Chapter 4
It began to get dark, so the kids found an old tire and Ms.Scalf turned it into a Portkey and they returned to Diagon Alley. They got some dinner at an old restaurant that had the most amazing fudge any of the kids had ever tasted. They then retuned to the Leaky Cauldron. Ruthie, Mary, Conor, and Maashes all sat together on the floor in the boys' room and talked. Ruthie said, "Guys can you believe that we are going to Hogwarts tomorrow?! This is possibly the greatest thing that's ever happened to me!" The others nodded in agreement and Maashes said, "I wonder what the teachers are like there. Conor did your Mom go to Hogwarts?" Conor shook his head. He said, "My grandparents did, but they moved to the U.S. because Lord Voldemort was killing people. They taught my mom themselves. She then later took an exam administered by the Ministry of Magic of the U.S.A and passed. So she was allowed to use magic anytime." They all nodded. Mary asked, "Aren't there magical academies in the U.S? I mean, why did we have to come all the way to Britain to go to school?" Conor said, "Well there is only one in the U.S. and it's in Los Angeles, California. It's called Zebulon Academy of Magic. And it only selects pure-blood students. I got a letter of acceptance there, but I decided I wanted to go to Hogwarts, and my Mom agreed. We're not into that whole 'pure-bloods are better' thing." The others nodded in agreement. Ruthie said, "We'll my grandparents were. When my Mom married my Dad they went crazy. They pretty much disowned her. It's a good thing my Dad had a good amount of Muggle money, or else they wouldn't have been able to support me. I'm half-blood, so my Dad is a muggle." The others again, nodded thoughtfully. Mary said, "Well me and Maashes are Muggle-borns. This is our first time hearing about magic. Frankly, it's a lot to take in." Conor said, "Yeah, it is. But you'll get used to it, don't worry." He then said, "You know, I wonder what house I'll be in." At the others' bewildered faces he said, "Oh, don't you know about the four Hogwarts houses? Well I'll explain. See there are four houses, each named after one of the four Hogwarts founders: Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Hufflepuffs are reputedly very nice and caring, while Gryffindors are brave and reckless. Ravenclaws are smart and scholarly, and Slytherins are generally defined as selfish, but strong."
The other's, wowed at this news, fell into thought about what house they might be sorted into. No sooner had one been about to speak then Conor's mom stuck her head into the room. She said, "You all had better get some sleep. Tomorrow we have to get up early. Like you know, before 1:00." She looked at Conor when she said this and then withdrew. The girls bade the boys goodnight and left. Maashes and Conor changed and then lay down on the old creaky beds. Conor had had his repaired after that morning's events. After a few minutes of lying awake, Maashes whispered, "Conor, are you awake?" Conor whispered back, "No, I'm asleep. Of course I'm awake!" Maashes laughed silently and said, "So really, what house do you think you'll be in?" Conor rubbed his face in the dark and said, "Well I suppose I may be in Slytherin. I'm a little selfish but I won't turn out to be a Dark wizard, as they say Slytherins do. Maashes said, "Okay, I think I may be in Hufflepuff. I don't know though. Anything is good for me. I'm so excited! I can hardly slee…" But he had fallen to sleep in the middle of his sentence. Conor smiled at this and drifted off too. Wondering what lay ahead in a world of magic.
The next morning came quickly for the children. Ms.Scalf had them up at 9:30, which was early for Conor (he groaned when she entered the room), and down for breakfast at 10. While shoveling in sandwiches of sausages and cheese, the kids could talk of nothing but Hogwarts. Ruthie said through a mouthful of bread, "I really hope I can be Seeker on whatever house team I'm on." The others thought for a moment about this statement and then Maashes said, "Didn't the letter say that first years weren't allowed their own brooms? So how would you play on the House team without a broom?" Ruthie's face fell. She said, "I didn't think about that. I guess I'll have to wait until second year." The others comforted her a bit and then Ms.Scalf said, "Ah look at the time! Its 10:30 we have to get to Kings Cross! Hurry now guys, we don't want to be late!" They all jumped up and followed Ms.Scalf outside of the door. She said, "I'm going to have to use another Portkey to get us near to King's Cross. We can't just land in the station because there are Muggles in there." They then set out to look for a Portkey. Soon, they came upon discarded dustbin lid. Ms.Scalf tapped it with her wand and it glowed blue and rattled. They all put a finger on it and soon felt the telltale jerk behind their navels. A few seconds later, they came down in a back alley behind an enormous building. Ms.Scalf said, "Well, we're here. Kings Cross Station."
They hurried inside and got carts. Then, Ms.Scalf reached into her handbag and pulled out their trunks, owls, and wands. She said, "These trunks have the featherweight charm cast on them. They will be very light until you get on the train. Now here are your wands, no casting until you get to class!" Once everybody's carts were laden with trunks, owls, and other baggage (Ruthie and Mary had brought extra duffel bags for extra shoes) they wheeled them around, looking for Platform 9 3/4. Ms.Scalf didn't know where it was either, and it was 10:45, only 15 minutes until the train left. They group began to panic. Maashes knew it was somewhere between platforms 9 and 10. So he went to the column in between them and leaned on it to rest. Suddenly he fell backward through it and stood transfixed. A gleaming red steam engine with 'Hogwarts Express' in gold lettering on the side stood in front of him. Many families were helping kids into the train with trunks and cages, not unlike his friends and he. Running back through the barrier, he went to Ms.Scalf and his friends. He said, "Guys! I know how to get the Platform 9 ¾! You have to go through the column between 9 and 10!" They all looked at him quizzically but Ms.Scalf said, "It's the only lead we've got and its 10:55. So lets hurry!" Everybody grabbed their carts and ran toward the barrier. One by one they melted through onto the new platform. Everbody gasped and Mary said, "Oh My God!" and marveled at the train. The train began to blow steam and the friends hurried aboard, with Ms.Scalf easily tossing their trunks to them. Now that they were all on board, Ms.Scalf stepped back and waved to them. Conor called, "Bye Mom! Thanks for everything. Love you!" She called back, "Love you too! Love all of you and see you soon!" over the roar of the trains engines. It began to slowly move out of the station, puffing great clouds of white out of the top. Other kids on the train waved to their parents as the train picked up speed, and moved out of the station. Once Platform 9 ¾ was out of view, the friends moved along the train (laboring with their trunks now, as the charm had worn off) until they found an empty compartment. They shoved the trunks under their seats and flopped down. Maashes said, "Can you believe it guys? We're actually on our way to Hogwarts!" The others all seemed to be excited. They were going to a place of magic, wonder, and adventure. An experience that would be like none other.