Kanaya

I was very curious to see what school would be like with so many different people from all over. I myself was a half blood, but for years I had found myself deeply interested in how the different blood types interacted all over wizarding society, and I could not wait until third year when I could begin Muggle Studies. As I surveyed the crowds on platform nine and three quarters, bracing myself to say goodbye to my mother, my thoughts drifted back to the muggle girl we had helped. Rose, her name was. She had seemed so in awe of the things I took to be ordinary, and even I knew this was nothing compared to what the elitist purebloods had.

Shaking off those thoughts, I turned to my mother. She was smiling bravely at me.

"Now Kanaya, you be good, and don't get into trouble. And if anything goes wrong, tell Porrim, she'll help-"
"I know," I told her comfortingly, and then we were hugging. I would miss her, but the train would be leaving soon, and reluctantly, I disengaged myself and went to board. Many of the compartments were empty, but I found myself looking for the muggle blonde girl, and potential friend. Maybe she had decided not to come-

"Kanaya!" An enthusiastic voice sounded from within a nearby compartment and I looked up from my musings, recognizing my long time best friend, Vriska Serket. I smiled then, and headed into the compartment, where one other boy was sitting, someone I recognized vaguely. I was startled to see he was in some sort of muggle contraption-a metal chair of sorts. He was dozing off, and as I shared a grin with my friend, he started.

"Hey, Tavros," Vriska said, a bit cruel, poking the boy in the shoulder. "This is Kanaya, who I was telling you about." He looked at me for a minute, and offered a shaky smile, his words hesitant as he finally spoke.

"uh, hi. I'm Tavros. Tavros Nitram." I smiled at the boy, my eyes measuring him up as he did so. He seemed pretty plain, with brown hair and brown eyes, and no sense of fashion whatsoever, but I did not let that deter me. Vriska, meanwhile, was perfectly dressed as ever in dark blue and black, her dark red hair a wild mess. She laughed, and gestured for me to sit down across the aisle from her.

"I so hope we are in the same house," she said to me earnestly. I wondered for a moment if she was purposely annoying Tavros, but then I shook it off.

"Me too," I said. "What house do you want to be in?" I asked, genuinely curious about a subject we had never spoken on. Vriska opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sound of someone pointedly clearing their throat. All three of us looked up, startled, to find a tall boy with messy black hair and dark glasses standing there, looking as if he was doing us a favor even with his presence. Vriska sighed, and I could tell her mood had darkened.

"Ampora," she said, in an almost resigned tone of voice.

"Vris," the boy said, ignoring Tavros and I. I already didn't like him. "Have you seen Fef anywhere? I swear I've looked in every compartment." The boy seemed to have a bit of trouble pronouncing his w's, but his manner made up for it. Vriska rolled her eyes.

"I've got no idea where your girlfriend has gotten to now. Stop hanging about her like a lost puppy, it's really pathetic."

"She's not my girlfriend!" The boy protested, but seemed to take Vriska's suggestion as an invitation, as he sat down write next to me. Vriska sighed again.

"Tavros, Kanaya, meet Eridan Ampora, self-entitled prat." Her words struck a bell as I realized who the boy was. Eridan Ampora was the second son of one of the wealthiest wizarding families. I knew their reputation, and what Vriska had said of them, and none of it was very good. I sat up, my interest more pronounced.

The boy leaned back in his seat, getting comfortable for the train ride. He smiled imperiously, inspecting Tavros and I in turn.

"Nice to meet you, Kanaya…" he trailed off, obviously expecting a last name.

"Kanaya Maryam," I said, and he nodded, as if something was confirmed, before turning to Tavros, who introduced himself with a frightened squeak.

"Vris, I don't know why you are hanging out with these people. Come find Fef with me and you will keep up what is expected of you." Vriska laughed, high and shrill, and as she spoke, I was reminded of why I liked her so much.

"What is expected of me? These are my friends, and these are the people I would like to spend my time with. You, Ampora, are a selfish bastard who always conforms to every stereotype set to you. It's a wonder Feferi can stand you." She tossed her hair, able to be every bit as elitist as Eridan if she wanted to. Even Tavros was watching the two with interest by now.

