~Mysteries at Hogwarts~

Jack Forrest was someone to make sure that he had all his i's dotted and t's crossed. Even at a young age, he was extremely frugal with what money he had, and he could never imagine blowing the small pile of Galleons his mother had given him on material possessions that were not absolutely required. He did not come from money, and since he was very small, he was taught to make sure that he saved every Knut that he had; that was the only way that his small family was able to make it as decently as they had up to this point in time. In truth, Jack's parents had been saving everything they could in order to be able to send their one child off to Hogwarts this one fall... and even though Jack was young, he had a resolve of steel that had been branded in him since the first day of his life. That isn't to say, though, that he would never enjoy himself. Just that he would try as hard as he could to not spend money in doing so.

Yes, he was tempted by all the shiny, expensive cauldrons, and fancy supplies, and especially all of the different books that Diagon Alley had to offer. It was truly marvelous, the amount of literature that stood within that small corridor between one world and the next, and it only made Jack wonder harder about what in the world Hogwarts might be like when he gets to go himself. He did succumb a bit to the temptation and he did in fact buy himself a book or two of higher-level magickry that he was sure he would be able to use the next year. If he bought the book now, he wouldn't have to get it later, right? And that would make for all the better times he would be able to read. He was absolutely sure that he would have no one to talk to on the train; his family did not really associate with the others, and as a result, he had been rather isolated from the rest of the community. That would change, though, with the assimilation that he would undergo in his education... unaware to him.

Jack carried the small suitcase that held his belongings, old and new, and he carried the white cat that had stared at him when he had entered the Magical Menagerie. It rumbled in his arms and he was content with it. It could not carry messages for him, but it was indeed quieter, and the letter did say that he could choose between an owl, a cat, and a toad. The space in front of the crimson train was packed full of people of all ages and sizes, and Jack tried to cover his ears, but to no avail. He dropped his cat, who had received no name as of yet, but instead of running from him like certainly any normal cat would, it simply wrapped around his legs and continued to stare into the boy's blue eyes. Jack gave a smile to the cat and apologized for dropping it. "I'm sorry for dropping you like that... It's really loud out here, isn't it? I hope it'll be better when we get on the train."

He picked up the cat, the smile still staying on his face when he looked at the dark color of the train. He could smell the smoke, the people, the excitement in the air. What would this be like? He would never know until he actually got on board and sat down in a seat. The fun was only just beginning, was it not? He proceeded to push and shove his way through the thick crowd of people and board the train. Carrying his suitcase and making incredibly sure that he didn't drop his unnamed cat, he proceeded through the small aisle, looking into each compartment to find one that wasn't empty. After reaching the middle of the last car, he saw a girl with strawberry blond hair sitting alone with an owl. That was it. Perhaps this could be a place of peace and quiet. "Hello, there... My name is Jack Forrest. Would you mind if I sat here with you? I promise I won't be a bother..."

He really wouldn't. He would read as much as he could on the way there, not making a single sound if he could help it. He had no idea what to expect of the new school and of his new life ahead of him.

 

Raena sighed, her large dull eyes staring contemptibly out the window. While she did appreciate her eldest brother helping her out with all her shopping and seeing her off, she still wished it was her father instead. She glanced at the caged bird beside her, a large and elegant Eagle owl who appeared as tired and bored as she did. “Just hold on a little longer, Ellis,” she whispered. The only thing that could be interpreted as a response from the owl was the ruffling of feathers.

As the only daughter of five in a wealthy Pureblood family, Raena Nevermind had always been pampered by her father and brothers. While she did find their actions unnecessary and annoying at times, she did love the fact how she could get whatever she wanted and appreciated the protection they provided her (even if it chased away some potential friends). Only the best would do for her, and they would do their best to satisfy her desires. But now she won’t be seeing them as much during the school years and she wasn’t exactly sure about how she felt about that. On one hand, she’ll have no one familiar to talk to and no one to protect her, but on the other hand, this could be a chance for her to make new friends.

Although, it would appear as if most people around here weren’t even worth her time, so it was a lose-lose situation there.

She noticed some people passing by her compartment, staring at her as if looking for permission to enter. She responded with a cute yet sinister smile. Proceed with caution. Some got flustered and turned away, while some tried to take on her challenge, only to be chased away by the screeching of her Eagle owl. She might as well have some fun while she’s here.

Suddenly the worry of not being around the men of her family vanished.

