A/N: This is my first so please comment and let me know what you think. HP characters not mine, but Mia is.
Mia looked from her ticket to the giant standing next to her to the brick wall hat stood in front of her looking incredibly solid.
"Come on now, nothing to be 'fraid of." The jolly half-giant lumbered towards the brick wall his umbrella in hand.
Mia gaped as she watched him disappear through the wall. Wide-eyed, she whipped her head from side to side sure that someone had noticed the hulking man disappear through the brick wall.
"Here goes." She sighed and gripped the handles of her trolley. But instead of crashing into the wall she felt a gust of cool air and saw a scarlet train stationed at the end of the platform. Hagrid smiled as her jaw dropped at the sign hanging over the platform. It read 9 ¾ just like her ticket stub.
"Oh…my…God." Was all she could say. It seemed it was all she had been saying since the letter with the emerald green writing had arrived at her feet.
Hagrid, not a stranger to many young people's shocked faces helped her load her trunks and packages on to the train.
"Where is everyone else?" Mia asked after settling into an empty compartment.
"They're already at school." Hagrid answered as he backed out.
"Oh right." She sank down a sad look in her blue eyes.
"Well then…" Hagrid stepped out of the compartment as quietly as he could, "I'll be seein yeh when we get off the train. Will yeh be all right?"
Mia nodded and looked out the window as he slid the compartment door shut. The train began to move slowly and soon she was on her way to another new place. She sat back and closed her eyes but it was no use. She just couldn't sleep. Frustrated, she fished a blue spiral notebook out of her bag. It had once been decorated with pictures and magazine cutouts, but the notebook she held in her hand was falling apart. Ignoring the ripping cover and mangled sheets, she turned to a relatively unharmed page and began to write.
Date--?
Time who knows
It's real. It's all real. Everything that letter said is all true. There are witches and wizards and I'm a witch. Wow you don't know how hard that was to write. Everything's just happening so fast. Everything's changing and there's nothing I can do about it.
A tear drop fell unto the page blurring the words she had just written. Mia furiously wiped at her cheek. She hated crying and had forced herself not to. There hadn't been any time for it, but that afternoon on a train ride to….somewhere she felt her body go limp. Her chin dropped and her hands shook as the tears flowed. She pushed the notebook aside and cried.
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She dabbed cool water on her puffy eyes and sniffed noisily. She frowned as she caught her reflection in the mirror. She didn't recognize herself. Her hair usually a well-kept thick mass of waves had become a frizzy nest of curls. The bags under her eyes were heavy with lack of sleep. Her olive skin had lost its color and her eyes their sparkle. The girl that was staring back at her was pasty and dull.
She let out a shaky sigh and lifted her chin. She didn't want to come into a new place looking like she'd been through hell and back, so she wouldn't. Beginning to straighten herself up, she wrestled her hair into an unruly braid and turned the collar of her over-sized rugby shirt up. As she tightened the laces on her sneakers the compartment door slid open. Hagrid stood in the doorway smiling. His smile faded as soon as he laid eyes on Mia.
"Erm Amelia—"
Mia looked up suddenly, her blue eyes flashing, "Mia not Amelia."
"Oh right, sorry…" Her cold interruption had surprised him and he began cautiously, "Mia shouldn't yeh be in yer school robes?"
"Sorry, I didn't think about it." Mia shrugged as she looked down at her outfit.
"Well no time fer any of that now," Hagrid said as the train screeched to a halt, "We're here!"
Mia put a hand to her stomach to calm the butterflies fluttering around. As she moved to haul her trunk off the train, she was stopped by a smiling Hagrid.
"No need fer that, you've got magic now."
Hagrid led the way on to the dark platform. A lone carriage stood waiting for them.
"In yeh go." Hagrid coaxed the cautious Mia into the horseless carriage.
The carriage jolted to a start as soon as the door shut. Mesmerized, Mia peered out the window. She didn't ask any questions. Like Hagrid said, she had magic now. Mia sighed sadly knowing that under different circumstances she would be bursting with questions. Glancing at the half-giant that sat hunched beside her, she felt a wave of gratitude wash over her.
"Thank you."
Hagrid smiled kindly his eyes almost disappearing as they crinkled up. Mia nodded unable to return her companion's warm smile. Turning her attention back to the window, she gasped as the grand castle loomed into sight.
"That ther is the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Hagrid announced his voice filled with pride.
"Oh my God."