RP Hogwarts Express

The majestic Hogwarts Express train.

James, a tall, handsome teen with newly acquired glasses, poked his head around the door of an empty cabin at the very end of the train, the beckoned his friends Sirius and Peter, who were waiting a little way down the long corridor of the train.

J: Hey, Padfoot, Wormtail, this one's free! Moony still in on Prefect Patrol?

He snorted, swaggering into the cabin and flopping into the seat second from the window, as he knew that Sirius preferred the window seat.

Sirius rolled his eyes and dragged his suitcase down the corridor and into the compartment. 

S: Yeah. He'll be here soon.

He sat cross-legged on the window seat, and watched as Peter forced his bag onto a rack and sat opposite.

James snorted, pulling out a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and handing one to Sirius, popping one in his own mouth. He tried to look indifferent to his surroundings, but eventually a smile leaked onto his face, twisting his mouth into a grin, a glint in his eye.

J: We're going back, boys.

Sirius popped his bean in, chewed, and then smirked. Only marmalade. His handsome features were all alight in excitement, and not just because of the bean.

S: To think, I've spent six weeks in that damn house, and now I'm going back. It's better than Christmas.

He peered at Peter, who was blinking nervously. 

P: Er yes. I'm excited too... ha.

James smirked at Peter's response, then turned back to Sirius, chewing on his own bean.

J: You always talk about moving out of that hell hole, when're you gonna grow a pair and do it? Stay at mine, you know how mum loves guests. Visit this Christmas, she'd love to have you.

Cringing, he swallowed the bean.

J: Salt. Where the bloody hell is Moon Boy?

Sirius smiled in genuine gratitude, before looking around for Remus. It was fruitless.

S: You know he likes to actually do what prefects are supposed to do. It's creepy.

He picked out another bean and ate it, this time less lucky.

S: I didn't know there was a rotten fish one.

James threw a bean at Peter.

J: Hey, we all know Remus is a weird little guy when he wants to be, with his... learning, and his manners. Sometimes I forget how he is.

At this point, Remus stuck his head around the door.

R: Everyone behaving themselves in here?

He asked with a lopsided smile.

Peter ate the bean, and swallowed without chewing it- he knew by the colour that it was horse radish.

P: Hi, Remus.

S: Moony! Have you finished your inspection? 

Sirius pushed back his fringe and grinned at his friend.

The skinny, sandy boy sat beside Peter, grinning at his friends.

R: Not strictly, no, but hey, I'm not the only prefect on this train. Sure I can sit with you guys for a bit! Besides, Lily's covering for me. Telling anyone who asks where I am that I'm at the other end of the train.

James' smile made a reappearance, and it was nothing to do with Remus' arrival.

J: Yeah, Lily's cool.

Remus smirked at Sirus and nudged Peter.

R: Yes, so you've often said.

Sirius mimed a pouty girly face, and put on a falsetto voice.

S: Oh Lily! You're so pretty and kind! I want to kiss you, Lily!

Peter chuckled as Sirius batted his eyelashes and made kissing sounds at James.

James' hand hit Sirius in the face, covering it and pushing it away from him.

J: Get your ugly mug out of my personal space. I just think she's nice, is all.

R: Yeah, I can see that. Nice and pretty and sweet and she has these eyes that draw you in and the way she smiles at you is just so dreamy!

Remus get faster as he spoke, clasping his hands under his chin and batting his eyelashes. In return, he got a bean thrown at his head. It hit.

R: Thank, James, but I'm not peckish.

He deadpanned, throwing it back. Immediately it was thrown back at him.

J: Really? You look hungry like the wolf.

Sniggers filled the cabin. Eventually, they were broken by a knock on the door.

P: Er, come in.

The door slid open, and the four boys grinned. It was Amaryllis Pepper. And she was completely turquoise.

A: Hello! 

She tugged her case in.

S: You look like a poisonous newt.

(Well that's rude)

James patted the space beside him.

J: Looking lovely as ever, Amy.

R: Don't tell Lily he said that, she might get jealous - oh wait, she doesn't care.

A: Don't bully him Remus. I'm sure Lily does care. 

Sirius grabbed her arm and pulled her closer, to feign-whisper in her ear. 

S: Don't! He actually might believe you!

She scoffed and pulled away. Peter moved over so she could sit between him and Remus, which she did.

R: Nice look, by the way.

J: Was it intentionally inspired by a Kingfisher?

Amy scrunched up her face and let the colour drain away from her skin, which returned to its normal shade.

A: I wanted that poisonous newt look.

She threw a glare at Sirius, who smiled guiltily and adjusted his hair.

S: I was kidding. Obviously.

There was another knock at the door.

R: Well, it's all go today, isn't it? Who could that be? Come in!

A tall, slender girl with regal good looks opened the door with a half-nervous smile.

E: Excuse me, hi, do you mind if I sit here? Only the other carriages are either full or hostile.

