A new beginning . . . or Another Mistake? Complete

Avery stood there dumbly, wand in hand, facing the wall between platforms 9 and 10; his similarly confused parents could do nothing but watch. He felt confounded and embarrassed in front of their curious eyes, sure that they were expecting him to be able to magically blast a hole in the wall or something and nothing less, because, well... he was the "wizard", and his parents always had high expectations.

Just as he was about to try "open sesame" or something of the sort, an older boy with a trolley whizzed by, heading towards the wall beside him. Avery gasped, opening his mouth to yell out to the boy in alarm, but the boy disappeared in an instant, swallowed whole by the stone wall. Avery watched wide-eyed as the boy's back heel magically melded away. He was sure his parents were as stunned as he was, and turning back to them, he confirmed it was the case.

"Well I guess I'll give that a try," he said. "Thanks Ma, thanks Ba, for taking me here."

"Be careful, son," his dad responded in Mandarin. "Don't forget to write to us every week," his mom added, "and be sure to practice violin or at least do your scales every day." After a few more words of good-bye, he took in a deep breath and looked at the wall where the boy disappeared. He put on a brave smile for his parents, and heaved his trolley forward with a big little-boy push. Might as well make this quick! He closed his eyes and waited for impact, but all he felt was a whish in his hair and he was on the other side.

The large, steaming train that greeted him was a magnificent sight. He stood there in wonder, still trying to catch his breath before noticing that there was no one left on the platform. The train let out a large toot and whistle. In a panic, he grabbed his suitcase, backpack and violin and ran towards the doors, which were closing before his eyes. He lunged and jammed his free arm through the closing door, and it bounced back open before making contact with his elbow.

He caught his breath on the other side, settling down his things in the hallway for a quick breather and to clear his mind of the seemingly near-death incident. He made it! He ran through a wall, made his way onto a train last-second and survived to tell the tale!

The sweet smell of exploding candy tickled his nose, and he refocused his attention to the compartments around him, swarming with students, chatter, and jumping treats. The train was about to leave, and it was about time he found a place to sit. He trundled down the walkway with his many things, but compartment after compartment passed by him, filled to the brim with clamoring students. Where was he going to find a place to settle down in peace?

He saw a compartment with three younger-looking kids, who were still settling in with their things, and wondered if he should go in. He caught snippets of their conversation, finding that the pale girl was Hildegard, the East Asian boy was Hui Ming, and the bespectacled girl was Samantha.

He took a breath and slid the compartment door open, just as Hildegard's trunk walked underfoot into a corner. "Yikes!" he exclaimed, and leapt over the thing to prevent tripping over it. Items moving of their own accord seemed to be a theme around here... He landed in the empty seat across from Hildegard in a pile of his own bags/cases but his bum neatly in the seat.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said with a small apologetic smile. "I almost missed the train because it was hard to find, if you know what I mean. My name is Avery and this will be my first year."

The kids seemed to be talking about houses as he was bumbling in. He'd heard about their existence, but he really didn't know much about them, so he listened intently as Samantha asked about them.

Hildegard gave both of her sit neibor a look of astonisment.

- In what world do they live in ? She thought.

Muggle-born maybe ? She wondered to herself.

-Wait are you both Muggle-born or something like that ?
She asked them.

Hildegard's behavior switched just a little after asking that question, because she was scared of Muggle-borns, not on an individual level, but on a collective level.
With all those witch hunting stories she was told about she was afraid that one day the wizarding world would be revealed because of them and that because of it the witch hunt would start again.

At that moment she realized that another boy came in the compartment, she looked at him and only said :

-Hi hi

As she did not want to interupt all the conversation only to make the presentation.

-Hum about the trunk you can get it in pretty much any magical shop, I guess. Maybe try out Madam Malkin at the Diagon Alley. And... for the houses it's just a group you will go to depending on your prevalent personality, it's basically like familly, each house has it's own dorm and we have a competition with points each year to win a cup. Hum, each houses have a specific animal and was founded by one of the four founders of Hogwarts. The sorting by personality traits goes a bit like this, brave for gryffindor, intellectual curiosity for ravenclaw, loyal for hufflepuff and ambitious for slytherin. It's a bit more complex but I'm just summing it up.

Interacting with @Hui Ming , @Samantha Fosterand @Avery Chen

Hui Ming raised an eyebrow as yet another person basically just barged into the compartment, looking like he'd just run a marathon. What was with people just walking into his compartment? At least Miss Foster had the decency to ask for his permission beforehand.

