It was like being at a carnival.

Carts of candied treats and delightful concoctions wizzed by. Children ran to-and-fro along the corridor, laughing and cackling to their hearts content. Among the dark flocks of Hogwarts uniforms, Isaac spotted flashes of Hufflepuff yellow, streaks of Gryffindor red, blotches of Ravenclaw blue and the occasional glint of Slytherin green. And among them, a few foreign colours as well, a presence from schools abroad that brought with it all the culture of the Western Frontier, the Northern tundra, and neighbouring France.

Isaac stared through the little crevice of his door ajar, a whole world bursting into his peripheral through a tiny scope. Amid throngs of pretty girls and well-groomed boys, he imagined himself one day donning that very same uniform, to begin his life as a young wizard.

As passengers went, his choice of dressing was plain. He wore a t-shirt and jeans, his suitcase tucked up close to him on the seat. His figure was cut like a statue of a Chinese hero, lean and muscular. He had no identifying symbols that affiliated him with any house nor school, which could only lead to the conclusion that he was what he was: an unsorted First Year.

Indeed, he was careful not to make himself appear too comfortable. He was nervous, his feet braced up against the ground and his hands fidgeting restlessly on his kneecaps as if an adult would walk in at any second. He had seen them on the train, tall, frightening things.

His wand lay sheathed in his pocket, a tool he hadn’t a clue how to use. Perhaps today, someone would finally show him.

@Scarlet Salvatore

Scarlet was overjoyed to be back on the familiar platform of nine and three-quarters, it felt different from the first time she was here almost a year ago. Now, as well as students bustling through along the platform, she spotted the odd Hogwarts professor amongst the crowds, and groups of students from what she assumed were the various international schools she had heard would be in attendance at the summer camp. She recognised the light blue uniforms of the French school, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, from her mother's old school photos, the others she wasn't sure about.

After giving her mother and father a quick squeeze of a hug goodbye, she hopped aboard the train, her grey duffle bag, decorated with the patch of her house's crest that her mother had sewn on, lugged across her shoulder. As she passed the various compartments along the train, she noticed that the different schools largely seemed to have stuck together, and that most of the compartments were already occupied by larger groups of four or five people. Being the shy introvert that she is, Scarlet wasn't exactly strongly drawn to taking up an empty seat in any of those compartments.

Becoming increasingly aware of how heavy her bag actually was, and feeling the strap digging into her shoulder, Scarlet lowered her expectation of finding a familiar face or empty compartment as she entered the next carriage of the train.

Ahead of her she noticed the door to one of the compartments was open slightly, as she came nearer she poked her head forward a bit to get a better look into what she originally thought was empty, but instead she saw a dark-haired boy sat near the window. Scarlet could tell he was tall even sat down, this and his physique would at first glance cause her to assume he was a returning Hogwarts student, but the all too familiar nervousness with which he sat and the lack of any house identifying badges made her think he was probably a first year, yet to be sorted.

"Hey!" she said, making the boy aware of her presence by the door, whilst offering him a reassuring smile, she continued, "do you mind if I sit in here, I honestly don't think I carry this thing around much longer," gesturing to her bag as she spoke. Almost as if on queue, the strap of her bag slipped off her shoulder, Scarlet catching the end of it before it fell to the ground. Letting out a half-supressed laugh, she looked back towards the boy for his answer.

Interacting with @Isaac Lee Shu Hui

His eyes fluttered away to the table, pretending as though he hadn't been watching the corridor with every ounce of his attention. Maybe whoever it was would be less likely to judge him. Hand over hand, he held them in his lap, running index finger over thumb in a nervous little ritual when it suddenly occurred to him then that he had been rude to abruptly deflect his gaze like that. Aargh... Crap.

With a wince of a smile and as much friendliness he could muster, Isaac looked at the newcomer with interest and a dash of awkwardness.

"Hey!" came a high pitched female voice, one which he attributed to her. She was tall for a girl, but next to him, nearly everyone his age felt short.

"Yo," he offered in response. Can I help you?

The answer to his question came shortly after when Scarlet's duffel bag came tumbling down her arm, caught at the last second with a skillful grab. Her request was simple, for a place in his train car compartment.

Well, it wasn't really his compartment to begin with. He didn't feel like he had a say over the matter.

"Sure thing," he replied. Standing up for no reason, he inched over into the corner of the room, unsure of which side of seats she would take.