That was the fourth time she'd made that joke upon entering a cabin, and the first time she'd actually got a laugh. Remus and James looked at her with curiosity. The cabin looked rather jovial to her. Nearest to her was a small, mousy-haired boy with a nervous but ready smile, who seemed somewhat out of place. While the other boys jostled each other, he was always the one being jostled, never joining in. Yet there was something appealing, trustworthy that made her feel that she could tell him anyway, as he was so unassuming.
Sat beside him was a girl with tanned skin and ears that stuck out slightly. Evangeline liked the look of her, beaming and fitting in with the boys so easily, obviously a close friend.
Beside her was a studious-looking fellow, rather drawn but happy enough. She immediately took a liking to him: his quiet countenance suggested intellect, kindness, compassion. Despite his over-large robes, he was decidedly distinguished, without looking proud, like the beautiful Slytherin girl she had just met, whose first question regarded her blood status and the second when she would be leaving her cabin.
Sat opposite him was a dark-haired boy with glasses and a grin both hung lazily upon his handsome face. Despite the air of mischief around him, she felt that here was someone whom she could get alone well with. True, he looked arrogant, but not painfully so; there was chivalry, honour, and frienship etched into every feature.
Finally, nearest the window was her least favourite of the bunch; she could tell that she would not learn to like this fellow at all. The way he looked her up and down as she entered the cabin, as if she were not a person but a pretty object he had taken a fancy to immediately prejudiced her against him. His black hair was fashionably unkempt, to the extent that Evangeline wondered if he had styled it so. Handsome, yes. Mischievous, yes. Arrogant, certainly. There was something different about him, though. While his friend had the same easy manners, cheeky countenance, good looks, this chap had something undesirable about him. Perhaps it was because his high opinion of himself seemed embedded into his personality instead of put on. Perhaps it was the way he was obviously only interested in her physical appearance. Or perhaps it was his smug grin that told her he fully expected to have his way with her within the week.

It was the arse's bespectacled friend that spoke first: "Of course! We Gryffindors pride ourselves on our welcoming nature."

Sirius looked the new arrival up and down. It took him about 10 seconds to decide a few things. The first: She was bloody gorgeous. The second: She did not like him (He could tell by the wrinkling of the nose, it was so like his mother's). The third: He didn't really care. 

Amy smiled jovially at her and gestured at the seat that was free. Sirius shot her a glance but she ignored it, knowing him too well.

P: Do you need help? With your bag, I mean?

E: I would very much appreciate it, thank you.

Remus stood and picked her bag up for her, lifting it into an overhead compartment. When he sat down again, and she had gracefully taken her place beside James (ankles crossed, legs tucked under her seat, hands in her lap, as she had been taught), he began to study her. Frowning, he confirmed that he had never seen this girl in his life. Meanwhile, James had leaned to Sirius and whispered to him.

J: Put your tongue away, you're behaving like a dog in heat.

Remus caught the comment and smothered his laughter.

R: I'm Remus, Lupin. Specky over there is James Potter, the one with no manners is Sirius, and that's Peter Pettigrew.

J: I don't remember seeing you around before - I'd have remembered. She from your year, Amy?

Amy shook her head, starting to feel a bit dubious. She'd always been a bit off with new people, but she'd just assumed that this girl was a year ahead of her, or from a different house.

A: Are you a new student?

Sirius was also dubious, but mainly because of confusion. What was he doing wrong. He adjusted his position so he was sat normally, and pushed his hair back again. That normally did the trick. She was sat like a princess, and the way she was looking at everybody, as though pulling them apart and then putting them together again... it was odd. To take his mind off it, he ate another bean.
His luck was back: Pinapple

E: Precisely. I've just moved to England from the Netherlands, up until now I've attended Beauxbatons.

Evangeline smiled at them all, except Sirius. Remus beamed back at her.

R: Oh, I see! Fascinating. I don't think we've ever had someone join us from another school before. So what's it-

J: If you're Dutch, how come you sound English?

James interjected, cutting over Remus' sentence. A light laugh escaped Evangeline.

E: I'm only half Dutch, on my mother's side. My father is English, so he taught me to sound English when I speak it. When I speak Dutch I sound Dutch, when I speak French I sound French. It is simple, really.

R: Wow, you're trilingual?

She nodded. James nudged Sirius, wearing the 'not bad' face.

Sirius allowed a patronising smile before looking out of the window again. It was raining properly now, like sheets. It was dementor weather. He mumbed,

S: I can speak troll.

Amy laughed at him. She forced herself not to act mistrusting, and smiled again.

A: So... Do you like Quidditch?

She ignored Peter's incredulous stare, and only a second too late noticed that her skin was gradually turning green.

Evangeline's head snapped around to fix Sirius with a smile equally as patronising as his had been.

E: I'm sure that comes in handy when communicating with yourself. After all, it would be very odd if you didn't speak your own language, wouldn't it?

James' mouth formed and 'o' and he held his hands up, recognising a burn when he saw one. A tongue trained for niceties would deliver insults like throwing knives, sharpened and quick. Without batting an eyelid, Evangeline turned to smile - really smile - at Amy.

E: I don't go as far as to dislike it, but it isn't my favourite pastime, no. Watching it can be rather amusing, but if I'm on a broom I prefer to take part in um... I don't know if you have it here, but at Beauxbatons we called it 'la danse du balai': broom dancing. You know, displays and that sort of thing. I see you're a metamorphmagus.

Remus looked thoroughly impressed.

Sirius rolled his eyes. God what an annoying creature. You know that feeling in your chest, when you look at somebody, and there's a pang of annoyance? He had that. And it wasn't going. He crossed his legs up on his chair, and refused to look at her. Surely they wouldn't accept her here.

Apparently they were.

A: Oh I'm sorry... 

She squeezed her face up and managed to get rid of the green.

A: It happens sometimes... when I'm nervous.

P: When we first met her, she was pink as Droobles.

She hit him.

A: That's so interesting... I've never heard of it here.