Pre-dated to the first day of school, September 1st

The transition from the lively, bustling atmosphere of Platform 9¾, filled with the excited chatter of students and their families, to the quiet, almost serene interior of the Hogwarts Express was meant to be an enjoyable experience. Emphasis on meant to be.

Blaize found himself with an abundance of time as he wandered the station, the weight of his parents’ meticulous planning evident in their early arrival. He perched himself on top of his suitcase, his fingers tapping nervously against the hard surface, his gaze fixed on the hordes of people that grew as the time ticked closer to departure.

Now, seated within the confines of the train, he avoided the impulse to glance out the window and wave goodbye as the train's whistle echoed in a sharp, final call. The weight of his parent's gazes had fleeted from his shoulders and was replaced with the heavy, looming questions and an even heavier suitcase, he had to carry by himself now. However, he was sure his parents would soon write to him, not that he looked forward to it, but perhaps he would eventually miss them. But in this moment, he was glad to just be by himself

As the train jolted into motion, so too did an unsettling wave of nausea as it hit him squarely in the stomach. He instinctively gripped the arms of the seat beside him, bracing for the train’s steady acceleration. The sensation was unsettling, even if it was steady. A train was an ordinary form of transport — not something he had ever wanted to experience, given how his upbringing framed it as a method used primarily by the less fortunate. Although his assumptions that this would not be the last time to ride the Express didn't occur in the moment. A packed, perhaps dingy, vehicle, was the mental picture painted for him. Yet, despite himself, he appreciated the train’s punctuality. Pushing those thoughts aside, he wrestled with his curiosity about the journey ahead, deciding it was a brief trip, and he should embrace the experience. Seeing that the trolley with sweets hadn't made his way to his compartment yet, and he was alone, entertainment was to be had in the form of looking out the window.

This sudden decision was made when he pivoted his head sharply to capture a glimpse of the outside world, eager to see what lay beyond the confines of the train. A fleeting bridge whizzed by, but before he could savor the rushing scenery, a wave of panic flared within him. What he would later define as the stages of a panic attack captured him. His heart pounded relentlessly against his ribcage, each beat quickening his breaths turning into shallow gasps as if the compartment around him had lost oxygen. He suddenly felt confined, as though the very walls were closing in around him. Just how fast were they moving? Was this aged engine truly safe? He recalled the tales of its long, yet reliable history, yet a whisper of doubt remained.

As the initial wave of paranoia and panic faded, a second stage struck him with a disorienting dizzy spell, as if he were spinning on a carousel that had picked up too much speed. A dull, throbbing headache settled into his temples just as he tore his eyes away from the window in an urgent attempt to regain control. Granted, he refused to think the train had the upper hand in this scenario. His senses heightened, overwhelming him as everything became loud: the whoosh of the train gliding over the tracks resonated like a furious windstorm, the laughter and chatter of other students filtered through the closed doors as though they were right beside him, and even the distant creak of the trolley cart's wheels grew in volume.

The color of his skin felt as if it had drained completely leaving him cold, clammy and impossibly paler than he was before. A nervous gulp worked its way up his throat, slicking his dry mouth as beads of cold sweat formed along the nape of his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut tight; lips pressed together in an effort to suppress the rising bile that threatened to escape. Going from a nearly dry throat to one that threatened to drip with saliva startled the boy. One wrong bump or turn and he was done for. His mind raced, a banshee of frantic thoughts shrieking at him, urging him to hold on just a bit longer. He was now in a race, between his stomach and the train, and he hoped the train was just a tad bit faster in this dire moment.

Get me the HELL out of here!

---

Previously known as Annie Morgan
2nd Generation Character ency

@Blaize Valerian

"Burok! Quickly!" Harvey snapped at his goblin caretaker as they rushed towards the train. He couldn't believe it! Harvey Barrows was...late! The boy was never tardy, no matter what, but getting through Muggle London that day had proven to be a nightmare! Especially considering they had to be careful not to get Burok spotted. The goblin said nothing in return to Harvey's demand as she had long grown used to his fits. An unfortunate personality trait he had inherited from his grandfather and she had been working for the family long enough to know how to ignore them. Her loyalty was proven above all that worked for Harvey and his family. She knew she wasn't going anywhere.

