From the day Molly’s Hogwarts letter had arrived and it had become a reality that she was actually going to get to learn and experience the true world of magic, it had been like every nerve in her body had been working overtime. Never had she been so keen for the summer to be over. Now that time was actually here, and she stood on platform nine and three quarters looking at the marvellous steam engine in front of her.

When she had seen the train and the people milling around on the platform as she held her father’s hand a smile had spread across her lips. As the time ticked closer to eleven however, she felt the nerves starting to take over her. She looked up at her father as people started to board. He bent down to her level, and placed his hands on her shoulders “My darling girl you don’t need to look so worried, I promise you this, you are going to have the best time, meet new people and learn many amazing new things”. Molly swallowed her mouth suddenly full of saliva as she nodded. Her mother stood just behind her a smile on her lips too. Molly couldn’t imagine what this was like for her mother, a muggle but if she seemed ok with everything that was happening then that should be comfort enough.

The train whistle sounded and Molly’s parents kissed her on the cheek as she moved towards the carriage door ”We will see you soon and you can write to us whenever you want” Molly’s father said. With one final nod and a deep breath Molly began making her way towards a compartment. She wasn’t sure whether there was anywhere in particular she should sit. She could see some other students already in compartments. Not feeling quite brave enough she moved down the train as it began to move before she came across an empty compartment.

Sliding into the compartment she pulled her trunk. Before lifting it onto the shelf above the seat she searched through the contents and pulled out ‘Hogwarts, A History’ and took a seat. The book had quickly become one of her favourites since she returned from Diagon Alley with her school supplies. She found the book informative and was curious to see if reading it before arriving at Hogwarts with give her some kind of advantage. She didn’t feel like there would be much benefit, but she had always found that when she was feeling nervous and unsteady with her surroundings, escaping into a book was easily the best comfort.

Molly continued to flick through the book reading passages she had already read. Every now and then she’d hear students in the train corridor that caused her to look up. If someone was to enter the room she wanted to be prepared, a good first impression makes all the difference after all.

Evan Bartlett, in all of his eleven years had never felt anxious. At least, not in any amount close to what he felt as he stood alone on the train platform. From the day he was born, his days seemed play out more or less the same. He would wake up, eat breakfast with his Nain and Grandad, head out to do some farm chores and would return in the afternoon to be schooled by his mother. It was an easy, predicable lifestyle that one could set their watch to. Even following the shocking reveal of his magical parentage, life remained more or less the same. The only notable change was this summer, instead of his usual lessons of math and science, he was learning a shoddily put together curriculum of mostly guesswork about the wizarding world. If asked to, Evan could likely recite his welcome letter by heart just because of all the times he watched his mother pour over it, looking for any clue that would help her unprepared son.

The last two days included many firsts for Evan. The first time coming to London, the first time seeing more than 200 people in the same place, the first time he would see his mother seem unsure of herself. The last one in particular seemed the hardest. She was a strong woman, both emotionally and physically. Evan was reminded of this as she pulled him into a crushing hug before letting him go. As he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and charged ahead onto platform nine and three quarters, it was her face that he pictured. She had always been his teacher and his most dependable guide, yet suddenly she couldn't be that for him. In his hand, Evan clutched the note his mother wrote before they left the hotel. On it was everything his mother felt her son would need to know in order to get to Hogwarts safely. She didn't tell him that it was more a list of hopes and guesswork than based on any fact. To her credit, Evan did make it to the platform and would not miss the train.

The chocolate headed boy swallowed hard, as if he could swallow his newly felt nerves and stepped onto the train that would take him somewhere he still didn't fully believe in. His small frame slow navigated the train carts, sheepishly moving out of the way of the more established students. He could feel a lump forming in his throat and his eyes threatening to tear as he finally happened upon a nearly empty compartment. He glanced nervously at the girl reading before deciding that she didn't appear to be expecting anyone and pulling his well worn trunk inside. As he turned around to store his trunk above his head, he took a deep breath, sending the tears away for now.

