Just passing through | Jack & Kinsey

[Deleted]

September 1st 2024
Hogwarts Express

Jack hadn’t come over to London at the start of the summer like most of his classmates had done. The young man had duties back home in Kentucky and just came over to England a week ago, giving him just enough time to get his school supplies and prepare for the start of the fall term. He wasn’t exactly nervous, but he wasn’t thrilled either at the idea of traveling, not until he arrived in England at least. He had thought that everything was old in America but in England, everything was older, and that was incredible! Jack loved being here, though he didn’t exactly feel like he fit in, he loved the people and the places, and the fact that there were wizards walking around with muggles. Everyone was more or less mingled together.

Jack had sat in a car with some of his friends thus far on the Hogwarts express, but he was getting a little antsy and wanted to walk around. He got up and told his friends that he was going in search of some candy or snacks and that he’d be back before they had to change into their robes. The young man left his car and wandered down the hallway, smiling at people he passed.

@kinsey

[Deleted]

Kinsey was excited to finally be heading back to Hogwarts. The summer seemed like it took forever and the only times of it she really enjoyed were the few times when she'd been able to get away with Riley. The trip to Brighton was the light spot in the middle of an otherwise dreary vacation. She loved him. Loved how he made her feel, how he cared about her and took care of her. She couldn't imagine what things would be like without him, but she didn't need to. 

The Howarts Express was busier than normal, which really was something Kinsey should have anticipated. The thing was, she spent the first half hour searching for Riley, who ended up being in this car that was entirely full of other people, who were all laughing and having a good time. She doubted he even saw her, he had so many people around. That was okay. She'd see him later, she was sure.

She started walking through the train again, now looking for somewhere to sit for the rest of the trip. It was a long ride and she didn't want to stand the entire time. The problem was, almost all the compartments were full. She walked to a compartment, glanced in the window and then continued down the line. This became her routine as she looked for a place to sit. Then once, after looking through a window, she turned and ran straight into someone. Kinsey blushed furiously as she looked up at the tall stranger. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention," she told him, hoping that he wouldn't think she was rude or something. 

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[Deleted]

While Jack navigated his way through the crowded train, in search of the snack cart, he found himself in a collision with a girl who didn’t appear to be paying much attention to where she was going. He had seen her, but he hadn’t expected her to turn so suddenly, to him, she looked like she might be going into the car in which she had been looking through the window. When she turned, he put his arms out to steady her. “That’s alright so long as you’re okay?” he said with a crooked smile, he almost felt strange with his accent taking up the same space as hers. She sounded so well spoken and the English accent sounded a lot softer to the country boy than his little twang did. He was fairly used to being ran into, he was a bigger person. He was tall and had broad shoulders and strong arms thanks to his families chosen profession and his time spent working on that farm, he took up a lot of space, even when he didn’t mean to.

@kinsey

[Deleted]

Kinsey couldn’t believe she made such a silly mistake. It was obvious that the train was packed and she just slammed into someone without even checking to see if he was there. She swallowed nervously, though her gift told her she didn’t need to be nervous around this guy. She looked up at him and nodded, “I’m fine, I just need to watch where I’m going better, obviously,” Kinsey answered with a forced chuckle. He probably thought she was an idiot. “Are you looking for somewhere to sit too?” Kinsey asked, for a second feeling hopeful that maybe she wouldn’t have to look for somewhere on her own. If someone was with her, at the very least looking for a place to sit would be more fun. She sighed, “This train normally isn’t this full, just in case you were wondering.” If he was thinking about it, the boy probably knew that on his own. She’d heard that the ministry added a few cars to the train so that there would be more room inside, but in her opinion there weren’t enough. Not that her opinion would matter to the ministry. It was just … Kinsey needed to find a place to sit where she could close the door and block out at least some of the intentions. Right now it almost felt as though she was being attacked from all sides. She was trying to be careful though, so no one watching her would know anything about her discomfort. Except Riley. He’d probably be able to tell, but he was a bit busy right now and that was fine.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[Deleted]

When asked if he was looking for somewhere to sit, Jack actually shook his head. “I was looking for somewhere to get a snack or something. Is there a dining car? Or a snack cart or something?” he inquired of the brunette, figuring that, due to her accent and the fact that he had never seen her before, she was a Hogwarts student and probably knew what he was looking for. “But if you’re looking for somewhere to sit, maybe we could find somewhere together? I was sitting with my friends, but I’m sure they can survive without me for a little while. Unless you’re looking for someone?” he asked. She was a pretty girl and seemed about his age, he wouldn’t be surprised if she had a boyfriend who she was trying to find, or friends who were waiting for her. But based on what she asked him, it sounded like she was alone and trying to find somewhere to sit. She added that the Hogwarts express wasn’t usually this crowded, and Jack nodded his head. “Yes, I can imagine that when you don’t have all of the American students it’s a lot less full.” he smirked, he could have figured that out for himself but he wasn’t going to say that to her, she was just trying to make conversation with someone new.

