A/N: Thanks to crystal3108, Moon Lantern and DHKroeger18 for following/reviewing!
When the 3rd September finally came around, Ariella was so excited that she found herself wide awake at five o'clock in the morning. The trouble was, no matter how hard she tried, she could not get back to sleep again. She kept thinking about her new school about the fact next time she went to sleep she would be in a dormitory in a huge castle with the girls she was going to be going to be sharing a room with for the next seven years of her life or that tomorrow she would be doing her first ever lessons in magic.
Eventually, she got up, no longer able to contain her excitement. She decided that maybe she would get a head start in getting ready as she really didn't want all the others to be waiting for her. So, getting out her brush from her nearly packed trunk and creeping into the bathroom, she set about untangling her curls that had become rather knotted with all her tossing and turning in the night.
About quarter of an hour later, she had managed to get her curls to lie how she wanted them, but she sincerely hoped that there was some kind of spell that she could use that would make it a bit easier and quicker in the future and made a mental note to ask Hermione when she woke up.
She didn't have to wait long for, as she walked back into the dark room to put her brush away, she suddenly tripped and went sprawling over the floor, wincing when her brush landed with a loud clatter next to her.
Hermione shot up in bed. "What was that? Who's there?" There was the sound of scrabbling. "Lumos!" A bright light it up the room. "Ella? What on Earth are you doing on the floor?"
"I'm sorry, I was trying not to wake you, but I tripped. I couldn't sleep, so I got up."
Hermione sighed. "What is the time?"
"About six o-clock? I can't see the clock," Ariella replied, getting up from the floor.
Hermione groaned and laid back down, covering her head with her pillow. "Couldn't you have been more careful?"
"Sorry."
"I'm going back to sleep. Try not to trip over again please."
"Alright, sorry." She tiptoed back over to her bed.
However, a few hours later, the whole house was thrown into chaos. Mrs Weasley was up, ordering people to do this, that and the other, and Hermione was desperately trying to find Crookshanks so they wouldn't be late because of her. On top of this, the rest of the household were running around like yoyos, trying to please Mrs Weasley and get themselves ready. The only people that hadn't emerged from their room were Ron and Harry and no doubt the bossy woman would be up their banging on their door sooner or later.
Then, Fred and George decided that it would be a good idea to bewitch their cases. Ariella watched curiously as the two cast the spell and their trunks began to move down the stairs, getting faster and faster until they were hurtling down so fast that they could have knocked someone down several flights of steps. And then they did. A surprised cry came from a couple of staircases down, followed by a scream and the sound of something tumbling. Immediately, Ariella ran down to find the source of the noise, worried that someone had got hurt. Fred and George disapparated with a pop, knowing they were bound to be in trouble, whatever had happened.
However, she was only down two flights of stairs when she heard Mrs Weasley shouting and stopped short.
"Ginny! Ginny, are you alright? What happened?" There was a few seconds where Ginny spoke before Mrs Weasley's voice filled the house again. "Fred! George! Get down here immediately!"
Ariella didn't go any further. She didn't want to be involved in this. Instead, she slowly went to make her way back upstairs to her room. Perhaps she could check through her luggage again to check she hadn't forgotten anything?
But, even with the bedroom door shut, Mrs Weasley's yelling could still be heard. Although, now, it was also joined in with Mrs Back's portrait screaming at the top of her voice.
"–FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHER'S–"
"–COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS–"
She got up to look out the door, trying to ignore all the shouting, when Hermione's footsteps thundered down the corridor.
"Ella! Mum and Dad have replied to our letter, they're meeting us just outside the platform at quarter to eleven. I'm just going to give Harry Hedwig back. We really should get our own owl, maybe I'll ask Mum and Dad for my birthday or something." She barely stopped as she ran past the door, only pausing momentarily to throw Ariella the letter.
Bending down to pick it up, Ariella quickly scanned it and stored it away in her trunk. Secretly, she was quite glad that her parents were coming to wave her off, but, of course, no one else had to know that.
"Will you lot get down here now, please!" Mrs Weasley bellowed, making Ariella jump, then Hermione ran in again.
"Come on, bring your case down. We need to go," she ordered, offering no help before hurrying out of the room again.
As Ariella dragged her trunk downstairs, she could still hear Mrs Black's portrait howling with rage, but nobody was bothering to close the curtains over her; all the noise in the hall was bound to rouse her again anyway.
"Harry, you're to come with me and Tonks," shouted Mrs Weasley over the repeated screeches of – "MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!" – "Leave your luggage and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage. The same goes for you too, Ariella, except you'll be going with Arthur, Ron and Hermione… oh for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"
A bear-like black dog had appeared at Harry's side as he was clambering over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mrs Weasley.
"Oh honestly…" said Mrs Weasley despairingly. "Well, on your own head be it!"
She wrenched open the door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight. Harry and the dog followed her. The door slammed behind them, leaving Ariella, Ron, Hermione, Alastor and Arthur to clear up the mess they had left behind.
"We're going by muggle transport, so we'll just wait a few minutes before we set off," Mr Weasley explained, attempting to close the curtains of Mrs Black's portrait. "Alastor will take the luggage after us… Will one of you help me shut these curtains please?"
Ron stepped forward and eventually, after a few minutes of tugging, both men managed to pull them closed, cutting off Mrs Blacks' screeches.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at Kings Cross station and headed to Platform Nine and Ten. It didn't take Ariella long to spot her parents standing on Platform Nine, anxiously watching out for them. She ran over and threw her arms around Jean in a tight hug.
"It was so cool staying with the Weasleys, Mum! The stuff they have is so clever. Mrs Weasley had the dinner cooking itself and they had this clock with them that told them where each member of their family was and everything!"
"You don't sound as if you've missed us at all," Pat chuckled.
"I have!" Ariella insisted. "But it was just so different to being at home."
"Well, I'm glad you've had a good time. Did you get our letter?"
"Yes," Hermione answered, walking over to her parents. "We did. It arrived this morning."
"Just in time then. Shall we go through to the platform now?" Jean said as Mr Weasley and Ron joined them.
"This is the one where you have to walk through the barriers, yes?" Ariella asked nervously.
"Yes, you don't need to worry though. Mrs Weasley says it's best if you do it at a run if you're nervous," Hermione said before walking into the wall and disappearing. Ron and Mr Weasley followed.
"Go on, Ella. You go next. We'll follow."
Ariella swallowed and looked nervously at the wall before she started running. Just as she was about to collide with it, she closed her eyes tightly.
When she opened them again, she was met with an amazing sight. She was no longer in the King's Cross she knew. Instead, there was one platform and next to it stood a gleaming scarlet engine; the nameplate across the front bearing the words 'Hogwarts Express'. She couldn't help but smile. She'd done it!
Turning round, she saw her parents had come through behind her.
"Come on then, let's go find your sister and get your luggage," Jean said, taking hold of her daughter's hand and leading her through the crowds of departing students and their families.
Soon, she was all settled and ready to board the train. She looked up at the huge clock towering over the platform. It was two minutes to eleven.
"You'd better get on now, honey," Pat said, hugging Ariella before letting his wife say goodbye.
"Write to us," Jean told her before releasing her daughter and watching her go up the steps and into the carriage. "They've both grown up so fast," she murmured to her husband.
"I know." He slipped his arm around her waist as Ariella appeared at the window and waved frantically as the train began to move off.
"Goodbye!" the blonde haired girl called out of the window.
"Have fun!" Jean called back.
Both parents watched and waved until the train was out of sight.
A/N: Please let me know what you think of this chapter!