Making Friends Completed

"Don't worry about it, Aston, seriously. I mean, a moment ago you were the one helping me get my trunk onto the train! Without you, I'd be the one stranded on the platform!" The smile Jess gave him actually did calm Aston's nerves quite a bit, even though he doesn't have much experience with socialising with people his own age and is quite nervous because of it, he is quite easily assured, after all for him there has never been a reason to not believe what people are saying. " Thanks, sorry I get quite nervous when meeting new people, I guess that's what living with only your own parents in the woods for nine years does to you." Aston said, looking toward Jess, he feels grateful that he managed to meet such nice people on his first day in a new school. Aston followed behind Jess and Bobbie towards a -hopefully- empty compartment, he's still a bit nervous about the whole "nearly getting left being at the station on my first day of school" thing, but he's getting his mind to focus on the good parts, like the fact that he has friends now, score! As he was walking down the corridor Aston was observing everything on the train, the loud chatter of people talking was an unfamiliar sound, but he couldn't say it was unwelcoming.
"This is my first year at Hogwarts. I have an older brother but I won’t be sitting with him—or alone—since I have new friends." said Bobbie, probably sensing Aston's nervousness, "Yeah it's my first year too, I'm actually the first person in my family to go to Hogwarts, everyone else went to wizarding schools in America, so this is completely new for basically everyone I knew." Aston said with a smile, despite the new, kinda scary experiences, he is truly excited for Hogwarts, especially now that he has friends to spend his time there with. Right then, quicker then Aston expected to be honest, they managed to find an empty compartment, after throwing his trunk on the floor near the seat he picked, across from Jess, he sat down and tried to made himself comfortable."I think we'd better get around to some proper introductions. Why don't we tell each other a bit about ourselves?" Said Jess after she got herself set up, she looked comfortable in her seat while in contrast Aston was still looking for the most comfortable way to sit. "Sure that sounds good, so you guys know my name's Aston. I am American as you probably heard, only came here about two years ago, and uh, this is my first time going to a school, or ride a train." He replied to Jess with a joyful but slightly awkward smile, eager to hear the answers of the other first years.

“Sure, that sounds good - so you guys know my name's Aston”, he replied, adjusting himself in his seat at the same time. “I’m American, as you probably heard - only came here about two years ago - and uh, this is my first time going to a school, or even riding a train…”

Despite Aston’s awkward but happy smile, Jess was stunned. No school? No trains? Has Aston lived under a rock his whole life? She forced herself to repress any negative opinions, and considered the likely possibility that he had been homeschooled, and that trains were simply not particularly popular in America. That’s right, I think we learnt that in Geography in year 5! Maybe Aston isn’t so strange after all. Jess reciprocated Aston’s smile, but couldn’t help herself sitting back and staring for a while.

“You’ve really never taken a train before? And you’ve never even been in a school?”, Jess asked with a light laugh of disbelief. In a moment of inspiration, she reached into her satchel and extracted her notebook and an HB pencil. She flipped past several detailed sketches, her pencil poised. “If you don’t mind, could you… describe your experience? Of being on a train for the first time, I mean. I was already going to draw something about the journey, but maybe I could incorporate your perspective too!”, Jess spoke excitedly. She had been feeling especially motivated recently - in the summer holidays, she was doing several drawings per day, and considering how long they took, that was saying something.

Jess stopped herself mid-thought and looked up at Aston. Surely not. There’s no way he’s never seen pencil drawings before? Reevaluating the situation, Jess took a different approach. “Don’t worry for now. I think I’m going to draw King’s Cross Station first, and you can watch how I do it if you’d like! Then, later,” when he’s had time to process everything… “you can tell me everything, and I’ll make another drawing. Sound alright?”

In this moment, Jess was made aware of how differently everyone had grown up. She guessed that some people would have a similar background to her, but there would be Muggleborns who had never been in a magical environment, and plenty of Half-bloods and Purebloods who had only ever been surrounded by magic! Hogwarts is going to be our first unified experience… The thought amazed her. This is going to be incredible!

