Hello all! Here is chapter 3 for your reading pleasure. I own none of JKR's characters, more's the pity. Kiara, her parents, and anyone not recognizable from the books are my own creations. I'm making no money off this, so please don't sue me. I'm not sure what Bill and Charlie Weasley's ages are supposed to be, so I made them to suit my story. Remember, AU story. In the words of Adam Savage (from the TV show "Mythbusters"): "I reject your reality and substitute my own". :)
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Chapter 3: The Hogwarts Express
The rest of Kiara's summer passed uneventfully. She spent much of her time reading her new books, only occasionally remembering to go outside and enjoy the summer. She found that she was particularly drawn to the Potions text. She felt that it could easily become her favourite subject. When she was not reading, however, or enjoying the outdoors, she found herself thinking about the dark-haired man she'd met that day in Diagon Alley. She wasn't sure why she was even curious about him, as he had not been very friendly and barely civil, but that curiosity was not satisfied in the least by her Gran's rather vague answers to her questions. All her Gran seemed willing to say was "You'll see". She also spent a lot of time with her new owl and she found she got along quite well with him. She soon realized that she could let him come and go as he chose, as he never failed to return, occasionally bringing 'presents' of field mice or other small creatures.
In what seemed like a few short days, the end of the summer had arrived. The night before she was to leave, Kiara packed her school stuff carefully in a new trunk that her Gran had gotten her, and settled Jareth into his cage.
On September first, the whole family was up early. Gran arrived just after breakfast to accompany Kiara and her parents to King's Cross in London. They got there with about fifteen minutes to spare. Kiara gave her parents and Gran hugs and kisses and went to get on the train. As she was dragging her trunk towards the scarlet steam engine that was the Hogwarts Express, she was approached by two tall, redheaded boys.
"Hello," said the older of the two, "Need help with your trunk?"
"Hello," she replied, "Yes, please." The two picked up her trunk and placed it into a compartment. That done, they turned back to her.
"I'm Bill Weasley," the older boy said, offering his hand. "I'm in fifth year, and this is my brother Charlie, he's in his third year."
"Nice to meet you," Kiara replied, shaking their hands in turn. "I'm Kiara Connon."
"If you need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask," Bill said. "I'm a prefect, which gives me a little authority over the younger students. I put you in Charlie's compartment. I hope you don't mind, but the others are mostly full."
"Not a problem, and thanks," Kiara said. At this moment, the train sounded its boarding whistle. Kiara got into the compartment that she was sharing with Charlie Weasley and two of his friends. Charlie introduced the boy as Luke Jordan, and the girl as Alison Spinnet, both in third year.
As the Hogwarts Express steamed its way through the countryside, Kiara was content to sit and listen as the other three chatted about Quidditch. From their conversation, Kiara discovered what this wizard sport was like and also that Charlie and Alison were both on one of the house teams, Gryffindor. Charlie was the Seeker and Alison was one of the three Chasers. Every so often, the others made an attempt to include Kiara in the conversation. They bought lunch off a trolley pushed by a plump, grey-haired witch and continued their easy chatter, occasionally swapping bits of their lunches with one another.
Several hours later, as it was starting to get dark outside, the two boys left the compartment so that the girls could change into their Hogwarts robes. Then, the girls left to allow the boys to change. Soon after that, the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. The prefects, including Bill, directed the first years to leave their belongings on the train, and herded them towards a huge man at the end of the platform who was calling the first years. The huge man, who introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, led them to a fleet of small boats. Kiara gasped along with the other first years as she caught sight of the castle that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hagrid led them up to a stern-looking witch who, introducing herself as Professor McGonagall, explained the Sorting procedure to them, then led them into the Great Hall. Kiara saw that the older students were already in there and seated at the four long tables.
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I'll be steamrollering fairly quickly through Kiara's first years, only slowing down occasionally for a few choice moments. The really good parts will be after she's grown up.
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