//Forward-Dated: September 1, 2021

The day had finally come. Aric was off to Hogwarts via the Hogwarts Express. All of this was surreal for Aric, as his parents had only, within the past two months, opened up about their magical backgrounds and began showing him various spells and abilities that they had learned throughout their time at Hogwarts. He still didn't fully understand why they had hidden their abilities from him all those years. Were they trying to protect him? Were they embarrassed? He wasn't sure, and quite frankly, he didn't care. The reality was that he would shortly be on his way to learn some of those same, awe-inspiring things that he has witnessed over the prior months.

They had shown him the Hogwarts letter on his eleventh birthday and he was in a state of shock for days after. What was a cauldron? He had to wear a cloak? Wands are real? All of these thoughts and more raced through his head in the following weeks before his parents finally told him they were to visit Diagon Alley.

Diagon Alley was famous in the Wizarding World as he had learned from his father when he asked how they would find all of the school supplies that were required for his first year. When they has finally arrived to Diagon Alley, Aric's jaw dropped in bewilderment. How was all of this hidden in the middle of London? They spent the day perusing the various shops and restaurants, bought several books - Aric loved books - and ended with a trip to Ollivander's to get his most prized possession - his chestnut wand with phoenix feather.



Aric gripped the wand in his pocket as his parents led him onto the platform. Hundreds of people were already there; giving hugs, exchanging pleasantries, and acting with genuine excitement. Aric's father tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to one of the railcar doors. "This is where we say goodbye, buddy," Wade said with a grin. Aric's mother squatted down and embraced him in one of the strongest hugs he had ever experience, "I love you Aric! Don't forget to write!" Aric shimmied out of the hug and looked up at his father again, "I'm nervous. I've never been away from home like this - away from you guys." Jill's eye lightened, "Don't worry, honey, Hogwarts will be your second home. Your father and I loved it there, I promise you will be fine."

With that, a long horn sounded from the train and people began nudging their children towards the many doors. Aric anxiously walked forward, this world was still new to him; everything seemed so strange. He quickly got swept into a crowd of similarly-aged students and suddenly found himself on the train. He made his way down the hall and found a vacant compartment. He plopped down on one of the plush red benches and gazed out the window. Hundreds of parents - some cheering, some crying - were right outside the window. He couldn't see his parents, they must have been lost in the crowd. It would probably be several months until he saw them again, and he was determined to impress them when he finally did. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and lost himself in thought as the train lurched forward.

When Aric finally opened his eyes, the cityscape had given way to rolling hills and emerald forests, he was positive they were heading north. He shifted in his seat, placing his right leg underneath his left. "Here we go, a new story begins..." he whispered to himself.

"Do you have all your books?"

"Yes, Mama..."

"What about your glasses?"

"Right here, Mama..."

"And... and your wand?"

"Mama..." Artemis sighed with impatience as his mother reached out, fussing over his hair and adjusting his tie to sit neater around his neck. As she tugged on his collar to try and out to smooth out that one wrinkle in that just wouldn't lie flat, he glanced over at the sea of students already filing into the train. A swell of giddiness and excitement rose within him as Artemis took in the shiny red paint and grand size of the Hogwarts Express. It was all real. Magic, wizards, rabbits in hats, broomsticks not meant for chores- all of it was really, really real. He absolutely just had to get on that train. "Mama... Mama, at this rate we'll be here until nighttime! Can't you let me go already?"

Artemis' mom froze in the middle of running her hand through his hair. Giving up on her futile attempt to get his bangs out of his face, she stepped back and took in the sight of her son with a wistful smile. "...Alright, I suppose that I can't hold onto you forever. One last thing though!" Artemis fidgeted in embarrassment as his mom grabbed his face and kissed him on both sides of his cheeks.

"Ma...!" He protested, managing to squirm out of her grasp. "I'm not a baby anymore!" Artemis let out a small huff, making a face as he gathered up his bags. "I'm going now!"

"Don't forget to stay out of trouble! Remember to make lots of friends! Write often!" His mom called out over the noise of the crowd, much to Artemis' chagrin as he quickened his footsteps and hurried on to board the train. "I love you!"

