centerChapter 3 - Arrival on the Hogwarts Express/center
Liz spent the rest of her time at home reading her books. She had bought a few extras, about a thousand pages each, for some light reading. Three of the four mentioned her father, and one of those mentioned Luna and her. She soon learned to skip over those chapters, as they caused her heart to ache with nonexistent memories.
Emma was being intolerable. She would invite friends over and lead them up and down the hallway, talking loudly while Liz was trying to read. Liz seethed with suppressed rage.
On September 1, Mrs. Smith took Liz to King's Cross Station. Emma had screamed bloody murder when Mr. Smith had asked her to come, so he stayed home with her. The only thing that kept Liz from being miserable was the prospect of learning how to do actual magic.
"Goodbye, honey. We love you," Mrs. Smith said. "Would you like to come home for Christmas?"
"N-not really, Mum. See you next summer."
Mrs. Smith waved and left. Taking out her train ticket, Liz pulled her baggage cart along. But soon she stopped short.
"Platform 9 and ¾?" she exclaimed. That couldn't be possible. She looked wildly around for the Weasleys, who were not to be seen. How was she to find the train?
"Mummy, Mummy, tell me how to get onto the platform again!" a small voice pleaded somewhere. Liz's head shot up.
"Yes, Mummy, tell me too!" an identical voice echoed.
"Now, Rachel's the one who has to get onto the train," an older, more motherly voice told the others, and Liz caught sight of a baggage cart-with an owl on top!
"Um, excuse me? Ma'am?" Liz began to shout, dodging irate train goers to find the woman who would know how to get onto the platform. She made a mad dash for the retreating family and the cart took on a momentum of its own so that when Liz finally reached the other cart, both she and her cart collided with the cart and its owner. In a few seconds and a flurry of feathers, Liz ended up with both carts on top of her and a blossoming bruise on her backside.
"I am so sorry!" a girl with long brown hair apologized, clapping her hands to her mouth.
"My.fault." Liz choked, trying to breathe.
The girl and her mother heaved the carts off Liz's small figure, and the three of them plus two identical little girls gathered up all their belongings. Both owls hooted angrily.
"I'm Liz Potter," Liz finally said, checking her wand to make sure it had not snapped on impact.
"Really?" the other girl asked. Liz found the blood rushing up to her cheeks as they all looked at her, impressed.
"Yeah."
"I'm Rachel. Rachel Yates," the girl said. "This is my mum, and these are my little sisters, Carla and Theresa."
"Pleased to meet you," the twins squeaked.
"You too," Liz laughed. "Uh.er.could you tell me how to get onto the platform? I'm new here."
"Oh, Rachel is too," Mrs. Yates said. "But I remember it back in my day. You run at the barrier between platforms nine and ten."
"At it?" Somehow, Liz thought, she must have heard her wrong. That could be dangerous, not to mention embarrassing.
"Yes, at it. You'll just slip through. Just don't be nervous or you might crash into it."
II might crash into it anyway,/I Liz found herself thinking. Aloud, she said, "Well, all right, then."
Rachel volunteered to go first, and Liz had time to think that, with her superior first-aid knowledge, she could bandage up Rachel's head injury. Then, before Liz's very eyes, just as it seemed Rachel would collide with the barrier, she vanished.
"Good, good. Hurry on now, Liz, or you'll miss the train," Mrs. Yates encouraged. The twins grinned.
Liz took a deep breath, steadied her wobbly cart, and took off at a slight jog. It was getting nearer, it was a foot away, an inch, it was-
Gone.
Liz opened her eyes, taking in the sight. Rachel stood waiting for her, and behind her stood a magnificent scarlet steam engine. The words HOGWARTS EXPRESS had been emblazoned on it in gold.
"You made it!" Rachel said as Mrs. Yates and the twins appeared behind them.
"Yeah," Liz said shakily.
"Liz! Liz, over here!" a voice called out. Liz turned to see Michael rushing at her, followed closely by Jessica and his parents.
"Hurry, or you'll miss the train!" Mr. Weasley said.
