Chapter 5
The following days were the same. I'd wake up, take a shower, and eat breakfast that was prepared for me by Tom. Then I'd go straight to my room and read. Sometimes, I would tap the bricks on the wall and walk around Diagon Alley. I would get some ice cream at the ice cream shop and sometimes I'd go and visit George Weasley. Whenever he wasn't working, he'd tell me stories and he'd make me laugh when he told me stories about his days at Hogwarts with his twin brother, Fred, and their pranks.
Today, though, was different. Today, in a few hours, I would be sitting in a train compartment on the way to Hogwarts. Most importantly, I would be meeting the Minister of Magic, who also happens to be my Godfather. I sat up on the bed and stared into space. Azure hooted in the corner of the room. Cyra helped me with my owl's name. She said it was italian for blue, like Azure's eyes.
"Good morning, Azure." I told him. "We're going to Hogwarts soon." He hooted in reply as if to say: Awesome!
I went in the bathroom and took a shower to calm my nerves. I didn't know whether to get excited or to be nervous. I dressed in a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, jeans and a pair of sneakers. I figured I'd change on the train. I double-checked my list to make sure I had everything in my trunk. I dragged Azure and his cage and my trunk to the bar downstairs. I had breakfast and waited.
I heard a tinkling bell and looked at the door. I saw a familiar violet robe. Tom pointed to me. The man had dark complexion and I was sure of it, he was the same man I saw across the street from the orphanage. He walked toward me and I stood up. He grinned.
"Silver." He enveloped me in a hug. "I've been waiting for this day."
I smiled. "I guess I've been waiting for the day I'll meet my sponsor, too."
"I must apologize for that. Leaving you in the orphanage without any knowledge about who you are is troubling you by now. I admit it was wrong but, I didn't know what to do. I, however, take full responsibility of the idea. No need to be upset at Grace."
"No worries, it's fine. I know it was for my own good. But it would've been awesome if I'd known about the Wizarding World sooner." I told him.
"I know it pains you." He said. "I left you alone in the orphanage, when I should've been taking care of you or leaving you with family. I had you spend eleven years without anyone you knew, without friends and family. How could I ever repay you?"
"It's fine really. I know you're very busy. You were the one who kept sending money to the orphanage for me, though. I guess we're even."
"It's much more than that actually. I will repay you soon but for now, the only thing I can do is take you to Platform nine and three-quarters." He said.
"How will we get there?" I asked him.
"Well, we won't be riding broomsticks this time." He chuckled. "I've arranged a Ministry car for us."
"Cool."
We arrived at King's Cross only to find it packed with Muggles. We didn't see anyone with owls, either.
Kingsley loaded my trunk and owl in a cart. I pushed it while he looked for platforms nine and ten.
"Go on. I'll catch up." He said.
As uncle Harry instructed, I pushed my trolley around and positioned myself in front of the barrier. I looked at Kingsley.
"Best do it in a run." He adviced.
I started to walk toward it. People just kept walking, not bothering to look at a girl who's about to crash into a very solid barrier. I gained pace. I started to run. I closed my eyes, ready for the crash. But it didn't come. I kept on running and opened my eyes.
A scarlet steam engine stood before me. It was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. I saw an archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. There were students chattering and parents talking to their children. Owls hooted to one another over the scraping of heavy trunks. The first few carriages were already occupied by students.
Kingsley appeared. "Good job."
"Thanks." I said.
"Would you like me to come with you on the train and help you with your trunk?"
"That won't be necessary. Thanks anyway."
"Well, alright. So, goodbye then."
"Goodbye. I'll send you owls."
"I'll be looking forward to that. I'll be going then." Kingsley waved and disappeared as a group of students came into view.
I wound through the platform, pulling my trunk behind me with one hand and I held Azure's cage with the other. I felt someone tap my shoulder.
"Hey." Cyra said.
"Hey." I replied.
"I saw you come out of the barrier. Pretty cool, huh?"
"Yeah. Wicked. Although, I have admit I was scared. I thought I was going to crash."
Cyra laughed. "Come on, you Blue-obsessed freak. Let's go find a compartment."
I laughed. "Blue-obsessed freak? That's all you can come up with?"
"What? I don't see you calling me anything."
"True. Someday I will."
The whistle sounded. "Come on, Bluey. The train's about to leave."
"Would you stop calling me that?" But Cyra only laughed.
We dragged our trunks into the train. But we couldn't find any vacant ones. Then I caught a glimpse of a familiar girl with auburn hair. Eliah was alone in a compartment with.. Al.
"You know them?" Cyra asked.
"Yeah. Eliah and Al. I told you about them, right? At least I told you by owl."
"Oooh. So, that's Al." Cyra said. "He's kind of cute."
