The sound of the train's horn pierced through the area. It signaled the beginning of a new year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. September 1st 1981 is a turning point for many who now find themselves upon the the Hogwarts train leaving from Platform 9 and 3/4. A new
world has opened up to many, while a world in which the sky's the limit is laid before others.
It would take almost the whole day to get to Hogwarts, arriving just before dinner. For those returning to Hogwarts it would seem like any other year, but for the first years this was something new, amazing, and nerve wrecking! The soft sound of the train gave a calming effect over the cars that had been set aside for the first years. Now that the train was going, it would be the best idea to find a cabin.
Kenneth walked through the cars, eventually finding an empty cabin in the middle of the train. He set his trunk up on the rack - only struggling a little bit with it - then sat down to stare out the window at the English countryside as they passed by.
He couldn't believe it - he was going to Hogwarts! His mother had mentioned it before and told him a little bit of her time there, but since she was what they called a Muggle-Born, he hadn't been sure if he would get in. He was looking forward to learning to fly, and he'd read through the entire Standard Book of Spells, Level 1. He was pretty sure he could figure out how to cast a few of them, but his mom had been quite strict about not letting him try while he was at home.
Now he was on his way, and he was excited to begin!
A thin, small girl struggled with her trunk as she pulled it along the floor of the train car. The attendant of Platform 9 3/4 had been kind enough to help her onto the train with it, but now it was left to her to drag it along to a cabin. Honestly it would have likely been easier for her if she didn't have a large book tucked under her left arm and a cat, not much older than a kitten, almost immediately behind her feet.
At one point Anora finally lost the her grip on the trunk and fell back against the walk way rug. The cat that had been behind her dashed into and open cabin and landed upon the only person in there at the time, Kenneth. The girl scrambled to her feet and looked into the cabin she had noticed the cat run into. "Hecate!! I'm so sorry! Are you okay- Oh. Hello." The girl said, nervously at the end. "I'm sorry about that..." Anora added awkwardly as she figured he had seen the whole thing.
The girl was already dressed in the Hogwarts school uniform and robes, which was a little odd because there was still plenty of time before they got to the school. "Would you... I mean do you mind?" Anora softly asked as she pointed to the empty side of the cabin.
The smell of smoke and the din of the jostling crowd filled the air as he broke through the barrier and on to Platform 9 and 3/4. He stood there stunned for a full minute, before he was shoved rudely to the left and down, to crash on to his knees painfully. He blinked back tears as he stared up at the offending party, a cart, much like his own, stocked with trunks and a cat crate, instead of his owl cage.
"S-sorry.." he muttered as he pushed up to his feet slowly. "I didn't mean..." He cut off as the woman who had been pushing the cart looked at him with pity.
"That is quite alright boy. I hope I did not hurt you too badly, but you really ought not stand right there, no one will be able to see you when they come through. You aren't alone are you? Best find your parents. Mind yourself!"
He nodded numbly before grabbing his trolly and pushing it towards the train, ignoring his cut hands and knees and focusing instead on the womans words, 'You aren't alone are you?'.
Truth was he was alone. Oh he had parents but his Father was in France researching a book about Joan of Arc and his Mother was at a conference with the Head of the Quidditch World Cup, selling them on her new Broom design. They had sort of seemed to just forget that today was his first day at Hogwarts so he didn't mention it. He knew how to get the Night Bus and he had some money saved so he just packed up his own case and away he went.
Ciaran was used to having to do things alone so this was just another day for him. He busied himself with running through a mental checklist, counting off his supplies and other necessities he had packed, as he began to drag his trunk and the huge Owl cage down the train, stopping to stare in to compartments, before hurrying on.
As he came to the middle of the train he peeked in to a compartment with a lone boy sitting inside, a boy around his own age. Pushing open the door, he stuck his head in and smiled, before speaking.
"Mind if I join you? Everywhere else is full up!"
That wasn't entirely true, there had been a space in another compartment, it had just been filled with Fourth year girls and they almost looked fit to kill him, when he had opened the door.
