Disclaimer: It all belongs to J.K. Rowling. Except my characters. But everyone else belongs to her.
A/N: Hello FF! This is my first fic. I wrote Ch. 1-6 in a month for NaNoWriMo and was pretty pleased with what I had written so here it is. I have every intention on finishing this story (at least through the first year) but whether I'll finish it in a timely matter is still up in the air. So…enjoy? :]
I knew it was coming that day. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did. Sure enough, I was sitting on the couch with Ann watching a movie after lunch when we heard the tapping at the dining room window. I flew out of my seat and yanked the window open as fast I could, letting the dark brown owl into our house. He swooped around the room once with an air of elegance, dropped the envelope on the table and was out the window before we knew it.
"Well, open it!" my sister yelled. She knew what the letter was too. After all, Ann got her letter last year. She looked almost as excited as I was.
"Ann, calm down. If anyone should be excited it's me right? 'Sides, I want to wait till Mum and Dad get home from work."
"But that's not for another 2 hours! Just open it, you already know what's inside, what's the big deal?"
What's the big deal? If she only knew how big of a deal it really was. For years, my older sister Antheia had been perfect at everything. Whether it was academically or socially, Ann knew what to do. She was a social butterfly at school, despite us being home schooled and her having little contact with people her own age. As for academics, she received high marks in almost all of her classes (her knowledge of Potions was lacking, which proved to me that she actually was human). Now here was proof, sitting right in my hands; I was in the same league as her. I'd be taking the same classes she did last year and I could finally prove to everyone that I could excel at school too, without having the bias of our mother. This was the place where I could make a name for myself, not as Ann's little sister. It was a very big deal.
"No. I'm going to wait. It's my letter and I'll open it when I want to." And with that, I left the room, sat right back down on the couch, leaving a stunned Ann at the table.
"Helen, you can be so unreasonable sometimes!" she exclaimed as she headed upstairs to her room. "It's just a letter that Mum and Dad have already seen before, what's the difference between yours and mine? There is none! So why wait? They won't care anyways!"
I rolled my eyes and went back to watching the movie.
*****
Now I should probably explain a bit about my family. We're not like other families in the neighborhood, or probably any neighborhood. You see, we have magic blood. Meaning my mom is a witch, as well as my sister and now me. My mum fell in love with my dad when they were students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry way back in the day. They were in their final year of school as Ravenclaws and had been close friends throughout most of their school years. What makes us different from most families, at least in the magic world, is that we try very hard to blend in with the Muggles. Most of it has to do with my dad's parents, who are also Muggles. We didn't want them to be uncomfortable when they came to visit so we tried to keep it normal for them when they stopped by and the lifestyle sort of stuck. We have a telly, a phone, we have normal clothes (meaning not robes), we listen to Muggle music (though Ann and I listen to "normal" music too like The Weird Sisters). If you walked into our home, you probably wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary unless you caught us off guard. My parents occasionally use magic to speed things along, usually when cooking or cleaning up house. Other than a few instances, my family is perfectly normal to the outside world.
As for my dear sister, we've pretty much stuck together up until she started school. Even when she was the Star Daughter, we did everything together because we were pretty much all the other had. I love her a lot, but since she started up at Hogwarts, it seems that we've grown apart. I understand that she has new friends, really. It just seems that she's grown up so much over the past year. This is why we've been fighting like crazy all summer. I'm almost positive mum and dad took extra hours at the Ministry and St. Mungo's just to stay away from it all. The smallest things have been setting us off on each other, like the letter did this afternoon. The only solution to our fighting is Hogwarts.
That's another reason why my Hogwarts letter was such a big deal. New people! Not just people though, kids my age that I can talk to, share stories and secrets with, people that I can talk freely to without having to censor myself about the wizard world. I was going to have friends. And September 1 couldn't come soon enough.
