First Impressions PV Jane Owens Finished

"What would you like to have as a pet?" Jane asked, a thoughtful look on her face, presumably wondering what pet she would want. Bridget had given this a fair bit of thought last school year when she had nothing else to do. There was no way she would get a toad, and she didn't really want a rat either. A cat would be nice; they were quiet, evasive, and mysterious like her, after all. Really though, she wanted an owl. They were more expensive than cats, but they were also more useful. If she had an owl, she would be able to communicate with the Muggle world more easily (of course, through her parents, so no one would be suspicious). Besides, owls could provide good company.

"I'd like an owl," Bridget said after a moment of contemplation. The compartment fell silent for a moment, during which she could clearly decipher the loud, rambunctious noises coming from a few compartments down.

When Bridget mentioned that she didn't know anything about wizarding candies, Jane's whole face lit up. Clearly they had struck a golden topic.

Jane, growing up in a wizarding family, of course knew all about the sweets. She explained chocolate frogs and the accompanying collectible cards, licorice wands, pumpkin juice, and pumpkin pasties. Bridget thought she might like the chocolate frogs--she loved chocolate and the cards would help her better understand the magical world. The licorice wands didn't seem too exciting, but her attention was caught in the pumpkin department.

Bridget's favorite dessert had always been her mother's pumpkin pie. She simply loved the taste of pumpkin, as well as the warm filling contrasting with the crumbly crust. She had tried pumpkin juice at the Start of Term Feast last year, which had ended disastrously with her spilling it onto herself and forcing an awkward interaction with Brynlee Sage and Camille Eve. However, she had to be a bit grateful, as it had helped her get to know her housemates.

She had had pumpkin juice with almost every breakfast after that, she loved it so much. She figured pumpkin pasties would be just as good.

Bridget was admittedly caught off guard when Jane offered to buy and share some sweets. She really shouldn't have been from what she had seen from Jane so far, but no one she had just met had ever been so generous. Bridget didn't want to have Jane spend her money on her, but she supposed it would be rude to refuse.

"That would be really nice, thank you. But you don't have to..." Bridget trailed off. Just then, a call of "Anything off the trolley, dears?" rang through their compartment, as a kind-looking old lady wheeled a cart towards their door. The cart looked simply magical, covered in all kinds of wrappers and candies. Her mouth watered, and she hoped Jane would buy her something, while at the same time conflicted of asking her for something.

"I'd like an owl," Bridget said, after looking like she had thought about it for a good minute. Jane liked the thought of an owl. Just as she liked the stories her parents told her about their owl from when they were young. She smiled at Bridget as she said, "That sounds like a good pet. And there are different types you could look at to find the right one for you." She liked the idea of the pet choosing you just as much as you got to choose your pet. Sometimes there's a bond you can't describe when you find the right pet as they will be a companion for the rest of your time at Hogwarts and after that.

"That would be really nice, thank you. But you don't have to..." Bridget started trailed off. Jane knew she didn't have to, but that was just who she was. She was the type of person that would be willing to share anything even when she probably doesn't have much to spare herself. She just wanted to make others as happy as she usually was. Also, she felt like it should be an exciting train ride to Hogwarts as it was possibly a miracle they were going to Hogwarts, a magical school. So, why not try so, possibly, magical Hogwarts Express trolley food.

"It's really no problem. I don't mind." Jane said with a smile as she heard then heard the elderly woman's nice voice coming from their compartment door. Anything off the trolley, dears?", asked the kind, plump elderly woman. She got excited seeing all the wonderful looking candy everywhere. "Yes, please! I'd like a pumpkin pastie, a bottle of pumpkin juice and... a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, please." The girl said to the kind woman. The trolley-lady handed Jane one of each of what she asked which she placed on the seat to the right of her. She dug out the galleons she had in her pocket and looked over at Bridget.

"What would you like, Bridget?", Jane asked as she didn't want to order for her and it being something she wouldn't like. She didn't really mind what Bridget got as she was sure she had enough money to get it all. The trolley-lady waited patiently as the girls decided.

Jane, once again proving herself to belong in Hufflepuff (Bridget would bet money that Jane would be sorted in with the Badgers), said she was fine with buying Bridget sweets. And just in time too, because the Trolley Lady arrived.

