[IC] Hogwarts: Ignition - Year One

[Eyeris]

Leaves in shades of crimson, yellow, and orange littered the grounds of Hogwarts, signaling the changing of the season and the start of a new school year. Faculty rush to complete plans and add the finishing touches before the students, old and new, arrive. One would think from the cheerful mood upon of the grounds that the battle of Hogwarts, where so many great wizards and witches had died, was only a dream… or a nightmare. Professors and headmasters alike exchanged greetings, congratulations, and praise. They were all excited for the arrival of the Hogwarts Express. Meanwhile, that very train waited on platform nine-and-three-quarters at Kings Landing Station. The train roared it’s heavy engine, while witches and wizards gathered around it’s red exterior bidding their families goodbye and gathering their belongings. It would be a long journey, it would seem longer for the first years! Timid and curious things! Most of the older students had already found their friends. They gathered close to their trusted companions, while the first years seemed a bit lost in the haze and glory. Kind adults and older students nudged them in the right direction when needed. The young ones would get the hang of things soon enough, and perhaps next year they could pass the same kindness along to the next generation of students. Tradition has always been important at Hogwarts. It was closing in quickly on the time for the train to depart and the loud whistle signaled to everyone that what they were to leave this instant! The remaining people hurried onto the train and found a compartment of people to sit with. Once all aboard the train began to smoke, pulling forward steady as a sea of heads and hands stuck out the windows, waving goodbye to their loved ones. This would be a year at Hogwarts they would soon not forget.

[Gisk]

A fair haired family passed through the barrier into Platform Nine and Three Quarters. The first, an eleven year old girl, came in with excitement, the other two followed tentatively, apparently not sure that they could get through the solid wall. Charlotte's parents tried to follow behind her as she went from group to group, in absolute awe of the fact that everyone here was a witch or a wizard. "Are you a witch?" she'd ask, to which she would receive a variety of answers from a variety of different temperaments. Even the least friendly(mostly parents of pureblood students) didn't dampen her spirit. What did slow her was the last person she asked, who was in fact, a muggle. "Oh," Charlotte answered, smile fading. She felt a little bad, and walked away awkwardly. She made her way back toward her parents and made sure to get a hug and kiss from each. They were sad to see her go, but she was too excited to start missing them yet. Charlotte boarded the train, hauling a good sized trunk behind her, and trying to keep her back straight as barn owl rested on her shoulder. She found a compartment early and went in, dropping her trunk under a chair. Indie flapped off of her shoulder and landed on the overhead luggage rack, looking benignly down at the compartment. Charlotte, meanwhile, sat on a chair and started kicking her legs impatiently, occasionally pulling her wand out and playing with it. When she waved the Sycamore rod it would spray yellow sparks harmlessly, and to her immense joy, and she would put it back away into the pocket of her jeans.

[Apoalo]

"Come on Mom! Come on Dad we're going to be -LATE-." On the steps of King's Cross station a young boy around 11 seemed to be practically dancing up and down with excitement, a huge grin on his face and a spark in his eyes. Still struggling up the ramp with a cart a man and woman just shook their heads at each other and after catching up the their son put an arm on either side of him as they walked in. The three didn't get a single glance as they made the walk to platform 9. To be honest they looked like any other muggle family. Being raised as such for sure helped blend in, and to be honest Chandler was glad. He watched a few others run into the wall and gulped before his father bent him down and whispered to him. "Now THAT looks like fun son." He winked at him and patted him on the head before giving the boy a hug. His mother on the other hand was a bit more dramatic moving his hair around trying to savor every last sight of him before he left for school. She did her best to not cry in front of him and instead finally gave him a big hug and made him promise to write to her at least once a week. Of course to escape the public affection Chandler promised and situated his shirt. In the end he gave his mom a hug back and smiled at them once more before taking a deep breath and running right at the wall. He tried, he really did try not to close his eyes but instinct took over and he did. The sight he saw when he opened them however was one of the best he could have ever imagined. He stood wide-eyed and in shock at the bustle and hustle and in so doing was sent flying by the next trolley that came out of the wall. He mumbled an apology and got his things back together ignoring the irritated meowing of his kitten and pushed himself to the beautiful train. Some older students helped him with his luggage and after taking Castiel from her cage he smiled and thanked them for the help before stepping into the corridor. "Time to make friends I suppose." He thought to himself. He didn't walk for long before coming to a compartment that was totally empty. He sighed and scooted in with his smaller suitcase stuffed beside him near the window. He watched the rest of the kids arriving wishing his parents would have come with him to the platform, but who knew if they even -could-.