He pulled the large owl cage beside him as he waited for his answer. The cage was empty right now, Goliath was busy with a pair of letters to his parents, informing them of his trip to Hogwarts. He must have looked quite strange, a pudgy red haired kid carrying a cage almost as big as he was, while dragging a trunk twice his size.
Greg made his way through the train, his brain still a bit scattered by the strangeness of the situation. While his time purchasing what he had needed for the year had shown him enough magic, it was as if this final trip was the nail in the coffin for whatever world he left behind.
Seeing a cabin filled with three, Greg makes his way into it without a second thought. "Sorry, most of the other cabins are full, or have a bunch of older students. Do you mind if I sit here, instead?" Without waiting much for an answer, Greg takes a seat.
"I'm Greg. Greg Douglas-Fir. What's your name?" Greg asks, turning to Kenneth.
Mother helped her into the station wearing her own face, though with a hat and sunglasses to provide the barest excuse at cover. Since they were in the muggle part of the station, she could be Laluna Orpington in public. There were some gasps and double-takes, but the secrecy laws kept anybody from doing too much to draw attention to themselves. Still, she made little nods and winks to the wizarding theatre fans in the crowd.
"Now Isabella, I'm sure you are going to have a wonderful time at school. There will always be people trying to bring you down, so don't let them get to you. Just be your amazing self and shine. Love always."
Izzy hugged her and set off alone through the wall to Platform 9 3/4. Once on the other side, she pulled the scarf off her head and shook out her long hair. She had spent all night doing her hair for the first day of school. On her left it was red and blonde in front, black and blonde in back. On the right, green and black in front, blue and blonde in the rear.
Her mother had put a featherweight charm on her trunk, so it would be easy to get into place. It would be expired by the time they got to the school, but she hoped to have made a new friend or two by then.
Now to find out which compartment held her new friends...
Kenneth's gaze out the train windows is broken by the sound of a trunk smacking the floor outside and a kitten suddenly leaping into his lap. Looking towards the girl in the doorway, scolding the cat, he said, "Oh, that's quite alright. It's not a problem. Feel free - I'm the only one in here so far. Do you need help with your trunk?" Kenneth moved to help the girl get her trunk up onto the luggage rack, then once it was secure, sat back down. "I'm Kenneth Williamson, by the way - you can call me Ken, though."
Having introduced himself to the girl, another boy came over to the. A little pudgy with vibrant red hair and an Irish brogue. He said, "Of course not, I've got space. Kenneth Williamson - you can call me Ken. It's my first year - I'm guessing the same for you? Do you want help getting your trunk stowed?"
Ken is a bit nonplussed by the new boy's entrance - it was generally polite to wait for an answer after all. Still, they had space, and he suspected that they and the others would have said yes, anyway. "Sure, have a seat. Kenneth Williamson - call me Ken. Your first year too?" He extended his hand to shake the other boys. Remember, don't make assumptions about people based on your initial reaction - if he's a first year, he's probably just as nervous as you are.
Looking out the doorway at the corridor, he saw another girl who appeared to have coloured her hair in the Hogwarts House colours. Her trunk was floating behind her, so he guessed that she had at least one magical parent, if not two. She seemed to be looking for a place to sit, so he asked her, "Do you need a place to sit? We have a little room."
Ciaran began to blush as he realised he had missed the young woman sitting in the compartment too. He nodded at her before answering Kenneth. "No no it is okay. I can get the Trunk. And yes I am a first year, yes. Good eye. I am Ciaran. Nice to meet you Ken." he grinned broadly and dropped the Cage before offering the man his hand to shake.
When they had shook quite awkwardly, Ciaran began to drag his stuff in to the compartment. Struggling but far too stubborn to ask for help, he managed to get his gear stowed beside Anoras, before flopping down in to his seat. He sighed for a moment before starting and jolting upright, offering Anora a small nod of the head and a hand to shake before beginning to speak.
"Forgive me, I never caught your na.." He was cut off mid sentence another boy burst in to the compartment. 'Greg Douglas-Fir. That is an interesting name. I wonder if it is meant to be after the tree or is it just happenstance...' he mused quietly to himself as he watched the others interact.
