The remainder of the week went by quickly. Victoria found she was enjoying herself very much now that she had a friend around. Albert was simply happy to be in a place other than his house. Between the two, they had almost as much fun as they normally did at Hogwarts. All too soon, and in other ways not soon enough, it was September the first, and they were ready to leave.
Their things had been packed into her father's merchant's cart, which they would be taking for the short ride into London where they switched into the Hogwarts signature scarlet-colored carriages. Victoria and Albert woke up a bit earlier than usual, in order to check that everything was packed and to say good-bye to Victoria's parents. Philip was to drive them into the city and drop them off at the carriage house.
Just after sunrise, Victoria and Albert were waiting out by the cart. They were each wearing the Hogwarts uniform that went under their black robes. For Albert this meant a white shirt and black breeches, with black shoes, and for Victoria it meant a simple white shirt, long black skirt, black stockings, and black shoes. Their robes were safely packed in their trunks, but in easy to reach places so they could throw them on in the carriage on the way to Hogwarts. They had packed food, for the carriage ride was a long one---all day in fact---even after having been shortened by the use of magic.
Victoria said goodbye to her mother, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Every year you go away like this," Mary sighed. "Will you be back this year over winter break?"
"I'm not sure, Mum. I'll send you Hercules, though, and we'll see. This year feels like it will be different already."
"Well, I don't want to hear about any trouble-making, and I hope to see you back with another year's worth of knowledge packed into that small head of yours."
"Yes Mum. I can promise that. Well, at least the latter part." With one final hug, Victoria stepped up onto the cart and took a seat in the back with all her bags.
Mary then turned to Albert, opening her arms for a hug. She gave him a warm-hearted embrace. "Good-bye Albert. It was truly a pleasure having you around, and it was so nice to meet one of the friends Victoria raves about all summer long."
Albert smiled. "It was a pleasure to be here. I had a wonderful time. Maybe next summer I'll invite Victoria to my home, however much she'd hate it." He too climbed onto the cart, seating himself beside Victoria. Philip took the front seat, reigns in hand, and started off down the road, calling a farewell to his wife.
The ride to the carriage house was short, and Philip took remote country rodes as far as possible so as not to attract too much unwanted attention. Hogwarts students always looked strange, carrying around broomsticks and owl cages and the like. By the time her father's cart had pulled up outside the carriage house, Victoria's stomach was twisting into knots. She always got terribly excited on the trip to Hogwarts. This year, she felt things were going to be a little different, and a lot better, than years in the past.
Victoria got up slowly from her small crevice in between her bag and Albert's. Albert stood up easily and hopped off the cart, offering her a hand to step down. Victoria didn't take the offered hand, but instead put her hand on his shoulder and jumped down that way. She pulled her trunk out of the cart with much difficulty, and then grabbed hold of her broomstick and Hercules' cage. Albert was doing the same thing, and Philip was waiting quietly to say his good-byes.
When Victoria turned around, Philip lifted her up under the arms and spun her around in a circle, giving her a kiss on the cheek and setting her down carefully onto her feet. "That's my little girl. Forget about what your mother said, and have some fun this year, hm?"
"I always do," she replied with a smile.
"And you," Philip said, looking at Albert, "make sure she does what I told her to. I don't want to hear about my daughter being the slightest bit bored this year. If I do, I'll know who to look for." Philip smiled and took Albert's hand, shaking it with much vigor. "Now, the two of you go get on that carriage and enjoy your year if I don't see you!"
Victoria dragged her trunk along the ground with one hand and carried her broomstick and Hercules in the other. It was a comical sight, her next to Albert, who held all of his things with apparent ease. When the entered the carriage house, it was filled with all sorts of different people. Drivers, nobles, and even some commoners out to enjoy a nice ride as a special treat. In between to different areas where carriages were held, stables nine and ten, there was a brick wall that Victoria and Albert headed straight towards. Upon reaching it, they leaned in, and simply slipped through, entering a long room, filled with scarlet carriages and Hogwarts students.