After finally sitting down, Evan turned his attention to his compartment mate. "Um, Hello. I'm Evan. I'm, um, new." He offered the girl a small smile, trying to appear calm despite his tense body language.

Interacting with Evan Bartlett

Molly was reading about the great hall and the enchanted sky, it was one of the things that she was most looking forward to seeing. She imagined it to be truly breath-taking the first time you set your eyes on it. As she read the words and took in their meaning, she heard movement outside of the compartment door. She looked up briefly and saw a dark headed boy peering through the glass. He seemed to be the same age as she was and he appeared just as nervous. Molly quickly glanced back at her book taking a few deep breaths to steady herself.

The compartment door opened and the boy entered. Molly purposefully kept her eyes on the book she had in her hands not noticing the words on the page anymore. She listened as he dragged the trunk in and then hefted it above his head. She wasn’t sure if he was going to speak or just pretend that she wasn’t there, like she was doing to him. Molly glanced up from the book briefly as he sat down, she saw his head was facing her direction and she quickly flicked her eyes away. She could feel heat rising into her cheeks and she hoped that her face didn’t now resemble a strawberry, was she being rude not acknowledging him? But what would she say.

Molly was saved from being the first to initiate a conversation as the boy introduced himself and pointed out that he was new. Laying the book on her lap Molly pulled her plaited hair over her shoulder and instinctively placed the end of it in her mouth and chewed. This was something that she had done since she was about five years old when she was feeling particularly nervous but her mother had always scolded her for it.

Realising just how absurd she must look and that she had taken at least thirty seconds to respond she dropped her hair as though it had burned her hand and cleared her throat slightly. ”Hi Evan, I’m ummm Molly. It’s my first year at Hogwarts too…”. Her voice was quite small and for a moment she wondered whether Evan had actually heard her.

The silence grew for another moment before she decided to be brave and try and make this more of a conversation. ”It’s all a little overwhelming isn’t it? Do you umm… do you know which house you’re likely to be in or which one you want to be in?”. Molly’s eyes darted to the window watching the landscape zoom past before returning her gaze to Evan as she unconsciously fiddled with the pages of the book still perched on her lap.

Interacting with Molly Lupus

Upon learning that the girl Evan found himself sitting with was also a newcomer, his shoulders loosened considerably. It was always nice to find someone in the same situation as you, no matter how out of water you felt. From the volume of her voice, Evan guessed that she was likely just as scared as he was. A quote from his Grandad popped into his head, "They are more afraid of you, than you are of them", of course, Grandad had been talking about the bats who lived in the barn, but Evan felt that advice applied to eleven year old girls just as well. Comparing the creepy bats with this seemingly mild mannered girl gave the boy a slightly larger and more relaxed smile.

Evan's attention refocused on Molly as she spoke again. House? He wasn't quite sure what to make of this question. He only barely understood that there was some form of grouping system used at Hogwarts yet was completely in the dark about how one decided between them. If, that is, someone got a choice.
"It's a little scary to be honest." He admitted with a small nervous giggle. He paused before attempting to answer her second question, unsure of how to confess his lack of knowledge.

"To be honest with you, I don't really know much about anything wizard-y.. I guess I have a lot to learn, so maybe whichever house is suited to newcomers! He tried to sound chipper but the slightest waver of his voice let on just how nervous Muggle-raised Evan was. "What about you? Do you um, have a preference?"

Interacting with Evan Bartlett

As Molly was speaking with Evan she though she saw him visibly relax, his smile certainly seemed to increase. This wasn’t so bad after all. When Evan admitted that he didn’t know anything about the wizarding world or Hogwarts she realised that he must be muggle born. ”Oh sorry” she said now chewing on her fingernails ”I shouldn’t assume that you know about it, are you muggle born? Sorry I mean are your parents non magic?”.

