you are my sunshine

Kai sighed inwardly when she reached over and made a mockery of his face. More or less like this, he thought with a genuine chuckle. It was not mean-spirited, mind, but exactly the kind of thing he imagined coming from such a request, and little else.

As she broke down her thoughts on his statement about asking for more, he couldn’t help but laugh quietly at how much thought she seemed to put into it. “First of all, no. I think you could get almost anything you wanted from almost any bloke in that castle. Some number of girls, too, probably. I’m just not sure you know how, or even care to ask.” He had to admit that he wasn’t exactly any more sure what the average girl was looking for in another girl than a handbag, but usually in the arena of women, his tastes and observances of preference seemed to line up. “…Secondly, the more I think about ‘knight of Hufflepuff,’ the more I like it.”

She wasn’t wrong, either, about the whole house doing its part. Hell, he was proud of that. “Right. I mean, it’s my job, not Justin’s, but I don’t have that hair, so… actually, that reminds me, I should probably find him and make him have a sit-down before someone falls in love with him and puts him in a bloody jar to take home or something. I really don’t want to be the one to explain that.” He paused, briefly considering whether or not what he’d just said was a joke or some accidental prescience, before he shook his head and let it go, because also, good luck taking Fletch anywhere he really didn’t want to go.

He came back from the mental recess in time to be party to Odette’s attempt at some sort of emotional blackmail, and a lopsided grin spread across his features. “That face. We’re not even at the castle yet, and you’re pulling on that face? Fine, you win. Doesn’t really matter that there aren’t too many people I’d want to hang out with as much as you, let alone more, no. You go right for the throat.” He paused to laugh a moment, because the effort of feigning that much incredulity was simply too much. “You never have to beg me for anything,” he said simply, upon sobering, adding with a grumble, “Not that you don’t already know that.”

Odette couldn’t help but snicker when her friend decided he like the moniker she had come up with, her shoulders shaking with her mirth.  “Of course you do.  If they let you, I’m sure you’d conjure up a suit of armor with the house crest emblazoned across the chest.”  Honestly, if it were appropriate for anyone that called the basement of Hufflepuff home that deserved to be knighted, it was probably the boy in front of her.  Not only was he unerringly kind and selflessly helpful, but he always stood up for those who could not or would not stand up for themselves.

It seemed that Kai was on a roll today, and if his goal was to take her mind off the Death Eaters that were free to wander about the world, he had vastly succeeded.  “You don’t have the hair.  Frankly, I don’t think it would suit you.”  She beamed up at him, swaying her weight from foot to foot merrily.  “It would hide your cheek bones.  Can’t have that.”  The blonde grimaced at the idea of someone shrinking her friend and stealing away with him to obsess at their leisure, eyes wide at the horror of the thought.  “That would be terrible.  Not just for him, but then I wouldn’t have anyone to sneak about with at night when I can’t sleep.”

It was common knowledge among her good friends and brother that Odette suffered from fairly severe insomnia.  She hid it admirably well, but she was almost always running on varying degrees of sleep deprivation.  Medicinal potions had too many side effects for her liking, and so, she dealt with it the best way she could.  Her mind ran rampant at night, and instead of suffering in bed, staring up at the canopy, she had taken to sneaking about the corridors of Hogwarts at odd hours her third year.  She’d found Justin during one of those adventures, and ever since, he’d been her late night roaming buddy.  Now that she was a prefect, they wouldn’t have to be quite as cautious in their sneaking.

Millicent considered walking away the second the blonde had left looking for the trolley. She wouldn’t call herself a pessimist per se, but happy-go-lucky personalities had always gotten under her skin. There was something that annoyed her about people who were always positive and seemingly unbothered by evens around them. She stayed where she was, however, at the prospect of getting the younger girl to buy her something, even if that something was just sweets. It was still an opportunity to get something for doing basically nothing, after all.

