There were very few times when Jen seemed genuinely caught off guard and as luck would have it, Carson was privy to yet another one. The Slytherin made no attempt to hide the approval on his face. This girl had shut down Jen as swiftly as she’d decided to strut in here like a pigeon under the illusion it was a peacock. From the corner of his eye he could see Chadwick was both surprised and at least a smidge happy with seeing Jen get knocked down a peg- even if the polite bastard didn’t want to be as open about it as himself.
Jen’s mouth fell slightly agape at such a rude introduction. At first, she ignored her pleasantries and now this? She was an exchange student, what she knew of Hogwarts was merely biased here say. The pixie haired girl looked to her fellow students with scrutiny. There was no way Carson would have offered his services although Mina and Chadwick were definitely viable. “Don’t you think you should be polite to people you just met instead of acting like you’re on some high horse-AHHH!” A scream ripped from her throat when something flew towards her. Upon seeing it was a chocolate frog she huffed, pudgy hands trying in vain to catch the miserable sweet.
Mina covered her mouth in an attempt to hide her laughter. Jen shot her a look, but honestly…it was just a chocolate frog and they were sixth years! Chocolate Frog pranks were a first prank. You’d think she’d be able to handle it by now. “Someone catch the damn thing!” Jen demanded, frustrating seeping from her in waves while it tangled in what little there was of her hair.
Chadwick nodded quietly to Autumn before raising his wand. “Immobulus.” A blue light streamed from his wand, turning the chocolate frog back to its resting state. All Mina could think was; that’s a year two spell and Jen didn’t think of it.
Jen ripped the chocolate frog from her hair and threw it at Chadwick. “Thanks for finally deciding to step in.” She snapped before standing up. “I hope you enjoy your new friends. I hope you enjoy the rest of your ride.” Sarcasm was practically dripping from her tongue, her face contorting in disgust at the exchange student before slamming the door and disappearing.
Carson waited until the door was shut to take another bite of his licorice. “Well now you’ve met Jen. That’s about as exciting as she gets.” He shrugged. Chadwick merely sighed and placed his ‘earned’ chocolate frog on the seat next to him. Mina had finished her chocolate frog long ago and simply sat back…
It was early in the evening when the Hogwarts Express arrived into Hogsmeade Station. Controlled chaos soon ensued with students moving to disembark as quickly as possible. Once off the train students were greeted by a number of carriages waiting to take them to the castle.
“Oi Mina! Where’ve you been!?” A voice erupted from the crowd belonging to a tall, well built boy who stood about head taller than Mina. “Oi, Eccles! I’m right here, Mate!” Mina exaggerated with accent with a smile. “Yeah, yeah.” The boy gave her a hug and accepted a kiss on the cheek, “So, you’re going to try fer Quidditch this year. Yeah?”
“Um, let me think. What year is it…” Mina pretended to ponder it. “In about two years I’ll try out.” She decided confidently. “We’ll have left Hogwarts by then.” Eccles pointed out. “Ah, I guess we just couldn’t work out our schedules then.” Mina shrugged with a laugh as Eccles messed up her hair. “Whatever, I’ll get you try out this year.” He decided before spotting Autumn and Katsumi. “New students?”
Mina nodded. “As observant as always.” She teased. “This is Autumn and Katsumi, they are from Mahoutokoro.” Stepping aside she let Eccles move forward to introduce himself. “Evening guys. I’m Landon Eccles.” He offered them each a smile, his gaze going back to rest on Autumn. “If you need anything, feel free to ask.”
Carson had to refrain from rolling his eyes. “Quidditch captain here to spread good will.” Well, he couldn’t restrain everything. Landon looked over and gave him a hefty pat on the shoulder. “As always. Maybe you’ll try out this year for your team then we can have some friendly competition.” His offer was met by a mere ‘mhm’ from the Slytherin. Landon didn’t pay any mind to the blonde boy and gave Chadwick a pat as well. “Nice to see you again. Been well?”
The calls of other boys caught Landon’s attention; his Quidditch mates growing impatient. “Sorry, I gotta go. But I’ll see you all- Mina, you sittin’ with us fer dinner, yeah?” He was already walking backwards, turning around when Mina gave him a quick nod. Carson didn’t wait for the others and secured the nearest carriage, climbing inside.
“Come on, we don’t want you to make you late for orientation before sorting.” Chadwick mentioned to Katsumi before following Carson’s lead. “I’ll be right there.” Mina assured before stepping to the front of the carriage. To the normal person’s eye, it might appear as if the carriages simply pulled themselves, but she knew better. Taking out a small bag she opened it and held it for the creature to have a snack while she gently ran her hand down the beasts’ neck.
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