It seems just like yesterday (Anyone?!)

[Kara Walker]

The trunk thumped behind her as she made her way down the train to a certain compartment. No one used it after her second year, where she stained the seats a bright scarlet with her and, and the glass would mock anyone else who tried to sit in there. She was rather proud of that charm, and performed it every year. She hummed rather tonelessly to herself as she bounced along the train, other students moving out of her wake. She didn't get the name Queen of Dungbombs for nothing!! With relish she opened up the compartment and just about threw her trunk in, flopping down on a seat and sprawling there, waiting for someone else to show up.

Truth be told, Kara was actually a lot earlier then normal on the train, but she didn't care. It was her last year and she wanted time to think. Time to reflect on what she should do when she graduated. And maybe time for a bit of gossip with Jackie, or a chat with Lily before the train started moving and those damned annoying prats started bugging the hell out of them. Those prats, of course, being James and his crew. Kara considered him and Sirius to be her rivals in pranking. The wild seventh year girl scowled at the cieling, as she recalled on rather annoying times the past few years. Never had she been more glad to find herself in Lily's 'group', a group of four girls who honestly were just flaming annoyed with the antics of James's crew.

One in particular annoyed Kara to no end. And she couldn't figure out entirely why. Remus John Lupin. The prefect of the group. And yet, he let James and Sirius, even Peter walk all over him. It was like he was afraid of losing his friends. Bullshit. You don't lose friends by enforcing the rules, otherwise Kara and Lily wouldn't be friends. Lily herself had commissioned Kara to detention several times since she had become Prefect, and they were still good chums. Kara caused trouble. Lily caught her. Lily punished. Kara took it, then caused more trouble. It all worked out. Except with Remus, he kept acting so damn cowardly. So what if the boy was so sickly? She knew that he could be very stern, as she found out with the incident last year in the Potion's lab...well, that needed no reflection.

Footsteps jarred her out of her musings, and raving ramblings, and with a sigh, she swung her legs over the seat and took a sitting position, though still sprawled out with her legs stretched across the compartment on the floor. One arm was propped on the windowsill, and she was watching the countryside for a moment before turning to face whoever it was that was coming in. Hopefully it was one of the girl's. This was their compartment, anyways. Or maybe someone with food. Kara forgot to eat breakfast again.

[chels]

Jackie always seemed to bring too much stuff with her. Or it seemed like it at least. For her tiny frame, and her...rather large trunk, she always seemed to have trouble adjusting to getting her things on the train. She usually had a boy to help her. Her first two years she made it on her own, but after that her stuff got more extensive. After her first two years she really didn't need to. First she had Chris, then Johnny. Then she had Lucas. She had been so caught up with being with him this summer, that she had forgotten to tell her friends in the very inextensive letters she had been sending. She thought about the rather large ring on her finger. She was getting married. Jackie Masterson was engaged. She was seventeen years old...and she was engaged. It wasn't that she didn't love Lucas. In fact, she loved him very, very much. But she couldn't help but have second thoughts.

This was going to be a good year. She would make sure of it. She wasn't sure if she should tell Kara and Lily yet. Maybe she would just...there. She stopped carting her luggage and looked at the ring; it was a simple Princess cut diamond with tiny blue sapphires around the edge of it. It was truely beautiful. Below that ring she wore the Claddaugh ring Lucas gave her after being together for four months. The heart was pointing towards her...she belonged to somebody. She belonged to Lucas. She continued to cart her luggage down to their compartment. Soon enough she was going to have to go to the prefects compartment, do her rounds and then return back. She credited being friends with Lily and Kara because of being a prefect, so she couldn't really complain now could she? She finally made it to her compartment and dragged her luggage in and put in it the rather large overhead racks.

She smiled at Kara, who was already there. Her eyes are sparkling and she wore a white tanktop with a denim jacket. Her favorite necklace hung, lightly hitting her collar bone. The necklace didn't say much, but instead had a charm of a triquatra. Her mother gave it to her for protection. It was her favorite peice of jewelry, even besides her ring.
"Hey Kara...how was your summer?" She said, sitting down and smiling at her friend, pushing her bangs out of her face. Curls softly framed her face and her voice was soft and raspy like it normally was, but you could tell she was getting over a cold. Whatever was going on right now, she was just glad to be back.

