↠{ put another X on the calendar, Éilís + open

Suffice to say, stepping onto Platform 9 and 3/4 overwhelmed Penrose with a sense of nostalgia, but it was tainted with memories of the first half of the school year and something felt markedly off about the hustle and bustle of her fellow students and their families. Returning home to her own family in February, especially after the torturous events of the first half of the school year, had come as a cry of relief; the young Slytherin had not been pleased by being relocated from her comfortable dorm and worse, from being cut off from her life outside of school. Yet oddly enough, a subtle part of her longed for the castle and ached for things to return to normal.

But nothing was normal at this point, and the fourteen-year-old sighed softly as she realized it was time to say goodbye. Her father had been able to take leave of work to bring her to King's Cross, along with her sister, the two of them sad to have to send her back off to school. It felt to Penrose that Marshal held on to her embrace for just a beat too long and squeezed her close just a bit too harsh, but she obliged him, knowing that as his first born daughter she was beyond precious. Her parents had been reluctant to even send her to her first year of school, and the events of the last year were as close to realizing their worst fears as they could get. "Please send Nikita from time to time, won't you Pen?" This was from her sister, who had reached out and embraced Penrose's hand, turning her attention from her father to the little witch.

"Once a week, at least." Penrose squeezed her sister tightly, hoping to reassure her of her safety, which felt so fragile it was nearly non-existent. Straightening up, Penrose readjusted her plum-colored robes and brushed her blonde hair behind her ears, hoping her composure did not give away the desperation she was starting to feel. "Alright then, I love you both." And that was that. Students were beginning to board the train, and the clock was ticking ever nearer to departure, so Penrose gathered up Nikita's cage in one arm and the handle of her trunk in the other and followed suit. There was a moment of congestion as the young wizards filtered through the corridors of the train, but it was soon enough that Penrose had made her way down to an empty compartment and stowed her luggage.

Sitting at the window of the compartment, she kept her owl's cage with her, set upon the seat to keep her company. Wistfully she peered out the glass, scanning the retreating crowd for her family members, but they had gone. Nikita hooted quietly from his cage, watching the young witch with dark eyes, and for a moment she felt a sense of serenity. Who knew what the next six months would hold? There was still the mysterious door that had appeared in the Great Hall, bearing no answers, and the threat of the last semester hung heavily over her heart. However, classes would soon resume and routine would take shape once more and Penrose reasoned with herself that life would start to right itself. Absentmindedly, she pulled a small pouch from the pocket of her robes and produced an owl treat for Nikita, slipping it through the bars of his cage.

Momentarily the train would be on it's way and she would have to face whatever was coming, one way or another.

Éilís stood on the familiar platform, looking up into the face of her father. She could feel Teagan hovering, even though she was a meter away; she could practically taste the anxiety that was radiating off of her guardian. Students were rushing past, shouting goodbyes to their parents as they climbed onto the train or else clinging to their loved ones, exchanging tearful farewells. Éilís didn't know which group she belonged to. Ought she to hug her father tightly, promise him not to worry, assure him that she would be coming home soon? Or would it be easier for him to see her walking away with a confident smile and wave, calling out that she would send a letter as soon as she got back to school?

"I love you, dad," she told her father seriously. She looked into his eyes, hoping to see calmness there, but instead she saw a hint of confusion and worry. She knew it must be overwhelming for him to be on the busy platform, surrounded by oddly-dressed strangers brandishing wooden sticks and carrying hooting owls, but she had wanted a proper goodbye. With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around him in a rare moment of intimacy, trying to reassure him with a squeeze. She took the moment that her face was buried in his chest to form what she hoped was a convincing smile, and pulled away. "We'll see each other soon. Don't forget that Teagan will be by to check on you and help you send any letters you would like, okay? I love you," she repeated.

Éilís turned away quickly, not wanting to see the distance in his eyes. With a quick hug from Teagan and the promise of letters checking in to see how she was doing (Éilís knew this meant Teagan would be waiting for reports on her progress making new friends), she headed toward the train. She stepped up onto a carriage toward the back, heaving her trunk after her. She dragged it down the hall until she saw a compartment with only one occupant, Penrose Pierce. Feeling that this was probably her best chance at a quiet ride, having only one Slytherin companion for the time being, she pushed open the door.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Éilís asked quietly, hoping the girl wouldn't be annoyed that she was joining her. Was Penrose saving these seats for her friends? Though Éilís knew Penrose from classes, they were hardly close friends.

