Interactions: @Ronan Ward Mentions:

Date: September 1st Location: Platform 9 3/4s

Outfit: x

- A lion and a snake -

Amid the busy and bustling crowds of the station, a short child and a tall blond woman with a bored face stood. Cass still in casual yet somehow elegant despite the mud they had somehow managed to get on them on the way clothes, holding their trunk in one hand with their wand securely tucked in their back pocket. Their stepmother looked almost like their complete opposite. While Cass was all fidgeting hands and quick grins, Anise Dubois stood with proper posture and a bored expression on her face. She was dropping them off at the station today, since their Pa father was away on a prior engagement. They didn't mind, having already said their goodbyes to him the day before at the house. Cass looked up at their stepmother, giving her a smile."Don't let the birds starve without me" they said, voice high and playful.

Her eyebrows furrowed a moment before she got the joke, and though she didn't laugh there was just the slightest change in her bored frown that someone who knew her would pick on. All those years back when they had first met their stepmother, Cass had hated her. She gave the first impression of everybody's idea of a stereotypical pureblood lady, but time had taught them that she was far from that. Her frowns were not a mask she put on, but rather just her face. She wouldn't tolerate idiots and only enjoyed the company of very few, but she was also the woman who could answer any question you had about owls and would show you how to feed them in the early hours of the morning when you woke up crying.

"Enjoy your second year" she said softly "Make us proud, little songbird". Cass gave her a massive hug which she stood shock still for, then patted them on the back awkwardly. After one last glance around the station, she disappeared with a small pop noise as she apparated home. Cass was left standing alone on the platform, as they gazed around at the sea of wizarding children looking for a familiar face. This year they wouldn't be the youngest year in the school, and hopefully they had gotten tall enough to tower over at least some firsties. The young slytherin spotted a target poor lonely lost soul of a boy standing alone on the station nearby, and made their way over through the crowds to welcome him to the lovely chaos that was Hogwarts.

He was a tall, skinny kid who they didn't recognise, so they assumed he must be one of the new first years. How dare he not be tiny enough for them to be taller than. Surely there was someone on this station who suffered from the same height deficiency as them- no matter how hard they tried, they were always one of the shortest in their classes. "Hello stranger" they said with a grin "Are you one of the new first years?". Once they found the other second years they would have to introduce them to the brilliant new game they had thought up- guessing the future house of all the new firsties. "I'm Cass. Cass Ito" they said by way of an introduction.