Victoria let out a long sigh as she looked around. "Another year is beginning. So far every year has been better than those previous. And every year I've thought they couldn't get better." She looked around the large, cavernous room. "There's number sixteen," she said, pointing to a carriage near the beginning of the long train. She lead the way over there, trying to maneuver through all of the people with her trunk. When she got to the carriage, she leaned against it, somewhat slumped over, and tried to relax. All of a sudden a face popped out of the window over the door.
"Hello!" Kathrine said enthusiastically. "How was your morning?"
"Exhausting," Victoria responded as Albert loaded all of their things into the back of the carriage.
"Hello Kath," he said, very upbeat. He opened the door to the carriage and stepped in, picking up Victoria and setting her beside Kathrine and across from him.
"Hey," Victoria said with a start, "how come you get a seat all to yourself?"
"Because I'm the biggest," he answered with a grin.
"We can't control how small we are!" exclaimed Kathrine.
"We?" Victoria jumped in. "You're a full four inches taller than me!"
"Ha, that's not much of an advantage next to Albert," Kathrine said dryly.
"I'm not moving," Albert said, "simple as that." Almost directly after he spoke those words, the carriage began rolling, and the steady hoofbeat of horses could be heard clearly through the thin walls. "Well, we're moving anyway, so I guess that settles it. Anyone up for some food?"
Kathrine's hand shot up into the air. "Oh! Me, absolutely me!"
Albert pulled out a small wrapped package of croissants. "Mrs. Christiansen's famous croissants," he said the word with a phony French accent. "No need to raise your hand, by the way. School hasn't started yet." He handed a croissant to Kathrine, then one to Victoria, finally taking one out for himself.
"I'm not hungry," Victoria said, making to put hers back. "I'm simply too wound-up to eat."
"Nonsense," said Kathrine, her mouth full with a bite of the buttery roll. "These are great. Besides, you've got to eat something. You claim you can't eat every year, but you always manage to at some point or other."
"Good point." Victoria sighed and bit into her croissant.
Their things had been packed into her father's merchant's cart, which they would be taking for the short ride into London where they switched into the Hogwarts signature scarlet-colored carriages. Victoria and Albert woke up a bit earlier than usual, in order to check that everything was packed and to say good-bye to Victoria's parents. Philip was to drive them into the city and drop them off at the carriage house.
Just after sunrise, Victoria and Albert were waiting out by the cart. They were each wearing the Hogwarts uniform that went under their black robes. For Albert this meant a white shirt and black breeches, with black shoes, and for Victoria it meant a simple white shirt, long black skirt, black stockings, and black shoes. Their robes were safely packed in their trunks, but in easy to reach places so they could throw them on in the carriage on the way to Hogwarts. They had packed food, for the carriage ride was a long one---all day in fact---even after having been shortened by the use of magic.
Victoria said goodbye to her mother, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Every year you go away like this," Mary sighed. "Will you be back this year over winter break?"
"I'm not sure, Mum. I'll send you Hercules, though, and we'll see. This year feels like it will be different already."
"Well, I don't want to hear about any trouble-making, and I hope to see you back with another year's worth of knowledge packed into that small head of yours."
"Yes Mum. I can promise that. Well, at least the latter part." With one final hug, Victoria stepped up onto the cart and took a seat in the back with all her bags.
Mary then turned to Albert, opening her arms for a hug. She gave him a warm-hearted embrace. "Good-bye Albert. It was truly a pleasure having you around, and it was so nice to meet one of the friends Victoria raves about all summer long."
Albert smiled. "It was a pleasure to be here. I had a wonderful time. Maybe next summer I'll invite Victoria to my home, however much she'd hate it." He too climbed onto the cart, seating himself beside Victoria. Philip took the front seat, reigns in hand, and started off down the road, calling a farewell to his wife.
