"You're going to love Hogwarts, Rozie." Leo said Rozalia, glancing at her from behind his shoulder - she had insisted on one last piggy-back ride off him before she left on the train. He was feeling lucky - the Auror's office had been reluctant to let him go for a half-day, but there was no way in Hell he was going to miss seeing her off onto the train. Besides, he wanted to see the old platform again, and to see if there were any of his friends hanging around seeing off their younger brother's and sisters.
"It sounds amazing! I can't wait to see the Library! Ooh, and the Great Hall! Oh, and the ghosts! I bet they're way more friendly than they're shown on horror movies." Roze laughed as she went on talking about this, her previously brown hair shining gold with her excitement. Her father - walking alongside her and Leo - quickly took of his hat and hurriedly pulled it down over her shining curls, glancing around. They were just entering the station, with Roze's Dad pushing the luggage trolley; on it lay two large trunks, a smaller knapsack, and a wicker basket where her cat Sora was sleeping - and they were still surrounded by Muggles.
"Ah... nostalgia." Roze's father grinned as he looked at the very familiar ticket barrier. A child and his mother had just passed through it, unbeknownst to the surrounding Muggles. "Remember when me and your mum took you here for the first time? You looked fit to burst; either from excitement or tears, I still don't know." He said with a sly grin at his son, who nudged him playfully.
They were soon through the barrier and among the hustle and bustle of the various children and frantic parents, some fussing, some bored, some screaming after toddlers that had somehow snuck onto the train. Rozalia was now on the ground, staying close to her brother and father as they pushed towards the train. It was a magnificent scarlet, with steam already billowing out of the funnel at the front and the steam pistons gleaming. She gazed in awe at it, and then saw the various students already sat in the compartments.
"Will you stay until it pulls out of the station?" She asked, looking up at Leo and her Dad, removing her hat and letting her magically-changing hair fall free.
"Like you have to ask. C'mon kiddo, let's get you on there. I don't want it going without you." Her Dad said, ushering her forward and passing her trunks over to one of the porters. With her knapsack slung over her back and Sora's basket in her arms - he had mewled most grumpily when she awoke him - Rozalia took another look at the train, then back to Leo and her Dad. Her hair suddenly took on a blue tinge as a pang of homesickness hit her. She hated to leave them, she really did. But she knew that her brother would be heading back to the Auror's office soon, and her Dad was set to ship out to the Middle East tomorrow.
"I'll write to you every day, okay?" She promised, firmly and silently telling herself not to cry. Honestly - she wasn't a baby. Her Dad chuckled and knelt so he could pull her into a hug.
"I won't hold you to that. Besides, I don't think my bunk mates would enjoy coping with an owl every day. Every week, yeah? Then I can write back some decent replies other than a report on sand storms and sunburn."
"I'll be impressed if you manage to write us both every day, Rozie," Leo began, ruffling her curls as he always did, a bright grin on his face as the blueness receded from her blonde hair. ", the workload catches up with ya. Trust me."
"Pft. Like you know about work." She retorted teasingly with a grin.

Her goodbye's were swift, but heartfelt, and she was soon wandering down the train to find a compartment. She was hoping to find an empty one, or at the very least one that didn't have any second years or above within it. After a fruitless search of an empty compartment, she halted outside one containing two boys, and a girl. Sliding open the compartment door (Quite a feat while juggling a heavy bag and an angry kitten), she smiled at them all and glanced at one of the spare seats.
"Hey! Have you got room for one more?" She asked with a sweet smile, aimed at them all. One of the boys was blond and quite tall, the other smaller, although with dark hair and eyes - the eyes had a familiar mischievous twinkle in them. And they both seemed to be giving the girl in the carriage strange looks - fair to say, the girl did draw the eye. Although not unattractive, she certainly looked a bit strange.