Another year gone ((Amelia))

[Jeremiah Baer]

With his bag hanging off one shoulder and his trunk under his other arm, Jeremiah made his way down the crowded corridors. He noticed many other students were sharing sad good-byes with their friends, their faces veiled in depression. Jeremiah wished he had close friends like that; friends that he was actually sad to see go. This wasn't the case however. He seemed to have spent another year goofing off, having fun on his own, all the while neglecting the time to do more important things like make friendships or improve in his studies. Shrugging, he knew there was nothing he could do about it now. He was just an independent person, and really didn't see a reason to change that. There were friends of his that he knew he could always have fun with, but they weren't the type he would be sad to see leave for the summer.

Nearing the Hogwarts Express, Jeremiah boarded and quickly found a compartment in the front of the train. It was still almost completely empty throughout, but he assumed it would fill rather quickly. They still had the ride home for good-byes, so he didn't understand the big commotion now. Hogwarts was a great place, but he knew that he would always be going back in a few months. Of course, when he did return the next time, it would be his last. The thought saddened him a bit, but quickly wore off. It would only be a matter of time after leaving Hogwarts that he would get used to whatever he decided to do next. He was good at accepting change, and he adapted quickly; a trait he prided himself in. It bothered him when others would complain about such small things when they were changed or different in any way. His motto was that survival was based on adaptation. The strong were those who could survive in any conditions.

Laying back on the empty bench, Jeremiah let out a large sigh and stared at the ceiling. He began to ponder what he might spend his time doing for the summer. He knew he should probably get a job. He had not saved up much money last summer because he was too busy spending it all to have fun. He wrinkled his nose a bit at the thought of work. He wasn't a lazy person, but just always wanted to have fun. Just as he was about to shut his eyes and take a possible nap before the departure from the castle, he heard someone outside. Not wanting to waste his energy to see who it was, he remained laying down, assuming it was only some 1st or 2nd year he didn't know.

[ames]

Why did people always seem to be so sad to leave Hogwarts for summer? Sure, it would be a few months before they'd see their friends again, but honestly!? If they really were so sad to see their friends go, they'd keep in touch! Now, Amelia understood the Seventh Years. They were leaving for good and that's always sad. Hogwarts was a very magical and wondrous place, Amelia always knew that. Being from a Muggle family, she had never even dreamed of a place like this. But, the tears and 'I'll miss you's always tired her.

She was all ready to go. Her trunk was packed, Misty was in her cage and Rebel was barking to go, her forked tail waging. Amelia loved her Crup puppy. Rebel looked like a Jack Russel Terrier, but with one little difference. Her forked tail. Now, the Ministry gave Amelia the choice to get the tail removed and formed into a Muggle Terrier tail, but Amelia said no. She wanted a magical dog, not a Muggle one. Besides, Rebel was the best puppy Amelia had ever had! With a sigh, Amelia looked around the common room with it's beautiful fireplace and wonderful decorated walls. She didn't want to leave and yet she did. She nodded, ready to leave. Her arm wrapped around Misty's cage, her hand grabbed hold of her trunk and she called to Rebel, who instantly barked that bark that meant "OK, coming!" Amelia smiled at the 1 year old puppy. Technically, Rebel was a full grown dog now, but to Amelia... she was still her little puppy.

once outside, Amelia looked back once at the castle and smiled. She would come back a changed woman and she would be the best Gryffindor the school had ever seen! She smiled bigger, a goal in mind, and set out toward Hogsmead station, Rebel trotting along beside her.

The train was just as glorious as ever. The scarlet train was huge, her smoke rising high above. There were a few students boarding the train already, but most were still at the school, getting ready to go and saying their goodbyes. Amelia started to board the train, but Rebel caught a scent of something and scampered away. It took Amelia a few moments to catch the dog, who panted and barked and licked her face. Amelia finally got onto the train, somehow carrying her trunk, Misty's cage and ushering Rebel to get on as well. Somehow, she succeeded and found herself, forehead sweating, in the small hallway that led down to the compartments. She had to call Rebel back to her once more before she found a compartment. She randomly picked one, rather close seeing as she had so much stuff to carry, and walked inside, well almost stumbling inside as Rebel ran under her feet.

