A/N: Hi guys, this is my first HP fic, feel free to comment or send in any questions about it, I hope you like it and keep with me. This will be a long fic when it's finished so hopefully you can last the journey with me, Thank you x
1st September 1992
"I just don't understand why I need to run through a wall" Lizzy states after her mother has explained the entrance to platform nine and three quarters to her, again.
"I just don't see how muggles aren't supposed to notice us. I mean, if I saw someone run into a wall and disappear I would definitely have a few questions. I thought we were supposed to be keeping the wizarding world a secret, not displaying it in a very public muggle station for all to see." She explains.
She knows she is just coming up with excuses to postpone the time, but she doesn't care.
"Look Lizzy, I know your scared, but we have 15 minutes until the train goes and you need to be on it."
She stares at the wall a little longer. Other students have come and gone through the wall since she has been standing there, all towering over her. She hadn't felt so small in all her life. 11 years old, though it was only a few days until her 12th birthday. She stood just short of 5 feet tall and her muggle clothes were pristine and polished. Her hair was tied up in a perfect high ponytail with a green ribbon around it. She didn't know which house she would be sorted into, but her mother had been a Slytherin, so it was only right for her to assume she would be too.
Just as Lizzy was building up the courage to go through the wall, another brunette girl, who clearly looked like a first year arrived wearing a similar confused expression to one Lizzy was sporting only a few minutes ago.
"So I'm just supposed to go through it?" The girl asked herself as she began squaring up to the wall.
She moved her trolley of belonging back and forth as if lining up a shot in some muggle sport before concluding that the instructions she had been given were ludicrous and giving up.
"Come on now, we haven't got all day" Her mother said.
"Fine" Lizzy muttered under her breath before running towards the wall.
She got millimeters between her trolley and the wall before she backed out. However, what she hadn't been banking on was the other girl following her lead and running towards the wall directly behind her.
The second girls trolley rammed into the back of Lizzy and knocked the wind out of her and she, along with her trolley went flying through the gate with a now stumbling stranger close behind with her trolley causing all luggage to go flying.
Lizzy's mother followed the girls through the wall at a far more controlled pace and helped to fix the luggage catastrophe with a flick of her wand.
"Sorry" the second girl hurried out with before standing up quickly and brushing her skirt down with one hand whist holding the other one out for Lizzy to take.
Lizzy took the girls hand and stood up.
"I'm Pippa" the other girl said with a smile.
Pippa was also around the 5 foot mark with brown hair that hadn't been corralled into her ponytail quite as successfully as Lizzy's had. Her clothes were very presentable, but clearly more worn that Lizzy's were. She had been around muggles more often.
"Hi, I'm Lizzy" she said returning Pippa's smile. "And this is my mum, Ariella"
"Call me Ari" the older which said.
"Come on girls, only a few minutes until the train leaves, you need to take your seats on the train." Ari instructs before the girls got too flustered and embarrassed about what had just happened. Lizzy's cheeks had already begun to turn crimson.
The girls load their trunks and other belonging onto the train. Pippa takes her seat in an empty carriage and Lizzy gives a goodbye hug and kiss to her mother before joining her. She didn't like the idea of having to say goodbye to her mother, but she knew Hogwarts was where she needed to be.
"Sorry about earlier, I didn't think you would back out" Pippa blurts out feeling the need to fill the silence.
"It's alright, let's just not talk about it or I'll go red again" Lizzy informed her before looking back out the window.
They hadn't been on the train for long, but they had already begun sailing through the British countryside.
"So, Lizzy, your mum's a which too, that's cool, is your dad?" Pippa enquired.
Lizzy noted there was nothing behind the question. The girl wasn't trying to gather intel on her for later use, she was just genuinely curious.
"I don't know" she answered honestly. "I don't know who my dad is. I used to ask mum a lot, but she would get angrier and angrier each time I would ask, so I gave up." She finished looking down at her hands. She was picking at her nails, a nervous or uncomfortable habit she'd picked up as a small child and never could get rid of.