As she entered, Isaac identified the green serpent crest of her bag.

Or perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make your real friends. Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends.

His grin wavered, not by any fault of hers of course. As history went, Slytherins were an ambitious breed with no limits to what they were willing to do. It made them great revolutionaries, but also agents of disorder. As he had read in books, it was why a great many Death Eaters were recruited from the ranks of Hogwart's Slytherin alumni during the First and Second Wizarding Wars. While a Ravenclaw might shy away from forbidden knowledge for their own safety, there were no such instinctual restrictions that would hinder a Slytherin from achieving their goals. He had to be careful with this one, however affable she might initially appear.

Is it true that many Slytherins can talk to snakes? What cabin are you assigned to for the Summer Camp? What's your favorite spell?

"Are you hungry?" he opted for that. He hadn't eaten before traveling to King's Cross Station. As far as he could tell, the only food and drink being served were the snacks on the push-carts, and those were sinfully filled with cholesterol.

@Scarlet Salvatore

Scarlet's presumptions about the boy's nervous disposition was confirmed when he briefly glanced away as she approached the door. She was relieved when he confirmed he was happy for her to join him in the compartment, "thanks," she replied, returning a grateful smile towards him.

She pushed open the small gap in the door, closing it again after she had entered. Being pretty shy herself, Scarlet remembered exactly how she felt first year, leaving her parents for the first time and being suddenly exposed to an environment where it felt as though most people had already formed tight knit friendships - which they had considering the ratio of first years. If he was anything like her last year, he would be dying to know all about life at the castle - she hoped he was, it would make the journey much more interesting.

"I'm Scarlet, I'll be going into my second year in September," she said as she lifted her dufflebag onto the end of the seat opposite the him, "What's your name?" she asked, and listened to his reply.

Sitting down slightly diagonal from him on the opposite seat, she noticed as he caught sight of the Slytherin emblem on her bag, his expression changing slightly. "It surprised my when I was sorted into Slytherin, the sorting hat that is," she was well aware of the presumptions even she herself had made about Slytherins, "but I quite like the look of the green robes so didn't mind all too much," she joked.

"Anyway, got any ideas or preferences about which house you would want to be sorted into?" she asked, "I mean you're going into your first year right? I just assumed, first year nerves, I felt the same." The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel uncomfortable by pointing out his nerves, but she wasn't going to lie to him either.

Pausing to consider this, she realised she had probably just bombarded him with a lot of questions and things to consider in quite a short space of time, 'what if he's muggle-born and has no idea what I'm talking about?' Well she would find out soon enough.

Interacting with @Isaac Lee Shu Hui

When the door soundly shut behind Scarlet, the window for others to join in their private discussion had closed. It would just be the two of them for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts. For the moment, he was okay with that arrangement. He disliked big groups, anyway, and his cohabitant was friendly enough to strike up a conversation with him. It didn't help, however, that she was a girl. Girls made him nervous.

"Mmm... Maybe Gryffindor," he replied. He had always wanted people to believe that he was brave. Maybe he needed some convincing of it himself. That besides, it bewildered him as to why she elaborated on her sorting into Slytherin, when it occurred to him that his feelings had probably manifested on his expression. One might've seen his eyes suddenly widen, not that he was too surprised that she had caught the indiscernible gesture, but he was a bit embarrassed by this point at his behavior.

"Yeah, the robes do look nice," he added quickly to save himself. "Besides... About a quarter of the school is sorted into Slytherin. It wouldn't make sense if a quarter of the school was evil. Not to say that you're evil- That's not what I mean."

He cringed at his own words as he only made things worse. Without skipping a beat, he clarified his intentions. "What I'm trying to say is that you don't seem like the kind of Slytherins I read about in the Second Wizarding War. I guess that applies to the rest of the Slytherin cohort as well."

Well, that wasn't really what he meant either, but it was close. Goddamnit, why couldn’t he have just told her that she seemed like a nice person?

@Scarlet Salvatore

'Another Gryffindor,' Scarlet thought to herself, most of the people she had met during her first year had belonged to that house, he didn't sound exactly certain in his answer, but she knew it was often the case that you have attributes that make you suitable for different houses. She wondered if there was a line of Gryffindor's in his family, and that what was why he felt it would be the house for him, she could imagine there being an added feeling of belonging if one were to be sorted into the same house as close family, especially for a first year.

