Boarding alone, staying alone? open

The young girl was gone before Reynard had the chance to tell her he wouldn't mind it if she joined them in their compartment; after all, if he didn't enjoy her company, he could always turn back to his book.

Just the same, he didn't feel compelled to rush after her and ask her to come back once she did decide to leave.

"The first day can be hard, especially when you don't know anyone" he commented
Parting from friends and family, of being left to fend for yourself, the stress from the unknown. No wonder many of the first-year students were overwhelmed by anxiety. Hogwarts should probably do a parent-child orientation day before school starts. Meet the faculty. Answer some questions. It would make the first day a lot less intimidating. Difficult to arrange though, with some of the parents being Muggles.

"We can go looking for her if you want. I don't think she would manage to find a quiet place for herself with so many students traveling back to Hogwarts today"
He left the decision in the hands of Edward. He himself wasn't too excited about the prospect of going down the length of the train, searching cabin after cabin for a girl he didn't know the first thing about. Not least because he might chance upon his brother that way, a meeting he would be happy to do without.

@Edward Foxe @Olive Jones

So it was back on Edward again. Edward had hoped that he didn't have to make the decision to once more get out of his comfort zone. He was torn. He wasn't sure, Reynard would even follow him, even though he said so, and going alone was not something Edward was looking forward to. Not that being on his own was the problem but outside their cabin there were a lot of other students. He had already wondered why they had been alone for so long. On the other hand, he also didn't want that the girl thought they were mean to her. Even though, they had not done anything, so it would be her own fault if she thought like that.

Edward got up and peeked into the corridor but he could only see some students running around or standing in groups. He could not see the girl anywhere. Edward closed the door again, shrugged and got back to his seat. Probably she had already found some other cabin to sit inside.

"She's gone", he told Reynard and after a short break picked up their conversation. He had still a whole year to find her again and clarify the matter. And probably there would be some moment more quiet and less crowded than this train.
"Do you already know anyone at Hogwarts? And.." he paused, unsure if it was okay to ask this, "have you already heard about Hogwarts and magic before getting your letter?"

I guess we're doing this then

If they were going to go look for the young girl, they might as well do it together. Reynard got out of his chair a short moment after Edward did, following him out to the corridor to get a quick look around. The girl, indeed, was already gone, and having reached the same conclusion Edward did he too returned to his seat, to pick up their conversation where they let off.

"I do" he answered, and didn't elaborate on who exactly he knew at Hogwarts. Gérard already warned him that he should never seek him out, or even pretend like they're related. And Reine and her harpies were not much better. He hoped Edward would get the hint and won't pry any further.

"I've heard about Hogwarts, yes. Both my parents are magic, so it was pretty much expected by everyone that I'll go too one day" he remembered Edward saying something about attending a Muggle school. That in itself wasn't incredibly peculiar (though it was a little). Some children don't display any magical aptitude until later in life, and it would be prudent to enroll them in a Muggle school in case they turned out to be a squib. Edward was probably pulled out of school once his parents were sure he really was a Wizard.

"Did your parents ever mention Hogwarts?"

@Edward Foxe

So, he already knew people and his parents were also magic. What made Edward wonder was, why he was sitting alone then, if he already had met other students. "Maybe they were mean to him and he just wanted to get out of their way", Edward thought and felt compassion for Reynard.

The conversation was still somewhat stiff but having the feeling that Reynard had also been bullied before, Edward was read to open up a bit more.
"My parents haven't mentioned anything about Hogwarts or the wizarding world until two years ago. My dad is a wizard, but the only one in the family, so they did not want me to be disappointed if I had been a squib. It was only on my 10th birthday when they found out I was a wizard." He chuckled, remembering the look on their faces. "I had unconsciously summoned a book, which flew a hair's breadth past my dad's face. Of course, I was shocked but my parents were quite delighted and told me everything. First I didn't believe a word they were telling me. I searched for some rational explanation for flying books. Only when my dad proved it by making the book fly on purpose and changing the color of my shirt from black to a bright yellow I started accepting that magic is real." In his mind he added, "And knowing all of this is so cool. I really can't wait to go to classes and learn magic." But he didn't say it out loud because he didn't want to appear more nerdy than he might have already appeared with his book.

