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5th January, 7.00 Hogwarts Express

The Christmas break was great, incredible. So much so that now, as her time to board the old fashioned locomotive - which might not run on steam at all - nearing each second, Sabrina wasn't so sure she was looking forward to it. Back in September, she had no such trouble. The prospect of enrolling into the school was so overwhelming that it left no space for anything else within her mind. The half term was much the same.

Everything was so new and exciting - interiors enriched with dazzling magical ceilings, moving stairs and levitating candles. Classes full of fascinating lectures with breath-taking spells, displays with artefacts and knowledgeable proffesors - completaly distracting her. And the pace was so fast that she had no time for sorrow or yearning for home. Between meeting new people, afternoons spent in library or sitting by the lake, delicious meals and studying, the time flew by, Christmas coming sooner than expected, before she even got used to her new surroundings.

Back home, everything slowed, settling into old tracks that Sabrina didn't realise she had missed. The realisation of it had the time to fully catch up to her over the short holidays. Back in presence, Sabrina was clutching her shoulder bag to her chest, huging her mother, cheeks tearstained . This time, like the last, she had boarded the train amongst the last students, waving her parents goodbye as she kneeled on the seat, shoes discarded under it.

As the train got into motion and she lost sight of her parents, her smile fell. Sliding back down to to sit on her legs, she felt her shoulders slump. Her palms slid down the cold glass, creating a fog lined lines around her fingers, before pulling away. Slowly, she shifted in her seat. Facing the window, she drew her knees up to her chest, feeling the first sob traveling up her body.

WC: 318 | Open for interactions

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Avis was excited to be going back to Hogwarts. She was sad to be leaving home of course, although no one knew that but her, but her sadness was overshadowed by her excitement to be free again. That was what Hogwarts was. Freedom and space. She loved her cramped kitchen at home, but all the same, she loved her cozy, private bed at Hogwarts. She hadn't truly realized how strict her parents were until she came home from Hogwarts, where the only person who told you what to do was yourself. Mostly. So it was bittersweet, but more sweet than bitter.

Her entire family had come to see her off, and she wrapped each one in a quick hug. She had said goodbye to Maria and Daniel the night before, though she wished they were here now. She took an extra second with her sister, who was clearly having a harder time with it than Avis. Being homeschooled was one thing, being homeschooled without a sibling was another entirely. She had Maria, of course, but Avis had always been the glue that held the three girls together, and it would be unknown whether the other two were getting along. Her grandmother was the first in the line of hugs, and Avis whispered a soft "Alavidā," Goodbye She probably wouldn't be speaking much Nepali for the rest of the school year, to her utter dismay.

Once students began boarding the train, Avis' bright smile slipped from her face. Not because she was sad, but simply because the bright, playful girl at home wasn't the same as the Hogwarts student. She wasn't nearly as comfortable around Hogwarts students, and in her opinion, optimism was a weakness. She slipped into a neutral tone as quickly as her mind switched from her holiday back to Hogwarts.

As she hugged her sister goodbye, her mind was already back at Hogwarts, and she stepped onto the train, her family in the back of her mind. As the train set into motion, she made her way down the passage. Looking into the compartments, she passed each one until she saw a familiar face. Or, a familiar back of the head, rather. Sabrina seemed to be fascinatingly staring at her knees, a body part in which Avis was pretty sure was not entirely exciting.

She could guess the Ravenclaws dilemma. Homesickness, probably. Avis was fortunate to not really experience homesickness, but she was pretty sure it was a thing that was better forgotten, not discussed. She slipped into the compartment as quietly as she could, slipping into the seat in the opposite corner as Sabrina. She pulled a small case out of her satchel, and pulled out a clarinet - her newest musical endeavor. She wasn't terrible, she knew how to read music, and she played saxophone, but it was still a brand new instrument. Placing her music on the seat next to her, she began quietly practicing - badly.

@Sabrina Lyons
You are welcome to notice her coming in or not, but the music should be hard to avoid.

IC Time: 7:02am, January 5th, 2025

XXXThe platform was filled with students excited to return to Hogwarts and parents waving them goodbye. Well, there were also students desperately trying to convince their family to stay. Eonaria was... somewhere in the middle. She was looking forward to seeing her friends again, but there was also a terrible longing that pulled her back to the quiet, expectant environment of her home.

XXXThe moment she stepped foot on the Hogwarts Express, her brother vanished into some obscure compartment again. Eonaria couldn't find him among the bustle of students trying to find empty compartments to sit in, so she just wandered down the aisles clutching her heavy trunk that was practically stretching her arms down. Through the compartment window, she spotted Brie sitting there, so she quickly opened the door, relieved to see her good friend.

