A Farewell and a First Step Open

1 September, 2024

Sadie shifted nervously on Platform 9^3/4. Her dad had thankfully been very helpful and knowledgeable about what to expect on the journey into the world of magic so far, and he even seemed to look upon the Hogwarts Express with a tinge of fondness in his eyes. How many times had he stood by to watch the train leave with his own siblings aboard just the same as Chloe and Reina were doing today? Was her dad jealous of his own siblings in their time at this magical school?

Sadie felt Miles's grip on her hand tighten, and she squeezed his hand in return.

"Are you scared?" he asked in a voice that was soft enough that not even their parents could hear.

"A bit," Sadie answered honestly, just as quietly.

"Don't be," Miles said. "You can do magic now. Anything scary in the world is nothin' to you now."

"I hope so, Miles."

Sadie released her brother's hand when she felt her dad pick her up, just like he did when she was little. He hadn't held her like this in a long time, but she supposed he was probably feeling quite emotional, so she let it happen.

"Okay, Sadie," he said, lifting her onto his shoulders. She felt far too big for this, but she didn't complain. "You'll be great. I know you will. I've seen what our family is capable of, even if I wasn't capable myself. All I ask of you is that you put in an honest effort, okay?"

Sadie leaned forward onto his head and nodded.

"Good," he set her down and picked up her trunk. "Now say your goodbyes while I go make sure you arrive at Hogwarts with all your things."

He walked away, loading her trunk onto the train for her. Sadie kept her goodbyes brief, but she could see the way her mom tried to hold back tears, the way Chloe tried to hide her own warring jealousy and pride, and, of course, the big, beaming smile of encouragement of Reina. Lastly, she hugged her brother goodbye, and he, unlike their sisters, cried freely. She wiped his tears and turned on her heel toward the Express. She gave her dad one last nod, wiping her own tears away, and stepped onto the train.

This was it. She was officially becoming a witch now. Words of her dad's talk with her came barreling into her mind. Witch. Magic. Veela. Wand. It was still so much to process, and now, looking around at the other students, it was only more overwhelming.

It was chaos. Students were rushing in search of the elusive seating arrangements they so desperately coveted. Sadie was bumped into the window of the corridor, but before she could retort, the bumper was gone. She saw another carriage with a couple of older students getting far too well reacquainted, and, with a shiver of disgust, she slipped into what she believed was an empty compartment.

It wasn't.

"Oh. Hi, there," she said to the other girl in the compartment. Sadie's Irish accent was especially thick, perhaps because of nerves. "I don't 'spose there's room for one more?"

There was clearly room for one more, since this girl was alone, but Sadie was nervous, and she didn't know if this other girl was saving seats for someone else.

Date: 1 Sept 2024 Word Count:336 Interacting: @Sadie Murdock

___⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅_

Thoughts / Spoken #1c79ba / #4169e1 Location:Hogwarts Express

"Oh. Hi, there. I don't 'spose there's room for one more?"

Odette’s head anxiously snaps up from her book at a girl’s voice. A shy smile pulls at her mouth excitedly, and her stomach twists with nerves, “Go ahead. Any spot's yours. Um, I’m Odette. Odette Leone.”

The first thing the half-blood notices about her new companion is her shiny blonde hair, which makes Odette feel like she’s staring at a tranquil river of liquid gold that’s cascading from the fellow witch’s head. Not a strand is out of place, and the first-year witch can’t help but wonder, “Do you use any hair products? Perhaps the comb of vanity from Madam Malkin’s or some sort of potion to make your hair so shiny? Your hair is absolutely beautiful!”

The witch’s blonde locks are positively lovely, and Odette hopes she can learn the girl’s beauty tricks so she can recreate them for the shop. It’d be a massive hit amongst their female customers! Even their more…follically-challenged male patrons would flock to the shop to buy their products in bulk! Of course, she’d split the profits with the blonde witch. She’s trying to run a respectable business, after all. She’s not a scammer!

Flashes of her mom’s lecture from the platform echo in Odette’s mind, reminding her to make friends instead of customers, causing the half-blood wince in embarrassment. Not even ten minutes since that happened, and she’s already messing up with her classmates! I can’t believe the first thing I did was gush over her hair care like some creep!

Wanting to fix the situation, Odette wracks her brain for something normal to talk about. How are you supposed to make friends? What would Everley say? Nearly facepalming at her stupidity, Odette realizes that the answer is incredibly obvious.

