Give the World

Chapter 2: Frog

The Hogwarts Express bellowed out as kids and parents all swarmed around it, frantically pushing luggage and moving about.

Similarly to the chaos surrounding it, the corridors of the train were bustling with excitement and anticipation.

As minutes passed on Platform 9 and ¾, train compartments filled with new and old students awaiting their arrival to a school of magic and wonder.

In the last compartment, however, a boy of eleven sat by himself. His dark brown hair was parted and combed neatly. His pale complexion contrasted with his dark eyes that were cold and calculating. He sat alone, staring out the window in silence.

That silence was disrupted just as the train began to leave the station. As the engine roared one last time before departing, the boy's compartment door was opened to reveal a girl, no older than the boy himself.
The boy averted his gaze to the girl standing in the doorway.

"Can I sit here? I can't find anywhere else. I promise I won't interrupt your brooding," she said with a slight Scottish accent, taking note of his slight frown.

The boy nodded, taking in the girl's mass of unruly copper red hair, forming ringlets framing and falling into her face. Her cheekbones and nose were spattered with freckles. Her bright and intelligent eyes observing her new companion.

Her eyes were what really caught the boy's attention. Her left was pale blue-grey with silver lining her pupil and iris, while the other was jade green with gold instead of silver.

"Thank you. I'm Faeyth McGuffian," the girl stuck out her hand as she introduced herself.

"Yeah. Riddle. Tom Riddle," the boy said softly, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Tom. Exciting isn't it?"

Tom looked at her inquisitively.

"Being invited to Hogwarts!"

Tom nodded, intrigued by her enthusiasm and curious at her openness since most children from where he was from feared him.

"I read up a lot on the school. There's so much and it's so different!" Faeyth continued on.

Tom listened to her talk on, for once enjoying her chatter and company.

"One of few words, huh?"

Tom just blinked at her.

"Aren't you excited to go to Hogwarts? It's a grand opportunity and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You have to be at least somewhat excited."

"I am, I just choose not to express it," Tom replied coolly.

"Ah. I see." Faeyth studied him, trying to figure out what the boy across from her was thinking.

She turned away from Tom, much to his unexpressed disappointment, and took out a book with an unknown title to Tom.

"What book is that?" Tom asked her.

"I don't know, actually," she replied, looking at the cover. "I got it at a bookshop in Diagon Alley when I got my textbooks."

Tom nodded and turned back to the window as Faeyth turned her attention to her book.

-

Faeyth left the compartment to change into her new uniform. On her way back, Faeyth came across the trolly lady and decided to purchase a package of Fizzing Whisbees - to which she had found are her favorite magic sweet, although she had not had many magic sweets previously - and two chocolate frogs; one for her and one for Tom.