[IC] Harry Potter slice of life RP... thing.

[Lost Cause]

11AM, September 1st 2013

The shrill tone of the steam whistle echoed across Platform 9¾ as the magnificent crimson locomotive began to puff out of the station, hauling a rake of similarly carmine-coloured coaches behind it as it began its journey north.

As the Hogwarts Express thundered through the countryside, the newest members of the student body within her coaches were trying to find a space to call their own within the compartments that ran the length of the train.

[Raineh Daze]

In one of the compartments, there sat a lone, white-haired female. From her size, it was clear that she was a first year--or a second year that was a bit delayed in hitting a growth spurt. From the way she was dressed, in cerulean robes that most certainly did not match the required school uniform, it was abundantly clear that she came from a wizarding family--and a fairly traditional one, at that.

Arriving early, September had sequestered herself in this remote compartment, and started flicking through a well-thumbed book of fairy-tales opposite her cat. By now, she was thoroughly bored--but almost all her friends were either older or younger than the pureblood; she had no-one to actually share the ride with. Well, she could always try reading her schoolbooks... but what kind of impression would that make on her first day? She didn't want to be in Ravenclaw! She got vertigo too easily for that.

[Lennon79]

A short bespeckled boy stood by one of the swing doors, his neck poked precariously out the window. As the greys and browns of inner London peeled away into bounding green fields, eyes sparkling in wonder, Alex couldn't help breaking down into a fit of giddy laughter. It was actually happening! After three long months of uncertainty and doubt, here was the proof! He tried not to count his earlier visit to Diagon Alley as such; for all he knew it could have all been an elaborate hoax for You've Been Framed.

Still... it was real.

A shivering snout poked out from his long hood, sniffling at Alex's ear anxiously. The boy looked back over his shoulder, unimpressed by the quivering fluffball. 'I know you're only a baby Fugs, but grow some nadgers. Perfectly safe.' Nevertheless he took the rat's apparent point; hanging out of train windows wasn't the best way to start a new life. He grabbed his kit, slinging his massive rucksack over one shoulder and pressed on down the carriage. Every compartment seemed full; loads of older kids, some his age... no-one he recognised. Alex caught himself, mentally facepalming over his foolishness; he was the only wizard he knew. Might have been a lonely thought if he had taken the time to think about it.

As he got further down the train the compartments started to empty, until he finally found one with only a single occupant. Alex peered in through the glass, uncharacteristically nervous... Might be the first witch his age he talked to. The girl inside seemed to be reading anyway, so hopefully she wouldn't mind him. The boy took a deep breath, adjusted his glasses and slid the door open. 'Excuse me, just gonna nick this here seat.' Alex sat in silence for a while, studiously avoiding the girl's gaze... Something about her unnerved him; maybe the expensive clothes or maybe- 'Is that your cat? Noice!' His young eyes lit up once again as they fell on the seat next to him and the feline residing on it, his nerves completely forgotten. Deep inside Alex's hood, Fugly began shivering again.

[Raineh Daze]

"Aye, tha' she is," September answered, finally closing her book and looking at the person that had intruded on her silence. Brown hair. Glasses. Very much muggle clothes. So, either a half-blood, or a mudblood... not that she was allowed call him that. For reasons far beyond the child's comprehension, 'muggle' was more acceptable. Even though it sounded a hell of a lot more insulting to her...

"What d'yer parents do?" she continued, continuing to fix her gaze on the boy opposite her. Best way to work out someone's blood; it was rather easy to differentiate those with wizarding ancestry just by enquiring after their parents. It was far more polite than asking 'are your parents muggles or not'. Though that didn't help to spot the children of two mudbloods... hopefully she wouldn't meet anyone like that. It would rather spoil first impressions.

[McFazzer]

Aloysius was walking the train compartments he couldn't help but rub his right hand. The bandages and salves made by his father certainly helped, but old habits tended to die hard. Thinking back to the platform where his dad had given him his old notebook where he'd filled out ingredients needed and the method as to how to make the salve, Al became worried.

