Heading Back to School -- The Hogwarts Express

September 1st 2022
The new school term is on the edge of coming to life. September the first has come around, signalling the start of the new term. For many students, this will be the most exciting time of the year -- a new school for the eleven year olds, meeting up with friends for the older students.

Adventures are close at hand for all.

The red steam engine -- Hogwarts had still not upgraded the train to the new electric trains seen in the Muggle world -- sits on the platform from ten o'clock on the Thursday morning. Steam billows softly from the funnels as the magic inside readies itself to transport the students from Kings Cross Station, London, up to Hogsmeade Station, Scotland.

Soon, the platform would be full of chatter, owls hooting, parents bidding their children goodbye, the soft squeals of the students as they are reacquainted with their friends for the new year.

How will your adventure start this year?


OOC: This thread is open to all heading to Hogwarts (even professors).

Mercy could not keep still. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so widely, but she couldn't help herself as she pushed her trolley full of luggage through the crowds of King's Cross Station, making her way toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Her mother trailed behind her, struggling to keep up. Although Ai Williams had her concerns, her daughter's joy and excitement were infectious, and she too had trouble keeping a smile off her face as she saw her daughter off to her alma mater.

Mercy glanced back as she approached the barrier, and her mother nodded at her to say the coast was clear. Mercy let out a gleeful cackle as she charged the barrier, her eyes bright and her heart pounding with excitement. At the last second, she lifted her feet off the ground and leaned forward to put her weight on the trolley, gliding through the brick wall at top speed.

She nearly crashed into several people as she emerged on the other side, and she cheerfully called out her apologies as she brought her feet down again and ground to a halt. A few seconds later, her mother stepped through, sending a sheepish smile toward the grumbling wizards and witches who had nearly had their toes run over.

Mercy bounced up and down as she took in Platform 9 3/4, gazing in awe at the red steam engine parked on the tracks. She ditched the cart for a moment and ran up to her mother.

"Look at all these people!" she whisper-shouted, grabbing her mother's hand and enthusiastically dragging her along as she wandered around the platform. Her mother laughed.

"It hasn't changed too much from the last time I was here. Same train and everything."

"Whoa," Mercy gasped as it dawned on her that she might sit in the exact same seat her mother had sat in when she was her age. "Which compartment did you sit in?"

"Oh, one of the ones near the back, I think. Third one from the last? On the left hand side going in."

Mercy decided she would sit there, no matter what, and committed it to memory. Then she scampered off to explore the station for a few minutes before the train blew its warning whistle. Her mother called out to her.

"You'd better board your luggage onto the train, qiānjīn. It's going to leave soon."

Mercy nodded, reaching for her trolley once more. Her mother cleared her throat, her eyebrow raised in mock affront as she held her arms out expectantly. Mercy grinned and ran at her mother, flinging her arms around her neck and jumping off the ground.

"Bye, Mam."

"Stay out of trouble, or at the very least, don't get caught."

"I'll try," she smirked mischievously as she let go.

"I love you, qiānjīn."

"I love you, Mam. Tell Dad I love him too."

"Of course. If anything happens, you write to us immediately, okay?"

"I know, I know. I'll be fine, don't worry."

"I'm your mother, that's my job. Now go, I'll see you at Christmas," Mrs. Williams smiled affectionately as she waved her daughter to the train.

"See you at Christmas!" Mercy agreed, spinning her trolley around toward one of the doors. With some difficulty, she lugged her belongings up the steps and into the train. Then she carried her things down the corridor toward the third compartment from the back, on the left-hand side.

Cora sighed as she sat in the back of the black Bentley, stuck in the middle of her Mother and Brother as they wound their way through the streets of London towards Kings Cross Station. The car ride was painfully silent, not even the radio on to break the tension. Her older brother was fixated on his mobile phone in his hands, sending the last few texts to his muggle friends that he could before they travelled North back to Hogwarts. Her mother, on the other hand, sat as still as a statue, watching the world pass by out the tinted glass of the window.

