Hogwarts: A New Era; REBOOT IC

[The Blackdown Hills]

Liliya Kostenko held her cat, Natalka, however her beloved pet was in her cage. Liliya whispered to Natalka in her native Ukrainian as she walked out onto platform 9¾. Her family was not able to leave Ukraine, their nobility requiring them to remain there once again. Liliya was prepared for a new year at Hogwarts, and she grinned as she saw the other people. She looked down into her cart, mentally counting her things once more, despite knowing well that she had everything. She saw the magnificent red Hogwarts Express train, which would bring her back to her favourite place in the world. The people that she could meet at Hogwarts always intrigued her. She loved the challenge of her courses, as well as the little stresses that come with life away from home. She boarded the train after standing on the platform for several minutes, admiring the scene of the bustling platform. She knew that her things were secured, however she had Natalka's cage with her. The chocolate Abyssinian purred loud enough for Liliya to hear her clearly. "Oh Natalka, why are you so content to be in a cage?" Liliya grinned before beginning her search for a suitable compartment to sit in.

[Ancian]

Mark Smith
Mark started walking around. He hadn't seen his friends yet, and so was feeling slightly awkward. Just slightly. He felt that he should find a compartment soon as Brass, his honey badger, was drawing some attention and he didn't want to fight with the Slytherin's as much as he had last year. Another point was that he was wearing jeans and a cutoff. Which made him stand out even more. He sighed and suddenly let out a laugh and grinned. Why should he care what people think? Not his problem. Little thoughts like that can make you a happy camper. Even though regular camping was less than enjoyable. He tried it once. Never. Ever. Again. As he thought about happy campers, his thoughts switched to quidditch, he continued to think about while looking for his friends or people to sit with.

[The Blackdown Hills]

Mark Smith
Mark started walking around. He hadn't seen his friends yet, and so was feeling slightly awkward. Just slightly. He felt that he should find a compartment soon as Brass, his honey badger, was drawing some attention and he didn't want to fight with the Slytherin's as much as he had last year. Another point was that he was wearing jeans and a cutoff. Which made him stand out even more. He sighed and suddenly let out a laugh and grinned. Why should he care what people think? Not his problem. Little thoughts like that can make you a happy camper. Even though regular camping was less than enjoyable. He tried it once. Never. Ever. Again. As he thought about happy campers, his thoughts switched to quidditch, he continued to think about while looking for his friends or people to sit with.

Liliya made note of a boy who stood out. She wore a fine sweater with a knee-length skirt - very fashionable, yet sensible. The boy that she saw, however, was dressed in a very informal way. This made her interested, so she went over to him to learn more about him. Being her normal, friendly self, Liliya introduced herself. "Hello there, my name is Liliya Kostenko, and I am a fifth year." Her Ukrainian accent was easily heard, since she did still speak her native language outside of Hogwarts. She extended her hand for him to shake, although she did notice that Natalka was growing restless.

[Arana]

"Filthy Muggles. I'll never understand why they chose this god awful place for the Hogwarts Express. They're everywhere..."

Caleb Yaxley rolled his eyes as he walked through King's Cross Station with his parents. It seemed that whenever the three of them were away from home, either his mother or father, or, more likely, both of them, would be complaining about something relating to Muggles. On the rare occasion they weren't, it would probably be something about Half-Bloods. In truth, Caleb pitied them... Muggles would never be able to do magic like he could, and were forced to make do with whatever poor substitutes their scientists could come up with. Half-Bloods were luckier. They still had magic, although it would never be as strong as those of purer blood. At least, that's what his parents had taught him.

"Mother, stop. Somebody might hear you."

"So what if they do? They're too stupid to even know they're being insulted. Promise me now that you won't go off making friends with any of them like last year... no Mudbloods either."

"Mother..."

"Caleb, I mean it. Our family is one of the twenty-eight purest in Britain... twenty-seven if you don't count the Weasleys. I won't have you defiling our family name by associating with them. Promise me."

Caleb sighed, and stroked the head of his pet cobra, Rani, who was coiled around his shoulders. He had raised the snake from an egg, and she was most likely his best friend, especially when he was at home. His connection with her went deeper than that though, in a way that only he and his parents knew about. Several years ago, Caleb had been playing with Rani when he suddenly realized that he could understand what the snake was saying, and vice versa. He later learned he was a Parselmouth, one of a rare group of people who have the ability to communicate with snakes. Knowing that this trait was generally looked down on by the Wizarding community, he and his parents had, up until this point, kept it mostly secret.

"Mother only wishesss the bessst for you Caleb. Why can you not jussst do asss she asssksss?"

Frowning slightly, Caleb whispered back to the snake, hoping nobody noticed.

