"Hurry up you two or you're going to miss the train!"
"Coming grandmother," Neville Longbottom said as he struggled to push his cart at his grandmother's brisk pace. He was a bit clumsy and was finding it difficult to keep his trunk and the cage containing his toad, Trevor, from side swiping the other people milling about; let alone trying to not fall too far behind. It was a good thing that this was his second year of going off to Hogwarts so he knew where he had to go to get to the train in case he lost sight of his grandmother.
"We're an hour early!" Neville's younger sister was exasperated.
Old Mrs. Longbottom stopped short and turned to her grandchildren. "What was that?" She eyed the young girl.
"I meant it in a good way. I mean this being my first year and all. Being an hour early is terrific I can have that much longer to take in all the sights and sounds of the Hogwarts express." Her grandmother didn't seem to catch the sarcasm because she turned around and continued to walk.
"You saw it all last year. There is nothing new to see."
"This year it's different. This year I'll being seeing it all through the eyes of a first year witch of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" The girl's luck seems to have run out; her grandmother finally picked up on her annoyance.
"Keep it up young lady and you won't be going anywhere." Mrs. Longbottom peered over her shoulder.
"Cut it out already," Neville urged his sister under his breath, "why do you always have to get us into trouble."
"It wouldn't be 'us' if you'd just stay out of it."
"But you're my little sister. I'm supposed to look out for you." Neville puffed out his small chest in pride like any good little knight. Until his foot hit the corner of someone's luggage. It was all he could do to stay standing. Aurora didn't hear or see any of that; she had already caught up to her grandmother. But she looked back and smiled at her brother and told him to stop dragging his feet.
Mrs. Longbottom ushered her grandchildren through the barrier of 9 3/4. They found a spot out of the way of the witches and wizards, that were coming and going through the barrier, and waited until it was time for the kids to board the train.
"Your parents would be so proud of the two of you; both of you going off to Hogwarts, and to think that I had doubts about you Neville. I'm not saying that you'll be as great a wizard as your father was but it wouldn't hurt you to put forth a bit more effort now would it?" She brushed some stray lint of his shoulder.
"Grandma can't we board the train? I want to make sure to get some good seats." Aurora gave her grandmother her patented puppy dog look. She had been perfecting said look for the last eleven years and she felt that she had it down to an art by now.
"Might as well." She stood by and watched the two climb aboard the train, dragging their trunks after them. Once they had found a suitable compartment and put the trunks up in the racks they got off again to grab their animals and to say their goodbyes.
Aurora lifted her hand slightly in a small wave to her brother as she made her way to sit on the stool and have the sorting hat placed upon her head. She couldn't see much from under the brim of it. But she did hear the murmurs here and there from the older students seated at the long tables before her as they waited to see if she would be joining their house.
"Not quite willing to be the first to prove yourself without properly thinking things through. Smart girl, thinking first is always a good idea. But you are not what I would call timid. Not particularly ambitious. Such loyalty and cleverness. Your mother had that too and then some. I think Ravenclaw would be proud to call you one of their own. May you excel and make your house proud as did your mother before you." And then to the waiting hall the hat shouted out Ravenclaw. Aurora took off the hat with a sigh of relief and walked down to the clapping and beaming Ravenclaws awaiting her at the table.