Chapter 3 – The Portkey
"Mum, I'm going to be late! We've got to hurry up!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Mrs. Smith said. "Bye, Emma dear!" Emma didn't answer. "Ah, well. She's in a mood. It'll pass eventually."
Liz would have gladly pointed out that Emma had been in a mood for two years, but she didn't. She handed Luna in her cage to Mrs. Smith, who wrinkled her nose disdainfully. "Mum, it's not that bad."
They reached King's Cross station with only minutes to spare. "Go, hurry, I love you, have a good year!" Mrs. Smith called out.
"Bye, Mum," said Liz. "I'll write." The car sped off.
Liz put Luna's cage under her arm and made for the barrier between platforms nine and ten. She had only minutes before the train left. The station was crowded. So crowded, in fact, that the trolley she was pushing couldn't maneuver its way through the narrow paths that people created. It over turned, leaving Liz with spilled belongings, a screeching owl, and a spitting cat. Many people stared.
"The train, I'm going to miss the train. Shh, Sunny." She gathered up her stuff and started off again, this time at a quickened pace. Only a minute to go, she told herself. She had to hurry, or she had no plausible idea of what she would do.
She could finally see the barrier. "Thirty seconds to go, let's go," she muttered. She ran at it, top speed. She made it through, only to see the train leaving. "No, wait!" she screamed, running. "Come back, you've got to, I need to get on!" She stopped as the train left her range of vision. "It's gone," Liz mumbled uselessly.
"Liz! Aren't you supposed to be on the train?" said a voice. Liz looked around to see Mr. Weasley.
"Mr. Weasley! What are you doing here?"
"Seeing Hermione and the kids off. Aren't you supposed to be gone?"
"Yes, but I ran late, and...and...I missed it."
"I believe I can help you there. I can make you a Portkey, I think. You know what that is, don't you?"
"Yes, I read about those."
"Good." He pulled out a Galleon. "Give it to Michael when you get there. Portus." The Galleon glowed blue for just a second, and then it reverted to gold. "Here. Have a good year."
"Thanks, Mr. Weasley. Bye." She took the Galleon, and she was pulled irresistibly with it through a rush of howling colors.
Liz landed on her feet, but her knees buckled, and she found herself sprawled out on the floor of a compartment with all her belongings, a compartment full of second-years staring down at her. "Sorry," she mumbled. Suddenly, the door burst open and Rachel's head peeked in.
"Have you seen—Liz! Michael, she's in here!"
Michael entered along with her and they both helped Liz put her things in the luggage compartment. Then they found the compartment they had been in before.
"What happened?" Michael asked.
"Well, I was late, and my luggage cart overturned, so I missed the train, but your dad was there, Michael, and he made a Portkey for me—"
Both Rachel and Michael looked puzzled.
"It's an object that send you somewhere when you touch it," Liz told them. "Oh, that reminds me. Here, Michael." She tossed him the coin. "It's from you dad. It's what he used as a Portkey."
"Portkey," Michael said thoughtfully. "I should learn how to do that. Then I'd never have to learn to Apparate. That would be the life."
"Apparently it's really difficult," Liz told him. "They attempt to teach it to you in seventh-year, but not many people get it. Apparating is ten times easier."
"Too bad we have to wait until we're seventeen," Michael said morosely.
"That's only...four years," said Rachel. "Too long for me."
"And me," said Liz, "but I can wait. I have something to tell you two."
Both of them instantly leaned forward.
"I've been having...problems over the summer. My magic keeps turning on by itself. Sometimes it does what I'm thinking or feeling, and sometimes it goes for no reason at all. My desk disappeared, there was a hole in my floor, I burned Emma—"
"And you knocked the books over in Flourish and Blotts?" Rachel finished for her.
"Exactly. I don't know what's going on!"
Rachel and Michael exchanged bewildered glances. "Neither do we," Liz," Michael finally said.
"It's odd, though," said Rachel.
"I know it's odd. Maybe something's wrong with me."
"What could be wrong with you?"
Liz shrugged. "I don't know."
They further discussed other things, and ended up with Michael describing the Hufflepuff Quidditch team to Liz and Rachel. Liz barely heard any of it. "The three chasers are back, they're Shelia Evangelista, Manuel Southard, and Chad Rounds. The Keeper is a fourth0-year named Hugh Kua. He's okay; it's only his second year on the team. Christina Apodaca graduated, so the other Beater, Eunice Horning, is Captain, and David Hannigan replaced her. And Kathryn Hertel's back—"
"Wait a minute, who?"
"Kathryn Hertel. The Seeker, best in the game, but she's leaving next year—"
"No, not her. Before her."
"David Hannigan?"
"Yeah. Who's he? What year is he in?"
"Third, like us. Why?"
"Oh, I dunno. He's kind of...cute."
There followed these words a long awkward pause in which Michael scratched his head, Rachel gaped at Liz, and Liz became interested in her foot.
