Chapter Text
Dean was terrified. There were so many people everywhere he looked, and he didn’t know any of them, and he was about to go and live with them for a year, and he did not know how to deal with this. He looked up at his mother. She was also looking nervous, but she managed a smile for him.
“It’ll be fine, Dean. You can write to me any time you need. You’ll make plenty of friends, and just think about it. You’re going to a school for magic. You’ll have so much fun. Ok?”
Dean nodded. “Ok.”
“Now, let’s get your trunk up onto the train, shall we?”
It took some doing, but at last, Dean’s trunk was stored in the luggage compartment. The whistle blew. Dean hugged his mother. Her eyes were wet, but she was determinedly not crying, most likely for his sake. They said their goodbyes, and Dean began searching for an empty compartment.
He hadn’t gone far before he heard something crash up ahead. He found a boy about his age with sandy hair sitting on the floor next to his trunk, which looked like it had just fallen.
“Do you want some help with that?” he offered shyly. The boy looked up.
“I can do it meself, thanks,” he said as if the very idea were offensive to him. Dean looked at the trunk doubtfully. The boy heaved it upwards. Dean was impressed that he could lift it at all. Then it came crashing down again, landing on the boy’s foot. He cursed. “…Fine. I could use a hand, yeah.”
With Dean’s help and a few more swears from the other boy, the trunk was stowed safely away.
“I’m Seamus. What’s your name?” The boy stuck out his hand. Dean shook it.
“Dean Thomas. Why were you trying to get your trunk up there on your own?”
Seamus rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Mam and I were late. I told her to go before the train left with her on it.”
“Do you…want to go find a compartment or…?”
“Sure. I think I saw an empty one back there.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder and they walked off together. They found a compartment that appeared at first glance to be empty, but on closer inspection, they found that there was one occupant: a small, blond, somewhat scruffy-looking boy who looked up as they entered.
“Do you mind if we sit down?” Seamus asked. “I don’t think there are any empty places left.”
“Sure,” the boy said. He shrugged.
“I’m Seamus, and this is Dean,” Seamus introduced them, “Who are you?”
“Wayne Hopkins. Are you first years too?”
“Yes,” Dean said. Seamus nodded.
“Do either of you think you know what house you’ll be in?” Wayne asked after a few seconds of silence.
“Well nobody really knows until they get there, do they?” Seamus said. “But I’d guess Gryffindor for me. What about you, Dean?”
Dean shrugged. “I don’t really know anything about them.”
“Oh, your parents are Muggles?” Wayne asked curiously
“Yeah.”
“Wow, this must be really scary,” Seamus said, “But don’t worry. Stick with me, and you’ll be fine.”
Dean raised his eyebrows. “Says the boy who dropped his trunk on his foot because he was too stubborn to get help.”
Seamus shrugged. “Nobody’s perfect.”
Lavender Brown was not a shy person. She enjoyed meeting new people, and talking was fun for her. But even she had to admit that this was overwhelming. They had been running late that morning, and every compartment seemed to be full now. The train was moving. She had to find somewhere to sit. So she gathered her courage and slid open the next door.
“Do you mind if I sit down?”
“Not at all,” one of the girls in the compartment said. Lavender sat down gratefully. There were three people in the compartment, a pair of twin girls and a boy.
“I’m Parvati,” said second twin, “And this is my sister Padma.”
“I’m Julian,” the boy offered.
“Lavender. Nice to meet you all. What year are you?”
“First,” Padma said. Julian nodded.
“Me too,” Lavender said happily, “I’m so excited. My mum’s been telling me all kinds of stories. There was one time…”
Theodore Nott was not overly fond of people. But this Blaise Zabini person seemed alright. As did Miss Moon. Neither of them seemed unintelligent or anything. He could even see himself becoming friends with Blaise in the future. He was glad he had chosen this compartment. He hoped they would be sorted into Slytherin with him.
Pansy really just wanted her sister to leave. Dana was far too over-protective sometimes. Pansy knew she meant well and all, but it was annoying. Pansy wanted to talk to her new friend, not her old sister. Millicent watched Pansy growing steadily more irritated until Dana left.
“Sorry. She’s so bossy. It’s like she thinks I can’t do anything myself.”
“It’s fine,” Millicent said, “I wish I had an older sister.”
“Well you don’t wish you had four siblings, let me tell you that now.”
Kevin returned to the compartment after searching every place he could think of for Neville’s toad. Sophie was there too, looking under the seats.
“Find him?” she asked, straightening up.
“No. Sounds like he loses him a lot though, and he always turns up again. I’m sure it’ll work out.”
“Yeah, probably.” Sophie flopped back into her seat with an exhausted sigh. “I had to wake up at about 6:00 in the morning. I’ve been sleeping in until at least 8:00 all summer.”
