As the Hogwarts Express chugged out of King's Cross Station, Rose caught a last glimpse of her family waving to her from the platform. She stuck a hand out of the window to wave back, but by the time she had, the train had rounded the corner and they disappeared. Her crazy red hair blew around her face and her blue eyes scanned the wall behind which her parents and brother had vanished, as if she could find a way to see through. But soon she gave up and collapsed back down onto her seat beside Albus.
Her friend had a worried expression on his face, though it wasn't as bad as when she first spotted him back in the station. "What's up?" she asked him, concerned for the boy she had known her whole life. "I'm just… Worried." He replied. "Well that's nothing new." Rose snorted, tugging at a strand of her flyaway locks. "I'm just concerned about what house I'll get into." he confessed, combing his fingers through his dark brown hair, trying to make it look presentable.
All of a sudden, a young girl stepped into their compartment. "Hi." She said shyly, her blonde hair falling over her face. "Uh-Mind if I sit here?" Rose nodded vigorously. "Sure! I'm Rose, and this is Albus. Who're you?" she asked as the girl sat down opposite them.
"Sarah-Sarah Coll." She introduced herself, a small smile appearing across her tanned face. Rose grinned back, glancing over at Albus. He was looking at her oddly… Oh well. Who cares? They had a new friend, and that was all that was important.
After a little while on the train Rose had discovered a bit more about Sarah. Her father was a wizard, and her mother was a muggle who died soon after she was born. She had lived all her life in Yorkshire, but often traveled with her father.
As soon as the word "Yorkshire" was mentioned, Rose blurted out "Are Yorkshire puddings all that they eat there?" She just got odd looks from them.
Soon, the trolley covered in snacks came around. "Oh poo." Said Albus as he searched through his pockets. "I forgot all my gold at home." Sarah nodded. "Me too."
"Don't worry!" beamed Rose. "I have enough gold for all of us! Let's see… So, Albus want Chocolate Frogs, what do you want Sarah? Pumpkin Pasties? Okay, and I want Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. I have twelve pieces of gold. Chocolate Frogs are three pieces, Pumpkin Pasties four, and the Beans are three." Without even pausing to add all the numbers up as most eleven year old would have to, she quickly concluded, "So we'll have two left over, which I'll just keep."
Sarah stared at Rose. "Er… Albus, could you explain?" she asked. "A second ago she was asking me if Yorkshire Puddings were the only thing we ate in Yorkshire, and now she just did math in her head without even pausing to think…?" Albus shrugged. "She's smart when she feels like it. You'll get used to it."
"Hey look, they've got rotten flavor now!" exclaimed Rose after having examined the back of the package of her snack. She reached in and pulled out a disgusting looking bean. "Want one, Al?" she asked, waving it in front of his face. Albus shook his head quickly. With a shrug, she popped it into her mouth.