The Day Everything Changes
Note: rp partner from the first post deactivated after one message, this starter has been recycled as the original never got the chance to properly kick off.
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September 1st.
Today marks the day that everything changes for Cirrus Mooney. She wouldn't be going to her normal school with her brother; she would be staying the entire year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Cirrus got nervous all the time. She never handled change or stepping out of her comfort zone very well. She was always caught up on the 'what if's, preferring to stay in her little zone of familiarity where she knew it was safe. As such, her twin brother, who was the complete contrast to herself, had titled her a worry wart and teased her immensely for her insecurities. Even the youngest, who could barely string together coherent sentences at his age, was more outgoing than she was.
Her twin was usually the one to give her that little push, that bout of courage that allowed her to seek opportunities that she would never have gone after herself, such as joining her school's music excellence program. But he wasn't here for her this time, her being the only one of the two to get an acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Her parents had work arrangements, being muggles as well, and simply dropped her off at King's Cross Station with their best wishes. Her mother spoke of how excited she was, told Cirrus to stay safe and to write home often. Her father was uncharacteristically eager to just get to work. Her brothers had bid her farewell in the morning before they went to school and daycare, parting with a spine crushing hug and a few tears. She now wanders the train station on her own, with nothing but her trolley of supplies and static in her mind. Where the heck was Platform 9 and 3/4?
Cirrus got nervous all the time. But never like this. The numbing ache of nerves dispersing from her chest was almost crippling, she could barely walk straight. She had felt so nauseous, she couldn't even eat her breakfast this morning. She was entirely overwhelmed by the bustle of King's Cross Station and the situation itself. She'd been here a few times before with her mother when they'd go to see an orchestra, but at least she could hold the hand of her protector like an anchor to reality. Not now. Her hands grip her trolley handle too hard it almost hurt, poorly simulating that same comfort, as she searched for something that seemingly didn't exist.
What if she couldn't find the platform? What if she missed the train? What if she'd just been dreaming the whole thing and 'Hogwarts' didn't really exist and she was having an episode of some kind?
She didn't dare ask anyone for directions for fear they'd think she was mad. She just made an educated guess and drifted around platforms 9 and 10, having found nothing but she kept a watchful eye out for anything that could give her a hint as to what to do. She stood there for a few moments, her nerves only snowballing with each passing second that she remained idle. Just as she was about to bolt and forget the whole thing, she spotted someone with a similar trolley as hers which definitely stood out from all of the muggles with their suitcases and backpacks (and yet, it was not something anyone questioned, nor even glanced at). Cirrus looked utterly bewildered as she watched the person run into the wall between platforms 9 and 10 and disappear into the solid brick. Even after all the strange things she's accidentally made happen over the years with her own magic, she is still astonished to see another person entirely phase through a wall. The only magical being she'd ever met was herself.
Cirrus sees another person do the exact same thing and she figures that that must be how one was to get onto the platform (and also wondering how none of the muggles were seeing people literally disappearing into a wall, although she figured that everyone's pretty busy with their own lives and responsibilities that they don't care much for others). Despite her nerves, she knows she has to try. She thinks of her mother and brothers in this moment, how excited they were for her to be going to 'magic school', as the little one put it. She thinks about what they would want her to do and steels herself. She lines up with the suddenly daunting wall and vanquishes her doubts as she just rushes forward.
Instead of colliding with hard, solid brick like she'd imagined, Cirrus felt a strange and airy sensation as she, like the others, simply phased through the wall. Having emerged on the other side, she is greeted with the sight of a completely different platform that's littered with other children around her age, some a bit older, as well as the vibrant red locomotive labeled 'Hogwarts Express'. She doesn't know whether to be relieved knowing she's not insane and having an episode, or twice as rattled as before knowing she's not insane and having an episode. At least, she thinks she's not.
Today is the day that everything changes for Cirrus Mooney.
Once she boards the train and puts her luggage away, she takes a novel with her in finding a carriage and makes an effort to avoid people. She's small enough to weave through the other kids that seem to have zero spatial awareness, narrowly missing getting clipped by flailing elbows, and finds an empty compartment in one of the carriages. She lets out a tiny sigh as she shuts the door and sits down.
It is here that Cirrus revels in the luxury that is silence. Her nervous adrenaline has dissipated by now and she finds herself to be anchored to the cushioned seat in the aftermath. The compartment has a tranquillising effect, and her mind has shut up for once, she'll worry about what everyone back home is doing later. She peers out the window as the train gets moving, finding solace in the scenery and solitude, the pictures of nature setting a sort of ease upon her. A faint relaxed smile graces her features as she crosses a leg over the other and flicks her book open to the first page, beginning to read.
