1st September 2023

Jess rubbed her eyes with exhaustion. She’d stayed awake all night, and even after she had said goodbye to Felix when the sun came up, she still couldn’t bring herself to fall sleep.

Jess yawned as she took in her surroundings, willing herself to relish in the moment. This is it! Her whole life had led to this day, and in a few minutes she’d be on the train to Hogwarts.

Suddenly inspired with a burst of energy, Jess grabbed the trolley from her dad’s grasp, and sped down the grand platform of King's Cross Station. She stopped abruptly at a stone wall she knew to be the entrance for Platform 9 3/4. Even if her dad hadn't told her about it since she was a baby, there was no need to have seen it before - the suspiciously-dressed wizards in its vicinity were a pretty good giveaway.

Jess stood and gazed ahead at the red bricks, waiting for her dad to catch up with her. She had it all planned out; no need for an emotional parting - she'd had more than a lifetime's fill of that with Felix alone. No, this would be quick.

When she finally felt his warm presence by her side, she looked up at his face, stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek, and before he could do or say anything, she ran straight into the wall.


Jess felt herself seamlessly glide through the brick wall, and all of a sudden her senses were assaulted. The screeching of the Hogwarts Express, bright red and gleaming, pierced her ears, coupled with the confused shouts of families running to and fro down the platform. Around her legs, Jess was fairly sure she felt a few pets scamper here and there. The platform was a sea of trolleys and cages, a cacophony of loving goodbyes.

Oh yeah, goodbyes. Jess held her breath as she felt tears threatening to flood out. Already? I couldn't even have waited to get on the train? As usual, Jess' best attempts to hold in her tears were soon overwhelmed by intense emotion, and she heaved, sobbing loudly. She hoped no one could hear her, but she wasn't exactly hidden from sight, stood in the middle of the platform.

Why am I such a mess? The past month or so had been unique in its painful reminder of her loss. With every milestone that Jess experienced with her dad, she was forced to come to the terms with the fact that her mother would never see her buy her robes, get her wand, or even go to Hogwarts. At the mere thought, Jess' heart panged. Her mum, Abi, never went to Hogwarts. Living in New Zealand made that sort of thing impossible. Jess could still remember how her mum would squeeze her cheeks at night, telling her how much she looked forward to seeing her little girl go off to Hogwarts. And yet, here she was. Motherless.

You've got to pull yourself together. Jess wasn't trying to dismiss her feelings, but she really had no choice - she could hardly make a fool of herself so soon. What if people think you’re a crybaby? But the rational part of herself said, let them. They don't know what I've been through.

At that slightly more encouraging idea, Jess stood up straight and began to push her trolley towards the train. She'd have to find a carriage, and quick - the train would be leaving soon!

Jess moved around to the front of her trolley and started trying to heave her trunk onto the steps of the train, to no avail. She stopped, furious. Seriously, why didn't I let dad come with me? Jess usually prided herself on her strength, but today was not her day. She looked around frantically, frightened that, if she didn't hurry up, she would be stranded on the platform. A boy of around her age caught her eye, and she shouted to him over the clamour,
"Excuse me? Sorry, but I really need some help!"

Outfit:

Reducio

Aston was standing around the station talking to his father, the lack of normalcy in Aston's life meant that both him and his father woke up way too excited for the occasion. The two of them got to the station half an hour before the train even arrived and have since just stood there and talked, having no one to hang out but his own father was a common thing for Aston, especially since his mother left, "She ran off to Alaska for fun" said his father sarcastically every time he asked. Oh well, Aston thought, better not to think about that for now, this is my chance to start a normal life, to actually have friends, I cannot screw this up. Soon after that thought, he realised his father finally finished his rant about the first wizarding war, thus came the time to say good bye. As his father walked away, Aston couldn't help but get lost in his thoughts again. Okay I got this, just get on the train, find a carriage, hopefully make some conversation. It'll all work out. Suddenly the sound of a girl yelling at him pulled him out of his thoughts. "Uh me? yeah sure, is it trouble with that heavy looking Trunk of yours?"He yelled back, slightly awkwardly as he picked up his trunk and jogged over towards the girl by the train.

Jess was taken aback by the boy's thick American accent. What did he say? Jess had been too distracted by his strange pronunciation to actually hear the question, but considering the fact he was jogging towards her, it was safe to assume he'd understood her.

"Thanks for coming to help", said Jess, exasperated, with a weak smile. "I couldn't get my trunk onto the steps, and I was worried I wouldn't make it onto the train on time. D'you think you could lift it up for me?"

Jess hated saying it, even as the words left her mouth. She was usually the person that others asked to help with carrying things, so having to ask someone else felt like a betrayal of her strength. Her mother's strength.

