13 Dec 2020, 15:12
To New Beginnings
On the train, soon to meet @Gia Adelard
September 1, 2020.
Wands, Cauldrons, Cloaks. Everything about packing up for this upcoming school year was mind blowing. How was it real that he was about to enter a world that was straight out of a combination of fantasy books that he had known throughout his lifetime. Witches and wizards weren't real! Next, someone was going to tell him that so were vampires, unicorns, and werewolves. Ha!
Still, if this was some crazy dream that Simon was having, he still hadn't woke from it. Here he was at Kings Cross Station, a place he had been to a countless number of times, but this time was different. He was to find a Platform 9 3/4 and board a train called the Hogwarts Express that would take him to his new school.
"Now you are SURE that my mum went to this place and loved it? You're not about to send me off to some boys' home for the unjust or something like that. Promise, now?" he said to his aunt who just rolled her eyes at him. "Silly, Simon," she said, feeling more confident they were in the correct place now that there was a scattering of 11-17 year olds with their families, meandering through the way with large trunks on trolleys. "She adored it. I think it was her best years," his aunt said before pausing. "I mean, her best years before her precious little boy came along..." she quickly added, trying to recover her position that he meant the world to his mother - which he had!
"Nice, nice," Simon said. It was a decent save and he laughed a little at the attempt. He and his aunt, who had been raising him since he was three after the passing of his mother, had a pretty good relationship but it was a unique one. They weren't quite 'mother and son' but they weren't really like siblings either. It was a somewhere in between, most likely due to their somewhat close age gap compared to most guardians and minors.
The two watched as it seemed some of the scattering of people dispersed, vanishing as though they weren't there at all! If they hadn't been paying attention, they probably wouldn't have noticed it. The two looked to one another confused before watching the others, learning by example of what to do.
So then, without a word but both thinking it was quite mental, they followed and took their turn to walk through the brick wall between Platform 9 and Platform 10, both expecting a hard wall to smack them in the face but instead they walked right through without problem and there before them was a brilliant red and black train with small amounts of smoke rising from the engine to indicate it was ready to go and send the students off for an exciting year.
"Well, Sweet Simon, I believe this is it..." she whispered, looking down to him with her eyes swelling with tears. "I'll write to you, Aunt Maggie. Often." She nodded and brought her arms around him. She was going to miss him as much as he was going to miss her but she truly did hope he would have good adventures in this new school. "Maybe now you can start dating," he added. She laughed. She was a young woman of twenty-five and really hadn't ventured into that world much. Juggling a job and an eleven-year old boy was a lot for one person to handle.
"Love you," Simon smiled to her and gave her a tight squeeze which caused her to wince a little but she wouldn't say anything. The boy didn't always realize his strength. He had always been a strong boy. "I'm but a letter away," she told him. "Love you."
And with those words, Simon grabbed his trunk and boarded the train. He walked down the length of midway of the train, seeing lots of students catching up with old friends after a Summer apart. Just about halfway down, he found an empty compartment and took a seat, taking a deep breath to center himself. This still seemed unbelievable to him but here was to new beginnings.
Last edited by Simon Kincaid on 16 Jan 2021, 15:39, edited 1 time in total.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
13 Dec 2020, 20:29
To New Beginnings
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"Do you really think—" Vance wasn't even halfway through his sentence when his little sister interrupted.
"Yes, I do! Now can you please stop bugging me about this? I mean, sure, it could totally be a prank, but who would ever go this far? And also," she added, seeing him open his mouth again to cut in, "also, we all saw Diagon Alley, remember? Could anyone ever fake all of that?" Vance sighed and shrugged, but it didn't seem like he was going to give up and let her win. So. . . she did what she had to do. She kept arguing. If that was the only way to get her point across, then so be it. "Vance, seriously, use your head for once!" Gia's older brother rolled his eyes.
"Uh. . . I think you're the one that needs to use your head, sis. If you think about it," he said, emphasizing the last few words, "then you'll realize that the name Diagon Alley is basically the word diagonally." He paused, to see what she thought about this, but hurried on just before she could cut him off again and keep going with her side of the argument. "And okay, fine, this probably isn't a regular prank, I'll give you that, but it certainly could be a very elaborate one. I mean, witches and wizards are real? And. . . you're one of them?" Gia folded her arms across her chest and stuck out her chin in a defiant manner, opening her mouth to speak—
"Please, you two, stop bickering!" Braxten's patience had finally worn out. "Vance, stop bugging your sister about this, we all already agreed that it must be real. And Gia. . ." He trailed off before scolding her, a sad look appearing in his eyes when he looked at her. The girl sighed and nodded. Her father had been acting like this for the past week or so, ever since the three of them had gone into Diagon Alley to buy all of the girl's new school supplies. It wasn't too hard to guess why though, and Gia had easily figured out that he was sad about her leaving. Her father was probably a little afraid, too. Even though her mother Marissa had died many years ago, Braxten still got a distant look in his eyes sometimes, the one that told the siblings that he was thinking about her.