Scarlet smiled at Isaac's compliment, even though it was something about so general as the robes, she still took it personally. "Besides," he continued, "...it wouldn't make sense if a quarter of the school was evil." She was relieved to hear him make the point, and hoped the thought wasn't a very common one had by the other houses, though she couldn't argue with the history connected with the house. For a second, her mind thought of her grandparents, well 'however many greats-something-Salvatore,' from what she knew of them, which was little to nothing, they weren't Slytherin's that 'gave into the dark arts' as people said, though she guessed the bad outweighed the good.

When she re-focussed her attention to the conversion at hand, she realised Isaac was now quickly trying to reassure her on the implications of his previous statement, "honestly it's fine -" she began, but without pausing for breath, Isaac continued with his explanation. "What I'm trying to say is that you don't seem like the kind of Slytherins I read about in the Second Wizarding War. I guess that applies to the rest of the Slytherin cohort as well." To be honest she couldn't find fault in his apprehension, she knew the history of Slytherin's in the war, and had heard the house's students in the castle were less than supportive during the battle.

"Well, I can't speak for all the members of Slytherin, but I'd say you don't have to worry about me turning to dark magic," she said lightly trying to reassure him, "even if Defence Against the Dark Arts is my favourite subject!" she added jokingly. Realising after she had spoken, that her comment may still allow for some reserved doubts, she quickly added, "of course that's just out of curiosity for that kind of stuff, not obsession or anything," she said, trying to maintain a straighter face this time.

"So..." she started, wanting to shift the conversation away from evil Slytherin's and learn more about Isaac, "I'm guessing you have a wizarding background, I mean I wouldn't expect muggle-borns to know much about the wizarding war," she wondered if there was a chance he could be muggle-born, she had been wanting to find someone she could ask about muggle schools for ages! "How much do you know about Hogwarts already? Anything you're looking forward to in particular?" she asked, wanting to know more about the boy opposite her.

Interacting with @Isaac Lee Shu Hui

He was glad that she was so eager to change the subject. Somehow, they’d wound themselves into a topic surrounded by controversy, a discussion that began decades ago and carried on to this day, stemming many of society’s transgressions. Small talk was a feisty thing. His face was red and hot from the awkwardness, and he was just as keen to move on from it as she was.

To her questions, he nodded vigorously while he listened, the pink tint of embarrassment gradually draining from his cheeks. So far, she seemed like an alright person. He hoped that he hadn’t yet managed to make a total mess of himself.

“Kind of…” he answered meekly. “I really only had a wizard’s upbringing in paper. I still went to Muggle School and probably would’ve continued if not for the letter.”

“… I know a bit about Hogwarts, though. I know about the role it played in the Second Wizarding War, and that it’s the best wizard school in Britain.”

To her last question, he smiled in a silly, child-like way; amusement at the simplicity of his wants, he supposed.

“I want to learn magic,” he proclaimed, hesitating briefly as he considered his request. Evident was the return of redness to his face as he added. “… Could you show me some?”

@Scarlet Salvatore

Scarlet was happy that the two were now relaxing in each other's company. She was elated to hear he had attended a muggle school, 'what did they learn about if not magic? did the teachers make all the food for students if they don't have house elves?' All these questions and many more began to flood into her mind, but those were for later, for now she continued to listen to Isaac.

"...and probably would’ve continued if not for the letter.” She guessed he might have first shown signs of magic at an older age, and then wondered if her own mother would have continued to home-school her if she herself had ended up a squib. Not that her parents held any prejudice against those born without magic or any other wizarding background, but she guessed it made sense to grow up in a muggle environment if you were likely to enter a muggle job after.

On the question of what he was most looking forward to, a distinct smile appeared on his face as he replied, “I want to learn magic.” Scarlet smiled back, knowing completely how he felt, since she was old enough to understand the magical spells that her parents used, she had wanted to be able to learn them for herself.

“… Could you show me some?” he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah! Of course." she replied enthusiastically, pulling out her wand from within her pocket. "Now..." she began as she thought through her inventory of spells. She thought the green sparks charm would be cool to do, but didn't know the practicality of casting a spell that was meant to be seen for miles in this small space. Then she thought of a good one she had been shown in an Astronomy class, "Nix Facitur" she said, waving her wand at the ceiling of the compartment. Almost immediately, snow began falling lightly from an invisible source, a thin layer settling on her and Isaac as well as their bags. "It's the snowflake-creating spell," she explained, "probably pretty unusual for this time of year, but I guess it could be useful for the heat," she added, smiling over at Isaac. "I'd expect you'll be seeing a lot more magic at the camp too, I wasn't able to go last year, so I'm interested to see what kind of things the professor's will have set up."

