The two young girls stared at the space between platforms nine and ten of King's Cross station. They were standing side by side, trembling slightly with nervous excitement.
"Ready, Molly?" the smaller girl asked her friend. Her glasses glittered in the sunlight, and her several red strands stood out of her long dark brown hair. She had her hands clamped tightly on her cart.
"As ready as I'll ever be, Erin," Molly answered quietly.
"Let's do this thing," Erin said eagerly.
They checked to make sure no Muggles were watching before pushing their carts forward. Breaking into a dash, Erin commented, "You know, this feels stupid. We're heading straight for a barrier." Molly said nothing, and they continued running. As they got closer and closer to the wall, they closed their eyes and said silent prayers in their heads, hoping the wall would let them through.
"We made it!" Molly cheered happily once she got through.
"Wow," Erin said in awe. "And I thought the Harry Potter books were fiction."
The two of them watched as everyone bustled past, saying goodbyes to their families and greeting old friends. Looking up at the sign that read "Platform Nine and Three-Quarters," Erin said, "Well, let's get on the train, shall we?"
Molly nodded and they hopped onto the train together. They quickly found an empty compartment and settled down. Just minutes later, the train started to move.
"Wow," Erin said again.
"I can't believe this is really happening," Molly said. "We're going to Hogwarts!"
"Yeah, I know. I wonder what House we'll be in..." Erin said thoughtfully.
"Whatever House it is, I hope we're in the same one," Molly replied. Then the compartment door slid open and a girl with curly blonde hair looked in.
"Um, do you mind if I join you? There's no where else to sit," she asked shyly.
"Sure," said Molly kindly, making room.
The blonde girl placed her trunk with the others and sat down.
"Hi," Erin said to her. "I'm Erin, and this is my friend Molly. What's your name?"
"Tina," she responded sheepishly. "I'm only a first year though."
"Oh, so are we," Erin said informatively. "Isn't this exciting, going to Hogwarts and all? I was so thrilled when I got my letter. I could hardly believe it. You see, I'm Muggle-born, and I've read all of the Harry Potter books, so I didn't think this was all real."
"Yeah, I thought the same thing when I got mine. I was so happy to find out that Erin was going too. I only just turned eleven, on July 12. I was so excited when I got the letter," said Molly.
"That's cool," said Tina, feeling a little more comfortable. "I'm Muggle-born too. It's a relief to hear that I'm not the only one."
The three chatted with each other about everything, from favorite Muggle songs to worst school subjects. When the food cart came, they each jumped up to get a taste of food from the magical world.
"I think I'm gonna get a Chocolate Frog," said Erin. "I don't know about those Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans; they seem a bit iffy to me, at least from what I've read."
Each girl got a few sweets from the cart. Erin had her arms full of Chocolate Frogs, Tina just got some Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Molly had a Pumpkin Pasty.
"Anyway, as we were saying, I've never been too fond of science at the Muggle schools. Or social studies, they're both kind of boring to me," Erin said, in between mouthfuls of chocolate.
"What classes do you think you'll like at Hogwarts?" Molly asked, after finishing her Pumpkin Pasty.
"Probably Transfiguration. That sounds really cool, turning things into other things. Charms probably would be good, too, but I don't know about Potions. It sounds all too much like science to me," Erin replied.
"Yeah, Transfiguration does sound interesting," Tina agreed.
"I bet learning to fly on broomsticks will be fun, too. But for a class, I think I'd also like Charms and Transfiguration. Defense Against the Dark Arts sounds kinda cool, but I don't know. History of Magic just sounds dull," said Molly.
"I wonder if we'll be there soon. I'm going to go ask the conductor," Erin announced. She got up and left the compartment. She returned shortly and said, "About fifteen more minutes. We probably should change into our robes."
That they did, and then they complimented each other on their witchly attire. When the train slowed to a stop, the three girls stepped off the Hogwarts Express together. They walked over and joined a group of other kids who were standing around a huge man calling, "Firs' years over here!"
"That must be Hagrid!" Erin realized. They followed Hagrid down a steep, narrow path until they got their first glimpse of Hogwarts.
"Ooooh, wow!" all the first years exclaimed. They continued down the path until they reached a large lake. There were several boats waiting for them, and they piled onto them in groups of four. Erin, Molly, and Tina were joined by small, dark-haired witch. Everyone was silent as the boats glided across the lake. Each and every boy and girl were fascinated by the castle atop of a tall mountain. They entered an opening in the cliff that led to some sort of underground harbor. Then they walked along a path and soon huddled together on the stone steps in front of an oak door, and Hagrid proceeded to knock three times.