He still intended to introduce himself to Anora properly but there was too much hustle and bustle so he settled down to await everything calming down. As he sat back he pulled his wand from his pocket, followed by a small notebook and a pencil. He set the want beside him, on the windowsill and tilted it slightly, admiring how the polish shined in the light. He stared at it for a minute, before he began to sketch it in his notebook and began to take some notes.
"Oh! Yes thank you so much!" Anora said with a smile as Kenneth helped her get her trunk put away. Swiftly she retrieve the large book from the floor before taking her seat. Now it was easily seen what book they girl had kept out. It wasn't a Hogwarts School book, but a tomb on wands called Wands: Woods, Cores, and inches She settles in closer to the door so that Kenneth could have his space. "I'm Anora Evans. Some of my friends called me Nor when I was younger if you'd like to use that."
When the next person came along Anora nearly jumped out of her seat. Hecate, who had tried to settled down beside her human, lept into Anora's lap as to not be sat upon by the young Irish boy. It seemed like he hadn't even noticed her, but that wasn't anything new to Anora. When he began to apologize for it another boy enter the cabin.
This boy now walked in like he owned the place. Confidence rolled off him like nervousness rolled off Anora. "I-I'm Anora.... Anora Evans." the young witch said as she then cleared her throat.
Finally when Ken offered another student, a young girl much like herself, Anora smiled more and scooted closer to Ciaran, the young Irish boy she did not yet know, and patted the side of the seat she had just been on for their newest member. "I'm small, so we can all fit." She told her.
However the soft spoken Welsh girl livened up a bit when Ciaran set his want out. "You got a Breech wood I see!"
H.B. smiled and gave his younger sister a wave. "Ditya, take care of Ama and Baba for me, eh? They're getting so elderly, you know," he laughed. "Hem-daii, party in your old room with Ama and Baba is my first order of business," said his sister with a wink. The two siblings took turns poking at each other while their parents, looking dapper in military off duty garb, rolled their eyes. "All right now, fun's over, H.B.," said Baba. "Give your ancient father and mother your filial embrace." Their Scots accent was slight, due to a great deal of globe trotting and some station time in England, but it was obvious to anyone who swirled around the family that this was Captain Gurung--and Captain Gurung, his wife, or sometimes the other way around, depending on who was being honoured-- of the SMT (Sudden Magical Threats) Gurkhas. Jaunty hats, crisp uniforms, and a kukri at their belts confirmed their ensemble.
H.B. did not share their attire, of course, clad in reasonable traveling clothes, his robes tucked away in an enormous rolling trunk that smelled like incense and was embossed with Sanskrit runes, containing his books, wand, a full set of Highland pipes for Colour Guard, his vastly preferred gaida, a Bulgarian bagpipe, and a few bansuris thrown in for good measure. He sighed, thinking of them and how he'd probably be busy with his nose in a book most of the time.
He gave them their requested hugs, bending down a little for Ditya, and straightened, a lanky, handsome boy with a coiffed shock of black hair. "And here's Baja," said Ama, handing him a his brown flecked buzzard, outfitted with jesses, a portable perch, and blinds. "You did pack an extra gauntlet?" . "Yes, Mum, always. Well, I really must..." . He waved to them all, held Baja steady with one hand, and rolled his trunk through the column to 9 3/4.
Once on the platform, he cursed softly. Ugh, everyone's practically boarded, he thought. Mum had to fuss for so long. . He hopped on the train as fast as he could, excusing himself with each little bump. First compartment--no, not a bunch of upper classmen already looking at their O.W.L.s requirements. Second--hmm, no, full up with half a Quidditch forward special team. He trundled through the car, a little worried. Each compartment was full. He moved on to the next car.
The whistle blew. "Ugh!" he repeated, this time openly, and caught the eye of a disapproving bunch of third years from Ravenclaw. Fine, he thought, onward, and found himself at the last compartment of the second car. He peeked in--bunch of young folks like himself, a few girls, a stout fellow with red hair and did that girl have coloured hair? "Guid mornin," he said, his brogue slipping out, "Got room for a fella and his buzzard?" He held up Baja in one hand, giving a disarming smile.
