*- 40 - Not much of a home left to miss

                                    

                                          
We were back where we were two months ago: Platform nine and three quarters. Even though the twins weren't really looking forward to the beginning of the school year, I was. The summer holidays had been absolutely great, don't get me wrong, but I longed for the smell of the Gryffindor common room, the constant hustle and my friends who I hadn't seen at all in those two months.
                          
"There's Lee!" George said and pulled his brother with him. They both disappeared in the crowd. I scanned the platform for Angelina, Katie or Alicia, but I couldn't spot them. I did spot Cho, so I excused myself and looked for her. We had already said our goodbyes to Molly and Arthur and honestly, I already missed them. I had never experienced the feeling of homesickness, so I never understood what all the drama was about. I had never been away from home without my mum until she passed away. After that, there was not much of a home left to miss.
                          
"Cho!" I called out and she looked my way. She smiled and came up to me as well. She was followed by a handsome young man who I had seen around Hogwarts a couple times before. I believe I saw him dancing with Fleur Delacour at the Yule Ball, although I could be wrong. That night had been pretty chaotic. 
                          
"Hi Y/N, it's nice to see you again", she said and pulled me into a hug. She seemed to be doing better than the last time I saw her, but I could never really tell. She was nice, but sometimes hard to figure out.
                          
"How was your holiday?" I asked.
                          
"It was okay. A bit hard at first, but it was good to be back home again. How was yours?"
                          
"Really good. I stayed at the Weasleys, so never a dull moment", I said and she chuckled. I quickly looked at the boy who was still standing with Cho, awkwardly looking around, probably to find other friends. I couldn't blame him, we had ignored him the entire time.
                          
"Who's this?" I asked, mainly to figure out what the link with Cho was. I knew he was a Ravenclaw, but what was he to Cho?
                          
"Oh, Y/N, this is Roger. He's the captain of our Quidditch team. We were just discussing the try-outs", she said.
                          
"Nice to meet you, I'm Y/N Y/L/N", I said and shook his hand. 
                          
"You're friends with the lot from the Gryffindor team, aren't you?" he asked and I nodded.
                          
"Guilty. Are you two in the same year?" I asked, still subtly fishing for answers.
                          
"No, I'm in your year", he said. "I guess I haven't left much of an impression", he said awkwardly and went with his hand through his hair. I was not good at making smalltalk.
                          
"Oh, no, that's not it. I just know very little of Quidditch. I've been homeschooled until last year", I said apologetic. 
                          
"Can you play?" he asked.
                          
"Oh no, I wish. We lived in the city, so I was never taught how to play", I said.
                          
"We could teach you if you want", Cho said. "We play for fun often, you should come sometime", she said. That actually sounded nice. I had no friends outside of the Gryffindor house, so it was good to venture out a bit. I barely knew anything about Roger, but he seemed nice, so he might become a new friend as well. It was my last year in school, so the more social contacts I had, the better.
                          
The train doors slid open and the students started pouring in.
                          
"You should come sit with us", Cho said. "Marietta should be here soon. She's nice, you'll like her", Cho said. I still hadn't seen any of my friends, so I shrugged and followed them into the train.
                          
We chose an empty compartment and made ourselves comfortable. 
                          
"You know the Quidditch rules, don't you?" Roger asked and I chuckled.