Stop it - I'm exhausted! I can't be strong all the time. Jess wrestled with herself as she looked up at the boy in front of her. To be fair, he didn't really seem like someone who was going to bully her endlessly about this. The fact that he'd even come over to help her was reason enough to believe that. As she observed his appearance, she noticed in particular his dark brown eyes and short black hair, which made Jess think of a raven, inquisitive and individual. She could relate to that; Jess was so excited for Hogwarts, so desperate to experience everything it had to offer, but at the same time, she felt strangely alone, isolated from Felix and her dad. Maybe he felt the same way?

Bobbie hadn’t slept in the past twenty-four hours…and that wasn’t even a record. For those who asked she would say it was because she was so excited but honestly she was more scared than anything. So many questions raced around her head.

What if I don’t have all the supplies? What if I can’t find the right platform? What if I end up riding the whole way alone, looking miserable and friendless? What if it’s too much and I want to go back home?

The young girl sighed, picking at her fingernails. She was standing outside the train station with her family, her parents catching up with some friends. Her older brother Gavin looked bored, and she could only hope didn’t appear timid. Unfortunately Bobbie had a hard time hiding her feelings.

Even though they had arrived early, she knew how the joys of conversations could make one forget about time, and Bobbie definitely didn’t want to get situated right as the train took off.

She meant to tap on her father’s shoulder but her brother stopped her. “If you’re ready to go just come along, don’t bother them.”

Bobbie frowned. ”But I want them to see me off.” He gave her a look. She parted her lips, frustrated, but she stopped herself; her father did not like to be interrupted, especially when he felt like he was ‘networking’, and even though he tolerated it more from the girls he could still be intolerable when he was annoyed.

“Alright…come on, then!”

They mumbled their departure, which they hardly received feedback from, and whisked themselves and their belongings away. It was when they stepped through the doors and went a ways when her sibling’s aura lifted. “So, the most exciting part is truly running through the column.”

Bobbie raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t thought much about the barrier but it was coming up soon—they just passed Platform 6. ”…and we just race through, rig—“ She was cut herself off as she watched a set of twins push a cart in the distance straight towards a wall…and disappear. Of course the muggles around didn’t notice because of the enchantments, which made it a little funny.

Once they arrived at the midpoint, Bobbie prepared herself as she watched her brother launch his trolley through the wall and disappear altogether. She pursed her lips into a little grin and did the same after a deep breath. It was less about the fear of running into the wall and more anticipation for this new beginning.




A disgruntled Bobbie trudged her trolley through the crowd, spitting a feather out of her mouth. As soon as she went through she had tripped on something—something that felt strongly like a boot—and knocked her body into someone cage that held a chicken. If the bawking wasn’t enough the feather stuck to her clothes were. She was definitely not in the mood to dilly-dally, which is why she headed straight for the Hogwarts Express.

A kind coach took her luggage with a smile and wished her a great year. Bobbie nodded politely before turning to look for her brother in the crowd. He might be on the train already… Part of her wanted to sit with him out of convenience but she wanted to make her own friends, even if she had a bit of social anxiety.

As she walked down the thin corridor she observed the people in the compartments. The most friendly ones were older students, and they typically had full compartments. The younger students all looked anxious, or devious…

Bobbie noticed a boy helping a girl with her trunk. Being an independent person herself she understood the look on the girl’s face about the guy helping her. Maybe not so much because a boy was helping her but because wanted to feel competent herself.

She waved at them awkwardly. ”Hullo…is there space for another? I’m Bobbie.” She offered them a warm smile. She was dressed in her school uniform already and carried a small pack that held a few snacks and a couple of books. ”Uhm, I know there’s other compartments but I don’t feel like walking much further.”

As Aston got closer to the girl he managed to get a better look at her, maybe it's just because this is the first person he meet that's going to Hogwarts, but her clear blue eyes and smooth hair did give Aston the impression of a nice, trustworthy person. She looked quite excited, it is the first day of a new school after all, in contrast Aston was more nervous than anything, having never received formal education before, this is a completely new experience for him, heck, this is the first time he's even been on a train. "Yeah sure. " He replied to her quite cheerfully while he picked up the trunk of the blond haired girl to get it on the train, it was surprising heavy to Aston, but to be fair the only other trunk he has to compare this one to is his own, which makes for quite a small sample size.

"Wow this is pretty heavy, so uh.. what's your name? I'm Aston." He put the trunk on the top of the steps and waited for the girl's reply. This is going surprising good, I found someone to talk to, well more like she found me but it still counts. We can sit in the same compartment and get to know each other! Right as that thought finished, a person emerged from the corridor, it was a slim red haired girl with her hair covering on of her eyes. Aston waved back at her then looked back at the blond girl, thinking that it might be best for her to do the talking since talking to new people has never been his strong suit.