Interacting with @Isaac Lee Shu Hui

@Scarlet Salvatore

When her wand was drawn, Isaac grew quiet. He clasped his hands together and held his breath as though this were a sacred moment. His eyes followed the motion of her wand intently, held in trance like a cat might by a beam of light.

“Nix Facitur.”

Bursting from within the wood, small puffs of white powder cascaded downward onto them. Isaac tilted his head in time for a shower of snow to hit him straight on, bathing him in a soft layer of cold. It smelled of water, which was to mean it smelled like nothing. He remained like this for a while before touching his face in disbelief, expecting the snowflakes to vanish like an illusion. Instead, his fingers crunched and broke their brittle crystal mesh, and he felt their firmness against his cheeks. Her words bounced off of him initially and it took him a moment to realise that she was addressing him.

“Oh- Wow, yeah thanks!” he replied spontaneously, each little movement causing the snow to tumble down his shirt. “That was sick.”

Can you do it again? The words almost slipped off his tongue involuntarily. Almost, he held them back with a sliver of willpower within him. Then, something outside the window caught his eye.

At first, it seemed like a dark silhouette against the orange backdrop of the setting sun. Then, the features of sharp, conical rooftops and smooth, cylindrical towers became visible. As the train neared its destination, rounding a wide curve the sun was momentarily blocked by the massive stone structure up ahead, and with its disappearance, the dark silhouette gave way to colour. Rich, green vines, decades old snaked down from what appeared to be a large aviary, creeping along the frames of rooms lit brightly by candlelight. The towers became wider around their bases, now sporting large, circular windows, stone archways, balconies, railings… Though the sun was obscured, the same could not be said about its shimmering reflection in the Great Lake beside, and in a large open field, nine cabins had been set up, each armed with a unique combination of beaks, hooves and horns.

“Is that it?” he asked rather redundantly while staring at the magnificent Hogwarts castle, a destination that had been a dream all his life. His eyes fluttered to the horizon, expecting some creature of fantasy to mount the curve of the world before diving back into the orange sunset crush.

Scarlet watched in amusement as Isaac inspected the snow drifting down in the compartment, she was secretly relieved that she had been able to cast it problem free, she had only used the spell on one or two other occasions since learning it and remembered that a miscast could cause dangerous blizzards.

“That was sick,” he said, all the while getting gradually more covered in a thin layer of the small snowflakes. The feeling of excitement over the spell felt almost contagious, casting it in front of such a eager spectator just made her want to show him another spell after.

With another wave of her wand, the snow fall stopped, and within a few minutes the settled snow was all but gone. Deciding that the slightly dampened seats and floor were enough of a mess in the compartment, Scarlet returned her wand to her pocket.

On turning back towards Isaac she noticed something had caught his eye beyond the window of the train. Following his gaze she saw the familiar castle coming into view from behind the landscape in it's foreground. The sun was beginning to set behind the castle, casting a warm glow on the usually cold looking lake, and she noticed the new addition of several log cabins set up within the grounds, near the water.

“Is that it?” he asked, both of them keeping their eyes fixed on the castle.

"It looks a lot bigger close up," she replied, thinking that it all looked rather squished together from this distance, though remembering distinctly the long walk from her common room to the Herbology greenhouses for class and back. Even though she knew she wouldn't be walking the corridors just yet, seeing the castle made her feel ready to start another school year and see her friends again.

Time had flown whilst she had been talking to Isaac, but she wanted try and meet up with a couple of familiar faces from last year to say hello, if she could, before arriving at the station. "Hey, I'm gonna head out and see if I can find a couple of people before we arrive at the castle," she said, she considered returning to get her bag later, but given how close they were to arriving she thought she might as well bring it with her. She grabbed her bag from the seat, it not feeling so heavy after so long without carrying it, "it's been really great getting to know you, you're definitely gonna enjoy Hogwarts. Hopefully I'll see you around camp, if not, definitely in September, it would be great if we could meet up some time." Giving him a quick wave, she found the handle to the compartment door and began to make her way down the carriage, already a couple of other students had began to wander out of their compartments, 'it's good to be back' she thought.

Interacting with @Isaac Lee Shu Hui

Scarlet leaves the thread