When the blonde came back with an assortment of sweets that any First Year would buy, Millicent was anything but surprised. She also realised her mistaking in letting the younger girl choose. She would have to dump the frogs and the wand to some random Third Years Slytherins. “Good call, Sunshine.” She kept the improvised nickname, since she didn’t care enough to find out the other girl’s name. “And watch your step, or you’ll actually crush against someone next time. The last thing I need is someone stealing my reputation as the one who hurts people around here. Especially when you only accidently hurt them.”

Odette was far from and idiot.  Naive?  Sure.  But stupid she was not, and even though she strove to see the best in every person she came across, she could hear the sarcasm and condescension in Millicent’s tone.  It was a shame, she thought, that such a beautiful girl with so much going for her seemed to dislike so many people.  She wondered idly if the older girl ever felt lonely.

Regardless of the condescending nickname, so very different in the way she used it than Malachai did.  When her older friend and housemate used the moniker, she felt bright and warm, much like the thing he chose to call her.  When Millicent Bulstrode called her Sunshine, she felt like anything but.  She felt awkward at putting a smile on her face and trying to make the world a little less of a crap hole for those she shared it with.  Shrugging everything off, she simply smiled and nodded.  “I’ll do my best.  I try not to ruin reputations on principle.”  And with that, she stepped out of Millie’s way and continued on her own to find her brother and best friend.

Hermione warmly smiled at the younger girl as a means of thanks, vocalizing her thanks as well. “Thanks so much, I’m in dire need of a coffee, or just caffeine in general.” She said, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly.

“Congratulations on becoming a prefect.” She said, motioning towards her badge with her hands. “I’m sure that you’ll be great!” She exclaimed, having faith in the competence of Odette’s ability. “Again, thanks.” Hermione said, offering her a warm smile as she headed in the direction which Odette had pointed in. 

“Good luck this year.” Hermione said, turning to face her, a small smile appearing on her face. “Should you ever need any help, feel free to ask.”

Odette beamed with pride and gratitude at the congratulations the Head Girl offered her on attaining the prestigious position of prefect.  It was something she had worked hard for, after all, always obeying the rules and doing her best to set a good example.  “Thank you.  I have good example in Malachai.  He’s the best,” she gushed about her best friend, eyes twinkling at the thought of the older boy.  “I’ll try to live up to it, anyway.”  Stepping aside to let Hermione past so that she could find her target of the trolley, Odette waved.  “You, too!  Though I’m sure we’ll see each other and around.”

Theo raised an eyebrow at the familiarity the girl displayed, his eyes flicking down to see her own matching badge. Oh. Well, that explained her ease with him. “It seems as though I’d owe you something for keeping such a big secret.” He made a show of checking his own badge for scuffs. Did the presence of her robes imply he should have his own on or was she simply eager to show off the new badge in the best way possible? She had to be a fifth year. There was no way he had overlooked her before. “I owe you thanks and more will cost me? You’re quite demanding for someone acting out of the goodness of their own heart.” He chuckled to himself softly, giving her a once over. “Maybe your directions will bring me luck. Thanks for the tip.”

“Just because I’m a Hufflepuff doesn’t mean I dole out unlimited kindness for free,” he retorted, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.  She was naive, but she wasn’t completely oblivious.  She knew of Theo’s reputation, but what could a bit of harmless flirting do?  She didn’t want to be the one to change him, and she wasn’t aiming to fall in love or make him fall in love.  But a little attention was nice.  The girl twiddled her fingers in farewell as he withdrew.  “Very welcome.”

He found it always difficult not to linger in moments of physical closeness with Odette. He was grateful for the kind of will that still saw him prepared to let her go, and the fun-poking nature of her words which helped remind him of where they were and what exactly his place was, before he made an absolute fool of himself. And so, she was put to rights, grin irrepressibly mirrored in only a few moment’s time.

A giggle at a stupid little joke had him scoffing at her amusement, as the act had the effect of simply being somewhat contagious. “Oh, so you can say no? If that’s all it took, you’d run the risk of never getting anything else done.” A beat of silence passed, while he took her in taking note of the twinkle in her eye, and glad to see that she was enjoying herself.  “Besides, where’s the fun in that? This is way I get to play hero, at least.”