"I know she does, but there are lots of nice Mudbloods and Half-Bloods at Hogwarts. And I'm probably not going to make many friends if I ignore them."

"If you sssay ssso, my friend. But Mother will not be pleasssed if you disssobey her. I sssuggessst you promissse her before she becomesss angry."

Looking up, Caleb noticed that they were about to cross through the barrier to Platform 9 and 3/4, where the Hogwarts Express boarded. Muggles, obviously, only saw a brick wall, but wizards knew the truth. Looking straight at the wall, Caleb pushed the cart carrying his luggage forward, straight at the bricks. Although it looked like he was about to crash, within a moment he was on the other side. His parents soon followed.

"Well? I'm waiting."

Sighing, Caleb looked down at the snake, who seemed to nod.

"I promise, Mother."

Smiling, Hestia Yaxley-Carrow hugged her son tightly and ran her fingers through his hair.

"I'll miss you... promise to write whenever you can."

"Of course Mother."

Waving, Caleb took his luggage, consisting of a few bags and Rani's tank, and boarded the train. After walking through a few cars, he came to one with two girls in it, one covered in ash. Sitting down, he lightly stroked under Rani's chin and smiled at the two.

"Hello. I don't think I've met either of you. Is this your first year?"

[Nuridia]

Pandora plopped down in her seat next to Jacob and put her owl's cage in the empty middle space in between them. Luna hooted softly as the train started to fill and Isobelle was playing with the wand tucked inside her messy bun. Raphael and Theodore sat on either sides of her, and Elizabeth and Margaret sat next to each other so the Ravenscroft siblings took up a whole row of seats. The cat in the smaller girl's lap blinked bright blue eyes as he saw a young boy walk into the train with a snake and sit down in the next compartment. The cat also looked directly at Damian when he saw he was looking at Isobelle. "What is it Bastet?" she asked her cat worriedly. Pandora noticed the girl who was sitting in the row in front of her and Jacob, and she looked fairly shy. "Hey there." Pandora called to the girl, making Isobelle turn around and look at her. Pandora noticed that she was breathtakingly beautiful although looked very delicate. "Hey, you okay?" "You seem down." the Italian said. Isobelle shook her head. "No, I...well..I'm fine, thanks." Isobelle said softly before turning back around.

[Tomia]

Jacob
Jacob sat down next to Pandora with Luna between them. Wandler was in his cage next to Jacob, hooting as he looked out the window. Jacob listened as Pandora spoke to a young girl in front of them. She was very pretty, but also seemed very shy. He gave Pandora a curious look, silently wondering what was up.
Damian
Damian saw the Isobelle's cat looking at him. The cat was staring intently, and he could tell that Isobelle noticed. He decided to look away ad to not bother them. Soon a bunch of his friends arrived and joined Damian in his compartment. Most of them were around his age and were from a variety of houses. A few were Slytherin and Ravenclaw, there was even a guy from Hufflepuff and a girl from Gryffindor. They all greeted Damian and sat down with him. They soon all started chatting about their break and the new year ahead of them.

[ChasingCats]

Cyrus, 1st year

Cyrus was thrust into pandemonium as soon as he passed through the illusory wall into Platform 9¾. He stood with his mouth slightly agape, marvelling at the hectic sights and loud noises and strange smells of the busy train station. People were hugging, crying, yelling; animals screeched and hissed, knocked about in their cages or perched quietly atop their owners’ shoulders. And in the centre of it all, a magnificent red and black train was billowing smoke and waiting patiently for all of its passengers to come aboard: the Hogwarts Express.

He would step into the train and be carried away into Hogwarts, the school of his dreams.

He had heard fantastic tales from his father and grandmother about their adventures in Hogwarts, wherein his parents had fallen in love as did his grandparents; and he was eager to discover more stories of his mother that he was sure would have been kept alive in the history of the castle. Not to mention that as a Carlisle, he was descended from a long line of Ravenclaws, many of whom had been distinguished students honoured in the olden memories of the eminent house, and he bore a great hope that he would join their ranks.

“Come along now, love,” his grandmother said, leading the way down the platform. His father pushed a trolley of luggage beside him. “Ravenclaws sit in this section of the train if memory serves; isn’t that right, Cyrus?”

“Yes mother, I believe it begins from here.”

They stopped and watched a few blue crested students climb aboard the train.

“It’s a pity the Headmaster has always refused our offer to help better the quality of the train; a separate compartment for little Cy would have been good, don’t you think?”

Father nodded and said, “I will send an owl to Laroque when we get home. He’s new to Hogwarts and he might come to see how it will benefit everybody if some people can purchase first class seats. I have always found the compartments to be a tad too grungy for comfort, especially when the other students squeezed into ours.”