****
The next month was one of the slowest months of my life. All I could think about was September 1, and being able to finally board the Hogwarts Express like my sister had the previous year. Yet there I was, sitting in front of the TV day after day, my mum's homework assignments sitting forgotten on my desk. How could I focus on grammar and spelling when I had Charms and Potions work to look forward to? Though the days passed at a snail's pace, it finally came the time for us to travel to London to get school supplies at Diagon Alley. I had been a few times but had never gotten anything other than a butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron. Usually it was just a quick trip to run errands with my parents for work related things. But now, I was actually going to buy things! A wand, robes, books, quills, all would be mine soon. Never before had I felt so connected to the magical side of me. I was beginning to feel like I really belonged to this world.
The ride to London was a long one. We lived about an hour outside of the city, but the trip was made longer due to the weekend traffic. Antheia was in the backseat with me listening to some new CD she got from grandma for her birthday. I spent most of the car ride talking to mum and dad about their experience at Hogwarts.
"Oh Lenny, you're going to have such a fantastic time at school. The classes, the new people."
"Don't forget the food," said my dad.
"And Professor Flitwick was always so nice. You'll learn a lot from him, not just as a professor, too."
It was pretty clear that I was going to be sorted into Ravenclaw house. Not only were both of my parents from there, but so was Antheia; families were almost always sorted into the same house. I only heard of one instance in which someone was sorted into a different house than their family and that was way back when my parents were in school. Besides, the quality of Ravenclaws was that they were intelligent. Surely I fit the part, right?
"Mum, Dad? If I wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw, you'd be alright with that wouldn't you?" I asked. Even though I was fairly confident I wouldn't be I wanted to be positive they wouldn't hold it against me.
"Of course that'd be fine. Unless you were a Slytherin. Then we would probably have to disown you from the family," said my dad with a chuckle.
I laughed but my mum had other thoughts.
"William! Don't tell her things like that!"
"What? She knows I'm just joking, right Len?" he said with a wink. My dad was the person I was probably going to miss the most when I left for school. We just connected in a different way. He was always making me laugh when I was down. Don't get me wrong, I would miss my mum too, but she was so concerned with making sure Ann and me were raised right that she seemed to never take a chance to sit and relax. Hopefully, she would loosen up over the year now that both of her children were gone.
"Dad, I was just wondering, what do you have against all the people that are in Slytherin? I mean, I know you're playing around but sometimes it sounds like you really don't like them."
"See what you started Will?"
"I see nothing wrong with the question dear. Len, I guess since you'll be going to Hogwarts this year, you'll probably see this first hand soon enough, but I'll tell you anyway. Most, not all of the Slytherins, but most, have this idea that only pure bloods should have the right to learn about magic. It gives them this air of superiority that just gets really annoying. They only socialize with other Slytherin's and look down on anyone that's not pure blood. But it doesn't mean anything is wrong with you, so if they give you a hard time, just brush it off. It's just the way they were brought it up. And it doesn't help that Lucius Malfoy is spreading the hate all over the Ministry…"
"No Will, you know talking about Lucius gets you all upset. Just drop the subject and move on," Mum said. That was just like my mum. Keep the peace, no drama, no fuss in our family.
"I'm sorry Lenora, but pure bloods and the Malfoy's go hand in hand."
"Will" she said with a tone of finality in her voice.
And we rode in silence the rest of the way to London. Thankfully, we didn't have much of a ride after the bit of tense conversation, but it was enough time for my dad to calm down.
"Alright, everyone out!" dad said after we found parking in a lot a few blocks down. We got out of car quickly, all of us eager to get up and stretch our cramped legs. Minutes later, we arrived at the Leaky Cauldron. The pub was one of my favorite things about Diagon Alley, at least when entering from the busy London street. It always boggled my mind how the Muggles could be so oblivious to dingy pub front. We entered the pub, me holding dad's hand and mum guiding Ann in with her hand on the small of her back.
"Well hello Mr. Eddy, pleasure seeing you here," Tom the barman said with a wide grin. "And with your family, too! Always a pleasure Mrs. Eddy!"