The three of them threw their trunks on board and got on as the train started to puff forward. "Goodbye, Rachel!" Mrs. Yates called, the twins waving enthusiastically by her side.
"Bye, Michael, Jessica! See you, Liz!" Mr. Weasley called, for Mrs. Weasley had hopped aboard with them. Liz wondered momentarily what she was doing and then remembered that she taught Transfiguration at Hogwarts. Mr. Weasley waved once more before the train rounded the bend and the group was forced to shut the door.
"Well!" Mrs. Weasley said. "I'm going to go find somewhere to sit and you should too." She waved goodbye and headed for a different carriage.
"Oh, er, Michael Weasley, Rachel Yates," Liz feebly attempted to introduce the two. Rachel grinned and Michael ran his hand through his hair. "Let's get a compartment!" Liz reminded them, and the three set off.
They finally found an empty one and sat down. "I am so nervous," Rachel said. "I'm glad I met some people, though."
"Me too," Michael agreed. There was silence for a few seconds. "How about we talk about our families?"
"All right," Rachel agreed. "I have my mom and dad and two little twin sisters, Carla and Theresa. They're nine."
"I have an older sister, Jessica. She probably went to go find her friends. She's starting third year. My mom teaches Transfiguration at Hogwarts-"
"Oh, so that's why she's on the train?" Rachel said.
"Yeah. My dad works at the Ministry. And I have a bunch of uncles and an aunt. My uncle Bill died years ago, but I still have Uncles Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Aunt Ginny."
"Wait! Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Rachel said.
"My uncles, Fred and George," Michael answered. "They run it."
Liz gave them both a blank look. They could have been speaking in code for all she understood.
"It's a joke store in Hogsmeade," Rachel explained.
"Oh, yes, McGonagall told me about that."
Their conversation was interrupted when the compartment door slid open and a girl with long, silky ebony hair stepped in. She looked at them and a forbidding smile spread across her lips.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here."
Liz looked at Michael and Rachel. Who was this girl?
"I'm Winnie Chen," the girl said, as if she had read Liz's mind. "Pure- blood. And I know who you are. You've been described in way too many articles and books and everything for me not to, Elizabeth Potter."
"I prefer Liz," Liz said coolly.
"Well, I prefer not to talk to you at all," Winnie retorted. "You're not a pureblood. You aren't either," she added, addressing Michael, who stood up.
"Yeah?" he said, eyes flashing. "So?"
"So you're not good enough to be in Slytherin, Michael Weasley."
"You mean bad enough," Rachel put in angrily. "All the Slytherins are just plain evil. Everyone knows that."
"We're not evil, we're ambitious," Winnie said, puffing her chest out proudly.
"Besides, you're not a Slytherin yet anyway," Liz said.
"But I will be. Both my parents were Slytherins, and their parents, and their parents, and their parents.it goes on forever. So there's no chance I won't."
"Didn't you say you preferred not to talk to me?" Liz reminded her. Winnie gave her a scathing look and stomped out.
"You know, I don't doubt she will be in Slytherin," Michael grumbled.
"Me neither," Rachel and Liz agreed simultaneously.
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was spent comparing knowledge of the wizarding world. All three of them seemed to be tied in this area: Rachel and Michael had grown up with at least one magic parent (Rachel's dad was a Muggle), and Liz had absorbed plenty of facts from McGonagall and her books. Soon a fifth-year prefect came by and told them they were nearing Hogwarts and they'd best put on their robes. Michael left while the girls changed and they did the same for him.
The train jerked to a halt, and the three of them followed the stream of students out the doors of the train. The older ones climbed into carts that moved on their own; once they were full, they rattled off as if invisible horses were pulling them. But a booming voice bellowed over the din of the crowd, "Firs' years! Firs' years this way! Firs' years over here!"
Liz, Rachel, and Michael turned to see a giant man with scraggly white hair and a white beard beckoning to all the new students.
"He's a giant," Rachel squeaked.
"No, he's not," Liz said. "Is he?"
"No, my mum and dad told me about him!" Michael told them. "His name is-"
"Hagrid!" a voice called. "There are two more boats left!"