"Sorry, I'm just worried," Gia's brother said softly. The mood was getting much too depressed for the girl, and she nudged him with her elbow, her lips tugging up into a smirk.
"Worried? You seem jealous," she said, laughing so that her family would know it was a joke. The boy rolled his eyes. By now, the three of them had arrived in front of the barrier that divided Platform 9 and Platform 10, and Gia's father grabbed both of his children's arms.
"Alright, on the count of three we're all going to walk straight into that wall," he told them. The siblings nodded, and Gia bit her lip nervously. This just had to work. . . or else the three of them would run into the wall and probably twist an ankle or something, looking like fools for all the world to see. Under his breath, her father counted up and then the Adelard family began strolling casually towards the barrier. At the last moment before they would have hit the wall, Gia squeezed her eyes shut as her mind raced with questions. What if this was all a joke like Vance said? What if she had been totally fooled? And then. . . an overwhelming flood of noise filled their ears, louder than the talking of the people they'd heard before.
"Oh. My. Gosh." Gia exclaimed, opening her eyes first. The three of them were standing in front of a gleaming scarlet and black train with the words "Hogwarts Express" written on the side. "It's real!" The girl couldn't help but squeal in delight. Then, her expression turned sober as she looked back towards her family. "I'll miss you guys," she said, her eyes filling unexpectedly with tears. Vance tried for a smile.
"It's real, I guess. You were right." Still, she could see the sadness in his eyes as they said goodbye. Then, Gia turned to her father.
"Love you Daddy," She said, barely even realizing what she'd called him. The man smiled, his eyes watery like hers, and wrapped her in a great big bear hug.
"Love you too, sweetheart." The hug seemed to last forever, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Then, the two stepped apart, and he waved her onto the train. After she'd waved back and almost everyone else had boarded the scarlet steam engine, Gia walked down the alley surrounded by compartments until she found one that seemed empty. Stepping inside, she was surprised to find a boy sitting there.
"Oh, hey," the eleven year old said in greeting. "Uh, mind if I sit here?"
826 words
Sorry this is so long. . . I just had a lot to write, I guess. XD
⋆ You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it⋆
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6
14 Dec 2020, 02:05
To New Beginnings
Inviting @Gia Adelard into the compartment
He heard the compartment door slide open and watched as the girl came in. She seemed a little disoriented and he didn't know if it was from shyness, homesickness already setting in, or just the hullabaloo of trying to find a seat as it seemed there were a lot of students filtering into the train
Her eyes finally met with his and he smiled warmly. "Of course. I think there's plenty of room here for a multitude of others. I don't bite. At least, I don't think I do," he laughed. "I didn't know I was of magic until awhile back ago so who the hell really knows?" he said, taking a moment to glance out the window. He saw his Aunt Maggie talking to a couple, surely someone's mother and father there to say their goodbyes to one of the students aboard the train.
"I'm Simon, by the way," he introduced himself to the brunette who had entered. "Off to my first year." Judging from her appearance, he figured her in one of the younger years as well but wasn't quite sure. Most likely she was a fellow First Year as he was, or else she would be sharing a compartment with friends and sharing about her Summer, as many of the other older students were.
He watched the girl, trying to gather what her emotion might be. To be honest he was a bit nervous about this as he hadn't a lot to go on as far as explanations and expectations, but he was also excited for what might lie ahead.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
14 Dec 2020, 18:42
To New Beginnings
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Her gaze strayed from his as she looked around the small compartment. It looked like a regular train. . . was there anything magical about it? It seemed there was something magical about everything in the wizarding world, it would be odd if the train was completely normal. . . but then again, it would be nice, too. Everything was just so unfamiliar at the moment, so something, anything that she recognized as normal would be a welcome surprise.
