Michael had never been on a train before. He had been almost immediately overwhelmed by the crowd advancing down the corridor. It was so narrow and there were so many people. It almost made him feel like he was back at home with his siblings crowding each other out in the hallways at home. At least none of these people were trying to climb over him or squiggle between his legs to get ahead. He was just being pushed and jostled along. There were just so many of them. Plenty as young as him, but some were almost adults! A whole spectrum of ages and sizes clashing to get to where they needed or wanted to go. The rest of them seemed to have some idea where they were going, but he had none at all!

Quickly, he somehow managed to find an empty compartment and almost fell into it to get out of that claustrophobic corridor. He grabbed onto either seat cushion to stop himself from hitting the floor and managed to get back to his feet. "Jeanie Mac! That was brutal!" He cried out, flailing himself sideways to lay on the backside seat. Staring up at the ceiling, he breathed a sigh of relief, one arm dangling down to the floor, while the other was force cross his front as his shoulder butted against the back cushion.

In that moment, Michael couldn't help that his thoughts drifted back to his family. They were probably all still standing out on the Platform, looking up and down the train for where ever he ended up. They were relentless. Probably wanted to stay until the train set off! Michael arched his neck and stared upside down out the wind, as if he was going to spot them that way. It was really just a haphazard, lazy effort, so he could tell himself that he tried. Really, he just wanted to be off already.

Yeah, it had been difficult to say goodbye to them all. Ma and Da, James and Francis, William, too, and especially little Helen. At the same time, having them all there, yelling and shouting, giving him advice and warm words, it was more pressure on his shoulders. At home, he had always been the responsible one, even as he strove to make everyone laugh. At school, of course they expected him to stay that way. It wasn't as if he wasn't going to do the work. He knew he had to be diligent, but he was looking forward to be able to relax, if only just a little. So, for right now, he would just lay here, staring out the window upside down, just so he could say he tried, but was really just relaxing on the cushioned seat inside this lonely compartment

”Careful, love!” James Knightsworth didn’t really know who he was calling out to, his wife or his daughter, because at the moment, they had both left him to push the cart containing Nena’s belongings as both mother and daughter took off at a slow trot towards the divider between platforms 9 and 10. James had never witnessed the opening to platform 9 3/4 before, but he was no stranger to magical occurrences, so he was more worried about his two girls knocking into other patrons of the train station, and not so much smacking face first into the red brick column. And in fact, they disappeared easily as the bricks magically sweallowed the two of them up, leaving their poor muggle of a father and husband to follow haplessly behind them.

Nena squeezed her mothers’ hand as they emerged onto the magical platform, both of their eyes glittering as they observed the other families. Nena had never been around this many magical folks before, not even when they’d gone to Diagon Alley to purchase her supplies, and her mother, Reina, had never gone to a formal magical school before, so both of them seemed a little star struck. Funnily enough, James the muggle seemed less like a gawking airhead as he emerged beside his family, pushing the cart over to the side of the steam engine train, where the larger trunks were being loaded into the undercarriage. He may have not known how magic worked, but he DID know how trains worked.

”Nena, love, come help, these are YOUR trunks, after all!” he called, snapping Nena and her mother out of their glamour. Nena rushed to her dads aid, handing over the lighter trunks until the cart was empty.

”Ach! My baby will be gone until Christmas!” Reina fretted, pulling Nena into a hug, which Nena tried to protest but couldn’t escape.

Mum, I’ll be back before you know it! he wheezed, finally breaking free, and giving her dad a hug as well, escaping this time before he could trap her in his arms too.

”Knock em dead, love,” her father said, pride shining in his golden hazel eyes.

”I love you guys!” Nena sang, waving to her parents as she climbed onto the train. She would have stayed waving for longer, but other, bigger kids were shoving their way onto the train after her, and she ended up getting partway pushed into the train corridor. Huffing in frustration, she decided it was best to just push on and find a compartment to sit in.

Now, Nena was always the type to make quick friends with other kids her age, but as she peered into each compartment, looking for a place to sit, she found that most either contained much older kids, who she felt shy speaking to, or big groups of people already engrossed in conversation, which she felt awkward just butting into. But at last, she came across a compartment that wasn’t too crowded, and seemed to only have one boy in it, who looked like he might be a first year too. So, throwing open the compartment doors, Nena let herself in, beaming at its single occupant.

”You looked like you could use some company!” she said in an almost sing song voice, plopping down on a seat across from the redhead.

Michael had only been laying down on the seat for a few minutes, looking upside down out the window, when he heard the squeak of the compartment door sliding open again. He picked up his head, craning his neck to see who it was. A girl about his age burst enthusiastically into the compartment, declaring that it looked like he could use some company. Without even waiting for a response, she sat right down across from him. What a forward, friendly girl this was! He liked her already!


Sitting up quickly, Michael swivelled and swung his legs off the seat and set his feet down on the floor where they belonged. This compartment wasn’t a lounge, after all! It had been fine when he was alone, but now that this girl had barged in, it would just be rude to stay like that. She deserved a proper greeting herself!


Now seated appropriately, Michael could get a better look at his sudden fellow occupant. This girl was indeed around his age, hopefully a fellow first year! He didn’t really know anyone, so it would be nice to make a friend already. The fact that she came in here instead of a compartment full of her closest friends told him that she was probably in the same boat in that regard. Her dark skin contrasted starkly against his own ghostly pale complexion. Her hair was a big bushel of dark brown curls on top of her head, thick and strong. But the feature that struck him most were her eyes. They were an interesting sort of almost golden hazel, flecked and rich.


“Fer sure!” Michael confirmed with a smile spread wide from ear to ear, stretching out his freckled cheeks. “Michael Hellings, First Year, happy to meet ya!” He held out his hand for a shake, grinning like an idiot. Excitement didn’t begin to describe his attitude. He had always been able to make friends pretty easily and hopefully this was no exception. “Train’s real crowded, huh? So what’s yer name?” The redhead asked, fixing to know, “You a first year, too?”

Nena beamed as the other boy sat up and seemed just as easier to talk to her as she was to him; she got along with all types but, it was always nice to meet someone just as outgoing and friendly as she was. And no wonder he was sitting alone, he was a first year, like her! He was around her same height, as far as she could tell (he had been sprawled out on the seat, but sitting up, they seemed to be the same size) so she could have guessed as much, but it was relieving to hear.

She recognized his accent immediately, Irish of course, to match his bright red hair and countless freckles. And from the middle of that forest of freckles were two big green eyes, brilliantly green in fact. If Nena’s eyes were gold, this boy’s eyes would be emerald.

Reaching across the compartment, she grasped his hand and gave a sturdy shake, a shake she learned from her father. ‘Always give a firm handshake, it makes a good first impression’ he’d always told her. Clasped together, their hands cut a stark contrast in color, for sure, but the pure outgoing energy outpouring from the two of them was identical.

“Yeah, I’m a first year too!” She answered, nodding, causing her curls, which were swept back from her face by a knotted scarf, to bounce around her face. “My name’s Nena, Nena Knightsworth, it’s nice to meet you, Micheal!” Grinning, she patted the blank space on her robes, where her house insignia would soon be sewn to, once she was sorted. ”No house yet, but I guess that’s gonna change soon? My mum didn’t go to Hogwarts so we didn’t really know what to expect.”

Just then, several older students jostled past their compartment doors, laughing and shoving each other playfully, as one fired off a shower of sparks over their friends’ heads. Nena watched the casual display of magic excitedly; soon, that might be her! ....Hopefully.