Odette’s change of bearing had been what he was looking for, however, as it indicated that what he was next to receive had a strong likelihood of being honesty, or at the very least, earnest. Not that hearing that she was feeling that fear brought any feeling of gratification. Perhaps it was just the opposite. But her thinking had fallen along the same lines as his. Why would they act now, in this way? To sow discord? Breathing air on the same side of the walls of Azkaban would serve that purpose just fine. Kai preferred not to underestimate the wisdom of terrorists. It was just… better that way. He raised a brow at the less-than-full smile, but simply had to shrug it off when she asked the rhetorical question that an honest spirit couldn’t keep him from answering.

“I’d protect you with my life, Sunshine. You have to know that.” He let out a soft sigh, before he realized what he said, attempting to quickly, but not-too-quickly, add more to the thought. “And so would Em. And, I mean, er, there’s an awful lot of aurors around, so we got that going for us…” He shrugged his shoulders once more, turning a playful smirk on her. “Most girls, I’d imagine,” he stated simply. “Most girls could ask for more. Good few would probably get it, too.”

Odette was feeling cheeky, though, which likely meant that he didn’t stick his foot in his mouth quite as he’d feared. Not that it would show on the surface, where he often seemed the picture of calm and collected. A grand illusion, cultivated purposely, and only sometimes used for gain in small-stakes poker games. He scoffed at the allegation hurled his way, shaking his head and gazing down the corridor. “’Shirk’?” came the incredulous request for clarification. “Cute. Please. I’ve done what I need to do, but… there’s people that are scared, yeah? I figure a bit more of a friendly face couldn’t hurt. Someone else could use that seat more than I could.” Concern crossed his face for a moment, followed quickly by bemusement as he turned his gaze toward Odette again, thankful that he didn’t blush as he took note of her choice of words. Snuggling. “Oh please don’t, luv,” he chuckled. “I’d hate to have one of my best mates do his very damnedest to glower me to death.”

Odette rolled her eyes, knowing that they both knew that he was full of it.  The younger ‘Puff was notoriously clumsy, often getting tangled on absolutely nothing to end up sprawled on her hands and knees with her books, scrolls, parchments, and quills scattered on the floor or ground around him.  He, and everyone else unfortunate enough to fall into her path, had plenty of opportunities to play hero to the girl that ended up on her arse more often than not.  “How could I say no that face?” she cooed, reaching a hand up to squish his cheeks together.  It was such a change from the square-jawed boy she’d grown to adore that she couldn’t help but chortle.

“I would expect nothing less from a knight of Hufflepuff,” she retorted without missing a beat.  She appreciated his attempt to comfort her, reminding her of the fact that the train was literally overflowing with aurors there for the soul purpose of protecting the students of Hogwarts, no matter how unlikely the chance of an attack was.  Brow furrowing at his statement, Odette took a moment to piece together what it was he was implying.  “I know you’re insulting you and my idiot brother, but are you saying I’m not one of those girls that would get more if they asked, too?  I can’t decide if you’re insulting me, too.”  She doubted it.  Even when they took playful jabs at each other, Kai had never shown a propensity to being particularly insulting.

“You’re not wrong, but our entire house is out making sure all of the younger kids are okay.  I’m pretty sure Finch-Fletchley is doing rounds for that exact same reason, and he’s not even a prefect.”  Justin was a good guy like that.  She was also fairly certain that everyone had made sure the youngest students had seats, and most of the aurors had taken to standing to try and give the kids of Hogwarts as much room as they could manage.  “You know, if you don’t want to hang out with me, all you’ve got to do is say so.”  She accompanied her statement with a pouty expression complete with puckered lips, sagging shoulders, and crossed arms, the very picture of disappointment.

Kai only saw a shock of bright hair before the blonde started to tip over. A part of him wondered if she even tried to catch herself. Another came alive with instant recognition. The grab for her person was faster still, one arm reaching out to turn the fall into an impromptu dip, minus a ballroom and music. Luckily, she wasn’t all that heavy. He would have her righted a breath later, however, hands at either of her sides in case she pitched over once more. Another breath later, he stepped away, pocketing his badge as he let his hands fall away to his sides. 