There was a boy inside, laying on one of the seats. She yelled at Rebel as the dog jumped up onto the boy, trying to play with him. Amelia shut the compartment door, set down her trunk and Misty's cage and went to grab Rebel, but she stumbled over the bird's cage and nearly fell to the floor. She turned, put the owl's cage on the seat and put her trunk below the seat and then turned to get Rebel, who was now licking and barking at the boy's face.

"Rebel!" Amelia yelled, trying to call the dog off, "I'm so sorry," she said to the boy.

[Jeremiah Baer]

Much to his surprise, the person who was making all the noise outside of the compartment decided that they would join Jeremiah. Before even getting a chance to see who it was, he heard a small scampering sound and then let out a small grunt as something landed on his stomach. A bit startled, he looked down and saw a small pup pawing happily at his shirt. "Hey little fel..." he began, but was then distracted by a loud clanging sound. He looked up only to see a girl stumbling on a bird cage while calling for the dog. Her shouting indicated that the dog's name must have been Rebel, and as Jeremiah went to address the puppy it started licking at his face and barking playfully.

The girl, whom he now recognized as a fellow Gryff, apologized for Rebel's behavior. Sitting up, Jeremiah eased the dog onto his lap and started petting his head in an attempt to calm him down. "Oh no," he said with a smile, "no apologies needed here." He looked down at Rebel and rubbed behind his ears as most dogs liked. "I'm a fan of dogs," he explained. "However, I don't think I have ever seen one of this breed. That forked tail indicates that Rebel here isn't your ordinary muggle dog!" Jeremiah laughed a bit and set Rebel down on the floor to run around. He sure was fully of energy.

"Can I help you with anything?" he asked, noticing that the girl seemed to have a lot with her. "You're Amelia, right?" Jeremiah had a decent memory when it came to names, and it helped that she was in his house and from what he recalled, close to his year.

A few more people started to board the train, and Jeremiah watched for anyone he might recognize. For the most part, they were younger students. Walking in huddles, they seemed to always be together. He smiled a bit, thinking of himself at their age; always trying to entertain and socialize with the older kids. "Are you expecting anyone else?" he asked, nodding toward the group of Hufflepuffs that walked by. "Now that you are all settled, I would hate to make you move if you were planning on sitting with a group of friends, and I wouldn't want to be in the way." Jeremiah truly was trying to be considerate, but at the same time, he was checking because he really didn't feel like a lot of company at the moment. Amelia and Rebel were fine, but he wasn't sure he was in the mood for much more.

[ames]

Amelia sighed, her hands on her hip as Rebel barked her puppy bark at the boy. She couldn't help but giggle a bit when Rebel jumped back a bit on the boy's chest and then barked at him, her black ears perched high on her head. She smiled when the boy said it was alright and she sat down on the seat across from them. The boy then inquired what type of dog she was. Amelia smiled again, remembering the day she got the Crup puppy. It was her birthday and her mother had somehow slipped into Diagon Alley without Amelia's help, which was surprising considering Jay'Na was a Muggle, but she had boughten Amelia the puppy and Amelia had named her Rebel.

She laughed a bit, "No... no she's not a Muggle dog. She's a Crup. My mother bought her. I was very surprised that my mother got through Diagon Alley alone, considering she and my whole family are Muggles..." She laughed again, remembering the day Jay'Na brought Rebel home. "It's rather funny, really. Crups hate Muggles for some reason, maybe because they are Wizard created... but whatever. I live in an all Muggle household, so Rebel was a bit... nasty the first few months. And, because I'm the only witch in the house, she instantly loved me." She smiled at Rebel, who looked up and barked at Amelia, then continued to paw at the boy's face.

