CL And so it begins.

Violet listened carefully, her face reflecting a mix of concern and empathy as Jorah described his traumatic experience. She was grateful to him for sharing his story, but she was also concerned about what might await her in her first year at Hogwarts. Did he say his best friend was pulled out of school? Is it really that serious? Jorah's odd manner from the beginning began to make more sense to her now.

"Jorah, thank you for telling me what happened," Violet replied quietly, her voice full of genuine concern. She sat back and crossed her arms, as if afraid - indicating that Jorah's experience was definitely a fear-filled one. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that...wow."

She paused for a time, thinking of her own intentions to visit Honeydukes, which had been scrapped. Jorah's words had struck a chord with her, and she found herself second-guessing her decision to visit at all. "You know, maybe I won't go to Honeydukes right away," Violet suggested. "I'll probably be so preoccupied with learning my way around and exploring the castle and my classes that I won’t have a chance to sneak about."

Violet's eyes met Jorah's, and they were filled with honesty. "I'll tell you if I plan to use it...if I see you of course...."

She smiled softly, attempting to express her deep appreciation and support. This magical fairytale Violet had imagined was becoming quite dim.

The tension in the cart was palpable. Jorah felt bad for killing the mood. "So where the heck is that trolley witch?," he joked. The old witch sure was taking her time today. They had been on the train for a while and Jorah was starting to get hungry. Grrrbrgrbr, growled his stomach. Jorah was a growing boy, he needed to eat. It didn't help that since last summer's Quidditch fiasco that Jorah began a new weight training regimen. He had managed to put on some muscle, but the extra strength came at a cost. He now had to contend with an increased metabolism. He needed to feed the beast.

“Excuse me, I’ll be right back," he told Violet as he exited their cabin. He walked down the train compartments until he spotted the snack cart. He greeted the witch and perused the delectable selection. “I'll take some tea, a marshmallow biscuit, mince pie, and a pumpkin pastie please...Make that two pumpkin pasties.” Jorah handed over several sickles to the witch and collected his goodies. Jorah had a hell of a time getting back to his seat without spilling his tea, but he did it. He sat down and placed the food beside him. "It looks like the cart is still making its way up to us. Here, I got you something.” He handed her one of the pumpkin pasties.

"Oh! Thanks, Jorah" Violet replied with a subtle smile, accepting the pumpkin pastie he offered. She eagerly took a bite, considering the only thing she had eaten since boarding was a chocolate frog. Pumpkin Pasties reminded Violet of the holidays at home and picking pumpkins in the garden before the gnomes got to them, not to eat but to wreak havoc with.

She acknowledged the change in subject and appreciated it. Her eyes widened in surprise as she acknowledged something else… the assortment of treats Jorah had brought back. "You got so many things from the trolley!" she said, her voice filled with awe.

Leaning in closer, Violet whispered enthusiastically, "You know what I heard about the trolley witch? If someone tries to escape the train, she can actually transform the pasties into traps and throw them at them! Imagine that!" She giggled, finding the idea both thrilling and a little bit scary.

"But you know, besides the sweets," Violet continued, her voice now curious, "I really want to meet the trolley witch. I've heard some people say she's a bit... you know, mental” she stated, her eyes wide with wonder. "By the way, Jorah, did all your friends leave after that incident in your first year? You looked like you were avoiding everyone, earlier.”

Jorah sipped his honey sweetened black tea, enjoying the warm sensation traveling from the back of mouth to his stomach. He listened as Violet recalled rumors about the trolley witch then slyly pried into his personal life. “I have plenty of friends still,” he countered defensively. Realizing the intensity of his reaction, Jorah relaxed. In a calm tone he continued, “I’ve been riding this train for four years and I haven’t seen anything odd about the trolley witch.” Jorah chomped down on his mince pie. Flaky bits of crust peppered the corner of his mouth has he devoured the morsel. “Yaah, khaaw”, he mumbled through a mouth full of fruit and meat. He swashed down the treat with tea. “Ahh,” he smacked his lips. “There was a rumor that she is secretly a hag, fattening up kids to eat them! But that’s just a scary story they tell the first years. Look at me,” he said, now digging into his marshmallow biscuit. “I’ve given her plenty of reason to eat me.” Jorah rolled up the sleeve of his right arm and showing off his summer gains with a flex that showed an impressive bicep bump. “I’d be delicious, but my sneakoscope has never gone off around her, which tells me that she is just an old woman.”

Violet took a bite of the pumpkin pastie, savoring the delightful blend of tastes that reminded her of home, a place she had only been away from for a few hours and couldn't miss too much. Her delight was short-lived, however, with Jorah's unexpected reaction to her question about his friends. "I have plenty of friends still,”. His defensive reaction wasn't something she was expecting.

Violet quickly understood that Jorah was indeed avoiding his friends, despite his insistence that he still had plenty. Even with his infrequent friendly gestures, entertaining a first-year student like her was clearly not something he was very excited about. Violet couldn't keep up with the rollercoaster this train ride turned out to be.

But still, Violet couldn't help but admire and feel puzzled at Jorah's ability to indulge in so many treats without feeling embarrassed. His assurance piqued her interest. "I've given her plenty of reason to eat me." Jorah showed off his biceps by rolling up his sleeve. "I'd be delicious..." Whatever Jorah said after that was long forgotten in Violet's mind. Only two things were evident at this moment; her lobster-red face the moment Jorah flexed and the fact that there was something about Jorah. He clearly played Quidditch or, at the very least, competed in competitive eating contests.

Violet attempted to lighten the situation and relax on her own for a bit before arriving at Hogwarts. She managed to find the words she needed to say while blushing slightly. "Um, yeah," she said, a little hesitantly, "Impressive."

"Listen, thank you for warning me about the forest earlier," she added, her voice sincere. "I appreciate it and the pastie too, really. Can't wait to see Hogwarts soon! Maybe we will bump into each other, who knows."

With that, Violet gave Jorah a shy smile, signaling the end of their interaction. She looked out the window, the anticipation of her arrival building by the minute. She couldn't help but be filled with excitement and awe at the fantastic adventures that were ahead of her.