Ciaran brightened up and turned to Anora, picking up the wand and holding it out before him for her to admire, pointing up at the ceiling, not at her as he nodded. "Yes! Beech wood, Erumpent Hair core, 12 and a half inches. Mister Ollivander said it is a good wood for Crafting. Which makes sense. My ma would be proud. If she was around when I got it..." he trailed off with a slight frown before smiling at Anora.
"I'm Ciaran, Ciaran Loughlin. Nice to meet you!"
When the new person joined them Ciaran moved over again, shouldering right up to the window to make as much room as possible.
"That bird is so cool! Where does it come from?" he asked, unable to contain himself.
Kenneth turned to the Scottish boy who'd just arrived. "Of course, I think we can fit you. Do you need help stowing your trunk? Erm, that buzzard isn't gonna peck at any of us, is he?"
Kenneth ran a hand through his short brown hair, brown eyes looking over the compartment. Wow, is this an eclectic group. I'm gonna have to write mom about this - fortunately, Hogwarts has owls students can use. I should really try and talk mom into getting me one for my birthday...
Seeing a couple of the students turn their attention to their wands, Kenneth smiles and pulls his out. "I haven't had much of a chance to use it - mom works in the Department of Experimental Charms, so she was pretty keen on not letting me do much magic before getting to school. I've read through most of the spells in the book, though - I think I could figure out a few of them myself. 12 inches, hawthorne and augery feather, fairly flexible. Mr. Ollivander said hawthorne wood was good for casting warding spells - although I rather suspect we won't be learning those any time soon, so I won't get to see what it can really do."
When Ken took out his own wand Ciaran pulled open his notebook and began to sketch it with a quick hand, taking in the details and making a few notes, nodding along to what Ken was saying.
"Aye I haven't got much call to use mine yet either. Beautiful wand though. I can not wait till we get to Charms.."
"Nae, he doesn't peck," said H.B. with a laugh. "Wasn't that in some Muggle moving picture this year? Baja, be good," he said, setting the buzzard down in the above-headrest shelf and hoisting his trunk to storage. "Trunk's fine, thank you--oof, ahem, there, fine," he said, struggling a bit. "I'm Hem," shaking the brown haired student's hand, "Everybody calls me H.B."
He found a spot near Ciaran and Kenneth. "Glad tae meet ye, Ciaran. Baja is a Himalayan buzzard," he said easily, neither shy nor boastful of his animal companion. "I still have family in Nepal, not to mention when the SMT needs to go deal with a yeti outbreak or the like, so we picked him up for me this year. He's a beaut," he concluded, stroking the raptor's nape. "Eagles and hawks are used to hunt in Mongolia and the like, but this fellow's rather spoiled. Hardly ever works for his supper," he said, laughing again. "I take it from our various expressions of fear and excitement that we are all first years?"
Anora dug her wand out of her robes and held it up. "Sycamore wood, Phoenix Feather core, twelve and a half inches as well!" Anora said as she needed with delight. "Mr. Ollivander told me that this wood goes wonderfully with tranfiguration spells. But that I should be very careful." She said with a nod. "Some about it sparking...." She muttered. Though she turned her attention to Kenneth's wand when he spoke up as well. "But by then you should have some faith from your wand right? So you'll do extra well!"
Though she kept her wand in her left hand and settled back into the seat she gave a smile to the newest member asking to join. "Come on in. That is a nice bird! Oh, this is Hecate by the way!" She told everyone as she looked down at the cat that had finally laid down on her lap. "I'd always wanted a Cat, and with me going away to school and all. Oh! That reminds me, she made me cookies do you all want some?"
H.B.'s eyes darted from wand to wand with some envy. "My folks are rather strict about the D.R.R.U.S," he said with a faint smile. "I haven't even unwrapped my wand."
