear her over the racket, but burdening someone else mother with her problems just wasn’t necessary right now and Mark was right, Steph would only worry and he would only get annoyed further if she turned up at Hogwarts.

Disheartened at having caused a scene, Robyn froze even surrounded by the frantic chaos for the latecomers to board. Mark had blended into the crowd getting their luggage aboard and Steph was waving her arms with her mouth moving a mile a minute trying delay proceedings…two people who cared about her doing all they could for her but yet she felt uneasy and very out of place.

Shutting her eyes even momentarily the horrible taunts and put downs filled her mind and plagued her self-confidence. Maybe she really was a filth that didn’t deserve to be at the school? Maybe she’d be better to stay at home? Would Mark have all the space she thought he needed if she didn’t board the train?

Throwing her hands up to her eyes, warm streams of moist salty tears rolled down her pale cheeks and spread to form puddles on her recently healed palms. Where was Mark to tell her it was all going to be ok?
Surprised, Robyn sniffed as someone she didn’t really know came into her view through split fingers. A tall, dark haired Slytherin whose calm, informative tone zoned her back onto the hubbub of platform 9 3/4. Who was he? How did he know she was a Hufflepuff?

“Miss I’m Heath, I need you to come forward with me and board the train otherwise I will have to ask you to step back away from the line for your own safety. However if I might add it is my designated responsibility as a prefect to ensure that all Hogwarts students safely make it to the castle and Professor Sprout wont be too happy if I leave one of her little badgers behind…”

“I..I…” Robyn stuttered mumbling as Heath’s heavy arm dropped onto her shoulder.

“You know…” Heath began hoping to inspire “Everyone has to leave something at sometime, even though it makes us sad to leave our homes and families. We do it so we can come back to those places we love and treasure them again for a whole new set of reasons”.

Smiling encouragingly, Heath caught sight of Steph frantically gesturing Robyn over to her and pointing up at the train.

"You should think yourself lucky, you have the knowledge of both worlds and one day those who put you down will be the first ones to need your help. Come, I’ll gladly escort you to your loved ones so you can properly say see you soon…as it’s never a true good bye when you really care about someone then I'll know you'll be safely aboard."

*****************************************************************************************

Having been pushed aboard the Hogwarts Express, Alexis leaned out of one of the windows with her thin hair flicking out in the breeze like the white bellowing plume of steam above her.
Not being able to see Mark and Robyn anymore she slumped back into the compartment and collapsed down heavily on the worn fabric seat.
For the first time she really acknowledged the fact that she felt lonely, she had scared away any former occupants of the carriage and now that Blake had been promoted to a prefect he has secured his own seat down the front of the train. His assigned duty was to patrol the passageways after the snack trolley had passed through so that was at least a good hour or so that she’d be stuck alone and bored.

As she gazed out of the window, her eyes fell on the woman who had barged in on her confrontation with Mark. Steph had to be his mother, she was sure of it. He had her eyes, the same shape of the bridge of his nose…..
‘Oh for the love of Eleanor…’ what the hell was she thinking.

Scolding herself, she placed her forehead firmly against the glass. Why couldn’t this year be like any of the last? She wanted to just board the train, gloat about the shoving incident, be seen as cool in the eyes of well Blake but she wished it was everyone…and why did Mark have to hang out with that muggle born.

*****************************************************************************************

Having left his sister behind further down the train, Blake had already changed into his Ravenclaw uniform and pinned his shiny prefect badge onto his jumper. This was technically his second year in the honoured role but due to an incident involving Alexis at last years formal event he had shared the punishment and had got his duties suspended for several months. But not this year! He had bucked up his ideas, proved to the faculty that he could be responsible and work hard and this was his chance to sit back and reap the rewards. It was like a new start for him, he could already feel it; even having only just passed into the prefect’s carriage the selected few students cheered and started congratulatory patting him on the shoulders for getting reinstated.
This was something he could quite easily get used to, here Alexis had no power over the students he could get to know and neither could she dictate who was actually worthy of his time.

