Windows of Possibility closed

The platform was crowded. Not just in the Saturday trip to market or visiting the post office at noon, but actually busy in the way you felt suffocated, clinging to the hand in yours with all your might. Beatrice was sure she would lose Ma and Nan in amongst all these people. She wasn't used to them or this screaming closeness they all had, getting ready for the train to depart.

Ma and Da had told her of the train and Hogwarts. She knew what was to come. The trip across the countryside to the big school, where she would be sorted. That wasn't what terrified her. It was the fact that she didn't have friends, anyone to talk to or laugh with on the journey.

Kissing Nan and Ma, who tutted with finality that Beatrice was finally making her own journey to Hogwarts, the eleven-year old made her way onto the train. Not knowing which compartment to go into, she took a deep breath and popped her head into the next one up ahead.
"May I join you?" She blinked. The compartment was quiet, with only one red headed girl, who looked like a fellow first year, in it. Maybe this trip won't be so bad with a fellow first year?

The girl in the compartment jumps slightly, perturbed from ruminations ranging from past to future. Thick hair whirls like a flame, not knowing what to expect and not fond of being caught unawares, and green eyes quickly appraise the curly haired girl even smaller than she. A broad smile forms a second later followed by a piqued brow as she takes in further detail. They made quite the contrast in appearance, her own a confident nature and bright appearance, slightly subdued by a dandelion yellow tee, dark denims, and earthy green sneakers.

She nods emphatically and pats the bench across from her. "Of course, you can! I was just about to go looking for company! Can't be bothered to do the whole ride by myself." She grins and laughs, her eyes focused on the other's and their interesting caramel shade. Skraele has a bit of Irish accent, from her apparent heritage, but well practiced English. "Fair deal you happened upon my compartment. As it's still quite roomy but with good company." She offers with a wink. "Anyway~ I'm Skraele! What's your name? Where from? Are you excited?" And so the questions began. She moves to sit in a lotus to give the girl space to settle in then leans forward with intrigue, her melancholy ruminations instantly forgotten.

The girl in the compartment must have been deep dreaming as her Nan would say. She hadn't really noticed Bea open the door. But she seemed friendly enough, in that bundle of energy way that was totally not Bea. And she had agreed to share the compartment so there was that.

"Thanks!" Bea tucked a caramel curl behind her ear and stepped further into the compartment. Sitting opposite the flaming haired girl, she smiled. Living on a farm in Northern Scotland, she was unused to large crowds of others. "I thought the same thing! Ma said it's a long trip..."

She was glad the girl was so confident in talking. Bea had no clue what to say to start a conversation so she was relieved she only had to answer.

"Fair deal you happened upon my compartment. As it's still quite roomy but with good company." She offers with a wink. "Anyway~ I'm Skraele! What's your name? Where from? Are you excited?"

Bea giggled and rolled her eyes taking out the jar of cherry rock candy from her skirt pocket. "I'm Beatrice, although you can call me Bea. It's nice to meet you. I'm from Ellon, Scotland, as you can probably tell from my voice." She blushed a little but continued on and nodded in response to the next question. "Very! Although I don't know to expect! Both my parents are wizards, so they told me a little of what to expect." She rolled her eyes at the memory of asking her parents about Hogwarts and beamed. They had said little, wanting to keep the magic and wonder of being a first year intact. "My parents said that it was a magical place and was great fun! Are you looking forward to going? Did your parents tell you about Hogwarts? Or are you Muggleborn? "

She bounced slightly on the seat, hoping the other girl didn't notice. Why do we have to sit for so long? We aren't even halfway yet. She longed to put her slightly scuffed boots to ground, although in the carriage it would be impossible to really feel like you were going anywhere. Looking at Skraele, Bea really took her in for the first time since sitting in the carriage. Red long hair, green eyes, taller than she. Completely different to Bea herself. What a pair the two made! They were complete opposites!