Cyrus had noticed that most of the students and their families were dressed in the usual garb, some of which were poorly looking and seemed dirty. He didn’t want to sit with them. He felt his father’s warm hand gently squeeze his shoulder. “You will have to make do with it for now. Go on then.” His father kissed the top of his head and there was a sudden pang in his heart at the reality of leaving his family. “There is no doubt in my mind that you will be sorted into Ravenclaw.”

“None at all,” Grandmother agreed with a smile.

“Papa,” Cyrus said quietly, looking up at him; a kind smile and blue eyes like his own gazed down at him. He hugged his father, who held him just as tightly, engraving into memory the smell of tobacco smoke and musky cologne, the padded feel of his tailored three piece suit and heavy coat, and the sight of the round-rimmed spectacles that adorned the vest.

“I love you, son. Don’t forget about us.”

“I would never. Please write often to me.”

“Of course we will.”

Next was Grandmother: he was embraced in the luxurious feel of thick mink coat that flowed over her round body, the perfume of roses and feel of silk gloved hands stroking the back of his head. “We love you, Cy. I know you will do us proud.”

“I love you, Grandma.”

“Take good care of yourself and let us know of any trouble,” she said.

It was with a teary eye that Cyrus departed for the train.

The well-maintained interior bore an air of antiqueness. He made his way down the narrow passageway, excusing himself and squeezing past older students, some of whom were of Ravenclaw and others not; with glances into the compartments whose doors were open he concurred with his father that he would very much like his own space - especially when a tall disheveled girl covered in grime dashed past him in the corridor without care and smudged black soot on his robes. Cyrus pursed his lips, his contempt politely masked in public, and brushed off the dirt. He definitely needed to find and sit with more palatable company for the trip.

[Ancian]

Mark Smith
Mark started walking around. He hadn't seen his friends yet, and so was feeling slightly awkward. Just slightly. He felt that he should find a compartment soon as Brass, his honey badger, was drawing some attention and he didn't want to fight with the Slytherin's as much as he had last year. Another point was that he was wearing jeans and a cutoff. Which made him stand out even more. He sighed and suddenly let out a laugh and grinned. Why should he care what people think? Not his problem. Little thoughts like that can make you a happy camper. Even though regular camping was less than enjoyable. He tried it once. Never. Ever. Again. As he thought about happy campers, his thoughts switched to quidditch, he continued to think about while looking for his friends or people to sit with.

Liliya made note of a boy who stood out. She wore a fine sweater with a knee-length skirt - very fashionable, yet sensible. The boy that she saw, however, was dressed in a very informal way. This made her interested, so she went over to him to learn more about him. Being her normal, friendly self, Liliya introduced herself. "Hello there, my name is Liliya Kostenko, and I am a fifth year." Her Ukrainian accent was easily heard, since she did still speak her native language outside of Hogwarts. She extended her hand for him to shake, although she did notice that Natalka was growing restless.

He looked over and grinned, he shook her hand, slightly puzzled about exactly what nation she came from as she sounded more eastern Europe. "Hey, last time I checked my name was Mark Smith. Nice to meet you. I'm a fourth year." He looked at his badger, trying to be more or less discreet, and pushed him back slightly with his legs, Brass was a very friendly guy, and he didn't want him to jump to the girl....or the cat. So she was a fifth year, probably 15. He wondered if she played played quidditch....

[Kazirstan]

Lina

Immediately, and without a word, the girl shot out of the compartment and ran down the corridor. Lina sighed and slumped back in her seat. She's gone, thought Lina, at least for now. Above her, Scania gave a pleased chirp, looking quite proud of himself, as if he had something to do with her departure. Lina picked up her book and continued reading, planning on making the most of the few minutes of silence she had.

All too soon in Lina's opinion, the girl returned with her luggage, and began jabbering away once again. When the girl began asking her more questions, Lina responded, "Slytherin's nice," was nice. The thought of Liam not being there this year, or anywhere for that matter, caused a wave of emotion to wash over her, and she sunk further back into her seat, in a futile attempt to disappear.

Oh great, Lina thought when a boy she vaguely remembered as being in the year above her came in and sat down at least it's not another girl, she reasoned. "No, I'm a second year. Slytherin." she said, in response to the boy's question.

[The Blackdown Hills]

Liliya made note of a boy who stood out. She wore a fine sweater with a knee-length skirt - very fashionable, yet sensible. The boy that she saw, however, was dressed in a very informal way. This made her interested, so she went over to him to learn more about him. Being her normal, friendly self, Liliya introduced herself. "Hello there, my name is Liliya Kostenko, and I am a fifth year." Her Ukrainian accent was easily heard, since she did still speak her native language outside of Hogwarts. She extended her hand for him to shake, although she did notice that Natalka was growing restless.

