Nikole walked around, her newly bought owl in her right hand and her
backpack in the other. Platform 9¾? She wondered. She continued to roam
until she found a man in a red suit and asked, "Excuse me, sir, but where
can I find Platform 9 and-"
"Nikole!" shouted Harry, running up behind her. "Lets not bother the kindly man now."
"But I'm not, Harry. I'm just asking if he knows where Platform 9 and three quarters is."
"Nine and three quarters!" the man exclaimed. "You must be joking! Ha!" He turned away from her and walked toward another train.
"Okay." Nikole shifted her owl, Persistence, uneasily. "What are you doing here?"
"Finding my train." Harry walked with Nikole. Nikole stopped between Platforms nine and ten.
"Where's Platform nine and three quarters," Nikole asked.
"Right here. Wait. You're looking for Platform nine and three quarters? What school?" Harry stopped in his tracks.
"Hogwarts. And yes, I am looking for Platform nine and three quarters."
"Hogwarts?" he asked. "Me too." Now I know why she was talking to Bo. And no wonder! I knew something was different about her right from the off.
"Well, we better get on. But, how exactly?" Nikole asked.
"Just walk into this wall between Platforms nine and ten. Don't worry, I'll come with you." Harry took her arm and they both walked in together.
"Whoa." Nikole looked around. "Where are we?"
"The train station to Hogwarts." Harry dragged her into the train.
*
"We can sit in here," Harry suggested, motioning her into the tiny booth. "You know, you could've just let the bag guy take your things."
"I know. But, I just didn't want to." Nikole sat near the window and was exhilarated by the greenest grass and coolest breeze.
Harry chuckled to himself. "Enjoying yourself now?"
Nikole nodded. "What year?"
"Fourth...you?"
"Same. What house?" Nikole tickled Persistence.
"Gryffindor. What house do you want to be in?" Harry was sitting across from her.
"I always wanted to be in Gryffindor...since my mother was in Gryffindor."
"Hey, Harry," greeted a young man, freckled and redheaded, who looked about the same age as Harry, came in.
"Hey, Ron. This is Nikole."
"Hey," replied Ron. "First year?"
"Third level." Nikole opened the cage and Persistence hopped onto her arm.
"Thank you, mistress. My neck was beginning to get a cramp." Persistence hopped onto her shoulder and nestled his head in her hair.
"Welcome, Percy," Nikole giggled.
"Whoa. She can do that?" asked Ron.
"Yeah, she can, Ron," replied Harry.
"Are you guys talking about me over there?" Nikole teased.
"He is," Ron lied, pointing to Harry. Nikole smiled and Ron felt as if he was going to melt just seeing her smile. "Harry," he whispered. "Does she smile like that everyday?"
"Just about," Harry answered.
"Thank you, God," replied Ron.
"Mistress, where are we going?" asked Persistence, cocking his head to the side.
"Hogwarts, Percy. Hogwarts." Nikole ran her fingers through the fluffy, puffed feathers.
"Tis is tickles, mistress," Persistence chirped.
"That's what I was aiming for," Nikole laughed.
"Hey, Ron. Hey, Harry," greeted a young, blonde girl. She looked at Nikole and gave out her hand, "Hermione Granger."
"Uh, Nikole Piper," Nikole stammered, amused by the friendliness in her voice. She shook the hand given out to her. "Want to sit?"
"Thank you." Hermione looked at the owl strangely.
"Don't worry, he's been potty-trained." Nikole put Persistence's cage on the floor in front of her.
"Rightly. Thanks." Hermione sat down and crossed her legs, her plaid skirt riding up above her knees. "You know, you guys should get dressed into your robes soon."
"I'll go get dressed now," replied Nikole, putting Persistence back into his cage. With that, she stood and waved her hands down and to the side. Her old, raggedy gray shirt and loose blue jeans becoming into her 'robes' as Hermione put it; she looked down at the knee-high plaid skirt and crinkled her nose. "I don't like it."
The three were speechless.
"How did you do that?" asked Hermione.
Okay, not all the three were speechless. *Back to the story*
"Magic book of spells sixth edition." Nikole re-seated herself. "Do we have to wear skirts?"
"Apparently so. How--you read the sixth edition?" Hermione looked at her.
"Yup."
"When?"
"When I was bored out of my mind." Nikole played with her robe sleeve.
"But, how'd you get it? The book I mean."
"In the library." Nikole looked at Ron and Harry who were just staring, then at Hermione whose jaw was dropped. "What?"
"Only seventh years read that in classes, is all," answered Ron.
"Oh." Nikole looked down at the ground. "Is that a good thing?"