[TheHangedMan]

Julius walked (read as: ran) around energetically, his eyes practically sparkling as he took in the Platform 9^3/4. He would stare at everyone's pets, and compare them to Rocky (Rocky was the better one, of course) or run towards the nearest concessionaire and gawk over the magical items being sold, then beg his mother to buy him one (she said no) and once even brought out his wand to see if that spell he'd read from his Defense Against the Dark Arts book would work. His dad snatched it away from his hand before he could even point it. "No spells until you get to the school," he said sternly. "I'd tell you to avoid doing it outside of adult supervision there as well, but from what your mother has told me, Hogwarts is incredibly lax with when you can use spells there, so I'll save it." He expertly twirled Julius's wand around like a knife, before handing it towards him. Taking his wand back, Julius gave a wide grin. "Don't worry too much Dad, I won't cause trouble . . ." "Much." His father finished his sentence for him deadpan. Julius grin got wider. His mother sighed. "Just . . . don't get into too much trouble, okay? And especially no challenging anyone to duels! You know how I hate that!" said his mother, patting down his hair and flicking her wand to keep it neat. "I'd win anyway~!" "That is besides the point!" Sighing, his mother patted him on the head, before drawing him in for a hug. "Do your best out there, okay? I know you'll make me proud." Julius hugged her back with a cheeky smile. "Don't I always?" Afterwards, the boy picked up his things and boarded the train. Once inside, Rocky the pug began running around in circles and Julius was doing the same. "Oh man this is gonna be fun~!"

[Ink-berry]

This was turning out to be a rather odd day for Alaric Keto, and the boy wasn't a fan of it. Sure, he was excited for Hogwarts and all, but... something seemed off about this place. The first person Alaric had talked to, as he found out, was a mudblood. And the second was a half blood. And so was the third. And the fourth. And, as he found out soon enough, an alarmingly large portion of the witches and wizards there were either mudbloods or half bloods. Wasn't Hogwarts supposed to be a more respectable school? (Maybe Durmstrang would've been better. Actually, now that he thought about it, Durmstrang definitely would've been better by tenfold.) ...There was definitely something off about this place, though. Alaric rubbed his sore cheek, which was starting to blossom into a particularly bright shade of red. (Someone had evidently got angry when he'd asked them if they were a mudblood.) Ridiculous, he thought rather indignantly, Those filthy mudbloods won't even admit they're mudbloods. How was I supposed to know they'd get offended for no reason? The boy grumbled a little as he boarded the train, eyeing the other passengers rather suspiciously. (He'd definitely have to keep a close eye out if he wanted to avoid the mudbloods, alright.) Alaric gave his parents a half hearted wave as the train pulled out from the station, pressing his face against the window. The boy almost expected to see his brother there, actually, maybe grinning goofily and waving to him, flapping his arm around like an idiot. Too bad he... isn't here, he thought rather wistfully, Archie loves crowds. They're "lots of fun", or so he says. He didn't receive many letters from his brother anymore - his work kept him quite busy, as he knew - but Alaric couldn't help but feel a little pang of nostalgia as he watched the other first years' siblings say their goodbyes. And now he was just seated on the train, he guessed, back straight and a slightly awkward frown on his face. Alaric leaned back onto the seat like it would provide some sort of protection from all the filth around him, face more than a little pale. This was, obviously, going to go just great.

[Avanhelsing]