'What if I can't do any spells right with this bad hand? What if I get thrown out before I even enter the school? Oh dear...' then Al felt a tap on his cheek and his little white kitten, sitting on his shoulder was pawing at him. Al had yet to name the kitten, so he just called the little cat 'Kitty' for now. Feeling positively downtrodden before the train had even left the station, Al's father gave him a small vial. "Al, if you feel particularly bad or glum, have half a mouthful of this. This 'Rosy Tint' got me through some bad days. Oh! Your mother also had these for you" handing over a small pouch of hard-boiled lollies and lollipops. Pilling Aloysius close his father said "You'll be fine, no worries, got it?" with a nod Al headed for the train...

Startled back into reality Al had reached a compartment with just two people. Not wanting to make a gloomy first impression he took out the small vial of his father's 'Rosy Tint' and had just a drop. The effect was instant not only did he feel better, but his vision had gone slightly pink in colour. If Aloysius had access to a mirror he would have seen that his previously blue eyes had gone pink-ish as well. Feeling bolstered Al first knocked poking his head in say "Hello! Do you mind if I sit here for the trip?" stepping in and closing the door behind him, getting his blue jacket stuck in the sliding door "Whoops! Just a sec" with his jacket now fixed he reached for Kitty, but she wasn't on his shoulder, a bit concerned Al checked the hood of his jacket, thankfully finding her there. Now certain that he was making a slight fool of himself Al took out his pouch of lollies asking "Want some?" in a way that sounded like an apology.

[Lennon79]

The girl had quite a thick accent, maybe Scottish? Though he missed the odd word, Alex was confident that he understood her, though he found it a little funny how much her voice contrasted to her exotic appearance. He gave the cat a little tickle behind the ear, marvelling at the amount of freedom that Hogwarts was giving them... Did everyone have a pet? Was this a... magical cat of some sort? His attention turned back to the girl as she asked an odd question. 'My parents? Well...' Maybe that kind of thing was important in the wizarding world...

Alex shrugged mentally, it wasn't as though he minded. '... my Dad's a soldier and Mum works-' He was cut off by the entrance of another boy about their age and turned to him with a grin. 'Sure. More the merrier.' Noting that the boy also had a cat, Alex reached into his hood and gave Fugly a reassuring stroke. 'Uh, yeah. Mum works in an office.' He gave both of them a friendly smile, hoping to make a good impression. 'I'm Alex by the way. Oh, I will! Thanks.' He took one of the lollies from the other boy with a certain glee; sweets were a very rare treat at home. A small part of his mind analysed the two kids, weighing up the best ways to get along with them. Alex couldn't come up with any great ideas just yet, but still... New people were always a fun challenge.

[Rin]

"...I hope this one's empty..."

Nervously, a small blonde girl peered from behind the carriage door, and froze when she saw people inside. Was it too much to ask for even one to be empty? She wasn't good with people, especially people she didn't know... It would've been much better if she could just hide in a carriage by herself, where she could quietly do some reading whilst she waited for the train to reach its destination. But this was the last carriage. What was she going to do now?

Mary had no time to think about this, though, as a screech from the cage held in her hands made her jump in shock. The tiny owl inside had woken up, and was fluttering about excitedly.

"W-wah! B-be quiet, Jayne!" she mumbled in a panic. "They... Th-they'll notice us if... If y-you don't..." But the owl would not heed her pleas, only growing louder and more excited.

[Raineh Daze]

"Why do ye even bother askin'?" September wondered, frowning at the second--second!--boy in muggle clothes to ask if they could join her, then sit down anyway. Was some basic courtesy too much to ask from the mudbloods, or were their parents as brutish as they were mundane? Really, they could have the decency to wait for an answer before taking a seat.

A clattering and flapping at the door showed that yet another muggleborn had somehow found their way to September's compartment, and she was really starting to wonder if she was cursed. Nobody that she even began to recognise, at all? No-one that she wouldn't have to explain everything to? Seemed this trip would be devoted to knocking some sense into a bunch of fools...

"Ye may as well come in, I dinnae think there are any free compartments."

