AN: Yay, we're off to Hogwarts! I'm so excited. Again if there is anything you love or hate in particular please let me know. Also I had my own idea of what the Hufflepuff common room would look like so I took what JKR wrote on Pottermore and added a few personal touches.
Morgorah
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR except the Burrows family.
Chapter 3, The Journey Begins
The summer holidays that year had been the best Frances had ever had. Not only had she been extremely excited about starting Hogwarts, but her family had gone on a fantastic holiday to a theme park in Spain, and then spent another week staying with relatives. Frances' cousin Annie was two years younger than her and they'd had a lot of fun together. Of course Dalla had been left behind, but other than missing her new companion a great time was had.
The three months flew in, and before she knew it there was only one week left until the 1st of September. This last week had been spent sunbathing in the back garden, (it was an unnaturally hot British summer) and reading through her school books at random. Her favourite was Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century. There was so much she didn't know about this new world and she wanted to learn it all. She'd read a lot about the first wizarding war in which a dark lord named Voldemort terrorised magic folk and muggle alike, leaving death and destruction in his wake. He had been defeated, or at least he had disappeared, when he had tried to kill a baby boy named Harry Potter. She realised the boy would be about the same age as her and she'd wondered if he would be at Hogwarts.
On the 31st August the Burrows family travelled down to London. They had booked a room at the Leaky Cauldron, figuring Dalla wouldn't be welcome at a muggle hotel. Mary had been even more shocked than her husband when the inn magically appeared before her, and Alfie's grin had been so wide when he realised he could see the magical building without being shown it first that Frances was scared his jaw would crack. "I really do have magic don't I Frances?" He'd asked his sister who had just grinned back at him in reply.
When they'd entered the noisy inn they had been overwhelmed by how busy it was. Obviously a lot of people had had the same idea as them. Tom had shown them to their room and they'd left the luggage there, then Frances took her family to the little courtyard at the back of the building. Two teenage boys with identical flame red hair were there already, looking very much like they were up to no good. They had just opened the archway, so Frances had grabbed her brother's hand and motioned for her mum and dad to follow before it could close, emerging on the other side looking out upon Diagon Alley. It was even busier than before, packed with school children all ready to set off to Hogwarts. Alfie had been uncharacteristically silent, gaping at the scene before him in much the same way his sister had only months before.
Frances took her family to all of her favourite shops. They'd spent a considerable amount of time in Floutish and Blotts and Obscurus Books, and Alfie had almost passed out with excitement looking at the brooms in Quality Quidditch Supplies. The adults allowed the children to have one treat each from the sweet shop, Alfie choosing a chocolate frog, for the card, not the chocolate, and Frances a sugar coated mouse. Dinner was had at one of the few empty tables inside the Leaky Cauldron, during which the family had to practically shout at each other to hold a conversation, and after a long day of excitement the family had finally retired to their room, and it wasn't long before sleep overtook the two little Burrows.
The morning after Frances was wide awake before anyone else, reading again to pass the time. When Christopher's alarm went off, the rest of the family got up and they headed downstairs for breakfast together. It was still very early as he'd had the foresight to realise that when the time came to head to Kings Cross Station there would be a mass exodus from the little inn, so he had his family washed, dressed, fed and in the car by 9.30.
It was just a short journey from the Leaky Cauldron to Kings Cross Station. Christopher parked his car in the car park and found a trolley for his daughter to put all her things on, then the family of four had made their way through the crowds towards platform 9. Now that she was finally here the young witch stopped to look around, but she found herself frowning.
"I don't see a red steam engine anywhere, and where are the other witches and wizards?" She asked, getting more and more frustrated after she had walked the length of the platform and still there was no train to be found. Not knowing what else to do she pulled out her ticket to check that they had the right platform and felt completely foolish when she realised that she had indeed got it wrong, it wasn't platform 9, it was platform 9 3/4.
Looking around she tried to find a sign or something to indicate how to get to the platform, but she found nothing. A lump was forming in her throat as she felt herself get upset. She didn't want her family to see her disappointment, so she just stood there, staring at the wall between platforms 9 and 10.
"Are you going through?" a voice came from behind her. She whipped round to find a woman and her young son, probably the same age as her, looking expectantly at her.
"I, I don't know how," she said quietly, her head bowed. The woman's expression softened immediately into a soft smile.