"Move it, Shrimp! You're gonna be late then you can't go to school!" A tall blonde haired boy yelled at a boy who looked very similar to him. The other boy was tall for his age and if his family was any measure he was going to be even taller. Since his entire family looked the same he was going to. The boy was a bundle of nerves since for once the trip to King's Cross was for him and not just his brothers. For years he had been dragged to the Platform and having to watch them leave while he stayed at home. Now it was his chance to go. "Oi! Ryan enough of that!" The boy's father yelled back at his sons. " There is no reason to be worried Jake. You'll be fine. Your mother and I will mail you whenever you want." The man told his youngest son. Jake gulped and kept pushing his trolley. As he did he reached over and scratched the ears of a large black cat that was sitting on his bags. Martin, the cat, was going with him so he had a friend already. The cat only seemed to like Jake so he decided to take him to Hogwarts with him. Then they were there. Jake waited till his family was through and quickly pushed his cart through the wall and there it was. The Hogwarts Express sat there expelling steam and looking exactly as it always did. He smiled as he picked up Martin as his bags were taken onto the train. His parents hugged him as his brother got on the train. "Be good Jakey." His mother said when it was time to go. Jake ran onto train grinning ear to ear as he did so. It was great to be here. He looked around holding Martin to his chest. The cat seemed to be okay with all of this noise and yelling. So he then noitced a boy running around like a madman. Clearly this kid was not a generation kid, like Jake was. He looked over at the kid. "Uhh why are you running around the halls? There are perfectly nice compartments if you want to sit?" He offered the boy pointing at an empty one. "I'm Jake by the way." He said as he sat down. "You're the oldest of your family, aren't you?" He guessed as Martin glared at the pug.

[TheHangedMan]

Julius just grinned at Jake. He was looking around the apartments and the different people and generally just exploring. Apparently, the train was also bigger on the inside than it was on the outside! Well, at least that was the feeling he was getting. "Why sit down when there's still so much to see?" said Julius. "Although, now that you've invited me, I think it's only right I take you up on that!" The boy walked over to the seat in front of Jake and flopped down sloppily. Rocky followed in after him, his large beady eyes staring unblinkingly at Martin. Julius did a little stretch then placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his hands. "So, I'm guessing this is your first year here too, right?" he said. "Nice ta meetcha, I'm Julius Mars Hillshire! You are?"

[Prints Avoid]

"Go ahead and go first. It's your day after all!" Tidus called back to Nolan from the front of the group. The eleven year old had insisted on pushing his own luggage cart. He gave a light scowl in Tidus' direction but the young man merely chuckled, "People are gonna get the impression you don't want to be here." The boy smiled at this, "Yeah, yeah whatever. Just don't know why you had to come. I didn't need a whole crowd to see me off." "Nonsense, son. You've faithfully come and seen everyone off. The least they can do is do the same," Thomas said. The older man's age was starting to show, particularly in his hair, but his attitude showed no hint of weakness or frailty. "I'm sure Gus would have joined us too if he was here." He ruffled his youngest son's hair and patted his back gently nudging him along. Nolan stepped through the barrier onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters, the scarlet engine taking his breath away as it had done every year past. The general sound of the train station changed instantly, with all sorts of bangs and whistles and cries of strange pets filling the air. The smile returned to his face once more, this time with a much greater feeling. He was finally going to get to go. Today was his day indeed. Roy followed in behind him, his own luggage cart holding the boys' owl, Fletch, who was clearly not enjoying this day. Judoc, Tidus, and their parents soon followed. The boys loaded their luggage onto the train, joking and making bets as to what house Nolan would end up in. Tidus in particular was ready to put down fifteen galleons on Nolan's placement in Hufflepuff like him. "It's only natural. We're the hardest workers and it would be completely appropriate for the youngest and the oldest to be in the same house." His parents however, were more concerned with making sure he behaved at school and kept on track. "Don't give up, try hard, have fun, but not so much you get in trouble." With a few more goodbyes and last minute reminders from their parents and Tidus, the three younger Archer boys boarded the train at last. Roy immediately went off to find some girl who he'd been exchanging owls with for the past week or so, apparently unaware of the glob of red paint stuck to his sleeve. Nolan looked at Judoc, and the two held back their snickers long enough for Roy to be out of earshot. "I think some of my friends have brothers and sisters in first year who they can introduce you to if you want to come sit in my compartment," Judoc commented, his tone seeming to imply that it'd also be a good place to stay out of trouble. Nolan just shook his head. "I can manage. Besides I want to see more of this train. I'll see you on the boats," he said as he headed off, unaware that only the first years took the boats to the castle. He wandered up and down the corridor a bit, disappointed to find that the Hogwarts Express, despite it's magic environment, behaved like any other train. He came across a compartment empty of all but one boy with his kitten. This seemed like as good a place as any. "Hey, you mind if I sit here? I promise not to fall asleep and snore the whole time, or get motion sickness, or unload all my family drama on you." Even as he said this, he began to shove his trunk under the seat across from the boy and tossed his backpack onto the seat.

