This Is Where
53. Alive
Platform 9 3/4 was covered in a gloomy haze interrupted by hushed assurances, the barked instructions of Ministry officials, and the occasional pleading screams of a caught Muggle-born. People stared at the ground and walked quickly, afraid to make eye contact with anyone. Parents left as quickly as they arrived; nobody stayed to watch the train leave. There was a line coming from the barrier where they had to have their identities checked before they could even approach the train.
"Name?" asked a man with one white eye and one brown.
"Parvati Patil," she replied evenly.
"Year?"
"Seventh."
"House?"
"Gryffindor."
The man sneered at her and turned to his assistant. "Check the P's," he snapped.
"I've got two Patils," the assistant replied.
"The other would be me," said Padma from behind her twin sister. "Padma Patil. Seventh-year Ravenclaw."
The man rolled his eyes. "Twins. Unnatural," Parvati heard him mutter.
"Half-bloods," the assistant said, reading off the parchment. "Parents are Gotama and Kanti Patil. Father's a half-blood, works in the International Confederation of Wizards. The mother's a Mudblood, but she hasn't presented herself for registration."
Parvati bristled. Padma curled her fingers around Parvati's wrist in warning, so Parvati held her tongue. For now.
"Tell me, lovelies," the man crooned, reaching a finger out for Parvati's braid. She flinched away from him and he glared. "Where's your mum?" he snapped.
"We don't know," Padma answered steadily.
"Sure you don't," he muttered. "You here alone? Where's your dad?"
"Working," Padma replied. "Are we free to board, sir?" she asked stiffly.
The man grumbled to himself and held out his hand. "Wand arm please."
He raised his eyebrows when Parvati presented her left arm. He pointed his wand at her forearm and something zapped her. She wrenched her hand back as he chuckled and did the same to Padma. They rubbed their arms as they pulled their luggage over to the train.
"Arm," demanded a woman with bitter look on her face.
Parvati held hers out. She saw with a start that a few welts had risen on her arm where the man had zapped her. They were angry and red and explained why her arm was tingling. One was the fraction 1/2 enclosed in a circle. Another was the number seven and the third was a capital G. They'd been branded, Parvati realized. Like cattle.
"Gryffindor. You're in the last carriage," she said, pointing at the back of the train.
"What? Why are we being separated?" Parvati demanded. Never before had seating on the train been dictated.
"New rules," the woman replied quickly, reaching for Padma's arm. "Ravenclaw. Second carriage. Next!"
Parvati turned to Padma. "Pad - "
"Just go," Padma said quietly. "We have to do what they say, Par. Keep your head down and keep quiet, you hear?"
"You know you're talking to a Gryffindor, right?" Parvati said with a grin.
Padma rolled her eyes. "Just...be smart, okay?"
"I thought that was your job," Parvati replied. "You're supposed to be smart and I'm supposed to be brave."
"We're supposed to stay alive," Padma countered. Her eyes were fierce and Parvati had to admit defeat.
"Okay, I'm sorry. I was just teasing," Parvati said. "I'll see you at the feast, okay?"
Padma nodded. "See you soon."
They hugged and separated. Parvati dragged her luggage over to the last carriage of the train and got on. She saw familiar faces peek out at her from the compartment doors but noticed that many were missing. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were nowhere to be seen. Dean and Ginger weren't there either. But the face that truly mattered to Parvati was - thankfully - there.
"Lav," Parvati breathed.
Lavender looked up and moved so quickly that Parvati hadn't even had time to react before they were hugging. Then Lavender dragged her down into a seat and closed the compartment door.
"I'm so glad you're here," Lavender said.
"Didn't have much of a choice," Parvati said, "what with this new mandatory attendance rule. Did they mark you too?"
Lavender held up her arm. The brand was the same as Parvati's, except in place of the 1/2 was the letter P for pureblood.
"What are we going to do?" Lavender whispered. "There's a rumor going around that Snape's headmaster."
Parvati's heart hammered painfully at this news. She swallowed. "We're going to keep our mouths shut and our heads down. We're going to take our N.E.W.T.'s and get out of here alive."
"We're not going to fight?"
"Who said anything about fighting?!" Parvati asked, looking around surreptitiously as if they were being listened in on. She saw Fay walk by the compartment door, looking strangely different without Ginger by her side.
"Well, that's what Harry, R - " Lavender cut off. "That's what those three are doing, isn't it? That's why they're not here."
"Hermione's Muggle-born and Ron's a blood traitor and Harry is wanted for questioning about Dumbledore," Parvati said. "They couldn't have come back even if they'd wanted to. And I heard that Ron's home sick with spattergroit."
Lavender sighed and stared down at her lap. "I think they're fighting."
"I think they're saving their own necks," Parvati replied. "Which is what we've all got to do."
