We're on a boat!

Melanie sighed as she looked into a compartment after compartment.
All of them seemed so full that there was probably not enough oxygen left there for everyone.
She couldn't even find her friends in the crowd.

"YES!" she all but yelled outloud when she found an empty compartment.
She didn't enjoy being all alone, but that was much better than having not enough space to breathe.

She jumped on one bench, leaning her back against the window and sighed. Maybe someone would come and sit with her.

Lucy lugged her trunk behind her, looking desperately fora place to sit. Slowly, she made her way through the crowd looking in at different cabins full of sniveling first years, over confident seventh years and other random people who she didn't really get a welcoming feeling from. Finally she saw an empty cabin, well nearly empty. It was good enough for her. She took a deep breath and walked in, "Hey, I'm Lucy." With that she put her trunk above and sat down, hoping the girl wouldn't mind.

Georgie walked from her other cabin who didn't seem to like her, dragging her trunk, and saw one with two girls in the year above. "Please may I sit with you?" she asked politely.

Damian made his way down the center of the train, pulling his trunk behind him. "Shh, Max," he told his unhappy owl. He peered into the various compartments as he passed.

Full. Full. ...ulgh, gross! Full... Wait, this one looks like it has a spot.

The boy paused in the doorway. The others all looked older than he was... and they were all girls. Maybe he should find another compartment? But what if all the others were full or had people kissing, too? He knocked quietly on the door frame.

"Hi. Can I sit with you guys?"

Cepheus hummed as he walked down the corridors of the Hogwarts Express. He was going home, finally! He grinned suddenly, still humming his tune. Looking through the compartment doors, he shrugged when he saw one with two fellow Third years and one he recognised as a Second year, and a First year, it seemed.

"Hello, ladies, gentleman," He said, standing by the open compartment door. Which was kind of crowded.. "Mind if I join you, too?" He waved at them, a cheerful look on his face.

If he got rejected, fine, he'd just find somewhere else to sit. Then maybe someone would join him then. The compartment would be a little crowded, but hey, what can you do? He wanted to talk to people, so he would do just that. Cepheus was in a very chatty mood today.. He was too happy.

Melanie looked up as a red-haired girl entered the compartment. She was pretty sure she was in her year.
"Sure, have a seat." she gave her a little wink.

She was about to ask for the girls name when the doors opened again and a blonde walked in.
"Hey." Mel greeted "Of course," she added. "I'm Mel." she smiled out. "Who are you-"

Again she was interupted when the doors opened again and a boy walked in.

"Sit down of course-" she started when the doors were opened again.

She started laughing "Yes, sit down please." she managed out at the new boy, who she also was sure was in her age.

Mel then waved a hand, grinning. "Right. I'm Mel. Do I get your names?"

Georgie chuckled and smiled. "I am Georgie Vane, nice to meet you." She was quite quiet as no one in the compartment was in my year. I decided to put my hair up with a bobble that was on my wrist.

Lucy smiled at the bunch of new people, "I'm Lucy, in third year Gryffindor. Oh, and I love chocolate!" she beamed as she threw in the last piece of information. Starting a new school year always made her happy.

Damian walked into the compartment, setting Maximus' cage on the seat while he tried to decide how exactly he was to get his trunk from the floor to the rack. Her should've asked Theo to put a featherweight charm on it. He tugged at it, but despite being able to pull it, lifting it was an entirely different story. Finally he shoved it in the corner and hoped it wouldn't be in the way.

"I'm Damian," he told the girl who had asked. "Damian Gray." He flopped down on his seat.

Cepheus grinned and tapped his trunk with his wand, shrinking it. Hogwarts Express counted as being on Hogwarts Grounds after all, so the underage restriction was gone. He did the same to his empty owl cage and also put it in his pocket happily. It wouldn't be helpful to have another trunk lying around. He breathed a sigh of relief and quietly sat down in the compartment, legs underneath him when he sat.

"Sorry to disturb," He said, a little more calmer than before. "Cepheus Turrow, Third Year Hufflepuff. Nice to meet you all." Waving lightly, his hair changed to a light blue to show happiness. Sighing, he thought and it changed back to black. Stop it. He mentally told himself, frowning before it changed back into a laid-back type of smile.