"Get on the train. I'll stow your trunk." Burok's order garnered another huff of frustration from Harvey, but he complied. The Hogwarts Express wasn't his favorite from of transportation. Why couldn't they just use the floo network to go straight to Hogsmeade and then take a nice carriage to school? His family could afford it, but no! Some adult somewhere probably thought it was good for the children to make friends and bond on the way to school and blah, blah, blah. Harvey did not need these school spirit focused...things to make his connections and as the onslaught go noise bombarded his ears as he boarded the train, he knew the next few hours were going to be annoying!

Harvey adjusted his satchel around him and made for the first compartment that sounded a bit calm. NOPE! The upper level students playing tonsil hockey made the boy want to gag. Not that he hadn't started to find people pretty and maybe, just maybe, he'd like to experience a nice kiss, but whatever those two were doing was borderline assault. So, the boy's small legs moved on to the next. Full. Then the next. Freaking cat people! Harvey's exceptionally long fingers rubbed his face as he cursed his luck. The train had already been moving for several minutes now! On to the next one and as he slid open the door he was relieved to see only one other boy in the compartment. That'll do.

Harvey didn't pay much attention to the other occupant. "Hello." He mumbled to the other boy before setting to the task of getting himself organized. If he was going to be stuck on this train he was at least going to get some work done. He had a whole new set of second year books to start reviewing, so he set his satchel down before taking his seat. However, just as he was about to unpack his supplies he finally looked to the other boy. Had he been a middle aged man, Harvey would have been concerned that he was having a heart attack. He was pale, sweaty and had that look that was undeniable. The look of someone about to barf!

"Are you alright?" It would have been nice coming from anyone else, but Harvey snapped the question. If this little gobshite threw up in front of him he was just going to jump out the window.

Roman was excited, but mostly nervous, as his large family led him through the wall of platform 9 3/4. All around him were students, some in colored robes, and others, like him, wearing the plain black version. He looked up at his mother, trying to hold back her tears, biting his lip. "Mum..." He started out, only to be interrupted by the bone shattering hug she pulled forced him into.

"My little boy, going to Hogwarts! You'll write me, won't you? And don't forget to do all your homework, and be a good boy!" She wailed softly, now failing at holding back the aforementioned tears.

"Please... dying..." He groaned dramatically, pulling away from the tall, well-dressed woman, only to be passed along to his father... then both his sets of grandparents. He wasn't paying attention to anything but trying to survive this familiar assault, when Grampa Honeycutt pulled away from him.

"The train, my boy! You stay here lollygagging for much longer and your father will have to fly you to school!" With a hearty laugh, and a much stronger than preferred pat on the shoulder, Roman was finally free!

Indeed, the train whistle howled, and an announcement that it would be leaving soon made his heart beat faster in his ears, his cheeks flushing with color. One final wave and a kiss to his mother, Roman boarded the train. It wasn't what he expected, a bit older in style than the subways he'd take occasionally, but anything was better than a broom. The thought made the boy's scrawny frame shudder.

With some difficulty, he managed to get both himself and his trunk down the crowded aisle, looking at all the different compartments. Roman wasn't shy, but he would be lying if he said the thought of sitting with older students didn't intimidate him, just a bit.

With a jolt, the train started actually moving, making his search for a cabin all the more important. He passed quite a few; some were too full, others had only people in house colors, and one even had two students kissing! The sight made his nose screw up slightly, and without a second look, he went to grab the next cabin's door, only to find a young lady in the way.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" His face heats up even more, his trunk falling to the ground behind him in his surprise, making a loud 'thud' noise. He looks between the girl, and then at the two boys inside the compartment, one in green robes and one in black, like his own. "Could I join you three? Please?" His dark blue eyes drop down to the medicine in the girl's hand.

