Cassian stared out the window at the rain droplets traveling down the pane of glass as he hovered on the edge of the dreamscape. The gentle rocking of the Hogwarts Express had been threatening to lull him to sleep since the first thirty minutes of their voyage, and only his excitement at what awaited him at his destination kept him anywhere near wakefulness.

The Montelise Byrne clan had set out in its entirety early that morning in order to make it to London on time. They had congregated at Cassian’s family’s manor before breakfast, choosing to have a full meal together before they sent their youngest members off to Hogwarts. Cassian had been the recipient of several pieces of useful (and not so useful) advice, ranging from which stairs to avoid if he didn’t want to get stuck to the number of letters he was expected to send home every week in order to assure his parents of his welfare. Afterwards, they’d all hustled into the fireplace for the Floo into London.

Honestly, Cassian thought it was a bit counterproductive for him to take the train from England back into Scotland when he lived in Scotland already. Policy was policy, though, and so he was stuck on the Hogwarts Express for the next few hours.

His mother had cried on Platform 9 3/4s when he had boarded the train and again when it pulled away from King’s Cross. Cassian, on the other hand, was more than ready for the next chapter of his life to begin. He’d found the first empty compartment he could and settled in for the long ride. Maybe he would go looking for some of the other first years later, attempt to make friends or see if anyone he knew was nearby. For now, though, he was content to chip away at his stash of Chocolate Frogs and watch the scenery pass by.

Mentions: Reducio @Cassian Montelise Byrne

Word Count: Reducio 1,108 words

Outfit Inpso: Reducio The Drip

･─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ───･

Sunday. It was the day of either the beginning or the end of Valkyrja’s freedom. She’d been counting down the days since she’d received her letter accepting her into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. The sooner she was on the train, the faster the weight on her shoulders would hopefully leave itself right on that boarding area with her nani* (maternal grandmother) and her parents.

There was a sense of festivities given that she was the last child to attend a wizarding school as well as the only daughter of the household taking flight into the world. Her family had spared no expense in making sure she received a proper sendoff. They’d all attempted a celebratory dinner and both her siblings, her parents, and her nani were all seated at the table and she could have cut the tension with a knife. Maybe one of the two that had been sitting by her table setting during a large number of Indian courses.

Her parents had been rather supportive and she could always count on her brothers to have her back but the never-ending weight of having the pressure to be a perfect Slytherin and continue the traditions of the Kapadia lineage were constantly in the back of her mind. All of this despite the fact that her father was a proud Gryffindor. Moments like her impending journey had her crossing her fingers that she’d be anything but from the great house of Salazar Slytherin. She’d have been a perfect fit of course given how she’d been molded but there were moments that were hidden from their eyes that she knew would take her out of the running. Not that she’d ever risk putting that out there. Come what may, she could only hope for the best once it was time for the Sorting Hat to seal her fate.

As it was, it was Sunday afternoon and the time was ticking. She’d successfully packed her trunk and supplies with a healthy amount of options for her wardrobe. She followed a rule of ‘always being prepared for anything’, which really just meant she’d overpacked and wanted to make herself feel better about it. Her robes were the standard charcoal black along with all her school supplies which stood out next to her vibrant pieces of clothing from back from in India that she’d taken to London once they’d made the move.

She’d taken time to make the right impression and picked a piece from her wardrobe that showcased her personality before they had to change into robes for the Sorting Ceremony. Since getting to London, they’d added more pieces of muggle clothing to their rotation and she’d decided that jeans were extremely comfortable having seen them on her older brothers. Wearing a flowy top, a denim jacket with cool patches her parents had brought her back from their different trips and a jean jacket, she quickly tied her hair in a quick updo before hurrying out. Noticing her brothers in a similar state of dress, she knew she’d hopefully get away with not wearing something more formal for this kind of trip.

With everything ready, she and her family had all bustled to Kings Cross Station and quickly moved through the barrier that led her to the 9¾ platform. It all felt so surreal to see all the various students rushing to hop on board, several of them moving in packs with their respective friend groups and a soft smile crossed her face as she thought about what it might be like a year from now or even during one of the breaks to find that kind of camaraderie. Her older brother, Chandrajit, had already escaped in a different direction with his things and found his group of friends to sit with. She had no interest in tagging along as his baby sister nor would he enjoy babysitting her. She’d see him once they reached but beyond that she knew it was time to find her own way for the moment. Her oldest brother, Aashish squeezed her shoulders and grinned down at her before helping her load her trunks to the train.

