Train Ride Back

Emmie sighed as she continued to push her cart through the hordes of students and families on the platform towards the train just behind her parents. Somehow the two of them managed to look back at her with teary expressions every few seconds and not run into someone, which only caused her to huff slightly in annoyance.

It wasn't like it was her last year at Hogwarts. Or her first. She was only in sixth year. But for some reason the waterworks had really set in this year - likely because she was their youngest though they always seemed to get a bit teary whenever she went off to school. Granted, her mum had burst into wails her brother's last year, causing a bit of a scene and embarrassing him. That had been rather funny.

"Oi! Emmie! There you are!" a teen girl with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes shouted as she ran up and threw her arms around her.

"Oof! Watch it, Kara," she shouted, though she was smiling.

"Can't help it. I missed you!" Kara replied as they continued walking, looping her arm through Emmie's.

"We spent nearly all of summer break together save the last two weeks," Emmie replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Yes, because you were off at some boring training camp," Kara replied with a rather dramatic roll of her eyes. Emmie couldn't help but chuckle. Kara most definitely did not understand her love of quidditch, though she supposed it ran in the family considering her father and older brother's chosen professions. She was about to start her fifth year as a chaser on the Hufflepuff team as it was.

"It wasn't like I was training the whole time," Emmie replied, though kept her voice low so that her parents couldn't hear. "Alex threw a couple parties while I was there." Kara's face lit up at that, eager to hear all the details once they were away from her parents.

"But it really was sooo boring without you around," Kara said. "Mum forced me to spend time with Karl." Emmie snorted slightly in amusement. Karl was Kara's twin and she was constantly lamenting how he was no fun. The twins were like night and day - where Kara was loud and outgoing, Karl was quiet and would rather sit alone reading. In that light, it made sense that he had been put in Ravenclaw while Kara was in Hufflepuff. "Where's Melanie and Toni?"

"Probably waiting for us on the train," Emmie replied, glancing over at her. "Where's your things?"

"Mum and Dad got it with Karl. Probably already loaded," Kara said with a wave of her hand. "So… sixth year… we should have loads of fun. Since we'll be bogged down with N.E.W.T.s next year." Emmie chuckled again.

"I do need to focus a bit on class, you know. Mum only lets me keep playing if my marks stay up," she said.

"Puh-lease. Your marks are completely fine," Kara said, now studying her nails. "You did way better on your O.W.L.s than most of the others in our house."

"It's not always easy keeping them up, you know," Emmie replied. She did well enough in school, but she always considered herself more average than not. Definitely not close to the top of their year. And she did have to put in a lot of effort to keep them up in some subjects. Namely defense against the dark arts and potions. Though the latter class was likely because Snape terrified her more so than not understanding the material.

"Did you see the ever-handsome Oliver any?" Kara asked, her brown eyes lighting up. Emmie immediately blushed as she shushed her best friend and looked around to make sure no one had overheard them. Kara only laughed in reply. Emmie couldn't deny that she had a crush on the Gryffindor captain - nearly half the girls in school did. On the outside, it wasn't shocking why - years of playing quidditch had done him well. Though for Emmie, she still had the memories of the boy that she grew up with which had sparked her crush back in first year.

Though it didn't help that it had become a long-running joke among her friends.

"I didn't. Not much, anyway," Emmie replied, trying to keep her voice even. They lived in the same village and her older brother was best friends with Oliver's - both of them in the same year in Gryffindor. When they were little, the four children would often play together. Even if more often than not, Oliver followed Alex and Ryan around, there was a time when he had been kind to her and she would have even said they were friends. But then when she and Oliver started school and she had been sorted into Hufflepuff, it was almost as though she no longer existed to the younger Wood. On the other side, her brother and Ryan Wood had turned into annoying, ever constant bodyguards until she let it them both have it her second year.

There were several times over the years when she had nearly approached Oliver, mostly in the hopes they could possibly be friends again. But he was almost always surrounded by his friends or the Gryffindor quidditch team. They were all rather popular and loud - things Emmie decidedly was not. And he'd probably never seen her as more than Alex's annoying little sister anyway - at least that's what Emmie told herself.

"I feel like this year might be the year he notices you," Kara said, looking over at her friend with a mischievous smile. Emmie couldn't help but laugh. While she did feel different this year and was well aware that she had changed, she wasn't sure if it was enough that Oliver would notice. Nor was she completely sure that she'd ever get over her shyness around him.

"Doubt that," she replied as they neared where they would load onto the train. Kara laughed loudly.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" she asked. Emmie just frowned at her friend. "Seriously, Emmie. You've changed over the summer. A lot." Emmie quickly tucked a strand of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear, once again blushing.