"I know, I know!" he muttered to himself, shaking his head and squeezing past students to enter the enclosed space of the train carriage. Making his way along the hallway, Artemis' head turned this way and that to examine his surroundings when a sudden flash of bright red caught his eye. Reaching into the pocket of his robe, his fingers met cool, smooth glass, and he pulled out... actually, what was this thing called again? Remind-Ball? Remember-All? Whatever it was, the ball was now filling up with wispy crimson smoke. Apparently, this thing was supposed to let you know when you had forgotten something important. But what good is it if it can't tell you what you had forgotten to remember? Artemis frowned and racked his mind, going over his mental list of supplies. He hadn't missed anything, right? His mom had made him triple-check all his stuff for school before they had even reached the station, so Artemis was certain that he had everything he needed with him. Then what...?

A thought struck him, and he stopped abruptly in the middle of walking. "...Oh, right!" Artemis hastily turned around, fighting against the flow of movement down the hallway and garnering more than a few angry grumbles from fellow students as he struggled to make his way to the exit. As soon as he reached the door, Artemis dashed outside as fast as he could, quickly finding his teary mother within the crowd of parents. "I almost forgot!" He crashed into her, wrapping his arms around her waist in a brief but tight hug before separating. Then, off in a rush once again, Artemis ran back to the train where the conductor was ushering in the last of the students. He glanced over his shoulder one last time, giving his mom a confident grin and waving goodbye. "Bye Mom, love you too!"

By the time Artemis climbed back inside, the Hogwarts Express was thoroughly jam-packed with students, and the foot traffic was absolutely miserable as kids took their time in deciding where to sit with friends. Suddenly, the train pulled forward, throwing him off balance and nearly causing him to stumble into the person in front of him from the inertia. "Whoa!" Artemis grabbed onto the side of the wall to steady himself, feeling the familiar rumble of the tracks beneath as the railed vehicle began to pick up speed. Letting out a small laugh, he turned his attention to the line in front of him. Thankfully, it was thinning out quickly as more and more students found places to sit, and before long, Artemis was free to walk up and down the hallway with ease. It took a little while of searching to find a compartment that wasn't completely full or claimed by older students; so when he finally opened a door near the end of the carriage to find that there was only one kid inside, Artemis couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped his lips.

"Finally! I thought I was going to be stuck in that hallway forever!" In reality, he'd only been wandering around for about five minutes or so, but it had been so mind-numbingly boring, standing in line and waiting for people to move. As far as Artemis was concerned, he had been stuck in limbo. This, however, was a nice change in scenery. Literally. "Wow, it's so pretty out there!" he exclaimed, eagerly rushing inside the compartment and clambering onto a seat to get a better look out the window. "Had we really been moving that fast?" The misty morning fog had just begun to lift, still blanketing the world in a thin, dream-like veil without obscuring the beauty of the lush landscape. Artemis drank in the sight as it all flew past, eyes wide and mouth open in an expression of childish wonder... before he suddenly remembered that he wasn't here alone. Oops.

"Ah, sorry. I should probably introduce myself," he said with a sheepish smile, climbing off the seat to sit down properly. Turning his head to glance over at the kid next to him, Artemis was pleasantly surprised to note that the boy seemed to be the same age as him. "I'm Artemis Zhang, it's nice to meet you!" He introduced himself cheerfully and swung his feet back and forth as he looked around the compartment. "This place is pretty cool, huh? It's nothing like the metro back home! ...You're a first year, right? Is this your first time here too?"

Maggie had lived her whole life in a sense of normalcy, floating from here to there unthinking. Her whole life was spent in the muggle world post-2018, since her mother's divorce. She was uncertain as to why her mother hadn't told her of the whimsical world she'd been discovering for only three years now, only one in length and introspection, but beggars couldn't be choosers and how could she realistically complain now that she was in, experiencing it all in full?

Something in her, though, just made it seem so fantastical, like those storybooks she'd borrowed from the library back home, the ones she'd lay beneath covers with a flashlight to read in the dead of night.

The trip through the platform, though, had really solidified in her mind that she was really a witch. Really was going to a magic school of magic with magic people and magic teachers and magic classes. Wow. Magic!

