Off Track Finished

Sophia was surprised to have found an empty compartment on the crowded magical train. She giggled mentally at that sentence that she was sure none of her old non-magical friends had even considered putting to words. A magical train? Before getting her letter of acceptance to Hogwarts, she would have considered it to be completely ridiculous.

She still struggled to believe any of this. Magic? Her? She felt that this was all some strange, elaborate dream. Part of Sophia's mind wondered what her parents would think of this whole situation. After all, they were also - what was the word again? Oh, right. Muggles. Would they have trouble adapting like she and her grandmother had?

She plopped onto the window seat and looked at her copy of Hogwarts, A History, which she had smuggled out of her trunk in anticipation of a boring, lonely ride. Carefully rotating the book, she studied its cover and back. Maybe she could learn a little bit about the school. She didn't know what to expect, so some information was better than nothing, right?

As the Hogwarts Express sped up more and more, she began to hope that she was the type to be able to read a book on a moving vehicle without becoming carsick. Er, trainsick? Was that a thing? She knew that looking at the scenery outside the window would do nothing but make her more on edge at being so far from home.

While she skimmed over the first page, noting the names of the founders of the school, she heard the sound of the compartment door sliding open. Before she could even look up, a thud sounded from the seat to her right. She glanced at the bag on the other seat and tilted her head before looking up to the door.

The stranger stood, looking skittish. Sophia met the pale green eyes with her own bright eyes, unable to look away due to her crippling social anxiety. She almost missed the words from the stranger's mouth.

"Ack! S-Sorry, I didn't notice you."

Her own mouth opened and closed not unlike that of a fish out of water. This was a great chance to finally make a friend. The loneliness she had felt since moving to Ireland could become a distant memory. Unfortunately, she struggled to find the words to push the conversation forward.

"Um, it's fine," she managed, suddenly self-conscious of her American accent.

'Smooth, Soph. Real smooth,' she thought with a grimace. She patted the seat between her and the knapsack, scooting over slightly to make room for the new arrival.

"I'm Sophia, by the way."

Oh, what an awful impression to leave on someone!

The occupant, who seemed as equally surprised as Sage was, looked to be a girl around her age. It appeared that she was in the midst of reading, had Sage not barged in like she did.

In the awkwardness that followed, she had expected a rebuke of some kind, her ears flushing at the tips. None came, however, much to her relief.

"Um, it's fine," A soft rap brought Sage's attention to the seat next to the redhead. An invitation, it would seem - which meant Sage didn't have to drag her sorry self anywhere elsewhere.

"Thanks."

"I'm Sophia, by the way." The lanky girl perched onto the seat, smoothing her skirt as she did, and offered a polite smile. Truly, she was lucky to have stumbled into someone friendly. Take that, Gus!

"I'm Sage, First Year. Nice to meet you," the brunette said simply, and began to relax into the leather seat.

Her eyes fell onto the book Sophia was reading; the title was familiar. Dark brows lift in recognition, vaguely recalled having to lug those books around Diagon Alley about two weeks prior. Honestly, she'd only given the books a brief skim before chucking them into her trunk. She had plenty of time to read at school, after all.

"Eager to start the school year, then?"

Sophia tilted her head in confusion, before she realized that, yes, she was holding a textbook in her sweaty, shaking hands. Was she this nervous at her old muggle school when she first met her old friends? She couldn't for the life of her remember.

The only thing she was sure of in this moment was that this interaction would set the tone for the rest of her time at Hogwarts. First impressions were everything, after all.

And the first impression the wizarding community was going to have of her was that of a preppy dork with no social skills and an unhealthy love of studying. Oh no. This was going to be a disaster.

Or was it?

Was it really such a crime to be interested in school work? Sure, in her old muggle school people usually teased or made fun of students with a love of studying, but this wasn't math or science. This was magic! She wasn't preparing for a career as an accountant or something. No, she was going to turn people into freaking newts and make love potions! The world would be her magical oyster!

