A woosh of wind flew through her hair as she passed the barrier and onto the platform. The Hogwarts Express train was large and intimidating looking, making Isadora's heart beat faster and harder in her chest. She took a deep inhale and exhaled slowly, looking back to see her parents crossing through right behind her. Her stress must have shown on her face because her father seemed to sense her hesitance. He kneeled down in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey kiddo, it's okay to be nervous. I know I definitely was in my first year," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. Isadora nodded slightly, looking over to see her step-mother looking over the train in awe, her eyes slightly widened as she tried to wrap her head around the increasingy magical things that she had been experiencing as a muggle parent to a young witch. She managed to pull her eyes away from the sights to give Isadora a bright smile.

"You're father is right. Change isn't always easy but the journey and the destination will be worth it, okay?"

"I know, mom...it's just a bit of nervousness. The bigger part of me is excited, though!" Isadora replied, her anxiousness fading as she thought through the possibilities of where her journey through schooling will lead her. She could make new friends, learn about spells and potions, and the library is probably enormous! She couldn't wait to explore it all, even if it means she has to start exploring this new world without the guidance of her parents. She stepped forward to give both her parents a giant hug. She could see her dad fighting back a few tears and laughed when her mom rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Sinna, it's not like she's gone forever," her mother, Kail, said with a wry smile.

"I know, it's just a big moment and I can't help but be proud!" Sinna responded, dabbing at the unshed tears under his glasses. Isadora felt herself almost tear up but held back. The horn of the train sounded. It was time to go. She grabbed her baggage and raced over to the train. After it was securely stored inside she hopped onto the train and ran the first empty compartment she could find and pulled down the window to wave goodbye to her parents.

As the train began to move away from the station, she watched and waved at her parents until they slowly disappeared from sight. She pulled her head back inside and shut the window. She stood there for a minute, her mind racing as she slowly realized that this was no longer a dream. She was on her way to Hogwarts!!! She plopped down onto the seat and let out a nervous giggle.



About a half hour had passed with Isadora sitting and twiddling her thumbs. She could hear other students in the nearby compartments chatting amongst themselves as they settled down for the journey ahead. She should have brought a book just in case, but in her rush of excitement and nervousness, she had forgotten to pack one into her carry on bag. She leaned back against her seat with a sigh and began to debate as to whether she should get up and explore the train.

'It would be a good way to start trying to make friends,' she reasoned to herself. If she wanted to learn to be more confident, she would need to put in the effort. She stood up and reached out towards the compartment door.

'Here goes nothing,' she thought...

@Isadora Ramone

Gayle beat her to it. She didn't even think twice about it, she just opened the door, realizing too late that she had opened the wrong one. A quick glance to the side made her realize that her compartment was the one next door, actually. But instead of fumbling for an answer Gayle caught herself, saying, "Oh—" Her eyes darted to the room quickly. "I noticed that you were alone; do you want to sit with me?"

Her face was slightly red from embarrassment but she actually, kind of wanted to sit with this girl. She didn't seem like she was obnoxiously loud or talkative, the kind of people Gayle preferred to avoid. Although Gayle enjoyed her solitude, it had gotten pretty boring. Another person wouldn't hurt.



The station seemed more amazing than it usually was at this time of year. Every other year Gayle had to watch her older sisters leave for school, seeing them off with a look of scorn, even though it was because she'd miss them terribly. But now it was her time to leave, heading for Hogwarts to start her magic education to become whatever she wanted to be, from an Auror to a Minister of Magic to even a professor. Gayle honestly didn't care, she was just excited that it was her turn.

Gayle and her sister lingered around before they had to board, half-pretending that they weren't sad about leaving their parents and younger brother. She thought her sisters would be used to it be now but she noticed the prickles in their eyes and couldn't help but tear up a little, in secret, of course.

"Another year, another year," her father sighed, wrapping an arm around her. Gayle shrugged out of his embrace, which made him chuckle, knowing how much she hated public signs of affection, even wholesome ones. She frowned and pat her dad on the shoulder.

"Dad, we're coming back for Christmas...which is in not even four months away." He nodded but then said something about missing his 'little sharks'. Gayle rolled her eyes and walked away, but not before sharing a grin.

The train's whistle blew, signaling it was time to go. All three sisters hugged their family and friends, saying goodbye as they left for school. Only Gayle and her sister Daria looked back one last time.



Gayle decided to sit on her own, despite her sisters offering a seat in their compartments. But she wanted to sit alone, enjoying the ride on her own. She was especially looking forward to the Trolley Lady and her treats but the woman hadn't come to her part yet, which is why she had gone looking. With part of her allowance, and some extra her godmother had given her, Gayle bought everything sour, like the Flavored Beans, except for one chocolate frog, which she got just for the taste.