"Oh well in that case just watch what Shaemus and I do, it's really not that difficult, you just have to run straight into the wall, and don't worry, you won't get hurt."
The woman and her son did exactly as she said and ran straight into the brick wall, vanishing at the point where there should have been a collision. Frances gasped in surprise, she was really going to have to get used to things like that.
It was now her turn to disappear through the wall, leaving her family behind and entering a world she had spent a lifetime dreaming of. Very much aware that Diagon Alley had only been a small taste of the wonders to be seen, and what lay beyond this wall was much much more; the magnificent train that would take her to the enchanted castle, with the forest and the lake and the mountains, it was all she could do to not squeal in delight as she thought about it, but when she looked at her parents standing together behind her the smile vanished.
Frances walked over to them and was immediately enveloped in her father's loving embrace. For a moment she felt like she might indeed cry, but her father lifted her chin and looked deep into her eyes.
"Don't even think about crying sweetheart, this is a happy moment, you are going to have such a wonderful time at Hogwarts, and before you know it, it will be Christmas and you'll be home again for the holidays." He smiled at his daughter with such warmth that she couldn't help but smile back, unable to find the words to say so she nodded instead.
She then looked over to her mother. The small woman looked like she was trying to put on a brave face but Frances could tell it wasn't working. Her only daughter was leaving, and there was nothing she could do to stop her, not that she would ever stop her baby girl from having anything that would make her happy.
"I'll miss you." Mary said while planting a small kiss on her daughter's forehead.
"I'll miss you too, but I promise I'll send Dalla with a letter every day. Well, maybe not everyday, but once a week for sure." Mary laughed at her daughters honest statement and with it the mood was lifted considerably.
Before releasing her though she bent down and whispered into her ear "Be safe."
When she looked at her brother, Alfie was staring at his feet, absently kicking a stone around. She walked up to him and smiled, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I think I'll miss you the most," she told him. When He looked up at her with his wide childlike eyes, she pulled him into a tight hug. A small smile to her three family members told them that she was ready. Frances went over to her trolley, turned it around so that it was facing the wall, and with one last glance back she closed her eyes and ran straight through the wall.
When she opened her eyes Frances found the great red steam engine standing proudly before her, just as glorious as Aderyn had said it would be. Quite a few students were already on the platform, obviously having opted for the better to be early than late motto too. Taking a deep breath Frances moved towards the train, weaving her way through the students giving their farewells as she had done only moments ago. She found a fairly empty spot halfway down the platform and stopped to unload her things. She carried Dalla onto the train first, finding an empty compartment, then came back to get her trunk.
When Frances sat down in her empty compartment she pulled Dalls's cage next to her, and poked her fingers through the bars to stroke her gently. "This is it Dalla," she said fondly to the owl. She then pulled one of her books out of her trunk and as always was immediately engrossed, so much so that she jumped with a start when the train began to move. Looking out of the window she could see everyone on the platform waving goodbye to their loved ones, then the station vanished and they were off!
The first two hours passed uneventfully, and at around 1 o'clock Frances decided she was hungry. Her mother had packed some lunch for her so she scrambled around in her trunk and pulled out the small box with sandwiches crisps and fruit inside. There was however nothing to drink. She remembered that a lady had come by earlier with a trolley full of sweets and drink so she got out her small bag of money and left Dalla to go find the lady. She found her halfway along the train, serving a group of gossiping teenage girls. "Is it true?" one of them was asking.
"Yeah, Katie saw him on the platform," the other said.
"I won't believe that Harry Potter is on the train until I see him for myself," the last girl stated before walking off, her friends following. Frances bought her drink from the lady and took it back to her compartment, glancing into each compartment as she passed, just in case she did catch a glimpse of the boy she had read about in her book.
After lunch Frances decided to take a nap, hoping that when she woke they would almost be at Hogwarts. It seemed her eyes had only been closed a few moments when she heard a knock at her compartment door. Cracking her eyes open she could just make out the figure of a young girl, so she got up to let her in. The girl was small and frumpy with a mess of bushy brown hair and slightly large front teeth. "Have you seen a toad?" the girl asked. Frances looked a little confused at the question.
"Er, no." she replied, "Have you lost one?"
"No, a boy named Neville has," the girl said, looking slightly exasperated.
After a moments thought Frances said "Would you like me to help you look for it?" The other girl looked surprised.
"You know your'e the first person to ask me that," she said. Frances blushed then stood up.
