Even with the events of last year, Ingrid Luck had somehow managed to have a really great summer. You know, if you didn’t count the nightmares which she didn’t so it was fine. She’d had friends stay over and made some new ones and was now returning to one of her favourite places on Earth…Hogwarts! Although this year was a little different. She was a little different. A little taller, she strode onto the train with a renewed sense of self confidence that she simply hadn’t had her previous two years at Hogwarts. Maybe it was because of the other subtle changes she’d made in her appearance or possibly because she was another year the wiser. One thing was for sure though, she was excited to get back to her second home.

Stepping onto the front of the train, her long black hair billowing in the wind for a moment before she set foot into the familiar visage of the Hogwarts express, she quickly turned to wave goodbye to her father and then set about looking for a free compartment at the front alone. In the previous years, she would have spent most of the journey looking for her older siblings but not this year. This year she simply found and empty one and dumped her trunk up top before settling down next to the window, her eyes catching sight of her reflection for a brief moment. Between her neutral nails and the faint, pale rose eyeshadow and her sleek, straightened hair, she almost felt like a new person. Almost. She still had on her usual, worn and slightly faded dungarees but it wasn’t a ride on the Hogwarts express without them.

New year
New beginning.
Boy, didn't Kaira need that?
After the year that was, she needed her second year to go well. With these thoughts on her mind, he searched for a compartment to sit in and that is when she noticed Ingrid in a compartment. 'Hey, mind if I join you?,' she asked, sliding the door, with her head peering into the compartment.

Looking around from her own reflection in the widow, she turned to face the girl who’d just entered with a welcoming smile. “Sure! Come on in Kaira”. There was more than enough space in the compartment for her and well, she herself didn’t take up that much space unless you counted her trunk too but that was safely tucked away in the compartment.

“How was the rest of your summer anyway? she asked now, turned so her back faced away from the window towards the girl who was standing in the doorway.

With all the yummy snacks packed in her backpack, the ickle eleven year old decided to her siblings. She had lost track of her siblings when they originally got on board so she kept walking in one direction until she ended up near the front cars. She slowed her steps and looked into one of the compartments to find two older girls sitting there and talking. Maybe they had seen one of her siblings?

She glanced down at her bright pink boots before sighing and knocking on the door. Once she knocked, she opened it slowly to ask a question. “Hi! Have you seen a boy in Ravenclaw uniforms? I think I’ve lost my brother.”

Anxious, Remy was anxious.

Before heading into a compartment, and she had her eye on one in particular, she lingered in the corridor near the front of the train to wait for her friend, Ollie. She felt like she had been waiting forever for her, and Remy was starting to forget details of their conversation. DID she say to meet at the front? Or at the back? Surely she wouldn't stand her up on their FIRST DAY? WERE THEY EVEN FRIENDS AT ALL?

ALL THE EMOTIONS.

Remy tried to avoid all eye contact with other students but still people watched to find her new friend. She tugged at a piece of her hair.

Ollie saw her new friend waiting at the front of the train. She was running a little behind because she had forgotten her cat in her room when they left the house and her father had to turn the car back to get her. He was NOT happy about that.

"I'm here!" She called to let her know she was coming. The ride up she was trying to remember as much as she could from their previous conversation. She remembered the girl had an older sister who gave her handydowns. She remembered that the sister was in Gryffindor and that's what she wanted to get sorted into. She also remembered that her father was in Slytherin... and Remy didn't like that very much.

The blonde peeked through the train window at the big clock on the wall. Almost 11 o'clock. As soon as the train started to move, then she'd stop waiting. Suddenly, Remy noticed Ollie heading towards her and she closed the gap and linked arms with her. "Hiiii," She said as she dragged Ollie to the compartment she had her eye on.

As soon as the door was closed and she was sat, Remy finally beamed. "Hi." She repeated herself. "This is soooo cool, isn't it? I have butterflies in my stomach." It definitely wasn't just excitement, it was a lot of nerves. In fact, she kinda needed the bathroom.

As she was strung along, she looked back hoping to see her father waving goodbye to her. But no. He was nowhere she could see. She frowned and returned her attention to Remy. She was pulled into the compartment and practically pushed into a seat. She smiled at the girl's excitement.

Ollie nodded. "It is crazy! My stomach is in knots." She puffed her cheeks up to look like she was sick and giggled. "It'll be my first night away from home, so I'm freaking out!" She had made sure to grab her cat's favorite toy so the transition was easier for her. "What all did you bring?" Ollie was nervous she forgot something so going over what Remy brought would put her nerves at ease.

Remy felt comfort knowing Ollie felt the same as she did. She was soooo pleased to be going into Hogwarts arm in arm with another first year. She kind of felt like she wasn't going to let Ollie go until she was safely tucked up in her new dorm room. Hopefully they'd be dormmates!!

"Awwh!" Bless, her first time away from home. That must be extra scary. Remy hadn't had too many experiences away from home either but she was kinda looking forward to having some space from her family. Which is a feeling that was likely to last for approximately 1 night. "It's gonna be weird. I'm gonna be sending owl post to my mum every day." Remy gazed out of the window and sighed happily.

Feeling lost as she watched the trees blurring past, Remy looked back at Ollie, only catching the end of her question. "Hm? Brought what?" Oooops, attention span of a toddler.