 

Akira Speare trotted his way through Platform 9 3/4 with slight enthusiasm as he tugged on his trunk. At the age of 11, he was of average height and appearance with his muggle clothing, the only thing making him stand out being his bright green eyes. He let out a long sigh, wishing his father could be here for this milestone in his young life just like some of the other young wizard and witch's parents. Akira's father, Kain Speare, works at the Ministry of Magic as an Auror, which he obtained the profession around 12 years ago, a year before his son was born. Despite his dad not being here, Akira was ready for Hogwarts, and whatever challenge the ancient castle decides to throw at him, hopefully nothing to lethal though.

Slightly tired from his march, he stopped in front of the train, looking at the vehicle in front of them then to his trunk and snowy owl to his side. Unlike other kids, Akira's owl wasn't from Eeylops Owl Emporium in Diagon Alley, the owl was passed down from his father because Kain trusted this owl with watching his son. The majestic owl's name could only be Dexter, reflecting how intelligent and friendly the beast was. Akira gently pet Dexter's white feathers through the cage, feeling how soft it was between his small fingers, knowing that this friend would remain by his side through the next 7 years. Though he seemed like a very efficacious boy, he has a tendency to sleep in at time, which made him pack all of his items very, very last minute, with his stuff being randomly stuff into his trunk.

Taking a deep breath and picking his stuff up, he marched forth into the train, not looking back at the platform behind him. As soon as he got onto the train the hard part arrived, finding a compartment to sit in, especially without anyone inside of it. Most of the cars near the front were filled with students of all ages, excited to go to Hogwarts for the first time or returning to it with their everlasting friends. Akira made his way to the last car, some of the compartments had people inside of it, but it was mostly with other first years like him; nervous, afraid, curious, and many other feelings welling up inside of them.

Akira reached a compartmen, thinking it was empty, and opens the door to find two people, a blue-eyed boy and a blonde-haired girl, within it. A soft sigh escaped his mouth, he wanted a compartment to himself for some piece and quiet while he read his defense or transfiguration book. "Sorry if I disturbed you two, I thought this compartment was empty." Akira looked at the two's owl and cat, both creatures looking loyal to their owners just like Dexter to him and his father. During his confrontation with the two, his face remained neutral and calm, not showing any sign of emotion. "I think I see an open compartment over there, again sorry for the intrusion." With that Akira closed the door before either of them could reply to him.

As he walked away from the compartment, Akira let out a sigh, he did not want to deal with people at the moment.

 

Magnificent. That was the word that Zane would use to describe the Hogwarts Express. It was truly elegant in it's design and Zane just couldn't help but to stare at it. Zane's attention only shifted from the train as another student came through onto the platform through the false wall in King's Cross Station bumping into Zane and nearly knocking him over. "Heh heh, sorry about that," Zane quickly apologized to the other student and with a smile he took hold of his trunk and made his way over to the train. 

Walking alongside him was his new cat Lincoln, a Europeaon Shorthair that he'd gotten from Diagon Alley. Initially Zane wanted to get an owl so that he could send messages to any friends he met while at school but considering he lived in a muggle neighborhood with his grandparents he decided that a cat would be much more inconspicuous. He'd warmed up to Lincoln pretty quickly and Zane could tell that Lincoln was glad to be out of the shop and in the care of someone who could truly care for him.

Finally, Zane made his way onto the train and began his search for a good compartment for him and Lincoln. Zane struggled to get past some of the students who had stopped to chat with some of their friends down the aisle and he was constantly looking down to make sure nobody had stepped on Lincoln. Peering through one of the compartments Zane saw two other students who looked to be his age. One, a girl with light brown hair in a braid and the other a young boy with darker hair and a white cat. Zane briefly contemplated joining them in their compartment but decided against it. Going further down the train Zane saw another student running out of another compartment. Curious, Zane approached the compartment and peered inside seeing another young girl with a sinister smile as if daring anyone to come in as well as an impressive looking eagle owl. Thinking there must have been a reason as to why the other student had run out, Zane decided to try his luck elsewhere.

Going a little farther down the train Zane finally peered into an empty compartment for him and Lincoln. Zane gestured to Lincoln indicating for him to enter the compartment first, "Go on buddy, take a seat and I'll set the trunk down." He watched his cat enter the compartment and leap up onto one of the seats before Zane himself entered and set the trunk up above him on the shelf. "So buddy," Zane said to Lincoln as he took a seat, "Think we'll meet anybody interesting on the train before we get to school?"

