His first year train ride had been a mistake to be quite frank. Anxiously stuffing himself into a cramped compartment had already made every moment of those few hours he spent on the train a waking nightmare. He could hardly even close his eyes with all the clamor of students around him. This year, Ross decided to make a change from the prior. He decided as soon as he could nab an empty seat, he would. To be honest he did not know if it was physically possible, but from the moment he woke up that day he made it his goal.

It was just like an adventure, right?

So he had done the only thing in his power, and that was to RUSH. Sure, the train came at a specific time. Sure, it was not like coming there early would work; however, he decided his plan would just have to work. The night prior, he had shoved all of the items he supposed he needed into several cramped bags and as soon as the clock hit time, he practically dragged his father to the car.

While the chat last year had been awkward on the way to the train, Ross could argue that this year's had been much worse considering how much he wished to ramble about how excited he was to go back to Hogwarts. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and allowed the soft sound of the radio to take over his thought process. The car ride seemed to pass slower than a hexed turtle; however, as soon as he arrived at the train station the rest went by like a blur. He hardly could remember if he even said goodbye to his own father to his face due to the fact he practically booked it as soon as his feet touched the ground of the station. The rush to run through the wall and the long wait for the train to arrive hardly felt lucid to him. He felt light headed the entire time, his thoughts rushing faster than the train traveled. That was of course, until the train arrived. Unlike last time, Ross was actually one of the first people to board the train in his area.

His plan could ACTUALLY WORK

And it did. As soon as he saw the empty spot on the train, he snatched it immediately. The pride he felt inside himself was far more than that should have remained more than fifteen minutes later. The fact his plan had worked.continued to ring through his mind like the sweet chimes of Christmas bells. This was one of few plans that had worked WITHOUT causing severe burns to himself or someone else.

On the way to Hogwarts, the train had to make many stops. Due to the fact the train traveled so fast in comparison to regular muggle vehicles, they could be stopping any time from every fifteen minutes to every hour before the direct ride to Hogwarts. Though it was rather jarring to him last year that it would stop so frequently, he now knew exactly what to expect. As the train slowed to a stop, Ross glanced out the window to check where they could be. While he was not great with geography, it was nice to know or recognize the names.

The Sittingbourne Station

He knew of the city just because it was only an hour or two away from his home. He had visited it once just due to his parents wishing to get out of the house as a child, but he hardly paid much mind to the thought. As he heard the train station door, he heard the chatter of anxious kids and opening of doors throughout the train.

"Can I sit here?"
"Is this seat open?"
"C'mon let me in"

The same repetitive chatter from students came and went, but Ross could not help but listen in to the conversations. He was bored, and it was not exactly like there was anything else to do. As the chatter seemed to die down and doors seemed to close from the first round of kids entering the train, he heard the passive aggressive remark of a fellow student

"we're full"

Despite not seeing the faces, he was well aware that would have absolutely shattered his anxious first year self. While he was not one to interrupt situations, as soon as he heard the door close from the direction he knew well it was safe. Besides, he was curious what sort of student would have checked a full compartment. After all, it was none of his business [which ABSOLUTELY made him more curious, officially making it his business.] He peaked out of his compartment door, only to see a lone boy in the middle of the train hallway. He felt a twinge of guilt for the boy. He could only tell what year he was in by how lost he seemed. Every other year would enter the train with confidence and excitement. He could not help but relate to the boy's anxiety, and honestly he was curious. What could this boy's deal be?

"Hey! There's an empty seat over here! he exclaimed far too suddenly and loudly for such a cramped train.

He waved to the boy, as if he would hardly be able to tell where the voice was coming from with how loud he was. He refused to consider the thoughts and anxiety that might come with sitting alone with another student or the regret that could come with possibly embarrassing himself on the train. Sure it would come to haunt him at night, but right now was NOT night. Regret was for later.

@Ross Stephens

As the boy entered, Ross felt a sense of both excitement and anxiety overcome him. While Ross was prone to initiating conversations frequently, it had felt like ages since he had even attempted to communicate with someone. He had spent the majority of the summer reading his grandfather's book, baking an unneeded amount of desserts, and casually talking to customers of his father's shop. He worried he may be a tad bit rusty on his communicational skills with kids near his age, but before he even had the chance to say a word the kid nagged a seat next to the window and instantly pressed their face against it. He leaned forward, in hopes to see around his head and what he could possibly find so fascinating about a train station.