———————
September 1st.
Today marks the day that everything changes for Cirrus Mooney. She wouldn't be going to her normal school with her brother; she would be staying the entire year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Cirrus got nervous all the time. She never handled change or stepping out of her comfort zone very well. She was always caught up on the 'what if's, preferring to stay in her little zone of familiarity where she knew it was safe. As such, her twin brother, who was the complete contrast to herself, had titled her a worry wart and teased her immensely for her insecurities. Even the youngest, who could barely string together coherent sentences at his age, was more outgoing than she was.
Her twin was usually the one to give her that little push, that bout of courage that allowed her to seek opportunities that she would never have gone after herself, such as joining her school's music excellence program. But he wasn't here for her this time, her being the only one of the two to get an acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Her parents had work arrangements, being muggles as well, and simply dropped her off at King's Cross Station with their best wishes. Her mother spoke of how excited she was, told Cirrus to stay safe and to write home often. Her father was uncharacteristically eager to just get to work. Her brothers had bid her farewell in the morning before they went to school and daycare, parting with a spine crushing hug and a few tears. She now wanders the train station on her own, with nothing but her trolley of supplies and static in her mind. Where the heck was Platform 9 and 3/4?
Cirrus got nervous all the time. But never like this. The numbing ache of nerves dispersing from her chest was almost crippling, she could barely walk straight. She had felt so nauseous, she couldn't even eat her breakfast this morning. She was entirely overwhelmed by the bustle of King's Cross Station and the situation itself. She'd been here a few times before with her mother when they'd go to see an orchestra, but at least she could hold the hand of her protector like an anchor to reality. Not now. Her hands grip her trolley handle too hard it almost hurt, poorly simulating that same comfort, as she searched for something that seemingly didn't exist.
What if she couldn't find the platform? What if she missed the train? What if she'd just been dreaming the whole thing and 'Hogwarts' didn't really exist and she was having an episode of some kind?
She didn't dare ask anyone for directions for fear they'd think she was mad. She just made an educated guess and drifted around platforms 9 and 10, having found nothing but she kept a watchful eye out for anything that could give her a hint as to what to do. She stood there for a few moments, her nerves only snowballing with each passing second that she remained idle. Just as she was about to bolt and forget the whole thing, she spotted someone with a similar trolley as hers which definitely stood out from all of the muggles with their suitcases and backpacks (and yet, it was not something anyone questioned, nor even glanced at). Cirrus looked utterly bewildered as she watched the person run into the wall between platforms 9 and 10 and disappear into the solid brick. Even after all the strange things she's accidentally made happen over the years with her own magic, she is still astonished to see another person entirely phase through a wall. The only magical being she'd ever met was herself.
Cirrus sees another person do the exact same thing and she figures that that must be how one was to get onto the platform (and also wondering how none of the muggles were seeing people literally disappearing into a wall, although she figured that everyone's pretty busy with their own lives and responsibilities that they don't care much for others). Despite her nerves, she knows she has to try. She thinks of her mother and brothers in this moment, how excited they were for her to be going to 'magic school', as the little one put it. She thinks about what they would want her to do and steels herself. She lines up with the suddenly daunting wall and vanquishes her doubts as she just rushes forward.
Instead of colliding with hard, solid brick like she'd imagined, Cirrus felt a strange and airy sensation as she, like the others, simply phased through the wall. Having emerged on the other side, she is greeted with the sight of a completely different platform that's littered with other children around her age, some a bit older, as well as the vibrant red locomotive labeled 'Hogwarts Express'. She doesn't know whether to be relieved knowing she's not insane and having an episode, or twice as rattled as before knowing she's not insane and having an episode. At least, she thinks she's not.
Today is the day that everything changes for Cirrus Mooney.
Once she boards the train and puts her luggage away, she takes a novel with her in finding a carriage and makes an effort to avoid people. She's small enough to weave through the other kids that seem to have zero spatial awareness, narrowly missing getting clipped by flailing elbows, and finds an empty compartment in one of the carriages. She lets out a tiny sigh as she shuts the door and sits down.
It is here that Cirrus revels in the luxury that is silence. Her nervous adrenaline has dissipated by now and she finds herself to be anchored to the cushioned seat in the aftermath. The compartment has a tranquillising effect, and her mind has shut up for once, she'll worry about what everyone back home is doing later. She peers out the window as the train gets moving, finding solace in the scenery and solitude, the pictures of nature setting a sort of ease upon her. A faint relaxed smile graces her features as she crosses a leg over the other and flicks her book open to the first page, beginning to read.
iNPC: Kullervo Ikonen
The Day Everything Changes
September 1st,
Elizabeth stumbled through the brick wall between the two numbers on her torn ticket.