Which was fine, because recognition had definitely caught up by now, and the first hit of her presence was like a drug, like adrenaline, driving his heart inexorably to a higher tempo. He swallowed that feeling. 

“Hullo, Sunshine,” he said, bringing a little composure to himself. “Fancy running into you here.” Kai licked lips that suddenly felt a little dry, then smiled, thankful for how that helped the attack of nerves. He spread his hands. “I’ve got knees for no one else, luv. Just about the only thing I sit still for. A seat, however…” He let that trail, glancing about. When his eyes returned to hers, there was a little concern there, a question that he gave voice a few seconds later. “…How are you holding up?”

Was that even a real question? Circumstances were bound to at least bring questions of safety to mind, even if one pushed them aside. Dark Wizards in the wind, escaped from the inescapable. He inwardly shook his head, taking note of the movement of her gaze. That lasted long enough for mouth to be off to the races again, causing his brows to lift just slightly. “Haven’t seen Em myself, so it’s always a possibility, right? Hope springs eternal.”

Kai moved to guide Odette into the corridor fully, “Anyway, I like the boots, but wrangling first years is the job, luv. You do look like you could use a break, though. Maybe we knock off a few minutes? See if we can’t find you somewhere to put your… self, yeah?” A beat. “Millie, huh? Well, might be better for your teeth if we stuck together a bit. She’s cute, but… well, she’s something else. Proceed with caution.”

The way Kai caught her had an amused chuckle falling from her lips, her arms rising to circle his shoulders before he had a chance to correct their positioning.  “My hero,” she teased, affecting a breathlessly dramatic voice.  She wasn’t given a chance much of a chance to linger in the moment before she was upright once more, a bright grin curling her lips as his warmth seeped into her bones.  Kai was good look that, always warm - like her own personal sunshine - despite that being one of the terms of endearment he often bestowed upon her.

His choice of words had a giggle escaping her lips, even though she was fairly certain his word play had been intentional.  “Quite literally.  If you wanted me to wrap my arms around you, all you had to do was ask, Malachai.”  There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she taunted him playfully.  

Odette’s whole demeanor changed when asked about her well-being, shifting from the sunshiney disposition which was sometimes forced to something softer and calmer, sincere.  “I’m...I’m terrified, honestly.  But, you know...also trying to be logical.  No reason for a bunch of murderers to attack a train full of students, right?” she offered with a dismissive shrug and a reassuring smile that didn’t quite reach her dark eyes.  “Besides,” she added.  “I’ve got you and Em to protect me.  What girl could ask for more?”

She stepped closer to Kai, basking in his warmth, which had so much more to do with who he was as a person than his personal temperature.  If she were asked to choose one partner, one person to rely on for a task that must be completed, it was the boy beside her.  While she loved her older brother, he had grown lazy in his discontent and boredom.  Jaded.  That only seemed to change when he was around Malachai, who challenged Emerson enough to entertain him, but it was why Kai had ended up being friends to both siblings.  Odette trusted him, and Emerson came alive around him.

Of the very few people he could have been looking for, a blonde was not it. Picking up the falling… whoever, had been instinctual and not a deliberate thing. Had he had time to think about it, Blaise would have rather used it to step over her and get on with his quest. But there he was, helping her up because ultimately it would take less time than waiting for her to fall and walk around her. That had been without taking into account she was a chatterbox trying to make friends or something.

To be fair to Blaise, he was in a hurry. To be even fairer, he would have snapped at her even if he had just spent the best vacation in his life, which coincidentally, he had. “I can buy the entire trolley by myself several times over,” he informed,·“and I don’t like those things.” That would have been all, usually, but that girl who seemed to speak to pretty much anyone ( or maybe she didn’t know better than to address Blaise Zabini out of the blue )  could prove useful in the moment. “What you can do, however, is tell me if you have seen a ginger girl somewhere near here. Who’s not Ginevra Weasley.” Because however small the world population of redheads seemed to be, they all congregated in the United Kingdom, apparently.