He looked over and grinned, he shook her hand, slightly puzzled about exactly what nation she came from as she sounded more eastern Europe. "Hey, last time I checked my name was Mark Smith. Nice to meet you. I'm a fourth year." He looked at his badger, trying to be more or less discreet, and pushed him back slightly with his legs, Brass was a very friendly guy, and he didn't want him to jump to the girl....or the cat. So she was a fifth year, probably 15. He wondered if she played played quidditch....

Liliya smiled, although she did notice the honey badger by Mark's feet. She was worried that the thing would attack her. She was intrigued by Mark and his interesting pet, and could think of many questions she wanted to ask, however she refrained from asking them. "Well, Mark, where are you from? And I can't help but ask, what is that by your feet?" She grinned, knowing full well that it was his pet. She wanted to meet the animal, figuring that it must be friendly, given that he was bringing it to school.

[Ancian]

He looked over and grinned, he shook her hand, slightly puzzled about exactly what nation she came from as she sounded more eastern Europe. "Hey, last time I checked my name was Mark Smith. Nice to meet you. I'm a fourth year." He looked at his badger, trying to be more or less discreet, and pushed him back slightly with his legs, Brass was a very friendly guy, and he didn't want him to jump to the girl....or the cat. So she was a fifth year, probably 15. He wondered if she played played quidditch....

Liliya smiled, although she did notice the honey badger by Mark's feet. She was worried that the thing would attack her. She was intrigued by Mark and his interesting pet, and could think of many questions she wanted to ask, however she refrained from asking them. "Well, Mark, where are you from? And I can't help but ask, what is that by your feet?" She grinned, knowing full well that it was his pet. She wanted to meet the animal, figuring that it must be friendly, given that he was bringing it to school.

He looked down, and grinned. "Ah, I'm from southern England." He looked down at Brass to make sure he was behaving. He laughed, "Liliya, this is Brass" as he said that he brought the badger from his feet. Brass started walking towards her, as Brass ambled on his way to meet new people, mark said, "So, what house are you in? I know it's hard to tell what house I'm in" he said with a grin.

[The Blackdown Hills]

Liliya smiled, although she did notice the honey badger by Mark's feet. She was worried that the thing would attack her. She was intrigued by Mark and his interesting pet, and could think of many questions she wanted to ask, however she refrained from asking them. "Well, Mark, where are you from? And I can't help but ask, what is that by your feet?" She grinned, knowing full well that it was his pet. She wanted to meet the animal, figuring that it must be friendly, given that he was bringing it to school.

He looked down, and grinned. "Ah, I'm from southern England." He looked down at Brass to make sure he was behaving. He laughed, "Liliya, this is Brass" as he said that he brought the badger from his feet. Brass started walking towards her, as Brass ambled on his way to meet new people, mark said, "So, what house are you in? I know it's hard to tell what house I'm in" he said with a grin.

Liliya smiled, intrigued by the interesting animal. Brass was cute, but he did seem slightly menacing, so Liliya made sure to keep both her hands, and her cat, away. She looked back at Mark, gesturing to a House Ravenclaw patch on the left breast of her sweater. "I'm in Ravenclaw, and I really love it. What about you? It is definitely hard to tell from your clothes."

[The greater Vakolicci Haven]

The platform was packed with an assortment of individuals saying goodbye to their families. The few in wizards robes who hadn't read their school lettres informing them of what not to wear of course stood out, and Robert in his black t-shirt, long jeans and trainers looked almost ordinary.

Failing to see anyone he recognised in the huge mass of individuals, he climbed aboard the scarlet steam engine, hoping to get a seat before the crowds had said goodbye to their families. Finding an almost-full carriage, he ambled in, his owl waking from the noise inside.
"Mind if I sit here?" he asked in his warm, confident voice.

[Ancian]

He looked down, and grinned. "Ah, I'm from southern England." He looked down at Brass to make sure he was behaving. He laughed, "Liliya, this is Brass" as he said that he brought the badger from his feet. Brass started walking towards her, as Brass ambled on his way to meet new people, mark said, "So, what house are you in? I know it's hard to tell what house I'm in" he said with a grin.

Liliya smiled, intrigued by the interesting animal. Brass was cute, but he did seem slightly menacing, so Liliya made sure to keep both her hands, and her cat, away. She looked back at Mark, gesturing to a House Ravenclaw patch on the left breast of her sweater. "I'm in Ravenclaw, and I really love it. What about you? It is definitely hard to tell from your clothes."

As brass sat down at his feet, he grinned once more and pointed to the animal. "Hufflepuff, and proud of it. If you saw me at quidditch, I'm the guy whacking people." He laughed, at the clothes comment, "I'll change before we get there. I do like casual clothes though." He looked at her cat, which was in a cage. That thought made him just slightly smile, his badger was free to move, and the cat, a natural pet, was in a cage.

