Where Adventures Begin PV Zephyr Deakin

Zephyr still remembered the morning his Hogwarts letter arrived. It was still early and the rooster had just started crowing. He was outside feeding the chickens when he heard his mum call his name. Her voice sounded excited. When he came running, she was holding an envelope with his name and address in a nice calligraphy. He stared at it for a long time before opening it. The moment he saw the words Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he almost forgot to breathe. His dad put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, a look in his eyes that Zephyr didn’t understand at first, maybe it was pride in there? His mum sat him down at the kitchen table and read the whole letter with him.

The days after became hectic. They had to go to London to get his school requirements, and since they don’t travel often, everything was new to him. He had never seen so many people in one place before. Diagon Alley was full of strange and wonderful things, cauldrons, spell books, owls, and even ice cream that smoked in the air. He got his wand too and when he held it for the first time, it was like holding a small part of the wind itself. Back home, the farm seemed was the same, every morning, he still does his chores, feeding the animals, and checking the fences but his thoughts would usually go to what school might be like. His little sister, Zaria, followed him everywhere those days, asking a thousand questions. “Will there be dragons?” “Can you send me a letter with magic?” “Will you meet a princess witch?” He laughed and promised to write every week.

The night before he left, his mum baked her special shepherd’s pie and they ate together, the house was filled with their laughter that night. His dad helped him pack, he didn’t say much, but when his parents hugged him goodnight, he held on tightly. The next morning came too soon. They loaded his trunk onto the old car and drove to London. Zaria fell asleep halfway. When they reached King’s Cross, his dad explained how to get onto the platform, walking him straight through the barrier. His heart was beating so loud as they arrived out into the Platform 9¾. Steam rose from the train, and voices and laughter filled the air.

He stood rooted for a moment, taking it all in. His mum brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead. “Remember, write to us when you can, and be nice!” His dad gave him a firm pat on the back. “Make us proud, son.” Zaria wrapped her small arms around his waist and mumbled, “Don’t forget me.” He smiled and promised he wouldn’t. After saying goodbye, Zephyr climbed aboard the train, excitement now filling him inside. Most of the compartments were already full. He passed a few doors before spotting one near the middle with only one girl inside sitting by the window. She looked sad, maybe as nervous as he felt. For a moment there, he hesitated at the door, unsure if he should interrupt her. But then the train gave a soft whistle, and he decided he better sit somewhere before it started moving. He slid the door open a little and smiled. “Hi—uh, is this seat taken?” Using his slightly nervous voice.

@Aziza Harlow

Where Adventures Begin

01 • 09 • 2025

Aziza had been focused on her book, so focused she almost missed the sound of the door to her compartment sliding open. It was a boy, probably around her age, asking if the seat was taken. It wasn’t, but Aziza’s mind went blank for a second.

“Oh, umm.” She honestly had not expected anyone to show up at this point, having to sit alone the entire ride to the wizarding school, but someone came along. “You can sit there, no one else has come around.” Why was this so awkward? She was normally pretty confident and could easily make friends, but something about going to this school was making her act in abnormal ways.

The dark-haired girl observed the boy carefully, taking in as much as she could in the awkward silence. From the very little she knew about the boy, which was nothing at this point, he seemed nice enough. She felt a shift, the motion of the train as it began its trip towards the wizarding school. “My name is Aziza. Is this your first year at Hogwarts as well?” She questioned softly, the nerves getting to her as she glanced at the moving scenery outside the train window. Was that a good first question? Should she have even said anything? Aziza was not sure where all of this nervousness was coming from, but she was hoping it would go away as soon as she got used to Hogwarts. There was no way she could survive a year of this.

Tucking some of her unruly hair behind her ear, Aziza went back to observing the boy as she waited for his answer. It had been a while since she had attempted to make friends, so this was definitely a different experience for her. Hopefully, things would go okay.

Statistics Reducio Stamina| 6 Evasion| 5 Strength| 3 Wisdom| 7 ArcPower| 8 Accuracy| 6

Abilities Reducio Ability 1| Name Here Ability 2| Name Here Ability 3| Name Here Ability 4| Name Here Ability 5| Name Here Ability 6| Name Here Ability 7| Name Here

Mentions Reducio @Zephyr Deakin

At first, Zephyr didn’t move a muscle for a second when the girl looked up from her book. She had dark curly hair and a calm face, but her actions showed him she was just as unsure as he was. And when he was given the go signal he could sit, he smiled in relief. “Thanks!” He closed the door gently, took a sit across from her and set his bag down beside him. His hands fidgeted with the strap for a moment. He could feel the train rumbling under his feet. “Didn’t want to sit in a full one. Feels like everyone already knows each other.” He meant it too.

