Having obtained everything that she would need for her first year at Hogwarts a few weeks ago, Dani now stood in front of the pillar that the man from the Ministry assured her would take her to the platform where the train to the school, the Hogwarts Express, would be waiting.  Unfortunately, that affirmation did very little to ease the anxiety that she was feeling.  For someone who had never been away from home for more than a weekend at a time, leaving for an entire year was cause for nervousness and pangs of homesickness.  And that wasn’t even considering the fact that she had been thrust into a world she hadn’t known existed until just a few weeks ago.

Her dad, sensing her anxiety using some sort of parental super power, placed his hand on her back, a gesture which did bring her some measure of peace and comfort.  Her parents, always supportive, had been with her every step of the way, tagging along with her as the Ministry worker helped her purchase everything that she would need despite the both of them being just as clueless as their daughter.  And they were both there with her on the day she would leave for the year.

Nodding, Dani followed the man from the Ministry as he stepped through the seemingly solid wall without flinching.  Dani, however, was not actually able to suppress her reflexes and did end up stepping through the wall fully expecting to hit something solid, her eyes squinted shut and her body held stiffly.  Of course, her parents were the exact same way, and the three of them together did attract a few glances from the other families around.

The Ministry worker was already instructing a young lad who would, presumably, load her possessions onto the train for the ride.  Of course, she was permitted to grab her pink and purple backpack, which contained the whiteboard she commonly used to communicate, a few of her drawing books, and some snacks for the trip.  The backpack itself had actually attracted a few eyes already, as it stood out rather sharply from the norm.

Before Dani could think further on that, the man from the Ministry finished instructing the lad concerning her luggage and turned to her and her family.  “I’m dreadfully sorry,” he said, pulling out a pocket watch and glancing at the time, “but I’m afraid that she’s going to have to get on the train directly or she’ll miss it.”  Her parents nodded their understanding, the man from the Ministry stepping aside so that they could say goodbye.

Bending over, her father picked her up and hugged her tightly before setting her down so that her mother could do the same.  “Remember, sweetie, we love you and are very proud of you,” her mother said, clearly trying her best not to cry.  “We know that you’ll do fine, but write to us every so often anyway, okay?”  Dani nodded to show that she would, telling them that she loved her them both and would miss them terribly using sign language.

Her father, certain that he wouldn’t be able to speak very much without crying, merely affirmed that he loved her and would miss her as well.  Then, after another round of hugs, she was stepping into the train and waving goodbye, trying to quell the pang of homesickness that hit.  Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to wave for very long, as she would be holding up the line of people desiring to get on the train and get situated.  Once she was inside, she opened the door of one of the nearer compartments to see if it was occupied, only to be unceremoniously shoved in by the sudden influx of people as the engine of the train began to warm up.

Unsure of her odds in trying to leave the compartment, primarily because that would involve fighting through the crowd of people, Dani sat down in the seat across from the girl, whom she now noticed was exceptionally pretty, with beautiful black hair that was a rather stark contrast to Dani's own light brown.  Figuring the logical next step would be to introduce herself, Dani reached into her backpack and pulled out her whiteboard and a simple black marker.  “Hello.  Sorry for intruding,” she wrote, holding it up for them to see before erasing it to make room for more writing.  “My name is Dani.  May I ask what your name is?”