Edward had never told this to anybody. How could he. He had no friends and especially no magical aquaintances. It felt good to have someone to talk to finally. Edward hoped that his story was indeed funny and not ridiculous.

Reynard nodded throughout the tale, his expression serious and attentive. Accidental wandless magic was uncontrolled by definition, and could cause all sort of problems, if not embarrassments – particularly because it was triggered by stress or other strong emotions. He was happy to hear that Edward was fortunate enough that his accidental magic didn’t result in some tragic mishap. As it was, Reynard was too seriously minded to ever consider stories like this either funny or ridiculous.

“Your father sounds nice” he commented “In my family, everyone are expecting you to show some magical talent from the day you were born. It can be stressful in its own right”

He didn’t want to dwell too much on that topic. There were far more interesting questions he wanted to ask Edward from the very moment he mentioned his schooling:

“You mentioned you attended a Muggle school? How was that like? What did they teach you there? “

He could think of a hundred other questions, but didn’t want to bombard Edward with all of them, at least not yet. He could make do with three at a time, ¬for starters. Stories about the first accidental magic he heard dozens of times before. But never did he have the chance to talk with someone with vastly different life experiences

@Edward Foxe

Reynard did not laugh about his story. So it might not be so funny after all, Edward thought and made a mental note to him self that he might want to keep it a secret from now on.

Edward was surprised that someone would ask about his muggle school. Compared to the wizarding world and all they taught, the muggle school was quite mundane. At least that was what Edward thought about it after learning about the existence of magic. It had never occured to him that the wizards could find the muggle stuff interesting at all.

Probed by Reynards question about his school, Edward was reminded again of his years of bullying. He had learned to live with the bullies and once they rather ignored him, school wasn't too bad. But he also would not miss it.

"Before learning about magic, it was okay. I really liked science and math. Very logical subjects and you learn how the world around us works. Well, except for the magic part, of course. But compared to what I heard and read about magic, the muggle school is just boring and lacking all the cool stuff. Like you can actually make things change with the flick of your wand. Or let stuff appear out of thing air. That's just awesome, isn't it?" Edward was speaking faster and more exciting as he talked about magic. It was all still quite new to him and he had only read about it so far. In Hogwarts, he would finally also learn how to do all that.

"So you didn't got to school then? Is there even some pre-Hogwarts education for wizards, where you already learn to do magic before now?", Edward asked. He was really curious about Reynard's life, who seemed to have known about magic his entire life.

"There isn't any standardized magical schooling before Hogwarts. At least, not in Britain. Some families send their children to Muggle schools, but it is discouraged by the Ministry; there is too much a danger that they'll accidentally use magic and break the statute of secrecy"

Renyard didn't stop to explain what the Ministry was, or the specifics of the statute, never considering that Edward might not be too versed in either of the terms.

"Homeschooling is the preferred option. I don't know what the parents of other children teach them, but for me, it was reading and writing. Some history. Laws; especially the ones about underage magic" But mostly, they just left me with a pile of musty old books, in a stuffy old room, to figure things out for myself.

Reynard grimaced as he recalled the memories. He could only envy Edward, who had other children to interact with every day at the Muggle school. A routine. An actual syllabus.

"But yea, not really all that exciting. Definitely not like real magic" he readily agreed "I tried reading ahead in all of the textbooks, but I can't make any real progress without practicing with my wand. Or try mixing a potion without the ingredients. I guess we'll just have to wait" he ended with a soft sigh

@Edward Foxe

"So your life around magic hasn't been so much different from mine in that way", Edward remarked in astonishment. He was relieved that Reynard was on the same level as him, even though he had had more contact to magic.

"Which subjects are you looking forward to the most?" he asked Reynard and directly answered the question from his point of view. "So far, I've been very much into reading about the History of Magic but I am actually more excited to try out the practical subjects. Charms and Potions. I guess, you just need some instruction for those."