As she turned to her parents, she could feel her vision blurring as they wrapped her in a tight hug. She loved them and knew that despite their flaws, they’d do anything for her. She’d miss them deeply and told them as much while promising to owl them as often as she could. She hadn’t wanted to make false promises knowing that she’d want space and time to process her new surroundings and newfound freedoms before being reminded of the world outside of the bubble. She nodded professionally towards her nani feeling no obligation to wrap her in any kind of embrace. Looking back at her brother who’d been standing there with his hands in his pockets beaming at her and her parents who were holding each other, and most likely realizing they were officially empty nesters, she waved and grinned before hopping on the train. It was time to find her place and see where the future would take her.

The loud horn of the train screeched indicating it would be leaving the station and she held on to one of the railings finding her footing as it slowly lurched forward. She’d barely just made it in all of her goodbye-ing. Her eyes looked at the different compartments, noticing some were quite full while others were fairly deserted. Impulsively making a decision, she’d popped one open finding an individual seated alone, and plopped herself down across from them. With her cross-body bag pulled off her shoulders and neatly set beside her, she leaned back comfortably and took in her travel partner. He seemed to be in a world of his own between looking outside and what seemed to be… were those Chocolate frogs? She raised her eyebrows with a sense of intrigue. Whoever this was, Valk knew he had immaculate taste and maybe he’d be friendly too.

Not wanting to be rude or intruding so to speak, she offered her a greeting with a grin to match. “Hello! My name is Valkyrja Hjörþrimul-Kapadia! I know it’s kind of a long name but you can call me Valk! What’s your name? Are you excited to be sorted?” She knew she was word vomiting but the thought of finally being away from home and *her* influence had her hopping with joy. Suddenly any people that she could be friends with and weren’t chosen for her had her jumping for joy. Maybe she’d make her first friend by the end of the train ride. A girl could only hope.

Cassian blinked, momentarily jolted out of his daze by the sudden voice breaking the quiet hum of the compartment. He turned his head slowly, half-expecting someone stuffy or annoying, but what he got instead was a girl, somewhere around his age, bright-eyed, beaming, and talking a mile a minute. She was dressed in Muggle clothing (or at least what Cassian, as a quintessential pureblood scion brought up in an entirely magical family, guessed was Muggle clothing) with her hair put up. Cassian admired the patches on the denim jacket she was wearing, a colorful riot splashed across her torso.

He stared at her for a beat, not quite sure if he was supposed to be amused or alarmed by the energy suddenly injected into his very peaceful solo ride. “Valkyrja… Hjörþrimul-Kapadia,” he repeated slowly, careful with the syllables. He said it like someone feeling out the complicated incantation of a spell for the first time, cautious but not unkind. “That’s definitely the longest name I’ve heard all day. Nice to meet you.” Now was as good a time as any to make friends, right?

“I’m Cassian,” he offered in return, “Cassian Montelise Byrne — a mouthful in its own right, I will admit.” He scratched the nape of his neck awkwardly. He had mostly grown up around other pureblood families, and while it seemed that this girl had at least some concept of what Hogwarts was, it was clear that she was better-traveled and more worldly than him. “You can call me Cass, if you’d like,” he tacked on. She seemed friendly enough and while no one in his family would ever think of calling him anything other than his proper first name, he supposed that things like nicknames were common among friends, or people who were about to become friends (hopefully).

The moment stretched between them. “You’ve probably got a whole plan already, don’t you?” he said after a beat. “Which classes you’re taking, which professors to avoid, what house you want.” His eyes flicked over her again. “Let me guess... you're hoping to be sorted into Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?” he said, testing the theory. He wasn’t sure what gave him that impression. Maybe the way she talked fast, like her brain was always two steps ahead. Maybe just because she seemed prepared, ready to take on the challenge of Hogwarts with a bright smile and a bubbly greeting.

“I don’t really care which House I get,” he added, rolling his shoulders in a loose shrug. “I mean, I do, I guess. Everyone does. But my family won’t mind as long as I don’t get Hufflepuff, and there’s no way I’m ending up there.” Cassian was rarely purposefully mean — he had been raised better than that — but he was self-aware enough to know that he would never display the self-sacrificial, truly altruistic nature that Hufflepuff looked for in its students. He didn’t mean his remarks as an insult, it was simply a comment that was true in his perception of the world.