"I'll go one way, you go the other?" Just as they were about to go their separate ways the girl stopped and turned round.
"My name's Hermione by the way."
"Frances." They exchanged a smile and then parted.
After an hour of asking random students and checking in small spaces Frances concluded that the toad was no where to be found. Outside, the sky was turning dark, and she guessed that they would be arriving soon, so she made her way back to her compartment to change into her robes. Dalla was fast asleep in her cage.
It felt weird wearing her robes for the first time, a good weird that is. They were extremely comfy and airy, much better than wearing jeans she thought, although it wasn't just the comfort that made her feel different. She caught her reflection in the darkened window and gasped. Smiling to herself she pulled her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at her mirror image, mentally flicking through the different spells she had read about. She didn't think anything would happen, she just wanted to pretend, so she concentrated on the tip of her wand and whispered "lumos." To her great surprise a tiny white light started to glow and then vanished again when she stumbled back. I just did magic! She thought.
When Frances stepped off the train she was overwhelmed by the amount of people crowded on the platform. Most of the students headed off in the same general direction, but a small group were cautiously looking around them, unsure where to go. Before she could think any more about it a loud voice came from the end of the platform. "First years over here, first years this way!" It bellowed. Frances looked round in the direction it had come from and almost screamed when her eyes met a massive hairy man holding up a lantern, and beside him, a great big dog. He was waving at the group of first years, beckoning them to follow.
She made her way over and waited for the rest of her classmates to arrive. When it appeared that everyone was present the giant man led them to the end of the platform. He disappeared down a flight of stairs that led to the edge of the lake, where a number of small boats sat waiting, bobbing up and down on the water. After helping each of the children into the boats the giant man sat down in the last one with his large companion and they began to move.
At first Frances couldn't see much through the darkness, just the students whose boats where immediately to her right and to her left. After a short while a faint glow appeared up ahead, and as they neared everyone realised it was the lights of the castle. Frances kept her eyes locked in front of her, they grew wider and wider as the details of the magnificent castle became clearer. It was beyond anything she had ever imagined, and she felt with a deep certainty that this was a moment she would remember forever.
As she was unable to take her eyes of the magnificent sight before her, Frances was surprised when someone tapped her on the shoulder and told her that the boats had stopped moving. Sure enough when she looked around the other children were clambering out of their boats and following the giant man out of the boat house. Every one of the children looked up at the castle with awe as it loomed above them. Nearing the entrance they could hear the laughter and chatter flowing out from inside.
Walking into the entrance hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was the second moment that day that Frances felt she would hold onto and cherish for the rest of her life. Even though the space was vast, and the walls echoed with the murmurs and chatter of her fellow classmates, she couldn't help the discernible feeling that she was at home. At the top of the stairs stood an elderly witch in tartan robes. She had a stern face and her hair was pulled back, hidden under her large green pointy hat. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall.
So now Frances stood at the front of the great hall with the other first years feeling very much exposed as all eyes seemed to be on them. Her eyed wandered around the room, taking in as much as she could. The ceiling looked like it wasn't a ceiling at all, she could see the clouds floating in the night sky, and stars shining through the gaps between them. Below the stars floated thousands of glittering candles. Most of the hall was taken up with four long tables that spanned the length of the entire hall, the rest of the students were sat at these tables, all eyes to the front. The teachers all sat at another table that was directly behind where the first years were gathered. Their table was raised on a Dias, probably so they could watch everything going on. In front of the Dias stood a small wooden stool, and on top of it, a mangy old hat.
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention. Once she had it she announced the sorting. Everyone looked expectantly at the hat on the stool and much to Frances' surprise a mouth appeared at the rim of the hat and it began to sing. It sang a song about the different houses of Hogwarts; Gryfindor for the brave, Ravenclaw for the smart, Hufflepuff for the kind and Slutherin for the cunning. When the song was done McGonagall started calling out the students one by one, and they each in turn sat on the stool and had the hat placed on their heads. After a pause, sometimes long, sometimes short, the hat would shout out one of the four houses and the student would go and join the table to witch the house belonged.
"Burrows, Frances" McGonagall called.
Frances nervously made her way to the small stool and the hat was placed on her head. She jumped when she heard a voice. "Ah," it said, "A Burrows. You come from a long line of Hufflepuffs you know, it seems the most obvious choice to put you where you belong don't you think?"
