1st September 1992
"I just don't understand why I need to run through a wall" Lizzy states after her mother has explained the entrance to platform nine and three quarters to her, again.
"I just don't see how muggles aren't supposed to notice us. I mean, if I saw someone run into a wall and disappear I would definitely have a few questions. I thought we were supposed to be keeping the wizarding world a secret, not displaying it in a very public muggle station for all to see." She explains.
She knows she is just coming up with excuses to postpone the inevitable, but she doesn't care. She was raised to show no fear. It was a sign of weakness. She therefore opted for the defense tactic of talking her way out of situations, but this wasn't something she could talk her way out of. Her mother knew how nervous her daughter was. She'd spent the last week explaining over and over how the first day of Hogwarts goes so the young witch would be able to mentally prepare herself for it, but it doesn't matter how many times you explain it as it doesn't compare to being faced with the reality.
"Look Lizzy, I know your scared, but we have 15 minutes until the train goes and you need to be on it."
She stares at the wall a little longer. Other students have come and gone through the wall since she has been standing there, all towering over her. She hadn't felt so small in all her life. 11 years old, though it was only a few days until her 12th birthday. She stood just short of 5 feet tall in her muggle clothes which were pristine and polished. A classic green tartan skirt felt appropriate for the occasion, paired with a black roll-top jumper, black tights and simple ballet pumps. Her hair was tied up in a perfect high ponytail with a green ribbon around it, perfectly colour-matching the skirt. She didn't know which house she would be sorted into, but her mother had been a Slytherin, so it was only right for her to assume she would be too.
Just as Lizzy was building up the courage to go through the wall, another brunette girl, who clearly looked like a first year arrived wearing a similar confused expression to one Lizzy was sporting only a few minutes ago.
"So I'm just supposed to go through it?" The girl muttered loudly to herself as she began squaring up to the wall.
She moved her trolley of belongings back and forth with as if it was a cue and the wall was her 8 ball. Her tongue was sticking out the corner of her mouth and her eyes were squinting with concentration before she concluded that the instructions she had been given were ludicrous and gave up. She moved back hoping the other girl would give it a go so she could watch.
"Come on now, we haven't got all day" Lizzy's mother said.
"Fine" Lizzy muttered under her breath before running towards the wall. She had an audience now and wasn't about to show her fear publicly.
She got millimetres between her trolley and the wall before she backed out. However, what she hadn't been banking on was the other girl following her lead and running towards the wall directly behind her.
The second girls trolley rammed into the back of Lizzy and knocked the wind out of her, and she, along with her trolley, went flying through the barrier with a now stumbling stranger close behind. Her trolley causing all luggage to go flying.
Lizzy's mother followed the girls through the wall at a far more controlled pace with a very well concealed smirk of approval on her face. She helped to fix the luggage catastrophe with a flick of her wand.
"Sorry" the second girl hurried out with before standing up quickly and brushing her skirt down with one hand whist holding the other one out for Lizzy to take.
Lizzy took the girls hand and stood up.
"I'm Pippa" the other girl said with a smile.
Pippa was also around the 5-foot mark with brown hair that hadn't been corralled into her ponytail quite as successfully as Lizzy's had. Her clothes were very presentable, but clearly more worn that Lizzy's were. She had been around muggles more often. She'd gone for a simple grey jumper tucked into a dark wash denim skirt and matching grey tights.
"Hi, I'm Lizzy" she said returning Pippa's smile. "And this is my mum, Ariella"
"Call me Ari" the older witch said.
"Come on girls, only a few minutes until the train leaves, you need to take your seats." Ari instructed before the girls got too flustered and embarrassed about what had just happened. Lizzy's cheeks had already begun to turn crimson.
The girls loaded their trunks and other belonging onto the train. Pippa taking her seat in an empty carriage and Lizzy giving a goodbye hug and kiss to her mother before joining her. She'd already said her real goodbye before they'd left the house.
"Sorry about earlier, I didn't think you would back out" Pippa blurted out feeling the need to fill the silence.
"It's alright, let's just not talk about it or I'll go red again" Lizzy informed her before looking back out the window.
They hadn't been on the train for long, but they had already begun sailing through the British countryside.
"So, Lizzy, your mum's a witch too, that's cool, is your dad?" Pippa enquired. The girl hadn't been known to have much of a filter.
Lizzy noted there was nothing behind the question. The girl wasn't trying to gather intel on her for later use, she was just genuinely curious.
"I don't know" she answered honestly. "I don't know who my dad is. I used to ask mum a lot, but she would get angrier and angrier each time I would ask, so I gave up. I think he must have been though." She finished looking down at her hands. She nearly explained that she knew because of the blood prejudice in her family, there is no way they would have accepted her mother, especially raising a child alone, if the lineage wasn't pristine. Something told her the girl sitting opposite her wouldn't quite understand that just yet. She was picking at her nails, a nervous or uncomfortable habit she'd picked up as a small child and never could get rid of. She didn't see much point in hiding this information from Pippa though as she would figure it out soon enough. All the pure-blood families knew everything about each other and were bound to spread it around. It was better to own the fact than let someone use it against you.