Several sweets were ordered by Jane, who then looked at Bridget in question, asking what she would like. Bridget's eyes quickly assessed the candy options, trying to determine what she wanted. She would only get what she really wanted--the rest could be saved for when she had her own money.

"Er… I'll have a bottle of pumpkin juice and a pumpkin pastie… and a Chocolate Frog, please," Bridget told the trolley lady. The trolley witch accordingly handed her an ice-cold glass bottle of an orange liquid, a pastry, and a decorated paper box. Jane handed her a few coins and then she wheeled her cart further down the train.

Bridget set her treats down next to her, deciding to try the chocolate frog first. As soon as she opened the package, a completely brown frog hopped out. It came as a complete shock to her, but she deftly snatched the frog out of the air with her left hand (her dominant hand).

Her hazel eyes were full of apprehension. Was she supposed to eat this... creature? It was squirming between her fingers, and her stomach imagined it wriggling inside.

"Er… Am I supposed to eat this?" she asked, in the meantime letting her eyes wander to the writing on a card that had also been in the package. The card had the picture of a woman with bushy brown hair on it, with fancy lettering spelling out Hermione Jean Granger. With her free right hand, she flipped the card over to read the information on the back. In the same fancy lettering were the words:



She didn’t have any time to form an opinion on Mrs. Hermione Granger, because at that moment Jane answered. Bridget decided she would read up on her later in the library though, as she had certainly piqued her interest.

Jane was opening her bottle of pumpkin juice as Bridget was opening her chocolate frog. She was about to say watch out because they like to hop around, but the girl caught it mid-air. Smiling as Bridget read the card to herself, she explained, "Yeah, you can eat them. But like I said, I don't really like the chocolate all that much. Too bitter for me, so I think it's probably dark chocolate or something." She shrugged then took a sip of her pumpkin juice. Jane let out a satisfied sigh as she screwed the cap back onto the bottle and set it next to her on the seat. She picked up the box colorful box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans next and carefully opened the triangle top of the box so she would be able to close it back later.

"Oh yeah, everyone collects those cards and some are more rare than others. Which one did you get? And if you look back at it and the person's gone don't worry. They'll be back," Jane explained as she poured a few of the jelly beans into her hand. She looked at the side of the box, trying to decipher which bean was which flavor before popping a pink flavored bean into her mouth. "Mmm.. bubblegum," the girl mumble as she chewed the jelly bean and then blew a bubble like she had actual bubblegum in her mouth. The pink bubble popped after it got to be about the size of Jane's head which made her giggle, "These are so fun. Do you want to try one?" She held the package out to Bridget so that she could look at the flavours on the side of the box to determine which one she would want to try.

Jane remembered her father bringing back Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans after work one time. She watched as her parents both ate a different colored bean. Her father's made his face turn red and steam come out of his ears, while her mother started waving her hand in front of her nose because hers ended up being stinky cheese. Jane thought their reactions were funny as she picked a random bean, without her parents seeing, and started hiccuping with soap bubbles forming each time she hiccuped. They all laughed and it was a fond memory. She liked the beans because they were magical even though they may just be some jelly beans.

With the assurance that the life-like Chocolate Frog was edible, Bridget took a tentative bite. Immediately, the frog stopped wriggling, making it a normal piece of chocolate, except of course that it was frog-shaped. The chocolate was bitter, not making it her favorite, but she swallowed it down with some sweet, cold pumpkin juice and was fine.

"I got Hermione Granger," Bridget answered Jane. Flipping over the card once more, Bridget found that, like Jane had said might happen, the brown-haired lady was gone. This was nothing new compared to the Hogwarts portraits, so she didn't miss a beat.

One minute Jane threw a pink-colored jellybean into her mouth, and the next she was blowing a bubble like she'd eaten bubble-gum. Bridget was not, however, unable to be surprised by magic, as she was now. Once again, she found herself grateful to not be stuck in the boring old Muggle world. For a curious, knowledge-thirsty girl like herself, the wizarding world was a dream.