As she was saying this Molly realised just how much of a life changing event this must be for Evan. It was exciting and an anxious time for her but she at least had some knowledge of the magical world from her father. She had grown up listening to tales of her father’s antics at Hogwarts and learning about some of the secrets and wonders of the old castle. ”My dad’s a wizard” she explained to Evan ”My mum’s a muggle, so it was a bit of a surprised when I started doing strange things around the house when I was really little and my dad had to tell her the truth about who he really is.”. She was starting to feel more relaxed talking to Evan. He didn’t seem so intimidating after all and it was nice to have her nose out of a book while they journeyed closer to their destination.

Molly proceeded to explain about the four different houses of Hogwarts and what they meant and the type of people that were put into each house. She could practically quote Hogwarts a History verbatim having read it several times since her purchase. ”I think I’d be happy in any house really.” she shrugged in response to Evan’s question ”Although being in Slytherin does sound a little scary. My dad was in Hufflepuff when he attended Hogwarts so it would be quite nice to be in the same house as him." She paused for a moment thinking about what she would do if she was put in Slytherin. It wasn't like it automatically made you a bad person but it did have the worst reputation of all the houses.

"You don't get to choose yourself though there is a sorting ceremony that all first years go through to decide which house you'd fit in best” she explained to Evan. Molly hoped that this information wasn't worrying him more, she didn't want to overwhelm him by spouting facts at him so she bit her lip to stop herself saying anything more.

(Hope it's okay I joined)


Isadora a skinny young girl with wavy shoulder length brown hair pushed the trolley cart that carried all her school supplies along trying not to hit anyone as she did so. This week had been a very hectic one for her. It had been a few months to the day since she had received her Hogwarts acceptance letter in the mail at her grandmothers in Chesire. Her parents had been thrilled as had her grandmother Minerva, who almost immediately said she, "-had no doubt that she [Isadora] would be sorted into her and her daughter, Diana's house of Ravenclaw!" to which Isadora's father and Diana's husband Oliver, who had been a Hufflepuff hotly replied. "Are you really now?" before he had given his young daughter a good natured wink making the girl smile.

Isadora who had never been really been around other witches and wizards besides her family and the beloved house elf Skippy who had cared for the girl since she was born she hadn't really been around other children her age leaving her to be quite shy and unsure of herself when it came to making new friends and meeting new people.

On her trip to Diagon Alley the thing that most shocked her was her trip to Ollivanders. After the elderly man had greeted the girls parents warmly as if they were old friends and rolled off a few facts about their wands he then turned his attention to Isadora. What shocked everyone most was the wand that chose her. It had been a 12 inch wand of chestnut with a Rougarou hair core. The wandmakers eyes had widened as it chose her. "Interesting...." he said. "This wand is perfect for fighting spells and intended for accomplished duelists...hmmm...curious." He said gazing at the young girl meeting his eyes with her wide eyed hazel green ones. "I'm no f-fighter..." She said to him in a soft timid voice. However just at the moment the wandmaker was to reply another family came in and the man turned his attentions to the new customers and as they left the store Isadora glanced back to see him gazing at her curiously with a gleam of wonder in his eye....

Now here she was standing on the platform gazing at the scarlet steam engine that blew clouds of smoke around. The platform was crowded with families as they bid their children farewell. Isadora too k her trunk off the trolley with the help of her father before she looked at the train and at them with a gleam of hesitation in her eyes. Her father saw this and immediately bent down so he was eye level with his daughter. "No matter what happens know that we are so proud of you and love you with all our hearts yeah?" He said lifting her chin so she met his eyes. The girl met his eyes before at the sight of her fathers smile broke out into one of her own small smiles and nodded.
His father kissed her goodbye as did her mother and they watched her board the train and makes it's way out of the station before they began their own journey to Romania on a relocation project.

Now as the train began to make it's way out of the station the young and shy Isadora made her way through the train cars trying to find a seat. Any group that was rowdy or too full Isadora quickly ducked past not wanting to bee seen. However she had nearly reached the back of the train by this point and still no seat. When she thought she would have to give up and sit in the hall for the whole ride she came upon a compartment where two children. A boy and a girl around her age sat inside and she saw they were talking. Swallowing her anxiety she quietly knocked on the door and opened the compartment.
"Um...hello...my names Isadora...is it alright if I sit with you both? Most of the compartments are already pretty full..." She said softly her fingers nervously clutching her bag as she waited for a response.