"Oh, I've got a bottle of water I haven't opened yet, if you need it!" He looks at them and smiles, hoping his bribe would work at least a little, lest he fall on the ground like his poor trunk.

Pre-dated to the first day of school, September 1st

Mentions: @Roman Adams , @Sinclair Carver & @Harvey Barrows thanks for joining!

Muddled thoughts swarmed the boy as he was slammed when another wave of nausea hit him. The irony of it all was the fact the train ride was actually going smooth, not accelerating or slowing rapidly or lurching around bends. So why did his body have this god awful reaction? There was no other way to explain it: It made him feel like a fool. All the while his nervous system was on overload, he didn’t hear the train car door slide open. Only when a sharp voice broke through the blood pounding in his ears did he tear his vision from the floor.

Am I alright? Who the hell does he think he is? Upon observation the boy of which whom spoke had a distasteful look in his gaze. Of course, anyone being on the brink of spilling their guts wasn’t an appealing sight but the lack of empathy really ticked Blaize off. If it wasn’t for his current position he would’ve bit out a snappy retort, instead a grimace and shake of his head was had.

His eyes then drifted past the figure to one, no two more that appeared in the hallway. A girl that talked way too fast for what he could manage to understand at the moment and an eager boy who wanted to help and asp drop off the luggage in tow. Blaize’s gaze shifted uneasily from the pills to the water. His throat was parched so he was more inclined to take it but still faltered. How would this make him look to others? Even in his dire state, accepting help was a sign of weakness. Or was it friendship? He couldn’t depict their morals in his state and was bothered by the fact all eyes were on him.

In an attempt to explain his pathetic situation he gave a stout glare to the boy closest to him before licking his lips. ”I’ve never travelled by train before and my body has seemed to reject this mode of transportation all together. So no, I’m not alright.” He answered the questions one by one, looking each of them in the eyes. He paused before opening his mouth once more as his stomach rolled around. Thank goodness was he hadn’t eaten the snacks he had packed.

He turned to the girl next, pushing himself up from the floor, still eyeing the pills. ”Your kindness is appreciated but I’m not taking random medicine from a stranger, much less on an empty stomach.” His voice came out somewhat clipped. He didn’t want to be explaining himself to others. He shouldn’t have to. Why couldn’t they have just minded their business?

He lastly glanced to the least nosy of the three, at least he asked permission. ”Yeah you can come on in if you dare, I advise you not sitting next to me in the meantime. I can have that water now yeah?” After addressing all the needs, Blaize peeled his eyes from their faces back to his own lap.

Out of the corner of his eye the blurs triggered his adam’s apple as he swallowed back the panic and bile simultaneously rising in his throat. Pushing himself as far back into the chair as possible his eyes fluttered shut. They could judge all they want but as long as he didn’t have to see them doing so, the shame and embarrassment would eventually die off. He was not pathetic but this was surely not a good look for him. Blaize couldn’t, no he refused to start his time at the school with people knowing him as the barf boy, granted he had managed to keep it down so far. If any of these students were his age let alone they were to be house-mates, he would be mortified. If he was lucky it would all spill over, not his stomach, and be forgotten. They only had an hour or two left of the ride anyways. And if anything was worse than embarrassment and nausea, it was small talk which he had an inkling would occur.

---

Previously known as Annie Morgan
2nd Generation Character ency

@Blaize Valerian | @Sinclair Carver | @Roman Adams

Harvey's eyes drifted from the poor sod about to blow chunks to the girl that had just slid open the compartment door. His expression was anything but welcoming as the disdainful look remained etched onto his features. What the boy wouldn't give to have a private compartment. Surely the fist full of galleons tucked away into his coin purse ought to mean something in this world! To be reduced to public transportation! Merlin's beard!