When Gia looked back at the boy sitting in front of her, he was smiling kindly at her. This made her feel a little more comfortable, and she managed to give him a smile in return. Upon closer inspection, the boy seemed about her age, and was most likely another student heading to Hogwarts for the very first time like she was. What he said next made Gia laugh a little bit, more and more of her sass and attitude slowly coming back to her after the sad goodbye to her family. "Thanks," she said, and sat down across from him. "Just so you know, I don't bite either. And that's for sure," she added, laughing again.
"So," The girl said after a brief pause, uncomfortable with the silence. "You didn't know about magic either, huh? I just recently learned about it, and I've got to say. . . it's overwhelming." She placed her trunk on the bench beside her, settling in for the long ride as she waited for his answer. While she sat there, her gaze landed on the window to her left and she looked out as the train began slowly moving out of the station and out into the world. A tingly, nervous feeling appeared in her stomach as she thought about how everything had changed so fast. The girl had been planning to go back to school in Manchester with all of her friends when the letter arrived. Right now, everything still felt a little surreal. Like, a school for magic? Seriously?
The boy introduced himself as Simon, reminding the eleven year old that she should probably tell him her name as well. "I'm Gia," she told him. When he confirmed that he was also heading to Hogwarts for the first time ever, she gave him a sideways grin. "I guess we have a bit in common, don't we? I'm also new to Hogwarts and everything about magic, like I said earlier."
400 words
Talking to @Simon Kincaid
Also, I know her Hogwarts uniform wouldn't necessarily have her house crest on it, but it was the best looking one I could find lol.
⋆ You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it⋆
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6
14 Dec 2020, 19:10
To New Beginnings
New to magic with @Gia Adelard
“Crazy to think it’s real, I know,” and he looked around having similar thoughts to her that this train seemed awfully normal for apparently taking them to a school to learn all about magical things.
“Still not quite sure it is. I jumped down half the flight of stairs in my house to see if it was a dream and I’d wake up this morning,” he said as he lifted his shirt slightly to show his bruise from it. “...Felt real. Seems real, too.”
“I guess my mum was a witch,” he continued and paused. Witch. Crazy! “My Aunt Maggie said she didn’t talk about it much because of how she was the only one in her family that got to go to Hogwarts but apparently she loved it. It’ll be kind of nice in that sense, to experience maybe some of the things she had.” Maybe hed kinda feel closer to her then. He wasn’t sure.
“But I’m still a little skeptical. Witches, wizards, wands, cauldrons...all stuff that are found in fantasy books up until now and were to assume that it’s all real? Makes me wonder if gnomes and trolls and vampires and werewolves are too.” Which was a rather scary thought if so! He shuttered a little and then gave Gia an apologetic look because he didn’t want to freak her out.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
16 Dec 2020, 16:17
To New Beginnings
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He agreed that it was crazy that magic was even, like, a real thing, and Gia smiled. At least now she knew that she wasn't the only one in the world that hadn't known a thing about magic before she got the letter. She hadn't really thought about it until then, but what would it be like if she had been the only one new to all of this? Well, it obviously wouldn't have been very fun. . . But luckily, she now knew that there were probably a bunch of new students who were like her and Simon: completely new to magic in general. After all, having only the two of them not know this stuff simply wouldn't make any sense.
Gia had to laugh a little when Simon told her that he'd jumped down the stairs just to make sure that it wasn't all a dream. Then, he showed her his bruise, and her laughter died out very quickly. "Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly. "Yeah, that must've hurt. . ." She hoped he wasn't too mad at her for laughing, since it had seemed a little bit of a silly thing to do. Although, she realized, it almost - almost - sounded like something she would do herself, when her father and brother weren't looking.
The boy then explained a little bit more about himself and his history, telling the eleven year old that his mother had actually been a witch like them. Right after he said this, Gia couldn't help the little stab of disappointment that hit her. Simon's story was slightly different than hers. Then, something made her rethink that conclusion. Although the magical aspect of his family's story was different, well. . . the way he was talking about his mother made her feel like they might be even more similar yet. A question was running in circles around her brain, demanding to be asked, and finally she just let it slip out. "Your mother. . ." she started. "Is she. . . did. . . is your mother still alive?" Even years after her own mother's death, the girl found it quite hard to say the word "dead" or "died" or anything of that sort aloud. It just made it seem so real all over again.
Then, since Simon had shared a little bit about his family, she decided to return the favor and explain a little bit about herself. "My mum. . . she died when I was five." The girl admitted softly. "I wasn't very old, but seeing my older brother - his name is Vance - and my father act so heartbroken was enough to get to me, too." Tears welled in her eyes as she was reminded of those dark months after her mother's passing. Embarrassed that she was crying in front of a boy she'd only just met, the young girl swiped a hand across her eyes in an attempt to wipe away the tears. Still, getting rid of them took longer than she liked, and for a few moments after her eyes stayed on the ground.