XXX"Hi!" Eonaria murmured a greeting, tucking her trunk under the seat. There was no way she was gonna be able to lift it into the racks designed to hold storage. For some reason, there was... music...? But when she sat down next to Brie, she finally saw the other person: Avis Marlong. Eonaria's mouth opened slightly in an O-shape as she stared. This was just about the most awkward situation she'd been in in a long time: stuck in a compartment for the entire 8-hour ride to Hogwarts with one of her best friends and the only enemy she had, who was... playing a clarinet.

XXX"Oh, it's you." She commented blankly. Why on earth was she playing the clarinet not one minute after boarding the train? Who plays instruments on a train, anywho?? After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Eonaria finally realized that Brie looked pretty miserable, with her knees huddled up to her chest and a downcast gaze. "Brie? Are you okay?" She put a hand on her shoulder, worried. Oh, no. She's sad? Why? Was it Avis's clarinet??

.・-: ✧☾♩♪♩♬　. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.　♬♩♪♩☽✧ :-・.

By the time the compartment doors slid open, Sabrina was full on crying, arms folded over her knees, her face buried in them. Her head jerked up, startled at the sound. Through her blurry vision she saw a familiar figure enter and take their seat in the opposite corner to her. Avis.

Blinking the stinging tears away, she rubbed at her closed eyes - probably pressing a little too hard, seeing fireworks behind her eyelids. Looking back up at the girl, Sabrina felt a small explosion of various emotions. She was excited at seeing the girl again - the compacity of her emotion muted by her current state - but mostly just baffled at the utter lack of reaction on Avis' part. Although she'd appriciate it, she didn't expact compassion, but to not even say Hello? Okay, that was a bit insulting, considering their acquaintance - and more than that, if she so dare say.

Frowning, she was just opening her mouth to inform Avis of the lack of tact - and interrupt her mildly good clarinete played tune - when the doors slid open again. Another fimiliar student, this time from Griffindor, Nari. Sniffing, Sabrina looked up at her friend, completaly oblivious to her reaction to Avis. From when Avis had arrived, Sabrina managed to calm down a bit, but the moment Nari's hand was on her shoulder, her face screwed up again, tears welling up in her eyes.

Without hesitation, Sabrina launched herself into her friend's arms. For a moment, she just cried, sobbing into Nari's shoulder before pulling away a little, wiping her tears away.

"No. Not really. I-" she was hiccuping through her words, still wiping at the corners of her eyes, making them red, "I just don't wanna leave. Like I want t-to go back to Hogwarts but - I don't want to l-leave home." she sobbed, momenteraly oblivious to the other Ravenclaw's presence. "I don't know."

WC: 326 | Interacting with: @Avis Marlong and @Eonaria Kabukimono

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"Oh, it's you." Avis gave a quick nod of agreement. That yes, it was indeed her, and not some doppelganger. Clearly, Eonaria had a different view on what path to take with a sad friend, which only served to add to her growing annoyance. And she was right too, more right that Eonaria, or so she thought, considering Sabrina was doing better until Eonaria had asked her what was wrong. Now she was crying again. It was obvious what was wrong. A lot of things were obvious to Avis.

"I just don't wanna leave. Like I want t-to go back to Hogwarts but - I don't want to l-leave home." Avis sighed, laying her clarinet on the seat next to her...slying blocking the seat, which would force Eonaria to sit on the other side of the compartment, if she were to want to sit. She pulled the reed out of her instrument and popped it in her mouth, pulling one leg over the other and sitting back.

"Well. You are currently on a train to Hogwarts, not at home. There is nothing you can do about that and even if there was, you wouldn't want to do it. You be back home later. Don't think about it. Think about something else. For example, how to wash a handkerchief, or normal colors of the handkerchiefs." She glanced at Eonaria, hesitant to share that, but priorities were priorities.

@Sabrina Lyons, @Eonaria Kabukimono

IC Time: 7:03am, January 5th, 2025

XXXEonaria squeaked in alarm when Brie leaped at her and began sobbing, clinging to her. "Oh- oh, I, um-" Here she was again, panicking. Great. She had absolutely no idea what to do- probably something she could work on, you know, not crying while your friends are crying- or anyone, really.

XXXHeck, if even Avis started crying for no reason, Eonaria would probably sit in silence while also trying not to cry. She patted Brie on the head. "You'll be back home, uh, eventually." Yikes, that was terrible. "It's going to be alright." Well, duh. "...and you can write letters." Worst encouragement speech ever. She sighed, hugging Brie. Back to physical comfort it was...

