Making New Friends Closed

To be perfectly honest, Nicole was nervous. A magic school, where she would train to be a witch, among students just like her, for the next seven years? It sounded a bit far-fetched. But Nicole had been assured it was very real, and so here she was, for better or worse.

"Be good, now," her mother said, wrapping Nicole in a hug. "Write often. Don't forget!"

"I will, Mama," Nicole said, hugging her mother back. She had never been away from home so long before--it was just another thing to be nervous about.

"Nicole's a witch, Nicole's a witch, Nicole's a witch," George, her little brother, happily yelled, dancing in circles around Nicole and her mother.

"Hush, George," her mother said. "You don't have to put it like that." She was frowning, and Nicole knew how hard it had been for her to come to terms with all of this. She hadn't been happy when she'd been informed her second daughter was a witch.

"Write lots," Juliette, Nicole's sister, said, taking her turn to say goodbye. "Don't forget about us, back home."

Nicole rolled her eyes. "Don't be dramatic. How could I forget you? Or maybe I will, just because."

"Jerk," Juliette said, sticking out her tongue.

"Quiet, everyone," Nicole's father said. "Now, Nicole, do you know where you're going?"

Glancing around, Nicole could only see platforms 9 and 10--no 9 and 3/4. Or, at least, not until she saw a girl that looked about her age disappear through a wall. It seemed impossible, but Nicole knew it must be her entrance. Where else would Platform 9 and 3/4 go?

"Yes, Papa," Nicole said. Goodbye, everyone. I'll write, and see you all at Christmas." And with those words, Nicole followed the girl through the wall and onto the platform.

Attire: Wearing: Slytherin pride, neck ring, kilt, shoes, fang necklace, raven feather in his braid.

Reducio

Colin hugged his Seanmamó and watched as she drove away, going back to St. Mungo's and Liam. He missed his twin already. He hoped that Liam would follow him soon. Colin felt guilty about distancing himself from Liam last year, and he determined to change that this year. He also had his Seanmamó's words ringing in his head. "You know there is a right time and season for everything, Colin laddie. Look for my owl and you stick close to them lassies of yours! I don't know how you pick your friends, laddie, but your heart has done a good job of it!"

As he pushed his baggage trolley through Kings Cross, he mulled those words over. Those lassies of his, that was clear enough to Colin! Fyre Angel, Sophia, Pax, Bailey, Jarael. He'd found a lot of good friends during his first year, all them strong girls in their own ways. And then there was Clair, the broom racer he'd met this summer. He wondered what might become of that. He was sure he'd made a bit of a fool of himself the day before when they'd met in the Leakey Cauldron. He hoped that she'd come to like him the way he did her.

But Colin had to get to Hogwarts first! And that meant navigating the terrors of Kings Cross, the very last bastion of Muggledom before he returned to the safety and familiarity of the magical world. He now knew what the wee black boxes were, that things that muggles always looked into when they were walking around. Monica had said they were 'sell your le tephelon'. Sounded French to Colin. She had said they were like pewters and muggles used them to talk to each other.

He saw quite a few muggles walking around whilst staring into those wee black boxes. He noticed that some muggles also had queer appendages sticking out of their ears. He wondered if they were part Pixie. He'd never seen one, but he'd seen plenty of pictures of Pixies, and they all had knobby appendages sticking off their ears too.

At last he got down to the platforms and people were rushing about now. Occasionally he'd recognise a fellow Hogwarts student. A caged cat or owl, much like the one on his own trolley, or a mention of 'muggles' tipped him off. He passed by a small group of people, two or three families, just a few yards from the great brick pillar that would lead to Platform 9 3/4.

"Nicole's a witch, Nicole's a witch, Nicole's a witch!" Colin turned to see a small boy dancing around a blonde girl who must be Nicole the Witch. "Hush George!" came their mother's kind admonishment. Yeah. The first lesson a young witch or wizard had to learn: hide from the muggles. Keep your identity secret. And hadn't Colin learnt that lesson twice! All last year he had to keep his magical identity hidden from muggles and his lycanthropy hidden from fellow magicals.

He passed by another family saying their goodbyes. A ginger haired girl. Her parting from her father seemed much quieter and accompanied by many hugs. Colin gave her a bright smile before plunging headlong into the brick wall! He was pretty certain both of them would be following along behind him in the next couple minutes.

Colin rather enjoyed the almost timeless and spaceless feeling of passing through the barrier between the muggle and magical worlds. He was only very dimly aware of powerful magic flowing around him. Whoever had conceived and constructed Platform 9 3/4 must have been a very powerful wizard. Keeping muggles safely away wasn't hard --- but making a whole train platform? That was quite a feat!

And so it was, for the second time in his life, Colin found himself standing on the platform with the solid mass of the Hogwart's Express before him in all it's steamy and iron clad wonder!

@Lily Brown | @Nicole Richards || Mentions @Clair Fernandez | @Sophia Nelson | @AngelFyre McCubbin