It took Ross a moment to decode what he was doing. He supposed during his first year he was rather curious what the outside looked like from the warmth of the train and the coziness of the cushions, but that had been when they had LEFT the train station. It was not until he began to rapidly tap on the glass that Ross used his spectacular detective skills to comprehend that he was attempting to say goodbye to someone. Man, he was a genius. Ross watched as he intensely attempted to get whoever he was waving to's attention, but as soon as the familiar feeling of the train moving once more came, the boy allowed themselves to fall back into their seat. Ross followed along and relaxed into his own seat, realizing that he would look like an absolute fool to attempt to keep looking for something that was more than certainly no longer there.

Ross expected there to be a long uncomfortable silence; however, the shaggy haired boy seemed to push a conversation forward effortlessly without seeming overbearing. If Ross had had that ability, he would have far more friends and far less enemies. Well, perhaps it would be the other way around. Ross DID have several enemies that became his friends due to the exact same reason. He could not help but let out a little chortle at the remark he made.

"Well, I'd RATHER sit in the luggage rack than... He looked back and fourth and leaned in closer to the boy "sit with a bunch o' dolts like them." he whispered, as if any louder could possibly get him in trouble.

He felt some form of pity for the poor kid. He seemed as normal as everyone else around them, so simply shutting him out did not seem right to him. The worst he had had it the year prior was dealing with a kid stealing his journal. It seemed easy to be pushed around at Hogwarts from how kids treated each other. Ross leaned back a bit, but still remained on the edge of his seat.

"Promise they're not all like that though. I got a tad bit lost last year if y'know what I mean, and a pureblood friend o' mine bought me an ice cream cone- you really aught to try it by the way. SO much different than muggle ice cream." he clarified, going on a signature rant of his while he was at it.

He could go on for hours about how much he adored wizard food, but luckily for the poor first year in front of him he had managed to catch himself before he began talking about every food he adored. By every food he specifically meant pumpkin juice, which he could have sworn was a drink of the gods.

"Maison? That's an interestin name. He remarked. The name is Ross. Ross Stephens if you're ever feeling fancy." He took Maison's hand and gladly shook it. In fact, Maison was the first boy who ever offered to shake his hand before he had. A grin snuck its way onto Ross' face.

As the boy continued to speak, Ross once again congratulated himself for his outstanding detective skills. Of course he was a first year, his pure confusion on the train had given it away. While it really was not something to be entirely proud of, Ross still gave himself that internal high five.

"A first year, I knew it! he exclaimed "I promise, you're going to love it. What house do ya think you're going to be in? Scratch that, do you even know what the houses are? Ah, I probably shouldn't tell ya, you'll get the whole run through with the hat. Anyways, I'm a Hufflepuff. A second year Hufflepuff at that! One of the most popular girls in Hufflepuff made friendship bracelets for nearly everyone last year, so I hope you don't get to miss out on that. he rambled, sounding more and more confident as he spoke.

With the speed that he spoke at it was shocking he did not have a stutter, but he felt legitimate excitement building up inside his chest for the first year. He recalled his first year and how much he loved nearly every moment of it besides the times he set himself and another person on fire. And of course.. there was the time he got blackmailed; HOWEVER, he truly did enjoy Hogwarts overall. He was certain Maison was going to adore it.

The question that came out of Maison's mouth was dead serious, catching Ross completely off guard. Despite only having talked to him for a couple moments, he seemed to just keep on doing so. First the hand shake and now THIS? He had a feeling the two would get along just fine if he kept this up.

Ross found people who were boring the worst to talk to. With people who blatantly had something interesting about them, that was another story. He could easily ask more and more about them, treating the conversation like some sort of game. It made it easier for him somehow. Finding a student who seemed nearly as curious as him brought an obscure sense of excitement. Perhaps it was the fact he was new and Ross knew more for once, or perhaps it was due to the fact he found this boy simply interesting. In all honesty, it was likely a mix of both; however, he found himself finding it easy to talk to him without consistently asking questions. He never really had been the one on the other end of the questions before anyways.