[Avanhelsing]

Julius just grinned at Jake. He was looking around the apartments and the different people and generally just exploring. Apparently, the train was also bigger on the inside than it was on the outside! Well, at least that was the feeling he was getting. "Why sit down when there's still so much to see?" said Julius. "Although, now that you've invited me, I think it's only right I take you up on that!" The boy walked over to the seat in front of Jake and flopped down sloppily. Rocky followed in after him, his large beady eyes staring unblinkingly at Martin. Julius did a little stretch then placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his hands. "So, I'm guessing this is your first year here too, right?" he said. "Nice ta meetcha, I'm Julius Mars Hillshire! You are?"

@TheHangedMan

Jake sighed to himself. He could tell a first member of a magical family anywhere. Jake had grown up on tales of Hogwarts. All of this was normal to him. He did not see this as anything special. His brothers had already told him everything that he needed to know about allof this. However this kid was going crazy about all this. Jake looked up at the kid. "Because the train will be setting off soon?" He said looking out the window. "Yes I am. I'm Jake Xander Masters. 10th or more generation Griffindor. "He said adding that last part with clear pride in his voice. "What house do you want to be in? I know I am going to be like my entire family. Family legend said we were chosen by Godric Griffindor himself for his house." He said looking at Julius. Martin hissed at the pug and went back to sleep.

[TheHangedMan]

"Well, nice to meet you too, Jake," he said, leaning back on the chair. "Ten generations huh? That's neat; my Mom's the only one in my family to go to Hogwarts since my Dad's a muggle and everyone else went to Beaou-bea-baba something." He made a face as he tried to pronounce the name of the school. "Being honest, I'm glad mom decided to send me to Hogwarts instead. I've seen pics of that school and it's just so . . . frilly." Julius picked up Rocky and set him on his lap. "Anyway, as for what house I'd like to be in, Hufflepuff sounds cool. I mean I dig Slytherin's cunning, Griffinndor's bravery and Ravenclaws smarts, but loyalty sounds like the best deal out of all of them," he said, giving an honest smile. "I could careless really, it looks like they're all cool anyway~!"

[MissCapnCrunch]

Adjusting her hat on her wild set of ebony curls, Pearleane was not quite ready for her first year at Hogwarts, but with her mother by her side she felt more at ease. “You are ready, my world.” her mother cooed, taking her hand and cupping Pearleane’s rounded cheek. She reached down and gave her daughter a kiss on her forehead before stepping aside, “Right there is where you need to go, get on the train, make friends, have fun! Hurry now, don’t be late!” she exclaimed as Pearleane turned and took in the glory of the wall. This was quite strange, but she would trust her mother about anything. If her mother asked her to jump, Pearleane would in no hesitation ask how high. Steadying her small pile of luggage upon a rather large suitcase, she picked up pace and ran right through the terminal. What came into view on the other side caused the young girl lips to part in awe. "Wicked.” she whispered, her dark almond eyes browsing all the witches and wizards that occupied the station. It was definitely a sight she would vow never to forget. She didn't have much luggage with her, most packed into her one large and slightly ripped suitcase, and some packed into smaller bags. She hadn't been ready yet for a pet, so decided against it. Approaching the train she asked a gentleman if he would instruct her on what to do with her luggage, and he without hesitation he helped her, packing up her bags leaving her with only a small purse across her chest containing some of BB’s (Bertie Botts) and a few other muggle candy that would keep her occupied on the trip. Stepping into the train, she took off her hat before vowing to the young man that he would be blessed with a wonderful year. She was happy to have been treated so wonderful by him. She hoped everyone would be so gracious and kind. How cute. With hat in hand she found a train car close to the front that had just been abandoned by an older girl trading cars to sit with her friends. "Score!” she cooed, slipping in quickly and sliding the door behind her. She took a seat by the window and let her bones settle with a big happy sigh. Her hat placed gently on the seat next to her, whilst her hand dug into her purse grabbing a mint to suck on. Pearleane looked onward into the train station watching people as they arrived. The train engine steadily began to start, it would definitely be departing shortly.