"Good, Chris. I'll go with these two girls-" (here the giant man pointed to Winnie Chen and one of her equally evil-looking friends, who moaned) "-and you go with these three." He gestured to Liz, Rachel, and Michael, who were rooted to the spot.
"Hi, I'm Chris. Chris Scott," the owner of the voice said to them as Hagrid set sail. "Who're you?"
"Rachel Yates."
"Michael Weasley."
"Elizabeth Potter. Liz for short."
"You're Elizabeth Potter?" the boy asked in amazement. "Wow!"
"Are you a first-year?" Michael asked as they climbed into the boat.
"No," Chris responded, pushing the boat off the shore. "I'm a Squib."
"Yes, McGonagall told me about Squibs!" Liz said. "So why are you here?"
"Well, my parents were so ashamed of me being a Squib, so they sent me to help Hagrid with game keeping duties when I was eight, three years ago. And they disowned me."
"Disowned you?" Liz and Rachel chorused, horrified.
"Just for you being a Squib?" Michael said incredulously.
"They were ashamed," Chris repeated a bit sadly.
"That's cruel," Liz said.
"Yeah, well, I get to be here. I consider myself lucky."
Liz wouldn't have agreed, but she kept her mouth shut.
"So you know my mum?" Michael inquired quickly, aiming for a change of subject.
"Weasley? Professor Weasley? Yes, I do. You're her son? Where do you get your red hair?" Chris inquired.
"Yes, I am her son, and I get my red hair from my dad," Michael replied, grinning.
"That's neat," Chris said. "And you're Eli-Liz Potter."
Liz nodded. "That's me."
"Wait until Hagrid find out who you are! He's always talking about your father."
"He knew him?"
"Oh, yes, definitely. Hagrid was gamekeeper while he was in school."
"We're here!" Rachel announced.
The four of them looked up. "Wow," Liz breathed. The many towers and turrets loomed above their heads. All the rest of the boats had been beached and all their passengers had gone ashore.
"Good luck," Chris called as the three of them went through the giant open door and disappeared.
Liz spent the rest of her time at home reading her books. She had bought a few extras, about a thousand pages each, for some light reading. Three of the four mentioned her father, and one of those mentioned Luna and her. She soon learned to skip over those chapters, as they caused her heart to ache with nonexistent memories.
Emma was being intolerable. She would invite friends over and lead them up and down the hallway, talking loudly while Liz was trying to read. Liz seethed with suppressed rage.
On September 1, Mrs. Smith took Liz to King's Cross Station. Emma had screamed bloody murder when Mr. Smith had asked her to come, so he stayed home with her. The only thing that kept Liz from being miserable was the prospect of learning how to do actual magic.
"Goodbye, honey. We love you," Mrs. Smith said. "Would you like to come home for Christmas?"
"N-not really, Mum. See you next summer."
Mrs. Smith waved and left. Taking out her train ticket, Liz pulled her baggage cart along. But soon she stopped short.
"Platform 9 and ¾?" she exclaimed. That couldn't be possible. She looked wildly around for the Weasleys, who were not to be seen. How was she to find the train?
"Mummy, Mummy, tell me how to get onto the platform again!" a small voice pleaded somewhere. Liz's head shot up.
"Yes, Mummy, tell me too!" an identical voice echoed.
"Now, Rachel's the one who has to get onto the train," an older, more motherly voice told the others, and Liz caught sight of a baggage cart-with an owl on top!
"Um, excuse me? Ma'am?" Liz began to shout, dodging irate train goers to find the woman who would know how to get onto the platform. She made a mad dash for the retreating family and the cart took on a momentum of its own so that when Liz finally reached the other cart, both she and her cart collided with the cart and its owner. In a few seconds and a flurry of feathers, Liz ended up with both carts on top of her and a blossoming bruise on her backside.
"I am so sorry!" a girl with long brown hair apologized, clapping her hands to her mouth.
"My.fault." Liz choked, trying to breathe.
The girl and her mother heaved the carts off Liz's small figure, and the three of them plus two identical little girls gathered up all their belongings. Both owls hooted angrily.