XXXOn the other side of the compartment, Avis gave some... confusing answers. Well, the first part made sense, even if it was a little harsh. Eonaria turned to stare at her, still patting Brie on the back. "...and how are handkerchiefs relevant at the moment? Is this what you think about when you cry? 'Can I dye my handkerchief with this very specific color of lavender? Oh yes, I've stopped crying. Time to go sort my handkerchiefs.'"

XXXShe knew her words probably weren't making her look very good, but honestly, at this point, who cares. Eonaria didn't have much patience when it came to Avis. I mean... okay, just getting over it is probably what I would do too... not handkerchiefs, by the way...! But still, people don't want to hear 'just deal' when they're upset. Even if my words mean absolutely nothing, it's still comforting... uh, hopefully.

.・-: ✧☾♩♪♩♬　. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.　♬♩♪♩☽✧ :-・.

Crying still, Sabrina was basically laying sideways - facing the seat - against the Griffindor girl. She noted her friend's helpless stutter, her panic almost palpable. Drawing her legs closer to herself, she felt a hand over her hair, patting her. A bit of an awkward action, followed by even more awkward words. Frankly, the words that were probably supposed to be comforting didn't provide much comfort to the still sobbing girl, something Nari must've realised too, as she went back to just hugging.

Still, Sabrina was grateful. Nari at least showed interest and not cold indifference like someone else. Pouting into Nari's shoulder, she let anger take root and spread in her mind - or at least as much as the sadness allowed. In the mids of a bitter almost unintelligible inner monologue regarding her nearby housemate, Sabrina realised that she can no longer hear the clarinet. Not only that, to her immense surprise, the girl who she was just silently judging spoke.

Leaning a little back, her arms still loosely wrapped around Nari, she swiveled her head to look at Avis. The first part of her - what? Comforting? - could be seen as quite sharp, although a really adult, reasonable and frankly Avis way to approach the situation. Sabrina got caught up on one part specifically (... even if there was, you wouldn't want to do it...), frowning a little, more out of confusion than anger this time. A part of her entertained the though that somehow, Avis knew, understood that Sabrina wouldn't really return early even if she had the chance to, loving Hogwarts too much to do so. Or maybe she was just giving the girl too much credit, reading too much into it. Either way, she didn't have the time to think about it, her brows raising at Avis' next sentence.

Think about something else. For example, how to wash a handkerchief, or normal colors of the handkerchiefs.

She caught the side eye Avis shot Nari's way, Sabrina's own eyes widening a little at the words. That was- she couldn't believe Avis - secrative, untrusting Avis - said that. In that exact moment, Sabrina forgot all about the bitter thoughts regarding the girl she had mere seconds ago, feeling a small smile tugging at her lips. Nari's - understandibly confused - reaction cracked her up, laughing through the last few remaining tears spilling down her red cheeks.

"I think that's exacly what she does" Sabrina laughts, fully pulling away from Nari. Calming down, Sabrina folded her legs underneath her. She wasn't completaly over her homesickness, and another wave of tears was sure to get her later - but both of her friends' words cheered her up. Sure, she will miss home, but both of them were right. She could always send letters, she'll be home soon enough and - as Avis said in her own way - there were plenty of things to look forward to.

"And yeah, you're right. Both of you. It's just that - I don't know. I know you're right, I get it, but I still miss home" she shrugged, looking down at her feet, "doesn't mean I am not happy to be back. Doesn't mean I am not glad to see both of you again." she looked back up at them with a smile, "Cheers for reminding me of the positive side of things."

WC: 570 | Interacting with: @Avis Marlong and @Eonaria Kabukimono Sorry for how long this one is-

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Avis offered a blank grin at Eonaria, offering the girl a frustratingly unhelpful grin. Eonaria didn't get it. But Sabrina did. And Sabrina was the important one here. She had calmed down almost immediately after Eonaria's reaction. She was sitting up, her tears beginning to dry, laughing. Avis smiled a bit at the sight, not missing the fact that it had been her words to calm Sabrina, not Eonaria's attempts at sympathy. Distraction for the win.

It wasn't all about Sabrina though. Avis had to admit, the two of them sharing a secret that Eonaria was clearly excluded from brought her no small joy. There was just something about being privileged to information that others did not that made a girl feel just a bit more worthy in life, and Avis would have sat up straighter if she wasn't already stark straight.