"Same here Tom. It's been too long. We best be off though. Lots of things to buy today and so little time to shop!"
"Completely understandable. Mr. Eddy, a word with you if it's no trouble. I've got a problem with a boggart in one of the rooms upstairs. Can't seem to find it…"
"Not a problem Tom. I'll catch with up with you in a bit, right ladies?" He gave Mum and us a quick kiss and went to catch up with Tom upstairs.
"Well girls, I guess it's just for a bit. We have to dash over to Gringotts first and then we'll do some shopping." With that, we walked outside to the brick wall. She tapped the bricks with her wand and they began to shift into an archway big enough for all of us, revealing the wonder that is Diagon Alley. Looming over the busy streets was Gringotts, the wizard bank. It was a beautiful building even from far away, all white with its gold lettering. We made our way up the street. Mum had to stop every so often to say hi and chat with various co workers or families of patients from work, also buying supplies for their children.
Finally, we arrived at the large white doors. As we entered the building, I drew closer to my mother. Even as a child, I was always a little unnerved by the goblins that ran the bank. Their long fingers looked menacing, even though I knew that they wouldn't harm me. After my usual hesitance of being inside Gringotts, I became distracted by all the sights the building held. There were various goblins weighing different jewels and gold. A small group of men who seemed to be from the Ministry were in deep conversation with each other. I was so distracted I didn't realize that it was our turn to go underground to our vault until I felt a tug on my arm.
"Come on Helen, or we're going to leave you up here with the goblins," Antheia said with a grin.
I rushed over to my mum and sister and followed them to where the goblin was waiting for us. We all clamored into the small mine cart that would lead us to our vault. Despite the goblins that scared me on the main floor of Gringotts, I loved this part. I was astonished at all of the different rock formations and the sheer number of vaults that were whizzing past at lightning speed. The cart lurched to a stop as we reached our destination. Mum handed the goblin our key to our vault. As he opened the door, she turned to me and Ann and told us to stay in the cart.
"I don't want to have to make an emergency trip to St. Mungo's because you fell and broke something."
She went into the vault and returned quickly, her money bag considerably heavier. The cart took off almost as quickly as it had stopped and we were back on the main floor of Gringotts before we knew it. As we made our way towards the exit, I noticed an impatient woman, apparently waiting to be taken care of, but not standing in line. Antheia noticed her as well.
"Doesn't that woman know that the line starts over there?" she asked. "She's going to be waiting for a long time if she doesn't figure that out soon."
"Oh, she knows exactly where the line is and she's probably going to be assisted a lot faster than anyone in the line. That woman is Narcissa Malfoy."
Malfoy, the name sounded familiar. "Malfoy as in Lucius Malfoy? The man that dad doesn't like?"
"The very same and please keep your voice down. The last thing I need is a confrontation with Narcissa in such a public place. But yes, she's his wife. I know what you're thinking, how can someone marry such a man right?" she went on as she read my shocked expression. "She comes from a family where being a pure blood is highly valued. She's of the same type."
Taking a closer look at this woman, I could now see that she did indeed have that look of superiority that my dad had so often used to describe her husband. While she did have pretty looks, her eyes had a coldness about them that made people second guess approaching her. She held herself in a haughty manner, clearly expressing her dislike of being here. If she was anything like Lucius, no wonder Dad didn't like him; I didn't either and I'd never spoken to either of them. Narcissa felt my stare and turned to face me. She immediately turned up her nose at me, as if in disgust.
Mum caught this, returned an icy glare, and led Antheia and me out of the bank.
"Let's go, we have a lot to get done today," and we walked back into the sunlight.
****
The rest of the day was spent mostly with mum, and dad soon after as he had finished up with the troublesome boggart Tom needed help with. Ann had ran into her best friend from school, a girl named Cheyenne O Brien who was also a Ravenclaw. I met her briefly when Ann came home for Christmas last year and she seemed nice. She told me that she was Muggle born so she knew all about Muggle musicians too. She was especially fond of Madonna, which made me like her right away. She fawned all over me which was a plus too.
