Elsa had just found an empty compartment, and was settling in for the long ride to Hogwarts. It had been a long summer, and she was glad to be returning to school. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing into the plush red cushion.

Knock knock. Elsa jumped slightly, startled by the noise. Marshmallow, sitting next to her in his cage, gave a small whir of recognition.

"Hey, Marshmallow," the intruder said softly. Turning to Elsa, she asked, "Mind if I join you?"

For a brief moment, Elsa stared dumbly at Anna, surprised that the redhead had followed her onto the train. Then, shaking herself from her surprise, she nodded politely. "Feel free."

"Thanks," said Anna. "And, again, I'm really, really sorry for running into you before—I can be such a klutz and I wasn't paying attention and I—"

"Really," said Elsa, cutting her off, "it's quite all right. No harm done." She smiled at Anna. She really hadn't minded being another person's brakes; at least, she hadn't minded once she realized who that person was. Had it been anyone else, she might have reacted less kindly.

"So," said Anna haltingly, "you're not a first year, are you? I mean, you seem like you know what you're doing, so I just assumed that you weren't."

"No," said Elsa, smiling, "I'm a second year. I'm in Gryffindor."

"Oh, okay," said Anna, nodding. "Wait, what's a Gryffindor?"

Elsa stared at Anna, not quite believing that that question had really come out of her mouth. "Well," she answered slowly, "Hogwarts students are split up into four different houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house eats, sleeps, and takes classes together as a group."

"Oh, okay," said Anna. "But how are the houses chosen?"

She really has no clue, does she? thought Elsa. I guess I was lucky, growing up knowing about the wizarding world. If I were in her shoes, I'd probably be just as lost. "There's a sorting ceremony," Elsa began, "that takes place first thing when you arrive at the castle."

"Wait, castle?" asked Anna, surprised.

"Yes," said Elsa slowly, "Hogwarts is a castle. All of the dorms, the dining hall, almost all of the classes…almost everything is contained in one building. It's surrounded by a lake and the Forbidden Forest. A short distance away from the castle grounds is the small town of Hogsmeade. The school is isolated, but you'll hardly notice."

"Wow…" said Anna, dreamily, "I get to live in a castle…." She was lost in thought for a moment before remembering her original line of questioning. "So what's the sorting ceremony like?"

"Well, when we get to the castle, all of the first-years will be split from the rest of the students. The lot of you will take boats across the lake to get to the castle. Hagrid, the groundskeeper, will most likely be your escort. He's quite large, but is incredibly friendly, so don't worry," said Elsa, smiling. "When you get inside, one of the professors, almost certainly McGonagall, will lead you into the great hall. It's a bit intimidating," Elsa admitted, "but it's nothing bad. You'll get called to the front, one at a time, and have the Sorting Hat placed on your head. It will decide, based on your thoughts and character and such, in which of the houses you belong."

"Wait a minute," said Anna, a puzzled look on her face, "you're telling me…that a hat decides which house I spend the next seven years in?"

"It is an enchanted hat…"

"No, but wait. If it's just a hat that picks, houses can't be that big a deal, can they?"

Elsa grimaced. "No, Anna, the house in which you are placed is incredibly important. It defines who you are as a person, who your friends are allowed to be, everything about your school life."

Anna, shocked, looked at Elsa's dour expression and asked, quietly, "Why is it so important?"

Elsa was saved from having to answer by a cheerful voice asking, "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

Anna's stomach growled, loudly, in response.

Elsa, shaken from her mood, giggled quietly behind her hand. "Please," she said, addressing the train attendant, "we'll take four chocolate frogs, two cauldron cakes, and a box of Every Flavour Beans." Elsa smiled, and handed the woman a handful of coins, receiving a small pile of treats in return. "Thank you," she said, as she closed the compartment door.

"Are you hungry, or not?" Elsa asked, as Anna stared at her, open-mouthed.

"You didn't have to pay, I mean, I could have—"

"Anna," Elsa quickly cut her off, "please don't worry about it. I guessed that you wouldn't have had wizard snacks before, so I bought the good stuff for us to share. I wouldn't have wanted you to get jelly slugs, or worse," Elsa shuddered and made a face, "pumpkin pasties. Those things are revolting."

"Thank you," Anna said quietly. Elsa looked up at her and smiled, handing her a chocolate frog. Anna looked down at the box, saw that word Chocolate in delicate gold script, and immediately cracked a grin, tearing into the royal blue pentagon packaging. She jumped, yelping in surprise, as the frog leapt out of the box and landed on her face.

"Get it off, get it off!" she yelled, panicking and swatting at the small chocolate creature.

Elsa stared at her in disbelief, and then broke into a full-blown laugh, unable to help herself.

Anna glared at Elsa, chocolate smeared on her hands and cheek, her brows knit in a glower and bottom lip puffed out in a pout. She crossed her arms over her chest, huffing angrily. Elsa took one look at her expression, and began to laugh even harder, shaking with the force of it, doubling over and clutching at her sides.

After at least a minute had passed, and Elsa's laughter had died down to occasional, hiccupping chuckles, Anna deadpanned, asking, "Are you quite finished?"