Edward had only read the books. He was a bit too afraid to make a mistake while practicing on his own without any prior knowledge or instruction. His parents also told him that he was not allowed to perform magic outside Hogwarts as a minor and Edward generally followed the rules, especially those his parents made. They had always treated him with respect and love and he did not want to cause them any problems by breaking the rules. The only rule he had difficulties sticking to was to turn off the lights at 10 pm. Especially after he got his fathers textbooks.

So... it had not been some complex prank to make fun of him after all: the wizarding world was for real. Edgar had doubted it even while visiting the shops in Diagon Alley with his father, to purchase magical school supplies for this supposed magical boarding school he was supposed to attend; they hadn't been enough to convince him they were serious, not even the owls he'd seen prowling at the menagerie. Part of him had been convinced it had been some dumb game coined with the complicity of his stepmother to "lighten the mood" before sending him off to St Brutus'.

"Wait and see", his father had warned him. His grey moustache had curled with a smile. And then, once they had arrived at King's Cross station, Godric Thorne had instructed his son to run straight at a wall with his cart, between platforms 9 and 10.

"Yeah, right, so they can say I've had a blast at breaking things again", Edgar had replied.

"Just do it", the man had insisted.

"Oh, all right and to hell with it", Edgar had snapped, before complying with a rage, eyelids scrunched at the last instant to brace for the crash.

But it never came. When he had opened his eyes, both him and his father had found themselves in a whole different, quaint train station, with an impressive, gleaming steam engine rumbling and puffing softly.

"Now, do you believe me? We haven't set you up", Godric had asked with a chuckle, apparently pleased to finally see the surly look desert the boy's swarthy face. Edgar had remained silent as he had observed the scene, suddenly overwhelmed, not only by the antique train and the bustling crowd of kids who were boarding after a last hasty farewell, but by everything it implied. It was all real. And he really was a wizard. He had faced his father, who had scratched the back of his neck, ill at ease:

"Well, ahem... have a good year, son. Don't worry, you'll be learning fast. It's in your blood. She... can't do anything about it."

"...for a change."

"I would love it if you'd write".

"Yeah."

"Well... off you go now. Train's about to leave."

Edgar had nodded.

"Okay. Bye."

Then, just like that, the boy had turned around to board the train. Without a hug.

*

As he slowly made his way into the wagon's narrow passage, he spared a last glimpse of his father, who was frantically waving his tweed cap at him. He looked like a grandfather among the other parents. His face looked happy, but his eyes were sad.

After having walked from one end of the wagon to the other, Edgar soon realized that there wasn't a single empty compartment left to claim as his. They all seemed full of older students or girls. The brakes were released and the platform started to slowly glide away, taking the parents along with it. He stopped in front of one that wasn't as full as the others; only two boys who seemed to be about his age sat there. It looked like his best option. He knocked twice and slid the panel open... and just stood there looking awkward, his attention - if not his gaze - directed at the duo.

Reynard eyes lighted up when Edward broached the topic of his favorite classes. Like his interlocutor, he too was excited to start with their lessons, and he didn't mind sharing which of them he looked forward to the most:

"Potions does sounds like it could be interesting"
He was always intrigued why a certain mix of ingredients produces a potent magical effect. It was magic in its own right – how to figure out the recipe to produce the required results to begin with. He hoped they would teach them that, rather than merely giving them the recipes and have them reproduce the potions by diligently following the instructions.

"I'm also very keen on studying Magical Theory. And Astronomy"

Did Hogwarts even teach Magical Theory? He remembered seeing Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling on their syllabus, but didn't remember in which specific class it was taught. Maybe it was required reading for several different ones. It was certainly a complex topic, and the book was merely a primer. And like Potions, he was very keen on studying why magic was affected by the movements and positions of celestial objects. The 'why's were the essential questions in his mind. Not the How's.

"But really, I think I'm going to enjoy them all. It's all so novel, you know?"

@Edward Foxe