Trying to keep his feet beneath him, Judas struggled to keep up with his mother as she pulled him through the crowded train station. The iron grip she had on his wrist caused him to wince, but he remained silent for fear of causing her any distress. He could already see how panicked she was. They'd arrived nearly 2 hours early, but still had no luck finding the platform. With a huff, she pulled him down to a bench and kneeled down in front of him. She looked as if tears would pour from her eyes at any moment. Reaching up to place a hand over where hers was still holding tightly, he gave her a small smile. "Mom. It's going to be fine. I'll be okay."

"Oh honey!" She said pulling him into a tight hug.

"Are you sure?"

Of course. He lied.

"Well, if you're sure." She said with a slight sniffle. "I am running rather late. Promise me you'll write?"

"Of course." He replied. With one last hug, she left him to wait at the bench in front of platforms 9 and 10. Watching her leave, he let out a long shaky sigh. Truth be told he was a hair's breath away from spontaneously combusting from the speed at which his heart was beating. He'd never been more terrified of anything in his life, but he didn't have much of a choice in this matter. Going to this school was the best option given the circumstances and even more than that, it was a great opportunity. Or so his mother had repeatedly said. Holding his arms around himself, he watched as the people passed, hoping he would find someone who knew where to go.

It took about an hour before he noticed a suspicious group walk by, then head straight for a wall. He was concerned for their wellbeing for only a moment, then let another shaky breath out as he saw them disappear. Ignoring his fear momentarily, he followed after them.

Once aboard, he found the first empty compartment he could, and promptly closed the door. It was several minutes before he managed to calm himself. Once he'd managed it, he pulled his legs up to his chest and looked out the window with his chin resting on his knee. He'd only just begun to let his eyes close for a short nap, when the sound of the door startled him.

He jumped slightly squeezing his knees tighter to his chest. He only managed a short glance, with his mis-matched eyes at the taller boy, who was smiling nervously as well."Oh. I mean, yeah. Sure." He rampled for a moment before he realized he hadn't even put his bags up yet.
Hopping up quickly, he began to move his things out of the way. "So Sorry, I'll just,-"
He didn't have a chance to finish before a loud whistle interrupted him. When the train suddenly lurched forward to begin moving, he felt is balance suddenly give way. His arms flailed widely as he tried to catch himself letting a quiet curse slip out in the process.

As he toppled into the other boy, Judas could feel his pulse quicken. He blushed furiously as he righted himself and smoothed down his clothes. Not even 10 minutes into leaving and he was already mortified. Sneaking a look to the other boy's face he couldn't tell if the other was blushing, but he had a look of embarrassment as well. The rush of words had honestly made him feel at ease.

"It’s okay, honest. I'm okay, you're okay. I think the luggage is okay." He bit his lip looking away as he realized he was rambling again. At the offer to help with his luggage, he hastily shook his head. "Oh no. It ain't that heavy. I can manage."

Once his belongings were secured, he sat awkwardly pulling his knees to his chest once more. He then realized his mistake and corrected his posture immediately putting his feet back down. Clutching a book to his chest, he couldn't help but smile at the other boy's joke. A shaky introduction indeed. Reaching for the hand that was offered, he nearly dropped his book, but recovered quickly. Shaking the boy's hand firmly as his father had tried to teach him, he introduced himself as well. When their eyes met, he quickly looked down allowing his hair to fall into his face. "Kaine... uhm. Judas Kaine. And yea- yes! It's my first year."

He tried to keep the southern twang from his voice, but realized quickly it was going to be impossible. His mother assured him, his accent would change eventually if he tried.

When the other boy was seated, he listened closely as the other explained how he was new to this magical stuff as well. Instant relief flooded through him. "Me too. I was worried I was gonna be the only one who didn't know anything yet. I've been readin' this book, it helps." He said showing off his copy of Hogwarts: A History. He smiled sweetly listening to Galahad explain his hobby. It was interesting to picture a boy crocheting. He'd have never been able to do such things living with his father and older brothers. He considered his own hobbies as he nodded. "I like animals, reading 'bout them I mean. Oh. And music. I've been playin' piano since I was 5."
He paused awkwardly, before posing a question of his own,"So, did you go to that wizard street too? With all the crazy shops?"