[Kara Walker]

Kara grinned rather lazily at Jackie, watching her with her head still propped up on one arm. "Aye, it was alright..." Alright, if you didn't count the nightmares. But she was almost used to those by now...Used to waking up at night, sometimes screaming, but mostly scared out of her wits. For some reason, those memories of years long since gone, memories she thought she had escaped, now returned to haunt her dreams. She knew she looked like hell walking. Which was why she had her hair hanging in her face, bangs uncut. When she had the chance, she needed to see the Nurse. Or Dumbledore. To find some relief from those disturbing memories.

But now wasn't the time. Now was the time to chat with her friends about the summer break. Gossip about boys. Well, most boys. Truth be told, Kara found the dashing Sirius rather attractive, but you would never get her to admit that in front of Jackie! Besides, who had time for relationships? All they did was hurt you. That was Kara's philosophy. Anything beyond friendship was a waste of time. Don't trust someone, make them earn your trust. And Jackie was one of the few that had earned her trust. Somewhat.

"Getting over a cold?" Kara asked. She heard the raspy quality to Jackie's normally velvet voice. Well there was something else in Jackie's voice. Something very akin to doubt or regret. But Kara brushed it off. She would worry, but if Jackie didn't want to say anything, then she wouldn't bring it up. She wasn't Lily, after all! She was a bit curious to why Jackie's letters were somewhat vague this summer. Kara wasn't much of a letter writer, but she at least tried one letter a month per friend. Her eyes drifted to the Claddaugh ring Jackie wore, and the one next to it. Oh? What's this? The Claddaugh ring was from...Larry? Luke? Eh, something like that. Ah! Lucas! And the ring was probably her mothers. Yes, that was probably right. If Kara was alone, she would've nodded sagely. Instead she quickly brought her eyes back to Jackie. "Will you believe I actually have all my supplies?" she joked. Last year, Kara had forgotten all her quills. Well not forgotten. She spent the money on candy. Hey, sugar quills were totally worth it! And her friends had spares, so it was all good.

[chels]

Jackie softly smiled at Kara. She knew Kara was holding back on some major details, but Jackie wasn't the one to pry, ever. Her summer had been...well needless to say her summers were always uneventful, but this one was different. She spent most of the summer at Lucas' house, meeting his rather extensive family. A year older, Lucas was now a professional Quidditch player, so he was on the road a lot. Her doubts about if this was really going to happen was in part because of this. She didn't want to be a housewife. Jackie would make a good one, but that wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to travel, and hell, even be adventurous. And Lucas being a rising celebrity in the wizarding world, she wasn't sure if she wanted that. Besides, she was just so damned young.

But now definately wasn't the time for that...Now was the time to be happy, be young, and be with her best friends in the world. Jackie loved her friends more than anything or anyone in the world. So much more than boys. Maybe that wasn't the thing to think about...but Kara's take on relationships was so different than Jackie's. Jackie, it seemed, was always in a relationship. She never really casually dated someone, it was always so...serious. Maybe that was just Jackie...serious.

Kara's question hit her and she smiled. Yes, she was getting over a cold actually. The whole last week she'd been sick and she was finally started to get better.
"Yeah, actually I am. I've been sick for the past week." She said with a smile still. Small talk was fun and all, but she felt like she needed to tell someone what was bugging her. It had only been a few nights ago Lucas proposed to her. Technically she hadn't even said yes yet. He told her to keep the ring and to think about it, extensively. That was the thing she liked about him, he never rushed her into anything. As she was in her thoughts, she heard Kara's words. Kara always seemed to forget something. So the fact that she had everything was a huge deal. She grinned and laughed a bit at her friend.

"No way! You're actually starting our last year off well then?" She said jokingly. Kara was never innocent, never the good girl. Jackie was always there for that anyways, so it didn't matter.

[Kara Walker]

You know, this was probably why Kara could confide into Jackie so easily. She never pried. She waited until you came to her then listened. She didn't tell you how to act. She might make suggestions, but never ever tell you how to act like this or that. Which was just fine for Kara. You know, now that she thought of it, a surprising number of her friends were Prefects or even Head Girl and Boy. Talk about being surrounded by authority! And yet, Kara only caused more trouble. Irony at it's best.

"Yes, I am starting the year off well! Remember a few years back where I forgot all my books? I had to have Father send them to me!" She laughed, finding the memory funny instead of embarassing, like it should've been. Flittering like a flutterby. Butterfly. Whatever. See, even Kara's thoughts were quick in passing! "And I did get my candy, so I really didn't forget anything!" As if to prove her point, she dug around in her coat pockets and pulled sweets out, dumping them on the empty space next to her. "What would a year be without me starting on a sugar high?" She grinned.

