「 ☆ 」 -- 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

Welcome Home by Radical Face

"𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞
𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬
𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞'𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭
𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 (𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞)"

~

The number of stars in the sky were jealous.

That's how many times Mrs. Noyer had kissed Alden's head, Laurel was sure of it. The young boy stood there holding his caged Owl Barnie, his father walking off in the distance. His short, close shaven brown hair being the only identifying figure in the moment that could prove that was his father. That he was the reason he had brown hair that he kept rather unkempt for most of the time. The auror however knew his son was in good hands with the Noyer family; they had been neighbors for five years.

As Alden finally escaped her sobbing mother's grip with the help of her father she looked over to Laurel with a smile of which the boy returned. She walked over holding her fluffy white cat, Laurel reached out to pet the cat being met with Alden's sepia brown hand guiding his ivory colored hand to the cat's head.

"Her name is Garlic."

"What a silly name."

"Not as silly as yours."

"Shut it."

"No."

Before Laurel could respond the whistle of the Hogwarts Express interrupted, the two children were being pushed towards the nearest train door by a man of the same complexion as Alden. Her father, Mr. Noyer, was, 'the goodest man to ever grace our path.' Laurel's father would say, of which the young boy believed. Even with rushing the pair onto the train his hands on their backs held nothing but warmth and care, Laurel wished he could hold onto that feeling a little longer. Soon it left and all that was left was a warm hand reaching for his, it was Alden's, he gripped it tightly as she led him along the train corridor looking for a place to sit. After finding a cabin and setting Garlic on the seat Alden climbed onto the seat and opened the window as the train lurched to life.

She stuck her head out and motioned Laurel to her with a wave of her hand, he too stuck his head out as they watched parents chase along the side of the train. Including the Noyers; the wife crying as her husband stumbled along with her holding onto her hand, Laurel had always thought the pair looked rather odd together; Mrs. Noyer was taller than her husband by a a few inches and rather slender, she was a 'french flower' as Laurel father would describe while Mr. Noyer was pudgy yet warm, like a pot-bellied stove, if the young boy had met them on their own he would be quite confused on how they fit together.

"Je t'aime maman et toi aussi papa !"

Laurel was lucky however to meet the product of their love first, Alden. She was the blend of her parents, tall for her age yet with soft features that made her simply seem friendly, Laurel considered himself rather sociable but Alden put him to shame, just recently when they were shopping for school in Diagon Alley she had talked her way into a few free sweets at Sugarplum's Sweets Shop that she quickly stuffed into her cheeks before their parents caught up with the two children.

"...You too Laurel! Take care of yourselves and take care of each other."

Laurel hadn't heard the rest of what Mr. Noyer said but he came out of his thoughts long enough to wave to him only to lose sight as the train began its trip to Hogwarts. The pair of first years plopped into their seats across from each other staring at one another for a moment, they then began to laugh. Their adventure had begun, Alden stood up and plopped herself beside Laurel on his seat before tempting her cat to do the same, the cat hopped into Alden's lap. She smiled and gently ran her hand on the cat's head before yawning and leaning her head against the train window. Laurel watched her for a moment before turning towards the sound of a rattling cart, a lady peeked in offering candy of which the young boy could not find it in himself to turn down.