For a few minutes, Penrose was alone and was largely ignored by the students who passed outside her compartment. She didn't mind this moment of solitude, the compartment was mostly quiet and peacefully still, which was vastly different from the tension of the platform. Still, this left her alone with her thoughts which were far from settled. Being female, sometimes her feeling felt all too overwhelming, and being Penrose, she was usually unable to interpret them clearly. Worries rushed through her mind, from what her sister Fiona must think about Hogwarts, to what her parents were having to sort out at work, to what their home life must be like while she was away. Penrose felt much older than her fourteen years, having to carry the weight of being the child who seemed to constantly be in some sort of danger, and having to handle it like she wasn't afraid.

Part of her wasn't afraid, to be honest. She was intelligent, she was able, she was valuable, and she had proven her resilience in the face of danger multiple times. The magical world of her childhood had fallen apart, disillusioning her family and community, but words that her mother had spoken to her after her return from her first year of school resonated in her mind - A phoenix can only rise from ash. This gave her hope. But another part of her was anxious over the unexpected and the unknown, and she was aching for someone to validate her feelings by reassuring her that she was not alone.

At this moment, her compartment door slid open and a blonde girl that Penrose recognized as Éilís Healey entered, asking to join the young Slytherin. Glad to have been pulled out of her thoughts and distracted from her worry, Penrose nodded and gestured to the seats across from her. "Of course not," she said with a small smile. Penrose didn't have many close friends, and Éilís was more of an acquaintance from class than anything, but a bit of human company on the long ride back to school was more than welcome. "I hope you don't mind Nikita here." Not that it mattered, her tawny owl was not just her messenger, he was her companion and she was not likely to pack him away with her luggage. The two were usually inseparable when the bird wasn't out on an errand, and at this moment he had settled in for sleep, his obsidian eyes closed, head tucked into his own chest feathers. "I thought he might like to ride with me."

This was the first time in weeks that Penrose had been around a peer, not only someone her age, but also someone who understood exactly what she had been coping with for the last few months. Penrose had always thought that Éilís was quite bright however rather reserved and indirect, and she had never struck up a conversation with the Ravenclaw. Finding no opportunity better than the present, Penrose cautiously asked, "Did you have a pleasant visit with your family?" And then, feeling that she sounded a bit too formal, she jokingly said, "My mum wouldn't stop fussing over me the entire time I was home." Which was true, Robyn had barely left her eldest daughter alone, prying her form every detail the young girl had about the state of the school. It had got a bit tiresome, frankly.

Éilís watched Penrose carefully for her response to the question, worrying that she might have just set herself up for an awkward disappointment when the much cooler Slytherin inevitably informed her that the seats were all taken or that she wanted to ride alone. To her surprise, Penrose nodded and gave her a little smile, gesturing for Éilís to take the seat across from her. After taking a moment to be sure that she hadn't misinterpreted the invitation, Éilís turned round and pulled her trunk through the doors to the compartment. It wasn't too heavy as Éilís had been able to leave most of her things in the tower during her weeks at home, but her luggage was still quite large and difficult to maneuver. Straining, the petite third year managed to finally pull it into the compartment and the compartment doors slammed together behind her. Jumping slightly at the crash, Éilís sat down quickly in the seat that Penrose had indicated, a slight pink coloring her cheeks.

Doing her best to not be mortified at her less-than-graceful entrance, Éilís turned her eyes to the owl on the seat next to Penrose. "Of course not," Éilís echoed quietly, gazing in at the bird. He was sleeping at the moment anyway, but Éilís certainly didn't mind being around creatures. She didn't have an owl herself -- she would never be able to afford one -- but she found the creatures beautiful. The warmth in Penrose's tone as she introduced her owl softened Éilís a bit, who recognized the affection in the other girl's voice.

Her eyes darted back to Penrose at her question. "Oh, it was very nice, yes," she replied a bit vaguely. Éilís latched on to the tidbit of information that Penrose shared about her own home life, happy to direct the conversation toward the other girl. "Was she quite worried about you? I wondered if some parents might not want their children to go back to school after all of this."