It was true that she had shot up another inch. What little baby fat she had before - she was always on the slender side - seemed to have migrated to her hips and chest, though she was solid muscle from all the quidditch training. She had also let her hair grow out a bit - it was now passed her shoulders in loose waves - just because it was easier to pull back out of her way when she played.

Though even though she was happy with her physical changes, it didn't help that she still felt a bit like the ugly duckling around Kara and their other friends, Melanie and Toni.

Her eyes were a pale green, completely lacking the luster and depth of Kara's. Or nearly as pretty as Melanie and Toni's blue eyes. No. Emmie had decided that she was not nearly as gorgeous as Kara with her thick, dark hair and olive skin; or Melanie with her long, white blonde hair, crystal clear skin, and sky blue eyes; or Toni with her short, bobbed auburn hair and dark blue eyes. Not to mention, they were all outgoing and bubbly, well versed in the ways of flirting. Emmie was lucky enough to say a sentence without stuttering anytime she was near a fit guy, though she had gotten a bit better about it over the summer.

"Come now, Emmie. Haven't you noticed the blokes looking at you?" Kara asked, whispering at her. Her blush deepened as she glanced around, noticing a few looks here and there. Though not nearly as many as Kara was insinuating. They stopped as they reached the train and her father began unloading her things from the trolley.

"Have fun this year," Mrs. MacKenzie said as she turned to Emmie and enveloped her in a crushing hug. "Study hard. Be safe on the pitch."

"I will, Mum," Emmie replied, trying to push out of the hug as she glanced around embarrassed.

"Remember all the pointers that I gave you. And what you learned with Alex," her father said, hugging her next. "I've put a new broom kit in your luggage. As well as a few other things for the quidditch season."

"Thanks, Dad," Emmie said, smiling up at him. She and Kara then picked up her trunk and climbed in the train, quickly making their way towards the compartment that they always shared with their roommates. Emmie was at the front and grimaced as a rambunctious second-year knocked her into the wall, trying to get around her.

"Oi! Watch it!" Kara shouted. "That was a prefect you just bumped!" Emmie rolled her eyes, not really wanting to get into any of that just yet. She only wanted to get to their compartment and change into her school robes before she had to go to the prefect meeting.

Emmie sighed in relief as she turned and walked into the compartment, finding her two other roommates already there - Melanie White and Toni Bridges. The two girls hopped up and helped them with their things, getting them situated just as the train set out.

"So how was the rest of your summer?" Melanie asked, her eyes lighting up. "Have a good time with your brother?" Emmie couldn't help but chuckle as she started pulling her uniform out of her knapsack and laid it out on the seat next to Kara. Melanie and Toni had long had crushes on her older brother Alex and were constantly begging her to take them along with her when she went to visit or catch his matches. He had been chaser on the Wigtown Wanderers for two seasons now and she spent a couple weeks with him every summer before the fall season started for specialized training on the Wanderers' pitch.

Truth be told, it was the highlight of her summer - she loved all the blokes on the team and saw them as older brothers. Though this year had been a bit different. Now that she was 16, he had invited the team and reserves over for a couple parties. And some of the reserves had definitely taken notice of her. She found that a bit of firewhiskey helped with the whole stuttering problem and she had definitely enjoyed a bit of flirting.

Part of her felt as though this year could be different for her. Maybe it was her chance to finally come out of her shell. Get a boyfriend. Snog in a broom closet. At the very least, become a bit more confident.

"Yea, it was good," Emmie replied, pulling off her shirt and revealing a new, white lacy bra that her mum had gotten her. Now that she finally filled them out a bit better, her mother had gone a bit of a shopping spree, insisting that Emmie didn't need to wear sports bras all the time.

"Come on! You spend two weeks hanging out with some of the fittest blokes in the league and you expect us to believe that it was only training!" Toni shouted. "Give us the details!"

Emmie couldn't help but laugh as she glanced over at her.

"Well… most of the first string are way too old for me, but I did spend some time with the reserves," she said. "Though, my brother was there, so it's not like any of them were too open with their flirting. He's still a bit protective and all. I was actually surprised that he had the parties to begin with."

"Yea, but you got hot," Melanie replied, her eyebrows raised as she took in Emmie's new form. This only caused her to blush and turn her back to them as she reached down and pulled on her white button-up shirt.

"Well… I did get a bit more attention than I usually do," she said, smiling slightly. Though she quickly shook her head. Nope. She was not about to let it get to her head. She was still the same Emmie. Though she couldn't help but think back to the parties. They had been fun and she had enjoyed the attention...

