Chapter 4
It was a particularly chilly morning when Morgan stepped through the portal and appeared on Platform 9¾. Before her stood the majestic steam engine which was supposed to take her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She could only gape as her eyes traveled from the head to the tail.
What an amazing piece of metal, she thought. She'd never seen anything like it, except in books.
The truth was, this assignment was the first assignment Morgan ever had that involved her traveling to another world. Throughout her life at the School, she had never visited another world before, even though she knew they were out there. Her teachers had told her meddling in another world was very dangerous and only graduates were allowed to travel to other worlds.
Morgan's thoughts were interrupted as Laris and Matthew appeared behind her. Then Bane, Leita, and Ransho stepped out of the portal before it disappeared.
"It seems we are the first to arrive," said Ransho pleasantly. They had decided to arrive earlier to avoid the crowd but the platform was as silent as the dead.
"You sure we're at the right place?" asked Matthew. "It's deserted."
"I'll look around," said Leita and she took off.
"Be careful!" Laris called after her.
Ransho checked his pocket watch. "The time is 10 o'clock. I believe we are an hour early."
Morgan approached the locomotive, which was sitting silently on the tracks. As she approached, she could make out the gold letters that said Hogwarts Express.
"Yup, this is it," she said.
Leita chirped, announcing her return. "This is Platform 9¾. There's a sign over there that says it very clearly."
"So we're an hour early… now what?" asked Matthew.
"Let's check out the train," said Morgan.
"Okay!"
Laris followed Morgan as she climbed onto the first car. The seats looked very comfortable and the aisles were clean. There were curtains on the window and racks to store luggage above the seats.
"Wow! This is pretty neat, huh Morgan?"
Morgan nodded in agreement and opened the door to the next car.
"Hey, this one's different."
The second car didn't have as nice chairs as the first one. While the first car had cushions seats and pillows for your back, the second one had simple but still comfortable seats. There were also no curtains for the windows. Instead there was a small screen at the top for the occupants to pull down and shade themselves from the sun.
"Think the other one was first class?"
Morgan shrugged. "Come on! I'll race you to the end of the train!"
She took off with Laris close behind. It was kind of fun and felt like an obstacle course as she ran down the aisle to the next door. Sometimes one of them would overtake the other because she was having trouble with the door; but neither of them really cared about winning.
Morgan was secretly glad she could have this last time with her best friend. She didn't know why, but Morgan had a strange feeling she wouldn't be seeing Laris, Matthew, or any of the others for a long time.
Outside, Morgan could see Bane and Leita racing with them on the platform. Morgan couldn't help but laugh at how silly they were being, racing on an empty train. She was turning fifteen in December but right now, she felt like she was a little kid again without a care in the world.
They finally reached the end with Morgan in the lead. She doubled over to try and catch her breath.
"Phew, that was a work out. I didn't think this train was that long."
Laris laughed.
"Hey! You guys done fooling around yet?" called Matthew. "I think some people just arrived."
Morgan and Laris hopped off to see who else was here. They were on the other side of the platform but Morgan could make out small groups of people appearing out of the wall.
"There's probably an illusion of some sort that hides the entrance to this platform from the other mortals," said Matthew.
They watched as more and more students and their families arrived. They milled around at the head of the train and mingled. But soon, people were getting onto the train to take their seats.
"May I suggest you hurry and claim a compartment in the back to avoid detection," said Ransho.
Morgan nodded and climbed back onto the last car. She picked the very last compartment and made sure no one was in the aisle before shutting the door. The compartment looked like it could seat four comfortably but should still be able to fit two more before things got cramped.
Morgan snapped her finger and her trunk appeared on the floor. It was too heavy to lift so she used her mind to levitate it onto the rack by the window seat. She made sure it was tucked securely in before returning to the others.
"Do you have everything?" asked Ransho.
Morgan nodded. "It's all locked up in my trunk."
"That is good to hear. Now remember what Isis and I told you, refrain from performing any sorcery while you are in this world. I know it is second nature for us to vanish heavy loads like trunks, but you must not be seen performing any sorcery. The Sorcery must be kept a secret from the wizards."
"I understand, sir."
"Have you tried out your wand yet?"
"Uh, sort of…" Morgan reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand – willow with three strands of her own hair, 16 inches. "I've been practicing some spells but I don't think they're working. Like there was one for levitating objects that I found in the first year's spell book. I know I'm doing it exactly as the book says but nothing happens. I had to picture the object levitating in my head, which isn't part of the instruction, for it to move, so I think I'm using sorcery instead."
"Hmm, this is troubling. I had not anticipated Sorcery to be incompatible with Wizardry. Perhaps you require more practice and more specific instructions. I will speak with Dumbledore immediately to request the necessary assistance for you to master their magic and carry out your assignment."
In a flash of light, Ransho was gone.
"You know, you could just fake the magic if worst comes to worst," said Matthew.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, just cast an illusion and use Sorcery to do the same thing, like levitating a book or something."
"Matthew!" exclaimed Laris. "Ransho just told her to not use sorcery in front of mortals. Are you saying she should go against a direct order?"
Matthew shrugged. "How else is she going to blend in at this school of theirs? Besides, no one will find out. Mortals can't see past illusions, right?"
"We don't know what these mortals can do. They can divine the future like our Seers so who knows what other similar magic they possess. Maybe they do have the power to see past our illusions."