"If you want to sit here, by all means, do so, but stop throwing slurs at the people I like. May I remind you, Ampora, of the going-ons with your brother last year? You can speak of what is expected of me but he seemed to have forgotten that. There are plenty of people in this world who would love to know the details." I was quietly impressed by my best friend, and also very interested in the details to the story she had thrown in, and the reaction it had caused. Eridan had gone very pale, and his hands had clenched.

"I'm going to look for Fef," he told the car in general this time, and as he exited, it was very clear who had come out on top in that conversation. Vriska smiled, self satisfied, before turning back to me and continuing our previous conversation as if nothing had happened.

"Slytherin," she announced, and I blinked startled.

"Sorry for not paying attention, but why did you just announce the names of one of the houses?" I inquired.

"I'm going to be in Slytherin," she told me. "All my family's been there, and I don't want-" she stopped, glancing at Tavros. The boy seemed to be asleep, not paying any heed to our conversation, but she changed her answer all the same. "It's the best house, obviously. I hope you are there too."

I smiled at her, not quite sure if Slytherin was where I belonged, but willing to hope for it just for the sake of my friend. Just then, we could hear someone coming back along the corridor. Tavros remained unaware, but both Vriska and I looked up at the door. I visibly winced when I saw who was standing there, but then realized how different he looked. His head was down and he looked much calmer than when he exited.

"Look, Vris," he murmured, and I had to strain to hear him. "I know we have our differences, but I'm sorry about what I said before-to all of you," he looked up, including me and Tavros. Tavros didn't notice, as he was asleep. Vriska raised an eyebrow.

"You've been talking to Feferi, haven't you?" she asked, and he grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah," he said. "Would you mind terribly if I sat with you?" Eridan asked. Vriska drew a breath to answer, and he spoke again hastily. "Please? You are one of the few people I know, and I really don't want to go find Makara or Zahhak." I could tell just looking at my friend that she had relented. She glanced at me first, and I sent her a small nod.

"Sure, Eridan," she said, and I was sure the peace offering of a first name had not gone unnoticed. "Take up even more of our space."

Perhaps it wasn't the nicest way to put it, but Eridan relaxed, and sat down, and the train ride continued on pleasantly. I learned much from Eridan and Vriska's conversation, and we ourselves argued over quidditch and houses. I learned of Eridan's love of Charms, Vriska's love of Professor Mindfang, and told them in return about how excited I was for Muggle Studies. I don't know if I actually liked Eridan, but he was pleasant enough for the rest of the trip.

There was one point where a colorful girl with long, curly blond hair and a bubbly smile walked by our door. She and Eridan shared a look, and then she went on. I wondered if that was the famous Feferi.

Eventually, we were ten minutes away, and I woke Tavros up. Vriska and I kicked the boys out to change, and then Tavros came back in. For some reason, Eridan was already wearing his ridiculous purple robes that he refused to take off.

A tall, strong looking man, who seemed very intimidating was waiting for us when we exited the train.

"First years, this way!" he called. "I am Darkleer, and I am the Groundskeeper at this school. Four to a boat, and you will find yourself at Hogwarts. Our Deputy Headmaster, the Handmaiden, will escort you to be sorted into your various houses." I heard someone nearby audibly gulp, but I couldn't figure out who it was. "Hurry up now, no more than four to a boat."

I ended up in a boat with Vriska and Tavros, but not Eridan, who was now sitting next to the girl I presumed to be Feferi. They were talking excitedly and peering down at the water. Instead of him, a new girl sat next to me in the boat, just before it took off. She was wearing very bright, red glasses, and scowled, complaining to me. "That asshole just took my place in the boat." I assumed she was talking about Eridan.

Vriska hadn't been paying attention, but suddenly she tensed, and the girl with the glasses tensed too, and Tavros looked up curiously and became very still, and I had no idea what was going on, but I knew I wanted to be anywhere else.

"Pyrope," Vriska said, her voice harsh, even harsher than it was with Eridan. It was a different kind of harshness though, almost filled with fear. She was clutching her am almost instinctively, the one that had been grown back only after months in St. Mungo's.

"Serket," the other girl, Pyrope, replied. Her voice was remarkably calm. She nodded to Tavros. "Hello, Tavros." The boy stole a look at Vriska, and whatever he saw stopped him from responding.