[Psyga315]

Roxy could hear almost everything in her room the day she was accepted into Hogwarts. She hid away from the world with her blanket over her head, yet she was still able to hear the knock on the door and an man introducing himself. She tried not to pay attention, but she eavesdropped on several things, like her incident with the bullies and why she was able to knock one of them down with almost no effort. Eventually, she heard that she was something called a muggle-born and that the magic came from a distant ancestor of hers. She nearly dozed off to sleep until the man got upstairs and entered her room.

"Are you Roxanne Rogers?" The man asked her. His voice was weathered, though not old and withered. Roxy pulled off the sheets and saw a middle-aged man looking at her. "I've heard what happened and I can most certainly tell from how you're shutting yourself away that you're afraid of what you've discovered. I can't cure what you have, but what I can do for you will help you in the long run. You can learn about this magic and how to control it. Maybe you'll come to love it... But only if you wish to know about what you have..." He handed her a letter, then told her the one set of instructions that would change her life forever:

"If you wish to learn and control your magic... then it would be in your best interest to enroll in Hogwarts."

---

Roxy woke up in the seat of a moving train. The seat was a window seat in a compartment by the end of the train. The seat next to her had a pile of books, all required for first-years.

"Hnnn... musta dozed off..." Roxy murmured.

"Hoooooo..." Roxy noticed in front of her a Barn Owl that was currently preening itself in her birdcage.

"Hey, Belle..." Roxy softly spoke as she poked one of her fingers through the bars of Belle's birdcage and used it to stroke the back of Belle's head. That's when she heard chattering. Among the chattering was a thick Scottish accent. She also heard the stammering of what she assumed was a very shy girl and a very noisy owl, its owl's hooting causing Belle to get a bit excited herself as she gave a few hoots too. Seemed the passengers of the Hogwarts Express were beginning to talk amongst themselves. Roxy stretched her arms and gave out a loud grunt. After that, she gave Belle a smile and a look that seemed so soft that it looked like she was still in a sleepy daze.

"Come along, Belle. We should acquaint ourselves with our peers." Roxy said, picking up Belle's birdcage and heading out of the compartment, heading into the hall. There she saw a blonde haired girl with an owl, the very hooty owl that was fluttering about.

"Hello there!" Roxy gave the girl a wave with her free hand.

[McFazzer]

Aloysius was feeling alright, the candy was going alright and he felt buoyed by the Rosy Tint then "Why do ye even bother askin'?" rubbing his left eye trying to try get the pink out of his vision to see the frilly girl next to him. Oh! She must be from a traditional family, or she is taking this wizard and witch thing rather seriously... I better apologize, it would be a shame to leave such a bad first impression Al composed himself and looked at the girl next to him in the eye saying

"I'm so sorry, It was terribly rude of me to sit without waiting for a reply. I made an improper assumption and anything I say to justify it would be simply an excuse. If you truly do have a problem with me being here, I think I can manage to find somewhere else." the clatter and commotion outside caused Al to look and say "Well if it gets too crowded then I may have too" sticking his head into the hall he asked "Would either of you like a lollipop? They change colours when you lick them... well they should... the ingredients are supposed to allow it anyway" staring into space Aloysius tried remembering the exact ingredients he put in the potion he dipped the candy in. Deciding they should change colour he realised he'd skipped important introductions "Whoops! Hi, I'm Aloyisius and these are..." gesturing to the two in the compartment with a look that said 'please, introduce yourselves'

[Lennon79]

If he was honest with himself, Alex got the feeling that he might dislike the Scottish girl. She hadn't even acknowledged his answer, let alone respond; maybe that's just what wizardy types were like? The other boy seemed pretty cool though and it wasn't just because he came bearing sweets; he had a chipper air to him that Alex approved of. His thoughts were cut off once more, this time by a high-pitched shriek from the hallway; whatever it was, it scared the living hell out of Fugly, who tried unsuccessfully to bury himself deeper into Alex's hood.