Standing on the platform with her stepfather, Ryan, and mother, Jamie, Maggie was casting longing glances at the train where it puffed and puffed, students and parents milling about the platform. All she wanted to do was get herself a good seat on the train before it set off, but that was evidently impossible with her mother hovering over her, adjusting her hair and yammering on about taking care of herself. "Now, Magpie, you remember what I've told you about being careful about the staircases? Yes?" Jamie asked, picking a loose hair off of the shoulder of Maggie's robes.

Maggie groaned and stamped her foot slightly, tugging herself away from her mother. "Mum, I'm good! I remember. I'll watch my step, I will," she promised, holding up her pinkie to indicate a promise. "And I'm going to look out for poltergeists, and I'll make sure to pay attention to potions class."

Just the pacifying words seemed to calm Jamie just slightly, and she finally released her rigid body posture with a sigh. "Okay. Okay," she looked at the express nervously. "You'd best get going, then, yes? So you don't miss out on all the good seats."

"I'm going, I'm going!" Maggie agreed, vibrating with excitement as she turned with her trunk towards the train. Then, almost as an afterthought, she turned right back to her mother and embraced her tightly. "Okay. For real now, going, gonna go be a wizard. Witch. Whatever."

And with that, waving to Ryan and her mother all the way, Maggie jumped onto the train in search of a good place to sit.

There weren't many at all. Most of the compartments were either full up or intimidating, filled with older kids who looked like they'd stare at her funny and ask awkward questions about her first year.

The train jolted and Maggie went with it, stumbling over her trunk and gripping onto a compartment door. Shoot. Looked like she really did need to find somewhere to sit, then, because this wasn't quite manageable after all. She glanced up when she noticed Artemis slip into one of the such compartments, though, and, at the realization that he looked to be her age, she followed.

Normally, had it been anyone else, Maggie would be very apologetic and timid, but she wasn't anyone else. So, in true Maggie fashion, she sat herself down on one of the seats and observed the two boys who occupied the same space. "Sorry. No open compartments, this was the only one I could find," she rested her palms on their respective thighs, "Maggie Hawkins. Pleased to meet you both!"

Interacting with: @Artemis Zhang | @Aric Sherwood

It hadn't been long, maybe five or ten minutes, but Aric was still lost in his own thoughts. He often experienced these trance-like states; thoughts swirling in his head for no clear reason. Was he going to be successful at this new school? He always made good marks in muggle school, but this would be different.

He thought back to the night before, when he had opened "Hogwarts, A History" and read about the four founders of the school, and how there were now four "Houses" at the castle. He wondered which one he would be sorted into. He didn't really care, as he was never one for keeping up appearances, but he had his mind on one or two. He had read that great witches and wizards had come from all four houses, so he knew they would all have something to offer. Did color matter that much? He had always fancied blue. It reminded him of his best friend Brooke and when they used to lay under the sky and look up at the clouds, pondering where life would take them. Green was a nice color as well - the color of the tall grass him and Brooke would run through after they were done playing by the river back home in Carlisle.

He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t seen the similarly aged boy rush into the compartment, climb on the seat, and gaze out the window. Aric was not a social butterfly; he enjoyed his short alone time in the compartment. A feeling of resentment came over him but was quickly overtaken by empathy. He couldn’t expect to have a compartment all to himself, and he needed to find a way to get past his social insecurities. He listened as the boy introduced himself, “Artemis Zhang.” Artemis seemed outgoing, the two of them had only just become acquainted and he was already leading conversation.

Aric had just mustered up the courage to respond when a second person – a girl – entered the compartment. He was now overwhelmed. “Maggie Hawkins,” the girl introduced herself as she sat down. Aric was in over his head. Two complete strangers had entered, and he was still awaking from his daydream. He shifted in his seat, swapping his legs to now sit on the left and clenching at his long robe sleeves. “It’s now or never,” he thought to himself. “Hey there…” he could feel his face flushing and sweat beginning to form on his brow, “My name is Aric Sherwood.” He had to say something else, what had Artemis said after he had introduced himself? “Yea, I’m a first year,” his nervousness was still through the roof, “this is definitely different than I’m used to.” He wasn’t sure if he meant the magical train or the fact that he was introducing himself to two complete strangers.