New experiences PV: Smudge Grinmer

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𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓. 𝟏𝐬𝐭
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

ℛustles of Smudge’s too-short, dark washed jeans stalk her as she treads heavily through the new experience. It was odd; Magic, or whatever it was. Smudge likes everything in control with her hands, her body and her strength but in a landscape where oddities seem everyday occurrences nothing was in her control. Smudge continues to stamp her scarred-torn converse through the narrow of the old-timey train, figuratively begging on her knees for an empty carriage just for her and her only. Head turning to the side, Smudge thinks she finally has discovered what she’s been wanting. Thick hitches of breath fogged through the glass of seemingly empty space of cushioned seats Smudge only recognises from long train trips in London with her father. Taking her chance, she raises a long toned leg to kick the sliding door open with a jagged crunch.

Smudge’s eyes clock up, seeing a small girl she’d assume of only 5 feet rummaging through her bags. Was she muggle born like her? Smudge thinks to herself as she clears her throat in trepidation, only now noticing how distinctly muggle her attire was.

“…— Crap, thought this carriage was empty.” Smudge jeers only to herself, noticing her scarred knuckles turning a dark blue as she grips her cheap school-supplied trunk holding only the little belongings she had of back home.

(wc 227/1,292 char.) || 02/02/2026 || int. w/ @Smudge Grinmer

Daphne blinks as she sees the girl, staring for a moment too long as she deciphers what to say. She had a resting... 'annoyed' face, the corners of her lips perpetually resting downwards and her eyes missing any sparkle of interest.

One of her eyes twitch absentmindedly, and someone who would read too far into things may find it a sign of displeasure. She simply felt something on her cheek.

The young girl looks the stranger down, naturally criticizing (what she thought to be) her choice of clothing for the train ride. It was so distinctly Muggle, you'd think this was Platform 9.

Her grandmother's words echo in her mind, scrutinizing every last article of clothing, the placement, the unkemptness of it. Years of critique that'd been directed at her for as long as she could remember.

Kerberyx looks back up to meet the other girl's eyes and against her better judgement she just gives a sharp, almost imperceptible nod to the other side of the car, silently allowing the other girl to sit with her.

She better not regret that decision.

Daphne refuses to look at her anymore, making haste in continuing to rummage through her bags, now privately counting the money she was given to go to Hogwarts. She hadn't said a word yet, the only sound coming from coins clinking together in her bag.

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𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓. 𝟏𝐬𝐭
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝒮mudge nods as she tries to understand the girls approval, yet happy for someone that would seemingly be quiet unlike other carriages filled with loud jeers. She shares an ungrateful raise of her dark brows as she tries her hardest to select her words carefully. “Whatever, the other carriages are full anyway.” She rolls her eyes, lunging her trunk to the cushioned seat with a rough throw. Smudge’s dark puffy drills of brown hair perk as she slouches herself against the cushioned seats, her hands dangling down by her ankles. By now, the train was beginning to screech with its final call. Smudge started to realise how close they were in the moment, she hates being close to others especially another girl. Her eyes shift up to the girl as she realises she hasn’t even asked her name.

Smudge repositions her back firm to the wall letting her legs scramble and lean over her battered brown trunk. “Are you broke or somethink’ ?” Her cadence is thick with her casual Londoner tone and her voice squeaky with the early stages of puberty. “You were counting your money … — “

Smudge looks to the side, watching the other girls’ face with with a confused raise of her upper lip. “Whatever, it’s not like I’m one to judge. I’m… Muggle — Or whatever you call it — born, after all.”

(wc 251/1,346 char.) || 02/03/2026 || int. w/ @Smudge Grinmer

Daphne's somehow already regretting this. I mean, that has to be some kind of a record to earn her displeasure before the girl even sat down.

She jumps a bit at the thud of the other's luggage hitting the leather seats, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to regulate her emotions. She was not going to cause trouble before they even got to campus.

Daphne slowly opens her eyes to get back to counting until she hears the squeaky voice of the girl sitting across from her again.

There's a still in her movements for a moment before she looks up with a glare as the other girl asks her about her money.

["Are you broke or somethink'?"]

Her eyes narrow with distaste at the girl's question. How does one reasonably come to that conclusion? Who does she think she is?

"Yeah, it's none of your business." Daphne finally speaks in response to the Muggle comment. Her voice is deeper than most her age, and if she weren't looking so annoyed with everything you could almost call her tone soft.

However, her glare could melt ice. She doesn't even raise her head to look at the other girl, just peers up behind her lashes.

"And by the way, you might not want to be going around telling people that like it's small talk."

Kerberyx finally looks back down to her bag, muttering under her breath as she counts the sum of the coins she brought with her.

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𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓. 𝟏𝐬𝐭
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝒮mudge growls back at the posh-ened girl standing before her, she was just the kind she hated.

[“Yeah it’s none of your business,]

The look on her face she claims whilst she utters those words made Smudge’s stomach churn with anger — No, she couldn’t get in a fight before the school day even started. Rocks began to violate against the train as it came to start, intensifying Smudge’s grime building up in her.

[“And by the way, you might not want to be going around telling people that like it's small talk.”]

“Why the hell not? It doesn’t define me.”

Smudge reply was almost immediate, losing that nonchalant persona she frequents.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist! — God, Learn to live a little if we’re going to this school together.”

The girls face reminds of the people that drives her to the darkest of places, whether it was Rosiette or the prim-faced teachers that nosed their way into Smudge’s mind itself. To be frank, it pissed her off. Smudge had already gotten a taste of those people in this new society. Lip raised, odd fashioned freaks with an ego higher than their Halloween looking hats. She wouldn’t accept another one of them treating her as runt-ish being a fresh face.

“Whatever, it’s not like I’m staying there long anyway.”

