"You'll be careful, won't you, dear?" fussed Valentine's mother as her family stood on the platform with her.

"Yes, mum," huffed Valentine. glancing nervously at the Hogwarts express.  "Please, let me go now!  I don't want to be late."  Her father opened his arms for a hug.

"Come here, Tiny," he said in a voice husky with tears, using her childhood nickname.  Valentine stepped into the obligatory hug and breathed in her father's wood and paint smell.  Valentine's father was a carpenter, making bowls, boxes, and sometimes larger projects like playsets, doors, and tables. 

"Valentiny!" Daisy, Valentine's younger sister, pulled on the hem of Valentine's grey skirt and held her arms up.  Valentine swooshed Daisy up into her arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek before setting her down and crouching to her level.

"Be good, Daisy," Valentine said solemnly.  "Take care of mum and father for me, alright?"  Daisy pulled at her own blonde ringlets and nodded earnestly.  Valentine stood up and held out her arms for her seven-year-old brother, Henry, who hesitated before wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Bye," Valentine whispered to his head.

"Bye, Tiny," Henry muttered as he stepped away, looking at his feet. 

"We'll miss you so much," gushed her mother.  "Do write!"

"Of course, mum.  How could I not with this lovely owl?" Valentine grinned and placed a hand on the cage of her new Barn Owl, whom she'd named Bartholemew.  Valentine started edging towards the train, her trunk in one hand and the owl cage in the other. 

"See you!"  she shouted to her family and a puff of smoke of the train obscured their figures.  Excitment broiled in her belly.  She was actually going to a school of magic!  All her eleven years of life had been spent waiting for something more, something better.  The day of her eleventh birthday had dawned with a thunderstorm, her favorite kind of weather.  She'd opened her presents over a breakfast of porrige and toast with a fruit salad, recieving regular things like practical clothes and a pencil case.  She'd also recieved a unicorn figurine which was packed in her trunk for Hogwarts later.  She'd just taken all her presents to her room when her mother called her saying there was a strange letter addressed to "Valentine Estwich, Second Bedroom, 108 Regal Road, Mulington."  Valentine opened the letter and was utterly baffled.  She was a witch. 

Now, as Valentine struggled to heft her luggage onto the train, she was wishing she already knew advanced magic.

"Here, need a lift?" asked an older boy with black dreadlocks, offering his hand.

"Yes, please," said Valentine, relieved. 

"I'm Lee Jordan," said the boy as he easily lifted Valentine's trunk, leaving her to carry Bartholemew's cage with both arms.  "Where can I set this for ya?"  Valentine looked around, holding the cage to her chest.  She had no idea where to go.  Lee must've seen her anxious expression because he began hauling her trunk down the corridor without being prompted.

"I'll take you to the compartment where Ginny Weasley is.  Her brothers are friends of mine, and she's a nice girl.  This is her first year, I don't think she'll mind one bit."  Lee turned past glass doors and heaved the trunk onto the shelf, then took the cage from Valentine's arms and placed it on the rack, too.  Bartholemew let out a disgrunted hoot and Lee introduced Ginny.

"Ginny, this is... Oh, sorry, I didn't get your name." 

"Val-" Valentine paused.  She was tired of her name.  Why not make it a bit more interesting?  "Via," she said in a voice that didn't flop as much as her nerves.

"Ginny, this is Via," Lee started again.  "Via, this is Ginny."  Then he left, leaving Via to sink down onto the soft, red cushioned seats of the train across from Ginny.  Ginny had flaming red hair and freckles, but a pale demeanor under them. 

"Hi," offered the remade Via. 

"Hello," Ginny smiled queasily.  Before either girls could get any farther in conversation, there was a rukus outside their door.  Ginny jumped up to peer outside and after a moment, Via followed.  In the corridor, a small, pale, long-haired, light-colored blonde girl in very funny clothes was bent over, picking up some magazines that were strewn across the floor.  A boy with slicked back blonde hair and a silver and green tie stood behind her, laughing.  Two bigger boys stood behing him, also with silver and green ties, but with very stupid looks on their faces. 

"What a weirdo!"  smirked the blonde boy.  "Carrying all those ridiculous magazines!"  The girl straightened up, revealing large, grey-blue eyes and a small frown.

"You're under the spell of the bratwurst.  You must cross your fingers and wrinkled your nose to break it," the girl said in a dreamy, airy, yet urget voice.  The blonde boy laughed cruelly again.

"Crabbe, Goyle, do you hear this rubbish?  Her name must really be Looney Lovegood!  Ha!" 

"No, you don't understand," the girl's vague voice said, reaching for the boy.

"Urg!" he said, shoving the girl to the floor again.  "Don't touch me!" 

Ginny gasped and ran out to the blonde girl, helping her up.  Via stood directly outside their compartment, short brown hair bristling with magical electricity. 

"Who do you think you are?" she asked the boy, outraged.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he sneered.  "I suppose you're a pathetic first year," he went on, grey eyes squinting at Via.

"I'm Via Estwich," she said coldly.  "And I don't appreciate you bullying."  Via pointed her finger at him, and a crackle of light burst out, causing a popping noice and making the bullies jump, but not much more. Via pulled back her hand, startled.  Draco regained his composure and grimaced at Via.

"You're not allowed to do that," he hissed.  "My father will hear about this," and then he sauntered off, his two cronies following in his wake.  Ginny helped the girl into their compartment and looked at Via.

"Probably not a good idea," she stated.

"I didn't mean to do it!" Via almost wailed, trying and failing to tuck her short hair behind her ears.

"You won't get in trouble for it, you're Muggle-born, aren't you?  You couldn't know any better," said the girl in her dreamy voice.  "I'm Luna Lovegood," she offered her hand to Ginny, who gingerly shook it, then Via, who did the same. 

"Ginny," said Via, indicating the red haired girl. 

"Weasley," Ginny interjected. 

"Ginny Weasley," Via began again.  "And I'm... Via.  Via Estwich."

"That boy was under the bratwurst curse," Luna said solemly. 

"Ahh," trailed Ginny, glancing at Via, who supressed a giggle.

"Bratwurst curse?" As soon as Via asked, she wished she hadn't when Luna went into a ridiculous explaination of a made-up hex. 

"It causes the cursed to act in a strange manner and have an affinity for knocking books out of people's hands.  I can't hold it against Malfoy, he couldn't held it," Luna was all eyes and quiet whisper. 

"It's right here in this issue of The Quibbler," Luna said, holding up one of the magazines in her arms.

"The Quibbler?" Ginny said, wrinkling her nose.  "Isn't that-" she was cut of by Luna saying,

"Yes, my father prints them."

"Oh," trailed Ginny, forcing a smile.  "That's... nice."

Via grinned at both other girls.  Maybe she could have friends at Hogwarts.  Her smile slipped from her face and her gaze dropped as she thought about Draco Malfoy.  She hoped he wouldn't be as nasty at school.  Maybe she could be his friend... he couldn't be all bad.  Via looked up as she heard Ginny laugh at something Luna said, and the smile reappeared on her heart-shaped face.