She drummed on the textbook with her index and middle fingers as she searched for the words she was looking for.

After a slight pause, Sophia replied with a grin, "Uh, yeah. I'm kind of new to all," she gestured in a circle around her, "of this. Magic, you know? And now we're going to be casting spells and flying around on broomsticks and stuff, and it's kind of unnerving and exciting at the same time, right?"

She was speaking very fast, and she hoped her accent didn't make her sound too unintelligible because of the speed of her verbal assault, but she was proud of herself for actually saying words to another person without completely tripping over them. She smiled nervously at Sage, glancing at the passing landscape outside the window of the train. She still needed to work on eye contact.

Shuttling past the green-golden expanse of the English countryside on an old steam train was quite an experience.

Not that Sage travelled via Muggle transportation often enough to conjure up any comparison. Suffice to say, the lulling momentum with which they hurtled across the fields was pleasant, perhaps even preferable to Floo travel.

She leaned over to fetch her knapsack, pulling from it a travel-sized tartan blanket, laying it across her lap. Mum had said the journey would take a few hours, only arriving at the Castle well after nightfall. That's a long time to be sitting idle so she'd packed with comfort in mind.

Sage observed her companion as she spoke. Sophia seemed somewhat nervous but candid, and while her inflection was a bit odd-sounding, Sage understood her all the same.

The way Sophia enthused about magic was interesting, however, and Sage found this rather endearing and tried to suppress a giggle. She wished she shared her companion's excitement, really.

"I agree." The brunette nods, lips pursed thoughtfully.

Gus had told her about all sorts of people attending Hogwarts. Some came from old Pureblood wizarding families, some were part-Veela or other, some were ordinary halfsie folks like her and some were born or raised by Muggles. Very likely that Sophie was part of the latter, Sage surmised.

"Honestly," Sage began, a wry smile on her lips, unfolding the blanket so it fell over her knees. "I've expected this for a while, I think. My brother's graduating this year, see - I've got some big shoes to fill."

Sage sighs, fiddling with her blanket.

"You must've been overwhelmed when you found out. Were your folks alright with you going?"

Sophia chuckled at the memory of her letter’s arrival.

“Mamaw - that’s what I call my grandma - is like super old-fashioned. She wanted to take me in for a confession when she found out I could do magic,” she recounted fondly.

“What did you mean by ‘big shoes to fill? Was your brother, like, the Sorcerer Supreme or something?’” she asked curiously. She didn’t know that much about magic, and she had never had any siblings, so she couldn’t quite understand the expectations that came with those situations.

Forcing herself to maintain eye contact, Sophia smiled in a way she hoped looked supportive and kind. Since Sage seemed nice enough, talking with her wasn’t as overwhelming as it was when she was entirely unknown.

Sophia considered her words carefully before speaking. As she ran through the sentences in her head, she pulled her knees up to her chest, holding her book against her shins. She had never been on a train, so she wasn’t used to having so much leg room on a moving vehicle.

“Maybe you can’t be like your brother, but that’s okay, right? You might not be some super-wizard fighting old gods or something, but you can still be Sage, and that’s even better than comparing yourself to your brother, I think.”

She still knew nothing about wizards or what they typically did after their formal education. Heck, she hadn’t even known they had formal educations, so her words probably weren’t all that comforting, but she had a wealth of movies and pop culture under her belt. She could pull out inspirational quotes all day.

“My dad and I watched a movie when I was younger, and there was this line,” she tilted her head as she tried to remember the exact quote,”’If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.’”

She plopped her feet back on the ground and stood, striking what she thought was a heroic pose.

“You could be Sage, renowned dragon slayer with her super-cool magical sword!”

She hunched over, miming a witch stirring a cauldron.

“Or you could be a friendly witch, luring orphans into the woods to give them a home!”

