The Hogwarts express
Sirius was practically vibrating with excitement as he hauled his trunk onto the Hogwarts Express. He didn’t have to search for long before he found the right compartment. The door slid open with a loud bang as he shoved it aside. “Found you!” he declared triumphantly, throwing himself inside.
Pandora let out a startled squeak as she was nearly knocked sideways by his dramatic entrance. Across from her, Evan barely looked up from his book, though the slight smirk on his face betrayed his amusement. “You’re loud,” Evan muttered, turning a page.
“And you’re boring,” Sirius shot back, sitting down onto the seat opposite them. “What are you even reading?”
Evan lifted the book so Sirius could see the cover. It was something about advanced dueling theory.
Sirius blinked.
“You do know we’re first years, right?” Evan sighed. “Im trying to be prepared, Sirius." Pandora giggled, tucking a wild strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “He’s been reading that all morning. I think he’s scared he won’t be good enough when we start lessons.” Evan shot her a flat look. “I’m not scared.”
Sirius smirked. “You kind of sound scared.” Evan groaned, shutting the book with a soft thump and tucking it away. “You two are impossible.”
“And yet, here you are,” Sirius said smugly, stretching his legs out and kicking Evan’s foot lightly. Evan kicked back.
Pandora grinned, leaning back against the seat. “Well, since we’re finally all here, we should probably talk about the very important and serious matter of which house we’re all going to be in.”
Evan sighed. “Do we have to?”
“Yes,” Pandora said firmly.
Pandora giggled. “I mean, let’s be honest. We all know we're expected to be in Slytherin.” Sirius groaned, throwing his head back. “Ughh, I got a speech this morning that went on for ages.”
Evan smirked. “Was it about the noble and most ancient House of Black again?”
“Of course it was.” Sirius waved a hand dramatically. “About duty and legacy and not embarrassing the family name.”
Evan leaned his head against the window.
“I'm glad our parents aren’t as strict as yours, but they still have expectations. Rosiers belong in Slytherin,” he mimicked, deepening his voice in an uncanny impression of his father.
“Rosiers are strong. Rosiers do not disappoint.”
Pandora snorted.
“He’s got money on Evan being Slytherin for sure, but he’s not convinced about me.”
Sirius grinned.
“I hope you end up in Gryffindor just to spite him.”
Pandora gasped dramatically. “Wouldn’t that be hilarious? Imagine their faces!” Evan rolled his eyes.
“It would be a nightmare.”
The compartment went quiet for a second, then Pandora clapped her hands together. “Anyway! What about our siblings?”
Sirius perked up at that. “Yeah, I was just thinking about them. It’s weird, leaving them behind, isn’t it?”
Pandora nodded. “Felix has been following us around all summer. He’s going to be lost without us.”
Evan smirked. “Nah, he'll be fine. He is going to enjoy having the house to himself.”
Sirius laughed. “Reg will probably like that too.” He frowned slightly. “But Astrie and Irene… I feel bad leaving them.” All three of them knew what his parents were like. After a second of silence, Evan spoke.
“So. We know Pandora is going to end up in Hufflepuff.”
Pandora gasped. “Excuse me! What is that supposed to mean?”
Evan smirked. “You’re too nice to be a Slytherin.”
Pandora pouted. “I can be cunning!”
Sirius chuckled. “Sure you can, Panda.”
She crossed her arms. “Fine. If I’m a Hufflepuff, then Sirius is definitely a Gryffindor.”
Sirius grinned. “I wouldn’t mind that, actually.”
Evan groaned. "What! Your parents would kill you!”
Pandora giggled. “I don’t care where we end up, as long as we’re still friends.”
Sirius stretched. “Of course we will panda.”
The conversation continued like that. At some point, they started playing a game of Exploding Snap, with Sirius nearly setting his sleeve on fire twice, and Evan somehow managing to win every round.
By the time the train finally pulled into Hogsmeade, the nervous energy from earlier had all but disappeared. The three of them stood, stretching and straightening their robes as the train came to a stop.
Sirius glanced between Pandora and Evan, his grin widening. “Ready?”
Pandora grinned back. “Always.”
Evan sighed dramatically. “I suppose.”
And together, the three of them stepped off the train.