Vriska opened her mouth again, but then we rounded a corner and Hogwarts was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. It appeared to glow in the darkness, and from all around, I could hear gasps and shocked whispers. Even Vriska was in awe. The only one who didn't seem to care was Pyrope.

"You may want to look at the castle," I said to her, and she grinned.

"I can't," Pyrope told me, and before I could ask why, Vriska interrupted.

"She's blind."

Thankfully, just then, we docked, and all conversation ceased as Pyrope made herself scarce. The doors to the castle opened, and the Handmaiden emerged.

Feferi

The first day was nerveracking. Meenah ditched me almost right away to find her "fronds", so I was left alone, just girl and a trunk at the platform. People rushed around me, and I felt a bit scared, but then I steeled myself. 'You are the heiress.' I whispered. 'Be strong'. A phrase my mother likes to use far too often.

I was trying to find Eridan, my long time best friend and confidante, but he was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't even find his entitled older brother, Cronus, who often flirted with Meenah, my mother, and basically anything with a heartbeat. I shuddered as I thought about what Cronus had done the previous year... but let's not go into that. He was so tall, I could usually see him anywhere, but today, I could not. I tried looking for spots of purple through the crowd, but alas, none were found. Glub. It then occurred to me that perhaps he was already on the train. Deciding this to be true, I grabbed my trunk and lifted it into the hands of a man loading bags, and then I climbed onto the train.

I held my spare duffle bag close to my body and made my way down the aisles, looking for a free compartment. I saw one, towards the back of the train. It was empty, save a moody boy staring out the window, surveying the hustle and bustle below.

"Excuse me?" I said clearly, but politely. He turned. "Hello." I said, smiling.

"Hi." he said shortly. I did not allow his manners (or lack thereof) to put me off.

"Can I sit in here?" I asked. He looked at me again. He looked surprised.

"Sure."

I sat down and hefted my bag up onto the seat, resting, and then lifted it into the overhead compartment. I settled down into the green velvet seat and looked at the boy. He was tall and lanky, and he wore a yellow shirt and baggy jeans. He had dark hair, just about covering his eyes, and he had the oddest markings under his eyes, a red vein under one, quite prominent, and a blue vein under the other, slightly less prominent but the color was there. I was intrigued, but my manners told me to hold back from asking. We sat in silence for a moment. I could tell he was looking at me, but I pretended not to notice. I understood that getting a long look at someone can really help to gauge who they might be.

There was a knock.

"Hi, sorry." said a girl standing in the doorway. She was short and stocky, and had short brown hair. Her most notable feature, however, were her bright red glasses sitting atop her nose, and the cane she held in her hand. "Is this compartment taken? I can't tell."

"You can sit here!" I said. She grinned crookedly.

"Thanks!" I'm Terezi, by the way. Terezi Pyrope." I stuck out my hand.

"Feferi Peixes!" I announced. Terezi stopped.

"The minister's daughter?"

"Yes." I said. My hand quavered.

"Cool." said Terezi, and shook my hand firmly.

We sat in silence once again, the boy and I, trying to avoid asking the obvious. Was this girl blind? Was she just crazy? This felt awkward.

There was another knock. A girl of average height with average length hair of an average color walked into the car and sat down. Terezi squirmed.

"Oh, yeah I forgot. Can I sit here?"

"Sure." said the boy.

"I'm Aradia." said the girl. She looked at me. "You are the heiress to the ministry, yes?"

"I- yes. My sister is unfit, because of... reasons." I said, flustered.

"Okay." said the girl blankly. She turned to Terezi.

"Hi, Terezi."

"Hi, Aradia."

"How was your summer?"

"Fine." said the blind girl doggedly. She seemed to want to be anywhere else.

I heard a ruckus coming down the train. I heard Eridan's voice, and I heard the crashing of something glass.

"Oh, dear." I said. Everyone looked at me. "It's my silly best friend. He's in one of his moods."

"Glubbin mudbloods and their glubbin-" I stepped outside the compartment. Eridan stopped in his tracks. His ridiculous purple robes were already on, and his hair already groomed with his magic hair gel from Bulgaria.

"Eridan Mallory Ampora." I snapped. He stopped.

"Hi, Fef. I've been lookin for you!"

"Eridan, no. You go back to that car, and you apologize for whatever you said." I knew my friend, and if he was in this mood, some bad things must have been said.