 

Despite the many tearful goodbyes between parents and children, the constant excited babbling between kids her own age, and the flurry of bags and cages, a young girl managed to catch a few eyes as she boarded the Hogwarts Express with only a knapsack on her back and a siamese cat in her arms. A few murmured to themselves about how she planned to attend the prestigious school of witchcraft and wizardry when she could not have purchased the bare necessities, but their musings went without answer. Gwyndolynne had, of course, made all of her purchases on Diagon Alley and, expectedly, they were all with her. What had come unexpectedly, however, was the knapsack in which they all sat. A last minute gift from her grandmother before she boarded the train––with good reason, it was downright pitiful to see the girl struggle with a massive trunk and––the smallish leather bag had received the undetectable extension charm many years prior to today's happenings. It now served her frightfully well as she strode onto the train, confidently passing by the crowds at the front of the train's cars.

Besides the cat, which remained ever so content in her arms, the only item which she had not deposited into the bag was her wand, which rested in her right boot. Just a quick grasp away if needed, although Gwyn felt certain that it would stay firmly in place for the duration of her journey to school. She knew little magic to begin with and, besides, she had never heard of students needing to do any magic on the train––were they even allowed to? Regardless of the answer to that unvoiced question, she had no intention of doing so without being prompted to by sheer necessity.

As she made her way to the back of the car, she noticed several students inching towards one compartment only to run away immediately or jump after a shriek elicited from something occupying the room. Gwyn came to a halt at that point, an enthusiastic future student behind her shoving past to get his own look-see at the compartment. Paying him no mind, the young witch blinked once, observing as the boy quickly opened the compartment door and just as swiftly retreated. It seemed not even the most eager would dare enter and join who or whatever occupied the stall. Interest peaked, Gwyn approached calmly, peeking in through the window with a pensive expression; the girl and owl that came into her sight did not seem all that abrasive. In fact, the sinister smile the girl gave her, as she must have done with everyone else, seemed almost inviting. Perhaps not what Gwyn had originally expected, but quite clearly an opportunity she could not pass up. With a delicate hand, she slid open the door to the small room and entered. The cat in her arms tensed slightly, but eased back into relaxation.

Another shriek came from the owl, but this time the intruder did not retreat––not even a bat of an eyelash! Several bewildered students crowded behind the now-closed door in anticipation. "Hello." A pause. "My name is Gwyndolynne Hatchfield," she began with a gentle yet steady voice. "I assume," she continued after a moment, "that no one else is sitting here." She pointed to the seat opposite the girl with her left hand, balancing her feline companion in the crook of her other arm. "May I join you?" she asked quietly, waiting for the girl's response with a polite, albeit small, smile.

 

Jack kept his smile on his face as he went into the small compartment. He sat opposite the redhead next to the window. Felicity... that was a nice name. He was about to thank her for letting him sit with her, when all of a sudden, she rushed out of the compartment and out of view. Jack's eyes got really wide. He hadn't expected such energy to come from her so fast. He was knocked aback into his seat as he set hos stuff all around him. He looked around and spotted the owl that Felicity had introduced as Tino. He thought about speaking to the creature, but decided against it, as his cat began to climb into his lap and lay down. He still needed to name it, whatever it was going to be, but at the moment, he had no idea what to call it. He hadn't necessarily wanted a pet, but he was required to have one of some sort. His father had always told him to look ahead at the bigger picture, and maybe having a clearer view of the horizon was a good thing, but Jack really found that difficult to look at, especially considering he was only 11. It took him a lot of strength to make sure he didn't spend every Knut he had when he was by himself roaming through Diagon Alley with what seemed to be all the money in the world.

That was something that he would think about later, though. He pulled out his standard book of spells and opened it to the first page, zipping his suitcase shut. It was going to be a long way there, but he had a book to read, so that he would do. As he was about to start reading in earnest, though, Felicity came back into the compartment and introduced Jack to this boy he didn't know. Hello, there. I'm Jack Forrest, how do you do?" He wasn't really keen on meeting that many new people, at least, not until he was more comfortable with where he was going. The lack of emotion in the boy's face was a bit disconcerting, but Jack knew that he wouldn't bother the boy, so he wouldn't worry. This would only last until they all got to Hogwarts, where their new lives would begin. This was only a matter of time.

 

Akira looked around for some other apartments to sit in, but none of them had any room or were filled with people that were already friends. He was about to try the compartment with that one creepy girl with that stare, that was when he felt a tug and a soft voice in his ear. He turned to see the blonde-haired girl from before, and blushed a little at how close she was to him. He was about to tell her off for grabbing his arm so suddenly, but she didn't seem like a bad person and her intentions seemed good. Perhaps making /some/ friends would be helpful in this new place, well that's what his father, a Gryffindor, would say.