The boy shifted as far back into his seat and closer to the window as was humanly possible when the girl offered nausea medication to their fellow compartment dweller. Harvey's suspicions had been accurate after all, not that it took a detective to tell when someone was about to hurl. Just as he was about to protest however another boy would come rushing in, nearly knocking over the medicine girl as his trunk went crashing behind him. Gods have mercy on Harvey! What had he done in the past life to deserve this?! Of course this newcomer was all sunshine and dandelions as he offered up water and more assistance. With the exit now completely blocked, it looked like Harvey was in this for the long haul.

"Whatever." Was the only response he offer to the newcomers before shifting his gaze back to puke boy. Harvey's brow would raise slightly as the other explained their predicament. He had never travelled by train before. At least that was perhaps a sign of some sort of status? The other boy surely didn't look like some countryfolk or the sorts that had never left their village, so maybe this was an indication of wealth? Harvey shouldn't have let his sour moods get the best of him. Every possible connection should be properly vetted. He could hear his grandfather's words in his head now...

Harvey moved his things from the seat beside him to make room for whoever chose to sit down and shifted his demeanor. Gone was the sour expression and harsh body language. The part-goblin simply waved off the girl as she took her leave and gave all of his focus to back to puke boy. OOC: sorry! Harvey is a jerk Come back! "Listen, apologies about the harsh tone. I'm not a fan of trains either." A lie, but hopefully it would help to disarm the situation. "My caretaker used to give me ginger candies when my stomach was upset." A well placed name drop to show off his wealth. "Would you like me to get you one from the snack cart? May ease your nausea." There. That was as helpful as the Barrows boy could possibly be.

Roman watches the Gryffindor girl leave, unable to even say goodbye, before quickly getting distracted by the other two boys. With a smile, the young man picks his trunk back up, and steps inside, taking a seat beside the older boy.

"Thank you, both of you. Oh, yeah, of course you can have the water." He takes a muggle backpack off his back and pulls out a sealed bottled of water, still slightly cold, condensation along the outside of it. "I've never rode on a steam train before, but I've taken the subway a few times." He tosses the bottle to the sick boy, looking him over.

"Your robes are black; does that mean you're a first year too? And yours..." He turns to the boy hes sitting beside, glancing down at the green and silver tie around his neck. "And you've got green... Thats Slytherin, yeah? My grandma was a Slytherin!"

He pulls out a book from his bag, now sitting on his lap, and pulls out the incredibly thick textbook, 'Hogwarts, A History.' "I'm really excited to be going to Hogwarts; my cousins go to Durmstrang and say they're pretty strict about everything there. My dad said Hogwarts was much more chill, and that its great fun."

(I'm very sorry about the short, and late, reply. I've managed to get sick, and I'm still not feeling 100%.)

Pre-dated to the first day of school, September 1st

Mentions: @Roman Adams , @Sinclair Carver & @Harvey Barrows

The scene had changed rather quickly. The girl and her judgmental stare left after lingering on the older boy, of which was made apparent to him now by the robe colors, and the younger boy which pointed out the fact had entered shortly after, luggage in tow. I shifted my gaze from him and his chatter to the older boy who exuded authority, even if he was only a year older. The emerald-green that lined his robe made my brow quirk up. Ah so he was a Slytherin.

His silenced stretched for a much longer time this time around after all the conversation was fed to his ears. First, the boy his age, neither people in the compartment revealed their names yet which did not aid him in his distinction of status which was highly valued in the young boy's eyes. Rather, the one his age was observant. He took the water handed to him and screwed off the lid, sipping on the water versus chugging it, so as to keep his contents at bay. The subway.. a transportation method also unknown to him. Perhaps something mundane or lower class? Blaize's eyebrows were expressive as they narrowed. He could not pick up on any accents either. They were giving him littler to work with. Either way, he did have some magical family as the mention of Durmstrang greeted his ears. Pulling out a book before classes even started was a questionable choice, made apparent by the small sneer on his face.