[The Blackdown Hills]

Liliya smiled, intrigued by the interesting animal. Brass was cute, but he did seem slightly menacing, so Liliya made sure to keep both her hands, and her cat, away. She looked back at Mark, gesturing to a House Ravenclaw patch on the left breast of her sweater. "I'm in Ravenclaw, and I really love it. What about you? It is definitely hard to tell from your clothes."

As brass sat down at his feet, he grinned once more and pointed to the animal. "Hufflepuff, and proud of it. If you saw me at quidditch, I'm the guy whacking people." He laughed, at the clothes comment, "I'll change before we get there. I do like casual clothes though." He looked at her cat, which was in a cage. That thought made him just slightly smile, his badger was free to move, and the cat, a natural pet, was in a cage.

Liliya smiled, looking out the window of the train through an empty compartment. The platform was still crowded, and it seemed that many more students would be boarding. She was somewhat surprised that Mark was a Hufflepuff, having judged him to be Slytherin by the nature of his style. She was intrigued by the fact that he played quidditch, and wanted to know much more about it. She had always been fond of sports - both watching them and playing them - so she did have a desire to try the sport. Her ability to fly on a broomstick was quite impressive according to the family guards, one of whom played quidditch on the Bulgarian team. She gestured towards the empty compartment, "shall we sit? I fear that the train will be very crowded soon, and this compartment is empty at the moment." Natalka, who had been pacing in her cage, began to grow restless. The usually friendly cat hissed at Mark, and surprisingly not at Brass. Natalka seemed very wary of the Hufflepuff boy.

[Ancian]

As brass sat down at his feet, he grinned once more and pointed to the animal. "Hufflepuff, and proud of it. If you saw me at quidditch, I'm the guy whacking people." He laughed, at the clothes comment, "I'll change before we get there. I do like casual clothes though." He looked at her cat, which was in a cage. That thought made him just slightly smile, his badger was free to move, and the cat, a natural pet, was in a cage.

Liliya smiled, looking out the window of the train through an empty compartment. The platform was still crowded, and it seemed that many more students would be boarding. She was somewhat surprised that Mark was a Hufflepuff, having judged him to be Slytherin by the nature of his style. She was intrigued by the fact that he played quidditch, and wanted to know much more about it. She had always been fond of sports - both watching them and playing them - so she did have a desire to try the sport. Her ability to fly on a broomstick was quite impressive according to the family guards, one of whom played quidditch on the Bulgarian team. She gestured towards the empty compartment, "shall we sit? I fear that the train will be very crowded soon, and this compartment is empty at the moment." Natalka, who had been pacing in her cage, began to grow restless. The usually friendly cat hissed at Mark, and surprisingly not at Brass. Natalka seemed very wary of the Hufflepuff boy.

"Sure" he said smiling, letting her go first. When the cat hissed at him he grinned at it, animals usually loved him.... She seemed more like a Gryffindor to him. The way she spoke....it sounded more affirmative and in control. He always had thought of Ravenclaws as being more precise than affirmative. Not that it mattered much, he liked both Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's. However, he couldn't stand Slytherin's, cocky, and rude little blighters. Not all of them of course. Their were a few decent ones. A few. He thought about why some didn't understand Hufflepuff traits. They were to be hardworking, loyal, and fair. They didn't have to always be happy, wear polite clothes, or take things laying down. He knew he didn't. Although it was fairly hard to get him out of a good mood. As Brass climbed onto the seat beside him, he unconsciously petted him.

[The Blackdown Hills]

Liliya smiled, looking out the window of the train through an empty compartment. The platform was still crowded, and it seemed that many more students would be boarding. She was somewhat surprised that Mark was a Hufflepuff, having judged him to be Slytherin by the nature of his style. She was intrigued by the fact that he played quidditch, and wanted to know much more about it. She had always been fond of sports - both watching them and playing them - so she did have a desire to try the sport. Her ability to fly on a broomstick was quite impressive according to the family guards, one of whom played quidditch on the Bulgarian team. She gestured towards the empty compartment, "shall we sit? I fear that the train will be very crowded soon, and this compartment is empty at the moment." Natalka, who had been pacing in her cage, began to grow restless. The usually friendly cat hissed at Mark, and surprisingly not at Brass. Natalka seemed very wary of the Hufflepuff boy.

"Sure" he said smiling, letting her go first. When the cat hissed at him he grinned at it, animals usually loved him.... She seemed more like a Gryffindor to him. The way she spoke....it sounded more affirmative and in control. He always had thought of Ravenclaws as being more precise than affirmative. Not that it mattered much, he liked both Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's. However, he couldn't stand Slytherin's, cocky, and rude little blighters. Not all of them of course. Their were a few decent ones. A few. He thought about why some didn't understand Hufflepuff traits. They were to be hardworking, loyal, and fair. They didn't have to always be happy, wear polite clothes, or take things laying down. He knew he didn't. Although it was fairly hard to get him out of a good mood. As Brass climbed onto the seat beside him, he unconsciously petted him.