"Er, yes." she mumbled.
"Excellent," the hat said before shouting "Hufflepuff!" for everyone to hear. Frances made her way to the table that was cheering and clapping the loudest and sat down.
Most people's attention wandered as the sorting went on, there were a lot of students to go through and Frances had been one of the first. The chatter was drowning out her thoughts when all of a sudden the room went deadly quiet. She hadn't heard who's name had been called but when she looked up at the stool she saw a scrawny little boy with messy black hair and glasses. There were whispers of the name Harry Potter and Frances couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that this scared looking little boy was apparently "the boy who lived." Her opinion changed however when after quite some time the hat shout Gryfindor and the little boy's eyes shone with something she couldn't quite place. Maybe she was wrong about him, she'd have to wait and see.
Finally the sorting was over and all the new students had a new home. The hall was filled with general chatter as everyone introduced themselves but quieted shortly after as an old wizard with extremely long grey hair and an equally long grey beard stood up. He didn't need to tell anyone to be quiet, his very presence radiated from where he stood as everyone turned towards him. He smiled at the hall in general, a warm smile that spoke of kindness and love. Frances had an unexplainable feeling that no matter what happened, if she was near this man, she would feel safe.
The wizard introduced himself as Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school. He welcomed everyone, old and new, and gave a few rules; not to go into the forest or to the third floor corridor. He then declared that the feast begin. As soon as he had said the words the tables were suddenly filled with food of many, many different kinds. Plates and cutlery appeared, and small golden goblets that were filled with the same drink she had earlier on the train. Everyone tucked in to the feast, chatting merrily and it seemed that not a single person there had a care in the world.
After pudding Frances felt very satisfied and very sleepy, as did most people by the looks on their faces. Dumbledore stood up once more and said it was time for bed. She just managed to register him saying that the first years were to follow their prefect, whatever that was, she was too tired now. Everyone stood up and shuffled out of the great hall, staying close to their new house mates. Frances found herself being led out of the hall and down a corridor. At the end of the corridor was a flight of stairs leading down to another corridor.
All along the walls were portraits and paintings that to her amazement seemed like they were alive, waving to the students as they passed. Some of the inhabitants of the portraits were chatting to each other, moving into each others frames. There was a bowl of fruit, conspicuously still, and a meadow full of dancing women clad in green tunics. The prefect stopped when he came to a pile of barrels. He pulled out his wand and turned towards the first years. "There's no password to get in," he shouted over the chatter, "you just have to tap this barrel with your wand in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff'" He did just that and the barrel opened to reveal a small upwards sloping tunnel.
Frances followed everyone inside and felt a smile break her tired face as she took in her surroundings. It was the most homely place she had ever seen. The walls were painted in warm shades of yellow and had a large portrait of Helga Hufflepuff holding a small golden cup. There were many soft sofas and squishy beanbags surrounding the scattered tables and desks made out of a fitting honey coloured wood. Bookcases lined the walls and between the windows sat different plants. She walked over to the small round window to look out and found her vision filled with green and yellow, the grassy grounds covered in daffodils, softly bending in the breeze.
The male and female first years were then split up and led to their separate dormitories. Frances found herself standing in front of a small round door, not unlike the door of a hobbit hole she thought. Once through this door they were led down a corridor with many windows, each one housing a small plant, and they finally stopped in front of another round door to the side. "This ones yours," the prefect said. She stepped aside, letting the four girls into their new room.
It was a small round room, the same yellow colours on the curtains of the windows and their four poster beds. Beside each window hung a bedpan that could be used to heat up their already cosy looking beds. In the centre of the room, set into the floor, was a small round hearth. Their trunks sat at the bottom of their beds, indicating who's was who's. Frances walked over to her own bed and sat down, smiling through her tiredness. "Oh I love it," one of the girls suddenly cried. "I wouldn't care if I had to stay in this room the whole seven years it's perfect." When she noticed the other three girls smiling at her and nodding in agreement she introduced herself. "I'm Cassandra, Cassandra White," she said.
The others introduced themselves too. The girl with the long red hair was Susan Bones, she looked quite similar to Frances, just chubbier and without freckles. The blonde girl was Hannah Abbott. As the girls changed into pyjamas and got ready for bed they chatted about their families, about the classes that would start the next day and what their teachers would be like. By the time they were all fast asleep Frances thought that it was very likely that they would become fast friends.