Ciaran grinned and nodded up at the oversized cage crammed in to a corner on the rack above. "Goliath is out delivering some letters to me ma and Da but he will meet us at the castle. He is a Blakiston Fish Owl. Me Da found him on his travels when he was a little chick and brought him home for me. No one knew he would grow to be big enough to carry a Terrier one day. He is useless though. Great flyer but a big softie!"
When Anora brought out her wand Ciaran stared in awe for a minute. "Phoenix feather? Cooool!" he turned to a new page and began to sketch the wand with extreme care; writing the word Phoenix feather and circlingcit excitedly. "Phoenix feather is meant to be really powerful, or so they say!"
“Get him!” a female voice shouted echoing down the corridor.
A dark haired boy bumps into Isabella as he looks back at his pursuers. The minor collision was enough to cause the boy to lose his balance and tumble to the floor, before he could find his feet he was set upon by a girl, likely around 14 or 15, and she began to beat him with a shoe as a chorus of laughter erupted from behind her, a group of older boys and girls gathered to watch the spectacle. Once she felt the young boy learned his lesson she and her compatriots returned to their cabins.
Still on the floor the boy laughs, the beating was mostly playful in nature. “I feel I was set up…” he said to no one in particular. He notices the girl he bumped into, “My apologies, I should have been watching where I was going, I am Dragoslav, you are?” extending his had still chuckling.
"My parents didn't know what to think!" Anora said with a smile. "You should have heard my mother asking question to Mr Ollivander. I thought his head was going to pop off! 'Should we lock it up?' She asked, 'Should she be allow to try spells before going?' Lucky for me the books we got had a few answers and I learned a couple of spells." She told them. When Ciaran seemed excited over her wand core Anora just blushed brightly and smile. "That is what I was told... I only hope to live up to it." Though she then turned and looked at HB again and said "We're on the train now, why not get your wand out now?"
When the ruckus outside of their cabin sprang up Anora just leaned foreword a bit to see what was going on. "Um... I-I don't think that's allowed...shouldn't we tell someone?" She asked. However when the boy got up pretty much fine she relaxed a bit. "Are you okay?" She called from the cabin.
A quiet unsure lad made his way through the train. He wasn't too remarkable compared to others his age. He was shorter at least by a few inches to most, though he was fairly muscular. His long black hair, straight but pulled back in a pony tail was clean and well kept, though there were a few odd hairs that seemed to always fall out of his pony tail to trail into his face.
He was already wearing his robes, but mismatched socks could be seen poking out at times when the hem of the robes hiked up too much. It seemed he had a small growth spurt after having gotten all his things. Thankfully, his parents had already helped him stow away his luggage when they arrived early to the train. A large black cat named Beast rode the boy's shoulders, lazily cleaning one of it's enormous paws.
He had an aura about him that made him seem personable and friendly despite a bit of a case of resting a$+%~&~! face. He looked about from cabin to cabin, looking for an empty spot. He'd passed a few cabins already with empty spaces but something about them didn't meet his criteria. He yawned softly, he hadn't slept well with the excitement and dread of the new world he was about to enter.
He poked his head in on a fairly full cabin. He paused looking over the cabin a bit before speaking or responding to anyone who answered.
Seeing everyone take out their pets, Greg jumped up with a shock. "Kermit!" He opened up his suitcase, bringing out a particularly large-looking toad. "Sorry about that." He said, placing Kermit into his lap.
On the topic of wands, Greg pulled out his own. "The man running the store said mine was, er, Hawthorn and Flooper - no, Fwooper Feather. It's a little too large for my tastes. Do we have to carry these around everywhere?"
Hearing the commotion, Greg looked a bit nervous. "Gosh, I don't suppose there are fights at this school, are there?"
"Yes, I am very much okay, the thumping was deserved. Some older boys dared me to go into the girls cabin and sit between the one that tackled me and her friend and put my arms around them. Again pretty sure it was a set up, and as you can see it didn't go well for me. Ha."
