Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does.

I looked around me in awe. "So this is platform nine and three-quarters," I whispered, my breath forming puffs in the cold autumn air. I slowly took in the great red train with the words "Hogwarts Express" written across it, the strange-looking people in their eccentric robes, and the cacophony of animal sounds and human voices.

I glanced back at the archway where I had just come from, and imagined my parents standing on the other side, their faces lined with worry. They still were not used to the fact that I was going away to become a witch. I, on the other hand, could not believe my luck. It was as if all my wishes had come true!

We had spent almost half an hour looking for platform nine and three-quarters. All we could see were the big signs "Platform Nine" and "Platform Ten", with no other platforms in between.

Just when we were about to give up, a family of four approached us. The man and the children were freckled and red-haired while the woman had dark, bushy hair. The couple introduced themselves as Ron and Hermione, and their children were Rose and Hugo. After that they very kindly explained how I could reach platform nine and three-quarters. "Run straight to that barrier, you say?" Dad wheezed, turning purple at the thought. I stifled a laugh at Mum and Dad's little screams when Ron and Hermione disappeared into the barrier between platforms nine and ten.

Before seeing me off, Dad imparted his last piece of advice: "You take care of yourself, Cammy. Be careful of those magical things, alright?" I gave him a kiss and a hug and turned to Mum, whose deep blue eyes, identical to mine, were brimming with tears.

She embraced me, spilling tears into my long brown hair. "Oh dear! I simply cannot bear it! With you so far away! We couldn't even come to visit!" she wailed. Poor Mum. I was their only child, and I've never been away from them since I was born. It really was difficult for them to understand that I had been accepted into Hogwarts, but after the deputy head teacher visited and talked to them, they admitted that it really was the best for me.

"Oh Mum. We'll still see each other on Christmas," I gently assured her. I was a bit saddened as I thought about the three long months without them. I won't be there anymore to join Dad as he bird-watched, or to sit patiently at the piano while Mum taught me a new piece.

Still, I also eagerly anticipated the things I would experience when I got away from their eagle eyes. No mother to admonish me when I ate one too many candies. No father to give me an earful if I enjoyed playing in the rain too much. And of course, I wouldn't be too lonely anymore, locked up in a big old house without any siblings or children my age to play with.

After waving a last goodbye to Mum and Dad, I rushed into the solid wall and emerged completely unharmed onto this place hidden by magic.

Thankfully, Ron and his family had patiently waited for me on the other side. They seemed to be very understanding. "This must be your first time. You're muggle-born, I see," Ron commented. "You'll get used to it, no worries." Hermione smiled.

Their children were equally nice. The elder, Rose, was also entering her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was a tall, pretty girl with a mane of dark red hair, deep brown eyes, and freckles strewn over her nose. She playfully joked that we were both flowers among the thorns (as she was a Rose and I was a Camelia).

Ron and Hermione lifted my heavy trunk and birdcage onto one of the empty carriages. "I remember how Harry was during our first year. He was as helpless as this little girl here," Ron was telling his wife. Rose and I talked for a while, but then they had to go find their relatives. Rose promised that she would look for me later on the train. I secretly hoped we would become friends, as she seemed to be fun, very pleasant, and accepting of Muggle-borns like me. Besides, I knew absolutely no one in this strange new place.

I saw students get onto the carriages, and I followed suit. I should have been anxious but when I jumped into the open door, I was already vibrating with excitement.

Then I heard the shrill sound of the whistle. I watched as children waved goodbye to their parents even while the Hogwarts Express inched forward. The people on the platform grew smaller and smaller as the train gained speed, until they disappeared into the swirling mist.

A/N:

Thanks so much to my beta, TurnThePaige, for the helpful suggestions and wonderful critique.

My first Harry Potter fanfic ever! yay!

The title of this story is taken from After Image's song with the same title.

Only Cammy is created by me, the rest of the characters are Ms. Rowling's. I described the next generation characters just as the amazing porotto drew them. You can find her versions of the next generation characters in porotto(dot)deviantart(dot)com.

Kudos to the creators of The Harry Potter Lexicon. Everything I needed to know about HP while writing this story, I found there! Honestly, those guys are awesome. ;) Link here: www(dot)hp-lexicon(dot)org

_ Damn! I wish I were Cammy!