"But, Fef-"

"No." I said. "We are making new fronds, and that means divide and conquer, and don't make anyone hate us on our first day. Do I make myself clear, mister?" I said, bringing out the big guns. I lost the silly puns so I could make myself as translucent as possible. Eridan gulped.

"Okay."

"Now get out there, you big guppy!" I said, and shooed him away. As he slowly made his way back up the train, I re-entered my compartment.

"Hey, guys!" I said. Everyone stared, except Terezi, who couldn't see.

We sat a while longer until the train finally departed. I squealed and peered out the window, watching the station move away. White smoke billowed everywhere. I laughed a little and watched the countryside go by as the train picked up momentum. This was so exciting!

"Why are you loud?" asked Sollux. I looked at him.

"Well, this is just exciting! We are going to a magic school, and we will learn magic, and... eee!" I said, unsure of how to end the sentence.

"Yeah, well, we aren't allowed to have technology, so what's the point?" asked Sollux moodily, with a bit of a lisp. I narrowed my eyes.

"Something tells me you already brought some form of muggle tech, mister." I retorted. His eyes widened.

"How-"

"Just a feeling I get." I said airily. He turned toward me.

"Well, yeah, I guess, but I have a passion for that shit."

"That's cool! I never really use my muggle tech. Of course I have a computer-thingy-ma-bobber, but I don't bother. I just don't understand!"

"Computers are pretty easy-" Sollux and I engaged in conversations about muggle tech versus magic. He seemed to come alive, so to speak. Meanwhile, Terezi and Aradia were both being wallflowers. We moved on to talk about what we liked. Sollux, again, mentioned computers, and so I talked about the ocean trips mom, Meenah, Eridan and his family took each summer. I talked about the sea life, and I talked about the water. I talked about swim team. They looked a little impressed.

"How about you, Terezi. What do you like?"

"Well, I really like... don't laugh. But I really like law." she said slowly. I nodded encouragingly. She went on. "Well, when I grow up, I want to be the head of the Department of Magical Law. I will be a better legislator than anyone, even Redglare." she puts emphasis on the word Redglare, like we should understand.

"Isn't she a- professor?" I asked. Terezi nodded.

"She's also like, the greatest legislator ever. She put so many guilty people in azkaban, but when she was offered a spot at Hogwarts, she left her fame to teach. She's my idol." said Terezi. I nod.

"Okay, that's pretty cool. I hope it works out!" I say. Terezi's face changes.

"Really?" she asks, cautiously. I grin.

"Yeah, of course!" I say. "Why wouldn't i want you to do well, silly?" She smiles widely.

"Thanks, Feferi!" she says. "Aradia?"

Aradia looks up from a book. "Oh. Well, I used to want to be an auror. But now I don't really know." Terezi looks uncomfortable. Suddenly, I hear the trolley woman pushing her way up the corridor. I pull out a couple galleons.

"Want anything?" I ask happily. They all eye the trolley woman.

"Sure!" says Terezi. I exit the compartment and look at the woman kindly.

"We'll take... four of everything!" I say. I re-enter the compartment, my arms full of loot.

"Hi! I got us some snacks, one for everyone!"

We eat chocolate frogs (Aradia seems to like those), and look at the cards.

"I got the Handmaid, again." says Sollux. Aradia nods.

"I get her a lot."

"COOL!" says Terezi. "I got Reglare!"

We eat some more candy, but the best part is the Every Flavoured Beans. We all enjoy eating these and discussing the flavours.

"Ohhh!" says Sollux, munching on a bean. "Honey!"

Aradia giggles a little and pops one into her mouth. She gags and coughs.

"Pepper!" she says loudly. I smile and eat one slowly.

"Blubber!" I say. They all look at me, expecting to gag, but I don't. "Reminds me of the sea!" I say, and they all look a little grossed out. Finally, Terezi selects a red bean and slowly savours it. She is enjoying the flavour considerably and smiles.

"What flavour is it?" asks Sollux.

"Justice." says Terezi with a straight face.

It comes time to change. We kick Sollux out and get to changing. I put on my freshly pressed robes, and embellish with blue and green clips. The robes are just so bland. Terezi seems to have trouble buttoning the shirt without eyesight, but something tells me she'll be offended if I offer help.