“Er, sorry about that. Your hair is very pretty, and my curiosity got the best of me.” The half-blood winces and fiddles with the book in her lap, “Um…so, what year are you in? I’m starting First Year.”

1 September, 2024

Mustering up what social courage she had, Sadie sat opposite Odette, smiling nervously. Ever since leaving muggle school, where she'd been called 'Poor Sadie Murdock,' a double-ended phrase meant to imply pity for her status and mock her for her family's lack of wealth, Sadie had faced no such judgment or bullying from magical kids so far. They all seemed quite accepting.

"I'm Sadie. Sadie Murdock," Sadie said, extending a hand for a handshake.

Odette's eyes on her hair made her a bit nervous, but it was better than having the girl's eyes on her patched up trousers she'd borrowed from Reina, or the jumper with frayed ends on the sleeves.

"I use... shampoo," she said with an embarrassed shrug and a tinge of pink on her cheeks. "Sometimes conditioner, too..."

In truth, she didn't often use conditioner, and she only used shampoo thrice a week. Her parents never told her not to, but she knew finances were stretched tight, especially with her needing new clothes for school at Hogwarts, so Sadie made the decision to cut back on things like daily shampoo, if only to help her parents out behind the scenes.

She instinctively grabbed a lock of her hair, twirling it around her finger. There were certainly worse things for strangers to notice, even if it was a bit embarrassing. She could feel the heat in her cheeks.

"I'm a first year too," Sadie confirmed with a smile, grinning at Odette's apparent nervousness. "But this is all new to me. My folks aren't magic like me. Well, not exactly anyway. How about you? S'this all new to you too?"

"...I like your skin," Sadie attempted to return a compliment, but when she realized what she'd said, she slapped a hand over her mouth. "Not in a strange way! I meant your tan! It looks grand, and it's so much better than being as pale as me! I - I mean, when I step outside, I have to be careful not to cause car accidents from the sun reflecting off my legs!

Sadie's blush intensified. She clasped her hands in her lap and bit her tongue to try and prevent any additional word vomit.

Date: 1 Sept 2024 Word Count:618 Interacting: @Sadie Murdock

___⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅_

Thoughts / Spoken #1c79ba / #4169e1 Location:Hogwarts Express

"I use... shampoo," Sadie admits with an embarrassed shrug and a tinge of pink on her cheeks. "Sometimes conditioner, too..."

Odette doesn’t know whether she feels disappointed there’s no lucrative hair routine, nervous that she’s already made things awkward, or amazed and a tiny bit jealous that her blonde locks look that incredible naturally. As Sadie begins twirling a strand of hair in discomfort, the brunette immediately figures it’s the second. Why did she have to make things so uncomfortable?

“Er, sorry about that. Your hair is very pretty, and my curiosity got the best of me.” The half-blood winces and fiddles with the book in her lap, “Um…so, what year are you in? I’m starting First Year.”

"I'm a first year too," Sadie confirms with a smile, and Odette can feel a wave of relief wash over her. The blonde witch must be pretty nice to put up with her unfiltered babble with such a kind grin. The heart of an angel, really. "But this is all new to me. My folks aren't magic like me. Well, not exactly anyway. How about you? S'this all new to you too?"

Still feeling a tad nervous, Odette subtly takes a soothing breath and tries to unclench the harsh grip she has on her book. The silence must’ve stretched a moment too long, as just when she opens her mouth, Sadie clumsily offers, "...I like your skin. Not in a strange way! I meant your tan! It looks grand, and it's so much better than being as pale as me! I - I mean, when I step outside, I have to be careful not to cause car accidents from the sun reflecting off my legs!"

Unfortunately for the blonde witch, Odette does not have the makings of an angel, and she lets out a few snickers as Sadie’s face grows almost as scarlet red as the Hogwarts Express. The brunette feels much better now that she knows the blonde witch is just as awkward and prone to rambling as she is. There may be hope for their train ride after all!

“Thanks, but I reckon neither of us will tan or shine like a disco ball once we’re at Hogwarts.” Odette pouts while feigning a disappointed sigh, her bright blue eyes twinkling in amusement, “The weather is usually pretty moody and damp up there. Hardly a ray of sun in sight.”