Not willing to let it go though, he spoke up even though Miss Schneider pushed the conversation along.

"Well, Mr. Avery," Ming attempted in that almost formal, almost-contemptuous voice that his father employed whenever something displeased him. He didn't like being in the presence of people, and a part of him just itched to take out a book and ignore all of them, despite how horribly rude that might make him appear. The fact that at least two of them were so rude, so.... plebian. It made his skin crawl.

At least the train had started to move, meaning that there would be no more people just bursting into the room. "If you would be so kind as to lock the door - this compartment would get rather cramped if even more people started showing up."

He waited until the other boy had closed the door, before he added to the pureblood's explanation. "The House you go to can set the tone for your entire experience at Hogwarts, so I suppose it's very important".

Interacting with: @Samantha Foster | @Avery Chen | @Hildegard Schneider

OOC: When you write a post but someone else posts before you do smh

Avery took a few breaths before settling his suitcase and backpack under his seat, noticing that a couple of the other students had made room by putting their things on the racks overhead. His violin case remained delicately balanced on his lap so that he could keep an eye on his most prized and expensive possession.

Hildegard acknowledged him briefly -- curtly, but fine by him, since he had interrupted their conversation -- before answering a few questions about trunks and Houses. So, Gryffindors were brave, Ravenclaws were intellectually curious, Hufflepuffs were loyal, and Slytherins were ambitious...

"Well, Mr. Avery," Hui Ming cut through the conversation, and Avery's ears perked up. The tone in his voice was jeering and Avery felt like he was being scolded by his father. "If you would be so kind as to lock the door - this compartment would get rather cramped if even more people started showing up." Avery hesitated for a bit, wondering if he should respond to the boy any differently, before obliging. Years of doing what he was told made it easy for him, and he was the newcomer who had barged in, anyhow. "Of course," he said, as he flipped the mechanism on the door, feeling like he was trapping himself in with a bunch of new kids who he just embarrassed himself in front of.

"The House you go to can set the tone for your entire experience at Hogwarts, so I suppose it's very important," Hui Ming added. In that case, he vaguely hoped that he wasn't in the same house as Hui Ming, because he didn't know if he could willingly take any more scolding from a boy his age.

Avery remembered before coming in that Hui Ming said he'd fit in well at Ravenclaw or possibly Gryffindor. "In that case, I think I might be in Hufflepuff," Avery said, even though he secretly thought Ravenclaw sounded like the best fit for him. But that's where Hui Ming was going, so no thank you. "But don't you think it's strange, that a hat could know you better than you know yourself? What if you don't like the house that you got sorted into?" Or you didn't fit in with the people in it, he thought to himself. "Could you change houses?"

Hui Ming watched with grim satisfaction as the new boy, Avery, at least went and closed the door without question. Not completely irredeemable then. He also noted, interestingly, that none of the others tried to look out and wave to their parents as the train started moving and tried to leave the station.

Perhaps they said their goodbyes before...?

Ming was snapped back from his distracted thoughts when Avery spoke. And his words had hit rather close to home with that last sentence. What if Ming didn't fit in with any of the Houses? Or worse, if all the members of he was sorted into some random house that he didn't fit into?

He shuddered visibly, as the mental image of being in Hufflepuff came into his mind. Three people and he was already strained, what would he do if he had to deal with a pack of people?

Never show weakness. Not in public.

He took a deep breath, and chose to ignore the question that he had no answer for, instead focusing on the other half of what the boy had said.

"You say it's strange," Ming mused, the contempt from his before suitably muted. "But we are right now in a train on a platform that shouldn't exist by the laws of physics; and I've just had the dubious pleasure of meeting what can only be a sentient trunk. So I don't know anymore, Mr. Avery. Is it strange, or does magic just make this normal?"

Interacting with: @Samantha Foster | @Avery Chen | @Hildegard Schneider

Before the rest of the people talked about Houses, Samantha couldn't help but notice Hildegard's tone when she asked her and Hui Ming whether or not they're Muggle-born. Sure, Samantha understood that there were wizards who came from wizarding lineages, and there are people like her who were born from regular, non-magical environments; but the tone of prejudice from the pure-blood witch made her a bit concerned. It made her feel like she wouldn't fit in with the magical world easily, and she felt scared of that.

