Arin Vale stood on Platform 9¾, a whirlwind of steam, chatter, and the hoot of owls. He clutched the handle of his trunk with one hand and gently patted the cage of a very sleepy, round barn owl named Hoot with the other. His wide eyes drank in the scene: witches and wizards kissing their children goodbye, students reuniting with loud laughter, and the magnificent scarlet steam engine of the Hogwarts Express waiting patiently. It was all so wonderfully, overwhelmingly real. With a deep breath that smelled of coal and something faintly magical, like cinnamon and starlight, he heaved his trunk aboard, searching for an empty compartment.
He found one near the middle of the train, sliding the door open and revealing an empty space with plush, scarlet seats. Perfect. It was a struggle, but he managed to hoist his trunk onto the luggage rack, placing Hoot's cage carefully beside it. Hoot blinked once, swiveled his head 180 degrees, and went back to sleep. Just as Arin settled into a seat, the compartment door slid open again. A boy with bright red hair and a smudge of what looked like dirt on his nose stood there, followed by another boy with messy black hair and round glasses. "Everywhere's full," the red-headed boy said, looking relieved. "Mind if we join you?"
"Oh! Yes, of course!" Arin beamed, moving over to make more room. "There's plenty of space. I'm Arin Vale. This is Hoot." He gestured to the sleeping owl. The red-haired boy grinned and plopped down opposite him. "Ron Weasley. And this is Harry Potter." The boy with the glasses gave a small, slightly overwhelmed wave. Arin's eyes widened. Harry Potter. The Harry Potter. He'd read about him, of course. "It's brilliant to meet you both," he said, his voice full of genuine warmth. "I was a bit worried I'd be all alone."
[+5 GP | You made your first friends with open and sincere friendliness.]
The compartment door slid open a third time, this time revealing a girl with rather large front teeth and a mountain of frizzy brown hair. "Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," she said, her tone brisk and efficient. Before anyone could answer, her eyes scanned the three of them. "I'm Hermione Granger. And you must be..." Her gaze settled on Harry. "...Harry Potter. I've read all about you, of course." She then looked at Ron and Arin. "Pleased to meet you all."
Ron mumbled something that might have been a greeting, and Harry offered a small smile. Arin, however, lit up. "A toad! That's a shame. Losing a pet on the first day. I hope he finds him. Hello, Hermione! I'm Arin, and this is Hoot." He pointed to the owl again. Hermione's expression softened slightly at the owl, then returned to its determined state. "Well, I'm going to go help Neville look. You three had better change into your robes, we'll be arriving soon." And with a swish of her robes, she was gone. Ron rolled his eyes. "Whatever house she's in, I hope I'm not in it. A bit of a nightmare, that one." Arin tilted his head, confused. "But she was just trying to help someone find their toad. That's kind, isn't it?" Ron just stared at him, baffled by the simple logic.