Sollux has been gone for a while, so I go looking for him. I pass by a compartment containing four kids, two i don't know, and two I do. Eridan and Vriska. I smile at my friend encouragingly, and wave to the others. Vriska nods at me in return, and Eridan stares.

I don't find Sollux, so I head back to compartment. The sky is growing dark, and I am growing more and more excited!

When the train stops, I spot Meenah holding hands with the Serket girl, and they are getting into a carriage. I don't go over there, because an enormous man in a big blue overcoat stops me.

"First years, this way!" he shouted. I felt my ears popping. "I am Darkleer, and I am the Groundskeeper at this school. Four to a boat, and you will find yourself at Hogwarts. Our Deputy Headmaster, the Handmaiden, will escort you to be sorted into your various houses."

I spot Eridan. He grins widely, and we hop into a boat. Water splashes on my face. I feel much more calm, now.

We take off. Eridan and I don't notice anyone else. We just peered at the inviting black water and the lights glimmering from the castle.

The castle was beautiful. I watched the water swirling around, reflecting the enormous school. The lights shimmered on the lake, and I just couldn't help myself. I took off my shoes and "fell" into the water below. Eridan screamed. I wet my hair and swam to shore. Darkleer looked at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I pretended to be solemn.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I said. But I knew exactly what my new routine would be! Hogwarts didn't have a swimming pool, and so there was nowhere to keep up practice for swim team. But now, I could ask and see if I could practice here every morning before classes!

Tension was high as we marched through the enormous double doors into the great hall. As we all filed into the great hall, a very tall woman emerged from one of the doorways surrounding us. I felt a bit overwhelmed. She was of Asian descent, and her robes had a kimono-esque quality. Her hair was pulled back tightly with chopsticks and her severe, yet young, face surveyed the students with a strange interest.

Equius

The morning began ordinarily. Horuss, myself and my father ate breakfast and read the newspaper. I had cereal and milk.

But then it took a turn as we grabbed our trunks and met the Leijon families outside. Nepeta's father had a car ready for us go go in, and my father placed an engorgement charm on it so we would all fit.

Once at the train station, I became nervous. There were so many people. I just wasn't sure of what to do, and that was a rare instance. Nepeta was kissing her father goodbye, and Meulin stood respectfully nearby with her parents who came to see her off.

The train whistled to indicate that it was leaving soon. Nepeta gave her father one last hug and scurried off toward the train, leaving myself, Meulin, and Horuss behind. I looked at my father. He worked at the ministry as a butler of sorts to the important people there. He seemed to enjoy his work. I envied him often.

But my true calling was as an auror. I wanted to be the one to hunt down lowly dark wizards and show them justice. But I had to go to school first.

I gave my father a strong handshake, and I followed Nepeta to the train. Meulin caught up with us, and lead the way. She took Nepeta's hand and we shimmied through the crowd of people in the corridor until we found a nearly empty car. It contained only a boy Horuss and Meulin's age with a wild mass of dark hair, dark skin, and a skeleton sweatshirt.

"Kuloz!" shouted Meulin loudly. He turned and smiled. He seemed very quiet. I was ready to sit down, but Nepeta looked unsure.

"Meulin, can I talk to you?" she asked. Meulin nodded, so the two went into the corridor to talk, and Horuss and I sat down. Kurloz didn't seem to want to make conversation. I was okay with that. I didn't feel well, and small talk was the last thing I needed.

Finally, Nepeta and Meulin re-entered the compartment. Nepeta still looked cautious, but she sat down next to Meulin and across from me.

The trip was uneventful. Meulin and Kurloz had conversations in sign language, a very useful muggle tool, and Nepeta and I said very little. Horuss looked out of the window. He seemed a bit uncomfortable, and I understood. Kurloz put me off a little, but I was able to get past it.

Finally it was time to change. Nepeta and Meulin left, and Horuss and I did too because, like I said, Kurloz put me off. We took turns changing behind a curtain at the back of the train, one of many dressing rooms. We arrived just after sunset. The sky was dark blue, and Nepeta and I followed the giant Groundskeeper to the lake. We chose a boat, and my friend and I were off, waiting with anticipation to set eye upon the castle, and our new home.