"Bugger," she muttered, looking down as she struggled to get the buttons done up over her chest, noticing a small gap. Her mum must have shrank it by accident in the wash unless her boobs gotten bigger since they bought her new uniforms. At least her jumper would cover it. She saw Kara smirk out of the corner of her eye as she undid her trousers and pulled them off, then reached for her skirt. At least that would fit. She hoped.

"Suppose it's all study and quidditch again this year. As usual," Toni said boredly.

"Mostly," Emmie said, glancing over her shoulder at her.

"But we're finally sixth years! That means we'll be invited to all the parties!" Melanie whined. "You have to go to at least one with us!"

"Isn't there always one with the upper years in our common room every weekend?" Emmie replied.

"Yea, but everyone knows that the best parties are in Gryffindor," Toni said. "And we're going this year. So, buck up." Emmie rolled her eyes as she finished up and slid back into her shoes, before realizing that she hadn't put on her tie yet.

"What's got you in a rush?" Melanie asked.

"Prefect meeting," Emmie replied, shoving her wand in her robe pocket and grabbing her tie. She would have to put it on while getting there. While he wasn't head boy yet, Percy Weasley definitely could make life unbearable for those he deemed slacking off - he had been buddying up to all the head boys over the years in preparation for getting it next year. And being late to the first prefect meeting was sure to be deemed as slacking off. Even if he couldn't take it out on her this year, he would next year as head boy. "See you lot in a bit!"

Before anyone could say anything else, she rushed out and continued walking towards the front of the train where the prefect car was located, too busy trying to get her tie on that she wasn't paying much attention to where she was going.

Not until she ran straight into a tall, solid form and nearly fell over if it weren't for a pair of large hands that shot out and grabbed her upper arms, steadying her.

"I'm so sorry!" she shouted, her eyes wide as she looked up. Immediately, her cheeks turned bright red as she met the brown eyes of Oliver Wood. "I-I, I…"

He chuckled softly as he looked down at her.

"Not a problem, Mac-MacKenzie," he said. She was all too aware that he still had a hold of her as she swallowed and blinked, struggling to find her words. She wished she had a shot of firewhiskey so she could speak properly. Damn her shyness. And here she had been hoping maybe this year would be better. Whatever confidence she had gained spending time with her brother and his mates had flown out the window.

"I-I was just, ah," she stuttered as she pointed down the corridor. "Prefect meeting."

"Right," he said, quickly letting go of her and running his hand up the back of his neck. He then stepped aside, allowing her to pass. "See you on the pitch." Emmie nodded quickly before continuing on her way. She couldn't help herself as she glanced over her shoulder, seeing him still watching her, a small smile on his face. Whipping her head back around, she quickened her pace.

"Bugger, that was a good one, MacKenzie," she muttered to herself. She continued on, careening into the prefect car, her tie half done as she looked around.

"Right on time," Percy Weasley said primly as he looked over at her. She shot him a smile and moved to sit next to Michael Blanks, the other sixth year prefect from Hufflepuff as she finished up her tie. "We're just waiting on Slytherin."

"Looking good, Mac," Michael said, glancing over at her and causing her to blush yet again. She quickly finished her tie and tucked it into her jumper, then smoothed out her skirt before crossing her legs.

"Ehm, thanks?" she said, unsure of how to respond. Blimey, she had lost it. At that moment, the door burst open and Marcus Flint sauntered in, followed by the rest of the Slytherin prefects. Emmie did her best to move her feet and legs out of the way, lest he step on her. Flint didn't really seem to notice or care about anyone but himself.

"Good of you to join us," Percy said, a scowl on his face as he watched the Slytherins' progress. Flint only scowled at him before dropping onto the bench next to Emmie, spreading out and invading her personal space more than she thought was necessary.

"Good summer, MacKenzie?" he asked, smirking down at her. She shifted in her seat, pulling her robes around her and covering her legs, as he glanced down at them. Blimey, since when had Marcus Flint ever cared to notice her?

"Good enough," she replied, turning her attention to the head boy and head girl at the front of the car. She tried to keep her focus on all the updates and notices they were saying, though she could still feel Flint watching her. Made her skin crawl a bit. She enjoyed the new attention, but not this much.

Finally, the meeting finished as they began handing out their prefect schedules. The older prefects were mostly tasked with patrolling the castle just after curfew to catch any younger years sneaking out. She had two shifts a week, it seemed.

"Seems we're not together much," Michael said, glancing over at hers. Emmie hummed her agreement as she frowned, seeing who she was teamed up with.

"Seems we're paired up quite a bit," Flint said from her other side, his face close to her ear. Emmie jumped slightly, looking over at him while scooting away a bit. He was smiling at her, though there was something carnal about it. "Good. Gives us a chance to get to know each other better."

