Sakura and the Hogwarts Adventure

by K'sta

Chapter One

In Which a Train Ride Brings Unwanted Love

Sakura pushed her trolley cart with her bags and suitcases down the train station, her nerves getting the best of her. Just turn around slowly and no one will know that you're trying to leave ... She carefully placed one foot behind the other and inconspicuously started walking the other way.

"Sakura-chan!" called Tomoyo, beaming at her best friend. "The platform is this way. Come on!"

Sakura sighed and turned around again, catching up with her friend.

She and Tomoyo were going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry along with Meiling, Syaoran, and Eriol. Everyone was excited, except for her. She didn't want to be in England, which was so far away from her home. But she swallowed her fears and followed her friend down the train station.

"This doesn't make sense," Syaoran said, suspiciously. "Platform Nine and ¾? That doesn't exist. There's only a platform nine and a platform ten - there's nothing in between!"

"Oh shut up, Syaoran," Meiling yawned, stretching her arms before pushing her cart on further. "We're going to a magic school, there's probably an incantation that you have to say to get to the platform."

Tomoyo nodded in agreement with Meiling's statement while Eriol kept walking, not really paying attention to what they were all talking about.

* * *

"Here we go!" He announced. "Platforms nine and platform ten!"

Meiling stepped forward. "Now we have to think of the incantation!" She looked at the barrier between platforms nine and ten, thinking very hard about what the incantation should be. "Okay!" she finally said. She held her hands out and closed her eyes. "Barrier between platforms nine and ten, unlock the secret platform within! Answer our call and let us through so we may attend Hogwarts School!"

Everyone behind Meiling desperately tried to hold in their giggling fits, turning various shades of red as they did so.

Meiling repeated herself. "Barrier between platforms nine and ten, unlock the secret platform within! Answer our call and let us through so we may attend Hogwarts School!"

Syaoran was having the worst time holding in his laughter. He was doubled over, shaking with laughter, a pain throbbing in his side. Bystanders were also looking at Meiling curiously.

"Barrier between platforms nine and ten, unlock the secret platform within! Answer our call and let us through so we may attend Hogwarts School!" Meiling glared at the barrier. "OPEN, DAMN IT!" She kicked at the barrier and her leg vanished through it. She jumped back, startled.

"Meiling, you did it!" Tomoyo grinned. She pushed her cart up to the barrier and walked straight through it.

"Where did Tomoyo go?" Sakura screamed, looking where her friend had been.

"Onto the platform," Eli replied, following Tomoyo's lead and walking straight towards the barrier. In an instant, he, too, was gone. Sakura panicked even more.

Syaoran walked through, followed by Meiling, leaving Sakura by herself.

"Oh no!" she said to herself. "Now I'm by myself!" She looked around for anyone who might be able to figure out what happened to her friends, but couldn't find anyone who looked like a witch or wizard.

"Come on, Harry!" Two boys and a girl were dashing down the train station, pushing their carts. The boys had owls in cages on their carts, while the girl had a large, ginger cat on hers.

They spotted Sakura and stopped. She looked positively helpless. "Are you going to Hogwarts, too?" the one called Harry asked. He had messy, black hair and green eyes that were covered by glasses.

Sakura jumped a little, but nodded. "I just don't know how to -"

"Oh, getting onto the platform is easy," the girl said. She had bushy brown hair. The cat sitting on her trunk was eyeing one of Sakura's bags suspiciously. "All you do is walk straight at the barrier and you'll go through onto the platform. Just follow me. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way."

"I'm Sakura Kinomoto," Sakura replied, smiling slightly. Hermione smiled back and walked to the barrier, Sakura following close behind her. They continued walking and soon the train station disappeared and they were standing on a different platform filled with people seeing their children off on a scarlet steam engine labeled The Hogwarts Express.

"Oh, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cried, running up and hugging Sakura who felt embarrassed. "We were so worried about you! We thought something happened to you when you tried to cross over - like you managed to get onto another platform or something!"

"I'm okay, Tomoyo," said Sakura. "Thanks to my new friend. She's Hermione Granger." She pointed at the girl with bushy brown hair who looked over and waved.

Tomoyo smiled. "She has my ever-lasting gratitude," she sighed. She took Sakura hand. "Come on. Meiling, Syaoran, and Eriol are saving us seats in one of the compartments."

Sakura nodded and pushed her cart after Tomoyo. They walked into a compartment and Sakura put her stuff in the luggage compartments above the seats before sitting next to Eriol and across from Tomoyo.

"This is going to be another great adventure," Eriol said, smiling at everybody. The girls nodded, while Syaoran's scowl remained; though he simply inclined his head.

Finally, the train slowly pulled out of the station. Kids hung out of the windows to wave good-bye to their parents, since they wouldn't see them for quite some time. Sakura sighed, thinking of how much she missed her Father, brother, and the little Clow Guardian, Kero-chan. She wondered what he would do without her for the next four months.

"Oh, Sakura-chan, don't be worry about Kero-chan," said Tomoyo. "When your brother and Father are at school, he can run around, play video games, and eat. And you can send him letters." Sakura nodded and turned her head as she heard the compartment door slide open. Hermione, Harry, and the other red-haired friend stepped in.

"Do you mind if we sit in here, Sakura?" Hermione asked, kindly.

"Not at all," Sakura replied, happily. She pointed to the redheaded guy standing next to Harry. "What's your name?"

"Ron Weasley," he replied, nodding. "And this is Harry Potter. You already know Hermione."

Sakura smiled. "And these are my friends Tomoyo Daidouji, Syaoran Li, Meiling Li, and Eriol Hiiragizawa." She pointed out each person as she said his or her names.

"Nice to meet you all," said Harry.

"Likewise," said Eriol. He looked at Harry closely and was quickly reminded of himself.

The group of eight shared mild conversation for a few hours. Harry, Ron, and Hermione explained how things at Hogwarts work and what to expect when they got there (Ron was sure to emphasize how ruthless Professor Snape was to anyone who wasn't in Slytherin).

"So you're telling me the staircases actually move," Meiling said, astonished.

Ron nodded. "You have to be careful since those things are so tricky. Usually there's more than one way to get to a place but I don't know the whole school just yet. But my brothers do. You'll meet them soon enough. They're in their seventh year and -"

"Oh shut UP, Weasel," a drawling voice said as the compartment door slid open once more, revealing a boy with white-blonde and two thuggish-looking boy who were none-the-less his cronies.

"What do you want this time, Malfoy?" Harry sighed exasperated, obviously annoyed by his presence.

Tomoyo fidgeted slightly, sensing a fight stirring.

Malfoy rolled his eyes, which landed on Meiling. "And who's your new friend over here, Potter?" He asked, walking over and sitting down right across from Meiling and who looked at him questionably. "I'm Draco Malfoy," He said, smiling at Meiling.

Eriol and Sakura sniggered at the disgusted look on Meiling's face.

"Oh, that's disgusting!" Meiling shrieked. She wrapped her arms around Syaoran's neck. "I have a fiancé!" She stuck her tongue out at Draco and hugging Syaoran tighter.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Eriol, and Sakura burst out laughing. Draco blushed slightly before muttering to his two friends and they exited the compartment.

(That's all for the first chapter! Don't forget to review and be as brutal as humanly possible. Sorry if the story starts off kind of slow!)