There's a tentative knock on the internal door, and a shell-shocked looking young man says,
"Ahm I in th' right place? On th' way to th' wizard school?"

He is dressed shabbily, in an old, stained t-shirt and an old warmup jacket older than him, with a pair of dungarees on. He smells a little like a midden, which is clearly not his fault -- his face and hands are scrubbed within an inch of bleeding -- but probably the fault of his launderer, who left mud on his pants legs. Above the scrubbed face is a shock of fair hair, buzzed down almost to the scalp, and dark eyebrows. His eyes are 'blue' because it's rude to call them 'colorless' or 'what the hell's wrong with your eyes.'

He looks at the girls sitting in the cabin, and thinks,
They're too pretty ta let me sit here. Better move on. But Ruby told me to try to make friends, and she doesn't look like a bully. This school . . . auntie says it's a whole new start fer me, and fer the whole family, if it leads to a good job.

So he stays, waiting for a reply.

"I'm Beatrice, although you can call me Bea. It's nice to meet you. I'm from Ellon, Scotland, as you can probably tell from my voice."

Skraele giggles at this and the following blush. She tracks the candy briefly, not seeming particularly interested, then her smile and eyes light up like verdant fields. As she talks, her excitement overrides some of her proper education in English, her grand's accent coming through. Of course, but Scotland! I'm from London, bu' streets and cities don' feel like home. Ah've always wanted ta go the Highlands. Even in pictures, they're so beautiful an' look like so much fun ta explore and lose ya'self in!

She coughs a little with a bite of her lip and settles down a degree while crossing her ankles. Sorry, It just sounds really exciting. I think I'm looking forward to going to Hogwarts, but I don't know much about it. Nan and Daideo haven't told me very much. I know it's a wizard school, and some of my family have gone there, but..." She puffs out her cheeks and shrugs with a hint of solemnity and disappointment.

Fortunately, she doesn't have to consider the matter long when there's a knock on the door. Her head pops up to stare at the newcomer for a long moment, who made an even more spectacle than anything else so far. After the initial inspection, she doesn't seem to care about his appearance or smell, the both not being unusual from her many childhood exploits.

Skraele smiles and waves him in. "Right, you are! Did walking through a brick wall not give it away? The train that probably wouldn't pass inspection, mechanical or ecological?" She grins and laughs, her eyes focused on his and their interesting lack of color. "Fair deal you happened upon our compartment. I should think some of the other kids might've been a bit rude, if you didn't happen upon that on your way here. Anyway~ I'm Skraele! And this is Beatrice!"

At her rapid-fire questions, and laughter, the boy goes a little pale, and looks out the window while he gnaws at the knuckle of his thumb. A few minutes go by, while he seems to gather up his nerve to talk again.

"Ah'm sorry. Ah guess Ah should have realized. Ah don't know much about trains, either, and Ah don't thin' Ah could hae told whether're not it would work. Ya must be . . . pretty smart, ta know that."

He hangs in the doorway, a picture of uncertainty, as if his entire life hung on the decision to enter the doorway and sit down, and it was a decision that he was utterly unprepared by life or education to make.

He looks at the seat where she patted; an obvious invitation, but then slowly, as though not to brush against her in the slightest, he moves into the cabin and slides his legs against the seat, nearly tripping himself, trying to take up as little space as possible.

"Ah'm . . . Ah'm Michael Ashen, o'Glasgow. Ah think they made a mistake. Everyone on this train is . . . different ta me."

He puts his one meager bag, of nondescript gray, by his feet.

The jiggling in her leg just wouldn't stop. Really, she thought, it might be a product of never having ridden in such a muggle way. Her Da had said that this, as well as cars, were muggle ways of transport. But since the train was magical, a part of Hogwarts Bea had read, it seemed that the train was more magical than muggle in her mind. Smoothing her hands over her navy skirt, she smoothed the pleats, willing her leg to stop. She tightened her hand over the candy jar, grabbing one of the cherry candies and popping it in her mouth. She was never a great traveler. Her little sister always complained about her.