[TaliPaendrag]

Having obtained everything that she would need for her first year at Hogwarts a few weeks ago, Dani now stood in front of the pillar that the man from the Ministry assured her would take her to the platform where the train to the school, the Hogwarts Express, would be waiting. Unfortunately, that affirmation did very little to ease the anxiety that she was feeling. For someone who had never been away from home for more than a weekend at a time, leaving for an entire year was cause for nervousness and pangs of homesickness. And that wasn’t even considering the fact that she had been thrust into a world she hadn’t known existed until just a few weeks ago. Her dad, sensing her anxiety using some sort of parental super power, placed his hand on her back, a gesture which did bring her some measure of peace and comfort. Her parents, always supportive, had been with her every step of the way, tagging along with her as the Ministry worker helped her purchase everything that she would need despite the both of them being just as clueless as their daughter. And they were both there with her on the day she would leave for the year. Nodding, Dani followed the man from the Ministry as he stepped through the seemingly solid wall without flinching. Dani, however, was not actually able to suppress her reflexes and did end up stepping through the wall fully expecting to hit something solid, her eyes squinted shut and her body held stiffly. Of course, her parents were the exact same way, and the three of them together did attract a few glances from the other families around. The Ministry worker was already instructing a young lad who would, presumably, load her possessions onto the train for the ride. Of course, she was permitted to grab her pink and purple backpack, which contained the whiteboard she commonly used to communicate, a few of her drawing books, and some snacks for the trip. The backpack itself had actually attracted a few eyes already, as it stood out rather sharply from the norm. Before Dani could think further on that, the man from the Ministry finished instructing the lad concerning her luggage and turned to her and her family. “I’m dreadfully sorry,” he said, pulling out a pocket watch and glancing at the time, “but I’m afraid that she’s going to have to get on the train directly or she’ll miss it.” Her parents nodded their understanding, the man from the Ministry stepping aside so that they could say goodbye. Bending over, her father picked her up and hugged her tightly before setting her down so that her mother could do the same. “Remember, sweetie, we love you and are very proud of you,” her mother said, clearly trying her best not to cry. “We know that you’ll do fine, but write to us every so often anyway, okay?” Dani nodded to show that she would, telling them that she loved her them both and would miss them terribly using sign language. Her father, certain that he wouldn’t be able to speak very much without crying, merely affirmed that he loved her and would miss her as well. Then, after another round of hugs, she was stepping into the train and waving goodbye, trying to quell the pang of homesickness that hit. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to wave for very long, as she would be holding up the line of people desiring to get on the train and get situated. Once she was inside, she opened the door of one of the nearer compartments to see if it was occupied, only to be unceremoniously shoved in by the sudden influx of people as the engine of the train began to warm up. Unsure of her odds in trying to leave the compartment, primarily because that would involve fighting through the crowd of people, Dani sat down in the seat across from the girl, whom she now noticed was exceptionally pretty, with beautiful black hair that was a rather stark contrast to Dani's own light brown. Figuring the logical next step would be to introduce herself, Dani reached into her backpack and pulled out her whiteboard and a simple black marker. “Hello. Sorry for intruding,” she wrote, holding it up for them to see before erasing it to make room for more writing. “My name is Dani. May I ask what your name is?”

[Eyeris]

Caelum Liquin She traversed the once familiar kings cross with fresh eyes. Everything was different since she received the letter. Magic was real! In fact, it had never been far... It lived in a world just under the surface of her own. The magicians hid in plain sight. They tucked their trains at an somewhere platforms nine and ten. As she walked she scanned faces, wondering who was a wizard and who might also be part of the magical world. Their world was now her world. Caelum promised her parents that she would to do well and write often, then, boarded the train. She walked slowly, a turtle among the hurried hustling student body. She was happy to allow herself to be pressed aside into the corner. She waited for the crowd to thin and the hall to empty before she proceeded. She walked slowly and gingerly, observing the paint and the light fixtures, the knobs and hinges, any small detail might contain hidden magic. The train was old fashioned but looked practical enough. She wondered how much of the train worked like any other steam engine might, and how much of it was made of magic. The train lurched forward and Caelum lost her footing. She stumbled into an open compartment. The white book she was holding tumbled out of her hands and onto the floor. Its contents exposed, drawings of her parents: Both beautiful and bold, her father's dark brow and serious expression, her mother’s high cheekbones and shimmering curls. She had drawn her parents on their way to the train station. “Oh my.” Caelum flushed with embarrassment. And steadied herself against a seat. She looked up to see who might have witnessed her rather ungraceful moment. It was a girl young girl, perhaps her own age, who had red hair and pale eyes (Charlotte). “Pardon me…”