"I'm Liz Potter," Liz finally said, checking her wand to make sure it had not snapped on impact.
"Really?" the other girl asked. Liz found the blood rushing up to her cheeks as they all looked at her, impressed.
"Yeah."
"I'm Rachel. Rachel Yates," the girl said. "This is my mum, and these are my little sisters, Carla and Theresa."
"Pleased to meet you," the twins squeaked.
"You too," Liz laughed. "Uh.er.could you tell me how to get onto the platform? I'm new here."
"Oh, Rachel is too," Mrs. Yates said. "But I remember it back in my day. You run at the barrier between platforms nine and ten."
"At it?" Somehow, Liz thought, she must have heard her wrong. That could be dangerous, not to mention embarrassing.
"Yes, at it. You'll just slip through. Just don't be nervous or you might crash into it."
II might crash into it anyway,/I Liz found herself thinking. Aloud, she said, "Well, all right, then."
Rachel volunteered to go first, and Liz had time to think that, with her superior first-aid knowledge, she could bandage up Rachel's head injury. Then, before Liz's very eyes, just as it seemed Rachel would collide with the barrier, she vanished.
"Good, good. Hurry on now, Liz, or you'll miss the train," Mrs. Yates encouraged. The twins grinned.
Liz took a deep breath, steadied her wobbly cart, and took off at a slight jog. It was getting nearer, it was a foot away, an inch, it was-
Gone.
Liz opened her eyes, taking in the sight. Rachel stood waiting for her, and behind her stood a magnificent scarlet steam engine. The words HOGWARTS EXPRESS had been emblazoned on it in gold.
"You made it!" Rachel said as Mrs. Yates and the twins appeared behind them.
"Yeah," Liz said shakily.
"Liz! Liz, over here!" a voice called out. Liz turned to see Michael rushing at her, followed closely by Jessica and his parents.
"Hurry, or you'll miss the train!" Mr. Weasley said.
The three of them threw their trunks on board and got on as the train started to puff forward. "Goodbye, Rachel!" Mrs. Yates called, the twins waving enthusiastically by her side.
"Bye, Michael, Jessica! See you, Liz!" Mr. Weasley called, for Mrs. Weasley had hopped aboard with them. Liz wondered momentarily what she was doing and then remembered that she taught Transfiguration at Hogwarts. Mr. Weasley waved once more before the train rounded the bend and the group was forced to shut the door.
"Well!" Mrs. Weasley said. "I'm going to go find somewhere to sit and you should too." She waved goodbye and headed for a different carriage.
"Oh, er, Michael Weasley, Rachel Yates," Liz feebly attempted to introduce the two. Rachel grinned and Michael ran his hand through his hair. "Let's get a compartment!" Liz reminded them, and the three set off.
They finally found an empty one and sat down. "I am so nervous," Rachel said. "I'm glad I met some people, though."
"Me too," Michael agreed. There was silence for a few seconds. "How about we talk about our families?"
"All right," Rachel agreed. "I have my mom and dad and two little twin sisters, Carla and Theresa. They're nine."
"I have an older sister, Jessica. She probably went to go find her friends. She's starting third year. My mom teaches Transfiguration at Hogwarts-"
"Oh, so that's why she's on the train?" Rachel said.
"Yeah. My dad works at the Ministry. And I have a bunch of uncles and an aunt. My uncle Bill died years ago, but I still have Uncles Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Aunt Ginny."
"Wait! Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Rachel said.
"My uncles, Fred and George," Michael answered. "They run it."
Liz gave them both a blank look. They could have been speaking in code for all she understood.
"It's a joke store in Hogsmeade," Rachel explained.
"Oh, yes, McGonagall told me about that."
Their conversation was interrupted when the compartment door slid open and a girl with long, silky ebony hair stepped in. She looked at them and a forbidding smile spread across her lips.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here."
Liz looked at Michael and Rachel. Who was this girl?
"I'm Winnie Chen," the girl said, as if she had read Liz's mind. "Pure- blood. And I know who you are. You've been described in way too many articles and books and everything for me not to, Elizabeth Potter."