Very glad when he changed the subject, Gia hurried to reply. "Yes, right? It's so unbelievable. . . but I mean, we're on the train headed there right now, so. . . it must be real." she hesitated, and then added, "When we first got the letter, Vance and I thought it must be a prank of some sort." She gave a small laugh because in reality, she knew she still believed that a tiny bit. Just a tiny bit, but it was enough that she wouldn't be fully sure until she saw the actual school building and a bit of magic that someone did on purpose with her own eyes. Then, Simon brought up werewolves and vampires, and Gia saw him shudder slightly. "I guess it'd be kind of scary," she said, "But it would also be kinda awesome. It's like you're inside a fairytale or fantasy book!"
645 words
@Simon Kincaid
Banner by Lucia Fox
⋆ You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it⋆
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6
16 Dec 2020, 22:42
To New Beginnings
Passing the time with @Gia Adelard
The girl on the train with him began to tell him all about her mother and how she had passed away when she was five. Still very young. He himself couldn't remember his own who died when he was three so he could see that maybe she was the same way. She went on to describe how her older brother and her father were heartbroken and he knew that too. His Aunt Maggie was a happy person but even he could see the glassy eyed look and the shaking voice at times when she would talk about her sister - his mother.
The two had been very close. They lost both parents rather early on due to an accident so in a very short time his mother, Arabella Kincaid had become in charge of her sister, just three years younger than herself. Then, before she knew it, she found out she was pregnant with her own baby boy. She had left the relationship with the father even before finding out about the pregnancy but she didn't have to raise him alone - Maggie was there.
"My mom passed when I was three," he answered her question. It was cancer. She found out about it when he was about 18 months old and there wasn't a whole lot they could do. There was some treatment which allowed her to be able to stay with them a little longer but that was it.
"Did you see a photo of it? Hogwarts? It's a castle. I think it is like a fairytale," he said, smiling at her description of it. He was glad that there was another out there thinking this whole thing was crazy as he did. "My mum was something called a Gribbenhor, or something like that. I haven't the slightest idea of what it is but it sounds like it would be something that lives in the forest like the story of the Jaberwocky." He didn't realize it was Gryffindor.
"Think this is the right choice?" he then asked, showing a little of his doubt as he looked out the window. "I mean, leaving all our friends behind..." He had lots of them back in London. "Going to be weird to be friendless for awhile," he whispered but then looked to her. "Or I guess I could be your self proclaimed bestie at Hogwarts and I'm arriving already having a friend."
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
16 Dec 2020, 23:25
To New Beginnings
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Simon told her that his mother had passed away when he was three, and she nodded sadly. He had been two years younger than her when it had happened to him. . . how weird must it be to barely have known his mother at all? Or did he not care as much, since he was so young when everything went down? These questions - and other ones like them - swirled around Gia's brain. She liked having all the answers to things, but sometimes it was better not to ask questions like those, since the girl knew that many people hated when others poked their noses into any private business of theirs. And although she was a curious young girl, the soon to be Hogwarts student didn't want to take the risk and ruin this possible friendship that she was in the process of making.
The boy sitting across from her then asked if she had ever seen a picture of the Hogwarts building, and Gia shook her head. "No, have you? What's it like?" Her eyes widened in surprise when he said it was a castle, like the ones in fairytales. "Really?" She knew this probably shouldn't have blown her mind as much as it did, since she'd been slowly getting used to all the differences of the wizarding world when compared to the normal world, but it still shocked her. "That's so cool!" she exclaimed. "Hopefully it isn't too much like a fairytale though, those stories always have some prince rescuing a beautiful girl. It isn't at all realistic, and plus, girls can totally handle themselves fine." She grinned.
"Ooh, the Jabberwocky? I love that poem, it's hilarious! And makes no sense," the eleven year old added. "Well, actually, that's what makes it so funny. But anyway. A gribben - what?" It sounded like he'd gotten the name wrong, but who knew? Maybe in the wizarding world they had a different language, or used words that made absolutely no sense at all, like the words in the Jabberwocky poem, as Simon had suggested.
