I sit in my lonesome compartment, flipping through "Hogwarts a History" trying to ignore all of the outside noise beyond the glass door of the red steam engine. At least I got to read some, I guess. That's the benefit of getting here first.

Just as I finished my chapter, my best friends Lily and Molly join me in my compartment. "Hi Alice! 5th year!" Molly squeals. "You guys excited?"

"Very," I reply, stuffing "Hogwarts a History" in my bag.

"Yeah," Lily agrees, smiling. Her grin fades, however, when she sees the baddest group in the school. The Marauders.

She curses quietly, and ducks under the seat. "Don't let them know I'm here!" Lily whisper screams to us. "Especially James," she adds, once she's disappeared underneath fully.

"Hello lovely ladies," James says, poking his head in our compartment. I give Molly that I-thought-you-locked-the-door stare. "Where's Lily?" he asks.

"Bathroom," I reply, the lie falling out of my lips, smooth as silk.

"Mkay, thanks Alice," James replies, winking at Molly, before disappearing down the corridor.

I sigh, as Lily comes out from under the seat. "Thanks guys," Lily whispers, sitting back down.

"Ima go get my robes on real quick," I say, before making my way down the train corridor.

A come back a little while later, to see Lily and Molly munching on chocolate frogs. I swipe one from the seat, and go to town. Yum.

Eventually, I find myself laying across the seats, and dozing off...

+-+-+-+

I'm woken up to someone shaking me awake. "Ugh, stop it Lily," I groan, not fully awake.

I hear the person shaking my shoulders chuckle, very unlike Lily.

I jerk awake, ready to slap the person shaking me, when I realized it was Sirius Black. "Took you long enough," Sirius laughs again.