You’ve really never taken a train before? And you’ve never even been in a school? Jess said lightly with a hint of disbelief. "Yeah, my family is weird, until I was nine I lived in the middle of nowhere, only ever spending time with my parents who home schooled me, even after my dad moved here with me I was still home schooled by him. Which means that a lot of things are completely new to me, it's one of the reasons I'm so excited for Hogwarts." Aston replied, the last two years with his father, living in wizarding London has been enjoyable but certainly very weird for him. Sometimes he really does miss the small house in the woods. Oh well, mom has the freedom to choose whatever life she wants. He thought, despite his father's current distaste toward his mom and her sudden abandonment, Aston believes that his mother was well within her right to leave and persuade a more entertaining life, though that choice certainly does breaks Aston's heart.

Well, this is not the time to think about these sad unhappy things. The sound of Jess pulling out what looks like a notebook and a pencil drew Aston's attention, Does she write a diary? Or maybe sketch? A quick look at the contents of Jess's notebook and her next question confirmed Aston's suspicion. “If you don’t mind, could you… describe your experience? Of being on a train for the first time, I mean. I was already going to draw something about the journey, but maybe I could incorporate your perspective too!” Aston was ecstatic, being able to make a new friend on the first day of school and sharing a hobby with her, this is great! All the emotions were starting to get a bit overwhelming for Aston, while he was trying - and struggling - to figure out how to properly word how he is feeling and actually answer Jess's question, she added on to her previous statement. “Don’t worry for now. I think I’m going to draw King’s Cross Station first, and you can watch how I do it if you’d like! Then, later, you can tell me everything, and I’ll make another drawing. Sound alright?” ah, thank you. Aston thought in his head, Jess is really considerate, it really makes things easier for me. That sounds nice, I actually also sketch, my mother taught me when I was a child, I even bought my sketchbook. Could you perhaps show me the sketch of King's cross station when you're done? I'm not really good at drawing buildings. Said Aston with a large smile, he never expected that someone would have the same hobby with him at Hogwarts.

“That sounds nice”, Aston replied cheerfully. Jess, who had been looking out of the window so that she could effectively imagine what she wanted to draw, looked back absent-mindedly at him and smiled. “I actually also sketch”, continued Aston, and this time Jess really did turn back, staring at him. Her mouth was agape with shock. “My mother taught me when I was a child, I even brought my sketchbook.” Oh my gosh! He does art too! “Could you perhaps show me the sketch of King's Cross Station when you're done? I'm not very good at drawing buildings.” Jess beamed. She blurted out, “Yes, of course!” before she was aware she’d even spoken. Jess giggled as she continued with her drawing - this journey really will be full of surprises. She settled back into her work, sketching out the shapes that she created in her head.


Green blurs flashed past the window as the train sped through the countryside. Jess admired the beauty of the clear sky - it had been a while since she'd been outside of London. The sketch was really coming together now. She'd been working on it for the past hour or so, and guessed that it would be finished with another 20 minutes.

An unfamiliar voice awoke her from her daydreaming daze. "Anything from the trolley, dears?". Jess looked up to find an old lady at the compartment door, pushing a rattling cart of sweet treats. Immediately, her stomach began to rumble, and Jess realised with shock that she hadn't eaten since dinner the night before. She jumped from her seat, and rushed over to the assortment. The trolley had three shelves, each filled to the brim with every imaginable tasty food. On the bottom, Jess spotted Liquorice Wands, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and Jelly Slugs. Some of my favourites. On the middle, there was a basket of Pumpkin Pasties and Cauldron Cakes, and on the top was a pitcher of pumpkin juice with ice, and stacks of cups to accompany it. So much to choose from!

While Jess considered her decision, she noticed Aston get up to examine the produce as well. Finally, Jess settled on a glass of pumpkin juice, a Cauldron Cake and a bag of Jelly Slugs. In truth, liquorice was her favourite, but the British variety was nowhere near as good as the type they had in New Zealand, so she resisted. Jess returned to her satchel to find some coins to pay, then thanked the Trolley Lady, who trundled down the corridor without taking much notice.

