Chapter 12 – Dirk Creswell

The weeks marched on in a bizarre fashion. For about six days nobody said anything to Lizzie at all, not a word, a hello, or even a barked command to do something. She just went about her routine in peace, but the lack of abrasiveness gave her rather severe anxiety. Then, they went back to the way they were before the first letter arrived. There was no mention of Hogwarts, witchcraft, or the like. She overheard Vernon telling someone on the phone that Dudley was continuing at Campbell Hall and Azalea was going to St. Catherine's. She didn't think too far into it because he wasn't about to explain to his equally bigoted friends that his niece was going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Lizzie grew frightened to bring it up because she knew it would end badly. But she had the ticket, and needed to figure out how to get to London on the 1st.

Part of her started to worry it was a dream after all. It was so out of left field it wouldn't have been far-fetched. Last she remembered he'd had her drink a bunch of hard liquor. Surely things got wild in her brain. But it felt real. She had the ticket. Maybe she found this ticket and concocted an elaborate dream around it. That must be it, she thought. But still, she felt she needed to go Kings Cross on September 1st to be certain.

"Uncle Vernon," she chirped meekly the night before start of term at either school. He was reading something on the sofa downstairs in front of the television, drinking and brandy, and not looking overly menacing. He looked up at her silently with raised eyebrows.

"Are you taking me to London tomorrow?" She asked over several skipped heartbeats.

He stared at her much longer than he should have. She had this horrible intrusive thought that he was going to ask something in exchange for taking her to London. Maybe he was, but he didn't say out loud. He set down his drink. "Where in London?" He asked finally.

"Kings Cross Station," she said hoarsely.

"Train... interesting. What platform?" He asked. Lizzie looked at the ticket.

"Nine and three quarters," she said, but knew she sounded idiotic the moment the moment she did.

"Nine and -" he laughed, and the paused in contemplation. "Alright, sweetheart," he said with a malicious undertone, taking a sip of his drink. "I'll take you to London tomorrow." His glare was unnerving, this amused him somehow. Lizzie retreated backwards out of the room and upstairs. She packed a small bag of basics and tried her best to sleep.

The next morning Lizzie woke up and got dressed in a plaid jumper and heather gray dress. She grabbed her bag and her ticket and headed downstairs. Vernon was pouring a cup of coffee and Petunia was getting Dudley something.

"Petunia, I'll drop you and Dudley off at Campbell Hall before I head out with Azalea," Vernon said.

Petunia ushered her into the kitchen and pointed to a bowl of cereal and a glass of water on the table. "Eat quick," she said. This threw Lizzie off entirely, but she was rather hungry. Lizzie took a few bites but stopped because something felt rather off.

She discretely dumped the rest of the bowl in the sink and followed them out to the car. Vernon dropped Dudley off with Petunia to get him situated for the new term and then headed out toward the signs that indicated London. Lizzie didn't usually fall asleep in the car, but her eyes became extremely heavy this time.

She didn't wake until the car came to a screeching halt in the middle of a winding roadway. Lizzie lurched awake and looked around in confusion. Vernon cursed about some animal being in the road but he didn't see what.

"Where are we?" Lizzie asked in a slight panic. Vernon grimaced and got out of the car to see if he hit anything. Lizzie could tell they were up in the country outside of London and made the safe assumption that he had lied and was taking her to St. Catherine's Correctional. The cereal must have had a sedative, she thought bitterly.

"I bloody hate you," she whispered under her breath at him through the window.

Before he got back in the car, Lizzie ducked out the door and made a run for the trees that lined the side of the road.

"Azale - " Vernon started to say, whipping his head around. "AZALEA!" He roared and she heard his feet just a little way behind her. I'm not going there; I'm not going there... she thought as she ran. "LIZZIE, STOP!" He yelled. His longer strides caught up with her and he pushed her hard to the ground.

He yanked her up to her feet he lifted his hand high to smack the life out of her.

"Don't!" She screamed and covered her face. He stopped and paused, out of breath and in a rage.

"Get in the car," he growled.

"Why do I need to go there?! Why can't you just send me to the state school? Huh?! Am I really that terrible? Why don't you just take me to an orphanage? It would be better! It would have always been better!" She yelled. He stared at her in disbelief.

"Just take me to Kings Cross, please! If it's the last and only thing you do for me!" She pled.

"Azalea, there is nothing at Kings Cross! What you're on about is madness!" He yelled.

"You're lying!" She yelled and this time he hit her, it sparked a high-pitched ring in her left ear that charged through her body. She felt nearly able to explode.

"You think I can send you to a state school after what you did? Much less a magical mystery school that doesn't even exist?" He asked.

"It does exist, my parents went there, I met people! I remember, don't do this!" She pled, holding her ears as she willed the ringing to die.

"Do what?" He asked.

"Make me feel crazy! Just don't! I know it's real..." she said. It was fading some now.

"Real? Lizzie, for God's sake, this is why we didn't want you knowing how they died! You watched them get slaughtered and you think that didn't change you? You think that did mess you up? You don't know what's real, you're living in a world you are creating to cope with what you've done. You're going to up the hill to St. Catherine's because YOU killed your Chaplain," he berated.

"I didn't! I swear I didn't! I'm not going! I won't. I'm sure I am messed up; I was raised by YOU! JUST LET ME GO WHERE IM SUPPOSED TO BE!" She yelled, impressed by the nerve of her own volume. The look in his eyes made her think he was going beat her to a bloody pulp in these trees, but he backed up.

"Kings Cross is about twenty miles from here, Azalea. You can get in the car and accept the fact that you'll be in a detention school for the next four years, or you can find your magical make-believe mystery train on your own. If you don't get in that car and you don't find your stupid little train, you best stay lost, because I will never allow you back in my home," he warned. Lizzie looked at him intently for a moment unable to breathe evenly.

