 You can play with him. Or... not. He's just hanging out. Mod Babysitter | be curious, not judgmental
Max was sad. Just... really, really sad. Of course, he began the day feeling fine. He felt even better after conversing with newly appointed Head Girl Louisa Carter. She boosted his ego quite a bit, though he humbly dispelled all encouraging statements. And that positive mood lasted just until Max and Louisa parted ways upon boarding the train. Louisa took off in the direction of the prefects' compartment, and Max... realized he didn't need to follow her to find Ellie.
Ellie.
Ellie wasn't there.
And she wouldn't be there ALL TERM. Max was ALONE. What was he supposed to do without his best friend? Of course, he was friends with more than just Ellie. There was... Spike, of course... and Louisa, but they would both be in the prefects' compartment right now. He didn't feel the need to steal either of them away like he did Ellie. Indy was probably around, but he wasn't always up for dealing with her cheery demeanor. Not-so-baby Ella was a good friend and an absolute sweetheart, but it would probably be deemed strange for a seventh year to hang out with a third year all the time. It wouldn't bother Max - a friend was a friend - but he knew others wouldn't feel the same way.
Hm. Well. He just wanted Ellie right now, so Max had no other choice but to let himself get the moping out of his system now. The train ride was a good time to be sad. The feast wasn't, and neither was common room nor dormitory time when he was surrounded by people. Here, at least, everyone was distracted by their own groups of friends in their own compartments. After Max dropped off his luggage in a vacant compartment, he had left to wander the corridor. He was sure that, as soon as he exited, the compartment was infiltrated by crowds of first years, so he had no intention of returning until the end of the trip.
His shoulders slumped and his face droopy, Max made his way down the corridor, occasionally stealing a glance inside compartments for a friendly face. The only friend he found was at the far end of the corridor, surrounded by a crowd of people - the food trolley.
If anything could cure Max's current state of depression, it would be cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs. He stood toward the back of the crowd, surprisingly patient despite how many people were ahead of him, and leaned against the wall of the corridor. He dug his hands deep in his pockets, jingling the coins with which he would be paying.
He focused on the ground for a few long moments, wondering how much different his last term at Hogwarts would be if Ellie was in his year, but he drew his gaze upward to peer at those crowded around the trolley. Not many familiar faces, but a few - Emmaleigh, in his year(but hadn't she mysteriously disappeared last term?), and... someone he had only seen in a book and Prophet articles. He hadn't heard her name directly in relation to Hogwarts since he was a young boy and his parents explained a bit of the history of Hogwarts and THEIR Hogwarts experiences. This woman had taught his parents. Though Max would never make such an accusation aloud and he was not one to judge, that made Anjelica Lainey old. But his parents had always said good things about her, other than their dislike for her Ravenclaw favoritism - which Max thought to be amusing now, although he was still a bit unnerved that she had once been a ghost - so she was all right in his book.
Still, Max kept his place at the back of the crowd, curiously observing everyone's antics - particularly those of the familiar faces, Emmaleigh and Lainey - and fascinated by the former's return and the latter's general presence.
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