"I prefer Liz," Liz said coolly.
"Well, I prefer not to talk to you at all," Winnie retorted. "You're not a pureblood. You aren't either," she added, addressing Michael, who stood up.
"Yeah?" he said, eyes flashing. "So?"
"So you're not good enough to be in Slytherin, Michael Weasley."
"You mean bad enough," Rachel put in angrily. "All the Slytherins are just plain evil. Everyone knows that."
"We're not evil, we're ambitious," Winnie said, puffing her chest out proudly.
"Besides, you're not a Slytherin yet anyway," Liz said.
"But I will be. Both my parents were Slytherins, and their parents, and their parents, and their parents.it goes on forever. So there's no chance I won't."
"Didn't you say you preferred not to talk to me?" Liz reminded her. Winnie gave her a scathing look and stomped out.
"You know, I don't doubt she will be in Slytherin," Michael grumbled.
"Me neither," Rachel and Liz agreed simultaneously.
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was spent comparing knowledge of the wizarding world. All three of them seemed to be tied in this area: Rachel and Michael had grown up with at least one magic parent (Rachel's dad was a Muggle), and Liz had absorbed plenty of facts from McGonagall and her books. Soon a fifth-year prefect came by and told them they were nearing Hogwarts and they'd best put on their robes. Michael left while the girls changed and they did the same for him.
The train jerked to a halt, and the three of them followed the stream of students out the doors of the train. The older ones climbed into carts that moved on their own; once they were full, they rattled off as if invisible horses were pulling them. But a booming voice bellowed over the din of the crowd, "Firs' years! Firs' years this way! Firs' years over here!"
Liz, Rachel, and Michael turned to see a giant man with scraggly white hair and a white beard beckoning to all the new students.
"He's a giant," Rachel squeaked.
"No, he's not," Liz said. "Is he?"
"No, my mum and dad told me about him!" Michael told them. "His name is-"
"Hagrid!" a voice called. "There are two more boats left!"
"Good, Chris. I'll go with these two girls-" (here the giant man pointed to Winnie Chen and one of her equally evil-looking friends, who moaned) "-and you go with these three." He gestured to Liz, Rachel, and Michael, who were rooted to the spot.
"Hi, I'm Chris. Chris Scott," the owner of the voice said to them as Hagrid set sail. "Who're you?"
"Rachel Yates."
"Michael Weasley."
"Elizabeth Potter. Liz for short."
"You're Elizabeth Potter?" the boy asked in amazement. "Wow!"
"Are you a first-year?" Michael asked as they climbed into the boat.
"No," Chris responded, pushing the boat off the shore. "I'm a Squib."
"Yes, McGonagall told me about Squibs!" Liz said. "So why are you here?"
"Well, my parents were so ashamed of me being a Squib, so they sent me to help Hagrid with game keeping duties when I was eight, three years ago. And they disowned me."
"Disowned you?" Liz and Rachel chorused, horrified.
"Just for you being a Squib?" Michael said incredulously.
"They were ashamed," Chris repeated a bit sadly.
"That's cruel," Liz said.
"Yeah, well, I get to be here. I consider myself lucky."
Liz wouldn't have agreed, but she kept her mouth shut.
"So you know my mum?" Michael inquired quickly, aiming for a change of subject.
"Weasley? Professor Weasley? Yes, I do. You're her son? Where do you get your red hair?" Chris inquired.
"Yes, I am her son, and I get my red hair from my dad," Michael replied, grinning.
"That's neat," Chris said. "And you're Eli-Liz Potter."
Liz nodded. "That's me."
"Wait until Hagrid find out who you are! He's always talking about your father."
"He knew him?"
"Oh, yes, definitely. Hagrid was gamekeeper while he was in school."
"We're here!" Rachel announced.
The four of them looked up. "Wow," Liz breathed. The many towers and turrets loomed above their heads. All the rest of the boats had been beached and all their passengers had gone ashore.
"Good luck," Chris called as the three of them went through the giant open door and disappeared.