Whitney Writes…

Cirice could remember the day she had first arrived at Hogwarts, all those years ago. As a first year student, she had been only eleven. It was her first time really being away from her mother for a larger amount of time, and Cirice had been nervous. She had also felt a budding excitement, arriving at the train station with the other families from her street, their trunks piled high upon a couple of trollies. Her cousins had waited eagerly for her on the platform, and they had all crammed into a car together.

Once the train had arrived in Hogsmeade, however, Cirice’s nervousness had returned, as her cousins had been whisked off to the carriages and she had been herded down to the massive lake with the other first years. She had pulled her robes tighter around her, shivering as a cold breeze blew off the lake. Mist rose up off the glassy surface of the water, the moon was obscured by dark clouds.

A girl with red hair and porcelain skin was drawing in near Cirice. Cirice had smiled at her, the pair huddling closer together to stay warm.

“I’m Cirice,” said Cirice, her breath turning to a pale misty cloud in the cold.

The red-haired girl smiled back at her. “I’m Joanne,” she said.

Inktober 2025, Prompt #14: TRUNK🧡🖤👻🎃