The tone that Blaise took in response to her offer of amends had the girl visibly wilting, her shoulders sagging in response to his attitude.  “O-oh.  Yes, of course,” she replied, quickly backtracking.  Of course she should have known better.  He was Blaise Zabini, after all, who was among the wealthiest of her classmates.  How he’d obtained that wealth was the speculation of many a rumor, but Odette did her best never to listen to gossip and, besides, any sins committed were purportedly his mother’s.

Lifting a hand to tug anxiously at a lock of her own hair, the Hufflepuff gnawed on the inside of her cheek as she considered Blaise’s demand request for information on the whereabouts of a ginger.  Of course, there were more redheaded girls in the school than just Ginny Weasley, but Odette wasn’t ignorant.  She’d seen the engagement announcement in The Daily Prophet a few weeks ago, and could make an educated guess as to whom he was referring.  “If you’re asking about Ami Norwood, the last time I saw her, she was with Justin Finch-Fletchley.  I think they were trying to find a cabin.”

Millicent kept thinking of what had happened earlier that morning, no matter how many times she tried to block out those thoughts. She was supposed to quickly take Pepper and gather all of her things, then go to Blaise’s house so that they could get to the Hogwarts Express together. She hadn’t expected her father to come down for breakfast, with the Daily Prophet in his hand. She was sure not even her mother could have imagined what words would come out of his mouth, once he began reading the main article. Prisorners had escaped Azkaban.

The room had fallen silent after that. Her mother’s face had grown paler and her hands had stilled, breakfast clearly forgotten. Meanwhile, her father’s knuckles were white from his tight grip on the newspaper. For the first time in years, her parents had managed to surprise her. She had grown used to their cold and generally expressionless exteriors, after all. That morning, however, she had seen it in the way her mother chewed the inside of her cheek and how her father’s eyes darted on the articles of the newspaper without actually reading any. Her parents were scared.

Being only half focused on her surroundings, when someone had been about to fall on her, she had reached out with her arms more out of reflex than anything else. With barely no time to talk — or even understand what had actually happened — the other person was already speaking. Millicent couldn’t place a name to the face, but the girl seemed familiar. Probably someone she had walked past a few times. Or someone she had beaten a couple of times. Either way, Millicent was never one to refuse something for free. “Anything with chocolate is fine. Surprise me, Miss Sunshine.” She offered the younger girl a tight smile.

Thankfully, Odette had never taken a punch in her life.  She had a feeling she would be utterly ungraceful during a fight, crying and snotting all over the place, and not only did she want to spare herself that humiliation, she didn’t want to inflict that upon her attacker.  Who wanted to be bled on and snotted all over?  Not even someone who punched her in the face deserved that.

If she caught onto Millicent’s attitude, it didn’t change her own in the least.  Her smile did not diminish in the least, nor did the twinkling in her eyes.  “Chocolate!  Got it.  I’ll be back in a split!”  Turning on her heel, the cheery blonde turned on her heel and darted off in search of the snack trolley, doggedly tracking it down to make up for the snafu in which she’d fallen on anyone - even Millicent Bulstrode, who had a reputation for being unpleasant.

When she found the older Slytherin girl once more, she had several chocolate frogs, a chocolate wand, and a pair of chocolate cauldrons.  “Here you go!  Sorry again about that.  I’m not known for being particularly graceful, but I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t get caught up in the crossfire again.”  She didn’t linger, intuitive enough to know that the older girl didn’t want much to do with her.  “I’ll get out of your hair now.”

Theo threw on a small smile, giving the entire compartment a once over. It usually helped to seem in a good mood if you really needed information and he was growing exhausted searching through the overly populated train. The girl standing immediately in front of him looked familiar. From where? He couldn’t tell you. Though she was the only one in the packed compartment that he could remember seeing before. That amount of people had to be a hazard. “I’ll make sure to check there.” Finally, perhaps she was a reliable source. Pretty girls usually were. He leaned back, trying to spot the car they were in with no result. He flashed her a wide smile before moving to rub the back of his neck. “You wouldn’t happen to know what car this is then? I’m full of questions today.”