The boy was then kind enough to ask her if she needed any help. She smiled at him and shook her head, thanking him anyway. She looked at Misty, who sat in er cage looking muffled. She hooted at her a bit moodily and Amelia shushed her. She turned back to the boy and nodded when he asked if her name was Amelia.

"Yes, Amelia Richardson," She said, her smile friendly. She seemed to remember his name was Jeremiah, but she wasn't sure. For some reason, she didn't ask his name. Instead, she just sat back against the seat and called Rebel to her. The puppy finally looked up and jumped off the boy's chest and onto Amelia's lap.

"Good girl," Amelia said, scratching Rebel's head, who let her tongue fall out and she panted. Jeremiah said something and Amelia looked up. She listened to his question and comment and then shook her head.

"No... I'm not, really, expecting anyone. I usually stay to myself, which surprises most people, considering how friendly I am." She smiled at him once more and giggled as Rebel licked her chin.

"You know, I was meaning to ask. Isn't your name Jeremiah? I think I met a few times during classes, but I can't remember."

((OOC: sorry, I had to modify my posts... I accidentally used the wrong name for her owl. Chocolate Chip was an old name I used a long time ago for an owl... but ya. Amelia's owl is a girl and her name is Misty lol))

[Jeremiah Baer]

"Ah, a crup," he said, referring to the breed that Amelia had mentioned. Jeremiah thought he may have heard the name before, but wasn't too familiar with it. "So she was a gift from your mother," he restated, "something my muggle father would never take the time or effort to do," he finished, rolling his eyes. "My mom was a witch," he explained, "but other than myself and her, nobody else that I am related to knows magic. She's gone now though," he said, no hint of sadness in his voice. This was something he had gotten over long ago. The thought of it didn't affect him anymore. "When I got my letter from Hogwarts, it was hard at first. My dad didn't really like the idea that I was like mom. Don't know if it was because it reminded him of her or what, but he got over it eventually. We get along alright now, however I wouldn't go as far to call our relationship good, but you know what I mean." He stopped, realizing he was starting to babble. He hated doing it, for fear of boring the other person to death.

"Anyways, I guess we don't really have to talk about that," he said, wanting to change the subject before coming off as one of those people who thought it ok to dominate the conversation. "So you aren't expecting anyone then. I guess that means we will have the compartment to ourselves then hopefully," he added with a smile.

"Has been and will be forever," he joked in response to her last question. "Yeah, I do believe we may have had a few classes together, but I'll admit my attention span in class is most likely below par," he said with a sheepish grin. "I'm not proud to say that, when in class, I usually would rather be somewhere else, but at least I'm not afraid to admit it."

A few more students piled into the Express, as Jeremiah felt a numb emptiness in his stomach. Realizing his hunger, he reached below his seat and rummaged through his bag. Pulling out a pack of licorice wands, he held one out toward Amelia. "Want one," he asked, taking a bite of one himself.

[ames]

Amelia took on a serious expression when Jeremiah started to talk about his family, hinting at his mother leaving. Her cuiosity bubbled and she wanted to know more, but at the same time felt uncomfortable. Wow, this boy sure was open with new people. Amelia nodded gravely as he spoke about his mother in a resigned yet emotionless voice. Amelia looked down at Rebel, who also took a look of seriousness. When he started about his father and him having a bad, yet somewhat ok relationship, Amelia felt very uncomfortable. Her and her family always got along quite well. She was the good girl while her sister partied all night. She bit her lip, waiting for an opening to change the subject, but Jeremiah did it himself. She just smiled, hiding her previous uncomfortbleness.

She nodded, smiling, when he assured her his name was Jeremiah. Good she thought, I was right! She laughed at his comment about not being "all there" during classes.

"Isn't that the truth?" she said the Muggle saying laughing. A few more people were boarding the train, the hallway outside the compartment sounded busy with voices now. Jeremiah must have found himself hungry because soon he was rumaging through his bag and pulled out some licorice wands and offered her one. She smiled a thank you and took one.

"Thanks!" She said taking a small bite.