As the Leone family is quite close, Max often wrote letters home while he was attending the wizarding school, and almost each and every one of them began with him complaining about the dreary weather. It was terribly entertaining, so much so that Odette and her parents would always reply with exaggerated descriptions of the beautiful days they spent in the sunny fields behind their cottage. Not a cloud in sight.

The first time they teased him about it, Max wrote home a two-page-long rant that finished with a petition to move schools. Odette just about died from laughter when they immediately received a second letter retracting his willingness to transfer the next day, as he had fallen for a Slytherin in his potions class. Apparently, he’d endure anything for love, including the wizarding school’s damp and cloudy grounds.

“I'm a half-blood, so I know a bit about Hogwarts since my dad and older brother used to attend there as well,” Odette explains. After all, she doesn’t just read up on Scotland’s weather for fun. No, she could practically be the school’s forecaster from reading Max’s seven-year-long grumblings. “I can tell you a bit about it if you want, but it probably won’t be anything exciting. My family tried to keep most things a surprise for when I started.”

ooc: Sorry for the late reply!

1 September, 2024

Sadie was quite relieved that her nervous rambling hadn't put Odette off.

"Thank you," Sadie said, unused to compliments that didn't come from her family. Her hair seemed to feel softer in her own fingers in response to the kind words. ""I've always liked my hair. I think I get it from my gran," she said. She got all of her looks from her gran, for better or worse.

She was still a bit too nervous to make eye contact, though, so her eyes remained fixed on Odette's book in her lap as they spoke.

"I like the rain, myself," Sadie said with another smile. "My mom grows her own little herb garden, and whenever it rains, she always makes me and my brothers and sisters drink a cup of some sort o' tea she grows. She says it keeps us from gettin' sick, but Reina still gets a cold every time."

It was always funny seeing how whiny Reina would get when she came down with a bout of sniffles. It wasn't quite as funny when Chloe had to sleep in the same room as Sadie and Miles so that she didn't get sick too.

The shift in conversation to Hogwarts itself was a welcome one. Sadie was both nervous and thrilled to be attending school here. Meeting Eira at Diagon Alley had helped with her nerves, though, so excitement was currently winning out.

"I'd love to hear what you know!" Sadie said eagerly. "I've learned a bit from my friend I met when I was school shopping. She said they have little marbles that spray stinksap on other students. She also said that kelpies are real, apparently, and there's even a flesh-eating creature that looks like the Grim Reaper!"

Sadie tried not to sound too excited, but she was. She had her school supplies, she was on the train, and now she was going to learn to do magic!

"I don't know what half-blood means exactly," Sadie said with a sheepish grin. "My mom's a muggle, and dad's a... a Squid, I think they're called. No, no... a Squib! That's it! He's a Squib. But his dad was from a fancy family. They were pure or somethin', whatever that means."

She clasped her hands excitedly in her lap. It was a tick from when she was overexcited, nervous, or both. Her hands gripped the fabric of her jumper, as if that could hold back her eagerness.

D A T E : 01 Sept 2024..◦..I N T E R A C T I N G : @Sadie Murdock..◦..W C : 686..◦..L O C A T I O N : Hogwarts Express

O P E N..T O..I N T E R A C T I O N ..◦..Thoughts #1c79ba ..◦..Spoken #4169e1..◦..B A N N E R..B Y :..Robin Marie

◦ P O S T ◦ #4 ◦

"I'd love to hear what you know!" Sadie says eagerly before sending shivers down Odette’s spine with every mention of kelpies and lethifolds. Luckily for the brunette, neither is found near Crigglestone. Still, her father did warn her to look out for kelpies at Hogwarts since they’re more common in the Scottish Highlands. Wanting to rid her mind of the nightmarish creatures, the blue-eyed first-year eagerly latches on to the familiar marbles Sadie mentioned.

“Oh! Do you mean Gobstones? I love that game!” Odette exclaims, her excited grin slowly fading into a petulant pout as she remembers her mom confiscated her stash of games and products. “I wish I had a set on me. We could have played a match on the train! Dodging the stinksap is half the fun. Though I doubt either of us would want to be smelly on our first day.”

The young entrepreneur had bought Gobstone sets by the dozen and planned to sell them at school along with many other items from Diagon Alley. Now she’s left with nothing but her belongings and a smuggled bag of exploding bonbons that she managed to slip by her mom. Perhaps she can convince Max to send her a set so that she can teach Sadie while they’re at Hogwarts.

