The week was full of preparation, buying supplies needed from off the list from the owl, and of course, excitement for the days ahead at Hogwarts. The day was the most busy out of the week, from trying to find the last of supplies and finding a Platform that was said not to exist, but it all faded faded like a watercolour blur as soon as Elara stepped foot onto the train headed to Hogwarts.

She was later than all the other students who will or is attending Hogwarts. She had some trouble finding the perfect wand for herself in Ollivanders.

She could swear that she looked everywhere for a seat on the train, she didn't really, but after looking at the first row and the second row and the third row and the fourth one, she found the compartments and seats all taken.

At last, she just gave up on finding one free compartment, deciding to just ask one if she could sit with them though she doubted they would let her sit. Still, it was worth a try rather than spending the entire train ride to Hogwarts finding a seat.

Elara hesitant walked up to one compartment. It still seemed to have many seats left for seating, only one occupied seat. She knocked and slide the door open.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?"Her voice didn't give away anything of what she was actually feeling—nervous and hesitant. It masked her emotions perfectly.

Aurelius squirmed as he tried to detach himself from his overprotective mother. She just hugged him tighter until, laughing, Sinead pulled him away. “Come on, Aurelius, you’re going to miss the train!”

Aurelius spluttered at the sheer injustice of this statement. As if it was his fault. But after one last goodbye from his mother, he could meet his sister’s eye and see the mischief in it.

Finally escaping from his mother’s grasp, virtually sprinted away, checking around to see if any of his soon to be peers had noticed. His face flushed red at the thought of being ‘mommies boy’ from day one.

Sinead laughed as she caught up with him. “Easy there! Can’t wait for Hogwarts, or just anxious to get away?” She laughed as she saw my expression. “Ok, ok. I’ll try not to embarrass you on your first day. But, umm…” she trailed off, looking sheepish. “I can’t sit with you. I promised Verity that I’d sit with her today. She really wanted to talk! I’m so sorry, but I really have to go. Bye! Have a nice train ride!”

And she was gone. That was disappointing, but not entirely unexpected. Sinead and Verity were nigh on inseparable, from what he’d heard.

Aurelius pondered his options. He could sit with Zeremen, his brother 5 years his senior, and spend the whole train ride hexed. He could linger outside the train, try to make friends as they entered and risk not getting a seat, or he could get a seat now and try to look inviting to make people come sit with him.

Never the most socially brave, he opted for the latter, and the train started rolling a couple minutes later. Quite soon after, a short girl with short black hair entered the compartment.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?" she said. Aurelius looked up from his book and said in a scholarly, old voice “No of course not! What kind of wizard do you think I am! I need peace and quiet to conduct my research!” Then switching back to his normal voice he said “Of course. Have a seat. Don’t mind me, just having fun.”

@Aurelius O'Connolly

Elara didn't mind the boys' attempt at making fun—making a voice of the eldery to make fun. She seemed to find it quite amusing, though of course, her face could never be read about that and neither would she tell. "Oh, I don't mind." She murmured, her tone smooth and measured. After getting the green light to sit down, she finally stepped fully into the compartment, letting out a quiet, internal sigh of relief. The chaotic noise of the Hogwarts Express corridor had been grating on her nerves.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Elara entered with a slight nod of acknowledgement and gratefulness for the seat. She would've gone mad if she hadn't found a proper place to sit until now, having spent what felt like ages navigating the crowded train cars.

She sat down on the opposite seat of the boy, siting gracefully and soothing out the pristine fabric of her robes after she settled in her seat.Fixing him with a calm, observant gaze, she took a moment to study his expression before introducing herself.

"Elara Hawthorne. Pleasure to meet you," she said, offering a small, polite smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "And, you are..?"

@Elara Hawthorne
“Aurelius O’Connolly. Pleasure to meet you. Now what brings a fine girl like you to this dismal corner of the train? Surely no one turned you down? Or, perhaps, you are too mysterious to reveal your reasons. Well, whatever it is, make yourself comfortable in my humble abode.”

After a moments pause, Aurelius continued, “I’m not normally this weird. I’m just a little stressed.” He paused for a second, thinking over what he just said. “Ok, a lot stressed. It’s just a little scary, leaving home for the first time and knowing the rest of my life depends on today. So, basically, what I’m trying to say is… just tell me to shut up if I get too annoying, ok?”