Interacting with @Molly Lupus & @Isadora Greene

Evan shifted in his seat, glancing out the window for a quick moment as Molly asked him about his parentage. A knot formed in his stomach as he considered how to answer the girls question. Truthfully, he was like Molly with one magical parent and one 'normal' human but his experience was obviously much different from hers. For the first time in his life, Evan felt ashamed about his upbringing. He hadn't before struggled with his fathers absence in his life and usually when the topic came up, he was more than comfortable telling someone the truth yet, in this moment, he hesitated. Evan didn't want Molly's pity, or to make her uncomfortable and surely him bringing up his situation would do that. Realizing that he was taking an uncomfortable amount of time to answer, he made a decision.

"My father was a wizard but, he's gone now." As the half-truth fell from his lips, the boy gulped. The knot in his stomach grew in size and he recognized this feeling as immediate regret. While yes it was true, his father was gone now but it seemed deceptive not telling Molly that in fact, he had never been there in the first place.

Evan listened to Molly explain her origins with great focus, nodding along as she spoke. More out of trying to forget his first brush with shame than anything else. A flash of jealousy came over him as she explained how her father would share stories with her. He hadn't really considered the sort of things he might've been missing out on before. He hadn't really had many children his own age as playmates and as such, never had been confronted so directly with his lack of father before. His brow furrowed ever so slightly as he pushed these feelings down and tried to appear nonchalant and relaxed.

"They all sound really cool, especially Gryf-" He paused, pulling out the first syllable in Gryfindor, trying to be sure he heard Molly correctly. "fin-doe?" He finished with a shy smile, almost sure he had it wrong. Trading his former sense of jealousy for excitement, Evan charged on, his voice going up an octave. "I hope I'm brave enough and that even if we are in different houses, we can still be friends." His smile widened, and the knot in his belly loosened ever so slightly.

At the sound of a sudden knock, Evan's brown eyes jumped to the doorway. There stood another girl around his age, looking just as much a fish out of water as he was sure he looked when he happened upon Molly's compartment. He immediately shifted over in his seat to make room for the newcomer.
"Come on in! I'm Evan. We were just talking about how crazy this all is."

Interacting with @Evan Bartlett & @Isadora Greene

As Evan explained about his father, Molly felt herself blush slightly. She thought she had put her foot in her mouth when she assumed that Evan knew about the magic world but now she had gone and stuck the other one in there as well. She noticed that Evan looked a little upset and uncomfortable about the subject and she was trying to think of ways to rectify the situation. She was starting to enjoy getting to know Evan and opening up to him. It was as her mother said ‘never as scary as your imagine it to be’ but now she was fretting that she had ruined everything.

Molly paused for a moment overthinking all of the possible responses, she didn’t want to say something that would cause Evan more upset, but she didn’t want to just ignore what he had said either. ”I’m really sorry, I hope I haven’t upset you” Molly said, deciding this was the best response without prying if he didn’t want to talk about it any further.

Molly again began to fiddle with the book in her lap ”Gryfin-dor” she corrected Evan automatically before smiling at him. That was the house that seemed to draw the most attention, what with the famous alumni and all but she happened to think that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were more of her fit, she would never characterise herself as brave, plus the other houses didn’t really get the credit they deserved.

When Evan stated that he hoped they could still be friends even if they were in different houses Molly felt heat creeping into her cheeks and she was sue that she now looked like a watermelon. She nodded and swallowed ”I’d like that. she said shyly ”If I’m honest I’ve never found making friends very easy and I’ve been dreading the social part of Hogwarts since I got my letter but you… well I’m glad you chose this compartment” her voice sped up the further in the sentence she got, ending it in a rush that she wasn’t entirely sure Evan would even be able to understand. What had she been thinking? She had totally just embarrassed herself.

