Jean left the arms of her dad, mum and brother in tears. Furiously wiping at her eyes and nose, she sniffled, "I'm going to miss you guys." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and waved it in the air. "Keep your phones on you, because I'll be spamming you all like crazy."

"If not, we might have to get an owl ourselves," her dad joked to lighten the mood. She laughed.

"Well, then..." Jean awkwardly shuffled her feet, looking at the train. "I guess I'll get on."

"You do that, Jeanny, make the most of it!" Her brother knuckled her head one last time, before she laughingly pushed him away. "I'm definitely not going to miss your bullying. Bye guys! I love you!"

Stepping into the train backwards was dangerous, but necessary. She could not bear the turn away, but had to when opening the door to the compartments hall. A tissue, pressed into her hands by her mother, helped to stop the tears. Jean took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second, before walking further into the train. Because she was embarrassed by her puffy eyes and running nose, Jean dove into the first unoccupied compartment.

Standing by the window, she waved to her family for the last time. The train started moving. The figures of her mother, father and brother became smaller and smaller. Sniffling, she sat down in the plush seat and pulled out her sketchbook. The best way for her to feel better? Putting a pencil to paper.

[@Angel O'Connor]

@ Jean Bean

Angel boarded the Hogwarts Express , tightly grasping her pile of books to her chest as she went into the corridor. Her heart was beating with both nervousness and excitement. Ghost-like steam surrounded her while the senior students rushed past, calling out to friends and waving to their families from the windows. Angel walked along the wall , trying not to be caught up in the hustle. She had fantasized about this moment for years, and now that she was really here, it all felt gigantic-much louder, brighter, and more enchanting than she had ever dared to anticipate.

Looking into different compartments, she tried to find one that had a vacant seat. All the compartments she had seen were occupied: second-years laughing loudly over Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, third-years showing off their new wands to a group of friends, and two older girls excitedly chatting. With each compartment that was full and passed by, her nervousness grew. Was the idea of standing for the whole journey really true?

Angel found it at the last compartment of the train, at the very end. With only one other student, they shared a small compartment together. A girl about the same age as Angel was sitting by the window , and her little trunk was arranged above her. With her head down, a tawny owl slept in its cage beside her knees. The girl appeared to be nervous as well and was playing with the hem of her robe while looking out of the station.

Angel paused for only a second before she slid the door open . The door made a small noise when it opened , and the girl jumped. Angel bit her lip and shifted the books from one hand to the other.

"H-hi," she said with an unsure smile. "Um... could I sit here?"

The girl was so startled that she missed a blink , and then she quickly-almost gratefully-nodded. Angel released the nervous breath she had been holding and stepped in . "Maybe this is the first Hogwarts friendship of my life," she thought to herself.

WC: 349

Note: remember electronics don't work in the wizarding world

Sitting in the cramped train compartment on her own allowed reality to sink in: Jean was really leaving behind the world she had known for eleven years. Hugging her loved ones, attending art class, and even just walking home from school were all put on hold. Some of these experiences would disappear altogether. Tears welled up again in her eyes as she played with the hem of her robes.

Outside of her quiet railcar was a cacophony of voices from excited teens and encouraging parents. While her car was merely occupied by Jean and her dingy yellow suitcase, she had spotted other students babbling away in their own compartments. Had she made a grave mistake by sitting alone? Would she now become the only witch without friends?

A squeak pulled Jean abruptly from her head into the present moment. Her heart skipped a beat from the scare. The door had made the noise when a thin readheaded girl opened it, balancing a pile of books on her arm. Her ginger hair brushed her shoulders and she had brown eyes which were taking in the scene.

Awkward silence lasted for a split second as the readhead shifted her books to the other hand. Was she as nervous as Jean felt? The sweat beaded on Jean's upper lip.

With a small smile on her lips, the stranger said "H-hi. Um... could I sit here?"

Wait, what?

Jean's eyelids spasmed from sheer relief; someone wanted to sit next to her! Risking being perceived as a bobblehead, Jeanny quickly nodded and let out a breathless chuckle. The newcomer let out a breath at the same time while making her way into the traincar.

Immediately she felt her chin begin to wag. "Hello, my name is Jean. I suppose I'm a firstyear. Me and my whole family were super surprised when I got the letter. Like, who thought it was my magic that had turned my art teacher's hair green and not some expired shampoo? Not me hehe..." Oh no, she had started to ramble from the nerves.

Putting an end to her stream of consciousness, she hunched over, raked a hand through her already disheveled hair and asked: "What about you? What's your name? And do I hear an Irish accent there?" Jean's eyes raked over the stack of books to discern the titles but could not make them out.

@Angel O'Connor

@Jean Bean

Angel rearranged the books that were resting on her lap and winced a little as the one on top looked like it was going to fall off. She also glanced at the girl who was sitting alone in front of her. The girl looked... anxious. More anxious than anything else-like someone who had just been thrown into a river and was supposed to figure out how to swim immediately.
"Ah, a first-year," Angel thought, smiling to herself. Great. Maybe I'm not the only one who's clueless.
Angel leaned her body against the window of the train and tucked a piece of ginger hair behind her face. Right, introductions. Don't make it weird. "H-hi. Um... could I sit here?" she said, attempting to sound relaxed, but her fingers were nervously fidgeting with the corner of one of the books.
The girl's eyes widened, and she nodded quickly. Just then , a little bit of relief washed over Angel. Yeah, that wasn't awkward at all. You're doing great, Angel.
After taking the seat, she placed her books down carefully, preventing the rest from toppling over . She noticed the other girl diving into the conversation nervously, talking without stopping. Green hair? Art? Magic? Angel held back from bursting out in laughter , thinking it was sweet-cute in a messy sort of way. She's nervous. And a chatterbox. Good. I can handle chatter.
Angel shifted slightly and felt the train vibrating beneath them. She noticed the girl was looking at her books and didn't even think to stop her. Let her look. I like the curiosity. Better than silence anyway.
Her voice finally emerged, gentle yet passionate , with a typical Dublin lilt that was very pleasing to the ear. "I'm Angel O'Connor. From Dublin. First-year like you, but I doubt that I am more prepared than you." She smiled and shrugged, as if to say We'll figure it out together.
The train rattled along the tracks as it moved, and Angel observed the girl loosening up a bit, giving herself a mental pat on the back . Maybe this won't be so lonely after all, she thought , as she reclined and let the train's rhythm relax her. Maybe it's exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Her gaze wandered to the fields passing by , shrouded in mist. A shiver of delight traveled down her back. Magic, new friends, and untold adventures... Dublin had been home, but this-this could be something extraordinary. Angel felt her lips curl into a grin. And I'm ready for it.

WC: 422