you escape like a runaway train OPEN!

[Evelyn Leigh Francis]

"in this sea of lonely

[/size]

-----------the taste of ink is getting old"

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

King's Cross looked the same as always; full of stressed, late commuters who were battling their way through crowds of tourists and other Londoners to get to their desired train, and therefore far too busy to notice their surroundings. Only to the trained eye would anything look different today, as today was September the First.

The trained eyes mentioned would be able to pick out groups of oddly dressed people carrying rather strange luggage. For example, one fresh faced boy was attempting to push a trolley almost as tall as him, carrying a large metal cage in which a screech owl resided. Another woman had a dark purple cloak hanging on her shoulders, and she was pulling a screaming toddler along by the hand, muttering he was too young to go to Hogwarts.

Evie was amongst all the noise and confusion, calmly pushing her luggage whilst her mother and sister walked either side of her. The three stopped in front of a red brick pillar and waited as the crowd in front of them thinned.

Today would be Evie's third year of running through this barrier, but it still made her feel sick. She couldn't get the thought of crashing headlong into a brick wall out of her head.

The last of the cloaked strangers vanished and it was now Evie's turn. She went before her family as they would be lost without her there, being Muggles and everything. So she lined herself and her trolley up and slowly pushed herself forward, gaining speed until the nose of the trolley was touching the wall. But instead of crashing and making a whole lot of noise, the trolley simply glided through the bricks and onto a new platform.

Platform Nine and Three Quarters was briefly hidden by a cloud of steam emitted from the steam train waiting on the line, but it soon cleared to reveal a platform even more crowded than the ones on the other side of the gateway. An iron sign hung above the heads of five hundred students, a wooden plaque set into the metal filigree read '9 3/4'.

Evie's family joined her seconds later and the three of them set off towards the huge red engine, battling their way through chaos to reach the carriages.

Men stood at the open doors of the carriages, leaning over the heads of students to pull luggage onto the train. Evie managed to squeeze to the front and began loading her stuff onto the train. She helped the man with her heavy black trunk, picked the wicker carry-case containing her fluffy grey cat off the top of the trolley and jumped off the train to say goodbye to her family.

"Have a good year," Elaine, Evie's sister, said cheerfully as she hugged her sister.
"You too," Evie said. Elaine would also be off to boarding school this year, but she started a week later than Evie.
"Look after yourself," Evie's mother said, gently pinching her daughter's cheek.
"Don't worry mum, I will," Evie smiled.

The three shared one final hug and goodbye, then Evie jumped back up onto the train, just as the whistle blew to say the train would be departing soon. She rushed to the nearest compartment and joined her school mates in waving to their families.
The train pulled away, gaining speed until it rounded the corner and the platform was hidden from view.

Once the excitement of boarding the train was over, Evie left the compartment to find a quieter one, or perhaps one with one of her friends in. She slipped into the corridor and soon found an empty compartment, which she entered and flopped down onto one of the parallel benches. She placed Misfit the cat next to her, took a book out of her traveling cloak pocket, opened at the page her book marker was at and settled into her seat.

taganyone!
words648
lyricsthe taste of ink by the used! in the mourning by paramore!
notesI apologise if there are any typos, this was written on my phone whilst I was on a bus

[Keagan Adrian Pearce]

'It's crowded...'

It was the first thought that popped into his head as she stepped out onto the platform. It was also the only thing that kept repeating in his mind as he looked around him. Not to say that it was the only thing worth noticing. It was just the only thing that captured her attention for long. Keagan sighed, his breath copying smoke as it became visible. He looked around himself again; he was anxious for the beginning of the school year. He let out another soft sigh and tried not to think about it too much. Keagan would be lying to himself if he said he was nervous.

Or maybe that's just me, he thought wryly. Keagan glared at the train in annoyance. He stared up, almost daring any of it's passengers to mess with him. He never liked confrontation, something in his disposition refusing to like fighting of any form. Then he remembered his father and the constant ramblings he gave him about starting to stand up for himself, and he felt marginally better knowing that he was escaping that lecture for yet another year. He would take the minor annoyance of students any day over those things. Although he did wish he had dressed better for the weather. He glanced over his clothing. He was dressed more for summer wear than for fall. With his black form-fitting t-shirt, ripped black jeans and hiking boos he stood out in the crowd of people already wearing their robes. Keagan just didn't see the need to dress for the Wizarding World; after all, shouldn't some of these parents be trying to blend in more with the Muggles out at King's Cross? It just wasn't practical to him. Now, with the pining look Keagan was receiving from some of the students he regretted her 'practical' decision. Unfortunately during the summer he had another growth spirt and his clothes were drawing unwanted attention from some of the girls.