"Oh Helen, haven't you gotten taller since I lost you. And you've certainly grown in looks too. You're just living up to your namesake already aren't you?" Antheia then dragged her by the arm and both of them took off towards the joke shop a few stores down.
"Meet us at the Leaky Cauldron in 2 hours Ann! Lenny, let's go get your robes done first. And what else do we need?" Mum pulled out my school supplies list that came with my acceptance letter and became lost in a sea of new books, quills, and potions supplies. While I was getting fitted for my robes at Madam Malkins, she dashed off to Flourish and Blott's to get mine and Antheia's school books and sent my dad to Slug and Jiggers to get all the things I would require for Potions class. Madam Malkin was a nice witch that kept me entertained with her stories of all the crazy parents coming in for new robes. She also kept asking me how I felt about starting at Hogwarts.
"I hope you're not nervous about starting up at Hogwarts. I'm sure you'll have a bright future there, whatever your house you're sorted into, if you are anything like your parents. They were a bright pair, your parents were."
"You knew my parents when they were in school?"
"Well, not personally. I was a year older than them, and in a different house too, but their O.W.L. scores were incredibly high; everyone knew about them."
"Which house were you sorted into?" I asked, curious to hear about a house other than Ravenclaw for a change.
"Ah, I was sorted into Hufflepuff. I don't know where we got such a poor reputation. You'll never find a more loyal, friendly house. Well, let me take a look at you," she said as she stood back, looking at me in my robes. "Yes, I think we're done here. Let me pack those robes up for you."
I paid for my robes with the Galleons Mum had given me and walked into the busy street. Obviously neither of my parents expected me to finish up so fast so no one was here to pick me up. I decided to make my way up to Flourish and Blott's to meet up with Mum. On my way over, I passed Narcissa Malfoy again, this time with a boy who looked to be around my age. I was able to overhear a bit of their conversation as I walked past the two.
"Draco, I'll see about getting you a broom for your birthday, but now is certainly not the time. Besides, I hardly see the point. You don't even go to school yet and even when you start, you can't join the team."
"Mum, that's not the point. If I want to join the team I need to practice. I'll just ask Dad when I get home. He'll get me one. He understands how important it is."
From what I gathered from that quick overheard conversation, their son, Draco, was just like his parents. Apparently he expected to be handed things too. Thankfully, he wasn't my age so the chances of him being in any of my classes was zero. After I met up with my parents again, I told them what I overheard. Dad seemed to be interested but mum showed no interest. We had some ice cream at Floean's and made our way to our final stop of the day, Ollivander's Wand Shop.
This is the part of the trip I was most looking forward to: getting the wand that would signify my place in the wizard world. As we approached the shop, I noticed how dark it seemed compared to the other brightly lit, clearly displayed shops in Diagon Alley. Upon entering, we noticed that the darkness extended to the interior of the shop as well. This was caused mainly by the shelves that were stocked floor to ceiling with long, black boxes. I realized that in these hundreds, maybe thousands of boxes were wands, waiting to be claimed by their master.
"Ah, Ms. Eddy. I've been expecting your arrival," a voice from behind us spoke.
With a jump, we turned around to find us face to face with Mr. Ollivander himself.
"Mr. Ollivander, how lovely to you."
"My feelings exactly Mrs. Eddy. I see your wand there in your pocket, perfect condition still. Ten inches, dragon heartstring, oak if I remember correctly."
"I see your memory is as strong as ever."
"I remember every wand I have sold. Every single one. Let us see what wand will be picking your young daughter today."
Confused, I asked, "Which wand will be picking me? I thought it was the other way around. I thought I would be picking my wand."
"Oh no Ms. Eddy. I have learned that, in fact, it is the wand that chooses the witch or wizard. When the wand chooses their owner, the pair is perfectly balanced, each equally pulling their weight in the partnership. It truly is magical."