Gamzee

The way I see it, life is a bunch of miracles. If you just look around, all this magic that we can't explain makes the world work in mysterious ways. Everyone around me is a motherfuckin miracle, and as I readied to board the train to Hogwarts, I couldn't be more excited. My parents were watching proudly, as the Makara heir went away to learn even more about magic, and I hoped I didn't dissapoint them.

I walked past compartment after compartment, but many of them seemed to be full. Finally, I came to one where just two boys were staying-another miracle. The older one had short brown hair and hazel eyes, and didn't seem like he wanted to shut up. The younger one had facial features that were very similar, but his hair was obviously dyed, and his eyes were shut. There was a forlorn expression on his face, but he bolted up at the sound of the compartment door opening.

"I'm Gamzee Makara," I announced as way of greeting, and I saw both boys share a look. "Who are-" I couldn't finish the next sentence before the talkative one interrupted.

"Are you Kurloz's cousin?" he asked. "Of course you are, I can see the dominant gene traits that are quite apparent in your face. Warning-triggers in this conversation may include blood status, derogatory terms, and misjudgement of others. Is any of this triggering to either of you?" he asked, looking between me and the boy who was obviously his brother. The younger boy groaned, but the older one seemed to take this as consent. I knew who this was. This was the infamous Kankri. It was a motherfuckin miracle that I would meet someone my cousin knew immediately.

"... often can be traced back to the older pureblood families. You for instance, have a nose that clearly shows you to be in direct relation to the Grand Highblood, a status-related term used to describe the Caretaker at the Hogwarts School of…" I drowned him out and sat next to the younger boy, who started again.

"I don't know why you're sitting here," he began angrily. "But my brother's a prick and I'm really not in the mood." With that statement, he went back to ignoring me. I smiled.

"I can tell we are going to be motherfuckin best friends." I commented, and Kankri rounded on me. The younger boy smirked.

"I would like to request that you don't use that type of language in front of my brother. Strong curse words are a trigger for some and we prefer to have friendly, trigger free conversations...Take for example the story of…this goes to show that language is one of the most important parts of wizarding society and we cannot disregard it's impact on others…" It eventually got to the point where Kankri's voice was a dull buzz in the back of my mind. I tell you what-it would have been a miracle if he had shut up.

I played absently with the clown horn I had smuggled aboard. My parents would hate that I had a muggle tool, but I found clowns to be so-

HONK!

Suddenly, I accidentally triggered it. Kankri paused, and then began going on a rant about how rude it was to interrupt others. The young boy glared at me for a moment and then began systematically banging his head against the train wall. A light sound of amusement came from the hall, and I looked up to find a girl about Kankri's age leaning against the wall. She had dark hair and pale eyes that looked almost yellow in the light. She was dressed in black and green with some kind of markings up and down her arm. She was watching Kankri, but didn't seem annoyed like his brother. Instead, she looked almost amused, and as Kankri drew a breath to continue, she began to speak. Her voice with smooth, and it seemed like this was something she had done before.

"Kankri, I believe these two, poor boys get the point of whatever it is you are trying to communicate." Kankri stopped mid-lecture, and looked almost flustered as he realized he was standing there.

"Porrim! I was just educating Gamzee here on why he should not interrupt people in conversation, and how it can be triggering to others." The girl smirked.

"I think he figured that out."

The younger boy sniggered, and turned to me as the older kids continued their conversation. "I'm Karkat, now that my brother has finally shut up."

"Gamzee."

"I'm not an idiot. You said your name already, which was obviously a mistake, as look where it got us!"

"Hey, chill out man. It's all cool." I tried to calm down Karkat, who seemed really angry, but it didn't look like it was working. Then again, it felt like he was angry for the entire fucking train ride.

Porrim eventually sat down with us, and Kankri didn't talk as much for the rest of the train ride. Karkat glared at a wall and exchanged a few tense words with me and his brother. Finally, as we neared the end, Porrim stood up and left, allowing for the three of us to change.

Karkat left after her, apparently not willing to change in the same room as others, and I wouldn't see him again until the sorting.

After what seemed like ages of talk and a boat ride, we were finally at Hogwarts, and I was ready for the miracles that were sure to come.

John, Rose, Jade, Dave

I'd like to say that day one went as well as one of my blogs, but that would be a lie. I mean, I met my best friend, plus also another good friend, but then there was her. That sounds like lame bullshit, I know, but Jade was just very different.

