Glancing at my watch I noticed it was only a half hour till we were to be in Kings Cross Station. We were catching a special steam excursion across Britain. I glanced up just in time to notice some idiot trying to make one of the Royal Guards blink.
Remember I said we? I was part of a freshmen field trip to London. It was one of our history teachers brilliant ideas that for our eighth grade year we would save up, get permission slips signed, passports, any shots, everything was to be done during our eighth grade year and then for the last week of August and first week of September we would go with our History teachers and another chaperone and explore another country. The United Kingdom to be exact.
The school's Board of Education had loved the idea so much they made it almost mandatory for the 8th grade class. That means 115 students, from the middle of no where West Virginia, had made the trip, by plane, to visit another country. Fish out of water isn't even close to comparing how far out this was for most of them. Most of my classmates hadn't even left the state let alone the country.
So far it had been quite hilarious watching some of these kids try to adapt to flying across the Atlantic Ocean and then survive in a world very much like their own and totally alien to them.
The teachers in charge of this whole trip were trying their best to look professional. Mr Richie wasn't winning that fight and Mrs. Brant was just as much at home here as she was everywhere else she had traveled.
I had smirked a little when they had started talking in hushed voices pointing at some of the students closer to the guards and started laughing.
Who am I? Well I'll let my name be a mystery just a little longer. I'm a 14 year old male with brown hair. Today I was wearing a shirt with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad emblem on it. I kinda have a thing for trains. The shirt itself was a navy blue and the logo was in gold. For pants I stayed true to my heritage and wore blue jeans. Shoes were just some tennis shoes I picked out at the store. I never really paid attention to brands.
Turning my attention away from the kids and my inner monologue I glanced towards the road behind me. As if by magic the double-decker buses we had been waiting for arrived.
We had made plans with the touring company to lend us two, double-decker, buses. We were just using them as transport for around London, but it was an experience our school thought we should have. Actually I blame Mrs. Brant. She was so excited when she found out she talked for a half hour about how generous the company way being and then went off on the history of the buses themselves. And they say History is boring.
I rolled my eyes as I watched my friends, Chris, Cody, and Andrew, all step onto the bus laughing and joking. My friends, their a little crazy, maybe psychotic, but their okay guys, mostly.
Shaking my head I walked over to the bus walked and climbed up. For some reason my friends love teasing me about my fear of heights so obviously they went to the second floor. Sighing I sucked it up and followed after them.
As soon as the buses were loaded we headed into the heart of the city, towards Kings Cross Station. Glancing down from the window I looked at my camera hanging around my neck. Something my parents had thought of. My camera was almost filled from all the pictures and videos I had taken. Luckily I had the foresight to bring a second and third memory card in my bag, you know, just in case.
I smiled and nodded as Chris yammered on about his plans to join the Technical Students Associate and the Chess and Checkers club. I glanced to my right to see the city pass. As I went to go back to nodding at Chris something outside my window caught my eye.
I turned and tried to see what ever it was out of the corner of my eye but it was gone. Thinking back on it, I swear I thought I had seen something big and purple drive by on the right side of the road into oncoming traffic. Looking out the window now all I saw was London living it's every day life. No odd, fast moving, purple objects.
I smirked to myself and shook my head. Come to London and all I could think about was the Harry Potter books. Sighing I looked down at my watch. It was a nervous habit to check my watch over and over. Even if I knew the time I had to check it.
"Hey Chris, what is the date?" I asked just out of habit. "I'm pretty sure it's March the third." He replied. He turned and looked me in the eyes. A genuine smile flashed across his features. "Stop being so nervous Levi. We're on our way to Kings Cross Station. You wouldn't shut up about it for the last few months. This trip is all we could get out of you during lunch." I grinned and chuckled at that.
So see my name is Levi. Surprise! A common name that isn't special in anyway. How did my parents do it? They were bored and had to choose between this and Steven. I'm glad they chose this one.
"Thanks Chris. I just can't stop this feeling of pure excitement. This heavy feeling of magic in the air. Heck I swear the whole world feels different today." I chuckled at that. Chris and them were getting pretty tired of hearing me talk about magic and how technology is like magic.
I was going through a phase as everyone called it where I thought, maybe magic is real. Then I'd end up depressed when someone would prove me wrong.
Oh well I'd still have the Harry Potter books to read. Oh and fan fiction, can't forget fan fiction. Actually Harry Potter fan fiction was my favorite at the time. I loved reading those fan made stories where Harry became a werewolf or vampire and would have to adjust to a new life.
Actually I had just started finding that I preferred the stories that took normal Harry and put him in a new universe. It was such an old idea for fan structured stories but some authors had done it really well.
The worst ones to me were the " Introduce new character lamely and then have Mary Jane fall in love with core character." Luckily those usually had juvenile writing and I'd stop after a few paragraphs.
Though there was one I had read quite a bit of before become frustrated and ignoring it. Shaking my head I cleared my mind of stories. This was a trip to experience not to be found daydreaming on.
I smiled and turned away from Chris, looking back out my window into the city. Suddenly the light outside dimmed. My smile melted to one of confusion as quick moving thunder clouds moved over the city blocking out the sun. I felt a chill run down my spine as I watched the clouds gather and the lightning move between the clouds.
"Uh, hey Chris, is it a little cold in here to you?" I turned away from my window and looked at him. He looked at me curiously and then twisted his head as if thinking. "Now that you mention it... it is kinda colder in here then it was. Bus driver must of turned the air conditioner on." He shrugged his shoulders and went back to talking with Cody.