"You make it sound like wands have a mind of their own," I replied with a nervous chuckle.
Ollivander said nothing, but looked at me with a knowing look in his eye. "Let's move on to the wand choosing now." He disappeared down one of the many cluttered aisles and returned a minute later, his arms overloaded with boxes. After every wand he handed to me, he would ask me to wave the wand; most of the time though, he would take the wand right out of my hand before I had a chance to do anything."
"No, not right. Definitely not. Too springy. No. No. No." And finally, "Maybe."
He handed me a wand, very pretty, even to my untrained eye. It looked to be mahogany, longer than Mum's. As soon as he passed it to me, it felt so right, like meeting an old friend. I gave the wand a wave and blue and gold sparks shot out of the end.
"I…I think this is the right wand Mr. Ollivander."
"I do believe you're right child."
My parents looked at me with such pride in their eyes. My mum even looked a little teary eyed.
"My daughter, she's so grown up now," she whispered.
"Taking the first step to becoming a fantastic witch."
"Would you like me to wrap this for you Ms. Eddy?" said Mr. Ollivander, breaking up the moment my parents were having. I didn't want to let go of the wand, but I handed it over anyway. I paid for my wand, bid Mr. Ollivander farewell and exited the store with my parents behind me.
"Well, is that it now? That's everything on my list. Where's Ann?"
"Before we go, we have a gift for you."
"A gift?"
"For being a fantastic daughter and making us so proud. Follow us. And close your eyes."
As told, I closed my eyes, leaving my hands free for my parents to guide me to wherever they were taking me. We didn't walk far; it seemed to be only a few steps. The first thing that hit me was the smell, then the sounds of screeching. Before I opened my eyes, I knew we were at Eeylop's Owl Emporium which could only mean one thing.
"Open your eyes Lenny."
Before my eyes were hundreds of eyes. Brown and white, big and small, so many varieties my mind couldn't take it.
My mum spoke up. "You can pick any owl you want. You deserve it."
"I took my time deciding. Getting an owl was a big deal. Even Antheia didn't have one, though she did have a cat. An owl was useful and would be able to keep me in contact with mum and dad while I was at school. This owl would be with me for a long time. I had to make sure I made the right choice. The fact that there were so many of them made choosing hard. I immediately ruled out the smaller varieties, even though they were adorable. They just wouldn't be able to carry large packages and I never knew if I would have to send something big to someone. I headed further into the store where the larger types were. I was drawn to a medium sized brown owl. He looked to be the same size as the owl that dropped off my Hogwarts acceptance letter and the same type too. He affectionately nipped at my hand as I reached out to stroke him.
"Mum, Dad! I think I found him!"
"Good choice," said Dad. "He's beautiful. I'll go up and pay for him."
"So what are you going to name him?" asked Mum as she too began to stroke his long feathers.
"I don't know. I like the name Argo, you know, after the ship."
"I see we're carrying the Greek name tradition into our pets," she replied with a smile. Dad and mum were very interested in Greek mythology and decided to name me and Antheia after figures from mythology. Ann was named after the Greek goddess of flowers. I, Helen, was named after Helen of Troy. I had a lot to live up to.
"I like it. It fits well, too. After all, the Argo was successful in its journey. Maybe it's a sign that this Argo will always be successful in his journeys as well. Now, let's go find your sister."
We went up to the front of the store, Argo in hand. Dad had taken the liberty of buying all the necessary items: cage, food (though he'd have plenty to eat at the school in the Owlery), and some medicine in case he got sick while we were at school. I gave both of them a huge hug.
"Thanks so much for everything! Argo and I appreciate it all."
"Argo, eh? Like the ship?"
"The very same."
"Nice. Now where's your sister off to?"