"Sorry, again, god I swear I use that word way too much. Anyway, if it helps, my parents are dead, or at least I think they are, I never met them. I was raised by a muggle foster family. I don't know if my parents had magic or not." Pippa tells Lizzy with a reassuring smile.
Lizzy looked up from her hands to meet Pippa's eyes.
"Are they nice?" Lizzy asked simply.
"Oh, um, yeah, I guess. They are very quiet compared to me, but they're fine."
For the rest of the journey the girls talk about the differences between being raised with magic and being raised without. Pippa told Lizzy about when realized she was different to all the other girls in her class at muggle school. One day they were having an arts and crafts day and this horrible girl took all the nice paints for her and her friends to use. Pippa got so angry she wished the paints would explode in the girl's face, and within seconds of the thought being in her head, a big pot of purple paint exploded right in the girl's face. She was sneezing purple for a week.
They talked about what houses they might end up in, and what they thought the castle would be like. About half way through the journey they thought they saw a small old blue muggle looking car flying alongside the train swinging around like the driver hadn't even driven before. It quickly flew out of sight and the girls were trying to decide whether they imagined it or not.
They changed into their robes not long before the train arrived at Hogsmede and followed the call of a giant looking hairy man along with the other first years.
The large man, who called himself Hagrid informed them that whilst all other years make their way to the castle on self-ridden carriages, the first years take boats across the lake.
They all pour into these little wooden boats. Lizzy and Pippa get in a boat with a very pale blond girl and a slightly less pale red head girl.
The castle looked beautiful all internally lit at night. It was clear why first years got to see this view. The blonde girl was in complete and utter awe the whole time. The red head looked a little confused, almost like she had been told to expect something very different. The two brunettes were just quietly trying to calm their nerves and excitement.
"I'm Pippa" Pippa announced clearly wanting to begin a conversation between the girls.
"I'm Luna" the blonde proclaimed not taking her eyes off the castle in front of her.
"Ginny" the red head spoke.
"and I'm Lizzy, did you know there is a giant squid in this lake?" Lizzy stated feeling the need to give a topic of conversation.
"I doubt it. My brothers told me about that, but they also told me the castle was the building they based Azkaban on, so I don't believe it. Ginny commented.
"Well my mum told me about it and she wouldn't lie to me about that so I'm sure it's true." Lizzy replied.
"I want to see it" Pippa stated in a very matter of fact way. "How do we get its attention?"
"you sing to it of course" Luna commented.
Pippa immediately began to sing to the water trying to call the squid over. Ginny and Lizzy exchanged looks of confusion at the idea that this would work, but whether it was the singing, or Pippa's hand dancing across the top of the water, they had managed to attract the attention of something under the water.
"Okay you can stop that now Pippa, what part of giant squid doesn't terrify you?" Lizzy exclaimed.
"You're not scared are you Lizzy?" she replied before continuing to call the sea creature towards them. Within a matter of seconds the water broke and the quid nudges their boat as it pops its head out of the water.
"EEEKKKK" Lizzy squealed before frantically trying to move away from the quid.
She lost her balance very quickly and began to tumble out of the book. Ginny went to grab her hand but wasn't fast enough. Lizzy hit the water hard.
Whist this was happening, Pippa was laughing so heavily that she managed to fall off the other side of the small boat. Luna sat there watching them in pure amazement and Ginny tried to haul the two soaking wet girls back into the boat.
Lizzy was going to yell at her if Pippa hadn't fallen in herself. She was still rolling around in the bottom of the boat laughing hard, which caused the other girls to break out into laughter too.
"I think I'm going to need to get used to being injured and being put into embarrassing situations if I'm going to be friends with you Pippa" Lizzy announced.
"So you're not mad?" Pippa replies sheepishly.
"Not this time".