Far From Home

Katie never thought that she would be pick to do the student exchange. When she filled out all the information, she knew that it was a long shot. But she got a letter saying that she would be going to Hogwarts this year. Her 5th year was already looking better. This year was going to be different, she was excited cause she was going to meet new people.

She then boarded the train and found herself an empty compartment. Katie then started to think about the different houses and wondered which one she would be in. She then looked out the window, just being in her own little world.

J. J. lugged her trunk behind her as she made her way down the train. She glanced in windows of compartments as she passed them. She smiled to the few people that she sort of knew but did not stop to sit with any of them.

None of them were really her friends anyways. She would probably have only stopped for Savannah, or maybe Iva or Karma ... or Dimi... she began to spin the ring on her finger again. She hadn't seen the boy all summer.

The young girl stopped, and tilted her head as she saw someone sitting alone in a compartment. She looked older, but not in the least bit familar. Although Hogwarts was large she usually managed to at least recongnize that she'd seen most of the students before at some point.

So this must be one of the exchange students she thought to herself as she pulled open the compartment door. She remembered her first year on the train... and she had spoken English.

"Hello," she said hesitantly, unsure if the girl would understand her or not, but... JJ only spoke english so there was only so much she could do. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Katie was looking out the window. She was already getting homesick. Katie was rethinking her wanting to be a exchange student. But she knew that she would get over it, she would have to get used to Hogwarts. Maybe after she met some new people, everything would be different.

At least she got to have a good summer. Or what she thought was good, a summer in Paris. This was going to be the year to remember. At least she was by herself, for now. She knew that the train would start filling up. And she wouldn't be alone. But she actually welcomed that idea.

She then looked over at the door. Katie really didn't have a reason, she was just getting a little bit bored. That is when she notice a girl. Of course, she wouldn't know her. She didn’t' know anybody at Hogwarts. Maybe this was why she was nervous. But she would soon forget about it.

Katie then smiled a little bit, she was glad that she understood English. She was glad that she was forced to learn it. It was going to be coming in handy. “ Sure you can join me, sorry if I am not much company.”

J. J. smiled a bit, and slipped her trunk about the seats before sitting down.

"Oh don't worry," she gave a grin, "I am sure we can figure something out. I was aweful my first time here... not that you're a first year exactly but, you get what I mean."

She laughed a bit and held out her hand.

"I'm J. J. Jones - Are you one of the exchange students I heard so much about at the end of last year?"

Katie then laugh a little bit. This girl was trying to make her feel welcomed. She was glad that she wasn't by herself anymore. Katie was smiling, trying to make small talk.

“ I know you are trying to make me feel better. Because I am going to be new to the school. Which I think that was real nice of you. You are actually the first person I have meet.”

She then grabbed her hand.

“ I'm Katie Riley, and yes I am one of those exchange students.” She really didn’t' know how many where coming from her school.

"Well, I wouldn't want you to go back to Durmstrang thinking all of us Hogwarts students are vile evil gits," she grinned slightly.

"That's exciting, I wish I'd be brave enough to go on an exchange when I'm old enough but... I think it took me long enough to get a footing at Hogwarts - I couldn't cope with another school too."

"Well Welcome Katie. If there is anything you want to know about Hogwarts feel free to ask and I'll try to help. What year are you in, if you don't mind me asking?"

Katie then started to laugh. “ Well I haven’t' meet anybody beside you. I don’t' like to base my opinion on just one bad student.”

“ It really is exciting. Maybe if I like Hogwarts so much. I will want to stay. I personally don't like Durmstrang. Maybe it was because I couldn’t' make any friends in my year. But there are some nice professors there.” She didn’t' want it to sound like she hated her own school.

She then started to blink. “ Tell me more about the houses, I mean I don't know a lot about Hogwarts. Is there certain people that I should avoid?” Katie knew that she was going to be asking a ton of questions. “ I am in my 5th year.”

"Well that's probably good. I don't represent the whole school."

"Well... I don't know about the students. I seemed to have made friends, but... most of the teachers have been known to be fairly reasonable."

The young girl leaned back in her seat and gazed out the window.

"The houses?" J. J. raise her eyebrow as she thought about it. "Well... typically they say to stay away from Slytherins but... I've made a lot of friends from that house myself. Basically... Slytherins are supposed to be Cunning, Gryffindors Brave, Ravenclaws Smart, and Hufflepuffs Loyal."

Katie smiled. “ You can only represent just you.”

She then started to wonder what house she would be in. It was something to past the time. Would it be like the same house she was in at Durmstrang. Or would it be something different, this train ride wasn't getting any faster.

“ I should have said should I avoid certain people.”

J. J. nodded in agreement, "And I hope I do a good job doing that."

After last year, she was still a little muddled on what "she" was. Sighing ever so slightly she turned to gaze out the window for a few moments before her mind reminded her of her mannors and she pulled her attention back to the girl in front of her.

"Oh well, people.... If you see an older Slytherin with Red eyes, avoid him - he's not too friendly; if she doesn't take a liking to you Karma Black can cause you a few problems..." she bit her lip and shrugged, "I'm sure there are some other people who may mess with you but, I honestly can't think of them right now."

Katie smiled. “ So far I would say that you are doing a good job.”

She thought it was best to not think about what house she was in. But pay attention to what JJ was saying. Because this could be something that she could use later. And she would be spending the whole year at Hogwarts. And she wanted this year to go smoothly.

“ I will do my best to avoid the Slytherin with the red eyes. Not sure this Karma Black sounds like a friendly person.” She didn't want to cause any problems this year. But everything doesn't go like she wants it to. “ Well if you think of them, just tell me.”

"Good," J. J. laughed a little to herself.

