Another Year (o.p.e.n)

[Hope Westley]

Hope took a deep breath as she scanned the train station for familiar faces. Remember, you’re not a first year anymore. Despite the reminder, it was hard for her not to feel again the same excitement of preparing to board the train, ready to go to Hogwarts for the first time. And, in her opinion, every year was like beginning all over again – a fresh start for everyone.

Not yet seeing anyone she knew, Hope trudged slowly down the sidewalk, dragging her wheeled suitcase behind her. She was early, anyway – she wanted to make sure that she was on time. While she was waiting, the fourth year started thinking about what the new year would bring. New students in each of the four Houses of Hogwarts, a few new professors, and, of course, harder classes. That was what she was most worried about.

Fortunately Hope knew she had some good friends, mostly other Ravenclaws, who would be forming study groups for classes just about as soon as the year began. It was much easier to find quiet study time, or people to study with, when most of your Housemates were as concerned about marks as you were. Last year she’d managed to do surprisingly well, considered her several strategic failures in Transfiguration. This year Hope was determined to do even better. Even though she was intelligent, the fourteen-year-old knew there were many students in her year who were smarter and she would have to work harder to be at the top of her class.

Hope glanced at her watch, reading the time with an impatient sigh. Her friend whom she had planned to meet was already five minutes late. Maybe it wasn’t a big deal, but Hope didn’t want to be stuck riding the Hogwarts Express in a compartment full of students she didn’t know. That wouldn’t exactly be a pleasant ride. Absently, she ran a hand through her hair. “Where are you, Matthew?” she wondered out loud with a bit of frustration.

[Andromeda Black]

Andromeda scoffed, but then wiped the expression off her face. She'd slipped away quietly from her sisters, not wanting to listen to their incessant complaints about the filthy muggles that were present at the train station. Her suitcase made annoying 'clink' ish noises as the wheels ran against the cracks in the sidewalk--the Hogwarts Express loomed close. The Ravenclaw pushed a bit of her wavy hair out of her face before looking back at her sisters. Well, to find that she could no longer see them.

She shrugged to herself before pushing on through the crowds. She was looking for someone she knew, but to no avail. As a returning third-year, she knew the ropes, and she knew several people.. It was a wonder that she hadn't yet run into a familiar face. Don't talk too soon Andie. She let a smile touch her lips when she spotted a familiar face--a fellow Ravenclaw who happened to be a year older than herself. They had never really talked before, but she knew the face, and that was somewhat comforting. The girl looked somewhat flustered however, so Meddy decided to tread carefully.

“Where are you, Matthew?”

HA. Andie grinned to herself, when she heard the older girl mutter to herself. "Hi?" Outgoing Andie interjected into the other girl's soliloquy. A new school year meant hopefully some new friends. She was an outgoing person, and the more people she knew, the better she felt about herself. While her two vain sisters were the center of attention in the Slytherin house, she liked to be separate from them. Cold, calculating Bella, and Beautiful, icy Narcissa. She loved her siblings dearly--they were family of course, but it was hard to be able to relate to them, and harder still when they became angry at her for not being vain, and pompous enough.

'don't sully the Black name..'

she could hear Bella's cold voice resound in her head--a phrase that she had heard oftentimes. It was too late not to sully the name of Black--she'd been sorted into Ravenclaw house, an utter first, or so she assumed. But then again, she hadn't been disowned or anything similiar yet... She cleared her spinning mind, and waited for a reply from the other girl--well, if she'd even been noticed..

[Hope Westley]

With another sigh of frustration, Hope shrugged and gave another glance around the station. She was generally a patient person, but she hated being late for anything, and this wasn't at all how she had planned to start out the new year. Come on, Matt.. Hope set up her wheeled suitcase and pushed in the handle, prepared to sit down on it for the time being, while she waited for her friend.

"Hi?"

Hope heard the voice of the girl who was next to her, as it broke through to her preoccupied senses. Instead of sitting down as she had planned, Hope immediately straightened up. She glanced around to see who was speaking, though she was quite confident that whoever it was, they hadn’t been speaking to her. At least she could amuse herself with the interaction of others that way. A quick glance in the direction of the voice told her that the unsure greeting had actually been directed toward her, as Hope was the only one close enough for conversation.

