PV Group Chaotic Ride Home

Vera had forgotten how much she packed when she first came to Hogwarts, or rather, how much extra she'd brought in the winter break. It didn't help that she only had her suitcases, a severe lack of shrinking spells, and no interest in leaving anything behind lest the cleaning elves decided to throw something that happened to be important while she was off the grounds for two whole months. Not that she believed they would, but the Scottish Highlands were quite the distance from London.

At the very least, she wasn't carrying them alone, not with the levitating spell she did learn during her first year. The bags trailed behind her, floating just a few inches off the ground. A bead of sweat formed along the edge of her forehead. It was hard to believe her first year at Hogwarts had gone by so quickly; among all the daily classes and three meals, she had become a duellist (and a captain, for a short period), secretary of the school newspaper, and gone overseas among many other disasters. She let out a deep sigh. If that was first year, she didn't want to think too hard about what second year was going to look like.

Passing through all the compartments, Vera found two of her friends. She had made a fair few during the year; Leo and Rosa, for one, who were already inside the compartment; @Cecilia Merrick, another musician she'd met in the Rehearsal Room one day; @Erast Yan, a Hufflepuff prefect that Vera had grown somewhat close to. There were others, too, like her roommates during the Tenūsa event earlier this year.

She knocked lightly on the compartment door, then slid it open and leaned her head in. "Hello," Vera greeted them, giving them a big smile, "You don't mind if I join, do you?"

Vera waved her wand towards the upper luggage rack, watching as her suitcases landed one on top of the other in an orderly fashion. Once they seemed secure, she closed her eyes and brought her wand arm down.

She slumped into the seats, letting the residual tension bleed out from her fingertips. She sighed. "What a year."

date 30/06/26

word count 843

outfit ⁺₊ ☀︎ ⁺₊

speech #8C2626

mentions @Rosaline Everhart @Frederick Buckley @Cecilia Merrick @Erast Yan @Verity Engels @Milica Vranekova @Leo Noxley

notes xxx

"Daisy May Rosenhart!" The sound of a little Gryffindor's voice echoed throughout the dorm room. Or perhaps she wasn't all that little anymore. A second year now, after all. Or at least, she would be soon. Lucille was packing up, frantically stuffing in items this way and that, and her little cat was being no help. Lucille was doing her best impression of sternness as the cat darted around the room, bouncing on top of the clothes stuffed in her trunk, ruffling the already poorly folded clothes.

Rosa had left already, as had become customary for the pair. Rosaline Everhart, her friend and roommate, would often be ready on time, while Lucille was the sort of person who needed those precarious last fifteen minutes. Rosa would go on ahead, and wait for Lucille. But, truthfully, Lucille was never far behind, the time difference between them often about 15 minutes.

But this time, it felt like it might be greater, what with Daisy May refusing to behave. The last time Lucille had packed up this trunk, Daisy May and her had come to Hogwarts, her second home. Lucille was excited to go home, but Daisy May was just excited to travel. The curious little cat loved going places almost as much as Lucille did, loving the exploration of new places.

Finally, despite Daisy May's interruptions, Lucille was done. She tried to close the trunk, only for it to stubbornly lie half closed, refusing to be zipped up due to the sheer amount of things inside. However, Lucille was just as stubborn as it was and, looking around to ensure that yes she was completely alone, she jumped on the stubborn trunk, landing on her knees and bouncing up and down a bit with the force. But the weight of the girl on the trunk had forced it closed, and she was finally able to zip it up.

"Your turn," she said finally with a sigh of relief, looking in Daisy May's direction. The cat didn't need a second invitation, and ran towards her, jumping up on the trunk with her. Lucille picked up the cat with one arm, the trunk with the other, and then placed the cat on top of the trunk. Daisy May, pupils dilated with excitement, dug her claws into the trunk, stabilizing herself and digging her nails into it. Lucille didn't mind; there were already quite a few scratches on the worn trunk, courtesy of Daisy May herself. The little cat's tail swished in an even motion as Lucille finally hurried out of the dorm and towards the train.

Although Daisy was feeling a bit adventurous, as Lucille expected, the cat stayed put when she saw the ground. Daisy had no ambitions to be stepped on by the crowd of students walking this way and that, some carrying their luggage, like her, and others using the levitation charm to hover it behind or in front of them in the air. "Well, that's an idea," Lucille muttered, upset she didn't think of doing that before. She was almost at the train now, and just wanted to get in the cabin.

Like always, despite the hiccups, Lucille was only 15 minutes late. She peeked in each cabin, darting left and right, before finally finding the people she was looking for. Rosaline and Leo sat next to each other, a cat in Rosa's lap, and across from them sat Verity Engels. Lucille didn't know Verity very well, but she had competed against her in an unofficial broom race once.

"Oh, that took forever. That was so hectic, I'm glad I don't have to do that for a few months," she said, entering the cabin. As they escaped the hum of conversation and entered the quieter cabin, Daisy May perked up. She jumped off the trunk, immediately interested in the cat in Rosa's lap, jumping up on the seat next to her and moving forward to sniff the other cat. Lucille smiled; they looked like twins, except for their eyes.

Turning her attention back to her luggage, she straightened, standing on her tip-toes and trying to reach the top compartment. When that didn't work, she dropped her luggage on the floor of the cabin with a thud, pulled out her wand, and used the levitation charm to neatly store it next to another trunk. Finally, she was done.

She collapsed next to Verity, stretching her arms. She then leaned forward a little bit, looking out the window at the other students still milling about, while the castle served as an elegant backdrop in the sky. "I can't believe we're done with our first year. It feels like yesterday I was just meeting you all," she said, much softer than was customary for her.

Lucille was quite a sentimental person, and the thought of leaving Hogwarts and all her friends filled her with a nostalgic sense of loss. She couldn't believe time had passed so quickly, and so she was uncharacteristically quieter and softer than usual, despite her haphazard approach and arrival in the cabin.