Notes: Placeholder title I think I'm not quite in love with it yet

R ONANxxWARD
xxxGRYFFINDOR FIRST YEAR Platform 9 3/4

A lion and a snake 1th of September

xx

Ronan woke up with energy in his bedroom as he sprinted to the kitchen, saying, "I'm going to Hogwarts, Hoggy Hoggy Hogwarts! " His father Matthew looked at him and said with a chuckle, then a bit more serious smile, "Don't yell too loudly, Ronan, or the neighbors will hear you." Ronan quickly held his hands over his mouth. Quietly, Ronan said, "Merlins". I mean, sorry, Dad.'' At this, he saw his big brother Patrick setting the table. Ronan smiled and rushed to hug him. ''Patrick, when did you get here?! '' Ronan said in a very chipper and merry voice. Patrick laid the last plate on the table and went to his knees to hug his little brother. ''I got here a few hours ago, Ron. I couldn't miss seeing my little brother off to Hogwarts, could I?'' Patrick said it more maturely yet gently, like their fathers. Then they both sat down by the kitchen table and talked about Quidditch and how Patrick experienced it, since he was working in the Ministry of Magic in America. Soon after, they all set up and ate breakfast together. This morning, Ronan really wolfed it down, his constant stare at the clock on the wall blocking most of the conversion. He had thought of Hogwarts now. When Ronan was done eating, he rushed to the bathroom to get ready. In the shower, he realized he hadn't said anything when he'd left the table. ''Thanks for breakfast! '' Ronan yelled as he washed the shampoo out of his hair. He could hear footsteps walking up to the bathroom door—knock, knock, knock. ''Ronan, don't make me tell you again; it's seven in the morning.'' Several hours later Ronan was at Kings Cross Station standing in front of the sign 9 3/4. He looked first at Patrick, then his father, then turned over and stared wrenchingly at the cart in front of him with his luggage, before looking up at Patrick finally. From the left side of his ear, a mature voice fell. ''Come on, Ron, you just gotta run for it'' he said, looking up at Patrick. ''I know, I know, it can't be that hard, can it? Ronan tried as hard as he could to sound confident in a boyish, upbeat tone. Matthew put a hand on Ronan's shoulder, then on the clock; Ronan didn't notice, his eyes fixed on the wall between 9 and 3/4. Ronan looked up at his father, then the wall, as he began running towards it; the wheels going faster and faster until SWOOOOOOOOOSH—he'd gone straight through the wall, a smell of coal and steam embracing his smell buds. He could hear Matthew and Patrick behind him a few moments later, saying, ''See, it wasn't that hard, was it? Ah, ye've made me proud now," Patrick said cheerfully, ruffling Ronan's hair—which, quite frankly, Ronan wasn't a huge fan of—as Ronan tried to get rid of Patrick's hands in his hair immediately after he'd begun messing in it. ''Alright, that's enough, boys.'' A mature and kind voice finally said, to which Ronan looked up and let out a deep sigh, followed by a smile, as way of saying thanks for saving me. Patrick tried his best to look mature again but failed quite miserably in Ronan's eye as he pointed at his big brother's shoes. ''Your shoelaces are untied.'' It did not take many moments before the shoelaces were fixed, and Ronan now stood to hug both Patrick and his father, Matthew, in a sort of group hug. In fact, it was quite a long hug, as it lasted a few moments. Ronan didn't dare to think about what others around him thought, as he knew it would be a while before he would see his family again. He knew what was coming next—the predictable line the family said every time each member of the family went to Hogwarts: "Stay safe, Ronan, and remember you're magical, unique, and last but not least, a ward." This time he didn't say the line along with them since it was his turn at last and Hogwarts lay ahead. He let out a deep breath, his eyes now searching around the platform, and the many students said goodbye to their parents and family as his Matthew and Patrick had left a few moments earlier, both of them, on their way to work. He stood there a bit before he saw that a person who looked like a boy was walking up towards him. Well, Ronan didn't quite know what to think as this person started talking to him; that was quite obvious by the expression on his face. "Uhm.Hello, I mean.Yes, Yes, I am, are you.New, I mean?" Ronan answered in a bit of a quiet and unsure voice, as he wasn't quite sure about what to make of this person yet. It was then clear that Cass was asking for his name, and Ronan was quick to put his hand forward. ''Oh, I am Ronan Ward, a pleasure; I'm the last of the Ward family to go to Hogwarts,'' he said, trying to sound more confident with his boyish and upbeat voice.

xx

Stamina 5♞Evasion 6♞Strength 5♞Wisdom 6♞Arcane Power 6♞Accuracy 7

Interactions: @Ronan Ward Mentions:

Date: September 1st Location: Platform 9 3/4s

Outfit: x

- A lion and a snake -

The boy they had spotted had messy brown hair lighter than theirs, and was sadly not short. It seemed they would have to look somewhere else if they wanted to be taller than someone. Or maybe wear high heels everywhere. They had tried on their step-mothers once, and wobbled down the hall and then fell on their face. Walking in those things was a skill they hadn't been able to master one bit. Though high heels in general seemed very impractical, the height advantage would be nice. They just wanted to be taller than one first year who preferably wasn't a part-goblin (because that would be cheating).

His words confirmed that he was in fact a first year, and not a higher year that just enjoyed lurking in dark corners where Cass wouldn't have had a chance to meet him. Cass could totally lurk in dark corners though! Just maybe not for very long. Lurking was boring, and they didn't like boring. Anything that gave them space to think was something that they steered well away from. "I'm a second year" they replied "And a Slytherin, which is the best house of course. Though hufflepuff isn't bad". Even tall boy had mistaken them for a first year. How dare he. They were just the right height to kick his kneecaps in, and he better remember it.

