Todd's swooping, strawberry blonde curls bounced delicately atop his head as he hastily made his way towards the express. It was usual for him to be late for things, but usually not this important. Being late to a class was one thing, while being late to a train was another.
A classroom wouldn't move- well, most of the time, if you were lucky- meanwhile, a train very much so did.

His elbows were his primary use of defense at the given moment, jabbing many older folk in the sides and arms to make his way towards the train that he could just see over their heads. What made matters worse was the dignified toot that the train gave, signifying that it was ready for departure.

It had been five years since Todd had been at Hogwarts. He had been one of many who had managed to get away from the scene that year, having been the very same year that the Battle of Hogwarts occurred. Several years had gone by, leaving a handful of seventeen year-olds who should be in their sixth year but were now in their first.
Todd's mind wondered to if he would dorm with the first years or sixth years...but the whistle of the train took him out of his thoughts.

"Wait!" The short boy wailed, flailing his arms, still carrying messy suitcases, up and down.
However, if anyone heard his cries, they made no move to signify that they did.
The sound of engines roaring to life seemed to only fuel the young boy as he went for a different approach: crouching down and hitting at people's shins.
Todd wasn't exactly in favor of hurting people, but he wasn't exactly in favor of missing his train either. He muttered an apology to every shin he hit, and was careful not to do any serious damage- he could live with the knowledge that he'd be sending people off with slightly aching legs and torsos before they'd forget about it completely.

Just as the energetic blonde thrust his way through the last bought of people, he was met with a red train walls in motion.

The Hogwarts Express whizzing past his very eyes.

Well, whizzing was a bit of an overstatement, it was more like a moaning creak of a trotting pace that was slowly picking up speed.

Todd felt his heart leap into his chest at the realization that he might actually miss this train.
In all the times he had ever been late for something, he'd always managed to work the situation out. To make it happen in his favor, even just a little.
But, this was a train. A metal beast that could flatten him like a Thestral's wing in a matter of seconds, if he made a wrong move.
With a shaky breath, Todd looked around for anything that could help him.
Focusing on the train, he could depict small details.
There were four train-cars left, moving at one car per ten seconds.
Each cart had a doorframe that bent into the train by about a foot at most. The indents had one handle and a closed door, if not two smaller doors, made of glass and frame.

Right.

He could fit there.

One foot could...potentially work.
Potential was enough for Todd, and he'd already made up his mind.

He looked at the last car. It would be his best bet to be as physically, and mentally, prepared, choosing the last car would be a risky last chance, but there was only one car left before that one so he hadn't much of a choice at this point.

Todd looked down at the suitcases he held, one in each hand. They were both heavy and both full of semi-valuable things of his, he couldn't afford to lose one over he other. He hadn't a fairly strong jaw, but he wasn't exactly for the idea thinking the whole situation out as he bit down on one of the leather handles, freeing up one arm.

He crouched, eyeing the train as the second-to-last car whisked by, leaving the final car with the final indent.
His heart pounded in his chest as his toes dug through his black shoes, waiting only a moment before pushing hard off the ground, lunging forward and toppling into the indent that was the doorframe.

Todd had to grab the handle almost instantaneously, losing his footing and now dangling off the edge of the train...he hadn't accounted for balance with the suitcase now in front of him and less space- and noodle arms- noodle arms weren't good.

That, and the train was now pulling out of the station- with many horrified gasps by those that caught sight of the blonde dangling from the train like a ribbon on a fan. Others simply sighed as if this was a daily occurrence, which, maybe it was. Either way, it didn't seem to warrant any assistance as none of the people in the station moved to help him.

After only a few seconds of holding onto the handle of the doorway, Todd was struggling to keep a hold of all of his own body weight on top of his luggage, especially with the train now picking up much speed, fully out of the station and heading towards the school itself.

Todd considered his options for a moment.
The rails were on gravel, if he let go, at this speed, he might make it out alive- but would most definitely look, and feel, like a grated piece of cheese after impact.
He could try to hold on for a bit longer- but for what? If the driver could see him, he obviously wasn't going to stop- and, again, noodle arms. Todd himself was the perfect example of a damp noodle. It could be applied to nearly anything. He was a damp noodle with way too much enthusiasm. Right now, though, Todd was finding it a tad bit difficult to find enthusiasm.
He could always drop his luggage...but that would be nearly just as bad as dropping himself...
Suffer, seemed to be the answer.
Suffer and whatever needs to happen will happen.
It all depended on if his jaw or his hand gave way first. He preferred his hand, however, as he deeply wished not to harm the contents of his luggage.

"Hang in there.." Todd muttered around the leather handle in his mouth.

He then considered another option. This was a passenger car. That would mean that students were in it and-
Without a second thought, Todd drew his leg back and began to pound it against the glass, knowing that it could probably withstand a great deal of pressure, and therefor could stand his knee and foot thundering against it.

Todd continued this for a good deal of time, considering he was dangling from the edge of a speeding train.
He began making muffled screaming noises- it was his best bet.
If his reputation had to be ruined, it'd be better he was at least alive for it than dead.
Before another thought could enter his mind, he heard a rattling sound and his next blow to the glass instead hit something fleshy.

"Bloody hell!" Shrieked a voice, stumbling back.