"Yeah, sure!", the boy replied in a cheerful voice, which jarred against Jess' preconception of him. She watched in embarrassment as the boy picked up her trunk with relative ease and hauled it onto the steps. I should've been able to do that! Jess discreetly shook her head and took in a deep breath. Enough. She smiled at the boy - she wasn't about to let her insecurities get in the way of making a new friend.

To her surprise, the boy commented, "Wow, this is pretty heavy!", which made Jess smile. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. After he had finished lifting the trunk and had pushed it onboard, the boy asked, "So, uh... what's your name? I'm Aston". Before Jess had the time to respond, a mop of red hair appeared from inside the train. "Hullo…is there space for another? I’m Bobbie. Um, I know there are other compartments, but I don’t feel like walking much further".

Jess tipped her head back and laughed heartily. So many friends out of nowhere! She noticed the nervous look on Aston's face, and decided to do the talking.

"Hi Bobbie, I'm Jess! I was just about to introduce myself to Aston here - we've only just met! If the nearest compartment is free, there's no reason not to grab it - I mean, we'd all better get situated quickly because I'm fairly sure the train's about to leave!". Jess spoke enthusiastically and, upon spotting the snacks and books in Bobbie's very full arms, was reminded of her own belongings. Quickly, she grabbed her satchel and wand from the previously-forgotten trolley.

The Hogwarts Express whistled and hissed, and groups of families all along the platform pushed straggling students onto the train. Jess jumped up on, dodging both Bobbie and her large trunk, then turned back to Aston, who stood motionless on the platform. Is he alright? I hope all these introductions haven't sent him into shock!
"Here, take my hand - I'll pull you up!", Jess shouted over the increasing noise of the train as she reached out to him. Finally, a chance to repay his chivalry and prove my strength. Jess grinned internally.

Oh, so they’re strangers, too. Bobbie smiled as she made sure she was out of the way as Jess helped the boy up. She thought about helping but there really wasn’t enough room, nor time, to figure that out, so she stood to the side waiting as she observed her new acquaintances.

The boy, Aston, seemed kind enough, given how he helped the other girl with her trunk. Isn’t that the train guy’s job, she thought, referring to the person who helped the students with their luggage as they boarded. Then again the Express was currently departing currently so Jess had been late.

Jess also seemed kind but it’s been literal minutes since they’ve all met, so obviously Bobbie didn’t have anything else to go off besides this random wholesome moment. Though if she had to, she would say that the boy looked like the shy type, while Jess looked like the outgoing type. Funny, because Bobbie felt like a mix of both, in her own funny way.

Bobbie peeked down the corridor of the train, glancing down and the other to see how crowded it would be for them to find their own compartment. Luckily when she had walked it wasn’t that bad and she had been able to find empty compartments, so finding them again wouldn’t be hard.

”Say, are both of you first years? Look the bit,” she said, referring to all of their small sizes and baby faces.

Bobbie started making her way down the corridor slowly, as she making sure that they could follow along. “This is my first year at Hogwarts. I have an older brother but I won’t be sitting with him—or alone—since I have new friends.” She flashed another smile.

"Hi Bobbie, I'm Jess! I was just about to introduce myself to Aston here - we've only just met! If the nearest compartment is free, there's no reason not to grab it - I mean, we'd all better get situated quickly because I'm fairly sure the train's about to leave!"Ah so she- I mean Jess did get what I meant, also wow, there is like no one left on the platforms, I guess everyone is on the train already? Aston thought after hearing the introduction, sadly not noticing Jess's comment about how the train is about to leave. Despite noticing the lack of people on the platforms, he still didn't realise the actual reason and just thought that it was a normal thing for train station, after all Aston isn't exactly the best example of a well travelled person. Due to living in what is basically the middle of nowhere for most of his life, he isn't what you would call knowledgeable on everyday things. So, their names are Jess and Bobbie, okay, I can remember that, names are not that.. I mean names are kinda hard to remember it'll be fine. Jess, Bobbie and I are going to find a... compartment! yeah that's what it's called. I do wonder when the train will start, it feels like we've been here for ages.I supposed my dad and I did come here quite early. Just as that thought ran though Aston's head, the sudden sound of express starting pulled him right out of that world in his head. "AH wait what?!" Having realised what is happening and how the train is leaving without him, Aston starting freaking out a bit, having no idea what to do he just grab on to the trunk he almost forgot about on the platform and started following the train as it started slowly, really quite slowing leaving the station. "Here, take my hand - I'll pull you up!" Said Jess, Aston Immediately grabbed on to the hand she offered and jumped onto the train, "Oh god!" He said with his hands on his knees, breathing loudly, though it was probably more from the shock and scare he endured. "Thank you so much, I totally thought I was going to get left behind on the station, thank you" After Aston stood there for a bit, getting a break. "So we should probably find a compartment right? sorry about this whole thing." Looking toward Jess and Bobbie, Aston couldn't help but feel greatly hopeful toward his time at Hogwarts.