You Got Me Searching For Words

Finally.

She was finally going back. Normal kids wouldn't want to go back to school yet. They wouldn't want their summers to end. But this Gryffindor wasn't like the rest, not by a long shot. She wanted to leave the problems she'd had this entire summer behind and just get back to the castle, the only place she actually felt safe lately, even though it tended to be far from safe a lot of the time. Everyone could make fun of her all they wanted because Gryffindors were supposed to be the ones who didn't care about school and were reckless all the time because they had little to no care for anything at all.

She hated that stereotype. Gryffindors weren't always like that. And they weren't as stupid as a lot of other people, Slytherins, said they were just because they didn't like them. That was one of the things that made Hitame not like Slytherins, because most of them thought they were better than everyone else. But she knew that she couldn't judge all of them because of things that some of them did. Like Apollo, he wasn't like those Slytherins, and he was her best friend so she had no reason to question him.

Hitame shook her head. She couldn't ruin her mood, even though so many things could ruin it right now. She sighed softly, thinking about her little sister. She wanted Naomi to be there with her, getting on the Hogwarts express again. But it couldn't happen, especially not after their last encounter. Naomi hated her now, and if given the change she would probably kill her. The younger girl wasn't the same anymore and there was nothing Hitame could do to get her sister back. She was a part of the Death Eaters now and she couldn't change that. She hated that she couldn't, that she would never see her sister the same way again.

The Gryffindor blinked away the tears that had begun to form and she walked to the train, pushing her luggage in front of her. Another year without most of her family wouldn't be so bad, she had Apollo, Anastasia and a couple others to keep her company. It wouldn't be so bad. Besides, Ryo had been keeping in touch with her and she was sure he would keep sending her owls throughout the year. Yeah. This year wouldn't be so bad.

The girl took a deep breath, she had been waiting for this for over two months now. She was finally going back to Hogwarts again. Hitame pulled her trunk into an empty compartment, lifting it to place it on the shelf above her after taking a book she was reading out, and she sat down on the seat. She lifted her legs to rest them on the opposite seat of the compartment that was parallel to hers and she opened the book she had taken from her trunk before she'd set it above her and began to read.

Both Theodore and Alexander Nott had been absent at Platform 9 3/4, meaning it was only Pansy who waved goodbye to the two remaining children studying at Hogwarts. It would be weird for Ana without Alexander there, not that they ever communicated, but just knowing he was there was somewhat comforting. It made her feel more at home. Of course Allyson was still at Hogwarts but her sister abandoning her on the train to find her own friends spoke for itself. Anastasia wasn't wanted by her siblings.

Instead of following her sister, as she had done the very first time Ana boarded the Hogwarts Express, Ana chose to head in the opposite direction. She wasn't sour, nor bitter towards her sister but the further away she was the better. Ana was in a mood with Ally. Theodore, Pansy and Alexander had forced Anastasia to go onto the pure blood social, said that she needed shaping up, learning the mindset of a pure blooded witch. Ally on the other hand got a free pass. She said she'd attend, catch up with her brother and sister later but did she? No. Were their parents mad? No. Were her parents mad when Ana had tried to wriggle out of going? Yes. Of the hypocrisy of the Nott house.

This year at Hogwarts was going to be different for Ana. She'd finally come to terms with the fact she'd never outsmart Alexander or get as good grades as Ally but she was determined to show off what she was good at, use those skills to her advantage to win her Fathers approval. Her first objective was to get on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.

Ana adored the magical sport more than almost anything in the world. Everytime she flew on her broomstick it gave her a rush. The sensation of air blowing against her face was one that, given the choice, Ana would allow to last forever. Alexander had been on the Slytherin Quidditch Team so she wouldn't be the first of the Nott children, meaning the chances of impressing her Father with his news if she got a place were next to nothing, but if Gryffindor won, well, maybe it would sway him to give her a pat on the back for a change.

Trundling along the Hogwarts Express Ana stopped here and there to greet old friends, engage in small talk about each others summer and admire peoples new haircuts and marvel at how much they'd all grown in comparison to the excited first years scurrying around. Whilst doing so Ana paused at each compartment door. Anastasia was looking for one person in particular.

'Hit!' Ana cried, sliding the door open and swinging her trunk, broomstick and two animal cages (each home to her brown Owl, Edwardo and her persian cat: Ambrosia). 'Finally! You have no idea how long it's taken me to find you.' It would be have been a lot quicker had Ana not stopped for chats but this was Anastasia Nott.

'How've you been?' Ana asked, hoping for a full blow by blow update of Hitame's summer. Of course Hit had been at the pure blood social at the Zabini's too, thankfully or else Ana would have died of boredom but the two hadn't been able to talk properly with so many other people around them.

(ooc: I know in the pure blood social thread they haven't spoken yet as the Notts are still outside but I figured it'd be inevitable that Ana would speak to Hit at the pure blood social, but seeing as we haven't RP'd them having a conversation I figured i'd just write that they didnt get much chance to talk? Hope you didn't mind?!)

Along with several other Hogwarts staff, Baldric Wood had been sent down into London on September 1st to chaperone the students on their way back up to Scotland. It was a pleasant enough day with crisp autumn air making him snuggle a little more into the large hoodie that he was almost half certain was Ben’s. Nevertheless, with a scarf turned lightly around his neck he looked an autumn picture, the last threads of blonde hair bleached white in the sun disappearing and going ashen with the change in season. The trees were beginning to lose their verdant edge and all was beginning to colour a little darker. Baldric loved autumn – for all of the normal conventional reasons. He would always love this time of year.

Platform 9¾ was beyond busy when Baldric stepped onto it having helped a few first years with their overloaded trunks get onto it. After showing them the way, he separated himself off and moved up towards the porter who was loading the larger items into the carriage at the back that held a lot of the baggage the students couldn’t get through the narrow corridors. It was a wonder to him that no one used shrinking charms but he didn’t pay it much mind. Instead he took up some of the trunks having showed the porter his Hogwarts ID and started hauling them onto the train.

It got closer and closer to eleven o’clock and soon enough after putting the last push chair – which they’d have to come and collect once they got to Hogsmeade – onto the train he started to patrol through it, shooing some of the scatty pre-teens into compartments to get them out of the way. He met the trolley lady on the way down and stopped to buy a couple of chocolate frogs before continuing down into the open air carriages where the Slytherins tended to congregate. It still set him on edge a little bit, even though he was technically their professor, and he didn’t linger long.

The Gryffindor end would always be Baldric’s favourite and he continued to shepherd people into their compartments, checking in on others who had already settled. As he came to the end he opened the door on two girls he vaguely recognised. One was familiar to him – she’d been a couple of years beneath him – though he couldn’t remember her name and the other was a Nott of some description. He smiled at them both and held up the chocolate frogs, shaking them from side to side before tossing one in the direction of Hitame – that’s her name! – and then holding it out to the Nott girl who was nearest to him.

“Looking forward to the new year, girls?” Baldric asked kindly.