Out in the hallway was one, scratch that two girls around their age; two rather cute girls, a certain shrewd part of him noted. The Scot, as he as coming to think of her, wasn't half bad either if you could ignore those eyes and her gradually darkening expression... Alex was about to make the first move and invite the girls in, but found himself beaten to the punch by the other boy; so focused was he on his own thoughts that Alex hadn't even registered the boy's remarkably polite apology.

If there was one thing off about the boy, it was that name. Aluwhut? Alex wasn't one to judge, but he wondered if the boy was foreign or came from an odd family... 'Uh, yeah. Hi! I'm Alex.', he piped up as Aloyisius cued them in. 'I guess you guys are first years too, right?'

He flashed a gregarious smile, but a passing thought made him pull his hood a little tighter. Why do they all have pets that eat rodents..?

[GirlOnMarz]

The short first year girl tugged nervously at one of her dreadlocks as she walked with her mom to the platform. Her hair was in its usual state, two ponytails, and the band-aid on her cheek stood out with the Hello Kitty faces covering it. Kendall was extremely fidgety, and wasn't so sure what her experience at Hogwarts was going to be like. Her mom, Tina, looked at her curiously as they reached the platform, and looked at her daughter's ticket. "Is this some kind of joke?" Her mom asked, frowning. Their problems were easily and quickly solved, though, when a family of four ran through the brick column.

"There is no way that I am going to do that, so I guess this is where I say goodbye." Her mom said, leaning down to give Kendall a hug. She just let her mom hug her silently, and hurriedly pushed her cart towards the brick. She would have to hurry if she wasn't going to miss the train.

-

Kendall walked further down the train, peering into all of the compartments to find an empty one. Of course she was one to talk and hold a conversation, and once you got her talking there was no possible way to get her to stop, but she wasn't all too sure about these kids. They all probably knew a lot about magic and the school already, so she didn't want to make a bad first impression. She opened another compartment and stuck her head in, but then stopped when she saw more occupants. She just flashed a smile and shook her head.

"Sorry, I was just looking for an empty one." She said, and then shrugged her shoulders as she continued. That was the same line she used for all of the other compartments that she had just stuck her head into, and she hadn't gotten any nasty looks. That could be a good sign.

[Rin]

It was no use... She'd already been spotted thanks to Jayne. Quivering in fear, Mary was still rather reluctant to take up the other girl's offer to enter the carriage. She didn't sound like a mean person, though... And it was a little reassuring that she wasn't the only Scottish girl on the train, even if her accent was nowhere near as thick as this other girl's.

And then someone piped up behind her, causing her to jump in fright.

"A-ah! Um uh um uh umuhumuh was j-j-j-just going t-t-t-to... To, um, uh... I'vegottagodosomethingbye!" Unable to think of anything to say to Roxy, she rushed into the carriage and tried to take an empty, lonely seat at the back.

[Raineh Daze]

"September Thorburn," September Thorburn said. Her attention appeared to be off of the other people in the carriage and onto her hair... which rapidly darkened to black, whilst her eyes shifted to golden rather than the eerie red of beforehand. She scooped up Antoinette and shuffled to make room for Mary, whilst looking at the other people in the compartment. So, one was at least a half-blood. Better than nothing, she supposed.

"Ye're a muggleborn, ye're a half-blood... an' the rest o' ye?" the metamorphmagus questioned, indicating the correct two. There was no point in giving her parents' professions; only one other person would even know what her mother did, and she didn't want to search through muggle terminology for it.

[Lost Cause]

Allison slowly meandered down the carriage corridor, having already changed into her uniform and house-less plain black robes before she got on the train. She was mostly just looking for somewhere to sit, since she wasn't looking forward to standing for the entire journey. A gaggle of students around her age caught her attention, so she headed their way.

In some ways, she was excited; her mother had told her so many stories about Hogwarts, its mysteries and secrets. In others, she was scared. In the Muggle school they'd had to send her to, she'd been something of an outsider because of the way she acted around the other kids. What if it was the same here, even though she was almost certain to fit in better?

"Um... Hi?" She asked the closest one.