Before she could get out another example, she managed to stumble and found herself faceplanting the floor.

As she rose back to her seat, she muttered, “Ugh, this is why school transportation needs seat belts.”

She tried to hide her blush by avoiding eye contact. Sage didn’t appear to be judgmental, so it was probably okay if Sophia was a klutz, but it was still part of her first impression, so she was still embarrassed.

“I don’t actually know what happens when you graduate, but I’m just saying that you could be capable of more than you think,” she finished with a smile, “Also, I’m sorry. I ramble sometimes.”

An intrigued expression came upon Sage’s face, her head tilting slightly to one side.

“Con…fession?” The girl wondered if that was a Muggle term similar to turning yourself in to Wizarding authorities. It did sound rather personal and Sage did not want to pry any further.

“I’m glad you made it, anyway.” Sage trailed off, wondering what Muggles did to children with magic. She could only hope Sophia had not suffered much.

Being Magical in the 21st century was a bit like burying one’s head in the sand; such that the wizarding community would prefer to live within their archaic, Muggle-repellent bubble. That wasn’t always possible, though - wizardkind and their non-magical counterparts crossed paths at times and Sage supposed that both eventually learned how to coexist, somehow.

Sage knew a bit of Muggle culture as she’d attended preparatory school very briefly, just long enough to learn the essentials; there was only so much she was exposed to at such a young age. Her own parents, scholars by nature, were befuddled by Muggle technology, but were not terribly averse to it.

The brunette cracked up at the Sorcerer Supreme bit, conjuring up an image of an eccentric Gus in fancy robes.

“Father said Gus has potential to be an Auror,” Sage wasn’t sure what the Muggle equivalent for that, maybe something like a wizard-slash-spy? “...and only the best students make it that far. I’m being such a downer, aren’t I?”

“Maybe you can’t be like your brother, but that’s okay, right? You might not be some super-wizard fighting old gods or something, but you can still be Sage, and that’s even better than comparing yourself to your brother, I think.”

A trickle of warmth coursed through her chest. Even though they were just words coming from a stranger, Sage appreciated the sentiment. Her fears over being inadequate were still there, but she didn’t feel as suffocated by them. She watched Sophia leap into various poses, cycling through outrageous career suggestions, before stumbling to the floor.

“Oh, be careful-!” Suppressing a laugh, Sage lurched forward in an attempt to catch the girl. She didn’t need to, though, for Sophia had already gotten herself back onto her seat, appearing rather shameful. It would seem there was more to this timid girl than meets the eye.

“You’re such a riot, y’know that? Thanks for making me feel better.” Sage shook her head, smiling fondly, making a note to treat the girl when the trolley witch made her stop later.

“Right, I’ve got this! I oughtn’t worry so much. We’ve still got a long way ahead of us, after all.”

Sophia smiled at the idea. Seven years. They had seven years ahead of them to get to whatever the future had in store. She remembered that much from the scary man from whom she received her letter of acceptance for Hogwarts.

She wasn't sure what an aura - or was it an aurora? like the lights? - was, but Sage seemed to place a lot of importance on it. It seemed to be a very big deal for the girl, and the pressure had to be overwhelming.

Some of Sophia's friends back home had similar pressure from their parents, and she knew how horrible it could be. Her former best friend Jen would sometimes cry for hours after getting her test results back because of her fear of failure. Were there similar expectations for kids born in wizarding families?

She hoped not.

Whatever happened to letting kids explore their interests and do what they enjoyed? Her parents always told her to just have fun. They always promised to support her no matter what.

"I know we have plenty of time to figure it out, but is there anything you do want to do after graduating?" Sophia asked with a thoughtful tilt of her head, "A school of magic is just so vague, and I have no idea what options there even are for wizard students. Do you have any kind of interests? Maybe crystal ball reading or something?"

She didn't want to pry too much. She had only just met Sage, after all. But she couldn't hold back her curiosity.