Kenneth nodded at Hem's answer, and introduced himself to the boy in kind. "It looks like we're a cabin full of first years. What does D.R.R.U.S mean? I don't think I'm familiar with that acronym. What's it like having parents in the SMT? Mum rarely mentioned them, but she said they go all over the world."
At Anora's offer, Ken says, "Sure, I'll take one. What kind are they?"
At more commotion coming from the hallway outside, Ken looked at Anora's reaction, then said, "I'm not sure who we should tell. I'm not sure what was going on, either."
Ken raises an eyebrow at the beaten boy's explanation. "Pardon, but if that's what the dare was, I can honestly say that not only was it a deserved thumping, but you had to have known that would be the outcome. Your lucky it was just a shoe and not something worse like a Bat-Bogey Hex. What year are you?"
As he asked, he saw another boy come up and poke his head into the cabin. "Pardon, but are you looking for someone in particular?"
Ciaran looked around the 6 man Cabin and did a quick headcount, before standing up and offering Isabella his seat, before he moved to take a seat on the ground. "Come on cram on in everyone and close the door. We don't need those older kids coming back. They might curse us all next!"
Annoyed by the attempted chiding, "Yes, as I said it was deserved, and two worse things in life than snot on the face. Anyways, I am first year, you?"
Noticing the presences of two cats, a frog, a bird, and an empty cage, "Did you all bring your pets?"
"Don't worry, Ciarin, I doubt they'll be coming back just to harass us." Looking at the beaten boy, he says, "First year as well. Kenneth Williamson - you can call me Ken." He extends a hand to the boy.
"Oh I'm not too worried Ken. Just would hate to scare the Kitten and the toad is all!" Ciaran grinned as he leaned forward and began to examine Kermit.
"What kind of Toad is Kermit? Me Da says that the Witchdoctors of some of the wilder tribes of the world lick Toads as part of their Spirit Quests. Is Kermit a lockable toad?" Ciaran began to sketch the toad before looking up at the boy who held him, waiting for his answers.
H.B. looked about the cabin, counting seats. "Did...did this cabin just expand? Huh, you'd think all the full ones would have done so..."
He turned to Ken. "Sorry, military thing, every phrase under the sun is an acronym on base. You know it as Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. In other words, 'H.B. no touching the wand until within the gates of Hogwarts,'" he says, imitating his mother with a chuckle and smiling at Anora. "We'll see how daring I get after a few chocolate frogs."
"Dragoslav, gae ta meet you," he said, "And c'mon then, you other kid," to the waiting Vincent. "Dragoslav--is that Yugoslavian or Bulgarian? I play the Bulgarian pipes. Oh, and Ken, it's crazy. One month they're dealing with a Yeti outbreak, the next it's a tatzlwurm nest in the Alps. And there's plenty of local exercises--the Highlands are filled with redcaps, loch monsters and the like. I never got into the magical creatures bit, but dealing with unscrupulous wizards, that's intriguing." He winks. "The most dangerous prey."
Shaking Ken's hand, "Is nice to meet you, Ken. I am Dragoslav."
Looking at Ciaran and H.B., "Thank you for the offer to join you, but before I made a fool of myself I stored my belongings in another cabin, it was unoccupied at the time and may still be." Dragoslav quidkly counts under his breath but loud enough that he is heard, "There appears to be eight of us and cabins normally set six, plus all of our things so I think I will head to the other cabin. If you two would like to join me at the very least we could store belongings in it and bounce back and forth as we talk and get to know each other. I think its at the end of this car."
Ciaran stands up slowly and stretches, cracking his neck. "Aye good idea. I'll grab my stuff and we can store it in the other compartment, make some room!" He grinned at Dragoslave.
"Lead on!"
Vincent seemed to finally be alright with his choice and nodded. "It's Vincent, Vincent Wallace." he offered, his Scottish heritage showing despite the black hair.
He raised a brow at the fact that they hadn't had their things stowed before the train had started moving. He shook his head, not everyone was punctual and not everyone was used to this world. "I showed up early and had my parents help me stow my luggage. Since it will be brought up later by someone else, I didn't see the need to have it near me. Especially since I went ahead and changed clothes when we got on the other side of platform."