Passing by the other compartments earlier, he saw kids laughing, hugging, talking like they had been friends forever. Now he wondered if all of them came from magical families, maybe they grew up knowing about this world. Back home, magic was just something he heard about in stories from his father but he never mentioned he’s a real wizard until the day he got his acceptance letter.

When the train started to move, Zephyr looked out the window quickly and saw the steam, the platform, and parents waving. His mum’s words replayed in his head: Write when you can, and be nice. He hoped he manage both. The girl spoke again, introducing herself as Aziza. He turned to her again, the name sticking easily in his mind since it’s unique. “You have a very nice name, Aziza, any special meaning behind it? I’m Zephyr Deakin, pleasure to meet you.”

She asked if it was his first year, and he nodded in response. “Yes, first year. First everything, actually.” He chuckled. “Didn’t even know magic was real till that letter showed up. Suddenly, everything you thought was normal isn’t anymore.” He was not sure if he was saying too much, but she seemed friendly enough, and it was good to talk to someone who might understand. “I don’t know anyone here, so… I’m glad you didn’t mind me sitting here.” Noticing her book, “What are you reading?” He was just trying to keep the conversation going, this way their nerves would ease slowly.

@Aziza Harlow

Where Adventures Begin

01 • 09 • 2025

Aziza listened carefully as the boy spoke, nodding her head along in agreement. It was definitely nerve-racking to try and introduce yourself to a new group of people who were probably already friends. At the question of her name, the girl thought about her family back in Uganda. “My grandmother’s name was Aziza. She passed before I was born, but my mother likes to say I look like her. It means ‘powerful’ or ‘beloved’ in Swahili.” It was true, having seen pictures of her grandmother in her youth, they were very similar. The dark-haired girl missed some of her family, not getting to visit often, but her father said they would be taking a trip during one of her breaks. Hopefully, she would get to see them soon.

“Where does the name Zephyr come from? I have never heard it before.” Aziza questioned as she finally closed her book with a quiet snap. She had heard some unique names while sitting in classes with her father, but Zephyr was not one that she could remember.

It was nice to meet another first year, and with a little hope in her heart, Aziza wished for them to be friends. Things seemed to be going smoothly, and she could see them being good friends if she tried hard enough. “I knew about magic, but it wasn’t something my family relied on.” Occasionally, her parents would use magic if someone got hurt or they needed to move something heavy, but those instances were few and far between. Magic messed with the electricity, so they tried not to use it unless it was necessary. Aziza hated to say it, but it was nice having someone to talk to. Sure, she had friends before but this was completely new, not matter how nervous it made her.

Glancing down to the book in her lap, a soft grin formed on the young girl’s face. “Alice in Wonderland. It is my favorite book. Have you read it before?” She questioned as she ran her finger down the cracked spine and yellowing pages. Aziza was not sure how old the book was, just that it was older than she was and had seen a better life. Her grandfather, Theodore’s father, had gifted it to her during her first Christmas in the UK. She was not able to read it herself at that point, but she made Theodore read it to her as often as possible. Sure, she still occasionally struggled with reading, but she had the book almost memorized at this point.

Statistics Reducio Stamina| 6 Evasion| 5 Strength| 3 Wisdom| 7 ArcPower| 8 Accuracy| 6

Abilities Reducio Ability 1| Name Here Ability 2| Name Here Ability 3| Name Here Ability 4| Name Here Ability 5| Name Here Ability 6| Name Here Ability 7| Name Here

Mentions Reducio @Zephyr Deakin

"Powerful or beloved? That’s… really cool. I like hearing the story behind names as it's part of who you are, not just words people call you.” He was nodding his head, "And Swahili is Africa isn't it?" Zephyr haven't been to other countries outside Europe so he was not sure about it. Better to ask rather than act smart and be wrong at the same time. "It seemed to me you're the living memory of your grandmother." He commented about the things she shared about her name reference and her family.

"My full name is Zephyrus, but everyone calls me Zephyr. It’s, uh… it comes from Greek. My dad read about it in one of those old books he keeps around the farm, and it means the west wind, like the wind moving across the fields. Always there, always changing, but calm too.” He thought about the mornings on the farm. “And it fits, I’m outside a lot, helping with the animals, running across the fields, doing chores. Sometimes it feels like the wind is the only thing moving faster than me. So my dad thought it would be a good name. My mum calls me Zephyr because it’s easier.” He glanced at Aziza and smiled, “I know it’s not a common name. Most kids will probably ask me about it a hundred times.” He grew up on a farm, helping out with everything. Names weren’t really a big deal there.

