(1940-01-04) Back to School
Details for Back to School
Summary: After the winter break, the train takes the students back to school.
Date: January 4, 1940
Location: Hogwarts Express
Related:
Characters
GarethAmyahEmily

It’s an hour before noon when students begin boarding the Hogwarts Express, saying goodbye to their families as they prepare themselves for another session at school. Amyah drags it out, talking quickly to her father, telling him stories and laughing merrily as she listens to him. It’s her mother who interrupts - although she fondly fixes her daughter’s robes - she strictly mentions that she wouldn’t want to miss the train. “Oh, of course not,” agrees Amyah, smiling up at her mother, hugging her and her father one more time before she steps onto the train. At the doors she pauses again, turning and waving.

A younger girl with dark hair done up in two braids had finished saying goodbye to her parents. Emily was giggling at the expression on her older sister’s face, until that smile fades when Adrienne returns her comment. Letting out a breath, she nods and steps onto the train, tossing her head as she lifts a hand to brush back a strand of hair that dances freely from her braids.

Gareth is too old to be seen off at the station by his parents, and he apparates directly to the 9 3/4 platform, dressed in normal robes — he'll change into his school robes on the train later. He's looking rather surly this morning, casting glares at anyone who dares to glance in his direction. And there are plenty of glances, though people seem to move away from him as he approaches the train.

Emily heads up onto the second level, scanning the car as she walks the aisle. She halts suddenly, doubling back a few steps when a Muggle-born student appears ahead of her. “Eek!” she lets out, flailing a flat hand through the air as she backs up. Nope, she’s not going that way. The girl spins, and slips into the first compartment she can find, away from the scary sight.

Amyah smiles brightly as she bounces along the train, humming an upbeat little tune. She stops when she spies Gareth, blinking and tilting her head, but then offers him a smile. “Are you that unhappy to be heading back to school?”

Gareth stops suddenly, looking down at Amyah. "What? Oh. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Bloody waste of time, being imprisoned in that drafty old castle, surrounded by Malfoys and their toadies. I should be on the Continent, establishing new trade contacts and reassuring our current ones. This blasted Muggle war is going to destroy the economy, you know. And what are the Malfoys doing at this desperate hour? Alienating their allies, that's what they're doing." He glances down at the young girl again, brows furrowed in confusion. "Who are you, anyway?"

Amyah blinks, staring up at Gareth as her expression turns into a frown. She shifts lightly on her feet, and glances down to the train floor, biting worriedly at her bottom lip. As she lifts her head again, the redhead is smiling once more, her shoulders lifting a little. “But think about all the fascinating stuff to learn when we’re back,” she says brightly, focusing on the more pleasant stuff at the school. “I bet you’re learning an awful lot of important and fascinating things in NEWTs, right?” She stops, thinking for a moment, and then smiling. “Obviously the Malfoy’s are trying to bring about peace. Did you not read the paper? You’ll see, when Muggles and Wizards are working so well together, you’ll feel very foolish if you can’t learn to work with us.” To the question about who she is, Amyah only rolls her eyes, sighing.

Meanwhile, in her compartment, Emily has taken out a book to read.

Gareth's frown deepens. "Us? Are you saying that you're a Muggle yourself? If so, what are you doing on this train? But of course you aren't a Muggle, or you'd never have gotten past the barrier between platforms nine and ten. You're an odd, confusing little thing, aren't you? And confused as well, if you think the Malfoys have any desire to work -with- Muggles or even Muggleborns. The Malfoys seek one thing and one thing alone: total, absolute subjugation of Mugglekind. They have warped and distorted the true aims of the Unity movement to their own perverse ends. Power and control is all any of the Malfoys have ever wanted, not true Unity."

Amyah sighs and shakes her head. “Well my parents are,” announces the redhead with a point of fact tone. “So I say us.” She forces out a smile, and reaches out to brace herself on the wall as the train gives a lurch as it starts to leave the station. Looking back to Gareth, she says, “I think you’re just trying to twist it around because you’re afraid of unifying. I think Mister Malfoy did a wonderful thing. And it isn’t like anyone would let that happen, subjugation. There’s always someone to make sure one person doesn’t have too much power.”

Gareth lets out a bitter little laugh. "You're so naive," he says, shaking his head and bracing himself against the lurch as well. "The Malfoys already have too much power, and they're about to gain a good deal more. Afraid of unifying? I've been talking about nothing but Unification since I returned from Durmstrang. But you go right on worshiping at the Malfoy altar, even as they work behind the scenes to enslave your parents. But when it happens — not if, but when — don't come crying to me. But I suppose you wouldn't be able to anyway, after they've snapped your wand and declared your blood isn't pure enough to be a true witch."

Amyah gasps at Gareth, green eyes staring at him in disbelief. “If you want unity so much than why were you so afraid to check out a Muggle tradition in the square?” She gives a fervent shake of her head, taking a half a step back. “That won’t happen,” she declares. “No one will let that happen!” She lowers her head and tries to duck around the seventh year to pass him and carry on down the aisle.

Gareth snorts and gives his eyes a roll. "You've already let it happen," he says, pressing himself against the wall to allow Amyah to pass. "You simply don't realize it yet." Shaking his head as he watches her go, he turns and continues down the passage, seeking an empty compartment for himself.

Amyah continues on down the aisle without looking back, forcing out a bubbly laugh as she pulls up on a friendlier group.

And there’s Emily, calmly reading a book in her compartment by herself. As she pauses, a finger slipped into the pages, she glances out at the window to watch the train whizz by the scenery.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License