[Eyeris]

“Cunning?!” Julius and Jake would hear a shrill voice enter their cart. “Is that what they are calling it now?” A very short girl with a long black coat waddled into their compartment. She had thick glasses and long black hair tied tightly to the back of her head. Her coat was tightly buttoned and very long, it nearly reached her ankles. She had a small sharp nose and a pale face. She looked somewhat like a penguin. “Slytherin is where the ‘bad eggs’ go.” the girl explained as he sat down. “Gryffindor? Very nice.” She gave Jake a large metallic smile, her braces glimmering. “Harry Potter was a Gryffindor you know! I think I’ll be a Gryffindor… however.. I’ll take anything but Slytherin please-and-thank-you!” She took off his glasses to clean them. “My name is Moriah! I’m pleased to meet you!”

[Eyeris]

Alricwas soon joined by a tall lanky fellow. He was older by a few years, though, it was difficult to say exactly how much older with only a glance. He walked quietly, sat down quietly, and looked out the window quietly. He had hair that grew out to his shoulders, the hair seemed blue where the sun hit it. Suddenly, he would turn to Alric. “Do you want me to read your tarot cards?”

[Ink-berry]

Alaric narrowed his eyes as the older boy took a seat beside him. Who did he think he was, invading his privacy like this? He'd wanted to be alone (okay fine, a few purebloods to keep him company would've been nice, but still). And that blue hair did look... odd. Alaric inwardly wondered if he'd dyed it. The boy considered the tarot card offer for a moment. Although he obviously didn't want to run the risk of talking to a mudblood (and the concept of tarot cards seemed rather ridiculous to him), there happened to be an impulsive sort of stupidity lingering inside him. (Probably a side effect from staying in his brother's company for prolonged periods of time.) "Alright," he eventually replied (albeit rather warily), "But make it quick."

[Gisk]

"Pardon granted!" Charlotte smiled at the new girl and waved her wand, producing purple sparks this time. "I'm Charlotte, this is Indiana," she gestured up to the luggage rack where her owl hooted softly down at them. "I'm a witch!" She announced happily, "Are you?"

[Apoalo]