He glanced back toward the corridor, eyes scanning the blur of students moving past the glass, then looked at Valkyrja again. She was still here. Still smiling, still watching him like he might be worth talking to, which was... odd. People usually thought he was too much or not enough. Too loud until he wasn’t. Too opinionated. Too competitive. Too sure of himself — except he wasn’t sure of himself at all, but that wasn’t anyone’s business other than his own.

Smiling, Cassian reached beside him and proffered a Chocolate Frog from the stash that his mother had shoved into his hands before shooing him onto the Hogwarts Express. “Here, we can share, if you’d like,” he said cheerily. He’d caught her looking at them when she’d first entered the compartment. She seemed alright, and for the first time since he’d sat down, Cassian found himself truly looking forward to the train ride to Hogwarts.

Mentions: Reducio @Cassian Montelise Byrne

Word Count: Reducio 827 words

Outfit Inpso: Reducio The Drip

･─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.･ ───･

In Valk’s mind, her first assumption was to wonder if it was all a ploy. If this was another one of her nani’s machinations. Controlling who she was friends with, their status, and what they could do for her. As if it were selfish to be friends with someone just for the sake of doing so. Valk wanted to be suspicious but something told her to give this person the benefit of the doubt. Choosing that, she settled into her seat across from him and began to ramble on.

There was a moment where she looked relatively guilty for pulling him out of his thoughts but she knew that she was excited to finally be out of the house and wanted to take advantage of all the freedoms that came with it. They both took in each other’s appearances as if sizing the other up and for whatever reason, both seemed to find it acceptable.

She nodded at his greeting and then blinked at him as he said his name, and the nickname he’d given her, as if testing it out in his mouth for the first time. “Well, hello, Cassian. Or Cass, as you said. Our ancestors really hated us with these names, huh?” Her smile was soft and gentle as if testing the waters. Trying to see how far his tutelage as a potential pureblood child had altered his reactions. His name did sound quite frou-frou after all, as did hers.

She took him in and was unsure if he was generally awkward or if he’d been raised to be more formal and she was just a jarring kid behaving as if she had no social cues. Regardless, she relaxed seeing his open expressions or more so than she’d expected from many pureblood children that she’d grown up around.

While lost in her thoughts and observations of him, she heard his voice and her eyes focused on him. She raised an eyebrow at his sure assumptions about her and a small smirk crossed her lips. She felt her lips curl up at his words. “Well… sounds like you know Pureblood society well enough, don’t you? I think I’d get disowned by my nani— my grandmother if I wasn’t well prepared for the school year. And it would be her expectation I end up in a very specific house… anything else would be a disappointment. Though I have an older brother, two really, who filled me in on the professors. Not that… I paid too much attention beyond the basics.” She replied, grinning at him while speaking calmly this time.

Her body leaned back and her arms crossed against her body as he told her which house he expected and well… didn’t. Her head tilted as she took him in. Not a Hufflepuff? ‘Maybe he should be a Slytherin,’ she thought for a moment. “Not a Hufflepuff, you say? Got some kind of familial rivalry with the House of Helga Hufflepuff? What if I told you I was destined to be one?” She grins and teases him lightly. She wasn’t sure how he’d take it but was simply testing the waters there. Hoping he’d be friendly and not someone who was reporting back to her family of her failures and fumbles. After all, everyone knew her nani. Or at least, that’s how it always felt.

Valk’s eyes flickered to the glass on their compartment door as everyone began to settle in and announcements were made about how the train would be departing for Hogwarts shortly. No one else joined them and she somehow felt relieved not to have to meet too many new people in an environment like this one, where everyone was watching.

A hand stretched out to hers and she noticed a Chocolate Frog gripped in his hands, holding it tight and keeping it from hopping away. She smiled happily and her own hands were outstretched to his, waiting for the Frog to come to her. “Thank you, Cass. I… think this journey might not be so boring after all.”

She carefully popped the box open and slid out the card, deciding to look at it later and taking a tiny bite of the frog. Her eyes closed in enjoyment, and after slowly chewing and swallowing, she opened her eyes and looked over at the new friend she’d made. “I haven’t had one of these in forever. This reminds me of home. Of all the sweets and delicacies I used to enjoy while growing up. Hopefully Hogwarts has good snacks like this that we can get.”

Shaking her head, she smiled secretly to herself before looking back at him, “So? What are your great Hogwarts plans? Quidditch captain? Head Boy? Minister of Magic one day? How big are your dreams?” Her eyes assessed him kindly in a non-judgmental way. She was curious to see how many of his words would be his and how many would be words he parroted like he’d been taught.