You never feel more alone than when you're surrounded by people.
She couldn't remember where she had heard that before, but Lucy Dunnock knew in that moment it was true. Platform Nine and Three Quarters was heaving with students and parents who all seemed to know what they were doing. She felt more than a little overwhelmed by the noisy throng. The hubbub seemed to rise in a sharp crescendo and she began to feel like she was drowning.
"Are you all right love?" Her mother turned to Lucy looking vaguely concerned.
"Yeah." Lucy concentrated on her owl, Artemis, trying to ignore the rising panic. She gasped for air as she felt someone being pushed into her leg.
"Sorry!" The cheerful voice cut through the mists of panic and brought Lucy back to the surface. She turned to see who the speaker was and saw a girl about half her size looking up at her with piercing eyes.
"Are you OK?" The tiny witch seemed to be genuinely concerned about her.
"Um yeah, thanks." Lucy mumbled. She was taken aback by the look of worry in this girl's eyes.
"I'm Cassidy by the way."
"Nice to meet you."
Cassidy raised her eyebrows. "And you are?"
"Oh" Lucy blushed. "I'm Lucy."
"Would you like me to show you to the first year coach?"
"Um, I'm not a first year." Lucy blushed. "I'm a fifth year."
"So am I! Funny though, I don't remember seeing you around."
Suddenly Lucy's mum cut in. "Lucy, I need to go now love. I have a meeting with the gallery curator at two."
"OK, bye" Lucy didn't move.
"Do you know where to go?" Her mother asked hesitantly.
"It's OK, I'll show her."
Mrs Dunnock looked down at the tiny witch grinning up at her. She seemed somewhat surprised at the size of the girl, but after a momentary tussle, she decided that her meeting was more important and so she beat a hasty retreat to the brick wall.
Cassidy looked strangely at Lucy for a moment. Before picking up one of the suitcases that had fallen off Lucy's trolley.
"C'mon, let's get on the train."
Lucy heaved a sigh of relief when they finally found an empty compartment. She collapsed back into her seat as Cassidy shut the door. She looked out the window at the sea of people still on the platform. It was mostly parents left, waiting to wave a final goodbye to their children, but there were a few students left. Lucy watched a small first year boy clinging to his mother and howling as an older pupil tried to pull him onto the train.
"So how come I've never seen you around before?"
"I couldn't come to Hogwarts before. I was ill."
"What was the matter with you?"
"Leukaemia."
"Oh, did you have chemo and everything?"
Lucy nodded.
"Your hair's pretty long though."
Lucy ran her fingers through her pale gold hair. It nearly came down to her cheek bones now.
"It was last year."
"So are you better now?"
"Yeah."
Just then, the compartment door opened and a boy entered. He was a tall boy with sandy coloured hair and his nose was bleeding profusely.
"Hello Archie."
"Hi Cass, mind if I join you?" The boy sat down quickly and held his head back in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding.
"What happened?"
"Ran into the wrong wall again."
Cassidy snorted.
"Arch, you've been here five years and you still don't know which wall leads to the platform."
Archie grinned and then winced. Cassidy rolled her eyes and the rummaged around in her backpack.
"Here." She said, handing him a small bottle. "Rub this onto your nose."
Archie opened the bottle and looked inside suspiciously.
"It looks gross."
"Oh just get on with it."
Gingerly, he dipped his finger inside and pulled out a dark, sticky blob of ointment that squelched suspiciously as he rubbed it on the bridge of his nose. Lucy stared in amazement as the ointment immediately sank into his skin and the bleeding stopped.
"Thanks." Archie grinned, handing the bottle back.
Then the door opened again. Madam Hooch held a tall, dark hared boy by his collar.
"Einar Selwyn, if you insist on behaving like a child, I shall treat you like a child. - Apologies ladies and gentleman, but for all out sakes please make sure Einar does not leave this compartment even for a second." She pushed the boy inside. "Oh, and make sure his 'friends' don't come in either. Cassidy, I'm sure you're more than capable of managing him." And so saying, she left.
The boy slumped down in the only corner that wasn't taken. Cassidy and Archie looked as if a bad smell had been let in. The boy glared darkly at them.
"What? It's not my fault."
Archie snorted derisively.
"Yeah sure." Cassidy rolled her eyes. "And next you'll be telling us Merlin was a muggle."
The boy hunched up defensively and ignored her.
Cassidy turned back to Lucy.
"So do you have to be sorted into a house like the first years then?"
"Err..." Lucy floundered, not quite sure what she was being asked.
Cassidy sighed. "There are four different houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. I'm in Ravenclaw. We're known for our intelligence and creativity. Gryffindor's are known for their bravery and nerve. Archie is a Hufflepuff, they're known for their loyalty and kindness, and he's in Slytherin." She said, jerking her head towards the other boy.
"And what's Slytherin like?"
"We're cunning and ambitious." The boy said.
"Evil more like." Muttered Archie.
The boy stood up angrily. "Say that again, I dare you!"
Archie stood up defensively. Both boys were tall, although Archie was slightly taller, but he was like a stick compared to the other boy who looked like he had probably spent more than a few days in the gym.
"Calm down!" said Cassidy who stood up too, although she was so small that it sort of had the reverse effect.
Lucy sat there, quietly watching the three of them.
After a brief and loaded pause, the Slytherin boy sat down and Archie followed suit. Cassidy heaved a sigh of relief and sat down as well.
"I would have beaten you anyway." The boy muttered.
"Lier!" Archie sprang back up again.
"Archie!" Cassidy looked angrily at him and he sat down again, sheepishly.
There was an awkward silence.
"So which house do you think you'll be in?" Said Cassidy, desperately trying to break the silence.
"I don't know, I don't really fit into any of those categories."
"Will you have to have lessons with the first years to catch up on all the stuff you've missed?"
"No but I think I'm supposed to have extra lessons with Professor McGonagall so I can catch up."
Archie whistled. "McGonagall scares the life out of me."
"I've met her a few times before." Said Lucy, pleased to be finally talking about something she knew. "She came round every year while I was ill to check on how I was doing and see if I could start school soon, and she came over the summer to check that I had everything ready and to talk to my parents about how I was going to catch up on all the work I'd missed."
"How did you control your magic? I thought witches and wizards had to begin their training at age eleven or their magic starts to get too powerful."
"Well that did happen a bit over the summer, but before then I was too ill to really do anything at all. Professor McGonagall said that while I was ill, my magic was weakened so they didn't need to worry about it."
"Didn't your parents teach you a bit?"
Lucy shook her head.
"No one in my family is magic."
"Nice! I'm a muggle too." said Archie, grabbing her hand and shaking it enthusiastically.
"What's a muggle? I mean I heard Professor McGonagall use that word, but she never really explained it to me."
The Slytherin boy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh boy, this is going to be a long journey!"
"It's the word we use for non-magical people." explained Cassidy, ignoring the Slytherin boy.
"I like your owl." interrupted Archie.
"Thanks, her name's Artemis."
"Artemis? The Greek goddess of the hunt? Surely you should have named her Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom whose symbol was an owl.?" Cassidy looked confused.
"Oh, I thought Artemis was the owl one. I don't really know much about Greek mythology."
Archie laughed. "Why didn't you just Google it?"
"What's Google?" said the Slytherin boy.
Archie rolled his eyes and sighed. "Oh boy, this is going to be a long journey."