Cold Compartment PV Nicholas Kingsman

It looked like Nick was helping himself to a feast, judging from the amount of treats he had bought off the trolley. Andrew was almost jealous that Nick would get to sample more wizarding treats than himself at this rate, but it was equally amusing for him to watch Nick try out everything, especially the Every Flavor Beans.

“Thanks.” Andrew accepted the Chocolate Frog with gratitude. Even though he felt inclined to refuse a little at first, his parents had told him to never turn down a gift. For now, Andrew would stick to finishing the rest of his Licorice Wand. He’d save the chocolate frog for later. Andrew stuffed it inside his pocket.

After listening to Nick’s story, Andrew replied between coughs, “Well, how you got your letter was what I was curious about.” *cough* “What do you mean by…?” At first, he didn’t know what Nick was referring to when it came to number “2”, but then he realized. “Oh...Yeah, I get it. First magic. Um...” Andrew didn’t think his own story would sound very exciting. “Not much to tell. When I got my wand, that’s when I knew I was a wizard. Before that, I dunno, magic never happened to me before. Didn’t even know I had it until...my friend told me.” Realizing that he had stepped into a whole other story, Andrew recapped as briefly as he could, “Her name’s Emma. She and her parents are friends with me and my family. Turns out, she’s a witch, and her dad’s a wizard. Emma’s a second year at Hogwarts actually. Me and my family, we didn’t even know. Emma’s the one that got my letter for me, when she was at Hogwarts. She and her parents then gave the letter to me. That was back in April, this year. That was when they told us everything. And that was when they took us to Diagon Alley and how I got my wand. That was the proof that I was a wizard, when the magic burst out of it and all, and I messed the shop up.” He finished with a stiffened wide-eyed look on his face, remembering the fire he had accidentally created at Ollivanders when he was trying out wands.

At the end of his story, Andrew blew out a winded sigh. Speaking about Emma, he wondered where she might be. “Emma should be on the train, I think, but I haven’t seen her yet. Didn’t see her at the station. Hopefully I’ll see her at Hogwarts.” At least there was one familiar face at Hogwarts that he could count on for first year tips and advice. Even though he did have Emma as a contact, Andrew didn’t consider himself to be any more experienced than Nick. “Emma’s told me a little about the school, but I don’t really know anything,” he shrugged modestly. “I’m still going in blind.”

Nick didn't notice Andrew's eyes of jealousy, he was too busy eating and calming his hunger. Of course, this was just candy, his stomach would need a real meal soon or his day would be filled with headaches and dizziness. If he did notice those eyes, he would offer Andrew more candy, he wouldn't want to risk making Andrew angry or something like it.

Nick listened to Andrew's story very carefully, feeling a bit jealous himself that he didn't have a friend who could guide him along the way, like Andrew could get, "I didn't think that was possible!", he said, in regards to the Friend giving you the letter thing, "I imagined letters could only come from the school itself, but I would've loved to have a friend of mine give me it", he forgot about eating candy for a sec, as his eyes became a tad more sadder, "The only thing there was to guide me on this new world was a letter left by... Well, my dad", he fumbled around on his pockets, taking out a folded paper that, once unfolded, was Huge, "I still have it with me... It's got some advice on school life too, very detailed as you can see, but... I would've loved to have a real person tell me all of it", he rubbed the paper with his thumb, but folded the paper again, returning to reality, "Sorry about that... Got a bit emotional", he put it on his pocket and tried his best to look focused again, "A-And about your friend, Emma right? Do you wanna go look for her? Actually... Her compartment may be full..."

Andrew didn’t have much of a chance to respond to Nick’s first comment about how he was able to receive his letter from Emma, before Nick went into the letter that his father had left for him. Sensing his sadness, Andrew wished he could find better words that would comfort and encourage Nick, but sometimes, perhaps a silence of sympathy was all that was needed, for Andrew to show Nick that he understood.

“It’s alright,” Andrew assured Nick supportively. “We’ll make sense of it.” He added with a small shrug, “Eventually.”

The thought had crossed his mind about searching for Emma on the train, but with his current cold to struggle with, Andrew didn’t feel like getting up and leaving the sanctuary of his compartment. He wouldn’t have minded keeping an eye peeled, in case he might spot Emma on board, had he chosen to accompany Nick earlier in exploring the train together. But again, being sick was what kept him grounded in the first place. And besides, Andrew didn’t want to appear too needy in front of Emma by clinging to her all the time. He figured he needed to exercise some amount of independence, better sooner than later. And anyways, it wasn’t like Emma was the only person he could rely on for help. He had the company of a bunch of other first year students, all of whom had never been to Hogwarts before, just like him and Nick. That little bit of reassurance eased his fears somewhat, knowing that he wouldn’t be entirely alone in a new place. In that case, he needn’t be in much of a hurry to find Emma right away.

“Nah, we’re good.” Andrew leaned back with a tired smile. “All of us are going to the same place, right? I’ll see her around.”

With the conversation declining into a few occasional words between the two boys, Andrew didn’t talk too much afterwards, as he needed some rest time to nurture his cold. All of the latest excitement and travel had made him weary. His little burst of sugar from the Licorice Wand had worn off, making him feel sleepy. Staring out the window, watching the scenery fly past, as the bright morning sky lapsed into late afternoon, Andrew’s thoughts drifted towards home, wondering what his family could be up to, since he last saw them at the train station. Were they at home now? Or were they out shopping in the city? Were they enjoying a good time without him? Homesickness started to seep into Andrew’s cloud of emotions, bringing a mist of tears to his eyes (although he managed not to spill them in front of Nick) and a lump to his throat. Tonight, he wouldn’t be eating dinner with his family. He wouldn’t be sleeping in his own bed at home. And tomorrow morning, he wouldn’t be waking up in the same Muggle world that he had known for the past eleven years. Andrew couldn’t foresee himself surviving the next three months (until Christmas break) without his family around him. But he had to motivate himself. He had to survive. One day at a time. He could do this. He had to see Hogwarts for himself. And if all else failed, if he didn’t like it, he could come home. That’s what his parents had told him. Everything would be all right.

With the seat to himself, Andrew took off his shoes (remembering his manners; he didn’t want to get the cushions dirty) so he could stretch out his legs in a more comfortable position, lying on his right side so he faced Nick. Folding his arms under his head as a pillow, with his seat as a bed, Andrew dozed off to the rumbling movement of the train as it chugged along the winding railroads through the countryside. Anxiety kept him from falling into deep slumber. Every so often he would sit up to see if there was any change in scenery through the window, before lying down restlessly again.

As early evening fell, Andrew could only wonder how much longer the train ride would be, as he and Nick awaited their next destination.