It seemed to take a moment of struggling for the Ravenclaw to be able to maneuver her trunk into the small compartment and then stow it away successfully. Penrose stayed put and observed her classmate with calm gray eyes, not wanting to get in the way and add to the challenge as well as not really caring enough to concern herself with the task. Finally, the girl was able to get settled and seated and she seemed to be aware of the production that this had been as her face had become rosy. Penrose smiled at her again, cheekily, but she also hoped in a slightly reassuring way.

Still, the girl seemed to avoid Penrose's question by dismissing it with a very generic answer, and the snake decided not to pry any further. If her new compartment-mate did not want to divulge, there was probably a good reason for it, and Penrose didn't know her well enough to press the issue. Surprisingly, Éilís then asked Penrose to elaborate a bit more on what her time at home had been like and she found herself wishing she hadn't said anything about it at all. The train had started to move, slowly at first and then gaining speed, and the Slytherin girl considered her answer for a moment before saying, "Honestly, I'm surprised she's let me come to school at all. You know how mums can be sometimes... overprotective." Not to mention how precarious the simple act of going away to school had become.

For Merlin's sake, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was more or less running the school during her first year!

"Your name is Éilís, isn't it?" A more traditional introduction was called for if they were going to be riding together for the next few hours, Penrose didn't like the feeling of sharing information about her personal life without at least being on a first name basis, "I'm Penrose Pierce. I recognize you...but, you're not in my year, are you?" Something about the timeframe did not seem right to the young girl, but she couldn't quite place what it was. Shifting so that her feet were tucked up underneath her, Penrose looked out the window for a moment at the city that was passing by them at a rapid pace now. "Are your parents worried much about you going back to school?" The question came out before she could stop it, and even though she had already concluded that poking around about Éilís's family was not appropriate, she was curious.

There had been no hope that Penrose would fail to notice Éilís' awkward entrance into the compartment, but the smirk on Penrose's face as Éilís took her seat was enough to confirm her fear that she had made a bit of an idiot of herself already, after having been in Penrose's presence for only about thirty seconds. It seemed like she always managed to make one mistake after the other when she was in situations like this, and the eagle was reminded once again why she usually preferred to sit alone, both on the train and elsewhere. Éilís looked away quickly from her face, trying to put her awkwardness behind her and hoping that Penrose wasn't one to make fun.

She stared intently at Penrose's response to her question, hoping that Penrose would start in on the subject and keep going, but the other girl seemed almost as reluctant to talk as she was. Éilís was unsure how to proceed. She would hate to upset the Slytherin by prying, but she also didn't know what else to bring up and certainly didn't want to return the topic back to her own family. She did her best with what she hoped was an innocent question: "Oh really? Are you the only child?" That couldn't be too personal of a question... although, with her luck so far, she may have crossed some unspoken line and offended her younger companion.

Éilís nodded automatically at the mention of her name, a bit surprised that she remembered her. Penrose gave her own name and Éilís smiled kindly even though she already knew it. Penrose was one of those students that was easy for Éilís to admire: clever and cool and seemingly always put-together. She hesitated once again as Penrose posed a question to her: "Uh, no, I'm a third year," she replied. Penrose looked a bit confused, but Éilís wasn't going to offer more information unless she had to. It was just so much easier for her to sweep some things under the rug than face the embarrassment of explaining them. She shifted uncomfortably as Penrose continued to inquire about her home life, unsure how to respond without having to get into the details. "They miss me while I'm gone, I think," she offered hesitantly, "but I don't think they worry too much, no." Mostly because my mum thinks I'm at a boarding school in Boston and dad can't remember for more than a few days that I'm magic anyway. But it would be best to leave those bits of information out.

Penrose wasn't sure why, but there was something in the slightly awkward and oddly indirect nature of Éilís that she was comfortable with and found herself enjoying. Maybe it was because the Ravenclaw girl gave off a clear lack of confidence, which Penrose constantly exuded, that reassured Penrose of the girl's company. She was not a threat. She seemed... sweet, actually. It surprised the blonde to be asked about having siblings, but as Fiona was one of the most precious people to her, Penrose was happy to share. "I have a little sister, Fiona...or Fi, as I like to call her. She is nine." Penrose smiled, thinking of her sister's request from the platform, "She might be more worried about me than my parents are. I promised her that I would write her a letter every week."

