Baby Steps
Location: Hogwarts Express
Date: September 1st
Time: 09:00
The events at Ollivander's from a few weeks ago had been weighing heavily over the family for the remainder of their time in London. Even as they approached the entrance to Platform 9 3/4 there was an uneasy atmosphere between Tiberius and his father, Gaius. His grandfather, Lucien, had decided to head home to Scotland early. It was played off as though he had no choice to return but Tiberius knew better. ‘Unicorn hair,’ thought Tiberius as they passed through the pillar and on to the platform. ‘It could have been anything other than unicorn hair and they would have been happy with it.’
Tiberius absent-mindedly played with the small splinter of wood that had broken from his wand and nicked his thumb when he first picked it up. He should have thrown it away - it's literal rubbish - but he didn't like the idea of leaving part of his wand somewhere. Isla, Tiberius' mother, was holding his five-year-old sister, Eudora's, hand and pointing at their surroundings. Tiberius had been to the platform before to see off his older cousins so it was nothing new to him. Still, he wished that he could be more excited rather than spending his time avoiding his father's gaze.
Hogwarts students and their families crowded the platform. Tiberius was feeling a bit claustrophobic but tried not to let it show on his face. He turned to his baby sister and picked her up for a tight hug. It hit him suddenly that he'd no longer be able to spend his evening reading her to sleep. How much will she have grown by the time he gets back? How much of her life is he going to miss until she joins him in six years?
Tiberius put his sister down and his mother pulled him in for a hug. "Write to us whenever you can," she said through tears. "And even when you can't."
Tiberius smiled and nodded. "I will, don't worry." Then he turned to his father who gave a nod and stuck his hand out. Tiberius shook his hand. Surprisingly, Gaius pulled his son in for a hug. He held him for a moment then a large horn from the train sounded.
"That's your cue," Gaius said, pulling away but giving him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "These will be the best years of your life - tell me how your first flying lesson goes."
Tiberius nervously walked down the train corridor, looking for an empty compartment. He just wanted a few moments to collect himself. Then he would try and make friends. The boy let out a sigh of relief when he found one and quickly shuffled inside. He heaved his luggage onto the overhead storage and sat down. Tiberius looked out of the window and tried to find his family but couldn't see them from the crowds and smoke coming from the old locomotive.
Date: September 1st
Time: 09:00
The events at Ollivander's from a few weeks ago had been weighing heavily over the family for the remainder of their time in London. Even as they approached the entrance to Platform 9 3/4 there was an uneasy atmosphere between Tiberius and his father, Gaius. His grandfather, Lucien, had decided to head home to Scotland early. It was played off as though he had no choice to return but Tiberius knew better. ‘Unicorn hair,’ thought Tiberius as they passed through the pillar and on to the platform. ‘It could have been anything other than unicorn hair and they would have been happy with it.’
Tiberius absent-mindedly played with the small splinter of wood that had broken from his wand and nicked his thumb when he first picked it up. He should have thrown it away - it's literal rubbish - but he didn't like the idea of leaving part of his wand somewhere. Isla, Tiberius' mother, was holding his five-year-old sister, Eudora's, hand and pointing at their surroundings. Tiberius had been to the platform before to see off his older cousins so it was nothing new to him. Still, he wished that he could be more excited rather than spending his time avoiding his father's gaze.
Hogwarts students and their families crowded the platform. Tiberius was feeling a bit claustrophobic but tried not to let it show on his face. He turned to his baby sister and picked her up for a tight hug. It hit him suddenly that he'd no longer be able to spend his evening reading her to sleep. How much will she have grown by the time he gets back? How much of her life is he going to miss until she joins him in six years?
Tiberius put his sister down and his mother pulled him in for a hug. "Write to us whenever you can," she said through tears. "And even when you can't."
Tiberius smiled and nodded. "I will, don't worry." Then he turned to his father who gave a nod and stuck his hand out. Tiberius shook his hand. Surprisingly, Gaius pulled his son in for a hug. He held him for a moment then a large horn from the train sounded.
"That's your cue," Gaius said, pulling away but giving him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. "These will be the best years of your life - tell me how your first flying lesson goes."
Tiberius nervously walked down the train corridor, looking for an empty compartment. He just wanted a few moments to collect himself. Then he would try and make friends. The boy let out a sigh of relief when he found one and quickly shuffled inside. He heaved his luggage onto the overhead storage and sat down. Tiberius looked out of the window and tried to find his family but couldn't see them from the crowds and smoke coming from the old locomotive.
Baby Steps
1st September "English" - #409675
Alyssa stood at the train door, peering out the window to wave to her parents, who were waving back at her from the platform. As much as she would miss them, she was also excited to gain a little independence and finally be able to attend Hogwarts. Her father always spoke about spending hours in the great library, browsing through rows and rows of books and tomes. His love for books and knowledge definitely rubbed off on Alyssa, who was looking forward to exploring that same library her father loved so much. Her mother, however, spoke little of her time at Hogwarts. Though she did share about her love for the Slytherin common room, which had a wondrous underwater view of the lake. If you get sorted into Slytherin, you'll see how lovely the sunlight shines through the water, she would say. To which her father would brag about the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains from the Ravenclaw common room while her mother rolled her eyes with a smile.
The train lurched forward then and started picking up speed, jolting Alyssa from her thoughts. She had to find a compartment for the journey to Hogwarts. With her briefcase in hand, she slowly made her way down the train, peering into each compartment as she passed. After passing a few compartments full of students, it was starting to seem like everyone had boarded the train early and already filled most of the seats with their friends. The thought of having to share a compartment with a big group of strangers made her really nervous, so she continued down the train in search for emptier compartments.
Just as she was about to give up hope and resign herself to her fate of awkwardly sitting with a group of older students, she finally found the perfect compartment. Well, almost perfect. Perfect would be an empty one, but she wasn't complaining with her luck. Seated inside the compartment was a lone student, looking out the window. It didn't seem like he spotted her yet, so Alyssa took a second to ready herself to make a new friend and calm her nerves.
Gripping her briefcase tightly, she slid the compartment door open. "Hello," she smiled as the boy turned to look at her. "Can I sit with you? Everywhere else is full." The boy had auburn hair and pale skin, which made the freckles on his face stand out. Extending a hand toward him, Alyssa introduced herself. "I'm Alyssa," she said. "Alyssa Trevelyan. It's lovely to meet you!"
Reducio
Hello! Popping into this open thread 
It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life. - J.R.R. Tolkien