A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at a Harry Potter fanfic, let alone a crossover fic. I'm not sure if it's worth continuing or not, so any feedback would be wonderful! As always, I hope you enjoy! Eventual SwanQueen.
"Mother!" Regina called out as she took the steps two at a time. She jumped down the last few feet and slid across the hallway in excitement as she ran trying to find her mother. "Mother where are you?! I got a letter!"
Cora looked up from her computer and rolled her eyes at her daughter, she had told her time and time again to stop telling lies. She'd have to put a stop to this. "In here dear," she finally said.
Regina rounded the corner into her mother's study waving around a piece of paper, "Mother I got a letter today," she said slightly breathless from the excitement coursing through her veins.
"But that's impossible dear. There's no post on Sundays," Cora responded coolly.
"It's not impossible mother, I'm holding it in my hand right now," Regina snapped back before she could stop herself.
Her mother stood up so quickly Regina's head snapped back trying to look up at her. Regina took a step backward not wanting to face her mother's wrath so early in the day, but that only angered her mother further. Cora's gaze snapped to the belt hanging by the door but her husband chose that exact minute to appear in the doorway. "What's all the commotion about?"
"I'm trying to teach our daughter a lesson about lying. She claims to have received a letter but its Sunday and there is no post on Sundays," she finished with a pointed glare down at her daughter.
"Well let's just see what she has then," Henry said trying to be the voice of reason. "May I see your letter Regina please?"
"Here you go father," she said as she handed him the letter.
Henry's eyes scanned the pages and they continued to grow in size. He turned the envelope over so he could read the front and then started scanning the pages of the letter again.
"She's right Cora."
Cora let out an exasperated sigh before snatching the letter out of her husband's hands. "Let me see this," she said through gritted teeth. She read through half of the letter before she sat down in the nearest chair. "But this…this is impossible. Magic isn't real," she hissed.
"But that explains everything dear. Now we finally understand the odd occurrences have been happening. Our Regina is special Cora! Isn't that wonderful?"
Cora looked up at her husband with cold eyes. Regina let out a tiny gasp as she finally looked at her mother.
"She is not. She is a freak!"
Henry silently pleaded with his wife to not continue this conversation, at least not while Regina was around. But Cora wouldn't be deterred. "Think of what the neighbors will say. What am I supposed to tell them?"
"Why tell them anything at all?"
"Because they will talk Henry. They will ask questions when she's gone. I refuse to even acknowledge this."
"Mother?" Regina squeaked out, "I'd like to go. I'd like to learn to control this…my magic."
"Oh you'll go darling girl," Cora said with a sickening sweet smile. "You'll go and you'll be lucky if I ever let you return back under this roof again."
"Cora!"
"Its ok father, I understand." With her head hung low, Regina left the room without asking for permission. She finally had an answer, and in that moment, that's all she cared about. Only after she had reached her bedroom and closed the door did she allow herself to shed any tears. "Hogwarts will be my new home," she whispered to herself.
Regina and her father stood hand in hand, trying to decipher just where platform 9 ¾ could possibly be. They looked to their left and they saw platform 9 and to their right was platform 10, they were absolutely lost. "Are you sure we're at the right place father?"
"I'm positive dear," Henry said affectionately, patting Regina's shoulder to offer some comfort.
"But I don't see it anywhere. Maybe we should ask someone besides the guard? They might have a better idea."
Just then Henry spotted a family walking towards them and the little blonde girl and her older brother were both pushing trolleys with a lot of luggage on them. "Hurry up, you two! You're going to miss the train!" Their mother called behind them. "Right, here we are. David you go first and show your sister how it's done."
Regina and her father looked on in amazement as the young man named David took off at a run towards the brick wall between the two platforms. Just as he was about to crash head on into the wall, Regina let out a tiny gasp and tried closing her eyes but her curiosity overpowered the desire to look away. Henry chose that moment to walk over to the other family and introduce themselves. The young blonde girl looked to be around the same age as Regina and he was optimistic of what was to come out of the chance encounter.
"Hello madam, my name is Henry Mills and this is my daughter Regina. We were wondering…if you please…" he looked over at the wall where David had just disappeared through unable to find the proper words.
"Oh hello dears! Is this your first time going through to the platform? Its Katherine's first time too. It's best to take it at a bit of a run."
"Th-thank you ma'am," Regina said looking down at her boots.
"It's ok to be nervous dear, but it doesn't hurt a bit. Like walking through fog really," Katherine's mother assured her.
"I'll go first, if it'll make you feel better," Katherine offered kindly.
Regina looked up from her boots, expecting to find the other girl sneering at her or judging her, but she was surprised to find that the girl had compassion and honesty in her eyes. A timid smile tugged at the corners of Regina's mouth and she nodded her head before quietly saying, "Thank you."
She watched as Katherine got her trolley lined up just right, took a deep breath and started running towards the brick wall. Something in her brain said this time it wouldn't work, but Katherine disappeared just as quickly as her older brother did and Regina's nerves finally settled down. She gave her father's hand a squeeze before making her own way through the wall to the other side on the platform.
What she found on the other side completely took her breath away. She had never seen a train so big, or so many families all crowded onto one platform. She saw robes of different colors, trunks, and cages with all sorts of animals in them. Some families were crying while saying goodbye and others were meeting up with what she assumed were old friends. One day, she thought to herself, I'll be greeting old friends here too.
"It's really something isn't it?"
Regina jumped at the sound of the voice in her ear, but when she turned around she saw a friendly face greeting her. "It really is!" she said with wonder in her eyes.
"I'm Katherine by the way. You're a first year too?"
"Yes, I am. I'm afraid I don't know much about any of this, I did read Hogwarts A History to hopefully prepare me for what I'll find when I get there. And I'm Regina, thank you for your help getting here. I would have missed the train otherwise," she said with a shy smile on her face.
"You mean…are you muggle born?"
"What's a muggle?" Regina asked in confusion.
"You know, non-magic folk. Do your parents have magic?"
"Oh that…" Regina looked down at her boots again, hoping she could avoid the rest of this conversation.
"It's ok," Katherine whispered, "you can tell me. I won't judge you if you are."
Regina locked eyes with the hazel ones staring back at her and realized that maybe, just maybe, she could actually make a friend right now; one that would tell the truth and be able to help her with everything she was going through discovering her magic for the first time. "Yes, I am. My parents are…are m-muggles."
"That's wicked!" Katherine exclaimed. "I've never met a muggle born before! Would you maybe want to sit with me on the train? We have loads to talk about before we get up there!"
A small smile spread across Regina's face as she gratefully accepted Katherine's offer. "Let me just tell my father goodbye first," she said before finding her father still conversing with Katherine's mother.
"Looks like you've made a friend," he said through a giant grin on his face.
"I think I have father and she's wonderful!"
Henry kneeled down so he was eye level with his daughter, he needed her to understand the importance of what he was about to say. He took both of her hands in his and spoke very carefully. "I know your mother refused to come but she does love you dear."
Regina avoided eye contact for as long as possible before her father gently cupped her chin and guided her face back towards his. "She doesn't father, I know she doesn't. She thinks I'm a freak."
Henry's eyes filled with tears at hearing his daughter's words, but he didn't deny them either. "She just doesn't understand it dear, that's all. But I do. I love you dearly Regina and I hope that this next year is everything you're hoping it will be. Have fun and make friends. But more importantly, make magic!" He kissed his daughter on her forehead before turning her around and sending her back over to Katherine who was waiting by the doors of the train.
Just as Regina stepped on the bottom step of the train, she turned around one last time to look at her father and memorize his beaming face. "I love you too," she mouthed to him from her perch.