Cracking open his trunk Keagan picked out an old beaten up leather jacket, sliding it across his broad shoulders and arms, quickly zippering the jacket up a bit. He was aware that some of the students watched his every action on the platform, mouths hanging open like juvenile children, but Keagan still found it embarrassing.

Keagan dragged his truck over to the train and hastily climbed abroad. He navigated the halls as best as she could, weaving in and out of some of the younger students. As he made his way towards the back of the train to his usual compartment he gave half-hearted greetings to some of his classmates. The crowds thinned out as he approached the compartment and Keagan slid open the door. His eyes widened a bit in surprise when he found that someone was already seated inside. Usually no one sat in this compartment, which is what Keagan loved about it. He looked down at the girl and cocked his head to the side slightly. Surely he had seen this girl before? Possibly around the some of the classes, but Keagan had a hard time keeping track of the students he would come across. The girl was quite pretty looking overall; very short and petite with pink hair. With hair like that how could Keagan not put a name to the face. He shifted his gaze towards the window and let out a small cough.

"Sorry, I wasn't really expecting anyone to be in here," Keagan began, "Do you mind if I join you? It's just that I usually sit here and I can't say I am a fan of all the over crowding out there."

[Evelyn Leigh Francis]

"in this sea of lonely

[/size]

-----------the taste of ink is getting old"

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

The carriages gently rocked from side to side as the Hogwarts Express pulled them along the tracks. Students were still in the corridor, shouting and pushing past each other to get the best seats.

Evie found herself blankly staring at the page of her book, not seeing a word on it. For once in her life, she wasn't in the mood for reading, she was just itching to get back to Hogwarts - being surrounded by magic comforted her.

She glanced up and out of the window. The weak September sunshine that had been poking through the clouds when she had entered King's Cross had been masked by a thick, light grey cloud. Rain threatened, but not heavy rain.

The neat countryside that was zooming past looked green, but damp. The dry stone walls were darker than they should be and the bits of exposed soil were speckled with rain drops.

Evie wondered how no-one ever noticed this train cutting through their paths and fields. She supposed it would probably be some kind of cloaking charm, but she wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps she would consult the library of Professor Flitwick when she arrived.

Thin, diagonal tracks of water had now began to appear on the compartment window. The sky overhead had darkened and only looked to get darker. It was going to be another wet arrival in Hogsmeade. At least third years didn't have to take the boats. Unlucky first years.

The sound of the compartment door sliding open dragged Evie out of her musings. She turned her head to see who had disturbed her thoughts and saw a tall boy with blonde hair standing in the doorway. She recognised him from school, but could not think of his name.

Apart from his above-average height, Evie noticed he had short, blonde hair and looked quite mature for his age. She watched him as he stared blankly, a confused look on his face. He watched her for a moment before apologising for interrupting.

"Do you mind if I join you? It's just that I usually sit here and I can't say I am a fan of all the over crowding out there."

Evie shook her head slowly, absent-mindedly fiddling with straps on her cat's carry-case. "No, I don't mind," she said, nodding to the bench opposite her. She looked at the open book in her lap, then shut it and placed on top of Misfit's basket. She wasn't expecting a conversation, but she couldn't be bothered to read.

taganyone!
words419
lyricsthe taste of ink by the used! in the mourning by paramore!
notesI'll try not to let things get in the way of updating from now one ;D

[Keagan Adrian Pearce]

"No, I don't mind."

Keagan flashed her a smile before dragging his trunk into the compartment. He shut the door behind him, quickly lifting his trunk over his head to store it away. When that was all said and done Keagan cast his jacket aside, gently rolling his shoulder looking for relief and took the seat opposite of the girl.

"My name is Keagan Pearce by the way," he said. "It's nice to meet you, and thanks for letting me stay here."

Keagan turned his attention away and out towards the window. He frowned as he noticed that the sun was no longer out and that it looked as if it might rain. There go his plans to enjoy a nice walk around the lake after the Sorting Ceremony. He was torn, he loved when it rained at night in the summer, but he was really looking forward to the walk. He enjoyed walking by himself, mostly because he wasn't really close to anyone. That was something he wish to change about himself this year.

Keagan looked over back at the girl and noticed that she placed a book on top of a basket he never noticed.

"What's that?" Keagan blurted out. "Sorry! Sorry, that was kind of intrusive... You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."