Travelling to the train station had become a bit of a family tradition, in the sense that it was the only guaranteed time of year that Cora's mother would actually materialise and try to do some parenting. She was always the one to escort them to the train platform. Cora had once asked her older sister why she did this and had been told it was because Father would just bawl his eyes out on the platform and their mother didn't want him to be viewed all teary eyed in public. It would be bad for her image. This wasn't such a hard explanation to believe. Cora had never seen her mother cry once and as a child had considered that maybe she had had her tear ducts surgically removed. This was after the time Cora had presumed her mother was just an emotionless robot and had stabbed her in the arm with a pair of small craft scissors to prove her point. Cora had only been a toddler at the time, and her punishment was 2 years of no contact with her Mother, even when she was home to visit.

The cruel punishment had not done Cora any harm though. She had never been without adoration with her father doting on her constantly, especially when the older two were away at Hogwarts, and her Nanny and hired magic tutor doting on her the rest of the time. She had missed it terribly the last 2 years she had spent away at Hogwarts, and the familiar ache was returning in her chest this year. But... this time she had so much more to look forward to. She was finally old enough to attend some more classes, rather than just the basics of wizarding education, and she would be able to go to Hogsmeade on the weekend rather than spending the majority of the time in the school library.

As the car pulled up the driver came round and opened the door for Cora's mother. Her brother had bundled himself out the other side and slammed the door shut behind him so Cora couldn't follow. Instead, she waited for mother to decant and followed her out carefully. Although it was still early in the day, the sun was shining bright overhead and was almost blinding in the clear sky. The driver took out their luggage and got them set up on two trolleys before the three of them headed down into the darkness of the station and towards platform 9. The route was familiar, and it wasn't long until they lost themselves in the hustle and bustle of the station before disappearing through the magical pillar to platform 9 3/4.

The Hogwarts Express never failed to be breathtaking when you first laid eyes upon it parked up in the station, the steady puff of smoke being released into the air out the front. Cora looked over it as her brother went to make his way off to meet some friends, only to be caught by the Collar by mother.

"Phone, Now." She demanded, holding her hand out flat. Cora's brother groaned and placed the mobile into her hand. "Good. I don't want any letters this year about you misbehaving. Go." She finished up, sending him off. The way she had dismissed him sent shivers down Cora's spine and she knew that she was next. Looking around, she couldn't help but to notice all the students saying loving goodbyes to their parents. Parents kissing and hugging their children, young and old, before helping them onto the train. She wondered what it was like, to say such emotional goodbyes. To have loved ones waving as the train pulled away.

Cora pulled her eyes back to look up to her mother, who appeared to be staring at her, hand out towards her again. Cora didn't even need to ask what she wanted, and stuffed her hand into her pocket and put the phone into her mothers palm. She took a deep breath, ready for the cold dismissal, but this time it never came. Her mothers own phone began to rang and she reached into her pocket, pulling it out and answering. With that, she simply turned from her daughter and walked back out of the station, leaving her stranded alongside the large train.

Cora blinked for a few moments in shock, trying to comprehend whether this sudden abandonment was an improvement or not on previous years. Slowly she pushed her way to the train, carefully weaving amongst groups of families and friends to a carriage a few down from the front. She stopped and carefully loaded her trunks one by one onto the train, being extra careful with the pet carrier at the end which held a very sleepy, dopey cat. Her father always added a little something extra to the cats milk in the morning of departure to make her sleep most of the journey. Finally getting onto the train, Cora started navigating her way through the carriage with the cat to find an empty cubicle, or maybe someone she knew.

Cora breathed a sigh of relief as she happened upon an empty compartment, having passed many crammed with students already, and a few with only one or two who would cast her a death glare as she slowed to possibly enter. Cora was so excited to see the empty compartment she had been completely oblivious to the older student who had also headed towards it, instead bundling herself and her cat inside quickly. Missy had started to stir slightly in her crate and looked out at the train compartment, stretching out as much as she could in the cramped space. "One second Missy, I'll let you out in a moment - but you're not to go hunting! We got in trouble last year remember?" Cora commented to the cat as she set the crate down on a seat. She was just about to get comfortable herself when a voice made her spin round with a start.