Turning his attention to the second figure, he began to dissect him as well from what he could gather through conversation and appearance. He was an older Slytherin who had mistaken for having bad manners now going back on his words, his authority-like aura that rolled off in waves was due to some sort of high status as Blaize was clued into by the word caretaker. His lips pursed. That changed the way he had to approach conversations with him. Neither walking on eggshells nor being too friendly. Perhaps the older boy was accustomed to this as well. He sipped the water once more, making sure to keep his gaze level with the Slytherin and not the window. Very well, let the games begin.

"No need to apologize, my condition caused me to be quite defensive I suppose." He started, dismissing the apology rather than accepting it. It seemed the better of two options to one, make himself the receiver of empathy and two, not challenge him by coming off too strong. The offer of a ginger candy made his brows raise. Ginger candies although having similar effects for nausea was something he had not heard of often. He would nod his head, agreeing to offer. "That would be very kind of you, thanks. My family usually does peppermint candies since well, brewing potions uses up ingredients that are better spent on other potions in the business." Blaize slowly added in the latter part, gauging for any response from him.

Withdrawing his gaze a few moments later, he would glance back to the younger boy deciding to not solely focus on the Slytherin that piqued his interest. 'Thanks for the water. Yeah Hogwarts is still 7 years of our lives so it won't be easy but hopefully not too strict. You have any idea what house you might get sorted into?" The boy's eyes wandered over their face which was somewhat stuck in the book before glancing back to the other person who demanded his attention.

"Oh, and I am Blaize Valerian by the way."

---

Previously known as Annie Morgan
2nd Generation Character ency

@Blaize Valerian | @Roman Adams

“Mhm.” Harvey offered a courteous nod as the new comer gave thanks for accepting him. Did you really need permission to enter a compartment on a public train? There was no first class on the Hogwarts Express. Trust, young Barrows would have been in it having house elves serving him tea and crumpets right this moment if there was. Did you even need a ticket to board this bucket of rust? Harvey blinked away the negative thoughts. Stay focused!

It took a moment for the word subway to register in Harvey’s mind. A wizard he may be, but he was still an Englishmen and “the tube” or “the underground” was much more to his liking. Not that he’d be caught dead in one when they had magical means of transportation. A snap of his grandfathers fingers and he could be wherever he wanted. Did that make this new boy a muggle-born? Not that Harvey cared much about blood status. Who cares where their surname came from as long as wealth and prominence were attached to it. “It’s not my preferred way to travel, but the sights are nice.” There. He said something positive!

Not that the feeling would last long when robes were mentioned. Harvey’s emerald and silver tie gave him away as the new boy mentioned his grandmother was in Slytherin. “That’s great.” He lied, but his guess of muggleborn was now clearly incorrect. Perhaps his gran was someone important though, so Harvey kept up the smile. “Lots of witches and wizards in the family? Anyone that we would have heard of?” The mention of Durmstrang peaked his interest even more. International family. Intriguing…

Harvey’s gaze shifted back to the nauseous fellow as they sized each other up. He noticed that the boy dismissed his apology in a rather clever way. No acceptance, but neither a rude rejection. Well played. Perhaps they were of more like mind than he originally thought. Harvey would have to be more strategic as he stood up and half stepped out of the compartment. “Excuse me.” He called to the snack attendant with a snap of his fingers. Moments later he would be handing the boy a hard finger candy if he’d like it. Harvey’s brow rose as the boy mentioned his family preferring peppermint as to not take too much from the potions storage. “Potioneers, eh? Has the business been in the family long?” He knew that could be quite lucrative considering how many galleons he had seen his grandfather dish out for them. “Perhaps my grandfather has conducted business with your family? He’s got quite the stockpile of potions in our vault at Gringotts.”

Harvey kept quiet as the two boys talked about Hogwarts and expectations. They’d find out soon enough. “Harvey Barrows.” He offered when the introductions began.