Aziza spoke about her family and how magic was used there. “So it's the same for you, it wasn’t really part of normal life for you. For me, I didn’t even know magic was real until my letter came. I grew up on a farm, so magic was always just stories. My dad tells me them sometimes, but we never had any in the house. Everything we did was hands on work.” He was feeling self-conscious. “I'm guessing it's the same for you? Magic only when it’s needed. My dad would probably say the same if he had it—‘don’t use it unless you really have to.’"

Zephyr glanced at her book when she mentioned it, curiosity bubbling up. “Alice in Wonderland, I’ve read it once when I was younger, in school. Never really took it seriously. I’ve read stories, but mostly at home we didn’t have a ton of books lying around. Mum and Dad like stories, but they’re usually about farming or animals.” He asked shyly, “What’s it about again? I remember bits from school reading, but I never really got the whole story. I like reading, don’t get me wrong.” His thoughts wandered for a second, thinking about his own mornings on the farm. Zephyr fell quiet, watching the countryside blur past the window. First year’s scary enough without being alone on the train. "Anyway...do you have house preference by the way? I heard some students were discussing about it on the way here."

@Aziza Harlow

Where Adventures Begin

01 • 09 • 2025

Aziza nodded her head at the mention of Africa, just thinking of how much she missed it. Sure, she absolutely loved living in England, but she never seemed to get used to the colder weather and missed the warmth of Kampala. Most people never realized the girl was not from the UK, she had moved at a young enough age that her accent had shifted over the years. It was much clearer with certain words and phrases, though. “I am originally from Uganda, moved here about six years ago with my mother to live with my father.”

“Zephyrus,” the dark-haired girl tested out the name, a soft smile forming on her face. “I think it is very interesting. Instead of just being named after a relative, there is a deeper meaning behind it.” Aziza loved her name and the meaning behind it, but sometimes she felt she was being pushed to be a copy of her grandmother. Her mother was not as bad, but her other relative spent quite a bit of time comparing her to her late grandmother.

The girl listened carefully as Zephyr spoke of magic in his family. There were definitely similarities between them, little to no magic in the house unless required, the main difference being that Aziza did know about magic for a majority of her childhood. “We tried to use it as little as possible, especially living in an area that is mainly muggles. It was mostly if one of us managed to hurt ourselves.” Her father had not grown up around magic, not until he had attended Hogwarts anyway, and while her mother’s family had magic, it was not something they relied on either.

Aziza glanced down at the book clutched tightly in her hands. She could not imagine not having a lot of books, but her father loved reading and seemed to always have books tossed around the house somewhere. “It is about a girl, Alice, who follows a rabbit and falls into the magical dream world of Wonderland. She goes on a bunch of adventures while there, meeting different talking animals and odd people, before waking up and realizing the entire thing was a dream.” There was much more to the story, but Aziza was not quite sure how to explain it without accidentally reading off most of the story. It was an interesting book though, and after she finished it she considered offering for Zephyr to borrow it if he was interested.

At the mention of houses, Aziza seemed to freeze up a bit. It was the one thing she had been most anxious about, even with her parents attempting to calm her nerves. Her father had been a Gryffindor and Uagadou did not have houses like Hogwarts did. “I am not sure, my father was a Gryffindor, but I don’t think that fits me too well. How about you?”

Statistics Reducio Stamina| 6 Evasion| 5 Strength| 3 Wisdom| 7 ArcPower| 8 Accuracy| 6

Abilities Reducio Ability 1| Name Here Ability 2| Name Here Ability 3| Name Here Ability 4| Name Here Ability 5| Name Here Ability 6| Name Here Ability 7| Name Here

Mentions Reducio @Zephyr Deakin

When Aziza mentioned Uganda, there was only one thing that came to mind for Zephyr. “That’s really far, I’ve never been outside Europe, the closest I got was London. I bet it’s warmer than here." He was more comfortable talking to her; the awkwardness he felt when he first entered the compartment was gone. "It must have been hard for you? The move and all?”

When she said his full name out loud, his ears felt warm. He wasn’t accustomed to people saying it as if it mattered. “Thanks, I like that it means something too.” He doesn't mind being named after people, but it’s also nice to just be him with no comparison.

Her words about magic were something he agreed on. “Magic’s useful, but you don’t need it for everything. If something broke at our farm, we fixed it ourselves. If an animal got hurt, we stay calm and do what we can.” He shrugged. “Magic for me is something helpful but not something to show off.”

While she explained the book, he listened without interrupting, his eyes briefly going to the pages in her hands. “Following something strange and ending up somewhere you don’t understand sounded familiar, don't you think? Like this Hogwarts experience." It's what he can compare right now. Ending up in a strange place that he didn't want to decipher over time. But there's one thing he was sure of: he was going to enjoy this ride.