Damian had watched, eyes bright with curiosity as the other boy's hair changed color. There were a few possible explanations. Theo had told him.

He shrugged his thin shoulders. "I'm a first year," he said, "so, I'm not sorted, yet. My sister thinks I'd do best in Hufflepuff, though, but I reckon I could end up anywhere."

Melanie grinned. "So you are a freshie?" she smiled at the boy that had said he was a first year, she loved new people.
"It's nice meeting you all." She nodded her head.

She then yawned, looking out the window. "Did everyone enjoy their summer?"
She then shifted her eyes over to one boy, his hair seemed to have changed earlier. "Are you a metho?" She asked.
Metho was her sort word for Metamorphmagus.

Cepheus blinked as he was started at by the first year boy and then asked a question. He grinned.

"If by metho you mean Metamorphmagus, then yes, I am." They were born, not made, after all. And very rare. He loved his talents with all his heart. "Very helpful for disguises.." He muttered, grinning crookedly.

"So.." He started, looking over at Damian. "Does the newbie want to be a Hufflepuff? We're not duffers, after all."

Lacey stumbled around as she passed people she knew, smiling and wavinentually, she sg in compartments. When she finally found one that seemed to have some room, she smiled. But, just as fast as the joy had come, it left, for in the compartment were two third years snogging as if they their life depended on it.

Lacey scowled but kept walking. Eventually she found one that was slightly full but had some room and opened it.


"Mel!" she smiled at her friend. "Do you guys mind if I join? Everywhere else is full."

Aurelie walked into the compartment rather nervously, looking around. Her eyes lit up when she saw Mel and lacey. "Hi Lacey!" she said. "Hi Mel!"

Georgie smiled brightly, "When I started at Hogwarts I wanted to be in Ravenclaw, but the hat said I didn't have the brains..." she said trailing off at the end. "I would love to be a Metamorphagus... I like to change my hair to pink. I use this muggle concoction called hair dye..."

Aurelie smiled at the girl. "Hi," she said nervously. "I'm Aurelie."

Damian grinned back at Cepheus. "I don't care, really," he stated, tone matter-of-fact. "I'm going to be great no matter where I go."

Theo had said so, and if nothing else, his sister was always right.

He turned to the girls who had just arrived. "Hello."

Cepheus nodded approvingly at Damians reply. "With an attitude like that, you'll definitely do well in life," He said. "I'll be so proud," After saying that, he proceeded to wipe away a fake tear from his eye, sniffing lightly.

"Hey Aurelie." Cepheus waved to his fellow Hufflepuff, grinning widely at her.

Lucy grinned at the two new people, she guessed that the first one was called Lacey and the other was Aurelie, form what the other people said, and she nodded a greeting, "I'm Lucy."

Then she turned back to the boy with the changing hair colours, "Can you change everything about yourself? Sorry, it's just, I know some people who can only change their nose or something."

Cepheus looked at Lucy and pursed his lips. He then concentrated and slowly, his face, hair and body changed. "Yep, I can." He said happily. Coughing slightly, he changed back to how he looked before. It was an uncomfortable body, and he preferred how he looked now. He was used to it, really..

"Very useful for disguises - like I said before - and imitating someone."

Damian pulled his knees to his chest, watching and listening. These people were all like him, like Theo, not like those muggles from his neighborhood. This was where he belonged.

Damian smiled as he watched quietly. Not that he was a quiet boy, really, he just didn't have anything to add to the conversation, so he just listened.

Lucy grinned and nearly bounced up and down in her seat, "That's so cool! Okay, I'm going to calm down, most of you probably think I'm crazy now." she smiled, half hoping that they didn't think she was too weird.

Georgie looked really confused as he changed his look completely. She didn't understand at all. "So likes, you could pretend to be me?" she asked, trying to understand.

"Of course he can!" Damian enthusiastically told the girl. He wasn't one to stay quiet when he knew something, after all. "Metamorphagi are born with the ability to change their appearance at will. This is usually from one person to another, but some can take on other shapes, too. But only living things."