Evelynne Bailey felt her heart pound hard, throwing itself against her ribs as she adjusted her glasses. As she did, a boy pushed past her, tripping her up. Her ankle screamed in pain as she tried to keep herself upright, but her head collided with the ground, a painful headache brought on as she tried to re-orient herself. Her glasses fell off, under a vending machine, and the world almost vanished. Lynne was pretty much blind without her glasses, and as she tried to stand, a warm hand helped her up and gently fixed her glasses onto her face. "Are you okay?" He asked. Lynne was speechless. The boy in front of her was worried, but kind. He was a little bit taller, with a kind smile, black jacket, and an amused expression, as he watched her. As she struggled to form words, the boy smiled, hands in his pockets, one gripping the hem of his jacket. "Come on, we'll find a compartment before they're all taken." She rushed after him, through the crowds and pulling her things onto the train. Hogwarts. She was finally going, finally starting the newest chapter in the story of her life. And if this boy would be with her, maybe as her friend, she'd consider herself very lucky.

@Reuben Reilly

Colours used- SpeechThoughts

Reuben stepped into the compartment and set down his trunk on the seat. It was far too heavy for him to lift it all the way up. He glanced at it for a moment: I'm not even gonna bother with this...― he thought At least I can get stuff out whenever I want. He was excited for the journey ahead, and to finally arrive at Hogwarts as he always imagined growing up. He couldn't believe it was finally happening.

Reuben looked over to the mysterious girl he met a few minutes earlier― "Is your ankle alright? I saw that guy push you over". He was concerned, albeit he didn't reveal it from beneath his endearing smile. His accent was strong, or so it seemed to most outside Northern Ireland. Reuben gazed at the mysterious girl, admiring her silver-blonde hair and wondering what was on her mind; she seemed so unique compared to anyone else he had ever seen before. Even though his accent made him stand out from the crowd, Reuben felt some sort of connection between them - one which could potentially develop into a great friendship... As he settled into his seat with his trunk, Reuben had a feeling of excitement building inside; he was exhilarated to have met someone so soon.


@Evelynne Bailey
Colours used: Speech Thoughts

Evelynne glanced at the boy. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. Th-Thanks for helping me." Her stutter was even more evident, and she let her hair fall over her face, embarrassed at the attention. "So... I'm Lynne." Her ankle throbbed and her head pounded, bus otherwise, she was okay. To be honest, Evelynne was surprised he cared. She'd never really had many friends growing up, besides her Dalmatian, Almond, named for the spots on his side that looked like the nut he was named for. She smiled slightly at the memory of dressing him up in her handmade dragon costume and running around the yard with the foam sword her father made, playing Dragons and Warriors.
She was nervous, but excited. The boy was definitely feeling the same- His eyes were sparkling. He sat down, and Lynne pulled out a book from her backpack at her feet, flipping through the pages to where she was up to. they were both quiet, and Evelynne's mind raced, bringing back her headache. At least I have someone I know... She thought, trying to think positively like her parents had told her.
"Do- Do you like dogs?" She blurted, then ducked her head, wishing she hadn't spoken.
Ugh, stupid, you sound so desperate, She cursed herself, but the boy only grinned at her, searching through his trunk.
@Reuben Reilly

Reuben glanced up at Lynne and considered her question for a moment; he's never had a dog before, nor had he encountered many growing up. "They seem alright" - he replied slightly hesitantly. "I haven't met many before. My mum has a niffler though." Pets haven't been an integral part of Reuben's upbringing, although he often thought about adopting a spider to keep him company during his time at Hogwarts.

His attention shifted back to his trunk. "I'm Reuben by the way" - he added. He was looking for one of his mum's books he had brought with him. He knew the journey to Hogwarts would be a long one. Reuben's trunk was a chaotic mess of neatly organised sections - an unruliness he had created. He had all the essentials for his journey to Hogwarts, but none of it was arranged in any particular way; to his credit, they were packed away neatly even if it was disorderly.

He shifted some items around, careful not to cause any more chaos or disorder within his organised disarray. There it is! Finally, he found it. Grinning with delight, he pulled out a worn book about Transfiguration. He adored the concepts of Transfiguration. It was his foremost passion and he wanted to know everything there is to know about it; which is rather unusual for a boy as lively and playful as he is.

@Evelynne Bailey
Colours used: Speech Thoughts

Lynne's eyes widened at the mention of the magical creature. "A- A what? Reuben, with his dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin, reminded her of a character from a novel she loved. Rhysand, his name was. Tra-Transfiguration? She wondered, reading the title. Even with her glasses, the sway of the train and her inability to focus on one thing for too long made it harder to read. "Wha- What's that about?" Lynne asked, her glasses still cracked from her fall, and she was shivering and squirmy with nerves and impatience. Lynne blinked, shuddering slightly. Like when a bird rustled its feathers, it happened occasionally. She'd always been weird like that, her parents saying she could be part-animal. She stared out the window, deciding to not say anything and wait until Hogwarts, her silvery hair catching the light, sitting on her shoulders. Huh. A new friend opportunity. Maybe I should be careful, tone down the... No. How am I supposed to make a friend? What if he finds out how weird I am and doesn't want to know me anymore? Nervous and scared, Reuben was suddenly her priority to keep, in a way. Maybe finally she'd have someone by her side for once.