Satisfied with her choice of snacks, Jess sat back down, but as soon as she had begun sipping on her pumpkin juice, she looked up abruptly. There’s something missing… Frantically, she looked around, and realised what was wrong. “Where’s Bobbie?”. Jess couldn’t recall seeing her leaving to go to the bathroom, or anything of the sort. Maybe Bobbie was just the stealthy type. Jess pondered on the girl she had met just a short while ago, with her short red hair and Hogwarts uniform…

“What house do you think you’ll be put in, Aston?”, Jess asked as she chewed on a Jelly Slug. The thought of the uniform had inspired Jess’ question. “I think I’d like to be in Gryffindor, but I don’t really have a background with the house - my dad was in Ravenclaw, and my mum lived in New Zealand when she was younger, so she didn’t…” Jess cut herself off before she had a chance to finish. You idiot! Why would you talk about mum? She bit her lip, and looked quickly out the window, willing herself to control her emotions to the best of her ability.

After a surprisingly short moment, Jess’ anxiety calmed down. That never happens. Something in her must have changed since the platform. Only a little bit, but something, for sure. Jess looked back at Aston, daring herself to make eye contact. I’m usually in tears by now - what’s changed?

Looking into Aston’s eyes, Jess realised the answer in a split second. I have new friends now. Magical friends. She could almost feel her heart begin to heal ever so slightly, and she knew that Aston was the culprit. Although she had not cried, Jess now felt incredibly emotional, and gave him a watery smile. It was all so bittersweet. How could she be grateful for Aston, when she was forced to forget about Felix? But that’s not Aston’s fault.

My friends - they’re healing me. With that thought, Jess decided to do her best to leave the past in the past and enjoy the present.

Aston was looking out the window of the train while Jess was still sketching. The compartment was almost silent, with the only noticeable sound being the light scratching sound of Jess's pencil on paper. To Aston, it was a comfortable silence, it was nice just sitting in the compartment, enjoying each other's company. He was looking out of the window of the train, the trees and the hills flying past, The sky today is unbelievably clear, Aston thought, in every sense of the word, today is a good day, at least so far. He was a bit nervous thinking about the sorting ceremony, though that thought was quickly pushed away by the sudden realisation that he is hungry, and and didn't bring any food. Luckily not soon after that fact the old lady selling treats in the train got to their compartment. "Anything from the trolley, dears?" She said as Aston started looking through his pockets and luggage for money, it was a habit of his to always bring some along, especially on trips like this. By the time Jess bought all her food he was able to find the coins. I really need to pack better. Aston thought with an internal sigh. He finally got a good look at the trolley, most of them were unfamiliar, though the chocolate frogs and Cauldron Cake caught his eyes. He ultimately decided on Cauldron Cake and three packs of chocolate frogs, and after some internal debate, Aston got a cup of pumpkin juice. He didn't want to take the risk of new drinks at the start, but he was really starting to get thirsty. "Where’s Bobbie?" Jess's question also prompt Aston to look around, it hasn't been long since they meet but sudden disappearance would be odd for anyone. "Maybe she just has something to do? Hopefully she will be back soon. " Aston said, thinking about the possibilities of what could've happened.

Aston shifted his attention to his food, that Cauldron Cake he bought looked really tasty. While he was halfway through eating it, Jess, who was eating on some kinda of treat that looked like a gummy, asked, "What house do you think you’ll be put in, Aston? I think I’d like to be in Gryffindor, but I don’t really have a background with the house - my dad was in Ravenclaw, and my mum lived in New Zealand when she was younger, so she didn’t…" Before she could finish she quickly turned towards the window. She looks a bit emotional, Aston was able to notice, Maybe something happened with her mother? either way it's probably best not to mention it for now. He thought it would be best to give her some space, quite soon after Jess was able to calm down. After seeing the smile that she gave him, he decided to reply to her earlier question, thinking it'd be best for them to move on from what is obviously a sore topic. "I'm not too sure, from what I heard all the houses have a specific value they look for and I don't really think I fit into any one of them well. I think Hufflepuff sounds good, it seems like the most relaxed one out of all of them, I probably could fit in there. It would be cool if I got in Ravenclaw but I don't think I'm smart enough for that. If my dad went to Hogwarts he'd totally end up in Ravenclaw, he's like super into history and stuff." Aston smiled at the thought of his father, "So I heard that the sorting ceremony is done by a talking sorting hat, is that true? I have no idea what it will be like." It's like the closer they get to Hogwarts, the less worried he gets and the more excitement he has. Hopefully we will end up in the same house, and it'll be quite fun if it's really done by a talking hat, I don't think you get to see that very often! Aston thought as he looked out the window again, the sky still has clear as ever.