"Magical cows? Well that's just-" he cut himself off, bringing a finger to his chin as if just now considering the subject "...that would be really neat actually! I'd love to meet a magic cow. You 'aught to ask the care of magical creatures teacher about that. I dunno how it's different though, it just is! Next time you head down to Diagon Alley, You aught to check out the ice cream shop. Of course you gotta bring a couple coins though. I don't plan on goin' any time soon, I'd be too tempted. I'm actually saving up for a rat!"

In the middle of him rambling about houses, he heard a bit of a giggle from Maison's end. While Ross was relieved he blatantly was listening, it gave him a moment to take a look at his expression while he rambled. If anything, he seemed puzzled. Ross heard thoughts of worry buzzing into his mind like a fly around his head; however, he was able to swat them off with ease.

As he ended his seemingly unstoppable babbling, Maison asked possibly the most logical question he could have inquired. Ross probably would have gotten stuck on the friendship bracelet thing himself if he had been listening to himself talk; however, perhaps learning what the school was about was almost as reasonable of a thing to inquire.

"The hat! Right, the sorting hat! It's rather intriguing really. He sings this whole song with about a million words I don't understand about the houses, and then he sorts everyone into their respective houses. He goes on your head, it's sorta weird feelin. I'm glad I never gotta do it again. He elaborated on his prior claims in a much more slow manner, attempting to fix both the confusion and also attempting to legitimately answer the question to the best of his own abilities.

It was one of the questions he wished he had the answer to a year prior aa well. He was not emotionally prepared for a hat to be dropped on his head and tell him he belonged in the house of the badgers at the time, and he was honestly not emotionally prepared to get lost on the staircases for the first time either. A guide would have made his first year far more simple than it end.

He could easily sympathize with Maison not knowing much about the wizarding world. On top of getting a bit of a trip from knowing all the answers and being trusted to answer the questions in the first place, he jumped at the opportunity to answer any more.

"You don't gotta worry about lookin like a fool, but I... believe I can give you a rundown? I dunno if it's against the rules or somethin, but I don't think so. I hope not at least, or else everyone else in that section of the train last year was breaking the rules..." he trailed off, taking a moment to consider it. He proceeded to visibly shrug it off, hoping it was likely nothing to be concerned of. "I didn't know much when I got over there either. Didn't know a thing about the houses. My mum is a muggle, but my dad is a wizard. He just forgot to tell me about the whole 'wizard' part I guess. Simple mistake, really."

He hoped by expressing he hardly knew a thing the year prior would bring some form of comfort to the boy. It was easy to feel like people were alone in not knowing a thing, and honestly Ross felt the same way until he accidentally stumbled upon some confused first years along with himself.

"Well, I suppose I'll start off with what I know. I'm in Hufflepuff! It's all about loyalty and all that. I dunno the words in particular, but something about trustworthiness? There's a lotta things i dunno about Hufflepuff, like why is the animal symbol a badger? I don't really even know how I ended up in the house, but I got a... I believe friend in Hufflepuff? I gave 'er a worm once! She's the one that makes friendship bracelets and such. Honestly, she's a true Hufflepuff. You 'aught to talk to her, she really could tell ya what the house is about. Her name is Willow, though I haven't talked to her much in awhile. You'll KNOW it's her when you see her."

He paused, waiting for him to ask questions if he had any. It was also more of a breath for himself. It was hard to talk so much, even when one was TRYING to be slow so someone else could comprehend it. As a detective, he felt a bit ashamed for not knowing stuff about his own house; however, he supposed knowing why the badger was the symbol of Hufflepuff was not the most needed knowledge as of current.

"I know a good amount o' people in Gryffindor, but not well. They're all about bravery and justice. I dunno them really well, but I met a boy who liked to play with fire. Like, yknow how they do that in the circus? He REALLY did that. He's a third year now, but it's really just cool to think about and MUCH more cooler to see. Their thing is a lion I think? I don't really get it, it's got Gryffin in the name!"