Before Samantha could open her mouth and answer Hildegard's question as politely as she can, another boy bargged into the compartment. He looked a lot more... carefree or loose, if she could say, than Hui Ming over here. She could tell by the length of his hair and the way he barged into the door.

"Hey, Avery," Samantha said before moving over to give the new guy some space to sit. "Nice meeting you."

After that, she stayed quiet to listen to their conversation.

After Hildegard gave the crash course on what the houses were like, Samantha had a feeling on which one she should go into. She usually gets praises from her parents (and a few other nice people) of how smart of a girl she is. She was always part of the top students from her peevious schopl before. She felt like she would definitely be in Ravenclaw, but she didn't say it so she wouldn't sound like she bragged.

If not Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff would be nice enough for Samantha. All this time, she wanted great people to be friends with her; sort of like her family when she's away from her real family. It didn't mean she thought people from the other Houses aren't friendly; it just seemed to Samantha that Hufflepuff might be the kind of people she was looking for.

Before Samantha could speak up, she couldn't help but notice the potential rivalry between Hui Ming and Avery. If Samantha was to be blunt, she didn't like the way Hui Ming ordered the other boy to close the compartment door. She did kind of admire how Avery looked back at the East Asian boy as if he wasn't fazed at all. She sure wished she has that spirit.

Samantha didn't want to start an argument on her first day in her new school. So instead of telling the boys to knock it off and to stop acting like a couple of whiny kids, she just cleared her throat to hopefully divert the attention to herself.

"Well, if this hat thing, if you would call it, knows what it's doing when it puts you in a House, then I have no reason to doubt it," Samantha said. "Anyways, back to the subject on which House we'll get into, I'd say I might be in Ravenclaw, not to brag. If not, Hufflepuff should be nice. They seem like a good bunch of people."

Avery leaned back into his seat more comfortably as Samantha the bespectacled girl gave him some room and greeted him politely. He flashed a friendly (but tired and still sweaty) smile and said quietly, "Nice to meet you too," as not to disturb Hildegard's explanation of houses.

Avery noticed that Hui Ming shuddered as he said he might be in Hufflepuff, not knowing that the bespectacled boy was imagining hordes of exuberant students trampling introverts with their overwhelming friendliness. He folded his arms, thinking that Hui Ming disapproved of the house that he'd chosen just because he was scoffing at Avery. Well, so what, he was definitely going to be in Hufflepuff just to spite the boy and it was better if Hui Ming wasn't in it!

"You say it's strange," Hui Ming responded, his tone changed and becoming more thoughtful rather than judgmental, "But we are right now in a train on a platform that shouldn't exist by the laws of physics; and I've just had the dubious pleasure of meeting what can only be a sentient trunk. So I don't know anymore, Mr. Avery. Is it strange, or does magic just make this normal?" What an interesting way to think about it... Avery's mind raced and he contemplated this philosophical question, forgetting -- for a second -- his irksome feelings towards the boy. So, by whose gauges and measures are things defined as "strange"? Has his perception changed now that he is knowledgeable about the existence of magic...?

Samantha, who had been quiet for a while and who had seemed to be observing the events carefully during this entire time, cleared her throat and spoke, assured that the magical hat thing would not be wrong. "Anyways, back to the subject on which House we'll get into, I'd say I might be in Ravenclaw, not to brag. If not, Hufflepuff should be nice. They seem like a good bunch of people." Yes, thank you, Samantha! Finally someone who understood why Hufflepuff could be a cool place to be! Avery beamed at her. "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you in Hufflepuff, then!" he said, "If you don't get into Ravenclaw, that is, and I'm sure you could, but -- you know -- just in case," he added hastily, not wanting to make her think she didn't belong in Ravenclaw if that seemed to be her top choice. He mentally kicked himself. Wow, so smooth, Avery. Just stop talking already. Lower that intensity or you'll scare the poor girl away.

He turned his thoughts back to what Hui Ming had said earlier, about whether magic makes things seem "normal". "I feel like my definition of normal has changed so much after these past few weeks," he recounted, "that I don't even know what normal is anymore. And the crazy thing is, we're probably going to see even more strange things going forward, that I just can't wait." He looked to Hildegard and her magical trunk. "Of course, this might seem pretty normal to Hildegard, and we're probably the strange ones," he laughed.

Going back to the magical sorting hat, he wondered aloud, "Do you guys believe in destiny? Like each person is meant to accomplish certain things in the world according to pre-determined fate?" Because if the hat could see your fate or destiny, it would know where you belonged and where you would thrive, right? That's the only way it made sense to him that a hat could know what house you belonged to.