"Is that a no?" He asked. She didn't say anything. He approached her and leaned forward with his hands on his knees to look her in the face. "Really proved yourself to be a waste of space, didn't you?" He asked with poison in his voice. "Suit yourself," he added and rubbed her aching face in the fatherliest way he ever had before he headed back toward his car. Lizzie was rooted in place. She thought about following but if she was ever going to get out, Hogwarts or not, this was it.

She watched the car turnaround from a distance and drive away. There was no way to get to Kings Cross, so Hogwarts didn't seem like a realistic option anymore.

Lizzie made her way up to the road and sat down on the side hoping an idea would come to mind. She got the feeling something was looking at her but couldn't see a culprit anywhere. Several minutes passed before a car stopped in front of her. Someone got out an came around.

"Are you alright?" a young man, maybe thirty or so at most, with mousy blonde hair and some facial scruff asked, crouching down next to her. "Are you alone?" He asked. Lizzie nodded. "Why are you alone?" He asked.

"Because... I can't go home," she said simply.

"I can take you somewhere to call someone," he offered. Lizzie knew she shouldn't trust anyone like this but there were no options and it was miles to the nearest public place.

"Could you take me to King's Cross?" She asked. He stared back.

"I need to get on a train that leaves at eleven..." she explained. He nodded apprehensively and opened the passenger side door for her. When he got in the driver's seat a little panic kicked in.

"Look... Kings Cross, alright? If you're going to take me to a hospital or a police station, I'm getting out now. I'm supposed to go to the catholic detention school up here and if my relatives are called that's where I'll be come the evening... I'm not going to stick around and see what that's like, I already know... I'll hang myself with a bed sheet before the dawn and not a soul is going to care...If I don't make my train I will get on any train. I don't have money to give you... I'm sorry. Please don't murder me... but if you do make it quick at least," she said and was winded by the end or the erratic rant. The man laughed and shook his head.

"Kings Cross it is. I'm no Peter Sutcliff but hang out on the edge of a forest alone long enough, one of them might come along," he said. There was a demeanor about him that didn't feel the least bit threatening and Lizzie eased up.

There was a tune humming on the radio she thought she could place by the time they got onto the main roadway back to London.

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobble stone
Neath the halo of a street lamp
Turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed
By the flash of a neon light
Split the night

"And touched the sound of silence," Lizzie whispered. She had a brief memory of her mum dancing around a nursery and closed her eyes for more but it faded.

"Simon and Garfunkle, good taste," the man said. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Lizzie..." she said. "Yours?"

"Dirk... Creswell," he said, with a faint smile. "What's Lizzie short for? Eliza? Elizabeth?" He asked.

"Azalea," she said. He smiled like he already knew but didn't say anything like what she heard in Diagon Alley.

"What's at Kings Cross?" He asked.

"A train... to school," she said. He smiled again like he knew, but didn't say anything.

"Why were you going to a correctional school?" He asked.

"Because I'm a ray of sunshine...obviously" she mumbled sarcastically and he chuckled.

Lizzie wasn't sure why traffic was suddenly light and they didn't hit a single traffic stop. I might actually make it, she thought hopefully.

"What do you do?" She asked.

"Oh me? I work for a government liaison department. Nothing fancy," he said humbly.

"Look five minutes to spare. I'll hang out if you don't make your train if you'd like?" He asked.

"No... that's ok. I can't thank you enough..." Lizzie said graciously, grabbing her bag to get out of the car.

"Lizzie," he said abruptly, and handed her money. "I think you'll make it, but in case you need to get on another one... just don't overlook anything. Some bricks can be deceiving," he said cryptically.

Lizzie frowned and took the money. "Thank you again, Mr. Creswell," she said and he nodded.

Lizzie ran up the platform walk in a desperate hurry. Platform 7, Platform 8, Platform 9, Platform 10... she whispered as she hurried past.

"Excuse me, do you know where I can find Platform 9 3/4?" She asked a ticket conductor and he laughed bur walked away dubiously.

He was right, I've lost it, she thought and sat down on a ledge in defeat. When she headed over to the train schedule to see what was coming in, she heard a woman ushering a slew of red headed kids along in a hurry. They all had trunks like the one she bought with Hagrid.

"Same every year, packed with Muggles," the woman complained.

"Muggles..." Lizzie thought, and followed in a hurry. They stopped at the brick wall between platforms nine and ten and it dawned on her that Dirk was one of them. Were they going to open like Diagon Alley did? Lizzie thought. The oldest of the children, a curly haired red headed boy about sixteen ran straight through the wall. Then a pair of twins about fourteen or so argued about who was going next and Lizzie had to shake herself into action.

"Excuse me!" She yelled. The woman looked Round at her and smiled. "Yes, honey?" She asked.

"Could you tell me how to...?" Lizzie said, holding up her ticket.

"Heavens where are your things, worried you were a muggle," the woman laughed. "It's Ron's first year too," she said, pointing at the youngest boy nearest her. He was tall and freckled with blue eyes and the same bright red hair as the others. Lizzie smiled at him. The twin boys nudged him to say hi. He waved weakly and they chuckled. Lizzie felt self-conscious for a moment.

"You just have to walk right at the wall between platforms nine and ten, you'll pass through," the woman said encouragingly and Lizzie looked around briefly before walking toward it. She picked up into a little bit of a run and when she thought certain she'd hit the wall, but instead came out the other side looking at a bright red steam engine labeled the Hogwarts Express. Her jaw might have wandered off on the floor it hit. People were everywhere boarding in a hurry. Her eyes lit up completely for the first time in ages. She made it.

"You bloody bastard, I made it," she whispered to herself and walked forward to see where to board.