Odette couldn’t help but grin at his seeming sheepishness at not having paid attention to his whereabouts.  “Then how do you know you’re doing rounds in the right place?” she teased, flicking the prefect badge - one identical to the one pinned to her own robes - demonstratively.  “Or have you simply shirked your duty for today, Mr. Nott?  Don’t worry, I won’t tell.”  Her tone and smile were teasing, before she seemed to take mercy on the older boy and offered him the information he sought.  “You’re in car seven.  The one you’re looking for is that way,” she indicated direction with a point of a forefinger.  “That bit of information is free.  Anything further will cost you,” she warned with a mischievous glint in her eyes.  “Hope you find your friends.”

Index. Middle. Ring. Pinkie. Ring. Middle. Index. Thumb.

Over and over, dexterous digits rolled the small weight across his knuckles, shining in a shaft of sun, while dark eyes watched the dancing light of the reflection on the opposite wall of the momentarily deserted compartment. It was doubtful that it would remain so for long. The trunks and jackets sitting nearby told the tale of at least one other occupant. His eyes dropped for a moment to his hand. The small weight was his prefect’s badge, larger and differently shaped than the usual sickle or knut that often occupied those spaces between his fingers when he was sitting in relative idleness, it moved at first slowly, awkwardly until the young man had made adjustments to the motions, compensated for the edges and the pin.

Shifting where he sat against the window, Kai turned his gaze to the interior of the train, just in time to watch a pair of aurors, engaged in quiet, if tense, conversation as they passed in the corridor, the taller of the pair glancing in on him as they did so. Diggs and Hawthorne, if he remembered correctly. Diggs was a supporter of the Catapults, and Hawthorne liked the Tornados. He inclined his head as the two men passed, murmuring, “All right, fellas?” softly, only for it to be lost in the din of a few dozen people packed onto a locomotive long past its time, as far as the muggle technology that built it would have said. The aurors neither heard nor heeded him, moving on, the tension they felt evident in their stances and strides. 

“Nah, didn’t think so. Carry on.”

He pushed himself to his feet, as the small room’s inhabitants, a band of six, none any older than second years, hands full of various sweets and snacks. He smiled, stepping toward the smallest, a second year of his own house, a boy with a mousy mop of hair and a precarious grip on a chocolate frog. Kai produced a folded slip of parchment. “You’re Bradley, yeah? Your mum asked me to get this to you. Said to make sure you remember to get to Madam Pomfrey.” Handing it over, he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “All right, bruv?”

Receiving a nod, he stepped out, into the corridor, and nearly smack into another figure, pulling back the hand that still held his badge to avoid any undue bloodshed.

It was inevitable that Odette would find her brother or Kai sooner or later, but even with the cars nearly bursting at the seams with bodies, she hadn’t expected to find him by his bowling her over.  Odette’s eyes squeezed shut as she lost her balance, a feat common to the blonde who often managed to trip over air, and prepared herself for the pain that would undoubtedly come with the fall.  Maybe she’d get lucky and be trampled to death by a herd of first years.  Is that what a group of them was called?  She knew an older prefect in Ravenclaw referred to any more than three first years traveling together as a ‘murder’.  She was sure that it was a play on their house animal, but the idea of a ‘murder of first years’ was more than a little terrifying.

Regardless of where she found herself after the collision, Odette found herself looking up at her best friend with a sigh.  Of course, she looked up at him even when they were standing, as he towered several inches over her frame, but that was besides the point.  “No, you’re supposed to have a seat.  If not for me, then for you, so I can claim your knee,” she whined.  “I think the only bloody place to park an arse at this point is one of the loos.”  It was rare for the blonde to be caught whining, but to say that she was concerned about the prison break would be an understatement.  Dark wizards, the very concept of them, terrified her.

With a huff, Odette glanced around, dark eyes darting around the various occupants of the car that they currently occupied.  “I don’t suppose Emerson is saving us a seat somewhere, eh?  Is that too much to ask?  I feel like I’ve been up and down this train a dozen times over finding first years seats.  I knew I shouldn’t have worn my heeled boots.  I’m desperate enough for a seat that I might even go ask Millie Bulstrode if she wants company.  Save me from that, Kai.  I don’t want to be punched in the teeth.”