"I'm sorry—" Elsa gasped, trying to regain her breath, and wiping away tears, "I just—your face and—that was just—too much," she finished, trying to contain her last giggles. Once Elsa had finally composed herself, she said, "I really am sorry for laughing at you. Here, I can clean you up." Elsa pulled out her wand, pointed it at Anna, and softly said, "Tergeo."

The chocolate slid right off, and Anna gasped in wonder, her ire all but forgotten after the display of magic. "Wow!" she exclaimed, excited, "will I be able to do that?"

"Soon," Elsa replied, smiling. The wonder some people experienced witnessing and even doing magic always amazed her. She had grown up in a world where magic was commonplace, and, upon coming to Hogwarts and meeting her muggle-born peers, she realized the extent to which she took it for granted. It's adorable how amazed she is, Elsa thought to herself. Wait…adorable?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Anna. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So, um, can you show me the proper way to do that? I'd rather not repeat that experience any time soon…."

"Of course," Elsa said, smiling. "You just need to be a bit quicker," she said, as she opened a box and immediately popped the chocolate into her mouth. As she chewed, she retrieved the card from the box, examining it. Swallowing, she explained, "The chocolate frogs also come with collectable cards, each with a famous witch or wizard. It looks like I got Godric Gryffindor just now." She showed the card to Anna, who took it, wonderingly.

"He's moving!" she exclaimed, looking at the portrait on the card.

"Yes," said Elsa, "magical pictures tend to do that."

"That's amazing!"

They spent the next hour chatting contentedly and munching on their snacks, the only interruption coming when Anna popped a handful of Every Flavour Beans into her mouth, before Elsa could stop her.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed after swallowing. "That was disgusting…chili peppers, tree bark, and cotton candy is not a good combo. I guess they're serious when they say 'every flavor.'"

Elsa laughed, nodding. "I once had a lutefisk bean, and tried to get the taste out with what I thought would be chocolate. Instead, it was dirt. I have been wary of Mr. Botts and his beans ever since."

"That sounds disgusting," Anna agreed, making a face. Then she laughed, imagining Elsa's face after trying that nasty combination.

They fell into a companionable silence, snacking on the last of the cauldron cakes and watching the sun set through the window.

"Well," said Elsa, breaking the silence, "we should probably change into our robes now. We're almost at the castle."

"Wait, what?" asked Anna.

"We're not that far off," said Elsa, patiently, "we'll probably get there in the next fifteen minutes or so."

"But you said something about…changing? Into our robes?"

"Yes," Elsa replied. "You need to change out of your muggle clothing before we get to the castle."

"But," said Anna, worriedly, "I don't have a change of clothes. All of my stuff is in my suitcase…. I didn't know we'd need to change on the train."

"Oh," said Elsa, thoughtfully. After a brief moment, she said, "You can just borrow one of mine." She reached into her bag and pulled out two sets of robes, handing one to Anna. "It's probably a little long for you," she said softly, "but it's better than nothing. Especially for the sorting ceremony."

Anna nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Elsa. Not just for this, but…for everything today. I would've been lost if you and your family hadn't helped." She smiled up at the older girl, then started, shocked, as she realized Elsa was changing right there.

Anna tried to look away as Elsa pulled her shirt up, over her head, exposing mostly bare, pale skin. She blushed, and swallowed nervously, still watching Elsa dress from the corner of her eye, and noticing the smooth, unblemished skin, and the dark blue lace of her bra. Oh no, Anna couldn't help but think, she's gorgeous.

Elsa finished dressing and turned to look at Anna. Her face was bright red, colored so dark that it hid her freckles and paled the fire of her hair in comparison. "Anna?" Elsa asked, worriedly, "are you okay?" Elsa put a cool hand to the other girl's forehead. "You're burning up! Here, sit down, have some water."

Anna meekly did as she was told, still averting her eyes from the other girl.

"Better?" Elsa asked, seeing Anna's complexion return to normal after a few tense minutes. Anna nodded mutely. "Then you had best get changed," Elsa said, smiling softly.

Anna nodded again, then simply slipped the robe over her head. Before Elsa could protest, Anna said quietly, "I wouldn't have anywhere to put my clothes if I took them off."

Elsa nodded, then smiled. She looks adorable in robes. Particularly in my robes, Elsa thought to herself, blushing. They are a bit long, though, and probably won't be thick enough to keep her warm on the lake… Elsa frowned, then retrieved her bag once again. She rummaged through it for several moments, while Anna looked on quizzically.

"Aha!" exclaimed Elsa, "I found it!" She pulled a long scarf from the bag, then wrapped it around Anna's neck.

Anna, blushing, looked down at the red and gold striped fabric. Looking back up at Elsa, she asked, "What's this for?"

"I remember the lake being really cold last year," said Elsa, quietly, "and that robe is too thin to keep out the chill."

Anna blushed even pinker. "Thanks, Elsa," she said, her small smile hidden by the scarf.

Elsa smiled down at her as the train came to a stop. They were so wrapped up in one another that neither had noticed the train's gradual deceleration, and were startled by its last, loud exhale of steam and the final screech of the brakes.

"Well," said Elsa, picking up Marshmallow's cage, "it's time. Good luck with the sorting, Anna. I'll see you back at the castle!" And just like that, Elsa was out the door, joining the rush of other students.

I can't believe she… Anna started to think, as she touched the soft scarf around her neck. She blushed again, and stood up to leave the train.