She had meant to head back to compartment but then this happened. Gayle stood there waiting, her arms full of treats and sweets, wearing a green hoodie with jeans and sneakers. A smile played on her lips but there was a hint of desperation in her eyes, half-hoping the girl would decline so she could be on her way.

"OH!" Isadora yelped as she stopped herself from colliding with the girl in front of her. She managed to save herself from falling; but barely, with a quick step back to keep her balance she almost tripped again on the tattered ends of her worn blue jeans. She almost didn't hear the girls words and when she did, she did a double take, letting the words of offer sink in.

"Oh, ummm" she looked around her at the empty compartment that had been her protective bubble from the social interactions taking place just beyond the door. I mean, that was what she was trying to accomplish wasn't it? Making friends, or at least trying, and she could probably start with the girl in front of her, she seemed nice enough although Isadora wasn't experienced enough to read the vibes of the people around her yet so she was still a bit wary. She smiled, trying her best to be sincere.

"Yes, I mean sure I'll join your compartment, why not?" Isadora said shrugging, her slightly loose black band shirt fluttering with her movement. She took a closer look at her new acquaintance and noticed her arms were loaded down with treats from the trolley that was continuingly making it's way up and down the train. Isadora had totally forgot about being able buy food during the trip. She wasn't hungry now but she made a note to herself to visit the trolley at least once before arriving at Hogwarts.

"Uh, would you like some help carrying some of those?" She asked, then after a moment she added, "Oh, my name is Isadora Ramone by the way! What's your name?" She asked, almost sticking her hand out for a handshake before remembering the girls full arms and pulled back at the last second, shoving her hands into her jeans with an embarrased chuckle. She then pulled her hands back out, using one to tuck a loose strand of her shoulder length hair back behind her ear to keep her vision clear. She then reached out halfway in an offer to bear some of the girls load.

Gayle flinched when the girl almost tripped; she meant to help but then remembered that she had her hands were full. She grimaced, wishing that she could've been in the position to help just in case. She wanted to put her snacks down instead of standing like she was holding a pile of laundry.

"Yes," the girl said, smiling. "I mean sure I'll join your compartment, why not?"

Gayle returned the smile but she deflated inwardly. She shouldn't just minded her business and went on. Gayle felt dumb for making up some story about checking on the girl when previously had no idea she even existed.

The girl glanced at her arms and offered to help her take them back, but Gayle shook her head. "No, I got it." Then she promptly made lead the way over to her compartment,

Shortly afterwards the girl introduced herself as Isadora, which Gayle thought was a pretty name, though she didn't say aloud. She swallowed then muttered, "Ah, I'm Gayle."

When she got into the compartment she quickly sat down, pouring the snacks onto the seat next to her. Gayle had chosen mostly sour things with a few sweets like the Chocolate Frogs. She wondered if the girl would mind her choices. Otherwise, she could always get her own.

Gayle opened a bag of Every-Flavor Beans and popped one into her mouth before offering some to Isadora. She looked her up and down in a casual manner before settling back on her face. Although Gayle liked to be alone, she wasn't bad with words. "So, where are you from?" There was a hint of American in her voice.

"No, I got it." The girl responded before turning to lead back towards her own compartment. Isadora pulled her hands back with a nod before turning to pick up her carry on bag. She nervously tucked her hair again and looked over the compartment once more to make sure she did not forget anything.

On the way over to the next compartment, the girl introduced herself as Gayle.

"That's a nice name, it reminds me of the nightingale bird!" Isadora said, remembering some of the many stories she used to read, in which the majestic nightingale birds are written to appear as guides and/or the answer to the protagonist's prayers when down on their luck. She mentally shook away the thought of her books as they arrived to Gayle's compartment.

Isadora sat across from Gayle as she watched her spill her loot of goodies across the seat. She saw many sour treats along with some chocolates and couldn't help to be impressed by the massive load of good looking candies and pastries.

'She has good taste in treats,' she thought to herself, making a mental note of some of the names of candies for her to look for when she was ready to buy from the trolley.

Although, when Gayle offered her some of her beans she shook her head politely, as if to say 'no, thank you'. Even though they did appear to have very similar tastes and had it been any other time, she probably would have accepted the offer, Isadora's stomach was still a bit knotted up from the excitment of heading to her new school that she didn't feel like she could eat anything at the moment.

"So, where are you from?" Gayle asked her. Isadora leaned back a bit as she pondered how best to answer the question that was sent her way. She didn't want to come of brash with a simple answer, but also did not want to be long winded with it. She had also taken note of the hint of an american accent in Gayle's voice, but decided not to comment on it quite yet.

"I'm from a small town in Ireland, called Doolin. It's not much in looks but has a lot of history and folklore behind it. The stories are really quite fascinating and interesting to hear. It's a great place to live if you're into that sort of stuff, I mean. How about you? You sound English but also...a little bit American?" She questioned curiously.

