Back To School [Open]

[Chasity Atherton]

Chasity stepped casually through the barrier separating Platform 9 3/4 from the muggle area, and looked around. Though she didn't see anyone she knew right off, she was sure someone was there. She craned her head around, then shrugged and headed through the crowd toward the train. She pushed lightly through the lost looking first years, and headed toward a compartment in the back, relieved when it turned out to be empty. After pulling the door closed behind her, she took her seat, anxious to get to the school and settle back in.

Her summer, as usual, was uneventful. Once more she had spend a little time with her friends and more time alone, mostly unnoticed by her parents. She was tired of the charade of even being social with them when it was painfully obvious they had no use for their only child. When she left Hogwarts, she fully intended to never speak to them again, and though the thought bothered her deeply, it wasn't difficult to put on a mean face and tell herself she hated them.

Chasity glanced out the window, watching the students and their families part ways, with hugs, laughs, and tears with a certain jealousy. Her parents hadn't even seen her to the station, dismissing her with only a casual wave and a weak, "Good luck in your fourth year..." It wasn't even her fourth year! She was starting her sixth year, and that just showed how much they payed attention to her. Chasity was fairly sure they didn't even remember how old she was, considering they never acknowledged her birthday.

Soon, though, the train would begin to work its way down the tracks, through the countryside, and back into a happier world, where she was simply a Slytherin girl and no one much cared about her family life. Maybe she would take out her simmering hurt on the first unsuspecting first year to ask a stupid question, or maybe she would just work on her Charms. She'd heard of other people creating spells, and that certainly appealed to her. A unique incantation, answering only to her... That would restore some of her feeling of control, the only thing that made her feel secure.

Pondering quietly and making notes in her book, Chasity didn't notice the last call for boarding.

[James Potter]

It was abnormally crowded at King's Cross, filled with whimsically dressed folks here and there. To any muggle it was an odd scene, but to James Sirius Potter it marked the day where young witches and wizards left for their first day of Hogwarts. He arrived with his parents, the famous Harry Potter and his wife Ginny, and his siblings. After saying their goodbyes, James meandered off on his own through Platform 9 and 3/4.

The Hogwarts Express, like usual, was crowded with nervous first years and loud mouthed fifth years. James smiled to himself remembering those years when he was younger. It was now the start of his final year at school. As he made his way along the train corridor, he kept his nose in the book he had just purchased at Diagon Alley. He figuted he wouldn't be finding a free compartment for quite a while.

Near the end of the train he thought he spotted an empty compartment. He quietly slid himself inside yet froze when he saw a familiar Slytherin face. Feeling it was too late to turn back, he kept his eyes on his book. There was no reason they had to talk.

[Chasity Atherton]

Still staring out the window, Chasity was jerked out of her thoughts when the compartment door clicked shut. She turned, with a suspicious look on her face. It was James Potter... The grand son of the famed wizard, Harry Potter. She resisted the urge to curl her lip up at him, since it would be pointless with his face jammed in a book. He didn't look too comfortable to be there, so she smiled with false sweetness, batting her eyelashes coquettishly. "Hey, Potter. How are you? You're looking... well."

She didn't really know him, but he was a Gryffindor, and one of the ones that disliked her House on principle. That was enough reason for her to make his trip to Hogwarts a less than pleasant experience. Besides, she figured, it might be fun to toy with him. Too bad she didn't have any really promising spells to practice on him...

[James Potter]

Taking a moment, he set his book aside on the chair to haul his trunk up onto the upper rack in the compartment. He went to reach for his book again and sat down as the girl spoke to him.

"Hey, Potter. How are you? You're looking... well" she said.

"Erm..." James began awkwardly. "Thanks. And... yourself." He wasn't too sure if he should continue on with the small talk. She was a Slytherin... but that didn't have to mean anything. James was the type of person that saw the best in people. Normally. He wasn't sure where to go with this conversation though. If one could call it a conversation. "I hope you're all ready to go back to school," he finally added politely as he grasped his book once more.