There was a sinking feeling in her stomach at that thought, knowing that her little sister would have to anxiously await news of Hogwarts from the only person who knew anything about what it was like present-day. Their mother, who had come to Hogwarts every spring for the last thirteen years to help administrate the Potions O.W.L.s, had promised the girls a Hogwarts that seemed like a fairy-tale, compared to the reality of present day events. It was disillusioning for both daughters, to say the least. Penrose hated being the bearer of bad news, knowing that her little sister took her word as gold. "Do you have any siblings at Hogwarts?" She was almost certain that the girl did not, but felt it polite to continue to conversation. It wasn't often that she felt open to learning about her classmate's lives.

Just as she had thought, Éilís was a year behind, which would explain a bit about why their schedules rarely crossed paths at school. "That's interesting," Penrose commented, considering the clues in their conversation, "I always thought you were older than me. When is your birthday?" It was lucky that Penrose had a knack for names and faces, otherwise, she probably wouldn't know the girl at all. Some people just stuck out. Maybe it was Éilís's awkward tendencies... they were almost endearing. Penrose was surprised to hear the eagle admit that her parents didn't worry too much about her. Had she not told them what had happened over the last semester? Certainly they would have been informed by the school? How odd that her own parents were downright horrified and someone else's parents were so passive.

It was clear that this subject was making Éilís uneasy, and the young snake started to put two and two together, thinking that maybe she came off as one of those blood-purist Slytherins. Which couldn't have been farther from the truth, after all, there were plenty of muggleborns in her family tree. "You know, I think pureblood elitists are a load of rubbish," she said, rather bluntly. Then, realizing how out of place that sounded, she followed up with, "I hope all that can be put behind us and everyone can move on to something much more important." Like snacks! Penrose was starting to get a bit hungry already, hopefully the trolley witch would come around sooner rather than later.

The Slytherin seemed content to answer Éilís' question this time. Éilís noted again the pleasure that Penrose seemed to take when she was talking about those she cared about, and thought that she might be able to get a bit more out of the other girl on those subjects. "Oh, that's nice. I'm an only child," she replied. That was a bit of information that was easy to share, and she hoped that Penrose would recognize that she wasn't completely against talking. There were just certain subjects that were easier to avoid than to delve into. She was happy to keep talking about Penrose's family, and followed up with more questions. "Has she always had a hard time with you being at school? Or is it just because of everything that's been happening this year? I can't imagine trying to explain it all to someone so young."

Her lips pressed together anxiously as Penrose began questioning her about her age. She thought back on her previous response and wished she had been able to simply tell the other girl that she was in her third year without making it sound like it was some sort of confession. The other girl was clearly clever and had not missed Éilís' embarrassment at the subject. Apparently, she was choosing not to take that as a hint that Éilís didn't necessarily want to have this conversation and had opted to continue digging for answers. Doing her best to answer casually, Éilís replied as best she could.

"September 6, so I'm old for my year." Thinking it would be overly optimistic to assume that Penrose would be satisfied with just that, she divulged a bit more, hoping it would be enough: "But I did a year of private tutoring before I started at Hogwarts. So I'm ahead in several subjects, but they wanted me to start as a first year anyway."

As Éilís had suspected, Penrose was particularly perceptive. Although her proclamation might have seemed a bit out-of-context to someone who knew neither girl, Éilís could see that it was something of a peace offering. She looked up at her companion and saw that Penrose meant it; it didn't seem as though she was trying to mislead the muggleborn or was making fun. All the same, Éilís wasn't sure how to respond, and settled on a gentle nod. She was touched that the other girl, who was so much more confident and likable and interesting, was making an effort to make her feel comfortable. "I hope that will happen someday, too," Éilís replied. Although she hardly believed there would come a day when she wouldn't be looked down upon for her blood status, it was nice to know that there were others out there who were willing to attempt to put aside their prejudices and find a spot for her in the magical world.

Pleased that her memory had served her well, but thinking how strange it would be to have no siblings, Penrose nodded in answer to Éilís's question about Fiona. "My first year was....dark, to say the least. Even being sorted into Slytherin, I think about how tense that year was." Looking back on it, there was more than tension. It had been disappointing in the sense that she had been expecting Hogwarts to be filled with joy, and in turn found it filled with hate and fear. "That was the year of the Battle of Hogwarts, when You-Know-Who was defeated." She had lowered her voice a bit, as it still gave the young girl an uneasy feeling when she remembered the panic and the violence that had taken place that night. Being only eleven at the time, she had not cared much to fight as much as she cared to save her own self, so she had instead found a safe place to retreat and wait out the worst of the combat.