Smudge’s mind was already conjuring an escape plan, a way out of this mess back to her backstreet friends back home. If every encounter she found herself in at this school would be like her, she’d rather jump out the damn train.

(wc 223/1,204 char.) || 02/03/2026 || int. w/ @Smudge Grinmer

Daphne's brow furrows at the sharp tone from the other girl. She was actually being somewhat civil for once, and yet this girl was taking it personally. Even being defensive about it.

As soon as that phrase leaves her mouth Daphne's face practically freezes over. She did not just say that to me.

"...Excuse me?" Daphne all but strains out.

She'd maybe heard that phrase spoken once and it was from a person she'd very much rather forget. Hearing it from this girl who was treating her like she had just called her a slur was less than pleasant.

"And I didn't say that. I'm giving you a bit of insight on this school, people are going to treat you like it does define you." Daphne huffs, then closing her money bag with a bit more force than needed. "You're welcome, by the way." She adds with an offended huff. She was already getting riled up and the train barely started moving.

Call me broke for next to no reason and then tell me how to act in a wizarding school as a Muggle. Daphne figured she had to have jinxed herself when she prayed to not regret letting the girl on the car.

She looks over at that last comment.

"Not staying there that long?" She questions, brows furrowing in confusion. "Elaborate."

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𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓. 𝟏𝐬𝐭
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝒮mudge narrows her eyes at the girl as she combats her remarks, or at least what Smudge thought were combative after she assumed so much of the her.

["And I didn't say that. I'm giving you a bit of insight on this school, people are going to treat you like it does define you.]

Her body stiffens as she says that, she didn’t even know what the word meant let alone knew it was something ought to be ridiculed for or embarrassed about. Smudge’s persona had never left her ashamed in the muggle world … the real word as she thinks. Smudge softens her gaze a little, letting her brows straighten. She thinks about growing up black and the discrimination she had to deal with back then. Growing up that way strengthened her, yet going back to a state familiar to that experience would be more than difficult.

Deep in thought, the girls words flutter by like background static of a record. Smudge hardly could pay attention and was beginning to feel unwell from the motions of the shaking train. Don’t be a baby Smudge, she affirms to herself.

[“Elaborate.”]

Hearing those words, she regenerates herself back to her casual state. She’s Smudge, the back-street girl not afraid of a fight ready for anything that comes her way. You isn’t going to be a child much longer, you need to toughen up. With a sharp chuckle and an unsure smirk she continues talking.

“This whole … society you call it or whatever. It’s easy to escape. I’ve escape plenty trouble before y’know? I’m tough as a button.”

Smudge quickly realised to herself a button wasn’t tough in the slightest.

“I’m sure I’ll be back to my gang back in Islington in no time!”

(wc 263/1,497 char.) || 02/03/2026 || int. w/ @Smudge Grinmer

....Tough as a button. Daphne repeated to herself in her head before Smudge continued speaking. She scoffed a laugh, a brow raising.

"Oh, how cute." The condescending words came out of her mouth before she could stop them. "You think you can escape Hogwarts. Without penalty, much less."

Daphne thinks for a moment before exhaling a soft sigh.

"Listen. This isn't whatever you think you're used to. You've never been around magic besides your own involuntarily. Wizards know things Muggles can't even comprehend, how do you think you were even sent an owl?"

The girl crosses her legs.

She could care less about the girl's skin color or even her blood status. She found debate on that worthless and a waste of time. But she was going to be stuck with this other person for a couple hours or so, she might as well try to help them out.

Although her methods were nothing less than blunt and harsh.

"Think these are just parlor tricks? You're gonna find more intimidating beasts in the school sanctioned areas than anything at a Muggle Zoo. And that's not to mention what's outside of the place. You better straighten yourself up or you're going to embarrass yourself and likely your entire house."

With that Daphne stares for a moment, an almost imperceptible flicker of doubt in her eyes as she analyzes her own words, then after a beat too long making the silence uncomfortable she shifts, going back to rummage through her bag with a furrowed brow. It was the most emotion she really ever showed facially.

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𝐒𝐄𝐏𝐓. 𝟏𝐬𝐭
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

𝓐 normal child would’ve taken the girls advice, but Smudge is very far from ordinary. She’s ignorant, and hates being told around. Still, she starts to feel some respect and maybe even admiration for the girl, even if she doesn’t even know her name yet. She clearly knows a lot more than Smudge ever could about this magic stuff.

["Listen. This isn't whatever you think you're used to. You've never been around magic besides your own involuntarily. Wizards know things Muggles can't even comprehend, how do you think you were even sent an owl?"]

At this, Smudge lets out a deep sigh. She feels useless, like how she felt in her school classes. Smudge tightens her lips and turns to lean back against the cushioned wall.

["Think these are just parlor tricks? You're gonna find more intimidating beasts in the school sanctioned areas than anything at a Muggle Zoo. And that's not to mention what's outside of the place. You better straighten yourself up or you're going to embarrass yourself and likely your entire house."]

Smudge’s eyes widens as she hears the girls outburst, she feels numb and struck paralysed in her seat. She could do nothing but keep her slick tongue quiet.

“I don’t even know what a house is at this school … — Look I’m not much for school pride y’know?”

Smudge rolls her eyes dramatically, turning herself towards the window. Her tongue is coated with sarcasm as she speaks.

”I don’t even know anyone here, not even you.“

Smudge locks eyes with her. She wasn’t much a social butterfly but her reputation always made her name go around.

“I doubt this prestigious school wouldn’t ‘ick me out the first few days, do you even understand me?”

Hot summer air of the cabin causes fresh sweat to glow on Smudge in the heated moment, her textured brown hair coiling from the moisture.

“You wouldn’t understand would you?”