[Jeremiah Baer]

By the look on her face, Jeremiah could tell that his ramble about his mom and dad were enough to make Amelia uncomfortable. Happy that he stopped talking about the topic, he was glad that she agreed to have one of his licorice wands.

His mouth still full, Jeremiah quickly veered into another area of conversation, for he hated awkward silences. "So..." he paused to swallow, "ready for summer to begin?" He could hardly imagine someone who wasn't ready for a break, but there were those, like the ones still in the castle holding up their departure from Hogsmeade stations, that were less than thrilled to be leaving the castle. If it weren't for the classes, Jeremiah might have had a more difficult time leaving the castle, but all the homework and studying was enough for him to eagerly say farewell for the break.

Standing up, he walked to the door before allowing Amelia to answer. He opened the compartment and looked both ways down the corridor. The train was filling nicely, and he assumed they would probably depart soon. Smiling, he turned back and raised his brow. "Should be any minute now," he said excitedly.

[ames]

Amelia munched on her licorice wand happily. It was nice being here, the sounds of going home always put a smile on her face. She laughed as Rebel tried as hard as she could to get a piece of the licorice, but Amelia held it out of her reach. She laughed and told Rebel no, but the dog was too determined. Her little eyes narrowed, she crouched, her little tail wagged with concentration and she suddenly leaped into the air from Amelia's lap. Amelia didn't try to keep the wand away from the dog, she just laughed, watching as Rebel caught it in her mouth. Amelia let her have it, shaking her head and laughing still. As Rebel munched happily on her newly acquired treat, Jeremiah asked if Amelia was happy for summer. She shrugged and was about to answer, but he stood and looked out of the compartment.

She waited until he sat down again until she smiled and began talking. "Well, uh. I suppose anyone's happy to be going home for summer. I'm happy to be away from the homework and everything. Plus, I'm not like those other girls who have boyfriends they are completely obsessed over, so I don't have anyone to miss..."

[Jeremiah Baer]

As Rebel managed to snatch the wand from Amelia, Jeremiah laughed. He would have offered the crup a piece of the licorice, but he didn't want to tempt her had Amelia not wanted her to eat any. He wasn't sure about non-muggle dogs, but he knew that most breeds of dogs could eat almost anything but chocolate without getting sick.

Upon answering his question, Jeremiah gave her an 'I know what you mean' kind of look. "Seriously," he blurted, "who needs all that extra work when you can have free time to just relax and have fun." Her last part of the answer made him chuckle even more. "You won't believe what I saw the other day," he said, looking behind him at the window to make sure nobody he was talking about was behind him. "There was thing younger girl, probably second or third year, and she was walking two similar aged boys down the corridor. I couldn't help but listen, and you wouldn't believe what she was telling them. Apparently, she couldn't decide between the two, so she explained to them that whoever sent her the most gifts over summer break would be the one she chose as her boyfriend." Finishing with a small laugh, Jeremiah just shook his head in disbelief. "I don't understand it sometimes. I'd like to think I was a lot smarter than that when I was that age!"

"Another wand?" he asked. "Since Rebel is obviously enjoying yours." He smiled and looked down at the pup. "No, I don't mean another for you," he teased.

[ames]

Amelia nodded, listening, as Jeremiah agreed with her statement about homework. As he continued with a story about a girl and two boys, Amelia smiled and listened, her hand lightly stroking Rebel's soft white fur. She finished the licorice wand and sat on her haunches, licking her muzzle and panting. Amelia shook her head when Jeremiah finished and laughed a bit. That was typical. There were certain "weapons" girls can use and they have nothing to do with one's physical being. No. In Amelia's opinion, certain girls have better mental abilities than those they persue. Girls can use mind tricks and schemery, anything to get what they want and most do.

She smiled at him again and looked down at Rebel who returned the look with a long pink tongue hanging out on one side. Jeremiah offered her another one and Amelia declined. She smiled and shook her head, saying "no thank you" and laughed a bit when he teased Rebel. Rebel whined and barked, her tail wagging.