We found her and Cheyenne inside Flourish and Blotts. She said her goodbyes and we all made our way back to the Leaky Cauldron and then to the car, hands full and the moneybag considerably lighter. I finally felt ready to face whatever Hogwarts had in store for me. Before, I couldn't wait for the start of September in a week. Now, it was going to be next to impossible to keep me sane. The drive home was faster than the drive to London and we got home in time for a late supper. I ate quickly and made my way upstairs to my room with every intention to start packing. But as soon as I saw my bed, I knew that the packing would have to wait. The long day had finally caught up with me. I threw myself to my bed and was asleep before I hit the pillow.
****
The morning of September 1, I woke up with a knot in my stomach. Not so much of a nervous knot, as much as an excited knot. I got virtually no sleep that night. Most of the night was spent tossing and turning trying to figure out what new people I would meet and what the classes would be like. I was up way before my alarm went off at 9 am; when dad came into my room to check that I was awake, I had already dressed and double checked my luggage.
"Good morning. I guess I don't have to bother dragging you out of bed today, eh? Breakfast downstairs in a bit."
"Got it Dad!"
Unsure of what to do with myself, I checked my luggage again. My luck I would forget a book or a set of robes and I'd have to write back home. During my sleepless night, I had made a list of all the things I felt I would need my first year at school. I already had the school supplies list from school, so that was done for me. The personal items list, on the other hand, was incredibly long. Other than the necessary items, I had stacks of parchment for writing to mum and dad, 8 quills, my favorite books to read when I had spare time, tons of pictures of me and my family, my diary, my sketch pad in case I felt the need to draw again and my stuffed rabbit. This last item was placed carefully on top of my clothes, it being my favorite thing in the whole world since I got it for my 5th birthday. After my third check, I heard mine and Ann's name called downstairs for breakfast. I walked into her on my way to the kitchen.
"Len! Are you excited yet? I know you might feel nervous but trust me there is nothing at all to worry about. Remember, I'll be there whenever you need me. I can help you with all any classes you're having trouble with and Cheyenne can help you too because she really likes you too and—"
"Ann. Calm down. I'm not even nervous. If anything, you're the one who sounds nervous."
"Ha, me nervous? That's crazy." Antheia babbled. "I mean really. There's nothing for me to nervous about. It's just Hogwarts. Nothing new. No one new. I'm just excited to go back and see all my friends you know like Cheyenne, Roger, Anne Marie. I just haven't seen them all summer that's all."
"Yeah. Sure. But if you don't stop acting like a mental person I'll bang your head on the wall."
"Now really Lenny, that's not necessary I'm just trying to explain why I'm excited…"
I ran down the stairs before I could hear the rest of what she was saying. I knew something was up with Ann but now wasn't the time to deal with her nuttiness. Plus, the smell of waffles was reaching my nose and I wanted to make sure I got the softest ones of the batch Mum was making.
"Oh, there are my girls! Both of my little girls finally off to Hogwarts. What am I going to do without you? No one to make breakfast for in the morning, no one to read to, no one to…" but I couldn't catch the rest as she trailed off. She reached for a box of tissues and blew her nose loudly.
"Honestly mum, it's not like we're not returning. We'll be back in like, 3 months," laughed Antheia.
"Oh, I know. I'm just being silly aren't I? Finish your food quick, we want to be out the door by 9:45 am at the latest. I'm going out to help your dad get your luggage in the trunk."
Antheia and I ate in relative silence. She kept tapping her foot against the chair leg, clearly still thinking about whatever was making her nervous. I was lost in thought too. This was going to be the last home cooked meal I was going to have in a long time. I looked around the kitchen, starting to feel the slightest tug on my heart. I never thought that I would actually miss home. I knew I would miss it a little bit, but now I was starting to feel a bit scared. Nice time to start having second thoughts, I thought to myself. Even though I was beginning to have feelings of doubt about going to Hogwarts and being away from everything I've ever known, I knew that I would never reveal these feelings to my parents and especially not Antheia. I had made it no secret that I was excited to leave home and do something exciting, finally, with my life. Confessing that I was having fears now would just bring up unnecessary questions. I would have to focus on keeping myself calm the ride to King's Cross Station, where the Hogwarts Express would be departing in less than 2 hours. Hopefully I'd be able to find an empty compartment where I could let go of a few tears.
