Nem's half-brother had been true to his word, which was not something that could generally be expected of him. After finally showing his angsty face not even a week before the end of summer, he'd spent the last few days in the flat with them before showing them the door on the moment it had ticked over into 1st September. Nem had gone without argument. They'd be back for the winter holidays, when he was away again. Worked out nicely.

Though they supposed they could have gone to visit Jaecar, it was school Nem opted for. Seventh year. They'd been waiting on platform nine and three quarters since a little after midnight, whiling away the hours with Lucien, and boarded the train as soon as it was ready, laying claim to the first compartment they came to. The kneazle sat diagonally across from them, dark tail curled around dark paws, keeping an eye on the door. Nem, with their backpack between their feet - they had dispensed with their school trunk - was busy fiddling with their school robes, picking apart the stitching, talking quietly to Lucien as they did so.

Lisa had been waiting for this moment ALL summer looooooooooooooong.

She was back on the Hogwarts Express and FINALLY heading back to school. Excitement filled every fibre of her being as she literally bounced onto the train following behind her siblings. She promptly gave them a wave paired with a smile and skedaddled down the corridor in search of friends. It was an already much different train ride to last year because she wasn’t glued to her older sister’s side. Lisa knew the lay of the land and felt comfortable in her glittery pink converse.

Now. Where were her friends? Maybe she’d find her fellow first- no- second years. They were so much older and more responsible, riiiight? Psh. Hardly. Now where were her friends? Surely they had called dibs on a compartment. Maybe Serena and Remy were together? Or Jas and Alfie and V? Or Daniel?

Eventually the littlest Nam found her way to the middle of the train and spotted Nem with a Kneazle. A SINKING FEELING FILLED HER BEING AS SHE REMEMBERED ATLAS’ WARNINGS ABOUT KNEAZLES. She gasped quietly, wondering if this was the perfect moment to test the theory and be ALOOF Ro said Kneazle. Maybe then the Kneazle wouldn’t plot her demise!!

Oh! She knew him- well she didnt really KNOW THEM but she had interacted once when Mamie and Ash were being odd in the courtyard. Also Daniel always spoke highly of Nem so she figured Nem was kind. She knocked on the compartment door before popping her head in. “Hi! Good summer?” she asked giving him a small wave and a timid smile.

The kneazle let out a quiet mew, and Nem stopped talking a moment before the knock on the compartment door came. They looked up, set eyes on the littlest Nam, paused for a full second, and smiled back. "Hello." The expression had started to feel awkward on their features of late, like an ill-fitting mask made of some unforgiving material, though the outward effect was not so different from usual. They let it drop after a moment.

Nem gestured to the free seat across from the kneazle, a silent invitation to sit if the littlest Nam was interested in doing so, and bundled the robes back into their bag. Next moment, Nem was turning something shiny and nondescript over in their fingers instead, as they entertained the pleasantries. "Quiet. Yours?"

Her brother would never ever believe her when she would later write to him this evening and tell him how Nemesis Upstead smiled at her. It was a nice smile. Friendly. Inviting perhaps. She took a step forward into the compartment because of the smile and greeting. The gesture lead her to take a seat. “Thanks,” she said, making a note not to stay here too long. She had just been exploring after all. Lisa knew she would feel unusually guilty if she interrupted Nem for too long. They always seemed to be busy with larger things- things that she didn’t comprehend just yet and she didn’t want to be a nuisance or be perceived as one.

“Not so quiet… a little boring…” She let her answer hang in the air momentarily as she struggled to figure out if she add more or less. She added more. “I’m glad to be headed back to school.” She’d be with her friends and it would be FUN. Also she couldn’t wait to learn more about the magical world this year. Last year had just been the tip of the iceberg and there was so much more information to absorb. Lisa was most excited to see her friends though. She wouldn’t have to spend the whole summer counting down the days until she could board the Hogwarts Express and head back.

Her eyes flicked to the Kneazle seated across from her. “What’s your kneazle’s name?”

Boring. There was some common ground right away. Nem subtly flicked their fingers, gliding the charmed metal piece across and between their knuckles without watching it. "Second year's a good one. Second and third, good for flying under the radar. Can sort of find yourself." Personal experience? Maybe. Nem had certainly made the most of those years in terms of blending in, though self-discovery was always a non-issue.

Mostly they were just talking on the fly.

Nem looked at the kneazle too. Lucien regarded them both. "Lucky." Something about the alias amused them, but their expression remained neutral until they smiled briefly at Nam again. "He's my emotional support kneazle," they added, possibly in jest. Anyone's guess.