Interactions: @Hildegard Schneider, @Samantha Foster, @Hui Ming

OOC indications :
GREEN: Thinking
BLUE: Talking

Hildegard Schneider glared at Hui Ming, it was a glare mixing disapproval and disgust, he had been a bit creepy and sort of annoying for a few times now.

The conversation kept on going Hildegard only passively listening,

"YOU DON'T SAY!" She remarked when avery called them Muggle-born weird to her.

Soon after Avery asked some kind of philosophical question about destiny and fate, she thought about it for a few second and said :

-We have prophecies and seer who can see into the future Avery, if we can it means that it is somehow determined... However...

Hildegard's inner egoism came into surface melting into her philosophical thoughts.

It's still our own, we can't change it but it is partly our own choice that lead to it. So we better live for ourselves and make choices to minimize our regrets. Those regrets may be unfounded but it doesn't mean we won't have them, it does not mean it won't hurt us.

She paused for a second and looked at Samantha.

-The sorting hat looks at your soul, so he rarely get it wrong... I guess. I thought all of this was obvious I don't get what you all are supprised about.

Interacting with @Hui Ming , @Samantha Foster and @Avery Chen

Strange, huh? Come to think of it, even before Samantha had her first incidence of accidental magic, other kids already regarded her as a strange person. She couldn't pinpoint the exact reason why. Was it because she didn't act so feminine at times? Was it because of her interests? Was it because of how she looked?

After all those times in the Muggle world, Samantha learned one thing: Normal is really something subjective. Just like what a prominent singer-songwriter used to say, "It's weird not to be weird."

"Screw the word normal," Samantha said as she rested her head on the windowpane to get a view of the landscape they're in at the moment. "To be honest, I don't think 'normal' exists in this world. I mean, you could see it right here; Hildegard's got a trunk with legs. She wasn't really bothered by it since she's used to it, while the rest of us here, who didn't see something like that until today, were amazed when we saw it. I think that there's just a thing as every one of us being unique in some sort of way, and normal is just used to refer to things two or more people share something in common... something they could use to discriminate someone else."

Samantha said her last statement with a bitter tone. Nobody in the compartment - in the train, rather - knew why, except her of course...

"Do you guys believe in destiny? Like each person is meant to accomplish certain things in the world according to pre-determined fate?"

That question piqued Samantha's interest that she got her head off of the glass and sat up straight.

"No, I didn't believe in destiny," Samantha simply replied as she stared straight into Avery's eyes. "I used to believe that we choose our own path; whatever we want to do with our lives, that's up to us. I never believed that something was laid out for us before we were born.

"I just gotta say that all of it changed when that guy... that wizard came to my home that day. I was just as shocked as my parents at that time. Quite frankly, I never planned to be a witch; none of the members of my family is. So I just thought that maybe, just maybe, I can be something more than who I planned to be. Me being able to get into Hogwarts is a pretty good sign, so might as well go with the flow, right?

"How about you guys? Do you feel the same way I did?"

OOC Indications:
"This is Hui Ming speaking"
This is Hui Ming remembering things said to him

Hui Ming raised an eyebrow at the rather open disapproval shown by the only pureblood in the cabin. She hadn't said anything overt yet, but his dislike of her only grew from the little things. The lack of manners and decorum, the open hostility, her clear discomfort in his presence, despite having barged in here as if she owned the place.

Congeniality is not a preference, but a necessity. There is no excuse for poor manners, even to those that one does not necessarily approve of. If everyone always said what they felt, the whole world would always be at war.

Miss Foster spoke up, then; and her words about normalcy hitting Hui Ming with the force of a lorry. 'Normalcy is just a common ground use to hurt others'? It made Hui Ming go cold.

That sounded a lot like what Baba had described the bad 'racist' people did. But then, wasn't that what he was doing too, looking down on these people because they were uncouth and uncultured? Or was he being racist? And just like that, this conversation became too much.

Miss Foster was still speaking about her thoughts, but her words seemed distant. Blurred. Unimportant.

Distantly, Hui Ming was aware of getting to his feet. He was probably cutting off someone who was speaking, but he needed to get out of this conversation now.

"Excuse me," he managed, somehow. Even in his distress, manners were paramount. "I really need some air."

And with that, Hui Ming all but fled from the cabin.

Interacting with: @Samantha Foster | @Avery Chen | @Hildegard Schneider