Twitterpated - An Enemies to Lovers Romance

An Introduction

There was something invigorating yet terrifying about her return to Hogwarts, it left her with a worried expression on her face. As the train screeched to a halt on the tracks in front of her she tightened the grip on her luggage, resulting in a white color slowly resonating in her knuckles. Her focus drifted quickly to her outfit, brushing a small fuzz from off her jacket as people started to board the train.

She quickly made her way up the stairs, handing her ticket to the train guard for inspection. The date on the ticket read 8/30/90.

      "Miss... Illyanna?"

      "Yes, that's correct." The guards head lifted up to face her, then shifted his gaze to the covered birdcage she had along with her suitcase.

     "You're all good to board ma'am, have a safe trip." He handed the ticket back to her and stepped to the side, allowing her access to the train. She stuffed the ticket in her trousers pocket and stepped around the guard, making her way down the thin passageway and quickly found an open car. She closed the doors behind her, then slipped her luggage onto the floor. She opened the large suitcase, pulling out an extendable stand with a curved hook on the end. Once she set the stand up she picked up the birdcage, lifting the black cloth off of it to reveal a black raven. The bird let out a small squawk, turning it's body to face the girl.

     "Hello Melior.." She set the cage on the hook and then opened it, allowing the bird to fly out and rest on her broad shoulders. She leaned back down to the suitcase, pulling out a DADA book and a bag full of what looked to be bird treats. She zipped the suitcase closed then grabbed one of the treats and offered it to Melior, who took it and flew over to eat on the windowsill.

She propped her feet up on the suitcase, crossing one leg over the other as she opened the book to the page she had previously been reading while waiting in the station. Advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts by Galatea Merrythought. She was sent to replace a teacher she had never heard of. It was an amazing opportunity, yet it worried her. There were probably dozens of wizards more qualified than her, she was just some 28 year old woman, what made them pick her? She found her thoughts wandering elsewhere as she tried to comprehend the words on the page, if she hadn't read this book about a dozen times already, this would be a problem.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a single sharp knock on the glass window of her train car. A kind looking older woman slid the doors open slowly,

     "Anything from the trolley Miss?" She gestured to the cart she had in hand.

     "Ah, sure, I'll get a few pumpkin pasties please." She sat her book down beside her and dug around in her bag for some money.

     "How many would you like?" She finally pulled out two sickels, handing them to the women.
     "Just two please." She bent down and grabbed 2 pasties from the trolley, handing them to her with a smile.
      "Have a swell day Miss." She slid the doors back closed and continued down the hallway. Squawk. Turning her head to meet the source of the sound, Illyanna chuckled.
     "Alright, you can have some, but this is your last snack Mel." The bird cocked his head questioningly, hopping a few inches closer to her. She broke a small piece off of the corner, scratching the bird softly on the head as he ate contently. She rested her arm on the windowsill, watching the trees go by as she finished her own pastie rather quickly. She still had a long train ride, but she was beginning to grow excited to see some familiar faces. She forced her focus back to her book, continuing to review for the rest of the trip.

About 2 hours later the train began to slow, stirring the now awake again bird from his sleep.

     "Seems we've arrived." The raven flew back into his cage, earning a quick beak scratch before the door was closed and the black fabric was draped back over. She set his cage on the opposing bench and repacked her suitcase as the train came to a complete halt.
     "Suppose this is it then.." She said to herself as she zipped the suitcase.