Chapter Two
"Mom, I love you." I said while tightly hugging her. As I pulled back, I could see the tears swelling in her eyes. "I love you Lily, so much, I want you to be safe."
"I promise mom, I will, and I'll write as much as I can."
She laughed. "Not too much or you'll loose focus on your studies. She gave me another tight hug and I said. "Promise me you'll be safe too."
"Of course I will sweetie." She gave my forehead a kiss. "Now off you go, the taxi is waiting downstairs." She led me to the door and I waved a final goodbye and with one last glance before I walked out.
The cab smelled funny and the cab driver smelled funnier. But the trip was quite uneventful. I just stared out the window to the passing buildings and cars, thinking about how in the world am I going to keep sane while my mother is living in that rat hole and I'm away at school. It just makes me so frustrated. Caught up in my frustrations, I didn't notice the taxi stopped.
I got out and looked to the unfamiliar Kings Cross station. It was packed full with hasty businessmen and women running about. I paid the driver and grabbed a trolley to whisk my stuff through the platform.
Platform nine and three quarters is what the letter said, between the platforms nine and ten I would find the barrier. But which platform? There were several about. So I decided to check them all.
I slid my hand over the cool stone pilars, hoping to find the right one, but was awkwardly interupted by someone.
"What in the world are you doing?" they said as I stood petrified. I quickly glanced toward them and put on an innocent face. Two people were staring back at me with befuddled faces. A lovely girl and a handsome boy who seemed about my age.
"Um, well...you see...I-I?" I stammered like an idiot.
The girl spoke first to the boy softly. "Matt, do you think she's trying to, you know?"
The guy obviously named Matt shrugged and whispered back, but I heard clearly. "I'm not sure Denise, it's either that, or she's trying to feel up that wall. But my guess would be the platform."
I was appalled at his first thought but shook it off. He said trying to find the platform! I spoke rapidly. "The platform yes!"
"Oh, alright then." they both said in unison. I let a relieved sigh.
"Are you a first year?" Matt asked with skeptical eyes.
"Isn't she a little bit old too be a first year Matt." Denise said evidently giving him a look. "And it's in the middle of the year, it's obvious, she's a pristine."
A pristine? What is that? I wondered as Matt responded. "You're right." he nodded his expression amazed at me.
"What am I?" I asked feeling rather dumb.
Denise also gave me a look. "A pristine, new."
"Which is good and bad at the same time." Matt said while scratching his head.
"Bad?" I felt out of the loop here.
"Yes it was." Denise said to Matt.
"What?" I'm not really keeping up well.
"What year are you in?"
"Sixth Year." A question I finally knew. But they both looked to each other and nodded in agreement, as if speaking in theirown language. They quickly scanned the area and Denise pulled my arm to the other stone arch and we both fazed through the barrier. Matt came a moment later with my trolley as well as dragging his and Denise's.
"Are you sixth years also?" I asked. They all loaded the baggages into the cart and dragged me onto the steaming red train which red 'Hogwarts Express'. I also read the clock, it read 10:30, I still had time to spare.
"Yes." they finally replied and they dragged me into an empty compartment. Denise motioned for me to sit across from her and Matt stood casually against the locked door.
"Is something wrong? Did I say something?" I wondered since their expressions looked bewildered. Have I offended them in a way? Denise looked at me with a piercing stare.
"What is your name?" she asked.
"Full name." Matt corrected.
Alright. I thought. "Lily Gwendolyn Evans." They both looked pondered.
"Do you know?" she asked him.
"Never heard of." he shook his head.
"A little bit?"
"Not at all."
Denise sighed and looked back at me. "Alright Lily. We are going to ask you a few simple questions and I would like you to just answer them as honestly as possible."
"Why?" Do I have to be interrigated before entering the school or something?
"Just trust us on this." Matt said.
"Answer the questions then all will be revealed." Denise gave me a truthful look.
I might as well, so I slowly nodded in agreement laying back against the seat. "Alright, ask me anything."
They gave a quick nod and started their questioning. "Where do you live?"
"I live in West Ham, but I used to live in France."
"Housing?"
"Apartment?" My housing? It just made me remember my mother living in that house, it made my stomach turn uncomfortably.
"Parent's job occupation?" that stung me.
"Um, well my parents had just gotten divorced, and i'm living with my mom."
"Oh." Denise said softly. "So, what is your mother's job?"
"She was a stay home mother before, but now she works at the West Ham Market and then at the local coffee house and bakery afterwards." I said, I felt a little ill at ease, I didn't look at them, up until Denise sighed. I looked up and she was rubbing her forehead in deep thought. She turned to Matt.
"This isn't good."
Good? What isn't good? "What is?" I asked with a hint of venom in my voice.
"I know Denise, this isn't look good at all."
"Is there something wrong! Can someone please tell me what the hell is oging on?" There constant leaving me out of the loop hole was a bit annoying.
"Alright, Lily calm down." Matt held his hand out in defense.
"I will if you guys tell me." I was stubborn.
"Alright! I'm going to tell it to you straight Lily, your poor." Denise said plainly.
I think my eye twitched with confusion. Low income? Poor? "And what does that have to do with anything?"
Denise scratched her head. "What's the time Matt?"
"Fifteen to eleven."
"Okay, students should be coming." she stood up looking through the semi-transparent sliding door. Few students scattered the hallways looking for empty compartments.
"My question?" I demanded. "What does me being in a low financial state have to do with anything?"
Matt and Denise just looked to each other and laughed. "It has to do with everything." they said.
"Haven't you read anything about Hogwarts, or at least listen to wizarding news?" Matt asked.
"No I haven't read anything about the school, I just transferred here a week ago! I haven't even gotten any of my books. And I do listen to wizarding news, but I still odn't understand where you two are getting at."
"Lily, you need to understand something." Denise spoke clearly. "Hogwarts is a very well known prestigious school for wizards and witches. It is a high class school where only the best of the best attend, it doesn't necessarily mean intelligence, but in financial aid." Denise explained to me.
"As well as your ranking on the social status ladder." Matt added.
"Exactly!" Denise agreed. "How you will survive in this school all depends on where you are on that ladder."
"A ladder?" I really don't understand. "Social status?"
"The social ladder, as in your family. Whether they are very well known, not well know, or not known at all. Your rank all depends on that."
"Why?" What does rank have to do with you attending the school.
"I don't know exactly why it's like that, and I don't know how it started to be like that, but it just is." I could tell Denise was trying really hard to get me to understand.
"You really need to understand this Lily, or you will be brutally crushed by the superiority of this school." Matt said indefinitely.
"Crushed?" I spoke softly, but there was uneasyness. I felt my eyes go wide.
"Your rank is very important."
"It will determine who you hang out with, and even how well you get along with certain teachers."
"It is very crucial that you get this, or you might as well transfer back home." Denise said.
I sighed heavily and looked down to the floor thinking deeply. Rank, social status, ladders, superiority, and being brutally crushed. What have I gotten myself into!
A/N: Yeah! another chapter, sorry it took so long. I was changing it from first person to third person a billion times :D But It's here and I hope you liked it. Please be oh so generous and review!! Hate it, like it, love it, neutral! - CrimsonEmeralds)