Once again, he paused. He really hardly knew much about Gryffindor, which made it seem to dawn upon him he hardly knew much of the school in the first place. At least that gave him SOME sort of interest for the year. He really should have paid much more attention in history class, or to the hat's song for a matter of fact.

"I know a couple snakes-. Well, they're SLYTHERINS but it's much more fun to call 'em snakes. A snake took my journal once. he began to fidget with the ring on his finger as he spoke "We'refriendsnowthough!" he quickly rushed. "They're real ambitious and such- at least, my friend is. He always had his notes ready for potions, but I hardly got the class until he showed up. They're.. interesting, but that makes em all the more fun to figure out... and befriend of course."

He knew this one would haunt him in his dreams. In his pause, he felt himself internally facepalm. He did not have the best experience with 'snakes', but he knew well that if ONE had to be good at least there had to be one other good one. The reputation was rough being a snake, but honestly the rumors made sense when it came to some of them. Some of them even seemed to like the reputation.

"Ravenclaw is the last one. I dunno if their thing is a Raven, but I sure hope it is or else I'm gonna be real riled up. I only got one friend whos a Ravenclaw, but they're awfully interesting. They taught me how to make a potion! They're real organized and smart. If I knew or cared how to put all my notes in a binder, I swear I could fit the requirements to be a Ravenclaw. he joked, pausing once more to take a breath.

"None are particularly bad or anythin', people make too much of a big deal out of it. All I care about is that my dormitory is comfy- which it is." he reassured with haste, hoping that Maison would not immediately realize he was a poor source to ask of these kind of questions due to his responses being mainly anecdotal.

Ross was pleasantly surprised to find that the boy was interested about the worm he gave his dear friend. Of course, that was in fact the most important subject matter after all. If one did not appreciate the gift of a wiggly invertebrate then what sort of person could they possibly be? He made a mental note to possibly give this new hopefully friend of his a worm next time the rain began to drizzle at Hogwarts. It was always so calming, and while most people would assume the most fascinating part of Hogwarts would be the magical creatures Ross begged to differ. It had EXCELLENT worm soil, or perhaps the soil back at home generally was the worst. Either way, there were plenty worms and that meant plenty gifts. Still, he put a finger up to his chin once more as if to ponder the question.

"... She sorta took it as an offering of peace of sorts? Took a whole ritual for us to get along again though. I don't think it coulda been done without the worm though. They played a vital part." he explained, probably only making everything seem more and more vague the more he spoke.

His eyes practically lit up when he remarked he could be a Hufflepuff. That could be just excellent. Getting to show someone the ropes for someone who was in his own common room? Getting to explain the obscure games and odd lore about the boy's dormitory and possibly influencing his choice of which specific dorm? It sounded like a dream come true! His specific area of the dormitory felt rather isolated if anything.

"If you end up in Hufflepuff, you aught to choose Hengist Home for your dorm! You get your own little room, and don't have to deal with people staring at you while you change and all that. It also carries candy in every hour or so. It makes life a lot better waking up to a bit of candy if I do say so myself- but it's not like the Breakfast food is too shabby either.

No matter how much he seemed to talk, it always looped back to food. He was unsure if that was an issue of his or if magical food was just that good. He supposed he did grow up in a bakery, so maybe he was simply finely attuned to it. Either way, whatever it was made him decide the food at Hogwarts was the best thing since baked bread.

The next question was a fairly decent one, that even Ross found himself wondering about.

"I dunno. I saw the sorting hat take a loooooooooooong with some people, and they seemed sorta deep in thought. I didn't question it much, but I suppose they could be having some weird form of communication. The hat didn't take long with me... luckily. Just sorta plopped him on and a tad bit of thinking later he yelled his weird thing and I was sent to the badgers."

It really was an interesting thought. He had never particularly thought about how he fit in his house. Sure he tried to, but every time he would get bored and go back to thinking about something more fun like charms or worms or charming worms.

As Maison made his remark on Ravenclaws, he could not help but wonder how he did in his muggle classes. Ross had done decent, just enough to pass by and not be questioned. Maison seemed to have difficulty with organization, which Ross could hardly blame him for. It was hard to keep track of everything. In fact, it had been his downfall multiple times within the past year.