"My family was very apprehensive about sending me to school that year at all. The summer before term started, my father received an inquiry from the Ministry about his blood status... My gran's a muggle, you see." Shaking her head for a moment at the absurdity of it all, she continued, "You're lucky to have been elsewhere, to be honest, I think my parents were worried about my safety back then just as much as they are now. Even though my dad has worked at the Ministry for years now, they still put quite a scare into my mum. How odd that me being sorted into Slytherin was likely the most comforting thing about the entire situation, all because we get a bad rap as dark wizards..." - she smiled at the other girl - "I promise we aren't all that bad."

Penrose had never taken much interest in the dark arts, and both of her parents led a very neutral existence within the wizarding community. Her father, as mentioned, was one of the most well-respected Obliviators that the Ministry had on staff and her mother not only had a duty to remain neutral as part of her involvement within the educational realm but also her position in the public eye from working with Witch Weekly. The young snake much preferred the comforting simmer of a cauldron, the sound and the smell of a concoction beginning to brew and the focus it took to follow precise directions out of her book of potions. She enjoyed the careful task of chopping and crushing, measuring and combining, gathering together all her ingredients to create something potent and unusual.

Decidedly glad that she had not been the type to be influenced by parents overly obsessed with the dark side, Penrose concluded that she was more than content to follow her instinct about what kind of witch she wanted to be. House stereotypes were just as overrated as blood status, in her eyes. After a moment of thought, Penrose looked back to the other girl and asked, "Which classes do you like best?" And then a follow-up question, "You'd have started your electives this year, which ones do you take?" Hopefully, these questions were less intrusive and maybe would reveal something the two had in common.

Éilís listened with interest as Penrose spoke about her first year at Hogwarts. She shivered slightly at the Slytherin's words; she had heard talk of what it had been like during that year, and was thankful that she had been safe with Teagan across the Atlantic. It was relieving to hear Penrose speak about that time with such obvious distaste. Maybe she really had meant it when she said that she didn't care about blood status. And then Penrose was sharing more about her family. It was surprising to hear that she had a muggle grandmother; as far as Éilís understood it, such things were looked down upon in the magical world. After a moment's consideration, Éilís felt that she could never bring herself to enter such a relationship. It could only bring more judgment and suffering to any children she might have than they already would for having a muggleborn for a mother.

When Penrose asked about her classes, the bookworm felt they had touched on a new subject that she could discuss easily. "Herbology and potions have always been my favorites," she replied easily with a smile. "But I added arithmancy and ancient runes this year. I think they're both so fascinating. I suppose I generally prefer classes more focused on theory and ancient magic than those requiring a lot of spellwork." It was no secret that Éilís had never been great with a wand or performing under pressure. "What about you?"

As the girls chatted, the Hogwarts Express left London behind and was now speeding past trees and farmland as they headed north toward their school. Having been so focused on their conversation and not making a fool of herself in front of Penrose, Éilís had hardly noticed the time passing. She was surprised when their compartment door slid open and the lunch trolley arrived. Her grandfather had packed her a lunch for the ride, but Teagan had given her a sickle to buy a treat on the train. The young Ravenclaw had thought about saving the money in case she needed something for school, but she felt a little silly not getting anything off the trolley when she was sitting here with someone else who surely would.

"Just a licorice wand, please," she said, choosing one of the cheapest options. She handed over the sickle and accepted the handful of knuts that was her change, putting them carefully into her coin purse. She couldn't afford to lose any, especially if she needed to go into Hogsmeade during the term. While the trolley witch turned to check if Penrose wanted any of the Honeydukes treats she had to offer, Éilís bent down over her trunk and opened it carefully. She pulled out the brown paper bag with her lunch in it and then carefully redid the clasps on the suitcase. The last thing she needed was for all of the contents to spill out when they finally got back to school.

Thrilled to hear that the Ravenclaw also enjoyed the art of brewing a potion and the study of magical plants and herbs, Penrose smiled happily and nodded along with what Éilís was explaining. "Much agreed!" It always seemed that when she brought this topic up, she was unlikely to find another witch or wizard her ago who shared her interests. Penrose was not gifted with charming teapots to dance or transfiguring mice into water goblets, however, she had a deep understanding of the growth and caretaking of a magical plant and she could name off a list of potion ingredients faster than one could say "Accio cauldron." However, it seemed that the did differ on the topic of electives.