"I certianly will... and Karma's not so bad," J. J. felt the need to defend her friend, for she did consider Karma a friend, "She's just... opinionated; and doesn't mess with things she doesn't like."

Humming slightly to herself the young girl leaned back in her seat, "Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

Katie was smiling. “ Yeah.”

She blinked. Katie could tell that she was one of Karma's friends. “ Maybe I could give Karma a chance. I don't know why anybody would be named after what muggles would call Karma. It is really strange, what goes around comes around.”

She then blinked. “ Everything and anything about Hogwarts would be nice.”

J. J. shrugged, "You don't have to give her a chance if you don't want to. Staying away may even be healthier, I don't know. Just giving both sides of the coin."

"Everything?" the girl raised her eyebrows with a laugh, "Well thats a lot of things... Umm... the staircases move; you may want to watch for that. I heard of a boy who fell between them... I've fallen down them when the aren't moving. Oh and stay out of the forest - some kids think its funny to break that rule just for fun but... really, the call it Forbidden for a reason."

Katie smiled. “ Well she can't be all that bad.” She then started to think about what she just said. She had never knew this person, so she had no idea how she acted. But with what JJ was telling her, it would be to avoid this person. Or she could take chances and prove herself wrong.

She then started to take notes in her head. Katie would have to remember this, if she wanted to survive Hogwarts. The moving staircases sounded a little scary to Katie. That was because she couldn’t' remember how many times she fell down stairs. “ Watch out for the moving stairs and stay away from the forest.”

"She's just Karma... I think thats everyone - they are themselves, not bad or good... just themselves," she began to spin her ring around her finger again, "You can get along with some, and others... not so much."

"Good, you're already on you're way of being a Hogwartsian," J. J. smiled and laughed, "Watch out for Peves - he's the castle's poltergist, and if you run into him, he won't be interested in just a friendly chat - as while we're at it, Moaning Mrytle likes to hang out in one of the girls bathrooms. She's not so bad... but a lot of people like to avoid her."

Evie knew that Karma was fast on her heels and as she was running through the corridor she knew that she couldn't turn back now. It was do or die as they say.

Katie smiled a little bit. “ You can only be who are are. And not anybody else.” She then noticed the ring that she was spinning around on her finger. But she wasn’t' going to say anything, because she didn’t' want to be rude. “ Yeah that is like anywhere you will find nice people. And then there are the very rude people.”

She then started to laugh when JJ called her a Hogwartsian. I guess that is what they call people who know Hogwarts very well. But she made funny faces when she was warning her about Peves and Moaning Mrytle. “ We don't have any thing like that at Durmstrang.” But she knew that this was going to be nothing like her school.

J. J. smiled and nodded. Her head snapped up as she heard someone running out in the corridor. Frowning slightly, she leaned to look out of the compartment, but all she could see was the girls blonde hair disappearing. Frowning agian she sat back down.

She wondered what the hell that was.

J. J. raised her eyebrow, "Really? You don't have any ghosts? I would have thought ghosts are universal in the wizarding world. As well as the talking paintings - they aren't too bad at hogwarts... though there is one near the astronomy tower that won't shut up if you make mistake of saying one word to him."

Katie blinked. “ You have painting that talk?” This was something that she never heard of before. “ Wow that is something that we don't have at our school. She was now curious. “ No we have no ghost.” Now she was glad that she was going to Hogwarts. And that she signed up for to be an exchange student. She would learn something new.

She was now ready for the new year.

Hogwarts. She was back. Well, not really, but being on the train pretty much cemented that she was going back. And Savannah couldn't wait to get back. Maybe this way, she could get her mind off of Chris and her mother's - her mother's - it'd been over a month, and she couldn't even come to terms with what she'd did - or at least tried to.

Sighing, the Gryffindor walked through the train, looking around for either an empty compartment or JJ. Tracking down the latter, she entered the compartment, somehow managing to grin. Merlin, she hadn't smiled - at least, a real one - in so long.

"JJ," Savannah exclaimed, stopping her trolley to bound towards the brunette and hug her, "I haven't seen you all summer! How are you?"

Noticing the other girl, she pulled away, waving, "Um, hi. I - would it be alright with you if I sat here?"

J. J. was leaning back in her in her seat, pondering about the next year, and looking for a new mode of converstation when the comparment door open, and her face split into a wide grin.

"Vanna!" she called happily, recieving the hug with ease. "Its feels like forever doesn't it; I'm good. How about you?"

Flopping back down she patted the seat beside, "No one minds you. are. staying."

"Katie, this is my friends Savannah, Vanna - this is Katie, she's a durmstrang exchange student."

Katie was sitting there being quiet. She knew that she would have to start making friends. Since she was going to be here for a year. But she was smiling, maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. And this was going to be a year that she would remember. And she was glad that she choose to do this.

“ Hello Savannah.”

Pulling away from JJ, she stared at her for a moment before breaking out into a larger grin and hugging her again, "You - you - you talked!"

How was she doing? Pausing, she pulled away, sitting down beside JJ. She'd tell her the good part now, and then when they were alone, she'd tell her the full story, "I - I met a guy over the summer in France," Savannah grinned, blushing at the mention of Christopher.

"Hay Katie," she waved, "Durmstrang?" Like the girls who attacked JJ.... "Wow, that must be really different from Hogwarts. What's your favourite thing about it?"

J. J. flushed and laughed a little. She had been talking all summer that she had almost forgotten that a short time ago it was an unusality - well almost there was a certain part of her that would never forget that.

"Yes I did... I guess there is always an upside to snobish sisters."

She wigglged her eyebrows and gave a teasing "Ooo"

"A guy? A french guy? Was he cute? Spill! I need details woman, details!"