((Post is a collab between myself and Prints.)) Chandler looked up from staring out of the window and his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the compartment door being opened. "Hey, you mind if I sit here? I promise not to fall asleep and snore the whole time, or get motion sickness, or unload all my family drama on you." Chandler had to giggle a bit, "no I don't mind. The more the merrier and making the trip alone would have been... Well boring. My names Chandler, Chandler Webster." "Nolan Archer," Nolan replied as he got the trunk fully under the seat. "Nice to meet you," he continued, reaching out for a handshake. With a smile Chandler returned the handshake, "nice to meet you Nolan. It's weird I guess I thought wizards and witches would greet with something other than a handshake. I got a lot to learn I guess heh. I'm the first one in my family to have powers." He shrugged and looked at Castiel who in turn was not taking her eyes off of the newcomer. "Oh and this is Castiel." Nolan laughed as he plopped down on the seat across from Chandler. "Nice to meet you to Castiel," he said with a grin. Upon getting no response, he shrugged. "Cats..." He then gestured to the train all around them. "Well I expected this to behave like much more than just a train, but I was disappointed there." He grinned, "It's not too hard to get used to though. Overall just be polite in the same way you'd be to Muggles and you should be set. Just make sure you're friends with someone who knows about wizard society though, so you can ask about anything strange. You'll be fine though. Hogwarts and the world in general these days is a lot more accommodating to people in your position." Chandler cocked his head to the side he assumed that muggle was a person unable to use magic. He shrugged again and let Castiel out of her cage to paw around the compartment. The white and black striped kitten slowly approached Nolan and stretched out as far as her body would allow to sniff him before running back to Chandler's side. "I mean it's going to be confusing but so far I have to say it's pretty awesome. So what happens when we get there?" Nolan watched the kitten with an amused look. His family had never kept pets aside from their handful of owls. He nodded at Chandler's comment. "Yeah, it's a lot to get used to. Dad still seems a little uncomfortable when we go to events. As for when we get there..." Nolan's eyes widened in excitement. After years of hearing stories, it was nice to be the one to tell the stories. "Actually I'm not too sure. My brothers have told me some stuff. So there's this lake that we cross in boats to get to the castle. And there's this huge feast where you get Sorted. There's four houses and while you're at Hogwarts, they're sort of like your family, not that you can't have friends in other houses." He gave quick glance out the window, curious as to the house he'd end up in. Chandler figured that if it could get Nolan this excited then Hogwarts was going to be awesome indeed. He was a bit curious though but he controlled himself to only asking a few questions Instead of bombarding the poor boy. "How are we sorted and what sort of Houses are their? " His mind was a whirl taking in the information and breaking it down all at once, Castiel curled herself in Chandlers lap while the 11 year old watched Nolan waiting for more information. Nolan held up a hand with four fingers counting off each of the houses. "So there's Gryffindor which is just famous these days 'cause of Harry Potter. They say that's where the courageous people go. Then there's Slytherin which is for the ambitious cunning folk. They kinda have a bad reputation since a lot of evil wizards are Slytherins. Not so much these days, and there's really nothing wrong with being ambitious is there?" he grinned, imagining the look on Judoc's face if he ended up in Slytherin. "Next is Ravenclaw. They're more concerned with knowledge and learning and other brainy things. They're kinda weird too. My brother Roy is one and his heads always in the clouds. That's probably the house I'm least likely to end up in.... And of course, Hufflepuff. They're the hard workers. A lot of people like to say Hufflepuffs are less talented and that they end up there because they wouldn't fit in the other houses. My older brother Tidus though, he's amazingly good at everything. So don't for a second think there's anything wrong with Hufflepuff..." he trailed off. "The Sorting itself... I really don't know, actually. My brothers refuse to tell me," the boy looked down his face a bit redder than before," Think it's better if I find out like they did. But those are the houses! Any idea where you want to end up?" Chandler mostly just stared at the other boy as he listed the houses, this was where people called him weird and shunned him. His mind while very sharp had a interesting trait that has to filter all the information that he receives. The filter breaks it down and once it finishes Chandler can always remember the conversation, including the details around him. It just made him look slightly crazy simply staring with a little glaze on his eyes. He nodded as Nolan finished and shrugged. He watched closely to see any reaction to the stare. "I would say either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor since as you can see I can get pretty air headed as well. But I have a weird reflex to protect people." He shrugged again and patted Castiel a few times.

[MissCapnCrunch]

Pearleane's gaze drifted from the station to the girl who had joined her in the compartment. Her crimson lips parted in a gasp, not even hearing the girl come in. Her mother had let her wear makeup for the special day, and she felt quite mature. "I didn't even he-" Pearleane started before the light featured girl held up a small white board. “Hello. Sorry for intruding,” she wrote, holding it up for them to see before erasing it. Pearleane was fascinated with this young girl's idea of introduction and a grin plastered across her face. Perhaps it was some sort of game? Pearleane loved games. She nodded, "You're not intruding!" Pearleane exclaimed as the girl began erasing. Pearleane waited in anticipation before the girl held up the board once more. “My name is Dani. May I ask what your name is?” Pearleane!" she bursted out as if answering a trivia question in a game. She giggled, "Nice to meet you Dani. Why are you using a board? Cat got your tongue?" The girl didn't have much space for being too shy and quiet about asking questions about people. She didn't mean to be mean about it, just genuinely curious. She played with one of her braids as she waited for the girl to write her answer back to her.

[TheHangedMan]

Julius winced as a shrill voice entered his ears and grated against them like sandpaper. A . . . rather nerdy looking girl with short black hair entered the compartment. When she smiled, she had braces on. It's a penguin. "It's a penguin." Of all the times for his mind and mouth to be in sync-! Shaking his head quickly, he covered up his little slip. "Uh, I mean, it's nice to meet ya, Moriah! I'm Julius!" Thinking back on what she said earlier, he found something he thought was weird. "What do you mean Slytherin is where all the bad guys go? It doesn't seem to be that bad of a house, it's just . . . kinda like the others, right? It's got some good stuff, some bad stuff. My dad even said that if he had to say which house would do the most for a lot of people, it would be Slytherin!" he said, crossing his arms. His father was his idol and really smart, so of course he was right! "Besides, I think Hufflepuff is the best house," he added.