"Initially I had chosen Care of Magical Creatures and Divination, but I simply couldn't spend another year staring into a crystal ball, pretending to see the future." Penrose couldn't resist rolling her eyes, Divination had been so subjective and up to interpretation, it had never sat well with the practical girl. "This year I enrolled in Muggle Studies. I am enjoying it much more actually. I can't believe muggles have to drive everywhere they want to go, seems like such a waste of resources!" Even though there was non-magical blood in her lineage, both of her parents were wizards and thus, Penrose had never been inconvenienced by the normalities of the muggle world. They did fascinate her, however. "I like Care of Magical Creatures more, honestly. I learn best with hands-on application."

Enjoying their conversation, Penrose had barely noticed the scenery changing outside their window. London was far behind them and the train was chugging happily along towards their destination, and the young snake wouldn't have realized how far along on their journey they were if it wasn't for the welcome interruption of the trolley witch. "Ooh, perfect timing!" Penrose said gleefully, just as her stomach growled lowly. She watched as her compartment-mate exchanged a single sickle for a licorice wand, and had to resist gaping openly as the other girl pulled out a packed lunch from her trunk, thinking of the small pouch of coins that was sitting in the pocket of her cloak. Some of the money was a reward that she earned by achieving good marks, but some of the money was given to her by her parents as an allowance for her Hogsmeade weekends.

Trying not to make a show of just how many coins she carried, as it was incredibly rude to boast about money, Penrose smiled at the trolley witch and requested, "I'd like two chocolate frogs, two cauldron cakes and a bag of crystallized pineapple." She began to pick out a few silver and bronze coins from her pouch, "Oh! Also, could we get a box of Every Flavor Beans? Thank you." As she exchanged her money for her candy, Penrose looked over at Éilís and winked, shutting the compartment door behind the trolly witch. Before she plopped back into her own seat, Penrose tossed a chocolate frog and a cauldron cake over to the other girl. "You've got to have some of those! They're quite good. Plus you get a trading card in the Chocolate Frog box."

Not that she meant to spoil either of their dinners, as there was sure to be a customary welcome feast when the arrived at that castle, but she wasn't going to be the only one indulging in sweets! "I hope you don't mind," Penrose said, referring to the candy, "You can help yourself if you'd like to try some of mine. Careful with the Beans, you might get a nasty flavor...I guess that's really what makes them fun to eat."

The young Ravenclaw smiled hesitantly as Penrose lit up at her mention of potions and herbology. Was it possible that the two girls actually had something in common? Penrose seemed just as enthusiastic about the idea of spending the afternoon in a greenhouse as Éilís always was. She wished that she was in her year; they probably would have been friends if they always had their classes together. It seemed that most of the other students were more interested in wandwork, and while Éilís found spells intriguing from a theoretical perspective, she hated the pressure of having to perform magic on the spot. Especially when her classmates were looking on.

Her eyebrows raised as Penrose mentioned muggle studies. Éilís had never understood completely why Hogwarts even offered the subject, feeling that the muggle and wizarding worlds were probably best kept separate. It wasn't often that she heard another magical student express interest in the muggle world, and she would expect a Slytherin least of all to find studying non-magical customs enjoyable. Éilís had no need for the subject herself, of course, having grown up in a muggle family and gone to muggle school, and she hadn't ever taken Care of Magical Creatures or Divination either. She had to agree with Penrose's assessment of the latter subject.

"I thought about taking Care of Magical Creatures, too. It would be nice to have another class outside." Not wanting to overwhelm herself with too many classes, Éilís had only added two electives this year. It had probably been a good choice, given that the grounds had been so dangerous over the past few months anyway. The class probably wouldn't have been too enjoyable.

Éilís sat back up and pulled open her brown lunch bag to see what her grandfather had packed for her. She tried not to watch as Penrose ordered a pile of sweets; she didn't want it to seem like a big deal that she hadn't gotten much. Apparently Penrose had other ideas though, and Éilís' eyes widened when a chocolate frog and cauldron cake landed on the empty seat next to her. She started to object ("Oh, really, I'm fine, you don't need to -- "), but Penrose was already insisting that she take the sweets. She quietly thanked her compartment mate, her cheeks a bit pink as she accepted the charity. If it made the other girl feel good to share, well, Éilís wasn't going to stop her.