Anyways, the morning I left, my bro (who is actually my dad but I just call him bro), my brother Dirk, and I, loaded into the car and left for the train station. Dirk kept making fun of me because when I was little I liked trains, so he said this was like a fuckin dream come true. I got annoyed, but I laughed ironically.

I said goodbye to bro, and he cried ironically. I knew it was ironic because bro doesn't cry.

The train was pretty much full when I got there. I saw a compartment with just three boys, but one was going on and on, so I opted for one toward the middle of the train, with two girls and a boy.

John Egbert was the boy, and he seemed to be lecturing the two girls about some shitty Nic Cage flick.

"Hey, can I sit here?" i asked. John grinned.

"Yeah sure. Oh hey, Dave, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, we met at the wand shop." I said. John nodded.

"That place was so cool."

"Mr. Ollivander provided quite an interesting history of wands while I was there." said one of the girls. The had light blonde hair, almost white, and wore black lipstick. I could already tell that she was smart.

"What did you get?" I asked the girl, and she smiled.

"Aspen and unicorn hair, stiff, 12 inches. You?"

"Oak and Phoenix feather, supple, 9 inches." I said. The girl smiled.

"With the bird design wrapping around the handle?" she asked. I nodded. "I tried that one out. How interesting. I'm Rose, by the way."

"Hey, Rose I'm Dave." I said.

"I had Dragon Heartstring! Made with Pine." says John excitedly. I look at him.

"Sick." I say. "Dragons are cool." I look at the other girl, sitting next to John. She has long dark hair and big circular glasses that dominate her face.

"How bout you?" I ask. She huffs a little.

"Why do you care?" she asks. I shrug in a cool and aloof way.

"Just asking."

"Oh. Well, it's Veela mane and Holly. 14 inches. Springy. And I'm Jade. Jade Harley."

"Nice. Dave." I said. She nodded sarcastically as if to say, 'Yeah I know, stupid'. I changed the subject. "What houses do you guys wanna be in?" I asked. Rose sucked in her breath.

"Wow. Big question for someone who is a stranger." she said tentatively. I panic a little. It is? "I would like to be in Ravenclaw, however, if you have a legitimate interest."

"Cool, but I heard that the best house is Gryffindor." said John.

"My brother's in Hufflepuff," Jade commented, a little angrily. She seemed to get over it quickly, however, because John looked apologetic. "But I kinda want Gryffindor."

"Wait, are we all muggle born?" asked Rose interestedly. There was a gleam in her eye that made me wonder what she would do with the information.

"Yeah, I guess." said John, a little uncomfortable.

After that, the train ride passes with little event. Rose, John and I talked, and Jade looked slightly perturbed the whole time. I decided to ramp up the cool just a smidge. When the trolley passed, I bought every flavoured bean and ate them all. I praised the chocolate frog collection John had been building up since Diagon Alley, and bought Rose a sugar quill after I noticed her eyeing them. I got a grateful thanks in return, and I smirked as I saw Jade rolling her eyes in the corner. "Something on your mind Harley?" I asked, but only got a glower in return. I noticed Rose saying something to her quietly, and getting a smile in return. It made Jade's whole face look better.

Eventually, we ran out of things to talk about, so I turned to John with mischief on my mind. Jade and Rose were wrapped up in a conversation about classes, so I quietly asked,

"Hey, Egbert. Like pranks?" I kid you not, his whole face lit up.

"Yes!" he squeaked. Then he cleared his throat. "Yeah, sure. Why?"

"I ran into this asshole on the platform- I didn't catch her name, but she ignored me completely, even when I was standing like right next to her. She had red glasses and short hair, do you know who I'm talkin about? Let's prank her."

"Yeah, okay!" says John.

The sky darkens outside, and Rose and Jade kick John and I out of the compartment to change. When we finally reach the platform at the school, the sky is a dark blue color, and Jade's face was awash in lanterns. Her eyes shone like emeralds in the strange yellow light.

We headed to the boats and I tried to sit with her, but failed. She quickly sat with John, so I went with Rose.

"David, I don't know you very well, or at all, but could you make yourself more obvious with Jade?"

"Wha-" I began, but Rose cut me off.

"Yes, David."

"It's Dave-"

"I will call you what I please, and in return I will keep you from making an utter fool of yourself."

"Deal." I said, without any hesitation.