[McFazzer]

As Aloysius sat back down he could feel the Rosy Tint fading fast. His chest felt heavier and the his eyes were almost completely rid of the pink. Flopping heavily into his seat Al let himself get readjusted to normality. Rosy Tint was a bit like a really rich chocolate, if you have too much at once you feel sick, so Al was always careful to not use it too often. Now comfortable as he could hope Al noticed that Miss September's hair had changed, but didn't really care. The magical world had so many different ways to change ones hair that it scarcely was a blip on the radar, but the fact that her eyes changed in conjunction made him take some notice. If she had taken a potion it would have been fine, his eyes went pink while on Rosy Tint after all, but nothing of the sort had been taken... unless she had taken a potion that had worn off satisfying his curiosity, although barely, Al made a note of Miss September's change in the back of his mind and started gazing into empty space with his now blue eyes.

"Um... Hi?" rousing from his doze, Aloysius looked over to the sound source and noticed another young lady had come to join the compartment, Al glanced around and saw that it was getting quite crowded Well, I better make room give her my seat, that's what Mum would tell me to do, but Dad would say it's insulting to simply give something in a way that be considered pity... what should I do?! while his thoughts raged, Al kept a neutral face, perking up when he talked "Hi! I'm Aloysius, could you do me a favor and look after this spot? I better change I suppose. Here" putting his pouch of lollies in the lady's hand "help yourself to these, I'll be back in a while!" With a smile and a wave Aloysius took off to go change with no intention of reclaiming his seat and a legitimate spring in his step, no Rosy Tint required! YES! I managed to offer my seat to the young lady (I even paid her!) and since by taking my seat she's doing me a favor Dad would be proud!

[Psyga315]

"Huh... Strange girl." Roxy muttered. That's when she was offered a lollipop.

"Oh! Thank you!" Roxy grabbed one from Aloysius. However, she stumbled in holding both the lollipop and the birdcage at the same time. "Ah!" She gained balance, though the look on her face showed it wouldn't last long. "Excuse me while I go put my owl away." Roxy retreated back to her compartment and safely placed Belle away.

"Now don't you go anywhere, okay?" Roxy tapped Belle's head with the tip of her index finger. Belle responded with a hoot. Roxy smiled and went back to Aloysius and his friends.

"Sorry about that... I should learn to better balance myself... Heh..." Roxy sheepishly giggled. She heard a Scottish accent belt out of the compartment, asking her a question.

"Ye're a muggleborn, ye're a half-blood... an' the rest o' ye?" Roxy blinked for a bit. Muggleborn? Half-Blood? What was this girl talking about? "Hm... I'm... Um..." She couldn't find the right answer. The best she could do was inch into the compartment. She worried that it'd get cramped up. A girl came by and the lollipop giver took leave. It reminded her to take one lick from the lollipop. She proceeded to lick the candy on a stick. To her surprise, it changed color. Suddenly, the question on whether she was a muggleborn or a half-blood left her head.

[GirlOnMarz]

Kendall finally found an empty compartment and took a seat near the window. She fidgeted in her seat and twirled her thumbs as she waited for what seemed like ages, but she knew that only a few moments had gone by. What was Hogwarts going to be like? It was already bad enough that she was just now getting used to England, but now she would have to adjust completely to a whole new life and world that she didn't even know existed. She had read some of the books that she had to get for the year, and found out that they would have to be sorted once they arrived. The options were Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. She hadn't really put much thought into this, though, because it wouldn't really be her decision. It would all be up to the Sorting Hat, whatever that was. After sitting for a while more, she realized that she hadn't yet put on her school robes. She quickly got up to change, butterflies in her stomach.

-

She sat in her seat again, her head leaning against the window. She then started to slowly doze off.