She knew that Penrose was just trying to be nice, but she felt a familiar twinge of shame as Penrose explained about trading cards and the dangerous flavors of beans. Penrose must suspect that she was a muggleborn. Even so, she had been in the magical world for four years now; she wasn't completely new to wizarding sweets. The assumption that she wouldn't know better than to just throw a handful of beans into her mouth reminded her that she would always be considered a foreigner to the magical world. Éilís opened up the chocolate frog box and pulled out the card. There was a picture of a wrinkly old witch on the front. Flipping it over, she read the woman's description ("Beathag Cameron, famous for her advancements in the field of house-elf breeding") before handing it over to Penrose, in case she collected them. "Would you like the trading card?" she asked politely. She was happy to accept the chocolate, but the card should probably be Penrose's. After all, this could be a particularly rare card. Éilís wouldn't know.

Despite her initial and somewhat feeble protests, Éilís seemed to accept the candy gratefully. Penrose wasn't always the most generous type of girl, usually preferring to stockpile her resources to ensure that she would be well taken care of in the event that she no longer had access - a personality trait that had been reinforced with the isolation from the outside world of the previous semester. However, she was much experienced in sharing with her little sister, and sometimes it just made things easier to not appear selfish. Also, for all of Éilís's shyness, Penrose would prefer to have Éilís as an ally instead of an adversary. It was usually the quiet ones you had to watch out for anyway and Penrose had no intention of giving the girl a bad impression, it was likely more to her benefit to gain the girl's trust.

Selecting a few pieces of sugary pineapple and popping them into her mouth, Penrose surveyed the other girl as she opened up her Chocolate Frog. Assuming she had been correct in deducting that Éilís came from a family of non-magical people (and Penrose generally felt that her assumptions were always correct), coupled with the fact that Éilís had brought along a packed lunch, Penrose found it likely that the other blonde girl must have had limited exposure to the wizarding world. Imagined or not - it gave Penrose a sense of importance, a sense of dominance even, to feel that she was the one introducing her new friend to something new. Even something as trivial as a type of candy. It fed her inner need to be well liked and respected, not that Penrose would ever admit that she was motivated by these feelings. Nikita stirred just then, hooting softly in his cage, perhaps aware that the girls were indulging in treats and wanting some of his own.

Ignoring him for a moment, Penrose curiously leaned forward to get a better look at the card Éilís had retrieved from her Chocolate Frog box. When she was younger she had very much enjoyed the thrill of discovering what card her box held, but as Penrose grew older she eventually grew out of her desire to collect them. Not wanting her heap of cards to go to waste, she had bequeathed them to Fiona, who was both grateful for the gift from her sister and also young enough to find the hobby appealing. Éilís had offered Penrose the card and even though Penrose was almost certain that her sister already had one of Beathag Cameron, she accepted the offer, saying, "Yes, thank you. My little sister is the one who collects them, I'm not sure if she's got this one yet." Reaching back into the folds of her robes to stash the card away, enjoying the feel of the soft velvety material against her fingers, Penrose located the pouch that contained Nikita's owl treats and withdrew it.

The bird hooted his approval from inside his wrought iron cage, and Penrose smiled over at her compartment-mate. "I noticed that you don't have an owl," another sign that her friend was likely muggleborn, "but would you like to give Nikita a treat? He's quite nice, he won't bite. Go on!" Holding the pouch aloft in case Éilís was interested, hoping she wouldn't take offense to her observation, Penrose felt once again that she was doing her best to include the other girl much like she would if she had been riding the train with Fiona. Judging by the landscape outside the train, they were moving along swiftly and would be needing to switch into their school robes soon, the spring term approaching them quickly.

Penrose looked pleased that Éilís had accepted the candy, so she handed over the card and happily took a bite out of the chocolate frog. She hadn't eaten one in a while, and had almost forgotten the pleasant sensation. The Honeydukes chocolate filled her stomach with a pleasant warmth and she relaxed a bit into the seat behind her, lifting the chocolate to take a second bite. Although she was the young of the two girls, it seemed that Penrose was happy to take the lead in their interaction. It felt a bit like she was being doted on rather than treated as a peer, but Éilís didn't really mind. She was happy to go along with whatever Penrose wanted if it meant that they would keep getting along nicely as the train sped toward school.