It wasn't new for Gayle to be compared to animal, whether because of her name or because of her personality, so she usually wasn't phased. But the only person who'd ever considered the nightingale was her godmother, a very brilliant woman of high respect in the Ministry. Gayle thought highly of her godmother because the woman never ceases to surprise her with great ideas and wisdom. Hearing the bird and her name in the same sentence from this girl surprised her but she didn't say anything about it, only wondered.

Isadora joined her in the compartment and settled down across from her. She declined the beans, but that only meant more for Gayle, who happily chewed away. Well, until she realized that she was eating dirt. She gagged for a moment before she remembered her audience and quickly swallowed the gunk. Gayle grimaced at the box but proceeded to get another flavor, testing her luck.

The girl explained how she was from Ireland and how it was quite interesting to be in if you were into tales. Gayle liked that sort of thing but she never thought much of Ireland, or any country in the Kingdom. She had been in the United States far too long to really care much for home country.

Gayle cleared her throat. "I was born here but raised in the States most of my life. I only came back two years ago." She hadn't planned on saying much about it, even though she surely did have a lot to say, but to be nice she added, "It was cool there but I think living in an actual castle outshines everything else."

She'd have to work on her accent if she didn't want to stand out. Most people considered her American anyway because of how she acted and spoke. But Gayle wanted to fit into her Scottish school, even if there were people there from all over the place like her.

Gayle listened to the train move along the tracks, feeling the vibrations from the locomotive. When she looked outside all she saw was a blur as the past through a forest. Thoughts of the Forbidden Forest suddenly crossed her mind, and how she'd heard rumors about students daring to venture it. Maybe she would do the same.

"What are you most looking forward to about school? And least?" She opened a bag containing green and purple string-candy and popped them into her mouth, relishing the sour taste that made her pucker her lips. The strings hissed and slithered in her mouth like a nest of snakes.

"I was born here but raised in the States most of my life. I only came back two years ago." Gayle had said. Isadora raised her eyebrows at the new knowledge. She had never been to the states herself but she always wondered what life was like in other parts of the world.

"It was cool there but I think living in an actual castle outshines everything else." Gayle added after a short pause. She nodded in agreement.

"I agree! I wonder how big the castle is? I really hope we get to explore the whole place as I've never been in a castle, or explored anywhere outside of Doolin, actually." Isadora confessed. She had always dreamed of traveling outside of her sleepy little town, but her parents were homebodies who had never felt the need to leave their home often, leaving Isadora to explore what she could within their reach, which wasn't far.

She followed Gayle's gaze outside the window to see the blur of forested trees running alongside the trains path. She wondered if there would be magical creatures in the forest her father had told her about that was near the castle. He had called it the Forbidden Forest, so if there were creatures in them, she doubted they were nearly as nice as the ones in her forest back home. Still, a part of her was curious to find out for herself.

"What are you most looking forward to about school? And least?"

Isadora thought the question over carefully. "Well, it may sound a bit lame, but I really want to see the library. My father told me that it was gigantic and has so many books, that you could never read them all even if you spent all seven years reading one book a day!" She said, almost barely able to keep the excited from taking over her voice. As for what she was least excited about...

"I think the thing I am least excited about would be History of Magic. Any classes involving history are not really my strong suit...I tend to struggle in them the most," Isadora said, letting her shoulders drop a bit. She had almost forgot about classes. While she liked to learn, she did find some subjects more dreadful to learn than others. She grimaced slightly at the thought but quickly shook it off. She watched Gayle open some more candy and laughed a bit as she watched the girls face pucker and heard a slight hissing sound emit from her mouth from the candy.

"What are you most looking forward to? And the least?" she repeated back. It was almost like playing a game of 20 questions, which Isadora found she really quite enjoyed. She felt the tension in her stomach begin to abate as she learned more from the young girl across from her, wondering briefly if her acquaintance on the train would turn into a friendship in the following months of her first year at Hogwarts.

Gayle popped more candy into her mouth. She could never get used to the acidic yet sweet taste of the candies. It was like eating a firework to her, and she really liked those.

She liked that Isadora was as excited as hee about living in a castle. It was almost like a fairytale, except she'd be there with hundreds of other students instead of just a royal court. In the States the only castle Gayle had been in was the Disney one but she'd didn't count that at all; Hogwarts was the real thing, full of things not exactly meant for children, or so she'd heard.

Isadora said that she was looking forward to the library most. Gayle had to agree. One, because she loved books, too, and two, because of the Restricted section. Her older sister Roxanne, a proud Gryffindor, claimed that there were forbidden books, ones holding secrets and great knowledge not fit for the students there. Gayle wondered why they just didn't move the books out of the castle then, but she guessed only certain pupils were allowed to them, if they proved themselves. She definitely wanted to be one of the privileged.