She poked me. "Stop it." But she wouldn't. She kept on poking me. "Cut it off."
"Fine. I was getting tired anyway." She shrugged. "Let's go sit with them. There are no compartments left."
We walked over and I knocked on the compartment door. "Are those seats taken? Everywhere else is full." I asked them.
Al shook his head. So did Eliah. They helped Cyra and I load our trunks in the compartment and we placed Falco and Azure's cages on the floor.
I was about to sit beside Eliah when Cyra stopped me. "Go sit with Al. If you don't take this Golden Opportunity, I swear to God I am going to slit your throat using my katana and bring you back from the dead just so I can kill you all over again." Did I mention Cyra's a swordsman? She takes katana lessons in Japan.
"Okay, okay." I went to sit beside Al. Cyra had a big smirk plastered on her face.
It was very awkward. Eliah and Cyra started talking animatedly. I picked at a loose thread on my shirt and Al looked out the window. Someone knocked on the compartment door. It was Cass.
"Hey guys. Mind if I sit here? Hydra and her friends are very.. Well, let's just say I don't want to stay with them anymore." She said. Eliah nodded and Cass sat beside her. Eliah automatically introduced Cyra to Cass. Al and I just sat there in silence.
"Uh, hey." Al spoke up.
"H-hi." I replied.
"So, uh. You okay? You look a bit pale."
"I am pale. I mean, I have pale complexion. It's hard to say."
"I guess. How are you?"
"Good.. Good."
"Listen, I don't want things to be awkward between us so.. Friends?"
"Aren't we already?"
"We're more like, acquaintances."
I chuckled. "Yeah, sure. Friends."
"Cool."
We continued talking and I felt comfortable talking to Al. Every now and then, Cyra would throw sideway glances at me. I'd stare her down and she'd only grin.
A few minutes later, a smiling woman pushing a trolley came up to the door. "Anything off the trolley, dears?"
We all stood up to buy some sweets. Al and I decided to buy some Licorice Wands, a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans and large boxes of Chocolate Frogs. Eliah and Cyra bought pumpkin pasties, the jelly beans as well, and also Chocolate Frogs. Cass bought some Cauldron Cakes for herself. Well, you can't blame her. The girl loves her food.
We ate through our sweets and talked. Cyra was now telling Al about katana-fighting and he seemed really into it. I was talking to Cass and Eliah. Eliah told us a secret. She was an Animagus. She could turn into a doe in her will. Cass and I told her that we were Metamorphmagi. After chatting, we played a game. We all took turns picking a jelly bean off our huge pile and we'd have to eat it whole, whatever the flavor. I got strawberry, chocolate, corn, marmalade, a sour lemon-flavored one, coffee, and toast. They laughed so hard at my face when I tasted the sour jellybean. Eliah got a brocolli-flavored one and she spit it out immediately. It landed near Al's ferret's cage, which we laughed at. Cass was brave enough to swallow a garlic jellybean whole. Al had a liver-flavored one, and he almost vomitted because of it. But the funniest part was when Cyra had her turn. She picked up a maroon jellybean, thinking it was marmalade, like the one I picked. But, unfortunately for her, it wasn't marmalade. Instead, it was chili powder! Oh, how my stomach ached from laughing! She went around the compartment shouting curses and threatening to kill us if we didn't give her water. Cass fell over to the floor, laughing. I rolled around in my seat in laughter, with Al clutching his stomach in fits of laughter. Eliah was pounding on the seat, wheezing and out of breath.
"Say... please." Eliah said in between of laughs.
"God, Eliah!" Cyra exclaimed. "Get your brain out of those darn spectacles! When someone is in the state of almost dying because of the fool that invented chili powder, who in the name of Merlin, has time to be polite?!"
We all looked stunned for a moment, but burst into laughter once again. Cyra began to put her tongue out and started screaming again for water. She was yelling her butt off and the next second, she dripping wet. We laughed so loudly, that students got out of their compartments to see where the noise was coming from.
Turns out, Cass muttered 'Aguamenti' and got Cyra all wet. Cyra stood there, glaring at Cass.
"Thanks." Cyra said sarcastically.
Eliah sniggered.
"Oh, and Water-using Egghead," Cyra spoke up. "Better watch your back. Who knows? Revenge really is sweet. And that goes for you, too. Spectacles."
"Oh, really? Spectacles?" Eliah said.
Cyra only smirked.
"And that came from an Innocent-looking Hentai." Eliah muttered.
"It'll be hard, pranking us." Cass said.
"I like a challenge." Cyra grinned mischievously.
Three pregnant pauses passed. We looked at one another. We laughed again. Just then, Hydra came in followed by two girls.