"She's right, Matthew," said Bane. "It could be disastrous if the mortals found out about Morgan and the Sorcery. This is a very foolish and risky plan."
"Hey, whose spirit beast are you, mine or hers?" snapped Matthew.
"Okay you two. Cool it. There's no reason to fight, especially in public," cut in Morgan. "Besides, I think Matthew's right."
"What?!" exclaimed Laris and Bane.
"Look, I know it's risky but I'm not like Matthew. I can cast a pretty damn good illusion, even without a scry stone. I'm not as good as you Laris, but I'm better than Matthew."
"Hey!"
"Sorry Matt, but you know it's true. You're lousy at illusions."
"Point taken so would you stop butchering up my pride."
"Just be careful, Morgan," said Laris with worry in her eyes. "Don't do anything reckless."
"Don't worry, Laris. I can take care of myself." Morgan smiled to reassure her.
Laris nodded. "Keep in touch, okay? We can use Leita to carry letters to each other. Since she's able to travel between worlds, we can write to each other every day."
"Sure Laris. I'll keep you posted on everything that happens to me at Hogwarts and you can keep me filled in on what's going on back home."
By then, nearly the entire platform was filled with people. It was fifteen minutes until eleven and families were saying their goodbyes. The train was filling up but luckily the crowd hadn't reached their end yet.
Morgan spotted the pale boy from the bookstore among the crowd. He was with his family. There was something silver pinned to the boy's chest. It reflected in the morning light as he chatted with his family. As Morgan watched, two boys approached the pale boy. It seemed they were friends. They climbed onto the train together while their family conversed on the platform.
Suddenly another group caught Morgan's eye. There were seven kids, a few adults, and a big black dog. Four of the kids, three boys and one girl, had flaming red hair. Another girl had long, bushy brown hair, and the last boy had messy jet-black hair. None of the adults looked like they were any of the kids' parents. And there was something about the way they were standing around the group of kids that reminded Morgan of body guards.
Bane suddenly started growling, his hackles rising. He was also watching the group of kids.
"What is it, Bane?" asked Matthew.
"That dog reeks of magic and human," he growled, teeth bared. "It's unnatural."
The group was getting closer. They seemed to be avoiding the crowd and trying to find somewhere more secluded.
"Stay put, Bane. Don't start a scene," hissed Matthew, his hand in the wolf's fur.
Morgan half-wished Bane wore a collar and leash so they could grab him if the wolf attacked. But that would've pissed Bane off even more and he'd probably turn on them.
The group was close enough for the three Sorcery to use their mind to listen in on their thoughts.
One of the adults, an old man with a cane and grizzly hair, was talking. "Now remember, you lot. Don't go sending any owls mentioning the Order. You don't know who could be intercepting your mail. If you do need to contact one of us, remember to change owls."
The children nodded.
"Good. Now off with you. Remember, constant vigilance!" he barked.
The boy with black hair and glasses knelt down to hug the big black dog. "I'm going to miss you, Sirius. Thanks for coming here to see me off."
The dog barked once and licked the boy's face.
"Don't worry. I'll write if anything happens at Hogwarts."
The dog got up on his hind legs and placed his front paws on the boy's shoulders, almost like a hug.
"Sirius!" hissed the old man. "You're supposed to be a dog, blast it. Start acting like one. You don't know who could be watching."
Sirius got down and whined, his tail tucked between his legs.
The boy patted the dog on his head.
"Harry, let's go! The train's leaving in a few minutes," said the girl with bushy brown hair.
Harry gave the dog one last hug before hurrying onto the train, where one of the other adults had left his trunk.
"Well, I think it's safe to say that's the kid you're going to spend the next year protecting," said Matthew. "Man, he's even scrawnier in real life. He looks as if a good punch would knock him out good."
Morgan snorted. "Then I better hope this kid doesn't get into any fist fights or I'm going to have a hard time explaining to Dumbledore why I didn't do my job."
A whistle sounded, warning the families to step away because the train was about to leave.
"Oh no! It's two minutes till eleven!" chirped Leita, glancing at the big clock at the head of the platform.
"Hurry up, Morgan!" exclaimed Laris, giving her a push.
"Okay okay!"
Morgan hopped on and entered her compartment where she opened the window to lean out and talk with them for the last few minutes.
Across the platform, Moody stood watching the group at the back of the train converse with a girl through the window.
"That'll be the Sorcery, Dumbledore mentioned last night, correct?" asked Kingsley.
Moody nodded. "Yes. And they're a strange bunch, from what I heard. Damn powerful but few in numbers."
"So that girl is supposed to protect Potter?"
"She'll have her hands full. The Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts this year. Dumbledore says she'll have to protect Potter from everyone, including the Ministry. And speaking of protecting," Moody rounded on Sirius. "You are disobeying a direct order from Dumbledore, Sirius. And don't think for a second old Malfoy didn't notice you."
Sirius growled and barked once, tilting his head at the Sorcery group.
"Yes, I see their dog too. But theirs is probably a real dog. You're an Animagus and a wizard on the run," snapped Moody.
Sirius rolled his eyes.
The train gave a final whistle as it began to roll forward.
The Order watched the Sorcery say their final farewell. The Hogwarts Express was picking up speed. Their dog and the two Sorcery ran after the train, waving. The girl waved back, leaning out of the window. The two stopped running as the train pulled out of King's Cross and turned the corner, gone.
"All right, back to Headquarters with you, Padfoot," said Moody and they Disapparated.