Who’s a first year?

With the instructions finished everyone went out in pairs to aid straggling first years and the new transfer students, who might need aid. The older transfer students tend to be easy to distinguish from the wide-eyed first years. The transfer students all seem to have wary gazes and clutch their trunks close as they wander through the train looking for compartments.

After helping a pair of transfer students, Rowan blinks in surprise at spotting a very pale first year boy with dark hair and soulless black eyes chattering with a rather golden-haired girl with blue green eyes. She instantly recognized the boy as being half vampire, Lorcan D'Eath. He would go on to become a famous singer in the wizarding world with his song, "Necks to You". While the girl was Glenda Chittock, who would one day become famous on the Wizarding Wireless Network program on the radio show called the Witching Hour.

It would make sense that the two of them would become friends since they were in the same year and would even end up sorted into the same house, Hufflepuff. However, with this year's new influx of former werewolves and a half-vampire first year, there was a recipe for disaster. After all, the most infamous legendary hatred between two magical creatures is that of vampires and werewolves. There hatred was so legendary that it was a common wizard comparison much like that of a cobra and a mongoose.

Deciding to play nice, Rowan walks over to them and says, "Do the both of you need any help?"

The pale haired boy turns his soulless black eyes and licks his pale purple like lips. "Er, we were just looking for a compartment," Lorcan D'Eath slowly said.

Glenda Chittock warily eyes the Prefect badge on Rowan's chest that shows she is the Slytherin Prefect. Seeing Glenda Chittock staring at her so, Rowan faintly chuckles and says, "Come this way." Brandishing out her wand she levitates both of their trunks after her, before settling them in a nearby compartment.

"I believe this shall do nicely for the both of you," Rowan said as she gently placed their trunks in place.

Both stare at her with awe and gratitude in their eyes. "Thank you," Glenda gratefully said.

Reaching into her pocket, Rowan pulls out a blood lollipop and hands it over to Lorcan. Lorcan clearly blinks in surprise as Rowan says, "If anyone bothers you let me know. Just because you are half vampire does not mean anything at all. Do not let those brats put you down. And if they do, I'll introduce you to a friend to teach you a trick or two and still not end up being caught."

Lorcan shyly accepts the blood lollipop and flashes her a grin as two tiny sharp fangs can be seen in his mouth. Glenda Chittock, who was Lorcan's childhood friend bumped him with her shoulder. "See, I told you so," Glenda happily hummed.

Leaving the two friends chattering, Rowan closes the compartment door behind her and moves on to aid other first years and transfer students. The Hogwarts Express lets out a finale fierce whistle and begins to chug along. However, with the influx of students this year, there were still first years and other years trying to find compartments. As such, the Prefects were still walking up and down the compartment helping the first years and transfer students find seats.

Feeling rather numb and tired at this point, Rowan thought she was hallucinating at spotting a rather infamous figure. Blinking rapidly, she rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, before blinking again. Sure, enough her eyesight did not change, because dragging his trunk is a scrawny golden-haired boy with big blue eyes. The boy flashes a somewhat cocky, nervous white smile reminiscent of the future Gilderoy Lockhart. The utter irony of the situation was that it was indeed Gilderoy Lockhart. She had forgotten that he would be a first year, this year too.

Rowan tactfully decides to remain perfectly standing where she is and ignores having seen him. Unfortunately, she chose the wrong tact as Gilderoy Lockhart quickly approached her. "Hello Hogwarts Prefect," Gilderoy Lockhart squeaked, before clearing his throat. "Would you be so kind as to lead me to a compartment?"

Rowan carefully keeps her dislike out of her eyes and voice. "The compartments are all full now, you'll have to bunk with someone else."

"That will be no problem at all!" Lockhart quickly declared as he begins to nervously ramble about himself as he followed her.

Rowan's lip visibly curls in displeasure before abruptly pausing and turning her manipulation knob to full level. "Why that's just fascinating! I don't suppose you've ever thought about being a writer, have you?"

"No, I haven't," Lockhart blinked in surprise.

"With such a winning persona and given your natural charm, I would think that you'd be an extraordinary novelist," Rowan persuasively suggested. "That would be so much better than becoming the next Dumbledore as he's the headmaster of a school out in the middle of Scotland. But a writer will be surrounded by adoring fans and all sorts of people. Being invited to wonderous places and able to meet people of the highest level."

"I hadn't thought of that!" Lockhart's blue eyes visibly began to glow.

"Mm, yes, I think Hufflepuff would be the best house for someone as talented as you," Rowan firmly stated. The Sorting Hat had been a hat still with him between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Like hell, he would be in the same house as her.

"Oh, yes, you'll need to make plenty of friends and have the right sort of connections," Rowan persuasively said. "I'm sure that in Hufflepuff, you'll make lots of friends."

"Friends?" Lockhart slowly said as if the idea had never occurred to him. He had always been a loner as a child as his mum told him he was genius. He had never had a friend before.

Seeing that Lockhart had taken the bait, Rowan reached into her pocket and pulled out one of her favorite books she kept on hand to read. Holding the book out to him, she said, "It's one of my favorites. I think not only will you enjoy it, but it'll give you some good ideas."

Lockhart carefully takes the thin book with the muggle book cover and reads out loud, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis."

Glancing up at Rowan, Lockhart says, "There's a witch in this muggle book?"

"Yes, but she's a most interesting sort of witch," Rowan said. "You'll just have to read the entire book to find out."

Lockhart carefully puts the book into his robe pocket, before Rowan knocks once and opens the compartment door. Inside the two first years, Glenda and Lorcan just blankly stare at her.

Offering them a faint smile, Rowan says, "I hope you don't mind adding one more companion to your compartment. But all the rest of the compartments are full and he's a first year like the two of you."

Rowan floats Lockhart's trunk into the compartment as Lockhart blinks and stares at the two of them. Before he has a chance to boast, Glenda says, "I'm Glenda Chittock, a first year."

"And I'm Lorcan D'Eath," Lorcan introduced himself.

Taking a deep breath, Lockhart flashes them a confident grin and says, "Gilderoy Lockhart at your service."

Glenda merely arches her eyebrow as Lorcan wary smiles at Lockhart as if to say, "Well, hopefully you're okay, mate."

Taking out some candy from her pocket Rowan hands it out to the three of them as all their faces instantly brighten up. Pausing only to pull out a pack of unopened Exploding Snap cards, she leaves hands it over to them. If luck would have it, Lockhart would bond with the two of them and become less of a future pain in the rear. But more importantly finally end up in the right house he should have been sorted into all along, Hufflepuff. That or at least the two kids, would pop his grandiose bubble of his being a magical genius.