"I'm not too sure, from what I heard all the houses have a specific value they look for and I don't really think I fit into any one of them well." Jess nodded, resuming her munching of the various snacks she'd bought.

"I think Hufflepuff sounds good, it seems like the most relaxed one out of all of them, I probably could fit in there", Aston added, while Jess brushed crumbs off her jeans. "It would be cool if I got in Ravenclaw but I don't think I'm smart enough for that. If my dad went to Hogwarts he'd totally end up in Ravenclaw, he's like super into history and stuff." At this, Jess looked up, confused. "Not smart enough?", she asked, although the words were somewhat muffled by her mouthful of Cauldron Cake. "You strike me as super smart! I hope we're in the same house. Either way, though, I'm sure you'll be happy, wherever you are", she beamed reassuringly. Aston seems like he'd do fine in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. He smiled, and continued.
"So I heard that the sorting ceremony is done by a talking sorting hat, is that true? I have no idea what it will be like."

Jess chuckled lightly, and thought for a moment. "Yeah... from what I remember of my dad's stories, the Sorting Hat sings its own original song every year about the history of the four houses, and then when it's time for the Sorting Ceremony, we all go up and sit at the front one by one, and the hat is placed on our head. I think... that it tells us what house we'll be in? No idea how it decides, though - the details are pretty foggy. Funnily enough, we haven't really discussed it that recently". Jess knew exactly why they hadn't talked about it recently, but that detail didn't matter. She looked down at her snacks, taking her time deciding which to have next. Mixing and matching, she took a bite out of another Jelly Slug, and looked back at Aston, her thoughts slightly adrift.

"It's all very mystical, isn't it? It's like you've got no idea what'll happen until you get there!", Jess wondered, intrigued. She went back to looking out the window. It must be nearly 1 o'clock by now... Jess had never thought to ask her dad how long the train journey actually was, but she suspected that they still had a long way to go. The train continued its speedy pace, and the view had barely changed since her last inspection. I should finish my drawing.


Jess got back to work, sketching the finer details of her piece now. In her mind's eye, she could see exactly how it should look, and her real-life execution was, surprisingly, not too far off. She wanted to capture the vast depth of the station, as well as the magical warmth that exuded from the Platform 9 3/4 wall, a portal to the other world.

She kept going with considerable speed, and found herself to be finished long before she had expected it. Lifting up the drawing to see in the sunbeams shining through the window, she was genuinely proud of the finished product. She turned it around, and leaned over to Aston, who was preoccupied, nudging him.
"What do you think? It's my first proper architectural sketch!"

Hearing Jess's answer only increased Aston's excitement for Hogwarts, "It sings its own song? wow that must be an interesting sight!" Aston said with a slight giggle, all this talk about the sorting ceremony later today is getting him to be very excited. I can't wait to send letters back home to tell dad about all this! I don't think he's ever seen a talking hat. "It's all very mystical, isn't it? It's like you've got no idea what'll happen until you get there!" "Yeah! In London I have a few neighbours that went to Hogwarts, they told me that the ceiling of the great hall always looks like the sky outside! and that they use floating candles in there instead of lights! I also heard that the feast after the opening ceremony is really good, I can't wait to get sorted and try all the food!" The nervous and shy boy back at the station seems to have disappeared and in his place was a boy who talked loudly with too much excitement. As if he only just noticed his volume, "Ah sorry was I talking too loudly again? I get that way sometimes, just tell me when I'm doing that and I'll fix it." He said with an apologetic expression that disappeared rather quickly as Jess got back to her incomplete sketch.