"Sorry, again, god I swear I use that word way too much. Anyway, if it helps, my parents are dead, or at least I think they are, I never met them. I was raised by a muggle foster family. I don't know if my parents had magic or not." Pippa tells Lizzy with a reassuring smile. Pippa divulged her parental status without any hesitation or concern. Something Lizzy took note of. She looked up from her hands to meet Pippa's eyes.
"Are they nice?" Lizzy asked simply.
"Oh, um, yeah, I guess. They are very quiet compared to me, but they're fine."
For the rest of the journey the girls talk about the differences between being raised with magic and being raised without. Pippa told Lizzy about when realized she was different to all the other girls in her class at muggle school. One day they were having an arts and crafts day and this horrible girl took all the nice paints for her and her friends to use. Pippa got so angry she wished the paints would explode in the girl's face, and within seconds of the thought being formed in her head, a big pot of paint exploded right in the girl's face. She was sneezing purple for a week.
Lizzy hadn't met many other children. Like most pure-blood families, she educated at home by a private tutor for her early years and only saw other children at societal parties. This was her first interaction with someone her age who hadn't been prepped on acceptable conversations. She found it oddly freeing.
They talked about what houses they might end up in, and what they thought the castle would be like. Lizzy mostly lead this conversation as she had the inside knowledge. She felt a slight pang of sadness when she realised that in a couple of hours Pippa would be sorted into either Hufflepuff or Gryffindor and she would be sorted into Slytherin. It was very unlikely they would be able to remain friends after this as she would have to uphold blood loyalty when amongst the snakes.
About half way through the journey they thought they saw a small old blue muggle looking car flying alongside the train swinging around like the driver hadn't even driven before. It quickly flew out of sight and the girls were trying to decide whether they imagined it or not.
They changed into their robes not long before the train arrived at Hogsmeade and followed the call of a giant looking hairy man along with the other first years.
The large man, who called himself Hagrid informed them that whilst all other years make their way to the castle on self-ridden carriages, the first years take boats across the lake. Lizzy already knew this though thanks to her mother's prepping.
They all poured into these little wooden boats. Lizzy and Pippa got in a boat with a very pale blonde girl and a slightly less pale red headed girl.
The castle looked beautiful all internally lit at night. It was clear why first years got to see this view. The blonde girl was in complete and utter awe the whole time. The red head looked a little confused, almost like she had been told to expect something very different. The two brunettes were just quietly trying to calm their nerves and excitement.
"I'm Pippa", Pippa announced clearly wanting to begin a conversation between the girls.
"I'm Luna" the blonde proclaimed not taking her eyes off the castle in front of her.
"Ginny" the red head spoke.
"I'm Lizzy." There was a pause as none of the girls quite new what to say next. "Did you know there is a giant squid in this lake?" Something told Lizzy that it was important to show her knowledge, as knowledge is power, though none of the girls appeared to understand this underlying point behind what she was saying.
"I doubt it. My brothers told me about that, but they also told me the castle was the building they based Azkaban on, so I don't believe it. Ginny commented huffing into her hands.
Lizzy had a feeling she was in conversation with a Weasley. She should have shot back a witty remark and showed her superiority, but from the sounds of things the girl could do with a break from that. If she was the Weasley girl, she had 6 older brothers and surely that's more punishment than anyone needs.
"Well my mum told me about it and she wouldn't lie to me about that so I'm sure it's true." Is all Lizzy replied with.
"I want to see it" Pippa stated in a very matter of fact way. "How do we get its attention?"
"you sing to it of course" Luna commented.
Pippa immediately began to sing to the water trying to call the squid over. Ginny and Lizzy exchanged looks of confusion at the idea that this would work, but whether it was the singing, or Pippa's hand dancing across the top of the water, they had managed to attract the attention of something under the water.
"Okay you can stop that now Pippa, what part of giant squid doesn't terrify you?" Lizzy exclaimed hoping the panic in her voice wasn't too obvious.
"You're not scared are you Lizzy?" she replied before continuing to call the sea creature towards them. Within a matter of seconds the water broke and the squid nudged their boat as it popped its head out of the water.
"EEEKKKK" Lizzy squealed before frantically trying to move away from the squid.
She lost her balance very quickly and began to tumble out of the boat. Ginny went to grab her hand but wasn't fast enough. Lizzy hit the water hard. Her anger was put on the back burner as she was more focussed on getting out of the water she shared with a giant squid.
As Lizzy scrambled to the edge of the boat and Ginny grabbed her arm trying to pull her back in, Pippa was laughing so heavily that she managed to fall off the other side of the small boat. Luna sat there watching them in pure amazement as Ginny groaned in frustration before pulling Lizzy in and then crossing the tiny boat to haul a still rather hysterical Pippa back in.
Lizzy took the few seconds to compose herself. She was going to yell if Pippa hadn't fallen in herself. Pippa was still rolling around in the bottom of the boat laughing hard, which made it hard for Lizzy to stay angry. It eventually caused the other girls to break out into laughter too.
"I think I'm going to need to get used to being injured and being put into embarrassing situations if I'm going to be friends with you Pippa" Lizzy announced regaining control of the situation.
"So you're not mad?" Pippa replies sheepishly.
"Not this time".