She smiled at Skraele at the mention of London. "London! That's huge! It blecked me whan I gaed thare this Summer. Ma insist'd we veesit afore comin today." She paused, sucking on the candy in her mouth. "Ellon's geyly built up. A leeve on a farm ootby the ceety. London is huge compare't to it!"

It was then the compartment door opened and Bea swung her head to look at the newcomer. Head tilted, honey eyes scrunching slightly to look at the boy. His demeanor nervous, unsettled even, compared to both the girls. The clothes on the boy added to it. Worn and shabby, Bea wondered what had happened in the boys life for him to be like that. She nodded as Skraele accepted the boy into the compartment and introduced them both.

This boy wasn't like Skraele in the slightest. Bea wanted to hug and comfort him. Nan's words floated in her head. Kindness is easy...Always treat others how you would want to be treated. She watched as he took a seat next to Skraele, obviously pulling into himself, trying to take up as little space as possible. She held out the candy jar. "Hullo, I'm Beatrice. Wad ye like some candy? It's cherry tastin." Candy always helped settle her. She hoped the boy would be the same.

@Skraele Valasse @Michael Ashen

[OOC: I have given Bea a bit more of a Scottish accent to develop her character.]

Translation

Her lips twist and a cheek puffs out briefly in confusion at his distraught reaction. She starts to ask if he's alright but wonders if further questions might cause him to have a spell, if he isn't having one already and something she has no idea how to address. When he finally sits a little clumsily, she giggles before stifling it with a hand covering her mouth. She nods once at his words and offers her customary bright smile.

"Michael! Do they call you Mike or Mikey for short? I prefer Michael myself, like the archangel." She waves a dismissive hand with a disapproving frown. "If you found your way here, there is no mistake. The book and quill make no mistakes or so they say." She leans back to give him the space he obviously craves then adopts her smile again. "I think everyone I've seen so far is quite different, and, in that way, perfectly normal. Besides, this is a school right? What really matters is you make it from one side to the other and learn at least one thing on the way." She gives a throaty giggle and gives a short, brief point to his eyes. "Your eyes are different though, very pretty, like staring at a pond and wondering if there's treasure or danger underneath. I think you'll be right at home, from what I hear of Hogwarts, not that I've heard a lot. Say, what house do you think you'll be sorted to, Michael? I wouldn't mind Ravenclaw, but I think it'd be fun to be put in Slytherin. I'd rather like to shake things up in there, but me Nan says to avoid them like the plague. Sly folk, them lot, she says, but that ain't exactly a bad thing!"

After that, Skraele bites her lip and raises her brows, feeling a need to give him room to speak. She glances over at Bea, who is being calm and polite, and wonders if maybe she should calm down a bit herself. "What house are you hoping for, Bea?"

@Michael Ashen @Beatrice Langstreth

"Houses? Ah was tol' tha Ah would be livin' at Hogwarts," he says slowly. "What're the 'houses'? Are they near Hogwarts? Is't a long walk? Ah'm used tae long walkin', but Ah don' want ta be late fer class."

"Ah'm Mike, beggin' yer pardon. I dinnae ken what raven's claw is, but if that's where yer goin', an' Ah kin help, Ah will."

He reaches out and takes a cherry candy, slowly, as though not completely convinced that the proffered treat wasn't going to actually bite him. He tastes it before he actually puts it into his mouth, with a certain temerity and caution very unlike his apparent age.

His colorless eyes show nothing but sincerity, and his jaw clenches. There's a slight twist to his nose, almost un-noticeable, except at this range, where it has been broken previously, and a thin scar over his eyebrow where he's been cut with a razor in a fight.

"Do ye like ta shake things up? I don' hae much experience wi'it, but . . ."

He looks out the window a moment, and then fixes her with that odd stare.

". . . as Ah said, if that's wha'ye want, Ah'll help ye make it happen."