"I think that's exactly what she does" Avis would have gaped at Sabrina, if not for the little wooden stick still sticking out of her mouth. Instead, she simply spoke around it, her words slightly miffed as a result. "Yeah, exactly. I have so many handkerchiefs, they take up a whole room in my house, I have them sorted by hex code." She stretched back in her seat. This, of course, was utterly untrue. Avis could care less about handkerchiefs and even if she did have them, they certainly wouldn't be lavender. She snickered a bit, but kept an eye on Sabrina, watchful for any new breakout of tears. She shot a look at Eonaria, a stern but not unkind look, telling her to not bring up home. Reminding the girl of why she was sad wouldn't help anyone.

@Sabrina Lyons, @Eonaria Kabukimono
Eonaria, incase you want to know what is going on OOC and don't know yet, I highly recommend this little book in the library.

IC Time: 7:05am, January 5th, 2025

XXXEonaria was a bit startled when Brie began to giggle after her response to Avis. "I- what? What's she talking about?" She was beginning to have a feeling that handkerchiefs were some sort of internal joke, not that it made any sense. How could handkerchiefs be funny? Unless there was some sort f hilarious message embossed on them... but the colors of handkerchiefs...? Eonaria frowned. Avis simply replied blandly that she had an entire room set aside for her handkerchiefs. The sad part was that Eonaria wasn't even entirely sure if she was being sarcastic or not. Avis didn't seem like the person to have handkerchiefs, much less a whole room of them, but...

XXX "...what's a hex code?" Is this another Muggle term I don't know about? I should've tried to study some Muggle things over the holidays, but my parents certainly wouldn't have approved... Then Avis gave her a look, and Eonaria was relieved to at least somewhat be able to interpret it. Is she reprimanding me for something? What did I do?? Is it about Brie? Hey, I wasn't trying to make her more upset! She sighed, crossing her arms.

XXX."You don't seem like the kind of person to have any handkerchiefs at all." Avis just gave off that rough-and-tumble 'what am I even doing here' aura. She was interrupted from her thoughts when Brie quickly broke up the earlier argument by reassuring them that they were both correct. "Yep, positivity...!" Eonaria smiled slightly, giving her an awkward thumbs up. "Try thinking about what you miss about Hogwarts! Cause, um, you'll have to leave Hogwarts in the summer and then leave your home again in September."

XXXWait a minute, that wasn't a very good thing to say. "...so! It's better to get used to the pattern now rather than later...!" That save was a bit questionable, but at least it sort of did something to alleviate a bit of the sorrow...? Wait a minute, what was Avis trying to tell me earlier?

.・-: ✧☾♩♪♩♬　. 。・゜✭・.・✫゜・。.　♬♩♪♩☽✧ :-・.

In her joy, it didn't even occur to her that Nari might feel left out. Neither did the thought of sharing the secret with her Griffindor friend. It was a secret, after all. So, sparing a chuckle at the almost whist-ly way Avis spoke in - for someone who liked being so serious, she looked anything but right now - she carried on as handkerchiefs were a totally normal thing to talk about.

"Oh, hex code is this variation of numbers and letters, each representing a specific color," she answered Nari, leaning back into her seat, unconciously mimicking Avis, "my dad got really into photography a few years ago - he explained the hex code to me when I asked about one of the photoshops he was using to edit them" she explained further, remembering how her dad dragged a cursor over the color wheel, showing the way the hex code changed.

"And I don't know about a room full of them-" she started, raising her brows at Avis as if to say 'really? You didn't even try with that one', "but I can guarantee that Avis is interested in handkerchiefs- " technically not a lie, if you know what handkerchiefs actually mean - " it's how we first met, actually."

For whatever, Nari seemed to latch onto the word positive, just running with it, the string of words thumbling out of her mouth seeming almost unnatural. Sabrina watched her stumble through the whole ordeal, offering only a confused expression for the duration of it, frows slightly creased, her smile falling for a moment. Was she trying to rub salt into the wound?. No, that didn't seem Nari-like at all.

"Um.. Okay?" Sabrina said after a small pause, snickering, shooting a quick amused glance Avis' way. She was smiling again, but it looked a bit more starined this time, "I know that. Although I'd rather not think nor talk about it right now." she clarified, giving Nari a small smile, genuinely trying to push the thought out of her mind.

"Moving on - Christmas! How were you two? Anything exciting happened? I sent you both a gift, did you get it?"

WC: 362 | Interacting with: @Avis Marlong and @Eonaria Kabukimono Oh good call Avis- it completally slipped my mind that Nari might be lost x,d. Word vomit is always welcome and appriciated! Definitely do send it to us if you decide to write anything. Just remember to be as repetetive and boring as possible lol-

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