Peering up at the friendly boy, Judas couldn't help but let a small smile grace his lips as well. He was happy to be in a compartment with someone so friendly, who was also a first year from a non-wizarding family. The laughter upon hearing they could possibly be in the same class was infectious. Judas felt himself giggling in excitement as well and chanced a glance at Galahad's smiling face. He hoped with all his might that they would be in the same classes together. Or maybe even in the same house! Peering through his hair, he watched Galahad's eyes land on the book. He quickly averted his gaze and bit his lip nervously.

"It's a fascinating book, really. Did you know there are four separate houses? Named after each of the founders? I don't know which I'll be sorted into, but I hope they're friendly." He said with a slight blush chancing another look.

The boy's energy was all over the place and he couldn't help, but notice his trouble sitting still. He'd once had a similar problem, but after a firm scolding from his parents he had quickly learned not to fidget. It was somewhat endearing on Galahad though. It made him appear more human, more approachable. Still, Judas avoided eye contact as he noticed the boy's attention was on him completely. Once the boy had settled, asking him about his musical talents, Judas let his own body relax a bit. At the mention of watching him play, Judas hurriedly shook his head.

"Oh, I'm not that good." He said modestly. "It'd probably be borin'."

Hearing the other's view about Diagon Alley was fun. He'd felt much the same way, but he hadn't had as much time to look around the place as he would have liked. Even upon hearing how long it took the other to get his things, he felt somewhat envious of the time he'd had to look around. The only place he'd really stopped to explore was the Pet Store. Judas agreed with the boy on that matter. The owl's were stunning. He'd never been able to see one up close before. The birds of prey in the zoo were only ever brought out for shows and educational purposes.

"I liked them as well, I've read dozens of articles about their diets, territorial behaviors and even mating patterns." Realizing he may have been overly enthusiastic about the animals, he stopped himself from continuing. Blushing he cleared his throat awkwardly. "but I'm more interested in, well..." He paused briefly considering if the information would be considered weird, but decided to continue regardless. "I like arachnids. I've always thought they were fascinatin', but I think my mom would have a stroke if she'd heard I'd gotten one."

Judas couldn't help but laugh at the memory of his mother's face when he'd tried to explain how they were terribly misunderstood creatures. Maybe she would come around now that she knew a pet like that would be welcome at Hogwarts. That way she wouldn't have to deal with a spider while he was gone. He chanced a look upwards to the other boy as he offered the information. He hoped he didn't sound too strange. He'd been scolded all his life about how strange he was. How he wasn't like the other kids and needed to try more to fit in. At the thought, he quickly averted his gaze trying hide his eyes once more.

For the first time in what felt like years, Judas was surrendering to the feeling of contentment. The mood that filled the air was so light-hearted and jovial, he was could almost be in a completely different world. Well, in fact, he was. It was the Wizarding World. He'd often thought himself to be too unusual to have many friends(if any at all), but this Galahad was so kind. He sincerely hoped they could be considered friends. For now; however, he took solace in the idea of a nice train ride with pleasant company.

When the boy moved closer, craning his head to get a look at the book, Judas's pulse sped up once more. He wasn't used to being in such close proximity to anyone but his mother. It was simultaneously heartwarming and terrifying. The other boy seemed to be perfectly comfortable with the situation and Judas tried his best not to let his timid nature get the best of him. He'd always wanted a friend to be so familiar with. He wasn't even sure why he felt so nervous. Swallowing the lump in his throat that had formed he pulled on his collar nervously. "Not at all."

