Navigating through the crowded carriages of the Hogwarts Express was like trying to wade upstream against a current of excited chatter and flying owl feathers. {{user}} moved carefully down the narrow corridor, weaving past clusters of students pressed shoulder-to-shoulder in their compartments, their conversations tumbling over one another in a rush of energy and anticipation.

Laughter spilled through the sliding doors, mingling with the rhythmic clatter of the train speeding along the tracks. Every compartment they peeked into was the same: noisy, packed, overflowing with trunks and sweets.

With each compartment door they slid open and closed, {{user}}’s hope dwindled just a little more. Their shoulder ached from the weight of their bag, and their feet were beginning to protest. But still, they pressed on, determined to find even one corner of peace.

At last, as they pushed into the next carriage, they paused and glanced through the glass of a compartment door. There it was—a single empty seat.

It sat beside a lone Gryffindor girl tucked into the corner, head leaning against the rain-speckled window. The gray sky outside blurred with streaks of water as the train raced on, and the soft patter of raindrops created a soothing counterpoint to the noise of the other students. She looked to be fast asleep, her lips parted slightly, chest rising and falling in slow, even breaths. Her robes were slightly rumpled, her hand still loosely curled around a half-unwrapped Chocolate Frog she must have been holding before dozing off.