"Ehm, sure," she replied, a bit flustered. "If you'll excuse me." She then quickly hopped up and started out of the car before anyone could follow her or say anything else. She shuddered slightly, thinking about doing patrol with Flint. She would have to have a talk with the head girl about it if he got to be too much.

She moved quickly, only stopping once to threaten a couple of third years with detention just before they attempted to jinx each other. She barely thought about whether they'd pick up where they left off after she moved on.

"How was the meeting?" Kara asked as she walked back in and sat next to her. Emmie groaned.

"I've been partnered with Marcus Flint most of the time," she whined, holding her prefect schedule out to her friend. Kara snatched it and looked it over.

"Too bad Oliver isn't a prefect," she replied as she smirked over at Emmie.

"I think Flint's not so bad… once you get past the teeth," Melanie said, looking through a copy of Witch Weekly. All three girls looked over at her, scoffing. "What? He isn't that bad!"

"He's horrid!" Toni shouted, smacking her on the shoulder. "Forget the teeth, have you heard the shite that comes out of his mouth? He's rude, mean, and a total lech."

"Think he was hitting on me at the meeting. Said working together would give us a chance to get to know one another better," Emmie replied with a roll of her eyes. "Blimey, I'll be lucky if I get through the first round without hexing him."

"Please, we all know you don't have it in you to hex anyone," Melanie said with a laugh. "You'll go all red in the face and bluster about a bit before running off."

"I could hex him if I wanted to," Emmie retorted, frowning at her friend. The other three girls chuckled.

"She does have a point, Emmie," Kara said as she patted her knee. "But it's fine. Not all of us are meant to be master hexers." Emmie just rolled her eyes and took her schedule back, shoving it into her bag. "So… have you seen Wood yet?"

Emmie's face started turning red again.

"I did sort of run into him," she replied. "Literally…"

Kara squealed and shot up, grabbing Emmie's hands as Melanie and Toni leaned closer.

"Tell me everything," she demanded.

"It's not much to tell. I just… wasn't paying attention and ran into him. He stopped me from falling over and then I continued on my way," she said, pulling her hands back.

"This is perfect!" Kara exclaimed. "By break, he'll definitely be noticing you!"

"I don't know about that," she said, looking down at her nails.

"You've only been pining for him since first year," Melanie said.

"As has nearly every girl in our year," Emmie quickly retorted.

"Perhaps this year is the year you finally land a date with him," Toni added. "Or snog him." Emmie's eyes widened as she looked over at her. "Don't give me that look, Miss Prim and Proper. It's about time you got your first kiss."

"What makes you think I haven't?" Emmie asked, a bit put out. She hadn't yet told them what had happened at one of her brother's parties. Toni continued laughing before she noticed the look on Emmie's face. "No! Tell us everything!" Emmie blushed again as she suddenly became interested in straightening her skirt.

"It wasn't anything major," she said, trying to be casual about it. Kara smacked her on the arm.

"You snogged someone this summer and didn't tell me?!" she shouted.

"Shut it! I don't want the whole train to hear," Emmie hissed. "Hadn't had a chance to yet. And… it was just… I told you about Alex having the parties and the reserves coming? Well, one of the chasers - name's Marshall - he's only a couple years older than me... and we got to talking a bit... there was some firewhisky involved-"

"Shut up. Did you shag him?" Toni exclaimed.

"N-no!" Emmie shouted, looking over at her, now completely scandalized. "We just snogged a bit."

"Your brother let someone kiss you?" Kara asked, not quite believing it.

"It's not like we did it in front of him," Emmie scoffed. "We were on the balcony of his flat and no one was there… And we made sure that he'd never find out."

"Was it magical? Or just practice until you get your kiss with Oliver?" Melanie asked, leaning towards her.

"It was… normal… I suppose. Didn't really mean much," she replied, surprised at how nonchalant she sounded. "We were both a bit tipsy and all. Just wanted to get it out of the way, to be honest."

"How very practical of you," Kara said wryly. Emmie shot her a look and the four then dissolved into giggles.

"Well then, what's the first step in Operation Get Wood?" Melanie asked, leaning back in her seat.

"There is no such thing as Operation Get Wood!" Emmie shouted, blushing furiously at the double meaning.

"Of course, there is," Kara said. "And I know where to start…"

Went back and forth, but whatever. Posting. A lot of this story is from my original drafts of the Sam and Oliver story. It was pretty good after I went back and re-read them. Upon another read I realized this could have been the better story. Granted this is still pretty different – from the original. Originally Sam was a chaser on Gryffindor. But the first story was sixth year. So, there are those similarities. But Emmie is completely different from the Sam I published… and the first Sam I wrote. She's actually based off me in high school.

Anyway, new story. And tipsy posting….