Opening the book to the page about the founders, he offered it for the other to see. Pointing to the moving portraits he indicated which ones were which. "I'm not really particular about which house, but I'd rather not be in Slytherin. It was rumored that he didn't like, muggles or muggle-borns. That's what they call non-magical people: Muggles." He then pointed to another moving portrait of Godric Gryffindor who stood majestically in front of a lion embroidered tapestry. "I kinda like the look of this one, but I don't think I'm brave enough for that house." He laughed shyly.

When the topic had turned to his musical ability, he ducked his head. The nudge to his shoulder caused him to look over abruptly. "Olive? I don't think they're shaped lik-" He asked confused for a moment before realizing his mistake. He hastily corrected himself adding, "Right. You have.. olive eyes. Olive colored I mean. You mean you. Of course you mean you." Realizing he was rambling, he took a deep breath. The boy was offering to be his first audience and he should be flattered, not panicking about his eyesight. Taking another breath he tried to relax his body language once more. He didn't want the other boy to think he wasn't enjoying his friendliness.

Even so, he could see the look of surprise cross Galahad's face as the conversation moved onto his interest in animals. Another brief flicker of anxiety hit him, but the boy was actually being really cool about the whole thing. Even going so far as to explain how he handled spiders at home. This set him at ease quickly and he found himself forgetting his panic and laughing at the thought of his having to be the one to put them in the garden.
"I'd name him Octavius. Like, Octo 'cause they got Eight legs." He smiled happily. "But I really like 'Wally' too. It's kind of an adorable name for somethin' most people are so scared of."

Pondering his love of animals, he considered the classes available to him. He knew of a class about magical creatures, but it wouldn't be until his 3rd year. It was kind of unfortunate. As he gave Galahad a once over, he wondered what subject the boy might be interested in. "So, what are you excited about learning? Do you know at all what kind of classes they might have?"

In all the time Judas had spent around other boys of his age, or even the rare instances his brothers tolerated his presence, he'd never enjoyed another's company quite so much. Every word that came out of the boy's mouth was spoken with such passion. Along with his energetic personality, Galahad's smile was incredibly infectious. Judas couldn't have stopped the grin spreading across his face if he tried. With every new topic about the wizarding world that Judas offered, the other boy seemed genuinely interested in his opinion. Even going so far as to reassure Judas about his fear of performing for others. He was beginning to see merit in the idea as well. He might actually consider playing for the other boy if he ever worked up the courage.

Upon hearing the other's reaction to his name suggestion, he looked up towards the grin spreading across the boy's face. The laughter he heard made him smile. Hearing the boy compliment his choice of name, he felt quite proud of himself all the sudden. The word's of encouragement made his chest flutter in a way he hadn't felt before. It was an odd feeling to have and not something he'd ever experienced. He wasn't used to being praised for his ideas. He liked the feeling.

Feeling brave enough to ask the other boy about his preferred subject, Judas was delighted to once more see the boy become quite impassioned. The way he spoke so animatedly caused Judas to forget his own self-consciousness and stare at the boy in wonder. He felt relaxed as he noticed how the other boy was so engaged his hopes that he was all but staring into space as he spoke. He wondered if maybe Galahad was actually envisioning the garden he spoke of.

After some time, the boy calmed down once more and Judas was sad to see him stop wavi g his hands about. It was so entertaining to watch. Blushing as the boy turned to him, he hoped he hadn't noticed his staring. He offered a reassuring smile quickly before ducking his head, "Nothin' to apologize for. You sound so passionate about plants. Just as much as I am about animals, if not more."

"It's funny actually, 'cause I love animals and you love plants. I guess we both like nature in our own ways." He added before taking a moment to to consider the boy's question. He chewed at his painted nails nervously as he considered what class he would enjoy the most. He couldn't tell, but he hoped he'd picked a normal color like black(nope, they're green). He hadn't bothered to look at the bottle. The momentary distraction had him thinking about bottles and he remembered how he had imagined making his own nail polish. "I suppose, Potions. I don't really know what other subjects I would like other than Care of Magical Creatures, but that isn't on any list of classes for first year that I can tell. So I guess I'll go with Potions. It sounds interesting enough."