@Reuben Reilly

Interacting with: @Evelynne Bailey
Colours used: Dialogue Thoughts

The carriage rumbled around Reuben with an almost melodic rhythm. He looked up at Lynne with a puzzled smile. "A Niffler...? It's kinda like a wee₁ platypus but steals shiny stuff." - he attempted to explain. Reuben wasn't used to explaining... magic? He's always been used to people around him knowing about it. Well, besides his father, but even then he just nodded like he knew what Reuben was enthusing about.

His face lit up as she asked him about Transfiguration. "Transfig! - he beamed. "Basically turning stuff into others and so on, it's sort of like physics people learn in muggle schools, I think? Just, you know, with magic."

Reuben noticed the girl's discomfort as she seemingly shuddered. Huh - he thought as his expression slightly dampened. Nevertheless, he didn't want to pry and put her on the spot. He hated the idea of people thinking he was judging them and so he often decided to deflect the topic and leave questions for another time; much like right now. "So I'm guessing you're muggle-born?" he inquired curiously. He's never met a muggle-born witch or wizard before. He's met muggles of course, like his father, but he was curious about what it was like to grow up with magic in a magicless household.

Slang
1. Wee > Small (Often used to describe anything even things that aren't really small)

Lynne decided she liked Nifflers, even though she'd never seen one. And Transfiguration... Like physics, huh? What if i could change my candle into something else? For her last birthday, her grandmother had gotten her a homemade scented candle. It was supposed to smell like the ocean or something, but it just made Lynne gag at the scent of burned rubber. "What's a Muggle-born?" She asked Reuben, thinking of Almond back home. Did her miss her? Were her parents still in the bakery, or where they walking to their favorite restaurant for lunch? She thought of her home, the posters and drawings she'd taken down and stashed in a folder in her trunk, and the stuffed bear, Cookie, she'd had for years. He'd been her only friend, besides Almond, and slept with her every night. Sure, she was eleven now, but she was also travelling very far away for a long time, and who didn't need a little support in a time like that? I hope Reuben doesn't find out about Cookie... She worried, eyes drifting to the compartment he was safely tucked into, beside her books. She blushed when she thought of how stupid it seemed. An eleven-year-old girl, still sleeping with a stuffed bear. He'd laugh at her, make fun of her, just like everyone else did. Tears threatened to fall.

@Reuben Reilly

Interacting with: @Evelynne Bailey
Colours used: Dialogue Thoughts

Lynne was full of surprises, Reuben thought. How does a witch not know what a muggle-born is? he wondered out of curiosity. He thought anyone would know about it no matter their background. Clearly, he was mistaken. He often failed to consider not all young wizards and witches heard much about magic before getting their letter of acceptance. He was accustomed to his mother's nurturing and lectures on magic despite the other half of his family being muggles. One would think he would've caught on by now considering his sharp mind.

"Well erm, it's someone who was born to... muggle parents?" - he was slightly caught off guard by Lynne's question. He didn't consider a clearer answer- if his response could even be considered one.

Reuben attempted to think of a better one just as he noticed Lynne's misty eyes. His smile faltered, fading into a look of concern. "Are you alright?" He wasn't sure what happened. A mild internal panic swept across his body, though he was good at masking it. At least until she confirmed his suspicions: Did I say something wrong? - he wondered, unsure of what to do. He looked at Evelynne with a worried gaze, waiting for a response.

Lynne shook her head, barely hearing his question. No. Not okay. A million times not okay. The worry in his voice confused her. "I just- I'm okay now," she breathed after a minute. [color=25c0cb]"Just these things I get sometimes. Like a dizzy spell. But... not an actual spell."[/color] She laughed nervously. She needed Cookie. Heart pounding at what Reuben might think, she pulled the bear from her trunk and inhaled his scent, the same as his name. Fresh-baked from the bakery, it was like she was back there. When she was little, she'd always take him into the kitchen and watch her parents bake, occasionally getting to lick the spoon clean of mix like most children did. Or at least, she assumed most children were like her in that respect. They sat in silence for a while, Lynne eventually calming down enough to think properly. Okay, he hasn't said anything yet... Maybe he has a teddy too? It seemed unlikely, but, now the thought had crossed her mind, she was desperate to ask him, barely able to keep the question from spilling out of her. Curse her and her stupid hyper-activeness. Actually... maybe not, if they were headed to a place where people could literally be cursed all the time.

@Reuben Reilly