"I don't know what half-blood means exactly," Sadie admits bashfully, "My mom's a muggle, and dad's a... a Squid, I think they're called. No, no... a Squib! That's it! He's a Squib. But his dad was from a fancy family. They were pure or somethin', whatever that means."

Upon learning that Sadie’s father is a squib, Odette is momentarily taken aback. The brunette isn’t very tolerant towards blood prejudice, especially considering how she grew up in a kind muggle community and how her mom is a muggle. In fact, Odette has no problems with squibs at all! However, she knows other people do, particularly purebloods, like his supposed family. Eyeing the obviously excited blonde across from her, the blue-eyed witch debates how to warn her without dampening her giddy mood.

“A half-blood is a witch or wizard with one magical parent and one muggle parent. In my case, my dad is a wizard, but my mom is a muggle from America, so my brother and I are half-and-half. Half-blood!” Odette states with a cheerful smile and crinkled eyes. She hopes a more casual approach will inform the sweet blonde without threatening her happiness.

“Your father is definitely not a squid, although that would be incredibly cool. From the sounds of it, he came from a pureblood family. They’re a picky bunch. Not only are the parents both magical, but both of their entire families! You’ll most likely meet a ton at Hogwarts who are alright, but there’s a few who act like Regina George.” Odette pauses and leans in close to Sadie like she’s about to ask a life-altering question, “...Have you seen Mean Girls? The muggle film?”

The brunette would be shocked if Sadie hadn’t. It’s a muggle classic! Hopefully, her analogy makes sense to the witch. If it doesn’t, then she clearly needs to invite the blonde to the cinema. Fingers crossed, their magic doesn’t short-circuit the projector…again.

“Well, if you have, then don’t be surprised if a few purebloods have a burn-book for anything outside their social circle.” '...like your father,' Odette nearly adds. Instead, she leans back again with a shrug and continues with a relaxed smile, “In any case, you’d probably be a half-blood like me since your dad’s side is magical. Pretty good in my book, best of both worlds and all that.”

Odette carefully doesn’t mention how some purebloods may argue that having a squib for a father renounces Sadie of her magical origins and labels her a muggle-born. In the brunette’s eyes, there’s nothing wrong with being a half-blood or a muggle-born, so she’ll save the witch from the prejudiced debate. After all, blood doesn’t define who she is as a person.

Regardless, Odette just hopes that Sadie is able to pick up on her hidden message. She’d hate for the witch to be blindsided.

Sorry for another late reply! I have finals coming up so I've been studying like crazy. I'll try and respond when I have time!

1 September, 2024

Between Eira and Odette mentioning gobstones, Sadie was quickly getting the idea that it was a popular game for wizarding kids. They had other games more similar to muggles games, though. Hadn't Eira mentioned chess, or something similar back at the joke shop in Diagon Alley? Sadie wasn't sure why young witches and wizards latched especially fervently onto smelly marbles, but she wasn't going to complain. It sounded fun!

"So long as our new school has baths, I can't imagine a bit of smell'd be a problem," Sadie said with a shrug and a grin. "Then again, I've never had a uniform at school that stayed clean for very long. Between my own love for splashin' in rain puddles and my little brother, they always end up with a fair layer of mud."

The conversation of blood status and politics was strange for Sadie. On the one hand, she knew it was important to learn about all bits of wizarding culture, even the undesirable ones like prejudice, but on the other hand, it felt awful to know that there were people out there who really did believe that they were better because of their blood. Sadie couldn't imagine having a Squib for a dad and a Veela grandmother would exactly endear her to those types, but she did, at least, have good luck so far in meeting Eira and Odette, two girls who seemed open-minded in that regard.

Then, with the mention of Mean Girls, the heavy conversation felt so much lighter again. That was impressive, the way Odette weaved a conversation like that. One minute, touching on heavy and sensitive stuff like blood purity, and the next, mentioning one of Sadie's favorite movies.

"I love Mean Girls!" Sadie said, leaning forward with wide eyes. "My sister Reina used to make me watch it with her all the time!"

Then, glancing around, Sadie lowered her voice to a hushed whisper.

"My oldest sister Chloe even let me watch Heathers with her. She said that one day when she makes it big, she's going to take me to see the musical," Sadie whispered, making sure no one was around to hear the scandalous secret that surely would have ended with her being grounded back home.