“Sit here” a younger female Gryffindor voice called out to him over the hustle.
“No, sit here” a fellow older male Ravenclaw gestured flashing the latest edition of the National Quidditch magazine in the air. “Pennington’s gonna be our seeker again this year aren’t you mate? Glad they didn’t strip you of that also otherwise we would have got trashed by more than just Slytherin”

Chuckling to himself and overcome with an unusually large grin, Blake became swept away with the moment and overconfidently answered his fellow housemate.
“I most certainly am…” which erupted the rowdy 5th year in the corner of the compartment chanting “RAVENCLAW! RAVENCLAW!”

Pulled down playfully into the empty seat, the older and broader seventh year student known apparently by all as ‘Ducky’ (and didn’t mind being called that) had already thrust the now opened copy of the magazine under Blake’s nose on an advert for the latest Cleansweep racing broom.

“Ah I’ve already got a Nimbus 1900 for the start of term…” Blake commented generally with no intention to brag, but no sooner as he has said it Ducky AKA Jonathan Duckworth had bounded up onto his seat to shout to the rowdy boy behind.

“Ya hear that Posh Penny’s already got the new Nimbus! We’re gonna bring home the trophy for sure this year”.

Before his new acquaintance could sit back down, Blake sunk into his plush chair. Even though he had been invited into the prefect carriage last year, something just didn’t feel the same. Maybe then he had been fine with sitting by the window quietly on his own or sneaking away to sit with his sister but now? Never before had many social friends who just regarded him individually and certainly no one had ever given a nickname. Maybe in time he could get them to drop the posh though…. Penny on the other hand wasn’t so bad.

[Lauren]

(HEY GUISE! GUESS WHO FINALLY GOT A CHARACTER AND GOT PLACES ON THE COURSES SHE WANTED AT COLLEGE?! THIS GIRL! *ahem* So yeah... I'll get to posting now ^.^))

Aria, who had gotten to the train quite early (as per usual), had already waved goodbye to her parents, and was now sat alone in a cosy compartment. Since she had quite a wait ahead of her for her friends to show up, she had settled in with a Charms book. It was one of the books that she had picked up for her birthday earlier in the summer, but hadn't yet read it; she figured that it would come in pretty handy for her lessons.

(sorry it's short. I got stuck *facepalm* ))

[Nicci]

ooc: Congratulations Lozzy, Well done for getting your courses at college. You clever thing ^^

Initially cramped against the closed train door, Heath helped Robyn to stand up straight now that the train had stopped jolting to pull out of the station. With the Hogwarts Express chugging along steadily he straightened up his tie and ran his fingers through the front of his long dark hair.

“I’m afraid I have to go and make sure the prefects are prepared for the first shift rotation” He began apologetically “But here…”.
Stopping in mid sentence and opening a nearby internal compartment door, Heath peered inside before continuing speaking to Robyn.

“This compartment luckily has space, I’ll have to ask you to take a seat now but I will do my best to locate your friend. What did you say his name was? Mark White, 6th year Hufflepuff?”

Still red eyed, Robyn silently nodded and shuffled into the train compartment as she was instructed. For now there wasn’t much she could do, it would be embarrassing to go looking in each section for Mark by herself especially after her display on the platform. Waving a limp handed wave of farewell to Heath as he disappeared in the direction of the prefect lounge, Robyn sighed and closed the internal door.

Surprised who was sharing the compartment with her, Robyn gasped and suddenly forgot about her tears and regained her cheerful disposition.

“Oh there you are Aria! I was looking everywhere for you on the platform. I found Mark but….Ooooh whatcha reading another new book?” she beamed plonking herself down on the seat near her friend.
Robyn could spend hours gazing in awe at Aria, she always had such a delicate facial complexion and the most gorgeous, glossy dark reddy-brown curly hair. In comparison she always felt she looked pasty and somewhat boringly uninteresting.
Gazing away from Aria for just a split second, Robyn looked at the frosted glass compartment door. She hoped mark could find them and wouldn’t be too angry at her because she had made a scene.

ooc: This was my 500th post ^^ stupidly I ruined the magic by posting it on the wrong thread.