~ROAC~ (incomplete)

"I like me better when I'm with you."

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Leaning against the wall as the train rocked rhythmically, Bell breathed in and out, slow and sure. They were almost there, just a stop at Hogsmeade Station, then the carriage ride up to the castle, and finally to the Great Hall, which would be filled with hundreds of voices as friends caught up after their summer break and professors greeted their best students in passing. The floating candles would alight the enchanted ceilings as they showed the storm outside without actively raining on those below. Familiar faces with familiar voices would cluster around and Bell would feel at home again.

"Bell?"

She startled, having been lost in thought, and saw Sirius holding the door for the other three boys to exit the compartment. Remus' robes looked immaculate, as usual; James, apparently having misremembered how to dress suitably, had his collared shirt missing a button at the top, his tie stuffed in his pants pockets, and his cloak's hood folded within itself; Peter, with his typical nervousness, was adjusting his perfectly-stiff collar; Sirius ran his hand through his wavy hair, his tie fastened incorrectly like always.

"Right." Stepping around her dark-haired friend, Bell reached forward and carefully adjusted his tie, shaking her head teasingly. "One of these days, you'll manage to do this correctly."

"I don't know, Angel, you do it so much better than me."

"Well one day, I won't be around to fix your ties, Sirius-" Bell paused as she stepped into the compartment. She didn't like to think about the days after their graduation from Hogwarts.

"And 'one day', Lily will go out with Snivellus. C'mon, Angel, we'll always have each other. Isn't that right?" James, Remus, and Peter all nodded, the first two smiling rather knowingly while the latter fidgeted with his sleeves and didn't look up, and Bell offered a small grin in return to their optimism.

"We'd better. Who knows what would happen to you fools if I wasn't here to offer a bit of reason."

"Ah, c'mon, Bell, I'm responsible-"

"James, you set Professor Slughorn's robes on fire when trying to levitate a vial of love potion to Lily during Potions. I still don't know how you managed that. If anyone here is 'responsible' other than me, it's Remus."

"Thank you."

"Gladly."

"Not me?" A toss of the hair and a wink that would make any girl swoon- well, any girl that didn't know Sirius as thoroughly as Bell did.

"Not in the slightest."

And with that, she slid the compartment door shut and Remus re-cast the cloaking charm. Humming as she dug her clothes out from her messenger bag and changed, she could faintly hear her friends discussing something in hushed tones out in the corridor, but she didn't pay any attention to their conversation. Sure, she was curious, but if it was important that she not hear, then she'd respect those wishes.

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Sirius ran his hand through his black locks, chuckling softly at Bell's words. What a wonder, she was. Remus waved his wand to give her suitable privacy, and Sirius' smile faded a bit at James' smirk. His messy-haired friend leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his knowing smile a little too wide for Sirius' liking.