James opened up the book and acted as if to read, but he was too curious about the girl to continue reading. Unfortunately he couldn't quite remember her name. Chasity. Chasity something. His eyes peaked over the top of his book to see if she was watching him. Or to see if it looked like she was going to continue talking.

[Chasity Atherton]

Hmm... He seemed somewhat uncomfortable, but he was being genuinely polite. Chasity frowned quickly, cocking her head to the side. She watched him for a moment, as he picked his book back up and began to read. Only, that didn't last long. He looked up over the top of his book at her, and she smiled briefly. James didn't seem to be the way other Slytherins had described him. They were only a year apart, but Hogwarts was a big school and Chasity hadn't ever run into him before this.

She decided to try to get to know this well-known student, for no other reason than to get to know him. "So... I saw you with your parents earlier. It must be strange being the son of Harry Potter, huh?." Then another thought struck her as odd. He was very well known, everyone knew his name in Hogwarts. Her next thought came out of her mouth before she considered it, "Where are all of your friends? You must have quite the gathering of followers. My father said your father had a whole club dedicated to him in his Hogwarts days." She wasn't trying to be hateful, in asking about this, simply curious. It didn't make sense that he didn't take advantage of his father's fame. He could potentially have anything he wanted, but he didn't seem to.

[James Potter]

"So... I saw you with your parents earlier. It must be strange being the son of Harry Potter, huh?" Chasity said.

James tensed up. It was the same conversation that he always had to deal with. His dad. Being famous. Money. Or something else. Blah blah blah... He lowered his book to his lap and stared at her as she continued talking.

"Where are all of your friends? You must have quite the gathering of followers. My father said your father had a whole club dedicated to him in his Hogwarts days."

He chewed on the inside of his lip. The same stupid stories, nothing like the truth. But he couldn't get angry. These people honestly didn't know any better. All they knew was what the Daily Prophet said. Though he couldn't help but be a little upset.

"I wouldn't call it a club. He had a few loyal friends. As for me," he paused. "I tend to keep to myself." James sighed and pulled at the frayed corner of his book. "I'm really nothing special, contrary to popular belief. I'm just me. But everyone thinks I'm someone else." Finishing with a sigh and a shrug, he moved to pick up his book again but stopped. "Anyway, I'm sorry but I can't remember your name. I'm no good with names, just faces, really. Yours I recognize."

[Chasity Atherton]

Chasity sat back in her seat, and flicked her fingernail. James didn't seem so bad, even if some of her friend didn't like him much. He didn't seem like much of a jerk. He said he didn't know her name, and that was no shock. "Chasity. Chasity Atherton. Slytherin House, of course you know." She leaned forward and studied his face for a moment, then asked, "Does your dad ever seem like he's disappointed? Because you aren't who he was?" It was a question that perhaps shouldn't have been asked, but she had to. "Do you ever wish you were who he was? That you were the Chosen One, or whatever they called him?" The thought of using this trip as a means to torment James Potter was long gone. She was now more interested in figuring him out.

[James Potter]

Now James remembered who she was: Chasity Atherton. She was a year below him, a Slytherin obviously. And now he knew that she was quite bold when talking to someone. As she continued talking, he was even more surprised at the words that came out of her mouth. Even though a part of him somewhat suspected her to ask.

"Does your dad ever seem like he's disappointed? Because you aren't who he was? Do you ever wish you were who he was? That you were the Chosen One, or whatever they called him?"

He had to take a couple breaths, thinking about all the things she asked him. "Umm..." he said awkwardly. "I hope he's not disappointed. I mean... " There was a pause. This was one thing that bothered him the most: worrying that he wasn't good enough for his dad. It made him very uncomfortable to talk about it with a stranger. "I can imagine he went through a lot when he was younger... Uh... I don't know if I could deal with it. I guess, um, I'm happy with what I am now. So... yeah. I hope he's okay with it. I dunno..."