"Wanna sugar quill?" Remy suddenly remembered she had some in her back pocket. She held out her hand with a packaged sugar quill for Ollie.

Legs pulled up in front of her so as not to take up too much space, Ingrid smiled at some of the newer arrivals before turning to one of the new first years. It was clear from her backpack and snacks that she was as green as the leaves of a bowtruckle. “Oh, hey. I uhh…I haven’t. What’s his name? I’m in Ravenclaw too. Maybe I know him?”. She did know most of the Ravenclaws on sight but not so much by name so maybe she wasn’t the best to actually help but she would still try anyway. “If you want, you can wait with us until he finds you?”, nodding towards the seat that was empty opposite her now. “I’m Ingrid by the way”.

She nodded and held her hand out for the sugar quill, pooping it in her mouth. "Nevermind." She looked out the window. This was crazy! She was headed to Hogwarts! She couldn't help but think of all the adventors she'd find herself in, all the classes she would take, all the friends she would make! She hoped that she was sorted into a house with someone she had already met. Maybe she could be dormmates with them.

"Can I ask you something? What house do you think I'll be sorted in to?" She thought that someone else's opinion would enlighten her. They may see things in her that she couldn't. Remy was 100% a Gryffindor... at least to Ollie she was.

Dare wasn't too sure what to expect in the upcoming term as he had boarded the train. His oldest sister would be in her final year and his youngest would be a first year.. but it was a tough summer and it looked like he would be the only one willing to head to Hogwarts despite his parents' suggestion to stay. He had O.W.Ls to overcome and so much more to expect.

Dare was sure most of his classmates would be chilling in the back with the other older students.. but he felt like staying in the front this time. He wanted to get the first look at what he would be returning to. After waving his family behind the rest of the trip began. Closing his eyes, it would be some time before they arrived so he could catch a few Z's beforehand.

Violet felt she'd developed a better relationship with her family (well, most of them) over the summer, but suddenly over the last few weeks everything had blown up. She'd found out her Uncle Hamlet had been at Hogwarts, but on the wrong side (the side that was out to get her!) when she blundered into a heated argument between him and her grandfather. Her grandfather had become furious, her other uncle Helicanus stressed with keeping them apart, and the whole thing had ended with Hamlet packing his bags and storming out of the house (and whether that was his idea or her grandfather's was impossible for Violet to tell). All that, and her third uncle, Horatio, still in the hospital in a coma had made the end of summer a tense and unpleasant few days.

And there had been another big discussion (okay, maybe an argument) over whether or not Violet was going back to school. A discussion (okay, definitely an argument) that Violet had somehow managed to win. Now that she'd got her way, she was not at all sure she really wanted to be going back after all. But here she was, back on the Hogwarts Express, exhausted and stressed out.

Having stowed her trunk in baggage, she decided to do something different and get into one of the front cars, and found herself in a compartment with Darius Flynn. "Hi," she muttered, collapsing into one of the seats across from him.

Lisa noticed the smile from the girl (Ingrid) that looked slightly older than her. She had a nice... friendly smile and she appreciated that. “Evan. Evan Nam!” she answered the older girl’s question before raising an eyebrow at the girl when she mentioned that she was a Ravenclaw. OH? She was meeting another Ravenclaw! How cool. She had met Ash over the summer who was a Ravenclaw and was super excited to meet more Ravenclaws. “Do you like being a a Ravenclaw?” she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly as she looked at the girl before offering a BIG BEAM at her suggestion.

“I’d like that! I .... I have snacks,” she said as she slipped the bag off of her shoulder and reached into it to reveal the chocolate frogs that she had. Ingrid was a nice name, supposed Lisa, and she smiled even more at her. “I’m Lisa! Lisa Nam!” she announced as she kicked her feet back and forth. While seated, her toes barely touched the ground.

'Heyo..Thanks, Ingrid!,' she said, making herself comfortable. 'Summer has been great! We went to India for a month because my cousin was getting married, so that was great!' she said. After a very..umm..happening first year, everyone in her family was relieved for a refreshing change of environment. 'How have you been?, What's n..' she was asking when she was interrupted by a girl (Lisa).

'Oh hii..No, we haven't seen him!,' she nodded as Lisa introduced herself. 'Oh hii Lisa..I'mKaira, second-year Ravenclaw!,' she beamed at her. 'Being a Ravenclaw is lovely..we have all been ravenclaws - me, mom, sister, cousins.. except dad..he was a Gryffindor!'.

She opened her bag, looking for the sandwiches her mom had packed for her. Aaha, there they were. 'Y'all wouldn't say no to a BLT sandwich?,' she asked Lisa and Ingrid, extending her box of sandwiches towards them

How many Z's did Darius catch? Not much, but more than none. The sliding of the compartment door caused his eyes to open automatically. Yep, he was a light sleeper.

"Hi Violet," That was her name, he remembered. They use to be in the same year way back. Usually, this was the moment to ask about each other's summers, but from what he gathered everyone who decided to return didn't have a pleasant summer. "you think we'll finally have a quiet year when we get back?" Probably not, but one would imagine, couldn't they?

Finally, someone who was willing to talk about things as they really were! "I'd like to think so," Violet replied, "but if the past two years were an example, I somehow doubt it." However, Violet thought that if she could get through the past year, she could get through anything. She hoped.