@kinsey

[Deleted]

He shook his head, saying he was just looking for a snack and Kinsey nodded, looking away for a second. Of course, he was probably already sitting with his friends or something. “Yeah, there’s a snack cart that comes around. It normally starts at the front of the train,” she answered, pointing to the front as she spoke. Kinsey thought she could see the trolley, but maybe that was just her eyes. She expected him to leave then, turn in the direction she pointed and go find the trolley, but he didn’t. Instead, the boy suggested them looking for somewhere to sit together, unless she was looking for someone. Kinsey shook her head immediately, “No, I- um, I’m not looking for anyone. Just a seat.” She blushed, knowing that she had to sound like a total idiot. Who didn’t look for a friend when they were trying to find a seat? Kinsey shrugged, “You can sit with me if you want … I’m not having luck finding any compartments with an open spot though.” She might as well warn him of that right out. “Yeah … if I knew so many people were going to be here, I would have hurried to find a seat actually,” Kinsey admitted. She shrugged, not really knowing what else to say, if anything. She couldn’t help but feel embarrassed that some guy who looked like he probably got along with most people and lots of friends ran into her. Now he probably felt like he had to talk to her and sit with her, which wasn’t what she wanted at all. Kinsey could take care of herself. Or at least pretend to.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[Deleted]

Kinsey explained to him that there was a snack cart which usually started at the head of the train and worked its way back. Oh darn, that probably meant he should have just waited in his car and eventually it would have found him. He was used to there being a dining car somewhere that he could go to and get a snack. “Oh, well then I can wait then.” he insisted, at least he knew that it would come to him eventually, but he wasn’t sure how the cart would make its way through the halls here, they were mighty full. “If it’s anything like it is in America, people always try to sit at the back of the train because they think it’s cooler, maybe there are more seats in the front of the train.” He wasn’t sure if there was an upper level, but it made sense that there would be. “Or, is there an upper level, we could see if there are seats up there.” he asked.

@kinsey

[Deleted]

It was pretty easy for Kinsey to see the disappointment on the American's face. It was obvious that he was pretty hungry and she felt a little bad for that, but at the same time there was nothing she could do about it. She smiled when he said that he could wait, and then suggested that maybe they should go to the front of the train. "Good idea. Let's-" Kinsey started to go forward, cringing slightly when someone pushed their way past her. She hated being in crowded places like this. In all honesty, her ability was starting to get the better of her, a headache coming on and Kinsey found herself somewhat frantic to find somewhere where she could close the door and shut most of them out. She was trying hard not to let Jack notice that though. She didn't need more people learning about her ability. "This way," she muttered, since it was obvious that he wasn't planning on leaving to go back to her friends. She shook her head, "No, there's not an upper level, they just added more cars this year." 

Kinsey started making her way through the crowded corridor, no longer looking in every window. She needed to find somewhere fast and didn't have time to keep on looking. Maybe if she just went up a couple cars there would be a few empty places. She glanced behind her to the American and smiled. "Are you sure you don't want to go back and sit with your friends? We might not be able to find a comfortable place to sit." It was a sobering thought. Not finding a compartment where she could shut herself in likely meant that Kinsey would have some kind of melt down, which would definitely be hard to explain to the new boy, if she decided she wanted to explain at all.

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[Deleted]

She agreed that they should keep walking towards the front of the train and Jack followed her as she lead the way further though the car they were in. She told him that they didn’t have an upper level to the train and the American boy nodded, he could have assumed there wasn’t, since he didn’t see an upper level when he boarded the train, nor did he come across any sets of stairs on his way through the train thus far. As they walked, she looked back at him and he saw a smile on her face as she asked if he was sure that he didn’t want to go back to his friends. She didn’t seem to think that there would be a good place for them to sit. He couldn’t help but agree. “Well maybe you want to come back to my car with me then? I think there was a bit of extra room in there.” he suggested. He could introduce her to some of his friends. Though, he could understand if she didn’t want to go and sit in a car with strangers. But he didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone, he felt like he had committed to making sure she found a seat now and he wanted to see it to the end.

@kinsey

[Deleted]

Every time she glanced back, Jack smiled at her, showing that he was still following her. Kinsey didn't know how to feel about that. She was almost frantic to find somewhere where she could sit, but she was also trying to hide her growing discomfort from this guy. He started to speak, saying that she could come back to the car with him and Kinsey gasped, not even really paying attention. "An empty compartment!" She told him with a grin, his words registering as she opened the door. "Oh! Um, you can go back now if you want. I mean, your friends are probably waiting for you and you helped me find a place." Kinsey shrugged her shoulders, honestly having no idea what he would say. She stepped inside the compartment, sighing from relief. She giggled from relief, "I'm pretty sure I can take care of myself if you want to go." She shrugged, not knowing what else she could say to him. 

JOHN ELLIOT CLARK

[Deleted]

Jack felt a little awkward when Kinsey actually found an empty compartment. It was a bit of a miracle, honestly. She seemed to think that he was saying that he wanted to go back with his friends, but he hadn’t really wanted to, he just wanted to get her somewhere to sit, she seemed like it was something that she really needed and he wanted to help. He had always been raised to be gentleman and to help, not just women, but people, whenever he could. She stepped into the compartment after saying that he could go back to his friends since he had found her a place to sit. He followed her in, not wanting to be a burden, but, he had been enjoying their conversation. “Well is it alright with you if I stay, miss?” he asked her. “I’m still waiting for the snack cart.” he reminded her. They had made significant progress through the train, but still hadn’t come across the food. “Maybe you’ll let me treat you to… whatever’s good they have?” he suggested, just kindly. Not in a flirty matter. She didn’t seem like she was much up for flirting at the moment. “And you can tell me all about Hogwarts. I ain’t got a clue what to expect.” he explained.

@kinsey