The Hogwarts express was packed like a sardine can with people, from first years like her, ready to go home for their first summer holidays and have fun with their families to seventh years who would be leaving, delighted that school was finally over for them and that they never had to come back.
Jay on the other hand was staring wistfully at the castle out the window of the compartment she was in, wishing that she could have stayed instead of having to go to Japan to see her dad. Some might say the trip was going to be fun or enjoyable and that she was just making a big deal out if it but Jay just wanted to go home.
As the train started moving and soon Jay lost sight of the castle and Hogsmead as the train made its way back to London. You could easily loose track of time as the red train sped past the countryside, the soft sounds settling into peace.
Students chattering, muffled by the doors on each compartment, the clack clack clack of the train as it sped over the track and the occasional chirp from her ferret. Jay eventually felt at peace even though she had no one to talk to.
Although the upside to that was that now, Jay could read in peace and quiet. Whenever she tried to read in the common room there was always some weird situation going on, from heated chess matches to first years playing with the fire pit and accidentally singeing the carpets.
She missed it, the chaos of Hogwarts and all the fun she had, she remembered the shouting match the last time she was on the train, the first time she met her roommates and her new friends. Jay mentally ran through a list of who she could call a friend and to her delight (not that she would admit it) she had more than she arrived with.
Funnily enough, two of them were named Skylar and the other was Rosy, she had met Skylar Blue through a series of unfortunate circumstances that turned out to be quite unserious and funny when the two girl got involved, one even got them sent to the hospital wing.
Skylar Astor was her roommate and they had only bonded recently, Jay found out the girl liked plants and herbs, just like herself. Skylar had helped bleach Jay’s hair when she was feeling it needed a change and ever since then the two girls had been quite close.
Rosy was someone Jay had met randomly at a tea shop in Hogsmead a while ago, Jay had gone in to ask if they had tea leaves and instead ordered tea, she distinctly remembered the tea being a rose tea. Surprisingly the tea was amazing and she and Rosy had a good talk, another surprise for that day was that Jay finally felt heard by another student.
Soon the lady with the snack trolly rolled up and Jay slid open the compartment door to buy some sweets for the journey. She handed over a gallon and in exchange she got a handful of snacks to eat. She gave Nacho a pumpkin cauldron to chew on while she snacked on a bag of chips, staring out at the countryside fly past until she dozed off without warning, her head leaning gently against the cushioned seats.
When she woke up, Jay recognised her surroundings, she was getting closer to London. With a heaving sigh she stood and lifted a sleepy Nacho and his half eaten pumpkin cauldron into the pocket on the inside of her jacket before pulling down her luggage. She had no one to meet at the platform so no one would miss her if she stayed and waited for everyone else to leave the train first before she made her way out.
After a few moments of thinking she decided to wait, her plane flew out tomorrow afternoon anyways so she had some time to kill in London. She even considered going out to Diagon Alley to get some ferret food or the Leaky Cauldron for a coffee, only Athena knows she needed one.
As the train pulled up into the station Jay watched as students piled out onto the platform, greeting families, pets and friends. Jay watched through the window slightly jealous of them but she shook her head to dismiss the thoughts. It was just eight weeks, then she would be back with Sunny. At home. Her real home.
Her dad had argued that since he hadn’t seen Jay he should have her for the whole holidays but she had pointed out she needed to go to Diagon Alley anyways as well as wanting to see her mum. He had agreed but Jay would have to be with him over Christmas holidays and Easter holidays if necessary he had said in his latest letter.
She had all of the more recent letters, the ones she didn’t burn at least, scrunched up in amongst her school books in her trunk. She had debated burning them but decided to keep them, for what reason she had no clue.
Soon enough nearly all the students were off the train and Jay saw that as her signal to get off the scarlet train engine. Dragging her luggage with no particular emotions showing through, she exited the train, making sure to keep her head down and out of sight from others.
Just make it to coffee, everything will be fine after coffee