Cora's pale skin glowed a rosy pink as she saw the older guy standing at the door, asking if he could come in. She wondered if he had been there when she had been chatting away to her cat and was incredibly embarrassed. It wasn't as if the cat could reply, but talking to her often gave Cora comfort. But only when alone. People tended to look at her funny when she did it in public. Cora realised for a moment she was simply staring dumbfounded at him, and was only awoke when he introduced himself as Dimitri. She was sure she had heard that name mentioned in the corridors and stairways at Hogwarts... but it could be that there were many Dimitri's there.

"Oh... uhm... sure..." she finally commented, gesturing to the seating the opposite side of where she had placed her cat, moving to sit alongside Missy's crate. "Sorry, I uhm..." she faded off, not sure how to explain her slow reaction in a way that wasn't even more embarrassing than having been caught talking to the cat. "I'm Cora, it's nice to meet you." she commented finally with a soft smile, taking a deep breath and turning to look in on the fluffy black cat, who had flopped back down in the crate, yellow eyes staring out at the tall boy as he entered.

Cora adjusted her seating position as Dimitri joined her in the carriage, remembering her lessons as a child about how to sit like a lady. Normally she wouldn't bother, but today her Mother had forced her into a flared floral dress so sitting in her usual slump would not be a pretty sight. The dress came down to her knees, which she gently pinned together, shifting her feet lightly to one side on an angle - a proper lady in a dress never crossed her legs. It was not just the dress that forced her into this position however - she could quite comfortably have tucked her legs up under her on the seat and still kept her modesty, but something about the boy pulled this side out of her. She cupped her hands lightly in her lap and glanced out at the station. The noises and whistles echoing around them indicated it would soon be time to pull off.

As he asked about her cat Cora beemed brightly, looking in on the moggys bright eyes staring out. "This is Missy. She was my 10th birthday present. She's a little dopey at the moment... Father gives her some medicine before we leave because she doesn't travel well." Cora commented lightly, reaching her fingers through the bars on the front to stroke the cats fluffy cheek softly. The cat let out a light, tired purr and closed her eyes, rubbing her face against Cora's touch.

As he talked about the new year, Cora nodded eagerly. "I am... I can finally go to Hogsmeade this year which I'm looking forward to." she commented lightly with a nod. "Do you think they would replace Professor Vasquez?" Cora asked worriedly. Charms was her favourite class and she couldn't imagine learning it from another professor now - she also didn't want to have to prove herself to someone new again. Her years of studying charms prior to hogwarts had put her somewhat ahead of those in her class and she feared a new teacher would just assume she was being big-headed and egotistical if she was forced to explain it.

"I never did like Balan... although I'm not so good at potions really. Things tend to explode in my face... I burnt off an eyebrow last year!" she commented with a laugh, reaching up to stroke her finger over the eyebrow that had grown back pretty well since the incident.

Sasha saw how everyone said good bye to their parents and relatives who weren't yet in Hogwarts. That made the girl be a bit sad since her parents actually have never been her with her. She remembers that first time when she came to this platform her nanny sent her until it was time to go 9¾. She saw everyone seemed to be there with their family. She knew already since then that her parents will never be there for her to send he off.

She sighed and tried to seem strong. She couldn't cry because of it. She just couldn't. This was something she needs to get used with. It's already her fifth year here all alone. She knows that she at least goes a place where she is more loved than in her own home. Place where she is accepted, a place where she can be who she is and no one isn't really judging her.

She sighed and walked into the train with her things behind her. She couldn't stand seeing people saying good bye to their family. She probably will never get used to it for real. Everyone wants their parents to be there with them deep down. She really misses her parents spending some time with her. It has been 10 years since when she really did do something together with her parents. So she misses those years at times.

Anyways awhile walking she ended up going to some empty compartment since she didn't really feel like sharing unless someone wanted to do it with her. She was still bit sad that her parents weren't here. So girl took herself a book out of her trunk before she did put it away so it won't go around the compartment. She sat down in seats and began to read her book. She tried to focus on her book and try not to think about her parents.