"Being friends with only Ravenclaws sounds all fine and dandy 'til you realize that finding fun is going to be harder than you think. I hardly get regular chess, yet I swear every time I pass one of 'em they're talking about WIZARD Chess. I don't think I could get into it."

Once again, he was pleasantly surprised and punched in the gut by a question he suddenly had not expected. Of course, it was a question he had asked himself frequently the year prior; however, he truly only seemed to truly get a decent answer when asking other people why they felt they belonged in their house.

"The.. right choice? I.. I dunno. I'd say they couldn't find enough traits o' mine that fit anything else and called it a night. Usually the hat speaks when it's sorting people, but he sorta just threw me in. I was probably censoring him out- dealing with a talking hat was sorta weird to think 'bout at the time." he confessed.

It was far more honest than he expected to come out of his mouth for a simple train ride, but he would not have been shocked if the thought had just been building up in his mind for a long while. Still, it unsettled him how honest it was. It still felt censored in a form of way, but he could hardly figure out where the gap was.

Hearing him enthuse about candy and sweets only brought one more thing in that they had in common; however, not in the way he had expected. It was not that Ross ADORED sweets, though he certainly did have a sweet tooth. It was more of the fact he could appreciate them in a way due to his upbringings.

"If I'd known someone would appreciate sweets on the train, I would've brought another slice of Banoffee Pie! I only got one though- for my friend Mildred. We've been owling all summer. You aught to remind me next time I go home for break. I'm sure ya could find some other way to get sweets," He leaned in closer just like he at the beginning of their conversation "Hufflepuff just has the best. If ya end up somewhere else, I'll just have to sneak you some. I'm sure it's not against the rules. he informed him in a low tone, like it was a shady deal of sorts.

Leaning back into his chair as if nothing had ever happened, his thoughts were directed to that friend of his. They had planned to meet in the common room when all of the chaos calmed down, but he found himself worrying more and more about the possible plan that they had. A look of concern grew on his face, but he hastily shook it off like nothing could have ever happened.

He could not blame the boy for being confused why they put an obscure twist on nearly everything. He had been just as confused his first year, but it made everything seem a bit more fun to be around. It just made everything so much more lively when everything was alive.

"It's real peculiar, isn't it? We got talking portraits, and I can't even BEGIN to understand how that works. How do you give paintings SENTIENCE? If I drew a stick figure, could it be alive if I put it in a fancy portrait hall too? I hardly understand it.

He took a long pause, then blinked twice. A light bulb went off within his mind, causing to remove the glasses from his face with great haste.

"If you want a REAL example on how wizards make things more complicated than they should, watch THIS."

He placed the glasses on the seat a diagonal direction from him, carefully making sure it would not fall off with the occasional bumps of the train. Then again, it would not matter much to him. Shattered glasses could be easily fixed with magic. At a quick glance, one could tell the glasses were near filthy. Ross was blatantly not an organized person, so it should not have a shocker that he hardly kept his glasses clean despite how much he desperately needed them to see. Lucky for everyone on this train, he could see at least the distance in front of him of where he placed the glasses. If he could not, well he did not even want to KNOW what could go wrong. He took a deep breath. He would not be shocked if he was rusty as of current. He prayed his grandfather's book would not fail him now.

Starting in the upper right corner, he brought his wand down in the form of an S. He focused on the movement being with his wrist, and not the entire arm so he could properly take aim.

"Scourgify!" he exclaimed, a tad bit louder than he should have.

Without even a blast of light, he put the wand onto his lap and picked up the glasses. He cockily presented them to the boy in front of him, showing that the glasses were in fact clean.

"See what I mean about all that? It's overcomplicated, but It's efficient." He informed him with a smile.

Clearly Ross was proud of himself with charms. Despite the anxious energy he gave off consistently, when he did the charm it felt as if he was the one in control.

"I aught to show you some more sometime! Not here though, I think the trolley lady would off me." he joked.

He supposed he was right about the whole sorting thing. Maybe he was just looking too much into it, but that was his job. He WAS a detective after all.

"Yeah, I suppose Hufflepuffs are sorta the best. he joked.