[Chasity Atherton]

Chasity considered his response. He had only said that he hoped his dad wasn't disappointed. He didn't seem too terribly sure. Sort of how she always secretly hoped that her parents truly did love her, but she knew better. But then again, Harry Potter was supposed to be some purely good hero-type, right? Of course he loved his children, and was proud of them regardless of who they were or what they did.

The self doubt that was evident in James' voice puzzled Chasity immensely. A moment of suspicion crossed her mind. Maybe he was fishing for pity... But no, that didn't mesh well with what she'd picked up from him. "Hmm," was all she managed to get out, putting on a face that belied her thoughts. But then, if he really was so unsure of himself, didn't he only have to look at where the sorting hat had put him, for reassurance? Gryffindors were brave, and kind, and well, sometimes obnoxious, but also trustworthy, and good. Unlike Slythrins, who were cold, and calculating, and manipulative... Okay, so maybe there was a flaw in the sorting hat's logic.

After several minutes of silence, she turned her head back to look out the window. "Why do you have so little confidence in yourself? You sound like you aren't sure of... well, yourself." The sorting hat train of thought came back again. "I mean, really, if you're a Gryffindor, you'd have to be all... brave and true, and whatever. So you can't be too different from your father, right? Just that you don't have weird dark wizards hunting your every move."

She sounded jumbled even to herself, and figured he probably thought she was a freak. She was starting to sound nice, and that was bad for her image, so she threw in a callous, "Well, Gryffindors are pretty cookie-cutter, though. I've found that, as a general rule, you aren't too... interesting." Said in self defense, though it was flawed since everyone thought Slytherins were just evil and rude. She watched his expression for some sign of what he was thinking. He wasn't too hard to read, though.

[James Potter]

James stared at her blankly as she talked about this and that. He heard it often about his dad and himself being so different. She was, however, more of a deep digger when it came to find out what really made him tick. It was quite a heavy subject considering this was their first proper conversation.

"I don't know why I'm the way I am. I guess because people are so disappointed when they meet me and find out that I'm not a Quidditch super star, defense spell throwing, loud mouth, Gryffindor. Which I don't know why that would be appealing to someone but..."

He often wondered why he was sorted into Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw. His love of books and schoolwork greatly outshined his bravery. The one thing that was a profound Gryffindor trait of his was loyalty. James would stand by his family for anything, and he was sure that if he had close friends he would have stood by them too.

"You know, I've never really been in a situation that required a lot of bravery, so maybe I'll find out later in life why I'm in Gryffindor." he shrugged lazily. Sometimes he got really tired of explaining himself. He just wished he could live up to at least someone's expectations. As much as he wanted to be in a normal family, he wouldn't mind being known for something that he had done himself. Not for who his father was.

"Any more questions?" It came out a bit more harsh than intended. He didn't mean to be rude, it was all just frustrating to him. James sighed and stared out the window. The blurry trees only added more cloudyness to his mind. At first, things used to really upset him... things about his heritage. Now it just makes him numb and apathetic. And a bit frustrated.

[Chasity Atherton]

Chasity laughed self-consciously, then stopped suddenly.. "Sorry..." she mumbled. "I wasn't trying to be so nosy, I just don't get you. You aren't what people say you are. I've heard stories but they aren't... accurate, I suppose. I really wasn't trying to make you mad. I'll shut up now." She blushed, and tucked her arms under her crossed legs as she joined James in staring out the window. She wasn't good with talking to new people sometimes. And now she sounded like an idiot.

[James Potter]

"Sorry...I wasn't trying to be so nosy, I just don't get you. You aren't what people say you are. I've heard stories but they aren't... accurate, I suppose. I really wasn't trying to make you mad. I'll shut up now."

Well that wasn't what James expected to hear next. She sounded so deferential, opposite of her previous brazen words. He studied her for a minute, looking over her expression. Thoughts went through his brain that didn't quite make sense. Slytherins typically never backed down like that. Maybe he was over reacting though. But he was still surprised that she acted so courteous towards him all of a sudden.

