The idea you had of me, who was she?
°• ♔ •°

In the center of the wide platform, the Hogwarts Express puffed out great clouds of smoke and steam, as it slowly churned to a stop. Beside it, parents and students swarmed the area, hauling large trunks and bags that waited to be loaded onto the train.

Celeste gripped the handle of her owl cage tightly. Inside, her owl Judith hooted loudly, demanding her attention.

Celeste gave the owl a pointed, disproving look.

Judith found her indifferent and hooted loudly again, beating her wings in an attempt of escape.

Celeste laughed, and looked away to find dozens of people indiscreetly watching her. Three wide-eyed girls no younger than her lingered close, and because she could not contain her eagerness, Celeste smiled. She began to speak but was abruptly repulsed by their rudely curious stares.

The tallest of the group shamelessly stared at the intricately woven jewels in Celeste's plaited hair. One hand moved guiltily to fix her tangled brown curls.

Celeste turned away. Embarrassment was a new sensation for her. Though she enjoyed attention and praise, she found that being gawked at was not a pleasant feeling. Was it her clothes? Was it her jewelry or hair? Perhaps it was Judith?

"Hi!" someone suddenly said excitedly in her ear.

Celeste turned, to see a tall blonde girl, around the same age as herself, with a bright and beaming smile. She had alarmingly blue eyes, and her lips were painted a bold red.

"Hi there," Celeste said, blinking with uncertainty.

"I'm Marlene," the girl introduced. "Are you new to Hogwarts? One of my friends noticed you - she's Head Girl, by the way - and said she's never seen you before."

"Yes, I'm Celeste," she agreed. "I'm starting my seventh year."

"Oh, we are too!" Marlene grinned enthusiastically. "Come join me and my friends! The one who had been asking - Lily, she loves meeting new people." With that, she pulled Celeste towards a group of energetic girls.

A red haired girl smiled brightly at her as they drew close.

"Celeste, this is Lily and Alice," Marlene announced. "We're all in the same year."

Lily, it turned out, was the red haired girl. She had startling emerald eyes and was easily the mother of the group. Alice, with brown hair cut short right above her shoulders, was reserved and had a air of serenity. Marlene was the outspoken and funny one. As a mix of them all, Celeste fit right in.

Lily began bombarding Celeste with piles of questions as they settled into an empty compartment.

"I've been homeschool by a tutor for the past years," Celeste was explaining. "My parents had the ministry approve so that my sister and I could practice magic."

Lily was absolutely fascinated; continuing on with her rambling of questions, until the door was pulled open by a boy with crooked round glasses and tousled dark hair.

"Evans!" he exclaimed. "Have a good summer?"

Lily scowled at once. "Go away, Potter."

He grinned, and opened his mouth to say something, until his gaze fell onto Celeste, who was looking at him curiously. "Evans! I see you have a new friend!" He flashed an effortless smile at her. "James," he introduced.

"Celeste," she motioned to herself.

James grinned and shouted down the hall," MOONY, THERE'S A NEW FRIEND!"

Another boy came into view, graced with a warm smile. His face was scarred as though he had been in a fight. A third boy came trailing after him, with a witty smile and his arms piled with snacks and treats.

"Hello," the first boy said. "I'm Remus, and this over here is Peter." He gestured to the other boy. "Our other friend, Sirius is heading over now too.

An uncertain feeling of dread and doubt sank into her. "I'm Celeste," she said instead, offering a smile. But then her smiled faded, when a dark haired boy strolled over.

The arrogant smirk that Sirius held did as well, dropping too quickly when he saw the dark haired girl. "Hello Celeste," he decided to acknowledge.

The others gaped at him. "You know her?" Marlene asked.

Celeste straightened herself. "We're acquainted," she told them.

Saved by the train, as it began to lurch forward, Sirius and the other boys quickly bounded off to find their own seats.

From out of absolutely nowhere, Marlene pulled out a satchel stuffed with food and drinks, and the other girls barely paid any mind, as if it were only usual feat.

Celeste was amused.

There were more things too, like when Marlene shared her snacks - imagine sharing your own food with others!, or when Alice's pet toad freely hopped and explored the compartment. Was this truly normal?

However she was not amused when she discovered that the train ride would last hours - or at least until the sky grew dark. They had boarded the train at eleven that morning.

James and his mates made more appearances, though Sirius did not show. It became very clear, after all of James's failed flirting attempts and Lily successful cursing him off, that he fancied her. Lily eventually locked the door, and James learned to stop knocking.

The landscape frequently changed from rolling grassy fields, to high mountains or massive bodies of water. It was beautiful; though maybe to herself it was. She didn't know if it was normal or not.

"We don't have to wear uniforms everyday, do we?" Celeste nervously asked. "Because I might have packed too little."

"How much?" Alice asked.

"Oh, just six trunks." Celeste said uncomfortably. "My mother wanted me to pack an extra one, but it seemed too difficult to carry."

"Six trunks?" Alice exclaimed.

"You'll be fine," Marlene laughed. "I've only got one trunk a few bags."

One trunk? Did they wear the same two outfits in a week?

"What did you manage to bring that could fill six trunks?" asked Lily, bewildered.

Her cheeks burned. "Clothes, and shoes and such. And my school things, of course."

Marlene smiled sincerely. "Well, it's not out of the ordinary."

"Oh yes," Alice laughed. "James and Sirius bring two or three each year!"

But it was not just as many. Embarrassed, Celeste laughed politely with them and turned away to stare out the window. Never in her life would she have expected to feel so many strange emotions in a day.

"We ought to go change into our robes then," Lily eventually said. "We should be getting close to school now."

At last! Celeste reached for her satchel under her seat, and took out her carefully folded uniform. It wasn't an impressive thing, but there was no other option. It was an ordinary black, with plain shoes and socks and plain details. She looked back up, seeing that her companions had their embroidered with red and gold.

"How come yours have color?" she asked curiously.

"It's the color of our house," Alice explained. "I'm sure you'll be sorted into your own house when we arrive."

Celeste was eager for her sorting.

When the train churned to a stop, Celeste nearly ran out of the compartment to find Selene. When she climbed out of the self drawn carriages, she spotted her sister lingering around near the entrance of the castle.

"Selene!" she gasped, rushing over. "Oh I'm so glad to see you, you could not even imagine-"

"They have chocolate candies, shaped like frogs, that MOVE!" Selene nearly cried. "And I was sitting with these other people, a-and it jumped on me!"

Celeste gawked at her, wrapping an arm around her younger sister.

"And these robes," Selene wailed. "They're so ug- strange!"

"Don't worry," Celeste promised. "It's just a year, and then we'll be rid of them!"

Selene shook her head miserably. "For you, at least. I'll have to come back next year!"

The sound of footsteps caught them and they looked up, to see Lily, Marlene and Alice coming towards.

"Celeste!" Lily exclaimed. "We were just wondering where you had gone."

"Sorry," she apologized. "I wanted to find my sister."

"Not to worry," Alice assured. "Let's head inside."

The Great Hall was just around the corner when a professor called out and stopped Celeste in her tracks.