In a world unbeknownst to all but a select few, on a chilly first of September, families stood on a bright and crowded platform, waving goodbye to the newest members joining the thronging masses of student that had boarded the red steam train, ready to be taken to their new school.

The platform was alive with the noise of owls hooting, cats yowling and various other creatures, both magical and non magical, causing a racket as the steam strain let out a shrill whistle. Bright glittering objects flashed and colorful silk swished in the draft caused by the train as it prepared to depart.

Walking through the crowd, you may notice a bright pink powder puff squeaking in protest as a little girl tried to cram it into her rucksack. Maybe you would see a tall Asian boy with a frustrated look on his face staring intently at the large marble like object in his hand that had suddenly turned red. Perhaps you would come across a girl with her that seemed to shimmer like moonlight standing on her tiptoes to kiss a boy whose hair changed from crimson to amber to emerald to turquoise to mauve in a continues cycle You might catch a snippet of conversation here or there;

"-more of that and I'll send a howler on your first-"

"-and fifty galleons and it doesn't even have a permanent sticking charm!"

Any normal person would think that this was some strange dream, but the people on this platform are far from normal.

A woman with bushy brown hair and bright eyes turned to her redheaded husband, a nervous look on her face, "I'm not sure how much I like the idea of Rose going so soon," she voiced fretfully. "She's only just eleven; maybe we should have waited another year."

"Relax 'Mione," the man said, patting her shoulder. "She's a bright kid. She'll be fine."

"It's hard with the first one," the other redhead reassured, more accustomed to the act of letting one's child go out into the world. "But you'll see that they can cope on their own. We did."

"Talking about what we did is not going to calm her down love," a Dark haired wizard with grass green eyes added light-heartedly. " Forbidden Forest in our first year?"

"And the car we crashed into the whomping willow in our second," supplied the first wizard nostalgically.
"Just better hope they don't try and single-handedly wrestle a mountain troll," remarked the ginger witch lightly.

Hermione looked horrified.

"Now look here that not-"

But all three of them where laughing at her.

"Come on Lils, back to the car," the green-eyed wizard chuckled, reaching for his daughter's hand.

Lily however wasn't standing listening to the conversation. Instead, hearing the sound of the shrill whistle once more, she had begun to follow the scarlet express as it departed from the platform. Running after the smiling faces of her two brothers and cousin, she listened to their jokes of unconventional presents and promises of extravagant anecdotes until, half laughing, half crying; the small red-haired girl was left behind in a cloud of smoke.