When there was movement at the door Molly almost thanked the dark headed girl that lingered in the doorway for taking the attention away from her. The girl introduced herself as Isadora, and she was looking overwhelmed as well. Molly nodded when Isadora asked whether she could join her and Evan. ”Of course” she said kindly as Evan introduced himself ”I’m Molly, do you need help with your trunk?” she asked as Isadora clutched at her bags and Molly moved over, although there was already space next to her for another person to sit. ”Does anyone know what the time is?” she asked. Molly wasn’t sure how long since they had actually left the station and she was starting to feel hungry.

(Interacting with @Molly Lupus and @Evan Bartlett )
Isadora almost let out a sigh of relief when they said yes. A smile crossed her fair face and her hazel green eyes brightened behind her square black glasses. Stepping inside the compartment she nodded when Molly offered to help her get her trunk put up. With her help they were able to get her trunk on the shelf. Then quickly stepping outside she brought in her owl. It was a large female horned owl. Her coloring was light brown with her face and tufts on her head, a rich orange. On her chest she had speckles of white black and brown all over her chest. She let out a chitter and blinked her great amber eyes at the group of three before she lifted a wing slightly and began to clean her feathers quietly, the only sound was her beak clamping every so often on a feather as she preened.

Isa set the cage down beside her gently by her feet as she sat next to Molly, laying a hand on the cage almost protectively. The owl, who went by the name of Willow was the girl's pride and joy. Owls were her favorite non magical creature and when her parents surprised her with one of her own she was ecstatic and had taken care of the owl more than anything in the world.

"Thank you Molly. My name is Isadora. Isadora Greene- but you can call me Isa if you like." She said softly. Her voice was soothing whether that was natural or an onset of her usually shyness no one really knew. Glancing up she gazed at the boy who sat across from them. "I'm sorry I didn't catch your name." She said sheepishly to the brown haired boy her hazel green eyes glancing at him quickly before darting away nervously as she reached up and pushed the glasses farther up to the bridge of her nose.

(Sorry it's slightly short. Have a doctors appointment I'm heading out for)

Interacting with @Molly Lupus & @Isadora Greene

As Molly spoke, sharing her delight at Evan choosing her compartment, his grin widened. Wow, already a friend. He could hardly believe it. Perhaps, coming to Hogwarts was meant to be after all. His earlier negative feelings were now all but forgotten as the young boy seemed to beam from the inside out.

As his new friend popped up from her seat to assist the newcomer with her bags, Evan's hands clasped in his lap. He silent chided himself on not offering to do the same, knowing his Granddad would be doing the same had he been there. However, the new girl didn't seem to have too much and it didn't look like there would have been much for Evan to do anyhow. Instead, he tried to prove his helpfulness by responding to Mollys question. "I don't know what time it is, but, I'd say it's close to departure. It looks like it's just parents on the platform now." His dark eyes scanned the remaining crowd, briefly thinking of how his Mother must be feeling as he watched the tearful parents say goodbye. With a slight shake of head, he cast that thought out knowing that it would only end in him tearing up in front of the other students.

Turning his attention back to the girls as Molly and the newcomer took their seats, Evan was surprised to see a third set of eyes taking him in. Instinctively, he tensed up and his eyes focused on the animals talons. Back home, owls were little more than pests and he had always been taught to be wary of the predators. This idea had been especially hammered into his head when young Evan watched a barn owl carry off a kitten on a particularly scarring spring day. He regarded the animal with suspicion as he seemed to calm down and began to groom itself. Feeling comfortable that the beast was under relative control, he relaxed but still remained pushed as close to the window as he could without appearing awkward.

"I'm Evan. It's nice to meet you Isa. Is this your first time going to Hogwarts?" He offered her a polite smile, only briefly glancing at Molly to see how she handled the owl situation. He recalled hearing some 'bird-like' noises on the platform before boarding but it hadn't occurred to him that they might be a common pet of the wizarding population.