"Lenny, Ann, you finished?" Mum had come back from loading the car snapping both me and Ann from our trances. "We've got about 5 minutes before we have to leave so wash up the dishes and get any last minute things you need. Your dad and I will be waiting outside." With that, she dashed back outside.
"Oh, Helen, I left Eris's sleeping pillow upstairs in my room. Mind if you get my plate?" she yelled from the stairs, not leaving me with much of a choice. I was happy for the distraction though, so I did the task without much of a thought. I tried thinking of all the good things that would come out of leaving home but I was in such a state that it was near impossible. What if I failed at my classes? What if no one likes me? Everyone likes Ann, but what about me? What if I get caught being homesick and crying and everyone makes fun of me? What if I get off on the wrong foot with the professors? All the "what ifs" that I had so happily ignored this past month were suddenly hitting me like a brick. It would take everything I had to not have a panic attack in the car on our way to London.
"Len, let's go!" Ann spoke from behind me. Before I turned around, I put on my happy smile.
"Yeah, let's go, I'm done here." She took me by the arm and we made our way to the front door. As soon as we stepped over the threshold, we were blinded with a white flash.
"Mum! Don't blind us before we leave!"
"Sorry dears, I just needed a picture of you both. Since you'll be leaving you know, I'll need something to remember you by."
"And their baby books aren't full of enough pictures, right Lenora?"
"Oh, just get in the car."
We piled in, Antheia immediately reaching for her Walkman. Unlike the ride to Diagon Alley the previous weekend, this ride was relatively silent. I knew that mum was off in some world that involved lots of sniffing and tissue. Dad seemed to catch onto my mood though, just like always. He never said anything, but whenever he would catch my eye in the rearview mirror, he'd flash me a reassuring smile. Surprisingly, those helped a lot. With every smile, my fears subsided a little bit more till I was practically normal by the time we arrived at the station with 15 minutes to spare. I was still feeling the knot from this morning, though it was more of the nervous type, no longer the excited knot. After the luggage was unloaded from the car, Ann took off with mum following closely behind. I lingered with Dad.
"So you're feeling a little nervous eh Lenny?"
"How could you tell?"
"I'm your dad, I can always tell." I couldn't really say anything to that. It was the truth; no matter what I was feeling, dad always knew what I was feeling. "Besides, I felt the same way when I was starting my first year. But I was feeling ten times worse than you are."
"Dad, I find that really hard to imagine. I'm terrified!"
"I'm sure you are, though you have nothing to be terrified of. Picture me, not even knowing what I was till I got my letter. You've known your whole life, you know what to expect. I had no idea what was in store for me. But look what happened. My years at Hogwarts were some of the best of my life."
"I know everything's going to be alright, I just can't shake this feeling off that I'm going to be a total outcast. How can plain old me compare to perfect Ann? Who would choose me over her?"
"Helen, I know a lot of things about you, but the one thing I am most sure of is that you are definitely not plain. And I'm positive that someone will see how un-plain you are." He reached down and scooped me into the biggest hug I've ever received. No longer scared of what my future held, we caught up with mum and Antheia who was literally bouncing with excitement.
"Ann!" scolded Mum. "We're trying our best to not draw attention to ourselves and you're doing the exact opposite."
"Sorry," she mumbled as she hung her head.
"Okay, we'll go in first and then you two follow behind us."
Mum took hold of Ann's luggage and took her by the arm, Ann's other arm carrying Eris. They walked into a crowd of people; by the time the crowd passed, they were nowhere to be seen, having disappeared into the brick wall that held a magical secret.
"You ready Len?" Dad asked. I took one last look behind me at the muggle world that I would be leaving behind. I looked forward to the brick wall ahead that held my future and then to my dad.
"I'm ready."