Knee-cap kicking aside, they didn't recognise the Ward family name. Maybe he wasn't english. Or from England rather. Him saying the last of his family to go had to mean that others from his family went though. "What houses were your siblings in?" they asked "Ooo and what house do you think you will be in?". There was a chance that they might know his siblings if they were younger years. Being able to start a conversation with a brick wall was a skill that came in useful often.

R ONANxxWARD
xxxGRYFFINDOR FIRST YEAR Platform 9 3/4

A lion and a snake 1th of September

xx

Ronan didn't quite know what to think of this person yet, as he still had a weird feeling in his stomach because he had finally realized that he was leaving London to go to a wizarding school called Hogwarts. He had been longing for this opportunity since his early childhood. Ronan didn't have many friends in his life due to homeschooling, which meant he rarely left the house during the weekdays. In the muggle world, the sight of a person approaching him was something he'd only experienced at home or football practice. Ronan couldn't help looking at how the person was dressing, and in that instant, he noticed the person's height, which quite frankly wasn't that impressive. Ronan tried his best to look as natural in his expression, yet he frowned his eyebrows slightly. Their words did come as quite a shock to Ronan; without noticing, he stood there, frowning even more with eyebrows, and his mouth slightly opened in shock. Without thinking, the words flew straight out of his mouth, with a tone that sounded both concerned and shocked: ''Really? Merlins.'' At that moment, Ronan became aware of the words he had just uttered; he knew it would only take a few seconds for them to notice. As he was trying to avoid speaking further about the subject of height with this person, he composed himself; his voice and tone went a bit quiet, as he didn't want other people on the platform to hear what he was saying. ''Slytherin, aren't they... you know... bad?'' Ronan spoke in a low, quiet tone, emphasizing the B in the bad. ''I have never had a family member in Hufflepuff; my big sister Tess, who was sorted into Ravenclaw, is a true nerd. I can't even begin to count the number of times I've witnessed her studying, even under the covers when she's home visiting. Then there is my big brother Patrick, who got sorted into Gryffindor; he played for the Quidditch team, you see, and I heard that he experienced a lot during his time at Hogwarts as a Gryffindor, so that's what I'm hoping for as well.'' This time, he exuded confidence and bravery by advocating for what he believed to be the correct course of action in this circumstance.

xx

Stamina 5♞Evasion 6♞Strength 5♞Wisdom 6♞Arcane Power 6♞Accuracy 7

Interactions: @Ronan Ward | @Mention Mentions:

Date: September 1st Location: Platform 9 and 3/4s

Outfit: x

- A lion and a snake -

Cass was 90% sure Ronan thought that they were short. Which was not okay at all. It wasn't their fault he was a beanpole. They were a perfectly normal height for their age, thank you very much. This firstie was far to judgy for their liking. He needed to grow some healthy respect for their second year status. Even if they weren't quite tall enough to be seen as one. They knew when all the staircases changed! If he wanted to call them short, he could find his own way around. They were just joking of course. Stair knowledge was to be shared.

He only further cemented himself in Cass's "stupid annoying tiny tall kid" books when he claimed that slytherin was bad. "That's a complete lie. Slytherin has all the best people!" they said. The fact that slytherin had a... reputation wasn't lost on them. Like many things in life, Cass chose to just ignore it and barely address it. Besides, that was years and years ago. Times had changed. The slytherin house value was ambition, so of course there had to be some wizards with 'bad' ambitions sorted into there throughout the years. It could hardly be exclusive to slytherin though. Surely some ravenclaws had done terrible things in pursuit of knowledge over the years, and hufflepuff loyalty could always be to 'bad' causes.

For every world domination seeker, there had to be a hundred kids whose ambition was to change the world for the better. Slytherin didn't deserve its reputation. It wasn't their fault that not everyone saw what was right and wrong clearly sometimes. Cass stuck their tongue out when Ronan mentioned studying "That's so boring". How someone could voluntary study was beyond them. They avoided it till it was absolutely necessary, and even then they just chose to wing it most of the time. "But quidditch is fun!" they said, perking up "Seekers my favourite position, but chaser isn't bad". Cass was an only child. After... They didn't think they were getting a sibling. Which was fine! No having to share everything and one less person to loose.