He found himself a seat, which was when Beast jumped from his shoulders and down onto an empty seat on the other side. He shook his head, he was certain he'd end up with him in his lap at some point but for now, it was nice to get the almost two stones cat off his shoulders. He rubbed them a bit as he looked at everyone guessing their heritage by how they acted.
"How was your summer? I assume some of you were surprised over it with their letters? How have you been transitioning?" he asked as he leaned forwards and propped his chin on his palms in a studying manner, using his elbows to hold himself up.
Kenneth glances up to the overhead rack where he had stored his trunk already, in a secure place. "I'll keep my trunk where it is - more convenient for me that way. Nice to meet you, Vincent. Kenneth Williamson - Ken for short. My summer was pretty good. I wasn't surprised - my mum went to Hogwarts, and I've shown signs of having some magical ability before. Still, I've had to learn a lot about the magical world over the past couple of years - I was aware of it, but my parents didn't tell me much. I think it was because of You-Know-Who. It hasn't been a terrible transition, but it definitely required some figuring things out. What about you? How was your summer?"
Ken wasn't sure if he liked the newcomer or not - he was having a hard time getting a feel for his personality. He seemed alright, but there was a self-assurance to him that was...off-putting.
After getting invited into the compartment and then nearly knocked for a loop she found herself a bit tongue-tied. Her immediate reaction is to reach into her pocket and pull out a toad. Through it's reddish skin you could see it's muscles and organs. "Oh, Shakespeare! it's okay, just a bit of bumping." as she soothes the toad, it begins to change from red to orange to yellow. Obviously a stained-glass toad.
She pokes Dragoslav. Not hard, but enough to get his attention. "You almost crushed my toad! But you can make it up to him by getting some Bott's Beans when the candy witch comes by. He can smell the ones that taste like bugs. They always calm him down." She seems a little alarmed, but not seriously angry.
She sits in the seta originally offered to her, shielding her toad. "I'm Isabella Orpington-Belushi."
"What kind of Toad is Kermit? Me Da says that the Witchdoctors of some of the wilder tribes of the world lick Toads as part of their Spirit Quests. Is Kermit a lockable toad?" Ciaran began to sketch the toad before looking up at the boy who held him, waiting for his answers.
"Oh! Well, um, I believe so. Though I don't think it would bring you on a Spirit Quest, whatever that is. I can't imagine it would taste very good either. But, yes, technically lickable." Kermit shuffled on Greg's lap, apparently not comfortable with the prospect of being licked.
Greg smiled at Vincent, finding an odd comfort with him. "It's been quite a jarring time between the letter and now. I didn't expect it to come to my home by owl. Boy, that gave my mother a fright. But now, here I am!"
"Hmm...my parents were a little worried but happy about the letter. They went to Sherubtse School--ah, that's in Bhutan--so they knew it would be quite different for me. But that's Britain, hey?" . He turned to Vincent with a smile. "Er ye Weegie? Ta, mate, absolutely buzzin for a hoose sartin!"
Vicent smiled politely "Nay, tha mi à Dùn Èideann. Chan eil mo mhàthair mar dhùthchas Albannach ach bha mi math." he said in return.
Nay, I'm from Edinburgh. My mum isn't native Scottish but me da was.
Vincent turned to the others "Everyone feeling excited, like this one?" he asked, giving a nod to H.B. "I'm not sure where I'll land, my dad was a Slytherin but my mum was a Ravenclaw. They say you typically end up in the same as your family but then...I'm not really like either of my parents I think."
"Yeah, I have no idea, myself. Slytherin and Ravenclaw seem like the way I'd go, although my Da seems like a Gryffindor through and through," says H.B. with an easy laugh. "They say the Sorting Hat's never wrong, though."
Anora got up and turned the face the seat she had been in to stand on it and get into her trunk. A moment later she turned and dropped back into her seat. In her hands now was a large bag of cookies. Obviously too many for a normal person to eat. Everything from chocolate chip to snickerdoodle could be seen. "You guys can't leave yet!" Anora said, "I just got the cookies out!" She held up the bag as to open is and pass out the kind that someone asked for.
