We were getting too old and too big for this. It went uncommented on, but Marco and I exchanged a half exasperated, half amused look before I settled between his legs. He sat between Dixie and Thomas in the seats, opposite Graham who sat between Colin and Junia. As it was Junia's first time travelling on the Hogwarts Express, we had agreed to let her sit alone. She could have sat on Graham's lap, as she had done since a week after arriving in England in mid-July, but I was glad that the others had talked her out of it, despite Graham's eye-rolling. I was relieved not just for my sake, but for Dixie's, whose narrowed eyes had never once left her ex-boyfriend and our new friend.
Ewan sat diagonally opposite me on the floor, between Colin's legs. He gave me a quick wink as I caught his eyes. I grinned. Maybe it was good that we kept the tradition of sharing one compartment going.
We had spent the whole summer together, meeting every day to talk for hours about literature, plays and the upcoming school year, but it wasn't the same as being back at Hogwarts. I couldn't wait for the theatre season to start again. The Strawberry Handkerchief Troupe was the only thing we had explained in detail to Junia, who insisted on being surprised by Hogwarts.
I preferred to know what was coming and what to expect, but Junia was adventurous to say the least. I feared I would never know if this was a Castelobruxo thing or a Junia thing.
"I'm curious to see what Flitwick has in store for us this season." Graham spoke up, causing the others to pause their own little conversations and me to turn my attention to him instead of my daydreams.
"Me too, but I'm more curious about Junia's role," I spoke up, "I mean, she played the heroine in the summer, but will Flitwick be okay with our casting?"
Marco crossed his arms. "He'll have to, otherwise our dynamic won't work and since he's always typecasting us anyway..." he trailed off.
My best friend had always been the most outspoken of us -- rivaled only by Dixie and now Junia -- but I knew he wasn't the only one frustrated by the typecasting. It was hard to improve for me as well, when all I ever was was Graham's sidekick. It was more annoying for Dixie, who only functioned as a catalyst for us others, or Colin, who was a talented actor but never got the chance to play something besides the jokester.
"Our dynamic works," Graham disagreed, "We've been practising for years to finally get to this point."
"I agree with that, plus I like playing the fool." Thomas said, to which Dixie scoffed loudly.
"Didn't you tell me you wanted to play the lead at least once this year?" she jibed with a haughty look on her face. "You always agree with him."
She had taken to say 'him' instead of calling Graham by his name, since their breakup in late July. It amused him greatly, especially because it made the rest of us feel awkward.
When Dixie had first opened her mouth, I'd been glad she was finally talking again, but now I wished she'd just shut up. While this was still friendly banter I didn't like the implications here. Thomas should've been the one to tell Graham and not Dixie, who was still angry at Graham. This was a big deal.
"Is that so?" asked Graham, looking at Thomas and otherwise completely ignoring Dixie's presence.
"Well, yeah, but that does not contradict my statement. I like playing the fool. I'd just like to have more experience for when I apply at London Academy of Magical and Dramatic Arts."
It had been his dream since before we met. Mine too. Junia had told me that she wanted to attend a Portuguese muggle theatre school, whereas Colin and Graham wanted to try their luck in America after graduation. Ewan, Marco and Dixie weren't aiming for a career in acting. At least that's what they said now, but if there was one thing we were then, it was capricious. We often changed our minds three or four times before we finally made up our minds.
"Maybe you'll be lucky and we'll get a play I don't like," Graham said and we had to laugh at his humour. He liked every Shakespeare play. We all did. "You'd have big shoes to fill, my friend."
"You're the greatest of us all." Colin said jokingly, which made us laugh again as Graham bowed theatrically.
My smile faded, however, when I saw the scowl on Thomas' face. I patted his leg comfortingly and he gave me a small smile in response. Any trace of a scowl had disappeared and the conversation continued, even Dixie was enjoying herself again. But I remained worried. I had a feeling that this topic was far from over.
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Now, as I sat between Graham and Colin at the Ravenclaw table, I realised that this was indeed our last year. The year of change. NEWTs, the most challenging plays we hadn't been allowed to do yet and so much more. This would be the last time I could enjoy all the things that had made up my life for the last six years.
"Hey, Portia," Graham whispered to me, "You alright?"
"It doesn't feel real. I've just realised that this actually is going to be our last year."
He wrapped one of his muscular arms around my shoulder and pulled me a little closer to him. With a sigh, I leaned against him.
"We'll make it our best yet." he promised, when Junia entered the Great Hall, along with the first years.
I wasn't too worried about the Sorting. She fit in so incredibly well with us that it was hard to imagine her in a house other than Ravenclaw. Even if she did end up in another house, she would spend most of her time with us. After only a month and a half, she was already an integral part of the Strawberry Handkerchief Troupe. It was quite strange to think about because it felt like she had always been with us. Like I'd known her my whole life, if not longer.
The hat was placed on Junia's head first (whether it was because she was an exchange student or because her surname was 'Alves', I didn't know) and stayed there for at least three minutes.
At last the hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone at our table clapped loudly and Junia's smile lit up the whole room. She skipped over to us and squeezed in between Graham and me. Before I had a chance to give her more room, she put an arm around me and pulled me towards her, just like Graham had done before. This time, though, I had a fluttery feeling in my stomach.