The boy turned his gaze out the window of the train. When he spoke again, there was a hint of doubt in his voice. The question he asked was the exact same one that had been pulling and tugging for attention ever since she'd decided to come to Hogwarts: Was all of this really the right thing to do? Gia sighed before answering. "I'm honestly not sure," the girl admitted. "But I think we'll figure that out when we get there, and not before. Sorry, this answer probably isn't what you wanted. . ." Then, Simon whispered something that she barely caught. Still, she did catch it, and she agreed. A thought occurred to her, but she pushed it away until the other soon-to-be first year brought the exact same thing up. Gia hesitated for a moment before answering, but then made up her mind.
"Okay," she told him. "That'd be nice." And it would. Already having a friend when she arrived at Hogwarts, well, it would be wonderful. Her thoughts circled back to Alayna, her best friend back in Manchester, but the girl immediately pushed them away guiltily. She regretted having to lie to the other girl about where she was going to school and why. . . but it wasn't really something she could help doing, right? She couldn't have said, "Oh, turns out I'm actually a witch, and I'm going to a school for magic," could she? Realizing Simon was probably expecting a better answer than what she'd given him, and probably also wondering why she'd become so quiet, Gia hurried to say something else. "Thanks," she ended up telling him. "I - it'll really help. A lot. "
617 words
@Simon Kincaid
Lol, I love how he called it Gribbenhor!
Banner by Lucia Fox
Last edited by Gia Adelard on 18 Dec 2020, 21:50, edited 1 time in total.
⋆ You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it⋆
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6
18 Dec 2020, 04:15
To New Beginnings
Moving on from fantasy to music with @Gia Adelard
"I have a feeling that you and I have nothing to worry about, Gia," he said reassuringly. He really didn't know why but as crazy as everything seemed and while others knew more about this world than they did - he still had a rather optimistic outlook on how their school year would go. He gave her a smile, hoping that she'd feel that too.
"So Manchester, huh? Some pretty great music groups have come out of Manchester. David Gray, Morissey, Oasis." That was all he really knew though. Simon wasn't some expert when it came to music but when he liked something, he usually did a little research into where the band was formed and so forth - general history sort of stuff. He had lots of time on his hands; more than the average eleven year old - more than the average anyone.
Simon only slept about every third day. He had been that way since he was born and even when he would sleep it would be for 4-6 hours at a time. It wasn't such a big deal now but boy, did he unmeaningly torment his mother and aunt in his early years as it wasn't correct to leave one so little unsupervised.
He always chalked it up as being an insomniac.
"Pretty good. Not my all time favorites but still pretty good, nonetheless." He nodded, as if it were fact and not just one boy's opinion on the matter. "What about you? Are you a music fan?"
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
18 Dec 2020, 21:52
To New Beginnings
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Simon reassured her - and maybe himself, too - by telling her that they probably had nothing to worry about. She smiled in return. "Yeah, you're probably right." she said, her voice growing more confident. "How hard could it really be? And plus, we're literally going to be learning about magic - that sounds pretty amazing, doesn't it?" she added. Somehow, even though the boy had only said a few sentences to her when trying to reassure her, it had helped more than she'd thought it would. Or maybe it wasn't what he'd said aloud that was the helpful part (although that did help as well), but just the fact that he was so optimistic about things.
"Ooh, do you like music?" Gia then asked the other soon-to-be first year. "I play guitar. Only for fun, though, I don't take lessons or anything." She then grinned as a memory crossed her mind: the first time she tried playing a guitar. . . ever. She really hadn't been very good at it back then, but had certainly improved a lot. That was the good thing about hard work, she thought to herself, it really did pay off in a satisfying way. Like, who would ever have guessed that the horrible guitarist that she'd been before would ever become as good as she was now? Not her brother, that's for sure, although he had been the one to introduce the instrument to her in the first place.
The dark haired boy sitting on the seat across from her looked like he was thinking about something for a little bit, but soon that expression passed and he asked if she liked music. The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, it's one of my favorite things! Well, mostly just playing guitar and stuff, but I really like listening to it as well." Her attention was drawn to the window, where she could see that it was getting darker out. It had been early afternoon when they'd boarded the train, how much time had passed? She wasn't completely sure. . . she didn't usually wear a watch, and plus, would it even work on a train meant for wizards? Gia had no clue. "Also, do you know what time it is?" the girl asked Simon.
371 words
@Simon Kincaid
Sorry this is so short!
Banner by Lucia Fox
⋆ You were given this life because you are strong enough to live it⋆
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6
Sta 8 ⋆ Eva 6 ⋆ Str 3 ⋆ Wis 7 ⋆ Arc 5 ⋆ Acc 6