Penrose was distracted from their conversation by her owl's restlessness. Although she didn't have an owl herself, she'd spent enough time around Teagan's to see that the bird was hoping for some attention. Clearly, the two girls had been too engaged in their conversation for the owl's liking. Éilís was a bit taken-aback when Penrose invited her to give the owl a treat, but she obliged. She carefully pulled a round treat out of the velvet pouch that the other girl was holding out for her. Standing up, she moved to the other side of the compartment to sit down next to the cage. Very carefully, she poked the treat through the iron bars, hoping the bird would be gentle and not nip her fingers when taking the treat, as Penrose had promised.

Nikita grabbed the treat from her fingers happily and rustled his wings contentedly. "He seems very sweet." Éilís smiled in through the bars at the owl, who had already swallowed his treat and was looking at her expectantly, clearly assuming he would be getting more treats or affection now that she was sitting by him. "When did you get him?" She took one last bite of her chocolate frog and looked over at the brown paper bag that contained the rest of her lunch. She reached over and pulled out the sandwich that her grandfather had packed for her, smiling at the little note he had written on her napkin, wishing her luck in the coming term. She listened to Penrose's reply as she ate, nodding along as the other girl explained about her pet.

She looked back over at the owl that they were discussing when she had finished the first half of her sandwich. He really was adorable. "Would it be alright if I pet him?" Éilís didn't know how well-trained the owl was, but they were alone in the compartment. Maybe it would be okay to take him out just for a little while? She didn't have a pet at home or at school and she was always just a tad envious of those who could sit in the common room with a cuddly creature to keep them company.

Like a proud parent, Penrose beamed at the positive interaction between Éilís and her owl. Nikita had always had a friendly disposition, and he had lived a fairly active life as the family mail owl before he and Penrose had taken a liking to each other and it had been decided that he would travel with her to school. Safe to say, the owl was well socialized and was quite accustomed to the company of humans. "He's been in my family for almost ten years," Penrose said, proudly, "My parents got him around when my sister was born." This almost explained the bond that the owl had with the older Pierce girl, while her mother and father were oohing and ahhing over the new addition to their family, Penrose had a new pet to keep her company. "But they eventually decided that he should come to school with me, that way I wouldn't have to rely on the school owls." It had been such an uncertain time to send their eldest to school, her parents wanted to ensure that there would be a reliable way to stay in touch.

Éilís had moved to sit on Penrose's side of the compartment, and the young snake took a moment to pick out a piece of pineapple candy and chew it thoughtfully, casually watching her new friend eat her own packed lunch. The sandwich actually looked quite appealing and as Penrose enjoyed her sweets her thoughts drifted to the feast that was sure to welcome them back. She was ready for an actual meal. Her mother didn't do much cooking as it was, and with her nearly constant frantic state while Penrose had been home, there hadn't been a single home-cooked meal. Not that she really minded, she liked that her parents enjoyed eating out. "Nikita is the name of my favorite quidditch player on the Russian national team," Penrose said a moment later, turning her attention back to the owl but resisting the urge to gush about the quidditch player, "My dad let me pick his name.... Do you enjoy quidditch?" Almost certain that Éilís did not play, there was a chance that she had seen a match or two in her time at Hogwarts.

Pleased that Éilís was comfortable enough to let Nikita out for a moment, Penrose nodded enthusiastically and unlatched the door to his cage. Holding out her forearm, Nikita - surely hoping that there would be more treats involved - slowly stepped out and shook himself off. There was a rush of wings and feathers for a moment as he relaxed into his more open environment. "Hello there you," Penrose said, looking her owl in his dark eyes. He swiveled his head around to look at Éilís, but Penrose clicked her tongue a few times and when he looked back over, she had already pulled another treat out of his pouch. "Here you are, you spoiled bird." She said it lightly, affectionately, which elicited a couple soft hoots. "If you hold out your arm, like so, he's happy to sit with you. I think he's quite used to strangers, but we have treats so I'm sure he'll be on his best behavior!" Penrose motioned with her other hand for Éilís to place her arm out in front of Nikita, that way he could step on to the other girl. "Once he gets settled, you can stroke his chest feathers. He likes that."