He was quiet for a while as their conversation shifted to Hogwarts houses, noticing how she did the same, looking somewhat tense. “I don’t really know either,” he said honestly. “People keep talking about bravery and cleverness and all that.” He thought of early mornings, of doing chores without being asked, of staying even when things were tiring. “I don’t think I’m brave in that way or clever like solving riddles fast.”

He looked at her sincerely. “I just want a place where working hard matters. Where people don’t mind if you’re quiet, as long as you’re kind and you try. Wherever that may be.”

A little awkwardly, he added, “I don’t think Gryffindor decides who you are, anyway. You decide that yourself.” The train kept moving, the countryside rolling past, and for the first time since boarding, he felt like he might actually be okay no matter what house he ended up in.

@Aziza Harlow

Where Adventures Begin

01 • 09 • 2025

Aziza nodded her head at the mention of the weather difference between Uganda and Europe, as well as how hard the move was. “It doesn’t get too cold there, mostly in the mountains. I had never seen snow before until we had moved here, that was a shock.” The girl remembered the first time she had ever seen snow. They had been there for a few months when Aziza woke to a fine layer of snow on the ground outside their home. Her father took her out to see it and she started crying as soon as her feet touched the cold substance. It wasn’t like she had no idea what snow was, she had just never experienced it before and was rather startled by it.

“The move was not too awful, but it was difficult at first, being so far from family and friends. I grew up in the same city with them for my entire life at that point, and suddenly I was in a place much colder and surrounded by strangers. I don’t think I would ever change it, though.”

Aziza laughed slightly at the comparison of Alice in Wonderland and the Hogwarts experience. It was mostly true. They were following something that to anyone on the outside would be seen as completely made up, yet it was completely real for them. There were probably many more similarities, especially the strange plants and creatures, but more similarities would probably appear over time.

“I think we are going to do well in whichever house we end up in.” She did not like the thought of failing, but it seemed like there ways for someone to fit into any of the houses. “We can decide how we fit into our houses ourselves, we shouldn’t have to listen to what others say we have to be.” Aziza was finally starting feel at ease about the upcoming sorting ceremony, maybe things were actually going to go well for her after all, nothing to worry herself over.

Glancing out the window at the quickly passing scenery, she pushed some of her hair behind her ear. “Is there anything you are excited to do at Hogwarts? I have heard some of the classes are rather fun.”

Statistics Reducio Stamina| 6 Evasion| 5 Strength| 3 Wisdom| 7 ArcPower| 8 Accuracy| 6

Abilities Reducio Ability 1| Name Here Ability 2| Name Here Ability 3| Name Here Ability 4| Name Here Ability 5| Name Here Ability 6| Name Here Ability 7| Name Here

Mentions Reducio @Zephyr Deakin

“You cried?” Zephyr must admit, he was slightly teasing her when she talked about the cold weather, although he understood it must have been a shock for someone who was used to hot weather. “Snow can be a lot to experience, if you’re not used to it. It’s doesn’t snow much in Wales, it’s still cold though, and mostly raining during winter season.” How normal it had always been for him to have cold mornings and numb fingers while doing chores. He had never considered how strange it must feel to someone seeing it for the first time. “I can’t imagine stepping on it without knowing how cold it really is.”

When she shifted the talk to the move, his smile changed into something thoughtful, understanding that part better. “We’re in the same predicament, only, mine is adjusting to magical world after growing up as a muggle. It’s a lot to take in especially when you’re away from your family.” He’d never left home, only now, so it felt strange not to share this experience with them. He can still picture their farm and animals. The idea of leaving all of that behind felt lonely. Hogwarts was already a big change, and it was only school.

“But,” he added after a moment, “seeing you now, I can say you were brave about it. It may not feel that way but take it from me who’s also undergoing a major adjustment.” He glanced at her. “And I like that you said you wouldn’t change it.” He looked out the window and watched the countryside pass, “You know the silver lining to all this? We get to live in a different place, get the chance to understand other people better and their different ways of living, plus we’ll learn spells and magic.”

At the talk about houses, he couldn’t agree with her more. “That’s true, no matter where we end up, I’m sure we’ll make it work. I like what you said about choosing how we fit in.” At the end of the day, it’s up to them how they’re going to make good use of what’s given to them and he’s certainly not going to waste any opportunity. He also didn’t like the idea of being stuck with expectations that doesn’t match him at all.

“I’ve heard about Herbology from my father, you see I like plants and if there’s a subject related to animals too, I will certainly like that too.” Working with animals and learning how they behave were familiar to him. As an afterthought, “…most of all, I’m just excited to learn in general. Even things I’ve never done before like casting spells, brewing potions, all of it.” He smiled at her. “What about you? Any class you’re looking forward to the most?”

@Aziza Harlow