Like she needed a sugar high! She'd already be bouncing about! Though this year, she was going to try to make sure she passed her tests with the best she could. She did want to be an Auror after all! And if she didn't quite make that, then she'd go for Quidditch. But Auror all the way. To be able to help people... Give people some kind hope, a hope she didn't really have as a child... A hope that someone would be able to save you... She couldn't quite suppress the light shudder that ran through her frame, and she turned her eyes to outside the train ever so briefly. Outside of the compartment, other students wandered to and fro. She recognized some voices, and ignored the others. "So...ready to be a big bad Seventh year, Miss Prefect?" Kara asked quickly.

[James Potter]

New term. New year. Wow. Who'd've thought he'd have made it to year 7? Not that the academic background was in any way lacking... it was just that his extra-curricular activities had made dropping out a real possibility. Not like he needed NEWTs anyway, since living off mommy and daddy was a fairly attractive prospect, and you didn't need qualifications (well, not of that sort) to become a Pro Chaser. But somehow he wasn't quite ready to leave Hogwarts, and since the other Marauders were going back leaving had never been a real option...

Besides, he had another reason to go back now, didn’t he? Something almost more exciting and important than Lily stalking.

James Potter, Head Boy. It was so ludicrous, right? Even he had to laugh. Certainly no one, least of all himself, could have seen it coming. Expulsion, maybe. Dropping out after OWLS had got more than fleeting consideration. But staying on for NEWTs and becoming not only Quidditch Captain (okay, he’d seen that one coming since qualifying for the team, but still, the humble act went down well) but Oh-my-God Head Boy? Even his parents, glancing through the rose-tinted spectacles with which they viewed their miracle son, had half-thought it was just another Marauder’s joke, and he’d dismissed it as such, especially when he saw who they’d paired him with… until the badge arrived.

Funny, he though, glancing down at the scrap of silver, that something so small should cause such a sensation. How the hell had he managed to wing that one? Perfect Prefect Remus, maybe, sure, but him? Hell, Peter had to have been a better bet. Even though he’d lived in the wizarding world all his life, somehow it still managed to throw up surprises.

Only one thing was missing to complete the whole Boy Wonder thing – a few worshippers would have been nice. Nice though the Executive Team’s compartment was, he could see why hardly anyone stayed here the whole journey. It was so goddam boring! Aside from a couple of earnest-looking Ravenclaws who seemed intent on taking their duties seriously (hah!) the atmosphere would have been more electric in a morgue. Sighing, he swung himself out of his seat and sloped out of the carriage in search of someone a little more interesting.

Sure enough, there was no mistaking Kara’s, ahem, melodious tones drifting out of another compartment. He considered continuing on in search of the Marauders, but they’d turn up wherever he was eventually, right? Besides, Evans might well be around, or very soon would be. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she realised that she’d be spending the rest of the year with him as her official right hand man, if only out of interest as to whether fake hate or elation would win out. Sliding back the door with one hand, the other running through his hair as per usual, his features breaking into a characteristic grin, James slipped into the carriage occupied by Kara and Jackie as if he had every right to be there (well, in his mind he did) and wasn’t invading their space, busting into some conversation… whatever. To complete the image, he dropped into one of the seats, swiping some random sweets from Kara’s ever dependable stash. “Sugar high? Don’t mind if I do… Mornin’ ladies.”

[Kara Walker]

Ah figures. Just when she was starting to enjoy sitting there chatting with her friend, James Potter had to swagger in. Not only that, but he had just swiped Kara's last chocolate frog. "Uh, no, give!" Three words and reached out, swiping the chocolate frog. "Nice try James, but this is mine." She rolled her eyes and placed the frog on the other side of her when she realized something.

"Potter! What are you doing here? Didn't you learn the last time you tried to waltz in here?" Kara turned back to him, a frown on her face. Last time meaning he had left with his hair standing on end- well even more on end then usual -and pelted with pumpkin cakes. "Girl's only, Potter. Get going before I get a Prefect, or better yet, the Hea-" She stared.

"Dear Lord! What is that on your chest!" Kara exclaimed, standing up quickly and pointing. No way. No bloody flipping way! That silver badge, it couldn't be! "Is this some kind of joke!? Jackie, that's the Head Boy badge!!! It can't be! Dumbledore's not senile, he wouldn't have picked you! You cause as much trouble as I do!"

And she realized what she said. Oops....Yep, she had a big mouth. Which was now hanging open, as she stared at the shiny silver badge that just tore her world upside down. James Potter as Head Boy?! The school was doomed!