Hermione’s anger immediately dissipated at seeing the rather frantic 5th year, knowing that she had only become a prefect, her anxiety seeming to remind Hermione of the similar feelings she had had not too long ago. “No harm, I’m alright.” She told her, standing up. “I wasn’t really looking where I was going, sorry for running into you.” She said, offering a half smile, on of her hands moving to the back of her neck, feeling rather silly for feeling awkward. “Um, you haven’t happened to have seen the snack trolley, have you?” She asked, looking around them to see if she could catch sight of the trolley. 

When the Head Girl didn’t seem any worse for wear, Odette breathed a sigh of relief, one dainty hand rising to her chest to calm her palpitating heart.  She didn’t know what she’d do if Hermione Granger of all people decided she was a numpty klutz and shouldn’t have authority.  Odette had dreamed of the day she’d be able to wear the Prefect badge and help her fellow students; to have it ripped away was devastating.  “No, no!  It was totally my fault.  I was looking for my brother and was too busy looking in the car across yours to notice the door open,” she replied, her hands gesticulating wildly as she spoke rapidly.  “The trolley cart?  Of course!  I just had two cappuccinos off of it.  It’s two cars down!” she supplied helpfully, jerking her thumb over her shoulder.

Hermione sighed slightly to herself, opening up her notebook with the intention of studying. She warily looked at the clock which loomed over the door of the cabin, as if it could kill her if she took even a fraction of a second too long to look at it. It took awhile for her brain to register the hands, feeling a bit worn out, and rather foolish that she couldn’t properly remember how to read a clock. She rubbed her head as she glanced back down at her notes, feeling the beginning of a headache coming on as she stared at her handwriting as if it was illegible. Sighing in frustration, she closed her notebook, setting it on the seat next to her, before glancing at the clock again, a few minutes from noon. She stood up, rubbing her head again, walking out of the cabin, yawning slightly, intent on grabbing something caffeinated from the candy trolley before attempting to study again. Not looking where she was going, she yelped slightly as she ran into someone, falling down completely, feeling anger and frustration well up inside of her. 

“Oh no!  I’m so sorry!”  Odette was immediately reaching down a helping hand, two of them in fact, to help Hermione of the floor.  “I was too busy making sure a group of fifth years weren’t harassing a second year, and completely wasn’t watching where I was going.  Are you okay?”  Of course Odette knew who the seventh year Gryffindor was, having wanted to be a prefect practically since she knew what one was, and Hermione had been a role model to live up to.  And this year, she was Head Girl, for crying out loud.  So of course, the blonde’s own clumsiness made for the worst first impression known to man.  “Is there anything I can do?”  More than anything, the idea that someone didn’t like her rubbed Odette the wrong way, making uneasiness settle in her gut.  It literally made her queasy to think that she had possibly made an enemy of someone.

Glad that that particular answer seemed to allay his fears, Odette left him to make new friends, and sought on finding a familiar friendly face.  Any familiar friendly face.  You’d think, being witches and wizards, that conjuring up a few extra cars to house the accompanying aurors wouldn’t be such a big deal, but here they were, all crammed onto the normal-sized train that was usually already fairly crowded at the best of times.  Along the way, she stopped and helped a few of the younger students find seats, resolved to stand the entire trip if she had to, though with Emerson and Malachai somewhere aboard, she didn’t think it would come to that.  At the very least, they’d probably squeeze her between the pair of them.

As she was crossing into a new car, however, the train decided to lurch (that was her reason and she was sticking to it), and Odette took a nose dive, destined to land face first into the aisle until a pair of arms caught her.  She couldn’t see who they belonged to yet, but she already promised the owner, “I owe you several things from the trolley.  Thanks, mate.”  She was helped back to her feet, and when she turned, there was a bright smile waiting for whomever happened to be there.  “Anything in particular you like?”