"The world'll always have its Regina Georges and Heather Chandlers," Sadie said with a shrug. "But honestly, I'm interested in how your dad met an American. My parents are both Irish."

Outfit: A black pair of trousers, littered with patches, a purple jumper with frayed edges on the sleeves, and a pair of black shoes that were designed to go with her school uniform

◦ P O S T ◦ #4 ◦

At Sadie's continued excitement, Odette feels the heaviness from the talk of magical blood drain from her body. Her own giddiness rises when the blonde admits her love for Mean Girls. Thank Merlin! How lucky is she to meet a witch with a divine taste for cinema on her first day?

“I can’t believe your sister is going to take you to see Heathers!” Odette gasps wide-eyed, excitedly bouncing in her seat at the thought, even though she’s not even the one going. “That’s absolutely wicked! Is she auditioning for the musical? You said she’s trying to make it big.”

If Sadie’s sister joins the musical cast, then the blue-eyed witch has officially met the coolest person of all time. Naturally gorgeous hair, super friendly, and a famous sister? She’s hit the jackpot in train companions and can’t wait to get to know her more. Of course, she’s also going to tell her older brother, Max, that he’s totally dropping the quaffle and costing her cool sibling points.

At Sadie’s question of how her parents met, Odette idly fiddles with her pendant as she tries to remember how the story went. It doesn’t take her long to remember, considering the husband and wife pull out their photo albums and make their kids watch their wedding video every anniversary.

“My mom's version of the story is that she got a job as a book publicist in London straight after university and met my dad in a cafe when he spilled her coffee all over her assigned manuscript.” The blue-eyed witch rolls her eyes fondly, clearing her throat as she dips into a rendition of her dad’s grand speech, “As he tells it, 'when Cassiopeia and Orion aligned, beauty met the hunter, and he met a star named Madeline'…he’s a bit of a closet astrology geek, you see.” Odette snickers before composing herself. "You’d think my parents were in a rom-com with how dramatic he tells it."

A lurch of the train nearly knocks Odette out of her seat, and she quickly catches herself before she can fall. Looking out the window to see what happened, the young witch is surprised to see they’re no longer at Platform 9 ¾ and gazes wide-eyed at the sight of rolling green fields and gentle hills stretching out for miles. The brunette witch has been having so much fun talking with Sadie that she didn’t even notice when the train departed. How long into their ride are they?

A rumble in her stomach tells Odette that they’re a fair bit of the way into the journey, and she rummages around in her bag until she pulls out a couple of chocolate frogs. Offering one to Sadie before biting off the head of her own, she idly thinks over their conversation so far. “Have you got any other siblings? You seem quite close with Reina and Chloe.”

1 September, 2024

Sadie was amused at the mere thought of Chloe being an actress on stage, but it wasn't terribly far off from the truth.

"Oh, Lord, no! She's a drummer in some punk band she joined a few years ago. Listen to The Cure, or The Smiths, and you have a good idea of how they sound. She swears she's going to hit it big, but for now she mostly plays in English pubs. If she ever does, though," she trailed off, already imagining getting to see Heathers live.

Sadie tried to remain calmly seated as Odette told the dual stories of her parents' meeting, but she found herself standing and listening to her dad's version of the story with rapt attention. A hopeless romantic at heart, Sadie was enthralled.

"That'd be enough to make a lady swoon, it would," she said, her cheeks pink at the thought of such a gesture. Then, as if remembering the time and place, she shook her head and fanned herself with her hand.

"Well, supposin' that such a lady is interested in astrology," she said lamely, still blushing. Her hand rubbed the back of her neck nervously, and she looked outside, watching the hillsides pass them by.

She looked down when she heard the sound of Odette going through her things, then accepted the chocolate handed to her. But when she saw Odette enjoying her own chocolate frog, Sadie watched in utter horror as the little thing squirmed around before she bit the head off.

"What the - who makes candy that's alive?" she gasped, holding her own still-packaged frog to her chest nervously.

"I," she said slowly, still staring at her chocolate frog package as if expecting the little bugger to jump out at any moment. "I have a little brother too. He's - he's just turned ten. What about yourself? You mentioned an older brother. What's he like?"

She was still a bit shaken by the frog incident as she spoke.

Outfit: A black pair of trousers, littered with patches, a purple jumper with frayed edges on the sleeves, and a pair of black shoes that were designed to go with her school uniform