[RumikoOhara]

Selini sat as her mom rushed about their small yet crowded home. Sito her favorite snake was snuggled on her arm soaking up her body heat as he digested the two baby garter snakes he'd eaten earlier.
He was not the only snake present in their home in fact he was one among nearly 100 many of them deadly poisonous. Selini thought it funny how many people who came by for a rare potion or antidote thought them creepy or that her mom an she were gifted with Parselmouth.
They missed the fact that snake venom was used to relieve the pains of old age in the joints or could counter the effects of paralysis. Poisons had many interesting uses her mother was fond of telling her daughter as Selini stood near helping her by fetching the various jars and boxes of components.
Selini was proud of her mother's work and thought that in ll the wide world there could be no equal to her in the brewer's art.
Selini had grown up with only her mother because her father had died when she was very young, in fact too young to remember him at all. She knew his family for they were from the old country as they called Greece and there they were renowned brewers themselves but their product was Ouzo, Tsipouro and Metaxa not potions.
They had wanted her to attend the Hecate school of maidens in Thessaly but her mom had resisted pointing out that Hogwarts was a much more prestigious school even if Hecate was 1,000 years older.
Her mom suddenly stopped and spun round and embraced Selini saying in the old tongue

My sweet Moon Child póso tha prépei na chatheí apó ti̱ mi̱téra sas, den boreíte na fantasteíte
(My sweet Moon Child how much you will be missed by your mother you can't imagine)

Selini blushed as she tried not to cry all the while melting in her mommy's arms. Few would believe that Kardiá Aimafo̱tiá could be so affectionate but few knew of how much her only child meant to her.
Sighing deeply Selini whispered in her mommy's ear

I̱ thálassa vrísketai metaxý mas, allá sti̱n kardiá mou tha parameínei
(The sea stands between us but in my heart you remain)

She says quoting the farewell of Juniper to her daughter Neria as she moved across the sea from athens to Lycia to establish the new temple to Aphrodite.
This makes her mom nearly crush her and begin talking foolishly about keeping Selini home so that she can protect her from the cruel world.
Once her mom calms down and let's her go she begins fussing over things once more which makes Selini giggle. Not very often is her mommy this silly, it's almost as if she were about to cross the sea to Lycia never to return.
This thought makes Selini sad once more but she fights back the urge to show it less she begin a cycle that will make her late for the Hogwart's express
Finally packed her mom summoned transportation for the two of them and the mountain of luggage that Selini had to take.
Soon she and her mom stood on platform 9 an 3/4s saying their goodbyes as so many other parents and children were saying goodbye.
Selini noticed that some of those present were looking at her and her mother with mixed emotions but mostly shock and some with fear an a few of those ushered their children away as if they were protecting them.

Mommy why are.. says Selini before her mom puts a finger to her lips and says

Small minds live in small worlds her smile as soft and motherly as any woman there

Now hand him over I know you've hidden Sito on your person and you know that they won't let you keep him at Hogwarts asks her mom as she holds out her hand
Selini fishes under her jumper and draws out her snake an hands him to her mom after kissing his colorful head. This action seems to electrify those still nearby as moms and dads act as if Sito were dangerous. He is a banded King Snake not a Coral snake as many mistake him for and even were he the latter they aren't truly dangerous when handled correctly

Her mom giggles as she slips Sito in her bag then brushes Selini's wild hair from her eyes so she can kiss her forehead.

Don't worry my lovely I'll take care of Sito an you'll see him again soon enough. Now hurry to the train and find a compartment before they're all taken says her mom as she pushes her daughter like a fledgling out of the nest and into flight.

Selini put on her most stoic face and boarded the train an as she was among the first to do so found an empty compartment with ease. Sitting down she thought about what lay ahead and what it meant in her life. She would so be allowed to practice magic and best of all she'd be able to become a brewer like her mom.
Selini doubted that whomever taught potions could match her mother's skill but they did have one thing her mother lacked and that was permission to teach her.
The ministry of Magic's permission was an important thing even if it was in Selini's estimation a dumb thing.
To do what she was born to do Selini had to submit herself to the indignity of being ridiculed and sorted. Sorted into a house, categorized by some smelly old hat that was thought an expert on the children presented to it. She could really careless about the house structure and what being in one meant so long as in the end she was a potion brewer and one that was respected by any who bought her wares and feared by those that thought to cross her.
She also knew she'd have to endure the ridicule of older students and those of different houses. She'd have to keep her tongue and only use each subject of abuse as a lesson in the stupidity of children an peers.