Her mind was often reflected in her walk, so "stumbled" seemed a very appropriate word for this situation.
For the past 2 weeks, she had been dreaming up an imaginary school for her Muggle parents to send her to. All girls.. small.. and very far away. Too far away for any visits. Of course, she would miss them, but the rule book had specifically stated-
No! She was overthinking everything.
The carriage corridor outside the compartments was far louder than she expected. Across from her, a chocolate frog card was beginning to escalate as someone tried and failed to perform a spell, resulting in a grey cloud of gas. Shuffling to the end of the carriage, she found a relatively untouched compartment. Her heart beating loudly in her ear, she slid the door open a smidge, shattering the silence inside with a burst of the outside world. Inside sat a girl. She noticed the book first. Then the way she held it — not casually, but like it was anchoring her. She recognised that grip. She’d been holding onto his own trunk handle the same way earlier.
Feeling awkward, she slipped inside so she could close the door.
Elizabeth stumbled through the brick wall between the two numbers on her torn ticket.
Her mind was often reflected in her walk, so "stumbled" seemed a very appropriate word for this situation.
For the past 2 weeks, she had been dreaming up an imaginary school for her Muggle parents to send her to. All girls.. small.. and very far away. Too far away for any visits. Of course, she would miss them, but the rule book had specifically stated-
No! She was overthinking everything.
The carriage corridor outside the compartments was far louder than she expected. Across from her, a chocolate frog card was beginning to escalate as someone tried and failed to perform a spell, resulting in a grey cloud of gas. Shuffling to the end of the carriage, she found a relatively untouched compartment. Her heart beating loudly in her ear, she slid the door open a smidge, shattering the silence inside with a burst of the outside world. Inside sat a girl. She noticed the book first. Then the way she held it — not casually, but like it was anchoring her. She recognised that grip. She’d been holding onto his own trunk handle the same way earlier.
Feeling awkward, she slipped inside so she could close the door.
Sorry.. you wouldn't mind if I sat here would you?
The Day Everything Changes
Cirrus was deeply immersed in her novel, All Quiet on the Western Front. She had read it many times before, yet she still felt those same joys of having read it for the first time. She'd get attached to the characters and how they develop, still seeming surprised when a major twist in the plot happens, or when a character she likes dies. She'd find great pleasure in discovering new symbols or elements with each time she read it. Her family would say it's a bit of a dark title for a girl her age to be reading, but they'd wholly honestly prefer her to read books, no matter how grim, than be stubbornly stuck to a screen all day every day. It remains her favourite novel, in spite of her brother muttering a 'that silly war story again?' every time he awoke in the middle of the night, peering across their shared room to see her lamp still on, illuminating the words on the pages that she must know off by heart at this point.
Cirrus had gotten only a chapter in before the compartment door slid open to reveal a girl, asking if she could sit with her. Cirrus was startled, having been so focused on the pages of her book that even the roar of the train's engine was mere background noise to her. She could ignore the commotion of a construction zone if she truly desired. As such, she jumped slightly by the sudden presence of another person. She wasn't necessarily keen on company, but she also has no clue why she thought a lone train ride would be possible.
She took a moment to gaze over the other girl, noting her appearance and demeanour, figuring that this person seemed nice enough and didn't have bad intentions. Cirrus also didn't want to be rude in any circumstance, so she kept her response simple.
"I don’t mind." Cirrus murmured with a short nod towards the empty seats before turning her attention back to her book, disciplining herself to not let her eyes wander towards the other girl.
Cirrus had gotten only a chapter in before the compartment door slid open to reveal a girl, asking if she could sit with her. Cirrus was startled, having been so focused on the pages of her book that even the roar of the train's engine was mere background noise to her. She could ignore the commotion of a construction zone if she truly desired. As such, she jumped slightly by the sudden presence of another person. She wasn't necessarily keen on company, but she also has no clue why she thought a lone train ride would be possible.
She took a moment to gaze over the other girl, noting her appearance and demeanour, figuring that this person seemed nice enough and didn't have bad intentions. Cirrus also didn't want to be rude in any circumstance, so she kept her response simple.
"I don’t mind." Cirrus murmured with a short nod towards the empty seats before turning her attention back to her book, disciplining herself to not let her eyes wander towards the other girl.
Reducio
@Elizabeth Provencher OOC: just tagging you in case you don’t have notifications on! (Feel free to owl if you wanna talk outside of the rp 
)
)iNPC: Kullervo Ikonen