A smile touched Mat's lips when he heard the girl laughing about who would lose the house points. From his first impression, Valencia didn't seem like the type to back down from a challenge, and in fact he had made that proposal partly to test her, but he hadn't expected her to accept so quickly. He snorted. Imagine if she ended up in Gryffindor and I ended up in another house, he thought, that would be really ironic. He watched her as she decided on her reward if she managed to get into his common room first, and smiled at her words. A treat from Honeydukes was a small price to pay for spending an afternoon together in Hogsmeade, but he refrained from saying so. "You want us to sneak into two forbidden places in our first year?" he exclaimed instead with feigned dismay. "Are you already trying to get me expelled before we even get to Hogwarts?" Then he smiled again and added, "Deal, of course. And if I win, you'll finally have to admit that I'm braver."

He shared her excitement about all the things they would learn, but he wasn't so eager to start studying. "Without a doubt" he admitted with a grin, "but I'd rather we use this more than books" he added, fiddling with his wand. He laughed slightly when she teased him about the books. "My Boggart would probably be a giant volume of History of Magic. But I can't wait to see the fearless Valencia deal with those tomes" he replied playfully.

Mat listened with interest, happy for her as he imagined the amazement she would feel upon entering Hogwarts after attending a Muggle school. "Oh, I didn't go to school. I was homeschooled by my mother, who, unlike me, is perfectly at ease among all those books." he answered. After a moment, the conversation turned to siblings. "A sister?" he said, surprised. He didn't know why, but he thought she was an only child. "And how did she take the fact that you're a witch?"

Mat's eyes followed her astonished gaze towards the window, from which the silhouette of the castle stood out clearly in the blue-grey dusk. He had heard a lot about it, but seeing it in person had a completely different effect. Their eyes met when she turned to speak to him,
and for a moment Mat forgot what he was about to say. He looked away, glancing back towards the window where the spires of the towers became increasingly sharper.
He nodded thoughtfully, suddenly caught by a shadow of doubt. The next seven years of their lives would be shaped by the words of an old hat. What if he ended up in Slytherin? What if the two of them were assigned to different houses? He dismissed those thoughts and turned back to Valencia. "And you?" he asked, trying to figure out if she was more excited or worried.

@Valencia Rosegold

As I chuckled and laughed with him, my mind kept going back to the upcoming sorting ceremony. What if I were sorted into Slytherin? Would I have to consider this kind, funny, and charming boy my enemy? No- I couldn't do that if I tried, I seemed to have already grown too close to him in the short time we had known each other. It made me want to be in the same house as him, and to be able to join him at the Gryffindor table I was sure he would end up in, after all, there was no doubt he would be Gryffindor- down to his very looks.

I couldn't help but hold his gaze for a moment longer than necessary before reverting my eyes back out the window. Perking up at his remark, I chuckled, "Oh come on, we could totally manage it!" I smiled as I talked about the mischief we planned; it woud be amazing, I was sure of it. "We won't get expelled," I rolled my eyes playfully before giggling, "As long as we're not caught, that is!" I couldn't help but smile, adventures that gave me something to lose were the funnest, after all, I loved a good challenge.

I rolled my eyes playfully with a laugh, no real rudeness behind the laugh, "I don't know, I think I'll always be braver!" I laughed softly. I would have to prove myself braver, especially if I wanted that treat from the amazing Honeydukes my mom had always talked about.

Hearing his joke about using his wand, I burst out laughing. Books had never been a problem for me, but seeing the worried and hopeful expression on his face made me laugh. I laugh as he speaks about boggarts, "And I can't wait to see the brave Mat turn his book into something funny!" I laugh, "My boggart is undoubtedly going to be that creepy gremlin guy from Gringotts." I scrunch my nose at the thought of his creepy, sharp-toothed smile and shiver. "The guy gives me the creeps."

My eyes widened slightly before I smiled, "Really? I've never met anyone homeschooled!" I smile widely, "Do you like it?" I asked with genuine interest. At the sound of his question, I hesitate slightly, "She didn't take it well, she was really jealous, but we still try to get along." I shrug off the question, hesitate and vague with my answer as I move onto another question, "What about you and your brother? Do you guys get along?" I hum softly.

As I look out the window, his question makes me pause. There was an entire school of magic right outside our window, and he was looking at me. Instead of staring in awe at the castle, his gaze and questions were directed towards me. It made my heart flutter slightly before I quickly swallowed whatever stupid remarks were forming in my throat. I smiled softly at Mat, "I'm excited, I think it's going to be the best seven years of my life." My voice was excited, hopeful, "No matter what happens, I'm going to make sure it's the best seven years." I smiled happily before returning the question, "And you, Mat?".

@Mat Duncan

"Oh yes, how could I not have thought of that, just don't get caught!" Mat teased her, but he was actually just as excited as she was at the idea of mischief. He laughed when she said she would be braver: "We'll see" he said, shaking his head. He leaned back and smiled, trying to decide whether it would be more fun to see her admit that he was braver or to sneak off to Honeydukes together. "After all, it's not going to be that bad if we end up in different Houses" he said a little more serious, almost to convince himself, before his grin returned: "Well, provided that you don't mind losing the House cup" he joked.

"Oh the goblin?" he said at her mention of the boggart "I believe that those guys deliberately try to appear creepy. It won't be easy to turn him into something funny, they always look like they want to bite you" he said laughing.
He shrugged, replying to her question: "I didn't mind it, I had more time to stay outside with my friends. But I guess that a real school might have prepared me better for this" he said nodding towards the castle. He noticed Valencia's hesitation when talking about her sister, and didn't want to press her. "Yes, we obviously fight sometimes but generally we get on well." he replied.

"You're right" he nodded, her answer restored his positive attitude "it's going to be the best seven years it can be" agreed Mat. He fell silent for a moment "And I don't think that an old hat could change that" he added, this time he holding her gaze a little linger without looking away, with a small smile on his lips, before the screech of the train's brakes interrupted the moment, and a great clamour spread through the corridor as the students prepared to disembark. They had finally arrived at Hogsmeade station.

@Valencia Rosegold