"Hello," she said, forcing brightness in her tone that she hoped make her sound friendly. The fourth year recognized the speaker as a fellow Ravenclaw, a year younger, if Hope remembered correctly. She gave the girl a warmer smile, hoping to encourage conversation. Her conversation partner seemed to be far more outgoing than she was, and Hope didn't want to lose an opportunity to make a potential friend by seeming to cold or disinterested. "I'm Hope," she said a bit timidly, her head and eyes naturally turning down at the introduction.

[Andromeda Black]

No hostility--Andromeda (curse that name) was fairly enthusiastic, when she realized the girl wasn't going to retort in a rude manner. She knew several very uptight Ravenclaw students that didn't tolerate being talked too without purpose. She was about to speak again, when the girl continued on to introduce herself. "I'm Hope," Andie nodded, making sure to remember the name--well, try too at least. The older girls's eyes were downcast and she looked slightly nervous, which the third year couldn't figure out, considering that she herself was a year younger--an underclassmen.

Of course, Andie had never really been 'normal.' She'd been different from her sisters for as long as she could remember. She didn't mind being seen as different, and she didn't conform to people's standards or expectation. The fourteen year old (just a little old for her year) grinned. "An-DRO-meda." the look on her face was of disgust--she didn't really like the name. Like her siblings and cousins, she'd been names after a constellation--nothing to be ashamed of. But still, it just made her more like her sisters.. "third year" she was a girl who was always brimming with energy, no matter what the situation..

She also didn't want to be seen by her siblings alone. She'd rather be seen chatting with a fellow student. So in some ways, she was using the older girl--Hope. She didn't want to be a part of Bellatrix's posse of Slytherin pure bloods, but she didn't want to be seen as a loner either; she already got enough crap from her sister's friends..

"waiting for someone?"

Andie questioned the girl, trying to make some sort of conversation. This was the hardest part of making friends.. There was always the necessary introduction, always the small exchange of names, houses, and the like. It was after that initial introduction that was difficult. Of course, they were in the same house, so they were both 'intelligent.' But 'intelligent' was a word with many different meanings. Andie wasn't a cookie cutter Raveclaw; she didn't care about her grades as much as she should, but she was able to read people like books. She'd always had the uncanny ability to be exceptionally good at making friends, and acting in a way that made people like her. not to mention, she did quite well at reading body language and the like.

She enjoyed Shakespeare, a muggle play writer, and liked witty conversation more than anything--banter, and debates were her strong points. Not to say she wasn't 'smart,' she just wasn't particularly 'book smart.'

[Hope Westley]

"Andromeda."

Hope repeated the name in her mind after the other Ravenclaw introduced herself in turn. Andromeda. It was an unusual name, though there seemed to be something familiar about it. Sounded like something to do with space, maybe. The fourth year glanced back up from the ground, a natural smile brightening her features. "It's nice to meet you, Andromeda," she replied, careful to pronounce it just as Andromeda had. She didn't want to offend a potential new friend by saying her name wrong.

“I’m a fourth year,” she added soon after, realizing she hadn’t already given that information to her new acquaintance. “Though I’m not sure that means a whole lot.”

Hope glanced around the station, noticing a few more familiar faces had arrived while she'd been distracted. Matthew, however was still not among them. It was nice, she mused, to have someone to talk to while she waited. She didn't have to worry about looking like the awkward loner, waiting by herself at the train station. Hope's father had, of course, had planned to take her himself, but Hope had decided that she was better off on her own. After all, she was fourteen now, and didn't need a parent babysitting her to make sure she got off on the Hogwarts Express all right. And being alone had given her the opportunity to meet someone new.

"Waiting for someone?"

Hope nodded in response to the question. "My friend, Matthew," she explained. "He's not the most punctual person some times." The fourth year glanced around the station again, hoping that her friend had materialized in the few short moments that had passed.