"It's alright, I shouldn't have walked away so suddenly like that," He apologized while scratching the back of his head.
Felicity Groundswell and Jack Forrest. It'll be a long train ride so he should definitely remember the two of their names. "My name is Akira Speare, and this guy here is Dexter, he's a lot smarter than you think." He praised the bird as he lifted his cage to show the other two, which made the owl extend its wings in pride. Akira slightly laughed at Dexter's reaction to the attention, his dad sure liked to coddle the animal. He started to show a little emotion on his face, but it still remained slightly neutral. "My father told me it was hectic on the platform, he wasn't joking at all, for once that is."

 

Raena quickly grew bored of her own little challenge, even starting to doze off as her owl chased away students with its horrendous cry. She snapped awake when she heard a small voice behind the shrieking. She calmly but roughly stroked the bird’s feathers through the cage, signaling the abrupt end of the cries. “Now, Ellis.” Her voice was gentle yet forceful, and the bird appeared to shrink in mild fear. She turned to the girl who stood at the door, amused at her reaction, or lack thereof. She could either be very interesting or awfully dull, Raena thought. “You may,” she said almost hesitantly, hiding her doubts behind a soft smile.

“My name is Raena Nevermind. And this is Ellis,” she said, gently stroking the owl’s feathers. It appeared to glare at the newcomer in response, as if blaming her for the rough stroking earlier. But now it calmly sat perched in its cage, contrasting its earlier behavior regarding the other patrons on the train. Its owner quietly observed the girl before them, her eyes fiercely judging her as if searching for any sort of weakness she could exploit. Gwyn's lackluster reaction earlier had intrigued her and something inside Raena wanted to see this girl cowering in fear or something of the like.

 

Gwyn nodded her head politely in response before taking her seat. Outside, several students remained crammed with their faces against the glass in disbelief. Had she really done the impossible? They began to question each other relentlessly, the energetic student from earlier pushing another kid aside to get a better look. One look from the composed young witch, however, cast him away slightly, as if he were embarrassed to be caught peeking in when her soft blue-green eyes found his own brown ones. Gwyn returned her attention to the girl opposite her. "A pleasure," she responded with another small smile, staring back at Raena with a curiosity of her own.

The cat in her arms shifted a tad, eyeing the caged owl across from her with scrutiny quite unlike her owner's. Though she could not speak, there was no doubt an sense of discomfort in her feline form. She did not approve of the girl Gwyn had chose to sit with, and the owl who had been shrieking earlier seemed a very noticeable sign of this. With no way to voice this opinion, and no real say in the matter at any rate, the cat remained curled in Gwyn's embrace, purring slightly when the young witch started to stroke behind her ears.

"Quite noisy out there," Gwyn offered after a moment, eyes flitting to the door of the compartment. Once again blue-green found brown, although they also found gray, hazel, and bright blue. "I didn't realize they let so many people into Hogwarts each year," she hummed, although the tone of her voice showed neither distaste nor pleasure. In truth it was more an inquisitive tone than anything else; although she had grown up in a pure blood household with every bit of knowledge about what schooling would bring, she had not expected her first year to be quite this hectic. Especially when it hadn't even begun! "Wonder how big the class sizes are..." she mused aloud, continuing to stroke the cat in her lap. She certainly hoped that it wouldn't be this chaotic when the arrived.

 

“The classes are awfully large, or so my brothers have told me,” Raena said, glancing at those peeking through the door window. She forced herself into eye contact with one poor boy around her age and smiled sweetly at him, causing him to get flustered and back away. She then shifted her gaze to the group as a whole, with her smile being interpreted as either cheekily seductive or frighteningly hostile. Either way, it was enough to get most of them to back off ever so slightly, but their curiosity remained ever at its peak. She sighed out of mild annoyance. “Some people…” she muttered out of disdain, but the rest of that sentence was inaudible. Her gaze returned to Gwyn and she giggled, staring at the girl with a playful expression.

Ellis stared at the cat sleepily, recognizing it as either a threat or potential dinner. He must have decided that he couldn’t be bothered by it, as he ruffled his feathers and slipped into slumber. Or supposed slumber, as it occasionally awaken to ensure that the cat had done nothing cheeky or no one else had entered the compartment. Raena took her hand and continued to stroke the owl through the cage, which managed to calm the bird somewhat. Still, it remained on alert, as if it was its duty to shriek at whoever dared to enter the compartment.