Blood Status Problems

Getting to Hogwarts was a whole other kettle of fish as my dad used to say. For a start we had to get to King's Cross station loaded with all of the supplies that Professor McGonagall had helped me with the day previous at a place called Diagon Alley.

Once we did arrive at King's Cross after a rather long journey on a train and then a short one on a tube, we realised that my ticket said the Hogwarts Express would depart from platform 9 ¾ at 11am exactly. Only platform 9 ¾ didn't appear to exist. We hovered between platforms 9 and 10, dad looking smug, he didn't want me going to Hogwarts any way, Janet looking worried and me, well I was just wishing I was magical enough to will the platform into existence. No such luck I'm afraid.

Minutes past and I started to get hysterical and I was on the verge of tears when I heard a voice shout, "Jenny! Don't keep dropping your wand! It would be a fine thing for you to be expelled from Hogwarts before you've even started!"

I span around as fast as possible to locate the source of the shout. As soon as I set eyes on the owner of the voice I knew she had to be a witch; she was wearing the most peculiar clothes! A blue dress with a green petticoat, green wellington boots, a heavy black winter coat and a straw boater hat. The girl she was with, Jenny, was wearing a similar mismatch of clothes, substituting the wellingtons for trainers, her dress was pink with a red petticoat instead of blue and green like the mothers. Instead of wearing a hat she wore a sun visor, despite the lack of sun.

"Sorry mum," a small girlish voice replied, "I just couldn't keep hold of it, I have too much stuff to carry, could we get one of those things?", pointing to swarm of trollies to left.

"Excuse me," I said walking over to them before I had consciously made the decision to do so, "but, I… well…. I was … I was hoping you could help me find platform 9 ¾? I've never been before."

"Of course dear! Oh look at you, a muggle-born I suppose, are they your parents?" she said just as Dad and Janet came up behind us.

"well, no my mother was a witch, but my dad is a muggle and so is Janet, my step-mum." I told her.

"Pleased to meet you, ah?"

"Oh yes, I'm Scarlet Jones, this is my Dad, David and my step-mother, Janet."

"Well, I'm Doris Catchlove" she said whilst shaking my parents' hands, "and this is my daughter Jennifer. It's her first year at Hogwarts too. What did you say your mother's name was dear?"

"Marie Pilliwickle"

"Oh, I knew her, she was a charming young woman, and so clever too! You'll do well at Hogwarts, Scarlet, if you're anything like she is!" Mrs Catchlove said with a warm and genuine smile. "Right. Platform 9 ¾ is this way, follow me!"

And we did.

I could hardly believe it when Mrs Catchlove said we had to run at a brick wall in order to get on to the platform. I thought I'd imagined her using the word 'Hogwarts' and she was actually just some crazy woman off the street, until I saw two older boys running headlong at the wall, they just kept going and going until they weren't there anymore.

I decided now was probably the best time to say goodbye to Dad and Janet. Considering I barely knew anything about the wizarding world, I was already a walking target for pranksters and bullies. I wanted to walk onto the platform strong and independent.

"Right, well. I'll see you at Christmas I suppose" I said, turning to my parents and hugging them each in turn, "don't have too much fun without me!"

"Have a brilliant time, Scar, I want to hear all about it in your letters, promise me you'll write tonight?" Janet said whilst pulling me into a second bone-crushing hug.

"I will"

"I'm not sure about this, Scar. There's a reason your mother left this place. Something doesn't feel right." My dad said, looking genuinely scared for my wellbeing.

"Dad, I'll be fine! Professor McGonagall said it's much safer now than when mum was a student!" I told him for the millionth time that morning. "I love you both. See you soon."

And I walked through the brick wall without looking back.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of excitement and awe. Jennifer seemed insistent on staying right by my side, which helped, it was as though I had a constant tour guide. It seemed the Catchlove's were related to a lot of people. Every few minutes I'd hear "oh that's Fabian and Gideon Prewett, my mother's second cousin's children" or "Over there must be Sirius Black, a relation of the Prewetts," and "That blonde girl by the window is Marlene Mckinnon, her mother is my dad's cousin" The best thing about Jenny was that she didn't seem to care that I knew nothing of the wizarding world.

We were sitting in a carriage on the Hogwarts express when a boy of about our age came in and sat opposite me. He had dark hair and similarly dark eyes, he walked with the air of someone important. "Mind if I sit?" he said in such a haughty tone that I nearly laughed.

"Not at all" I replied, mimicking him.

"Thank you. My name is Avery, and this is my first year at Hogwarts" I noted to myself two things here, 1) Wizards have no sense of humour and 2) They have weird first names (it wasn't until at least a year later that I realised Avery was his last name).

"I'm Scarlet and this is Jenny. We're first years too."

"Pleasure to meet you" said Avery, Shaking our hands in turn. "it is a shame to see so many muggle borns isn't it?"

"Why's that?" I replied, starting to feel uncomfortable and defensive.

"Well, my Father has always said Hogwarts should be strictly for the education of pure-bloods. Because muggle-borns are essentially thieves."

"What about half-bloods then? I replied, getting angrier by the second. And my body's immediate reaction to anger is tears. I could feel them prickling at the edge of my lower lid.

"Same goes, I'm afraid. If Muggle-borns never attended Hogwarts there would be no cross-contamination of Magical blood."

"Well that's where you're wrong Avery" I snapped back, "My mother was an exceptional Pure-Blood witch, and my father is a postman from Bromley" the look on Avery's face was priceless. A mixture of shock, disgust and embarrassment rolled into one. He immediately stood up and swooped out of the door in the same snooty fashion with which he walked in.

"Well, that was interesting" I laughed to Jenny, she had been trying to stifle her giggles behind her left hand until he had left the compartment. I laughed despite the feeling that Avery's opinion was not only shared by him and his father, and the worst was yet to come.