"These are so fun. Do you want to try one?" Jane asked, giggling at the gigantic bubble she'd blown. Bridget tentatively looked at the list of flavors on the side of the box. The box was full of 'Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans', or so it claimed. The 'every flavor' thing was worrying. For one, she had to squint to see the hundreds of flavors printed on the box in miniscule writing. Also, the pumpkin-flavored one she wanted to try was conveniently the same color as earwax, not to mention very similar to mussel and vomit.

Peering into the box, she careful selected an orange jellybean. Popping it into her mouth, she almost immediately spit it out. Earwax. Swallowing quickly, Bridget took a bite of her pumpkin pastie in an attempt to forget what she'd just eaten.

"I think... I think all pass on any more," Bridget said. Earwax wasn't even that bad--she could have gotten vomit or bogeys or something.

"What subject are you most looking forward to?" she asked, trying to change the subject. The candy was great, but she needed to focus on something other than she'd just eaten a jellybean flavored by someone's earwax.

"I think... I think all pass on any more," Bridget said. Jane assumed she got a bad flavoured bean and nodded as she sat the box next to her on the seat. She knew some of the flavours were really bad from experience and knew it was enough to put you off them for a while. As she pulled out another bean without looking and popped it her mouth, the girl grabbed her pumpkin juice and swallowed the rest of the bean down like a pill. "Bleh.. Sprout flavored. I dislike sprouts. Gross," Jane said quickly then took another swig of her pumpkin juice. She closed the box and sat it a little father away on the seat beside her.

"What subject are you most looking forward to?" Jane heard Bridget ask as she picked up her pumpkin pastie. The warm pastry smelled delicious. She thought about all the classes her parents had told her about and thought that she liked the sound of potions and herbology. Though, all of the classes seemed interesting in their own ways as she would learn so much from each.

"I definitely think Herbology is one I'm looking forward to most. I don't know why, but I've always had a way of knowing the different types of plants and things when I was growing up." Jane shrugged as she didn't know how she knew. She just did. That's one of the ways her parents knew she had magic in her when she was younger. The girl also just really liked the idea of being outside, or in a greenhouse, working with different plants.

Jane took a bite of her pumpkin pastie and covered her mouth as she chewed then swallowed before talking again. "What subject did you look forward to during your first year? Or, I guess, which subject is your favorite now after your first year?" She asked Bridget as she was curious about what she thought of the classes.

Bridget gave Jane a sympathetic look after she ate a sprout-flavored bean, making up her mind to not have any more of the every-flavor beans, at least until she forgot about how gross they could be.

Jane said she was most looking forward to Herbology. Bridget didn't exactly like Herbology. True, it could be useful for not getting attacked by aggressive plants, but other than that it seemed kind of pointless. That could just be because she didn't have a green thumb though...

What did she think of the classes? Honestly, she didn't have much against any of them because she had something to compare them with--Muggle school. The Hogwarts subjects were awesome and had none of the bore math and history and all that did. All of a sudden Bridget remembered that she actually did have to do that stuff. Her parents wanted her to have a "real education", so they were making her take math and the like. She didn't have a choice in the matter anyways: if she didn't take the classes, she wouldn't be allowed to attend Hogwarts anymore.

Pushing thoughts of all the extra work she'd have to do later to the side, Bridget answered Jane.

"I'd say the subject I was most looking forward to, and probably the one that's my favorite, is Potions. I always really liked Muggle chemistry--in fact, I wanted to be a chemist when I grew up, and well, you know, Potions is really similar. Er… I'm not a huge fan of Herbology. I guess it's mostly because I'm not very good with plants. I mean, I like nature, just not having a whole class about it. Transfiguration is a little too strict. I appreciate the order and clarity of it, but it can be a bit... much... at times. Charms is definitely one of the better ones, especially since it's very practical for everyday life. I find History of Magic very interesting because I didn't grow up with it but for you it might be rather boring. Astronomy is kind of annoying, what with it being at midnight and all. Oh, and Defense Against the Dark Arts is fine, just a bit, well, dark."

A thought struck Bridget. Thinking about occupations... what did Jane's parents do? After all, they were both wizards.

"Erm, Jane, what do your parents do? I mean, they're both wizards, so what's their occupation?"

It would be useful to know more about what people did for a living in the wizarding world. Getting a job was still years away, but giving it a bit of consideration now couldn't hurt.