Todd squinted against the wind to see an average-sized, brunette clutching his shin, "Just leave 'im if he's going to be like that!"

"An idiot, this one is." A feminine voice came from behind the brunette.

"Would you two be quiet and help?" An irritated boy pushed past them to grab Todd by the front of his shirt and pull him into the train.

Todd yelped as he fell to the ground with his luggage, door shut behind him by the girl who had previously been standing behind the brunette.

"Are you mental?" Hissed the brunette, having let go of his shin, "Were you looking for death? Or is clinging onto trains for dear life just something you do for fun?"

Todd hardly listened to the bitter words coming out of the boy's mouth as he quickly scrambled for the suitcase that he'd been holding in his hand, opening it from where he lay on the floor and letting out a sigh of relief to see that its contents were still secure.
He produced a small, chirping-

"Thing- what is that thing?" Scoffed the brunette.

"It looks to be an owl but...not..." The girl behind him murmured.

"Hm?" The boy that had yanked Todd in leaned over with his long frame to look at the creature.

"He..is, an owl..." Todd sat up carefully.

The small bird had been in a pile of blankets and cushions and pellets with a sphere of water.

"Doesn't seem like the most secure location for one of those- quite small, isn't he?" The brunette inquired.

"I have to agree with William on that one- why not put him in a cage?" The blonde girl frowned in thought.

Todd caressed the small bird's face, it rubbing its beak against his finger, "He, um, hasn't got wings, quite an exposed body actually- he needed to be warm, a cage has too much ventilation...If I did, though, think the trip here would be a bit less hectic."

"A bit less train dangling." The brunette, William, snorted.

"How did you manage that?" The blonde furrowed her brow.

Todd opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the previously silent, taller boy.

"Can we continue this back in our cubby? I left my books in there and I don't want them being taken." The tall boy brushed back his jet bangs- not that long but still little baby hairs managed to get in his face.

"Vincent, I highly doubt anyone is going to steal books on purpose." The blonde folded her arms over her shoulders.

The tall stranger, Vincent, glared at her for this, "Well they should, books are amazing."

"This is why my money is on Ravenclaw for him." The brunette coughed loudly to the blonde.

"Thank you, for your subtlety, William." The tall boy sighed before looking down at Todd, examining the owl, the suitcase, and then Todd himself, "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't." Todd blinked, keeping eye contact as he sat up. He examined the boy's gray-blue eyes with curiosity. They were blue, a stormy blue, with a muted gray core. Much unlike his own eyes that were a brilliant green with a dark emerald, flecked core. His mother told him his eyes twinkled too. This boy's eyes seemed to only twinkle with curiosity and mischief in contrast to his own energetic twinkle. He looked around Todd's age...he wondered if he was a sixth year or technically an older first year, like him.

"So, what is it then?" William asked the question.

"Todd, my name's Todd." Todd gently placed the owl back into the case where he could safely close it and hold it upright. He was looking forward to a dorm in which he could properly care for it- versus a suitcase with a charm on it that his mother herself had their maid put for his clothes not to fall out of it, not a bird. Thus why his other suitcase was so full, as it fit twice as much as initially planned.

"Todd."

The tall boy nodded as if swishing the name around in a glass before deciding to take a drink, "I'm Vincent," He gave a small smile, "The nosy one is William," There was a Hey! of defense but nothing more, as this seemed to be true, "And the spunky one beside him is Valery."

Valery gave a lazy, two-fingered salute in greeting while William was still focused on glaring at Vincent for the nosy comment.

"Simply facts, Will." Vincent shrugged.

Todd couldn't help but find himself taken by the smile, causing himself to smile as well. Although, he quickly wiped the smile off his face as soon as Vincent looked back down at him, "Wanna' ride with us then?"

Todd had naturally assumed he would, forgetting he hadn't been invited, "O-oh, yeah, sure, of course!"

"Brilliant," Vincent nodded, turning on his heel back towards their cubby, "I can watch my books then." He walked a few cubbies down before landing on the third one and opening it, disappearing inside.

Todd frowned, getting to his feet with his luggage.

"He's quiet." Valery commented upon seeing Todd's frown.

"Not once you get to know him, but yeah, not much of a talker- except right before bed- I think he's kept me up on more than one occasion about all his thoughts he decides to finally voice at the end of the day...I'm just the poor soul that gets trapped listening to them- not if we're in separate houses though." William delivered the last statement with a bittersweet tone before following after Vincent.

"And he's salty, a good deal of the time, don't mind him though, he really is fun to be around once you get past the bitter exterior." Valery offered.

"What about you, then?" Todd inquired.

"Me? Well, telling you would be no fun- figure it out, bird boy." Valery stuck her tongue out playfully before leading the way to the cubby, opening the door and offering it to Todd to enter first.

Todd paused at the entrance before smiling slightly in amusement.
In a matter of maybe twenty minutes, he'd had quite the morning.

****
////Wow, yeah so like uM, I've been meaning to write a fic in the HP universe for awhile now and finally got around to it!! This first chapter was over 2k and I'm hoping to keep them all that way buuuut idk how well I can stick with that, we'll see!
My friend and discussed last week how absolutely adorable Slytherin and Hufflepuff relationships are and it was once again brought to my attention so I finally caved and here we have it!!
-Jay 💚💛