Liliya went into the compartment, sitting across from Mark. She was slightly surprised to see the badger sit next to Mark, but she was glad that it wasn't near Natalka. The poor cat seemed very put-off by both of them. After sitting in silence for far longer than Liliya would have liked, she decided to spark more conversation. "So Mark, what's it like playing quidditch? I've always wanted to try."

[Ancian]

"Sure" he said smiling, letting her go first. When the cat hissed at him he grinned at it, animals usually loved him.... She seemed more like a Gryffindor to him. The way she spoke....it sounded more affirmative and in control. He always had thought of Ravenclaws as being more precise than affirmative. Not that it mattered much, he liked both Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's. However, he couldn't stand Slytherin's, cocky, and rude little blighters. Not all of them of course. Their were a few decent ones. A few. He thought about why some didn't understand Hufflepuff traits. They were to be hardworking, loyal, and fair. They didn't have to always be happy, wear polite clothes, or take things laying down. He knew he didn't. Although it was fairly hard to get him out of a good mood. As Brass climbed onto the seat beside him, he unconsciously petted him.

Liliya went into the compartment, sitting across from Mark. She was slightly surprised to see the badger sit next to Mark, but she was glad that it wasn't near Natalka. The poor cat seemed very put-off by both of them. After sitting in silence for far longer than Liliya would have liked, she decided to spark more conversation. "So Mark, what's it like playing quidditch? I've always wanted to try."

He grinned at her as his eyes lit up. " The best feeling ever. I'm a beater, so what it's like for me is different than a seeker." He thought for a second. "Do you know the general rules and positions in quidditch?" Even after he said that he continued."I used to be scared of heights, but after your up their you just forget it and play." He stopped, slightly embarrassed, because he realized he was going on and on after he had already asked a question.

[The Blackdown Hills]

Liliya went into the compartment, sitting across from Mark. She was slightly surprised to see the badger sit next to Mark, but she was glad that it wasn't near Natalka. The poor cat seemed very put-off by both of them. After sitting in silence for far longer than Liliya would have liked, she decided to spark more conversation. "So Mark, what's it like playing quidditch? I've always wanted to try."

He grinned at her as his eyes lit up. " The best feeling ever. I'm a beater, so what it's like for me is different than a seeker." He thought for a second. "Do you know the general rules and positions in quidditch?" Even after he said that he continued."I used to be scared of heights, but after your up their you just forget it and play." He stopped, slightly embarrassed, because he realized he was going on and on after he had already asked a question.

Liliya listened intently to his passion. He clearly had a love for his sport, which she admired greatly. She found herself wishing that she'd played quidditch, instead of pursuing a muggle sport like football. She nodded when asked about her knowledge of the game, "Yes, I do understand the game. One of our family guards is a former chaser for Bulgaria." She smiled, proud to have a connection, then listened on.

[The Rebel Alliances]

Rebecca Cunningham-4th Year-15 Years Old
My concentration was broken from the window when another student sat down in our own compartment. I slid over slightly closer to the window to make room, which was not really necessary. I was eager to have someone new to talk with, as my present company seemed a little too reserved for now. She may warm up some later, but I doubt before we get to school. So, when the new boy asked if this was our first year, I was not sure how to respond, as this is my first year attending Hogwarts, but because of my age they enrolled me as a fourth year. However, I had guessed he was asking if this was our first time going to school. So I answered in that way. "Yes, its my first year going to Hogwarts. I went to Cold Creek High School before this. That is a normal school." I said oblivious to the word that would normally describe it was muggle. Lori my rat was now standing on my left shoulder, with both forepaws raised as if it was trying to sense something. It was then that the rat saw the Cobra and immediately panicked.

Lori dove into my robes and was rapidly scurrying about inside my clothes. The rats small paws moving about the inside of my clothes was tickling and I shook about trying to get the small rodent to calm down. "EEK!" I exclaimed as moved over my gut and finally was able to calm the small pet down enough to get her to stop moving. The rat now rested atop my chest beneath my robes, unwilling to poke its tiny head out. Finally, feeling like I regained some control, I asked the boy about his name, and his snake.

"I am Rebecca, but my friends call me Becca. The rat I own is Lori. So, what is your name? And is your pet...tame?" I asked, not wanting to stay around it considering I have it's natura; prey inside my clothes.