The ride to the carriage house was short, and Philip took remote country rodes as far as possible so as not to attract too much unwanted attention. Hogwarts students always looked strange, carrying around broomsticks and owl cages and the like. By the time her father's cart had pulled up outside the carriage house, Victoria's stomach was twisting into knots. She always got terribly excited on the trip to Hogwarts. This year, she felt things were going to be a little different, and a lot better, than years in the past.
Victoria got up slowly from her small crevice in between her bag and Albert's. Albert stood up easily and hopped off the cart, offering her a hand to step down. Victoria didn't take the offered hand, but instead put her hand on his shoulder and jumped down that way. She pulled her trunk out of the cart with much difficulty, and then grabbed hold of her broomstick and Hercules' cage. Albert was doing the same thing, and Philip was waiting quietly to say his good-byes.
When Victoria turned around, Philip lifted her up under the arms and spun her around in a circle, giving her a kiss on the cheek and setting her down carefully onto her feet. "That's my little girl. Forget about what your mother said, and have some fun this year, hm?"
"I always do," she replied with a smile.
"And you," Philip said, looking at Albert, "make sure she does what I told her to. I don't want to hear about my daughter being the slightest bit bored this year. If I do, I'll know who to look for." Philip smiled and took Albert's hand, shaking it with much vigor. "Now, the two of you go get on that carriage and enjoy your year if I don't see you!"
Victoria dragged her trunk along the ground with one hand and carried her broomstick and Hercules in the other. It was a comical sight, her next to Albert, who held all of his things with apparent ease. When the entered the carriage house, it was filled with all sorts of different people. Drivers, nobles, and even some commoners out to enjoy a nice ride as a special treat. In between to different areas where carriages were held, stables nine and ten, there was a brick wall that Victoria and Albert headed straight towards. Upon reaching it, they leaned in, and simply slipped through, entering a long room, filled with scarlet carriages and Hogwarts students.
Victoria let out a long sigh as she looked around. "Another year is beginning. So far every year has been better than those previous. And every year I've thought they couldn't get better." She looked around the large, cavernous room. "There's number sixteen," she said, pointing to a carriage near the beginning of the long train. She lead the way over there, trying to maneuver through all of the people with her trunk. When she got to the carriage, she leaned against it, somewhat slumped over, and tried to relax. All of a sudden a face popped out of the window over the door.
"Hello!" Kathrine said enthusiastically. "How was your morning?"
"Exhausting," Victoria responded as Albert loaded all of their things into the back of the carriage.
"Hello Kath," he said, very upbeat. He opened the door to the carriage and stepped in, picking up Victoria and setting her beside Kathrine and across from him.
"Hey," Victoria said with a start, "how come you get a seat all to yourself?"
"Because I'm the biggest," he answered with a grin.
"We can't control how small we are!" exclaimed Kathrine.
"We?" Victoria jumped in. "You're a full four inches taller than me!"
"Ha, that's not much of an advantage next to Albert," Kathrine said dryly.
"I'm not moving," Albert said, "simple as that." Almost directly after he spoke those words, the carriage began rolling, and the steady hoofbeat of horses could be heard clearly through the thin walls. "Well, we're moving anyway, so I guess that settles it. Anyone up for some food?"
Kathrine's hand shot up into the air. "Oh! Me, absolutely me!"
Albert pulled out a small wrapped package of croissants. "Mrs. Christiansen's famous croissants," he said the word with a phony French accent. "No need to raise your hand, by the way. School hasn't started yet." He handed a croissant to Kathrine, then one to Victoria, finally taking one out for himself.
"I'm not hungry," Victoria said, making to put hers back. "I'm simply too wound-up to eat."
"Nonsense," said Kathrine, her mouth full with a bite of the buttery roll. "These are great. Besides, you've got to eat something. You claim you can't eat every year, but you always manage to at some point or other."
"Good point." Victoria sighed and bit into her croissant.