“I was up early too. Mostly I just couldn’t sleep. Too excited. I mean, I’m going to a school of magic. Who could sleep the night before that?”
“Me.”
Quisilla Rivers liked England so far. The weather was warmer than it had been in Russia, and she quite liked that. The people she was sitting with seemed nice. Michael Corner and Mandy Brocklehurst were first years like she was. Mandy was cheerful and friendly. Michael was a bit over-confident, she thought, but still, he seemed okay. Perhaps they could be friends. She knew from her father that houses meant a lot though. If they were in different houses, that might be difficult.
Both Michael and Mandy seemed fascinated to learn that she was from Russia. They bombarded her with questions about what it was like to grow up there. She did her best to answer, but frankly, her English was only so good.
Her new acquaintances didn’t seem to mind though. They made pleasant conversation as they sped through fields of sheep and cows.
Sally-Anne didn’t like silence. The two boys she was sitting with, it seemed, didn’t mind it at all. They had chatted for a bit at first, introduced themselves, and acknowledged that they were all excited. Now one boy (Anthony; she had a good memory for names) was reading, and Zacharias, the other boy, was staring out the window. She shifted a bit.
“So,” she started. The two boys looked at her. “What houses do you think you’ll be in?”
“Probably Ravenclaw,” Anthony said, “But I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up somewhere else.”
Zacharias shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“I’ll probably be in Hufflepuff,” Sally-Anne said, “Mum was, and I’ve been told I’m a lot like her.”
Anthony nodded. “Hufflepuff’s a good house. I’m sure we’ll all do well wherever we are though.” And with that, he returned to his book.
“My father was in Slytherin,” Zacharias told Sally-Anne, “But I think I’d rather not be. It’s got a bit of a dark reputation, you know? That’s not something I want to be associated with.”
Sally-Anne nodded. “I suppose, but they can’t be all bad, can they?” Zacharias shrugged.
Tracey decided that these people were okay. She wasn’t likely to become friends with them, she thought, but they were perfectly fine company for one train ride. They were smart at least. The lighter-haired of the two boys…Terry, she thought he had said his name was, was talking a lot about classes. The other boy, Stephen, and the girl, Su, seemed interested as well. Those three were probably going to stay friends, she thought. She wasn’t so sure about herself though. Making friends had never really been her forte.
Lisa glanced at the girl sitting across from her curiously. They had exchanged names, Morag and Lisa, and determined that they were both first years. She looked like she was desperately trying to find something of interest to say. Lisa waited a few moments before deciding she couldn’t just let the poor girl suffer.
“What classes are you excited for?” she asked. Morag smiled.
“I can’t wait for Potions, though I’ve heard Professor Snape is…difficult.”
“Who told you that?”
“My brother, Will. What classes are you excited for?”
“Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Lisa said immediately. “I’ve been training in self-defense for years now, but I can’t wait to learn the magical side of it.”
“Wow, you mean you know, like, Muggle dueling or something?”
Lisa nodded eagerly. “My mum says it’s not lady-like or some rubbish, but I love it. And my brother always told me I could do whatever I wanted. He’ll probably stop by sometime today. You can meet him!”
Megan had never in her life felt insecure about being a farm girl. In fact, it was a source of great pride for her. But sitting with these two clearly upper-class boys was making her doubt herself. She didn’t care for the feeling at all.
“Where are you from, Megan?” Justin asked her.
“Denbighshire,” she told them proudly, “My family’s owned a farm there for generations.”
“That sounds lovely,” Justin said earnestly, “Is there a high wizarding population in Denbighshire?”
“Not terribly. What about where you are?”
Justin laughed. “I have no idea. I only found out about magic a few months ago when I got my letter. I had a terrible time convincing my mother to let me go here instead of Eton.”
Ernie chimed in then. Megan had noticed that he talked a lot. “Well, Hogwarts is the best school of wizardry you’ll find anywhere,” he said proudly, as if he were personally responsible for the school’s greatness. “I’m sure you’ll learn plenty to keep her satisfied.”
Hannah and Susan sat fairly close to each other, despite not having known each other very long. The alternative was to get closer to one of the other girls sharing their compartment, and as much as they didn’t want to be rude or exclusive…she looked downright scary. She had told them her name was Lucy Runcorn and then buried her face in a book. She glanced over the top of it occasionally, but her expression remained stoic throughout the journey. She purchased several chocolate frogs and a pumpkin pasty when the trolley came around, but did not partake in their conversation unless the other girl, Daphne, asked her a question directly.
Hannah thought Daphne seemed a bit scary as well, but better at hiding it. She was polite at least, and charismatic too. She wasn’t as friendly as Susan by any means, but she was alright. Hannah smiled slightly to herself. She would survive.