• Slowly, I opened my eyes for the three-hundred-and-something-th time time since the train had left the station. I don't know why I was counting my blinks. I guess it gave me something to do. That meant I must have been really damn bored. I glanced to my right, and three or four terrified heads ducked down out of sight hurriedly. To my left was the beautiful landscape that just kept going on and on, all the way to the horizon. Pocked with tiny craters.
    A lot of people had started using Floo powder to get to school now, and apparently the manufacturers were having their best year ever. Not that I cared, of course. I never bothered with the stuff - every time I used it, it went up my nose and made me cough, which screwed up where I would come out. Of course, the people using the powder now would get to miss the train ride, and all of it's horrible staring faces that ran away if you looked at them. They weren't ghosts. They were first-years. Who else? I thought to myself angrily.
    I slightly pitied the people that used the powder, though. Because even though they get to avoid a lot of hassle and annoying first-years, they miss out on the stuff you get to see whilst you travel up to Hogwarts. Once, I had seen a murder of crows flying about over the carcass of a dragon, recently dead and starting to rot. The carcass had made me wretch and drool at the same time, because apparently dragon's meat is a taste that's out of this world.
    I swear there was more faces that hid away at that second when I turned back to look out of the door as the lady with that trolley came along with the sweets opened the door. She walked in slowly, a worried smile on her face, and kicked the door shut. "You okay, love?" she said, her voice soothing the hatred that I felt towards the first-years. "I know they're annoying, but they'll calm down eventually."
    I grimaced back at her, feigning my happiness. "So, you want anything ta eat?" the lady asked as I glanced quickly over the trolley she had brought in. I shook my head. "No thanks. What time is dinner?"
    "Five-thirty," she replied softly, then smiled at me. "It's been put back this year, just for you on your... special day."
    My face showed no emotion. "Alright. Thanks," I wheezed, then coughed and cleared my throat. The lady nodded at me politely, then pulled open the door behind her and pulled the trolley out, taking care not to squash any of the crouching first-years which had noticed I had seen them and were frantically trying to get away.
    Another half-hour passed without anythinng interesting happened. I had a text from my girlfriend, who had been relocated to another carriage for her safety, so I replied, telling her I love her and all the mushy stuff that she had told me. I didn't understand much of it, but she liked it.
    There was more faces than ever now. I picked out a coupe of people from the second year, and even a third-year too. I knew who he was, and we were good with each other. He just loved watching the little first-years scream. I always reckoned he was a sick guy, but I have to admit - it is funny when the first-years scream.
    I reached into my pocket and pulled out a tiny ball that I had got from that shop down Diagon Alley that sold all this trick stuff. I flicked it into the air, watching it closely, and caught it with the other hand, placing it in the perfect position to flick at the first-years if any of the decided to come in. I layed down on the seat, spreading out and stretching my arms. One or two people jumped. I could hear the other third-year roaring with laughter.
    I heard a click from the door handle being turned. I flicked my wrist and there was a tiny "pop" as the ball exploded, filling the room with thick smoke. Three or four first-years, as well as the second-year, screamed and the other third-year started to laugh again.
    The fog cleared about a minute later, and I was nowhere to be seen.
    I heard "Ah"s and "Woah"s, but nobody could see anything in the room except the seats, of course, and my bag.
    It layed there, with it's zip invitingly undone and showing something in there gleaming in the fresh sunlight that streamed in through the window beside it. Many anxious faces turned to the slightly chubby boy that was pushing his way through the small crowd and was starting to wrestle with the door handle. When the door opened and he stumbled in, he stared at the bag. As soon as he took one step forward, there was a loud gasp from the audience and the boy spun around, expecting to see something terrible.
    Each of the small faces that looked back at him were filled with anticipation. The boy rolled his eyes, spat, then turned to face the bag again. He bit his lip as he took another step forward. He was now within reach of the large, blue bag that lay on the floor. He reached out gingerly and touched it.
    The door slammed shut.