"Its fine," he said plainly. James wasn't about to push the subject any further. He was actually glad that she decided to back down with the questions. It was starting to turn into an awkward silence, so James took a quick peak at his watch. He noticed that it was time to do a quick patrol through the train corridor. Usual prefect duties. "I've got to go and patrol," he said as he stood up. Before he left, James grabbed his school robes out of his trunk that was sitting in the over head rack. He planned on changing before returning to the compartment.

His hand paused on the door as a thought entered his mind. Chasity was a prefect too. Well, he thought she was. James wasn't sure if she had to patrol or not. So instead of making himself look stupid by asking, he decided just to leave.

The corridor was pretty much clear besides a few fourth years carrying on around the snack trolley. After James sorted out the scuffle, he made his way to the loo section of the train to change into his uniform. Once he changed, with his prefect badge pinned on, he started his patrol along the length of the train.

( OOC: Don't worry, he's coming back. )

[Chasity Atherton]

James replied that it was fine, but he didn't look convincing. She tried to convince herself that she didn't care, but she found that she was just lying to herself. She found herself doing that a lot lately. For some reason, Chasity wanted so badly to throw off the burdens of being the unwanted child, the typical Slytherin, the bossy pref--- She gasped and looked up. James was gone, and she remembered, he was a prefect too! And she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to patrol. "Crap! she cried out loud, to no one in particular as she headed out the door that her new acquaintance had walked through minutes before. She saw him briefly, in the middle of some younger students and the snacks, before she clenched her teeth together and walked by, not looking at him.

She didn't find anything particularly interesting, besides first years making a mess with their candy. There was a squished something on the floor that looked like a chocolate frog that had been stomped on. Well, that's one way to stop them, she thought silently while starting down at the kids. "Clean it up. And make it quick," she ordered, frowning. Finding nothing else of interest, she headed back to the compartment, wondering if she should even bother talking the older Gryffindor. What was the point anyway, he was probably still pissed off. "Whatever... she muttered under her breath as she slid open the door and slipped in to take her seat.

[James Potter]

The rest of James' patrol was rather boring to say the least. Most of the students were behaving themselves believe it or not. The only other problems he ran into were a few first years who managed to hex their friend's nose off. After James returned everything to normal, he started heading back to the compartment his things were in. Outside, he saw that it was getting dark. The train must be getting close to Hogwarts, maybe an hour or two away.

His steps slowed as he closed in on his compartment. He wasn't sure if Chasity was still in there. And he definitely wasn't sure what to say if she was. James adjusted his robes, an excuse to waste time, then opened up the door. Chasity was already in there, but she looked like she just arrived. Now that James thought of it, he may have seen the back of her head while patrolling. She most likely was a prefect, but he wasn't sure.

"You're a prefect too, arent you?" he asked simply. James avoided her eyes as he turned to put his neatly folded 'muggle clothes' into his trunk. Once that was settled, he sat down with a plop, which made his glasses skew a bit. He adjusted them on his face, then went to reach for his book again.

[Chasity Atherton]

She had taken her seat quickly and picked up her notebook, in which she was still attempting to create her own spell, but with less enthusiasm as before. Maybe just something fun, she thought. But Chasity's thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and James stepped back in, looking different with his school robes on.

She watched him put away his clothes and sit back down before replying, "Yes. Yes, I am." It was all she could not to blush, remembering that she had nearly forgotten. Not that it would have mattered much anyway, nothing had happened except the incident with the chocolate frog... "You are, as well?" she asked in return, knowing perfectly well that he was. "Since you had to patrol, I just assumed... Yeah."

For some reason, the boy across the compartment from her made her feel odd. Like she should be different around him than she was with people in her own House. Like maybe she could be who she wanted to be, rather than what was expected of her. It was making her feel "off".