[Ancian]

He grinned at her as his eyes lit up. " The best feeling ever. I'm a beater, so what it's like for me is different than a seeker." He thought for a second. "Do you know the general rules and positions in quidditch?" Even after he said that he continued."I used to be scared of heights, but after your up their you just forget it and play." He stopped, slightly embarrassed, because he realized he was going on and on after he had already asked a question.

Liliya listened intently to his passion. He clearly had a love for his sport, which she admired greatly. She found herself wishing that she'd played quidditch, instead of pursuing a muggle sport like football. She nodded when asked about her knowledge of the game, "Yes, I do understand the game. One of our family guards is a former beater for Bulgaria." She smiled, proud to have a connection, then listened on.

"Did you say he was a former beater for Bulgaria??!" The fact that she said guard had no meaning to him. The fact that she knew a former Bulgarian playerx especially a beater, was great. He continued on his thread of loving the game. "The best part is theirs a position for everyone. The fast and agile can be seekers. The big or fast players can be keepers, making it a more flexible position. And chasers, of course, need to be able to throw and catch. And beaters need to be able to hit a bludger away from the team and towards others. So many positions with so many types of people. A very flexible game. Not to mention the broom types, there's even different brooms suited for different positions." He stopped, he loved it like an addiction. He looked at her and grinned.

[The Blackdown Hills]

Liliya listened intently to his passion. He clearly had a love for his sport, which she admired greatly. She found herself wishing that she'd played quidditch, instead of pursuing a muggle sport like football. She nodded when asked about her knowledge of the game, "Yes, I do understand the game. One of our family guards is a former beater for Bulgaria." She smiled, proud to have a connection, then listened on.

"Did you say he was a former beater for Bulgaria??!" The fact that she said guard had no meaning to him. The fact that she knew a former Bulgarian playerx especially a beater, was great. He continued on his thread of loving the game. "The best part is theirs a position for everyone. The fast and agile can be seekers. The big or fast players can be keepers, making it a more flexible position. And chasers, of course, need to be able to throw and catch. And beaters need to be able to hit a bludger away from the team and towards others. So many positions with so many types of people. A very flexible game. Not to mention the broom types, there's even different brooms suited for different positions." He stopped, he loved it like an addiction. He looked at her and grinned.

Liliya was surprised that Mark was so enthusiastic about her knowing a former Bulgarian player. "Yes, I know Alexei Levski. He was a chaser in the 1994 World Cup. It must have been a brilliant match." She was intrigued by the position of seeker, as she figured herself to be both fast and agile. She felt willing to give quidditch a try, should she have the opportunity. She was so fascinated by the sport, but she could think of no further questions. She found it difficult to think of what to say next, so she refrained, merely smiling at Mark.

[Ancian]

Mark leaned back in his chair thinking. While thinking he absentmindedly petted Brass. He was thinking about proving all the other houses wrong in quidditch, not a very stereotypical Hufflepuff thought, he knew, but at the same time it was. It would take loyalty to the house and a massive amount of hard work. He want even going to try his absolute best for him or the team, but for the house. They never won anything, his goal before he leaves in a few years is to change that. Then their was this girl, a cat,.which for whatever reason didn't like him -which kinda hurt- and a strange, but nice accent. His thoughts strayed back to quidditch where they stayed for a while.

[Corrian]

Agatha
"Be careful" Her dad said, followed by her mom saying "Be a good girl, and have fun", to which Agatha pretty much just disregarded with a "Yeah, yeah", hating the whole boring, annoying goodbye thing and her parents acting like they cared. Well, they did, but their daughter didn't. She just wanted to get things freaking moving along already and to get onto the train, not pretend like she actually cared about leaving her parents. Her mom frowned, noticing their daughters uncaring attitude towards them, but said nothing. They didn't bother giving her a hug, either, because she had little interest in such things. But her brother just had to be...well, her brother.

"Don't get yourself pregnant this year" Her brother commented with a smirk, and Agatha shook her head at her stupid brother. "That's not even funny, and you know it. That's about the stupidest and most boring joke you can make. You need to stop getting your jokes from the Internet, brother" She said, shaking her head some more at her brothers stupid joke. And why the hell would she get herself pregnant? She didn't care about making friends. She'd rather go about things solo for the most part, not be a typical boring ass high school student like her brother was and get into any of that stupid relationship crap. She was perfectly fine with being single...Or so she told herself.

Without another word after insulting her brother, who you could tell was just thinking that her sister couldn't ever take a joke for what it was and just responded like an ass, which wasn't really anything new, Agatha went through the magical wall and barely had a second thought about her family as she headed onto the train shortly later, slipping into one of the (currently) completely empty compartments. She leaned her head against the window, staring out it, her mind racing with various different thoughts. Like how she typically was, she was wearing mostly black clothes, and right now, some black fingernail polish. The worst part of that was that she was biting her nails. That was a bad habit of hers that she had never gotten rid of, or really attempted to get rid of for that matter.