As the serpentine string candy slithered around her tongue, Gayle pondered her own opinions of the school. She usually didn't have too many negative thoughts about things, unless it concerned herself and her failures. But a new school year has endless things to consider, some good and some bad.

"Quidditch and Potions...but also Quidditch and Potions. I like the game and I like the art of brewing things together, but I'm also afraid of flying," she blushed, shrugging her shoulders. "...and messing up, with the ingredients."

She quickly sucked in her breath and sat up straight, stretching in a failed casual way. Gayle gestured at her pile of treats. "Are you sure you don't want any? I have a lot." She frowned and gave her pensive look, wondering if the girl just didn't like her choices, in which she kind of felt bad for, even though it wasn't her fault. "We can go to the Trolley Lady now, if you want."

Flying...oh she had forgotten about that. Isadora had never flown before and the thought of trying something so new and slightly dangerous, made her heart skip a beat. She paled a little thinking about it. She wasn't afraid of heights persay, but the thought of falling more is what she found disconcerting.

"Oh, yea...I forgot about flying," she said with a slightly nervous laugh. Potions, she could take or leave as she didn't find it particularly alluring but not something she thought she would find especially dreadful to learn. After all, potions, as far as she was told, follow the same basic concepts and steps as baking...although she doubted anything they learned to make would taste any near as good as a fresher baked pastry.

"I'm sure potions won't be too difficult. I mean, we are first years, so I think we might get cut a little bit of slack, don't you think?" She asked with a small smile and shrug.

When Gayle offered her some of her sweets again, Isadora shook her head.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm okay to wait for the trolley witch. My stomach is still a bit uneasy although the longer I sit here the better I'm starting to feel. I'm sure once the trolley comes back around on it's own, I'll be ready to indulge," she assured Gayle.

"Going to school is a big change for me and I can't help but feel...well, extremely nervous about the whole thing. I've had butterflies in my stomach since I crossed onto the platform with my parents," she confessed, almost embarrased to say it out loud. She knew that sharing such a thing might be seen as too personal, but she didn't want to start her first year by lying about how she was dealing with everything. Especially to a potential new friend.

Gayle caught Isadora's reaction but pretended not to notice; she knew how it felt to fly, being up so high it felt like the only thing next was death. It was a really horrible thing to consider at her age but she'd broken her own fair share of limbs, no matter how small, and she knew that falling from so high up was be so much worst than the previous excruciating pain. But Gayle was into athletics and was somewhat of a daredevil; she just couldn't help but herself into dangerous situations sometimes, just for the thrill.

"Oh, yea...I forgot about flying," said Isadora.

Gayle shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not so bad when you have a such good view," she said with a grin, thinking of the Great Lake and the castle itself. She wanted to bring at least some comfort into the girl who looked quite uneasy in general, if not by their sort of awkward interaction.

Isadora said that she didn't believe that potions would be that difficult. While Gayle agreed, she knew that this girl didn't know anything about her. She didn't know how hard she was on herself, especially when it came to things her parents and peers found so easy. Her dad, a prestigious potioneer from Slytherin, liked to boast about his time at Hogwarts, a prefect who earned all of many of his House Points just by his work in the class alone. Gayle often more than not liked to prove to others she respected, like her parents, that she could be just as good as them, not out of arrogance but a thirst for approval. So it wasn't about the difficulty but the fear of failure, even if the chance was so small.

She was a little disheartened when Isadora declined once again but at least she knew it was for good reason. Gayle felt better knowing that it was just the jitters and not her own lack of taste in treats. Not that she was bothered; the young girl continued to munch away as she listened, this time trying a reddish jelly that had something to do with vampires but tasted like strawberries. It made her canines feel extra pointy.

"Going to school is a big change for me and I can't help but feel...well, extremely nervous about the whole thing," the girl confessed. Gayle nodded solemnly. She had butterflies, too, but her sister had ruined it mostly for her. Roxanne told her that things would wear away once classes came about, when homework and finals showed their ugly faces. Not to mention the drama, the scandals, and the other teenage problems like puberty and peer pressure.

It was enough to make the poor eleven year old feel thirty years older but excitement still rose from thinking about the friendships, memories, and victories she'd make during her years. Especially the friendship part, Gayle thought, glancing over at her companion.

"Well, I try to think about other things," she began, hoping to lighten up the mood a little. "Me? I just can't wait to be sorted, honestly. I'm not really sure which House I'll be placed; everyone in my family is so... different, so it's hard to imagine." She wanted to add more but she decided not to. It was sad to think of the family she wouldn't see in so long, even if she had both of her sisters at the school.