The Beginning

"Miss Greywood." I look up at Professor Quigley. She gives me a kind smile. "I'll see you at Hogwarts." I nod and give a small smile. Her smile turns sad as she turns and closes the cabin door. Professor Quigley was a frail old woman whom to my conclusion teaches something to do with muggles since it felt like I answered more questions about muggles than she did about the wizarding world. She had picked me up from Madame Kinney's Holy Home for Ladies yesterday to take me shopping in Diagon Alley and today took me all the way to my own cabin on the Hogwarts Express.

I look out the window and see students saying frantic goodbyes to their families. I spot one family, a boy probably my age with jet black hair is tilting his head to the side and rolling his eyes back into his head as his mother nags and brushes at his clothes. Another family with a slightly older son is patting his baby sister's head in goodbye as she cries. As I watch these exchanges I'm startled by a sudden voice.

"Uh excuse me?"

I whip my head around and see standing at the cabin door a boy about my age with ruffled black hair and a flannel that was buttoned wrong. Upon looking at me his eyes widen slightly, but after a moment he smiles brighter than the light of a thousand suns. The chub of his cheeks reach his eyes into the sweetest eye smile I'd ever seen.

"My name's Jimin Park," he says as he drags his trunk into the cabin. Noticing his struggle I hop out of my seat and help him lug his trunk in and onto the opposite seat as my own trunk (Professor Quigley and I were both too weak to get the trunk over the seats).

I slump back into my seat and Jimin, after closing the cabin door, plops down across from me.

After a moment of silent staring I come to my senses and offer my hand. "Uh, sorry my name's Athena Greywood, but please call me Thea." Jimin takes my hand with a sweet smile and shakes it firmly.

We make small talk as the train rolls towards our new school. Jimin's a first year like me, and a pure blood, like me as well. After a long while he asks a question I could tell he was itching to ask.

"May I ask you about...?” he points to my eye. I smile timidly. "Did you get hurt?"

I touch the leather fabric over my eye. "Uh yes, I suppose you can say that."

Jimin sits forward in his seat just as the train hits a bump. He falls forward a bit, but straightens after catching his balance. I can't help but let out a giggle.  He continues his serious stature as if his little blunder never happened and stares intently at me. "You can tell me. My mom says I'm a good listener."

I smile again. This Jimin kid has a way making me feel comfortable, at ease. There's no doubt in my mind, I can trust him. I let out a deep sigh. "Well..."

I go on my big spiel, Jimin's face taking part in the story as it goes. I give him the short version, but even then, by the time I’m done we’re close to the end of our journey. Jimin sits back in his seat when I finish. “Wahhhhh,” he half exclaims half breathes. “Merlin’s beard Thea I’m really sorry.”

I smile. “It’s alright, it’s all in the past now.”

“The Cruciatus curse huh?” He’s sort of looking off into space, lost in thought at this point. “Can you not see out of your left eye? No no, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.”

I laugh at his exaggerated gestures. “It’s ok. But for the record I can see out of my left eye, I can see through this eye patch.”

His eyes widen. “Whoa! Really?!”

“Yeah see for yourself.” I take the leather patch off my eye and hand it to him with a smile. The moment I take off the eye patch Jimin’s eyes become saucers. I feel myself flushing and reach for the eye patch in Jimin’s hand, but he retracts too fast. “Wait wait,” he whines as he leans closer, head cocked like a confused puppy.

I look into his chocolate eyes and he stares straight back. We stay there for a bit until Jimin makes a disatisfied face and leans back in his seat again. He holds out my eye patch to me. “It’s really not that noticeable,” he states. I timidly take my eye patch back from him, not taking my eyes off of him. “In fact,” he says in a matter-of-factly way as the train comes to a screeching halt, “I think it’s