"A good thing? Woman! You've read material that only graduates have!" exclaimed Ron.
"Okay, I'm shutting up." And that ended all conversations among the four.
"Nikole!" shouted Harry, running up behind her. "Lets not bother the kindly man now."
"But I'm not, Harry. I'm just asking if he knows where Platform 9 and three quarters is."
"Nine and three quarters!" the man exclaimed. "You must be joking! Ha!" He turned away from her and walked toward another train.
"Okay." Nikole shifted her owl, Persistence, uneasily. "What are you doing here?"
"Finding my train." Harry walked with Nikole. Nikole stopped between Platforms nine and ten.
"Where's Platform nine and three quarters," Nikole asked.
"Right here. Wait. You're looking for Platform nine and three quarters? What school?" Harry stopped in his tracks.
"Hogwarts. And yes, I am looking for Platform nine and three quarters."
"Hogwarts?" he asked. "Me too." Now I know why she was talking to Bo. And no wonder! I knew something was different about her right from the off.
"Well, we better get on. But, how exactly?" Nikole asked.
"Just walk into this wall between Platforms nine and ten. Don't worry, I'll come with you." Harry took her arm and they both walked in together.
"Whoa." Nikole looked around. "Where are we?"
"The train station to Hogwarts." Harry dragged her into the train.
*
"We can sit in here," Harry suggested, motioning her into the tiny booth. "You know, you could've just let the bag guy take your things."
"I know. But, I just didn't want to." Nikole sat near the window and was exhilarated by the greenest grass and coolest breeze.
Harry chuckled to himself. "Enjoying yourself now?"
Nikole nodded. "What year?"
"Fourth...you?"
"Same. What house?" Nikole tickled Persistence.
"Gryffindor. What house do you want to be in?" Harry was sitting across from her.
"I always wanted to be in Gryffindor...since my mother was in Gryffindor."
"Hey, Harry," greeted a young man, freckled and redheaded, who looked about the same age as Harry, came in.
"Hey, Ron. This is Nikole."
"Hey," replied Ron. "First year?"
"Third level." Nikole opened the cage and Persistence hopped onto her arm.
"Thank you, mistress. My neck was beginning to get a cramp." Persistence hopped onto her shoulder and nestled his head in her hair.
"Welcome, Percy," Nikole giggled.
"Whoa. She can do that?" asked Ron.
"Yeah, she can, Ron," replied Harry.
"Are you guys talking about me over there?" Nikole teased.
"He is," Ron lied, pointing to Harry. Nikole smiled and Ron felt as if he was going to melt just seeing her smile. "Harry," he whispered. "Does she smile like that everyday?"
"Just about," Harry answered.
"Thank you, God," replied Ron.
"Mistress, where are we going?" asked Persistence, cocking his head to the side.
"Hogwarts, Percy. Hogwarts." Nikole ran her fingers through the fluffy, puffed feathers.
"Tis is tickles, mistress," Persistence chirped.
"That's what I was aiming for," Nikole laughed.
"Hey, Ron. Hey, Harry," greeted a young, blonde girl. She looked at Nikole and gave out her hand, "Hermione Granger."
"Uh, Nikole Piper," Nikole stammered, amused by the friendliness in her voice. She shook the hand given out to her. "Want to sit?"
"Thank you." Hermione looked at the owl strangely.
"Don't worry, he's been potty-trained." Nikole put Persistence's cage on the floor in front of her.
"Rightly. Thanks." Hermione sat down and crossed her legs, her plaid skirt riding up above her knees. "You know, you guys should get dressed into your robes soon."
"I'll go get dressed now," replied Nikole, putting Persistence back into his cage. With that, she stood and waved her hands down and to the side. Her old, raggedy gray shirt and loose blue jeans becoming into her 'robes' as Hermione put it; she looked down at the knee-high plaid skirt and crinkled her nose. "I don't like it."
The three were speechless.
"How did you do that?" asked Hermione.
Okay, not all the three were speechless. *Back to the story*
"Magic book of spells sixth edition." Nikole re-seated herself. "Do we have to wear skirts?"
"Apparently so. How--you read the sixth edition?" Hermione looked at her.
"Yup."
"When?"
"When I was bored out of my mind." Nikole played with her robe sleeve.
"But, how'd you get it? The book I mean."
"In the library." Nikole looked at Ron and Harry who were just staring, then at Hermione whose jaw was dropped. "What?"
"Only seventh years read that in classes, is all," answered Ron.
"Oh." Nikole looked down at the ground. "Is that a good thing?"
"A good thing? Woman! You've read material that only graduates have!" exclaimed Ron.
"Okay, I'm shutting up." And that ended all conversations among the four.