Casey was getting away from all of the people and the pressures and the things that made Hogwarts so miserable. She was not someone to care for much, but she had cared for Lily. She had focused so heavily on protecting her cousin that she forgot to make friends, forgot to find a class or a professor that made school worth it. And suddenly, Lily was gone. And so was her reason to want to be at Hogwarts.
It helped that her family was no longer a comfort, but a painful reminder of their failures to be good to each other. There were too many Weasleys romping about the enchanted castle for her to feel comfortable stretching into herself.
But maybe in a new place, somewhere she couldn't be compared to the rest of her family...
Her parents had wanted to make a big deal of it, but she had insisted it would make it harder on her. So it was Sawyer, her elder brother, who would be taking care of her. He had met her at the ferry, and was tightening the straps on her trunk while she wrestled Edgar, her mouse, into her coat pocket, slipping a handful of nuts in after him for him to nibble on.
"Ready, kid?"
Casey wrinkled her nose as she zipped up her jacket. "It's not a big deal," shes aid dryly.
"Of course, of course," Sawyer said, nodding. Casey looked at him in exasperation and he clamped her to his side with a grin, tussling her hair. "You'll be great, Casey Lou. It'll be good."
Casey finally hugged him back, irritated at the public display of love for her elder brother. "Thanks, Sully."
He released her and smiled. "Alright, get to it. Go make friends."
She heaved an exaggerated sigh and he laughed loudly, causing a nervous looking second year to jump. She glanced around and spotted a boy in her year. She shrugged. "I guess I'll go... be... friendly." She spat the word out and gave a small smile to Sawyer, who tussled her hair again before she turned around.
"Hey Lucas."