Aurelius turned away to the window, pulled out his notebook and a quill. Damn, this girl was hard to read. It was impossible to tell whether she thought he was weird or just dumb. He had always thought that he was good, almost too good at reading people, but this was impossible! She had the most neutral expression ever! Taking a deep breath to calm himself he stuck his quill in an ink bottle, wiped off the excess ink on the bottle lip, and started to write.

@Aurelius O'Connolly

"I didn't want to trouble anyone, really, to go around asking people if I could sit with them. Who would want a random girl in the same compartment as them? It'd be awkward nonetheless." Elara waved a dismissive hand at the thought of someone rejecting her to have a seat with them. It wasn't impossible, Elara knew the reason behind why the person might have refused. She was seen as mysterious and even scary to some at first sight anyway.

"Oh, no, it's fine. I do have to deal with the same racket back home, so I'm quite used to this." It was true. Back home, her sister would always try to poke fun at her and her to break her carefully crafted mask of ice just for fun. "I find it amusing actually."

"I'm not usually this talkative. Just trying to maintain a atmosphere where embarrassment won't choke you alive." Elara continued only once the boy stopped talking. Behind the mask of a neutral expression she was dying of embarrassment. At what? Well, she's not quite sure. Her eyes observed his movements, looking at the notebook and quill and taking a mental note. Inside the notebook, she caught a glimpse of one of his story pages but of course it was just a glimpse to read all of it. Besides, it was also upside-down. Suddenly, as if remembering his name, something clicked in Elara's mind. "Your an O'Connolly, right? I've heard of your brother before."

@Elara Hawthorne
Aurelius frowned in confusion from his seat.

"I'm not usually this talkative. Just trying to maintain an atmosphere where embarrassment won't choke you alive."

Who said something like that? He wasn’t actually embarrassed, just trying to keep her from feeling awkward. Keeping all these thoughts to himself, he caught her looking at his notebook and quickly closed the book and put it in his bag.

And then she mentioned Zeremen. His face immediately soured and an instant intense dislike of this girl grew in him. “Oh. Yeah. Zeremen. Yeah, he was a prefect last year, or so I heard.” And with that, and one last glare, he pulled out his notebook, moved it into a position where he was sure she could not read it, and started scribbling. He could feel her watching him but he did not care. Anger boiled up in his chest, but he bottled it up until it was toxic, then let it pour out of him into the words on the page. And from all that anger, a character was born. Never understood, he stewed in constant rage for years and years until the gods above tore everything he had away from him. Homeless, he wandered the land for years, becoming a mercenary, letting his anger fuel him until one day, he made contact with a god. In a moment of deep spirituality, for the first time in his life, he felt truly loved. He then sets out to correct his many mistakes and spread peace and prosperity throughout the land.

Anger cooled significantly, Aurelius still refused to look at the girl, but didn’t hate her quite as much anymore. Eventually, he couldn’t take the awkwardness anymore and got up to leave.

@Aurelius O'Connolly

The sudden shift in the compartment’s atmosphere was almost palpable. Elara watched, her expression remaining perfectly, deceptively neutral as Aurelius’s face soured at the mere mention of his brother. The instant glare he sent her way would have made other first-years flinch, but Elara merely blinked, her eyes tracking his movement as he hastily snatched his notebook and shielded it from her view.

A mistake, she realized internally, a faint pang of genuine embarrassment tightening in her chest.

She sat in silence as he began scribbling furiously into his book. Her mask of ice stayed firmly in place outwardly, but inside, she was actively reprimanding herself for stepping on a conversational landmine so early into the train ride. When he finally stopped writing, his anger seemed to have cooled, but the awkwardness in the air remained thick enough to cut with a knife.

Then, he stood up to leave.

Elara’s neutral expression faltered for just a fraction of a second. She didn't want to spend the rest of the ride searching for another compartment, nor did she actually want him to go. Before he could slide the compartment door open to escape into the corridor, she spoke up. Her voice dropped its rigid, formal edge, softening into something genuinely apologetic.

"I take it you two don't get along," Elara said quietly, looking up at him from her seat. "My apologies for bringing him up. I have an older sister back home—I understand how frustrating family comparisons can be."

"You don't have to leave. I promise to keep my observations to myself from now on. That is if you must leave."