Nodding my head I mentally prepped myself just saying it was air conditioning, nothing was happening. Glancing back out the window I caught a face full of something black and floating. As I went for a double take it disappeared. This was starting to get really weird. As I continued looking outside the clouds seemed to dissipate and disperse. As if the glue holding them together had fallen apart.
Now I was curious as to what the hell was going on. It was then I realized the bus was slowing down next to a large building. I glanced up at the building I had Googled for months on end, Kings Cross Station. Excitement rushed back into me. It was as if my mind had been wiped as I forgot everything that had just happened.
As soon as the bus stopped I was up and slowly climbing down the steps and onto the pavement. I took a deep breath and mimicked the scene from "The Pacifier" where the girl kissed the ground. " I'll never leave you again. I'll never go so high into the air!" Cody and Andrew laughed as they stepped down behind me, Chris just raised an eyebrow.
As soon as the class had emptied from the bus Mr. Richie and Mrs. Brant decided to pass out the tickets. The idea was we could explore as much as we wanted but we had to be on the train at a specific time, and the teachers would contact the conductor to make sure everyone was on-board before the train left. Besides, the train was on track 8 and everyone would obviously go to either track 3 where they filmed the Harry Potter movies or track 9 where they had the prop trolley set up for photographs.
A smile tugged at my lips as I looked at Andrew and Cody. "Race you two too the trolley." I let out a chuckle and burst into a sprint. I wasn't even going to give them the chance to say no. Dashing across the brick plaza we ran into the building.
As soon as we were inside we slid across the tiled floor before regaining our composure. I could hear Andrew laughing as our chubby friend, Cody, tried to keep up. Football had helped Cody but he was still chubby and wasn't the best distance runner. I veered left upon entering the platforms heading for the track 9 platform.
Vaguely I heard Cody slow down and stop and Andrew catching up. As I neared the wall I tried my best to make a smooth turn right before speeding back up and dashing down the platform.
When is the worst time to run out of breath an energy? Right before you reach the destination and that is when it hit me. The adrenaline wore off and I was drained. I slowed from a dash to a jaunt.
Andrew over took me and jogged for a few feet before slowing down. We both just walked, catching our breath. Cody finally caught up, breathing hard, and totally winded.
It wasn't long before we were all chuckling and turning down a hallway leading to a separate building containing track 9 and up. We were taking deep breaths and laughing as we entered a wide area between the two buildings.
Andrew was the first to point out what we were looking for. The lone trolley, stuck halfway in a wall. A large sign that read " Platform 9 ¾" hung above it.
I slowly walked up to the trolley. Andrew turned and smiled at me. "We're off to Hogwarts! Yay!" He used his high pitched "Excited for Hogwarts voice." It was like he was mimicking a little kid and Dobby from the movies.
Cody and I chuckled. Andrew was the kid in the group who loved Harry Potter to an extreme. Actually he wanted to bring one of those candy wands to graduation since our cap and gowns would be black like Hogwarts robes. Heck him and I both would hum Hedwig's theme and then bust out laughing, shaking our heads.
I pulled out my camera as Andrew went to push on the cart. He turned to look at us as he leaned on the cart. "I'm off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! I'll be sorted into Gryffindor." I took the picture with his hand pretending to be holding a wand. "Okay the cowardly lion, my turn." Andrew pretended to pout as I poked fun at his chosen house and stalked off to where Cody was standing with his camera at the ready.
Before I went to grab onto the cart I glanced over at the hallway we had entered through. I smiled and waved Chris over. I turned back to Cody as he gave me a hurry up motion. Smiling I turned and grabbed the push bar with my hands. I shoved into it as if I was pushing the cart and smiled for the camera.
We all thought we knew what would happen. Like Andrew I'd pose, push on the cart, a picture for the memory books.
To bad we were wrong. The moment I pushed the cart I lost my balance as the cart actually moved forward into the wall. I watched as Cody's face went from amusement to pure horror and Chris looked deathly afraid. Andrew on the other hand reacted and lunged for me. His reaction was just too late.
It was like a scene out of the first Harry Potter book where they all just walked through what seemed like a solid wall. I felt myself fall through the wall with the trolley and I was holding on for dear life as I was sucked in to where ever I was going.
And they say magic isn't real.
Author's Note
The first chapter was posted September 2nd, 2011, I was so excited about this new story and the ideas I had planned. Also at the time I was deeply entrenched in my Left 4 Dead fan fiction, "Changing World."
Since then I have learned a lot and I have only ever had one person review this story in any sort of way. Her recent review caused me to jump back and start rewriting and adding as well as removing.
This is the prologue to a much longer story that is actually the beginning of a Fan Fiction series spanning multiple universes. So while this first one might be set in the Harry Potter universe, the next could be set in something as different as the Narnia Universe or even Fallout universe. Each book will have an end for the story lines included but the next will build upon what you find before it.
Another new thing I am trying is writing a chapter ahead. When I published the prologue, chapter one was complete. My next goal was to complete chapter two before posting chapter one. As of right now chapter one is complete but I am going to be revising it and posting it next soon. After I complete two and start three I'll post two. The idea is remaining a step ahead of you, the readers, so that I can always answer your questions.
So with those out of the way, I'll let those of you who are reading after the finished product, or those reading along as I write, continue to the next chapter.