Avalon took a deep breath and tried to compose herself as she boarded the middle section of the Hogwarts Express. Today was not going at all according to plan. She had slept through her alarm, accidentally spilled a cup of tea on herself at breakfast, and stubbed her toe on the front door on the way outside. To make matters worse, she had realized (once she was already halfway to Kings' Cross) that she forgot her winter cloak. She had to turn back to retrieve it, since she wouldn't be coming home again until the holidays. Luckily, she still made it to the platform on time, but her stress levels were far higher than she would have preferred.

She stopped at the door and gave one last wave to her parents. Theo gave his daughter a wave, while Madeline smiled somberly, dabbing at her eyes briefly with a handkerchief. Avalon gave her parents a thumbs up and proceeded down the hallway of the train. She had promised herself last night to sit in an already-occupied compartment in order to start making friends. But now that the time was here, she suddenly felt more shy than ever. And after the morning she had, she was already on edge. She didn't want to be labeled as one of those annoying first years and risk making a fool out of herself by asking to sit in an occupied compartment. So, she ducked into an empty car. After settling in, Avalon pulled out her journal. Why not pass the time before the train leaves by writing? Avalon figured that she could be social a little later. She did want to make some acquaintances before she got to the castle. But for now, she was content with her moleskin notebook and pencil.