"My mother is a baker ya see. She always says the best way to make friends is to offer sweets."
However when people started tossing around names that obviously meant something, Anora l9oked confused. "There are different ones? I thought those where the names of the founder?" She asked rather lose. "The professor never mentioned anything about them... though there was a lot t9 take in."
"Nice to meet you, Isabella. Cool hair. Different colored for each of the Houses. Have one you're hoping to get into?"
Ken looks dumbfoundedly between the two Scots. Well, at least they have something in common.
Ken takes a cookie from Anora, saying, "Thanks for the cookie. My dad's a banker, not a baker, but I'll always take cookies when they're available."
Smiling at her, he said, "There is quite a bit to take in. From what my mum told me, the four founders of Hogwarts - Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin - each created their own House within Hogwarts, which is named after them. Each house has its own common room, and you go to classes with other people from your House and typically sit with them in at meals. You see a lot of each other, so you end up becoming really close. That's the idea, anyway. There's a hat, the Sorting Hat, that sorts students into their Houses based on something it sees inside of each of them. Each founder supposedly valued different things. Gryffindor, for instance, valued courage and bravery, while Ravenclaw favored those with brains and wit. Slytherin favored those of pure Wizarding ancestry and ambition, while Hufflepuff takes anyone. It mostly follows in families - if your parents or older siblings were in Slytherin, usually it means you end up in Slytherin. There are always exceptions, though. My mum was in Ravenclaw, but she isn't sure I've got the brains for it."
Greg nodded to Kenneth's explanation. The house structure seemed a bit strange for a school, but considering most of everything was strange, Greg decided to simply move along with it.
"Oh, so I don't suppose I'd make it into Slytherin, then, since neither of my parents were wizards. Maybe I could be a Gryffindor!" Greg takes a cookie from Anora's bag, smiling. "Thanks. So how accurate is this Sorting Hat?"
Ciaran grinned at Greg and patted him on the back. "That isn't so bad Greg. Both my parents were Gryffindor and I'm hoping to be one too. At least you will know me of we both make it in!"
"I'm as Greg said, both my parents aren't wizards either. My mother is a baker, as I said, and my father is a lawyer for some bank I believe. I don't know, he doesn't talk about work much." Anora said with a shrug as she took a cookie for herself. "Though going by what you said, I don't think I'll be in Slytherin."
"Oooh, thank you." She says as she takes a cookie with brightly colored candies baked in. She eats it with small little bites and you can see the enjoyment on her face.
"I wouldn't worry too much about the sorting. My mother says that each of the houses is a lot more complex than just a couple of words. And lots of people could fit into more than one house. She said the Sorting Hat sometimes knows things that you don't even know about yourself yet. I've had all four houses on my mother's side of the family, and that's why I went with the hair. My dad was in Delta House, of course." She mimes puffing out her cheeks and preparing to slap them in a joke that only people from muggle homes would get.
"Delta House...? Is that a Durmstrung house or something? It isn't Hogwarts obviously. Maybe it is Beaux Batons? Or... an American school?"
"I think the sorting shall be interesting," Dragoslave says reappearing from helping stow Ciaran's belongings in the other cabin,"Neither of my parents attended Hogwarts. My father was top of his class at Durmstrung and my mother attended Koldovstoretz, so who knows." As he finishes speaking he looks at those that could be his new house mates and potential rivals.
"All four Hogwarts Houses? Wow. That's pretty impressive. And your dad was in Delta House? Wait...Delta House...wasn't that the name of the fraternity in that American movie that came out a couple years back? It was called Animal House or something like that. My parents didn't let me see it, but my mate from football Connor talked about it. Hang on, Orpington-Belushi? Are you related to John Belushi!?"
Kenneth couldn't believe it. Was he possibly sitting across from a girl who was related to a rather famous American actor?
To Dragoslav, he asks, "And you're attending Hogwarts? I'd have thought you'd attend Durmstrang or Koldovstoretz, since that's where your parents went."