The Unseen

The girl took a deep breath. Her black robes gleamed from the sunlight reflecting through the windows. She wore a calm look on her face, even though she was truly anxious.

Her train compartment was perfectly square in shape with two sliding doors on her right and large glass windows to her left. She was the only one in her compartment so far, and the train would leave the station at any moment.

She stared out the window. Now if only someone would come in. I already feel so lonely, she thought.

***

Outside, two friends were desperately trying to find an empty compartment as the train started to move. One had red hair and a sprinkle of freckles across her nose. The other had bottle-green eyes that shown through his messy mop of black hair. They were almost at the end of the train. "This is the last one, Harry, I want to finally sit down!" the girl said. She slid the door open and peered inside to find it was almost empty. There was one girl inside.

Ginny Weasley slid open the compartment doors. "Hey, can we sit in here?" she asked. The girl appeared to be startled, but nodded. The two came in and plopped down on seats across from the girl.

The girl smiled; she wouldn't be alone after all. Harry looked over at her with a perplexed look in his eyes-- as if he just recognized her from somewhere. "I don't think I've met you before. Are you new?"

Was it that obvious? She winced. "I'm a transfer." Her loud voice sounded out in the small compartment. "I moved here during the summer from Chicago. This country is so weird!" Harry and Ginny just shrugged. America, huh? thought Harry.

"Why'd you move here?" Ginny inquired.

"Well, my parents were part of an organization in Chicago that's involved in experimental charm work, and they discovered this one spell that's pretty big, I guess. So we moved here so they could perfect it for some people... the Order of the Something-Or-Other."

"The Order of the Phoe...?--OW!" Harry yelped as Ginny ground his foot under her heel.

"Oh...Kaaaay..." She continued cautiously, "They say it'll help in a fight against some guy called Voldemort."

"Wait a sec," Ginny said slowly "how do you know about the Order? I thought they were supposed to be a secret organization."

Oops, she thought. Smooth move there, Mary J. Maybe there had been a slight flaw in her story.

"Well they're no secret organization to me, nor to you I assume since you know of them as well," she shrugged.

"She has us there," admitted Harry. "What's your name, by the way?"

"I'm Mary Jane Woodford, sorry I forgot to say so earlier," she said formally.

"What house are you in?" Ginny asked politely.

"Well, I'm in Gryffindor. The principal--er, headmaster, well he placed me before I got here.

"Well, that's good; we're in Gryffindor, too. I'm Ginny Weasley, and this is Harry Potter," she announced as she shook Mary Jane's hand. Mary Jane immediately shifted her focus to Harry at the mention of his name.

"So, you're the famous Harry Potter then?"

That comment didn't surprise Harry any more. He only thought, I hate when people say that; it's really getting old.

Before he could come up with an appropriate response to her question, Mary Jane said, "Oh, don't worry! I was just making sure. You've quite a fan club back home. I personally think it's all stupid. You're famous because your parents are dead and you're not." She eyed Harry, waiting for him to respond to her comment. When he didn't, she continued on, "Pretty rotten thing to be famous for and unfair. I bet you'd trade your fame for your parents back in an instant! Know I would."

Harry looked up in surprise. How did she know all of that? That was exactly what he'd always thought. Before he could answer her, the compartment door slid open once more. A lanky boy with red hair and a brown, curly haired girl stuck their heads into the compartment. Both their faces broke into grins.

"Hi Harry, Ginny," they said almost simultaneously. "Hey," harrumphed Ginny. "Nice of you to join us." Mary Jane smiled at the two.

Ron turned to her and said, "Who are you?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Ron, sometimes you can really be an idiot." She turned to Mary Jane. "Now," she said primly, "what is your name?"

"Mary Jane Woodford. I just moved here from the States." She smiled at them. God this is so awkward, she thought.

Harry must have sensed her discomfort because he said, "So, Ron, seen any Quidditch lately?"

***

A few hours later, the corridor of the train rang with laughter from the end compartment. Ron, Harry, and Ginny were snorting with laughter.

"So then I say to him, 'Take a picture, maybe it'll last longer!" Mary Jane giggled.

Hermione occupied herself by reading the now so familiar Hogwarts, A History. She rolled her eyes. Honestly, it wasn't all that hilarious, she thought to herself. All they had talked about was Quidditch, and Mary Jane talked about herself for awhile. After awhile, Hermione had tuned out their words. We should be here by now. God I wish we were there right now.

As if her mind was read, the train shuddered to a halt.

"We're here!" cheered Ron. Hermione shook her head. Mary Jane felt a wave of nervous energy pass through her. I've never felt that before, she thought.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Mary Jane got off the train and managed to find an empty carriage for them all to sit in. As they started to move, Harry eyed the thestrals pulling the carriages. Sirius. The loss of his godfather still managed to kick him in the gut even now after three months had gone by.

Mary Jane saw his reaction and shivered, "They just give you the creeps don't they?" Harry looked over at her and was about to reply, but the look on Mary Jane's face stopped him.

Hogwarts loomed magnificently in the distance. A feeling of excitement spread throughout the carriage. It was going to be an interesting year. But then, when wasn't it?