After a few minutes of looking outside the window at the unchanging scenery, Aston decided to pull his book out of his now messy luggage. It was originally quite tidy, but after rummaging through it to find his cash it has been reduced to the sorry state it currently is at. Luckily finding his book was not nearly as hard as looking for the wallet as he found it with in the first minute. It was a muggle book of some genre called "dystopian", it was a new one for Aston but he was happy to give it a try. When he was around half way through the book nudged him out of the trace he was in and asked "What do you think? It's my first proper architectural sketch!" while showing Aston her sketch, "Wow..." Aston muttered, he was really impressed by the clear lines of the sketch, to see the part that he always struggled with being done so nicely was really eye opening for him. He never really had a chance to look at other people's art so this was really special to him. "It's really good! I especially like the lines, it's really tidy, at least compared to mine. I like it a lot!" Aston said with a smile, "Also, if you don't mind me asking, where are you from? I just realised I never asked that, cause I live in London but Hogwarts takes students from all over the country right? So what town do you live in?"

“Wow...”, Aston muttered, seemingly impressed. “It's really good! I especially like the lines, it's really tidy, at least compared to mine. I like it a lot!”
Jess blushed, happy that her new friend approved of her drawing. She sat back on her seat, and put the sketchbook away, careful not to smudge any of the pencil markings.

“Also, if you don't mind me asking, where are you from? I just realised I never asked that, cause I live in London but Hogwarts takes students from all over the country, right? So what town do you live in?”
Jess responded gladly.
“Oh, I’m from a small village called Sunningdale - don’t worry, it’s not very well-known. Where in London do you live?”

Jess repacked her satchel as she listened to Aston’s answer. She noticed that the light outside had begun to dim, and that the sun was no longer shining as brilliantly as before.
“It’s getting late. Should we get changed? I wouldn’t want to arrive at Hogsmeade in my muggle clothes!”
Jess opened her trunk and lifted her neatly-folded uniform from the top of the pile. Leaving Aston behind, she left the carriage in search of a bathroom.


Having spent quite a while searching the corridors, and occasionally popping into other carriages to ask for help, Jess finally made it back to her own carriage, holding her muggle clothing and dressed in her new Hogwarts uniform. She felt a subtle pride course through her as she wore her robes. Jess went back to her seat, and found some leftover Jelly Slugs at the bottom of the packet, which she munched on contentedly.

"Oh, I’m from a small village called Sunningdale - don’t worry, it’s not very well-known. Where in London do you live?" Jess said, seeming still blushing a bit from the compliment about her art. "Well, the thing is I'm not sure. I never really bothered to figure out the name since I never left the house a lot. It is a wizard neighbourhood with a library, since my dad works there." Aston said, a bit awkwardly, despite the slightly embarrassing answer Aston didn't feel embarrassed, at this point he feels comfortable enough with Jess to stop worry about that stuff. It's quite surprising how comfortable this whole train ride has been, it's great! Jess noticed the darkening sky outside the window and asked "It’s getting late. Should we get changed? I wouldn’t want to arrive at Hogsmeade in my muggle clothes!" Aston looked at Jess as she moved to open her trunk. "Yeah, we should, though I have my uniform under my muggle clothes cause I didn't know if we would have a chance to change but I still didn't want to stand out so here it is." Aston replied while unzipping the oddly oversized jacket he had on, relieving the Hogwarts school uniform underneath, "I'll just stay here and keep an eye on our stuff, you go get changed!" Jess left the compartment after getting her uniform out in search for somewhere to get changed

Aston was reading his book when Jess came back in her uniform, holding the muggle clothes she had on a while back, while she picked up another Jelly Slug, Aston asked her "We have got to be almost there right? it's getting so dark. " By the time they finished talking, the train abruptly stopped with Hogwarts being in view outside. "Ah, so we're here, I guess I was too impatient." Aston said, smiling packing his trunk up.