Lisa hadn’t noticed the metal thing between Nem’s fingers until this moment. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she tried to figure out what it was. Curious, she was. Too curious sometimes for her own good. Her companion’s comment did bring her back into the present moment instead of theorizing, hypothesizing, and supposing what the object was in their hand. Fly under the radar? Hmm… Lisa wasn't one to fly under the radar per sey unless it came to meddling with her siblings or pranking… She didn’t particularly want detention but she had gotten to witness some barriers be tested this past year. “I’ll also have some basic spells and things under my belt. I won’t have to worry about being too…. Green.” Knowledge was everything to her. It was power. She would keep on practicing her hardest until she was the expert. The one class that evaded her was flying still… but then again she’d ask Jasper for help with that in between Flying classes. He was good natured and she liked spending more time with him especially when less people were around them. “And sort out feelings towards things and people..” She sighed before glancing down at her hands momentarily. She had small hands.

“What was your second and third year like? I take it… hopefully… quiet?” she offered politely. She didn’t really know him and that as intriguing to her.

Lucky was a good name. She did wonder if it was short for a longer name or not. “And… like Lucky’s namesake… has Lucky brought you good fortune?” she offered, entirely oblivious that the cat shared a name of a former Hogwarts Headmaster. The emotional support Kneazle comment did get a chuckle out of Lisa. “I like it!” Then she covered her mouth as her eyes widened in surprise. OH. Maybe he was an emotional support animal for Nem? She doubted it but maybe… maybe Nem needed one? And who was she to pass judgement?

“Sorry… I found that funny… sorry if that wasn’t meant as a joke.”

This was it. Blake's 7th and final term at Hogwarts! Riding the train to school for the last time seemed bitter sweet. He wasn't sure how to feel about it at all - so many things had happened since his first term - so many friends met and friends lost.

It was truly an odd feeling.

Nem's focus had drifted, with permission, so that they sat not facing the littlest Nam, but the seat directly opposite. Still spinning the silver object in their fingers, they considered the non-occupant of the empty seat. Evidently, however, they were still listening to the eager second year - though they swerved around that comment about the sorting out of feelings - and continued to engage her in conversation.

"Quiet," Nem confirmed, but then stopped, as one train of thought took their full attention. That was around the time Nem had started to see their situation for what it was. After a moment, the thought dropped away, and another moment later, they picked up a tangentially related thread. "I remember Trent did an interesting lesson. You could ask him if he remembers it - the kelpie lesson from four years back - he can tell you all about it."

As they spoke, Nem kept their eyes fixed ahead, voice as inscrutable as their expression, though that was not through a concentrated effort. They turned to look at Nam then, noted her expression: apparently shocked at her own terrible, terrible thoughtlessness. Rather than lean on that, they said, "It's okay. He's actually my security detail." Again, their tone might have obscured any signs of humour, but it was at least less likely to be true than the emotional support nonsense. "Funny, really, because I don't rely on luck, or blame it when things go wrong; any good fortune is of my own making. Lucky is here for company." Control, always they remained in control.

Lucien, silent, continued to watch them.

Lisa didn’t think much of how or the way in which Nem seated themselves. She wasn’t clued into body language as her elder brothers to understand things so she continued to talk and kick her legs excitedly as she spoke. She did catch herself kicking her legs and then sighed, realizing that she was too old for such a thing. Lisa then crossed her ankles together and adjusted her posture before raising both eyebrows when Nem mentioned a certain DADA lesson to ask Headmaster Trent about. “Kelpie lesson... Okay,” she nodded, intrigued by why Nem would recommend it. “Why?”

She felt bad.

The Kneazle was not emotional support. Instead he or she was Nem’s bodyguard. Lisa didn’t know if that were a joke so she opted not to comment this time on it and simply crinkled her nose. She did remain quiet and listened to her compartment mate discuss the Kneazle’s name.

Lisa could relate to Nem’s comments about not relying on luck or blaming things on bad luck. She was similar to him in that aspect. She didn’t really believe in luck, fate, or constellation mumbo-jumbo nonsense. “I agree. I think we shape our own fortunes. I don’t believe in fate... or coincidence...” she added before pausing. “Our actions have permanent consequences.” She didn’t think that one could easily change the past.

“It’s nice to have company... I have Pascal... my...” It was in that moment that she realized Pascal was not beside her or hugging her shoulder. He had poofed again. “Oh not again... He’s disappeared. My pet lizard.. He’s maniacal..” She began rambling on and on about him and then stopped herself. “I’ve gotta find him! I’m sorry....”

She started to run out and then stopped herself. “I will ask Trent about that lesson.”

And with that, she darted out the door in search of her pesky familiar.