Last year had been a bit of an eventful year. While for the most part it was a typical year for her. Studying her favorite classes, passing grades, and doing her own thing, like sneaking around at night, not giving a crap about certain classes, and such like that, there had been some...events that were a bit insane. An attack of sorts on Hogsmeade, followed by some crazy events afterwards. But still, she didn't really hate any of it. In fact, she found most of it...intriguing, and fascinating. It gave her a more likely possibility of being able to actually have a use in her spells. And she rather liked that. She liked the idea of having a reason to fight. And she honestly wasn't sure what to think about herself and that. The fact that she wasn't really...Bothered by everything like she felt like she should be, and rather embraced the potentially deadly scenarios.

She could tell it was going to certainly be an interesting next few years, at least.

Adair
"Alright sweetie, it is time for us to depart and let you go" Adair's father said to her, getting down onto his knees to be at a closer level to her height, seeing as she was 11 and fit the height of a typical 11-year old girl. "We love you. We hope that you have fun" He said, looking sad because he didn't want to leave his daughter. She had been such a big part of their lives for so long that suddenly getting a letter indicating that she could go away to a school for magical students for most of the year was rather saddening, but their daughter was so happy and excited to learn that magic was actually real (and her parents surprised) that they couldn't possibly say no to her. She was sad, too, as well, but excited at the same time to experience this world of magic that she was apparently capable of going to. She hugged her dad tightly, doing the same with her mom shortly later, trying not to get emotional over it.

"I love you daddy. Love you mommy. I'll miss you guys. I'll write as much as I can! And send you some of my drawings!" Adair smiled, trying to lighten the mood of the goodbye for all of them. They laughed, and dad said "Okay sweetie", gave her a kiss on the forehead, and said their final goodbyes before their daughter went through the magic wall into a whole new world of possibilities.

"Oh wow! This place is magnificent!" Adair exclaimed, her mouth falling open when she saw the beautifully bright and lit up train station, and the beautiful train itself. And this was just the beginning! She hadn't even got on the train yet, or started heading to wherever it was that they were going, and she was already in love with the world. Slipping past the others with her things in hand, she slipped onto the train and found herself an empty compartment, super excited with her cat, Maya, in her arms while she watched all the activity around her. She had completely forgotten about any homesickness she was already feeling before her parents had even left. But the compartment she was in didn't say empty for long...

Mist
Mist had said her goodbyes to her parents like everyone else, but her departure with her parents didn't seem sad or anything like that. Sure, she would miss them, but she was more fascinated with where she was going than anything, and her parents proud to have their daughter going to the same school that they had been to themselves. It came to no surprise to any of them at all when she had gotten a letter to go to the school, because she had grown up with magic due to her parents since forever. They had lived in the middle of nowhere, so it was easier to get away with using magic without any Muggles seeing it. So she was already generally accustomed to basic spells and whatnot before even going to Hogwarts.

When she had entered the platform, she looked around it in amazement, finding everything beautiful about the whole scene, despite the weather. She eventually boarded the train as well, clinking her luggage intentionally against each step that she ascended to get onto the train, smiling at the sounds it made. The compartment that she slipped into happened to have one occupant in it already, a young girl who she guessed was probably the same age as herself. This girl was Adair, and they would begin to talk...

Holly
Holly pretty much just headed straight into one of the compartments to meet some of her friends from the previous years, having no particular opinion on the station or anything like that, and the departure from her parents was so normal now that she certainly didn't have an opinion worth noting about that. And the weather? Well, she was from Germany. The weather meant nothing to her. She was used to it, after all. It just seemed like another day to her as far as she was concerned. Except the day involved going back to her favorite school and hanging out with some of her favorite friends, along with doing some Quidditch again, which was always an exciting thing for her.

Kevin
Kevin sorta just had a passive opinion about everything. He departed his parents, walked into the station, and headed onto the train without much thought on the whole thing. He just wanted to get to the school and begin the year, not thinking about silly, pointless things like how awesome the train station supposedly was or the train itself. They were just things. They didn't matter. What mattered was getting to the school and seeing what house he would end up in. That was all that he cared about. He slipped into a random compartment, not caring either way if it was empty or not, and sat down.

[Lorellion]

Ella Fedele

Ella dropped her things and launched herself into Walter's arms. "You have no idea how much I've missed you! It feels like an eternity!" She pulled away slightly and smiled. "I know I was a bad friend at the end of the year... A lot was going on." She picked her stuff back up off the ground and shoved a bunch of books back into her back. Several of the books were not required books for school and it seemed as though she had taken copious notes in the margins. She took a great deal of caution to hide those books from Walter. She wouldn't let him get involved in what she was planning... She wouldn't let anyone get involved.