There's a commotion outside the door.

"They don't mean anything by it. They're adults, that's what they do. We just have to take care of each other."

He stands, but doesn't open the door.

He watches the shadows move across it.

"What was that?" 

"Probably nothing, should we check it out?"

"Yup -- oh, sorry, it just startled me. Gosh." she says, getting up from her seat, moving the books that were on her lap closer to her trunk. Right before she would have put her hand on the door handle she remembers to grab her wand from the windowsill.

The door opens...

and yeah, that's a kid their age being shoved in by some older boys.

He lands on the floor and the door shuts.

"See what I mean? Adults are useless, anyone who falls into your life is worth keeping until you can be useful adults instead."

He offers the boy a hand.

He stands up himself, dusting off his robes.

"Hi."

Well, Naomi doesn't think adults aren't completely useless -- her parents usually know more than she does. But sometimes they disagree with each other, which just means she has to learn what both of them think. Somehow. If she asks enough, or correctly.

But -- that's not important right now. "Hi! This is Josh, I'm Naomi, we're going to be first years, what's your name?"

"Christopher. I'll be a first year too."

"That's so cool! Every good group of friends in Hogwarts history has been three people."

"That seems like you just made it up."

"Are you okay?" Naomi says anxiously. "Why were those people shoving you in?"

There's room to sit on Josh's side of the compartment; her's is covered in books.

"They said I talk too much and look funny. I said they wouldn't know smart if it...I probably should have stopped talking."

He sits next to Josh, and deposits his things.

"Okay, so I think I'm Ginny, you're Neville, and she's Luna. Does that sound right?"

"We just met, it's not my job to sort you."

"I don't know who any of those people are! I'm muggleborn, I don't know anything and it's really frustrating. Apparently there was a war! And we're not supposed to talk about it! And also apparently people don't like muggleborns, everyone's been avoiding telling me what happened and what they did, do you know? Either of you," she amends.

"You're Muggleborn? Whoa, you can't just tell everyone you meet, don't they explain this to you?"

"No, why would they? Adults. If you want to hear about the war, I'll bring you some Prophet articles, but you shouldn't be too curious too loudly, you'll draw attention. Everyone's being very tolerant now, but things were bad, before, and some people are just faking to stay out of Azkaban."

"I haven't been telling everyone I meet, I told Josh and he was okay and now I told you, and now I have two whole people who can tell me what I can do to -- to fit in, and I don't know what things I shouldn't be curious about or what 'bad' means or what 'Azkaban' is and I'm not gonna be able to fake it forever."

She sighs. "Sorry," she mutters. "It's not your guys' fault no one will tell me anything."

"Azkaban is prison, punishment for crimes. Everyone goes there if they break wizarding law. The Dementors used to work there. Or they were pets? I don't know how that worked, clearly they weren't under control."

"Thank you," she says, relieved. "What should I do to pretend not being muggleborn?"

"If you're confused, turn up your nose at them and say something about how everyone should act their age. Then ask one of us."

"Yeah, classic pureblood move."

"That is really helpful!" She beams. "Anything else? I can't say that all the time."