Clearly, Sage had not thought that far ahead. The girl ran a hand through her dark hair, ruffling her choppy fringe as she contemplated her options.

There were several paths someone could pursue after graduation. Sage supposed it was up to her to figure out what she was interested in, what she was good at, what she was capable of - it’s why they were going to school for, wasn’t it?

“Oof, that’s a toughie.” Resting her wrist under her chin, Sage crossed her legs at the knees.

“There’s plenty to do!” she began, mentally ticking off the various careers. Merlin, there was a lot but she’ll just name a few to indulge Sophia’s curiosity. “Let’s see.”

“For example, my mum’s a Herbologist: she studies magical plants for their properties and potential uses…” Sage took on a didactic tone, throwing a quick glance at the other girl. She didn’t want to go into a boring tirade, so the moment Sophia’s eyes glazed over with disinterest, Sage would have to stop.

“On the other hand, my Father works for the Ministry and helps with the preservation of magical artefacts - quite like a historian, I’d imagine. If my brother succeeds in being an Auror, he’d most likely be trained to investigate crimes and hunt down some dark wizards.”

Sage shrugged, putting her blanket aside.

Feeling restless, Sage got up, sat opposite the girl and perched herself by the window. She blew on the glass, her breath fogging it up. She drew a couple of loops, and a stick-wizard on a broomstick, wielding a bat. The girl was surprised to see it animate itself. Surprised, but unfazed; they were on a magic train, weren’t they?

“You could also play Quidditch professionally if you’re into that sort of thing - it’s quite dangerous, though.” She drew in a ball, a bludger, which then threw itself at her stick-wizard. Poor thing.

Being competitive, Sage naturally gravitated towards the sport and had once considered it as a career choice - except that she hated losing, amongst other things she hated, like falling off a great height due to a bludger attack.

“...and that’s just some of the things you could do. I suppose if you can study it, you can probably make a living out of it - is what I’m saying?” A bony hand came up to erase the foggy blotch on the glass. Sage watched it disappear, lost in thought.

Interests, huh. Sage was more of a jack-of-all-trades kind of person, she liked most things, but had never quite been passionate about anything in particular. If Gus was good at it, Sage would want to be better. If there was a competition, Sage expected to win. She couldn’t possibly tell Sophia about that - it wouldn’t be cool at all.

Sophia watched Sage's antics with astonishment.

"D-did you just...?" she began to ask, but couldn't quite finish the sentence. She didn't even know what the other girl had done. Was this considered normal in wizard families? That little animation was simple, yes, but to her it was absolutely amazing.

She shook her head, looking away from the window before she was tempted to ask Sage to do it again. That was a rabbit-hole they unfortunately didn't have time to explore.

Sophia ran her left hand through her unusually messy hair and rested it on the back of her neck. She really had a long way to go, didn't she?

Ever since getting her wand, she had been so sorely tempted to try to practice the spells in her textbooks, but that had been one of the few rules explained by the scary wizard from whom she had received her letter.

No magic outside of Hogwarts. She didn't know much about why the rule existed, but the last thing she wanted was to be hunted down by someone like Sage's brother, so she certainly didn't want to test the professor's resolve.

Instead of asking about practical magic, though, Sophia decided to carry the conversation in a safer direction.

"So, your mom was an Herbologist and your father was, uh, a Minister or something?" she gushed with a big smile and wide eyes, "My mom was a teacher, and my dad was an accountant. Your parents' jobs sound so much cooler."

She repositioned her legs so that she was sitting cross-legged upon the seat. She folded her hands together and rested her elbows on the textbook in her lap, placing her hands under her chin to support her head.

"Are you nervous about what happens when we get there?" she asked lazily, enjoying the lull of the train on its tracks, "This is all brand new to me, but you seem to know lots about magic. I've never even lived away from my family, so it's kind of comforting to meet someone calm and smart about this whole thing, I guess."