Hogwarts Express Closed

At about 2:00 a.m. in the morning, Diana finally shut the book of her journal and laid down her pencil to pack. She switched off her light and turned on a dimmer light so she wouldn't disturb anyone, and shuffled through her closet to pick out the clothes she had bought for school, as well as her personal clothes. Then, she moved to her desk to grab her books, yawning.

Maybe a little nap wouldn't hurt? she thought to herself. She put down everything, and put her head down for a few moments, slowly feeling herself falling asleep.
"Diana Hawthorne, you are late!" her mother shrieked. Diana gasped, waking up with a start. She looked around rapidly, realising she didn't finishing packing. But, for some reason, everything was packed.

Diana shrugged, rushing to her mother. After being berated for a few moments, she was on her way with her brother, though not her mother.

As soon as Diana and her brother reached the station, she dashed away as quickly as possible. Her brother went up to a group of boys, grinning at them. She rolled her eyes, and made through the crowds on the Hogwarts Express on her way to an empty compartment.

After several laps and three chocolate frogs from the sweets trolley, she gave up and went into a random compartment with two people sitting together.

She knocked, but before anyone could answer, she opened the door and looked around.

“You two are first years, aren’t you?” she said, giving them a questioning look. Before they answered, she slumped down on a seat by the window, on the same seat as one of them, but as far away as possible. “I’m Diana Hawthorne, by the way.”

Eloise nodded, as the other girl sat down. The sights through the window blurred with the pace of the train, it almost made her feel sick to look at. "Brave of you to walk into a random compartment," Eloise said, resting her elbow on her knee and using her hand to prop up her head.

"Why exactly?" Diana asked confusedly.

"What if me and--" Eloise stopped, "what's ur name?"

"Max . . ."

"What if I and max were murderers planning for the next victim to be whoever entered this compartment next, hmm?" Eloise smiled, "Stranger danger,and all."

Everyone stayed silent for a moment.

"I'm not crazy, just so you both know," They added. A few shouts echoed from the hall, then a large crash.

Eloise stood nervously, peaking her head out the window, "Woah--"

Two older students stood, wands at each other's throats. They seemed like they had to be above the third year, the two boys were both glaring at each other. One had what looked like might turn into a bruise over their eye, the other had scrapped knuckles and a mean grin across his angular face.

Eloise sat back down, "This is much more dramatic than I expected a Hogwarts train ride to be."

Max gave a rough laugh, her eyes darting between Lou and the blonde girl, Diana. Both of them looked ready to go the a wizarding school. Lou had an easy-going smile, and was already joking around. Diana carried herself with a confidence that Max didn't have.

Feeling out of place in her baggy sweater and worn Converse, Max sunk down in her seat. She wanted to reach down and grab her violin, just to steady herself, but she didn't know what the others would think of her. It's not that she was anxious, exactly. Max was always anxious at some level, but she didn't know how to treat this situation. All of this was new to her, in the worst way possible. She would have much preferred to go through her entire education without saying a word to anyone.

A tense silence fell over the compartment as the countryside rushed past outside the window. Max stared at her shoes. Yes, she preferred the quiet, but this quiet was the painful sort. Clearing her throat, Max reached into her pocket and pulled out an only slightly melted chocolate bar---something that she always carried around. Her father loved chocolate, and soon it had rubbed off on her.

"Want some?" she asked. Even her accent sounded out of place. Both other girls, Diana especially, had spoken with the sort of the lilt to their tone that showed off an excellent education. But Max decided not to focus on that, and instead held the chocolate out like a peace offering.

“Oh— sure,” Eloise smiled, taking a small piece of chocolate, “Thanks.”

The train ride continued with an ghostly silence, only the odd remark or piece of conversation, Eloise assumed they were not far from Hogwarts by now. She glanced at her watch, they had to have been sitting here for an hour by now . . . ? How long could this train ride possibly be?

The silence felt unbearable, In made Eloise’s stomach lurch. While the other two seemed perfectly content staring off into space quietly. They dug their hands their pockets, looking up at the ceiling, she traced the cracked paint lines with her eyes slowly. She though back to her parents, that morning they called her into the kitchen and explained that she’d be attending Hogwarts. She had argued for hours, but soon they had won the battle and she was packing her bags. She wondered how long of a walk it would be from the school to the train station, possibly she could escape in the darkness of night—?

“Sooo . . . You people seem smart, how easy would it be to escape my prison that Hogwarts shall become?” She asked, looking back down from the ceiling casually.

Max glanced up from her shoes. It was a good question and it made Max feel like she wasn't the only one that was dreading Hogwarts. She was almost smiling at the thought---running away from Hogwarts, taking a train to Paris and spending her days at a university library where no one would find her. Until the school year was well underway, that is, which would be when she'd go back to her father. They wouldn't be able to send her back if she had missed a month or two of lessons, right?

Then the dark truth settled in and Max scowled. "Not very easy. It's a magical school after all. They probably . . ." She trailed off uncomfortably. This was the most she had said so far. She swallowed and continued. "I read that it's apparently drenched in protection spells. You can't leave." She gave a bitter laugh, tugging on the sleeves of her sweater. "It really is a prison."

Max could almost see it. The next seven years ahead she would be trapped in the school, tucked behind its walls and never let out. She loathed her parents for sending her there, but according to her mother, if Max didn't learn to control, or even use her magic, it would slowly gather within her, and at the right rage-filled moment (which Max had many of) it would explode and hurt someone.

She sighed. "Do you guys have any idea which house you'll end up in?" she asked a moment later.

@Eloise Taylor

@Max Derosier

"Of course I do," Diana said proudly. "Ravenclaw. Just like my whole family. Except my brother, but he got into Slytherin, so it's only half bad. At least he's not in Hufflepuff. That would be the worst house. I suppose Gryffindor wouldn't be that bad, but I think I'd be perfect in Ravenclaw."

Diana looked out the window, trying to dismiss Max's disturbing thoughts on Hogwarts being a prison, and Eloise's reluctance to go to Hogwarts. They were probably just both a little off in the head. They would. certainly be sorted into Hufflepuff, and she would never have to speak to them again. Just one train ride with them was all she would have to tolerate.

But still, for some reason she was disturbed by their opinions on Hogwarts. They couldn't possibly be right, as it was a legendary school. Two 11 year old girls wouldn't make any difference to the prestige of the school. At least, she hoped so. "What about you? Do you have a specific house in mind? Or do not care."

She looked expectantly at them, but assumed they wouldn't have anything in mind. Neither looked familiar, so they couldn't be from any families she'd ever met. Although, she didn't often socialize with other wizard families apart from those of her friends.

Eloise bit down on her tongue, forcing themselves not to unleash the things she wanted to say to Diana and her horribly entitled attitude. “Both my parents were in Gryffindor, but I don’t really care much,” she said.

“I’m mean, worst case scenario if I really hate where I’m placed I can just get myself kicked out,” Eloise laughed, “I’d rather be my family’s biggest disappointment then be stuck here for seven years.”

Four generations of her family had attended Hogwarts, after graduation they all went on to do something important or have a family. But they didn’t want that, she wanted to be free, not confined to a job. In her mind the plan was simple, she’d cause some sort of trouble, get kicked out, go home, and— that’s where the plan ended. She hadn’t planned very far ahead. The most important thing was getting out. Even if Diana didn’t see Hogwarts the way she did, at least Max did. She could understand why some would be excited, and it’s not as if she’d be lonely, that’s what her parents thought they were worried about. If she angered a few teachers enough, maybe started the odd fight she’d be out of there in a month.