Home for the holidays pv Marius Closed

The problem with Hogwarts' winter break was that it began on the twenty-third and the pupils were to take the train home on the said day. Marius considered it to be too close to Christmas, and not to mention Christmas Eve. "They ought to let us rest for at least one full day before the twenty-fourth," the boy said inwardly. "Train ride can be tiring, and the journey from Hogwarts to King's Cross isn't a short one. Not to mention that not all students live in London. Don't they know that?"

One good thing about his school, though, is that they let the kids kept their things in the dorm during the winter break even if they did not stay. Marius remembered Mum sharing her experience living in the dormitory of her university; she had to pack all things one day before the holiday started, in the midst of end-of-term exams. She could not use magic of course, and to add insult to injury, her school staff made her get up at six as they inspected the cleanliness of each room. And to top it all, the students had to leave the dorm with all their belongings and were not to return until 15:00, even if they were staying for the break!

Marius supposed he understood that it was a cultural thing, but he still could not help but consider it outrageous. No wonder Mum was very strong now; had she been weak, she would not have survived staying in such place - not to add that she had studied overseas; she certainly had done everything all by herself, whereas the local students had their parents or other family members came by and helped them.

But now back to himself and his trip home. He would try to enjoy this ride, even if it did not fit his taste. Not wanting to walk around too much when the train was moving, the Hufflepuff quickly tried to find someone he knew to share a compartment with. Naturally he could sit alone, but today his mood was to have someone to accompany him. But he also would like to make sure this person was not already sitting with another student or more, or was expecting someone. He hated being a third wheel.

Luckily for the preteen, though, he saw Clair Fernandez from Ravenclaw sitting alone. He had known her last academic year, when they had helped an injured squirrel. Marius remembered her even though they had not seen each other again following said incident. He actually did not know whether she was waiting for someone, but he figured he could ask the person right away. Knocking and opening the compartment door, he asked politely, "Hi, mind if I sit here? Or are you expecting a friend to join you?"