Curiosity Killed the Cat
I remember that day on King's Cross as if it were yesterday. Nobody ever believed what I saw. They said it was impossible! They thought I was losing my mind. I am going to tell the story hear, Dear Diary, where nobody will judge me for what I am about to say.
It was a clear and sunny on the morning of September 1, 1991. Daddy, Mommy, Jonathan and I were going to go to Tatterton Park for Daddy's company picnic. Daddy always said they had horrid parking there. It would be easier to take the train. We arrived at King's Cross at quarter after ten. I look around. There were so many people! I am such a people watcher that I just stood there for a moment, gazing at all the different kinds of people: short, tall, thin, fat, black, white, and even a few Hispanics. Sometimes, when I'm really bored, I like to take a guess at people's lives. I looked to my right. The tall woman with the blond hair, skin tight jeans, and red cashmere sweater was probably a model. Perhaps she was on her way to a modeling shoot? I noticed many men gazing upon her beauty. She seemed oblivious to them, however. It was just then I noticed that Mommy, Daddy, and Johnny were gone. I could have kicked myself for I have a habit of daydreaming too much and not noticing anything around me. I sighed and decided I had better go look for them. I doubt they would have noticed I was gone, amongst the crowd of people. I guess I was too lost in my own world that I didn't notice the boy walking directly in front of me. Bump! I had collided with his back. The boy turned around. My eyes widened. He had the most beautiful green eyes I'd ever seen. His dark hair was wind-blown and messy. His face…..was that ….a scar on his forehead? And was it really shaped like a lightning bolt?
"Pardon me," I said politely. "I need to watch where I'm going."
"That's okay," the boy said picking up some things that had fallen out of his hands when I collided with him. I quickly bent down to help. It was only polite. I saw the ticket before he snatched it up quickly. "Platform 9 ¾?" I asked. I had never heard of such a thing. "Where's that?"
"Well actually, I was wondering if you could tell me that," he said shyly. "You see, I've never been…"
"Where you goin' anyway?" I demanded. I couldn't help it. I was such a big mouth.
"Well, um…." The boy looked down as if he were debating whether or not he should tell me.
"The same every year. Packed with muggles……" a loud woman's voice said. The boy's eyes lit up and turned towards the woman. With a tiny mutter of "Gotta go," the strange boy took off in the direction of the voice. It was a woman with red hair and she must have had at least 5 children with her….all with red hair! They say curiosity killed the cat and I knew I should be looking for my parents, but there was just something odd about the boy and the red-haired family. And what the heck was a "muggle"? I followed them, making sure not to be seen. Luckily I was thin enough to hide behind a large metal poll.
"Why can't I go?" a young girlish voiced wailed.
"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet." The red-haired plump mother replied. "Percy you first."
I stared at them in astonishment. Were they really going to do what I thought they were! The young boy named Percy started running in between Platforms 9 and 10….oh no he was going to crash! But….no! Did my eyes deceive me? He actually disappeared between them. My mouth dropped in astonishment. Now one of the red haired twins was running, with his cart of what looked like school supplies. What school did they go to that required them to run through the barrier? I was curious. My eyes settled on the dark haired boy with the lightning scar. Something was definitely odd about this lot. Something else caught my attention. Did the boy actually have an owl with him? I didn't say anything to draw attention to myself. As soon as the mother and daughter disappeared, I stepped out from where I was hiding. Wow! Could it be true? Could you really walk through the barrier like that? Oddly enough, nobody seemed to notice when they did. Maybe they had it planned very carefully on how to do this. I looked around slyly. Everybody on the platform seemed to be preoccupied with their newspapers or engaged in conversation with others. Now was my chance. I slowly started walking toward the platform. I just had to know who these people were and what they were up to. I started picking up speed. Any minute now….Any minute and I'd be through the …..BONK! Excruciating pain shot down my body and then there was complete darkness………
Two Months Later……..
Mommy and Daddy had found me on the platform and had taken me to St. Pines General Hospital. I required many stitches and went through long hours of questioning. Of course they didn't believe me. They said I must have suffered brain damage from the massive direct blow to my head. I'm sitting here writing this from the psychiatric ward of Helen Anderson Memorial. They can call me crazy all they want. I know what really happened. I guess it's true when they say curiosity killed the cat.