"Did I just hear you correctly?" said Rachel.
"What?"
"You...fancy somebody?"
"I just think he's cute. And what's it to you, anyway?"
"Well, you are the one who opposed the Valentine's Day Dance because we were too young."
"Well, do you remember how that turned out? Bettie still won't forgive me. But we were eleven...I'm thirteen now."
Rachel gawked. "Has he ever said two words to you? Ever?"
"I told you, I think he's cute. I don't fancy him."
Rachel sat back in her seat. "Sure," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
The train came to a halt. The three of them hurried off, occasionally running into people they knew, like John, Bettie (who wouldn't look at Liz), and Thomas. They also saw Winnie Chen, a wicked Slytherin, who stuck her nose in the air, and stomped off. They fought to get to the front of the line to see Chris and Hagrid.
"Over here!" yelled Chris' voice. They finally found him. He was directing first-years into the boats."
"You two, in this one!" he called out. "Hi, how have your summers been? Over here, there's room over here!"
"Pretty good," said Rachel.
"I was thinking," said Liz.
"What else is new," Michael mumbled.
"Could you ride in a carriage up to the school with us? Then we could really catch up. Ask Hagrid."
Chris nodded. "Hagrid?" he yelled.
"What is it yeh need, Chris?" Hagrid called back.
"Can I ride with my friends up to the castle?"
"Sure! Meet me up there! Hello, you three!"
Liz, Rachel, and Michael waved.
The four of them climbed up into the last remaining carriage and sat back as it wheeled them away on its own. "So," said Chris, "like I was saying, how have your summers been?"
Both Rachel and Michael looked meaningfully and Liz. She thought they wanted her to tell Chris about thinking David Hannigan was cute. "What?" she said.
"Your magic," Michael said simply.
"Oh. Oh, that." And she launched into a retelling of the story of her out- of-control magic. Chris, at the end, was astounded. "Wow."
"Oh, look, we're here," said Rachel. "That was short. Bye, Chris!"
"Bye," he said. They went inside Hogwarts.
"Mum, I'm going to be late! We've got to hurry up!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," Mrs. Smith said. "Bye, Emma dear!" Emma didn't answer. "Ah, well. She's in a mood. It'll pass eventually."
Liz would have gladly pointed out that Emma had been in a mood for two years, but she didn't. She handed Luna in her cage to Mrs. Smith, who wrinkled her nose disdainfully. "Mum, it's not that bad."
They reached King's Cross station with only minutes to spare. "Go, hurry, I love you, have a good year!" Mrs. Smith called out.
"Bye, Mum," said Liz. "I'll write." The car sped off.
Liz put Luna's cage under her arm and made for the barrier between platforms nine and ten. She had only minutes before the train left. The station was crowded. So crowded, in fact, that the trolley she was pushing couldn't maneuver its way through the narrow paths that people created. It over turned, leaving Liz with spilled belongings, a screeching owl, and a spitting cat. Many people stared.
"The train, I'm going to miss the train. Shh, Sunny." She gathered up her stuff and started off again, this time at a quickened pace. Only a minute to go, she told herself. She had to hurry, or she had no plausible idea of what she would do.
She could finally see the barrier. "Thirty seconds to go, let's go," she muttered. She ran at it, top speed. She made it through, only to see the train leaving. "No, wait!" she screamed, running. "Come back, you've got to, I need to get on!" She stopped as the train left her range of vision. "It's gone," Liz mumbled uselessly.
"Liz! Aren't you supposed to be on the train?" said a voice. Liz looked around to see Mr. Weasley.
"Mr. Weasley! What are you doing here?"
"Seeing Hermione and the kids off. Aren't you supposed to be gone?"
"Yes, but I ran late, and...and...I missed it."
"I believe I can help you there. I can make you a Portkey, I think. You know what that is, don't you?"
"Yes, I read about those."
"Good." He pulled out a Galleon. "Give it to Michael when you get there. Portus." The Galleon glowed blue for just a second, and then it reverted to gold. "Here. Have a good year."
"Thanks, Mr. Weasley. Bye." She took the Galleon, and she was pulled irresistibly with it through a rush of howling colors.
Liz landed on her feet, but her knees buckled, and she found herself sprawled out on the floor of a compartment with all her belongings, a compartment full of second-years staring down at her. "Sorry," she mumbled. Suddenly, the door burst open and Rachel's head peeked in.
"Have you seen—Liz! Michael, she's in here!"
Michael entered along with her and they both helped Liz put her things in the luggage compartment. Then they found the compartment they had been in before.
"What happened?" Michael asked.
"Well, I was late, and my luggage cart overturned, so I missed the train, but your dad was there, Michael, and he made a Portkey for me—"
Both Rachel and Michael looked puzzled.
"It's an object that send you somewhere when you touch it," Liz told them. "Oh, that reminds me. Here, Michael." She tossed him the coin. "It's from you dad. It's what he used as a Portkey."
"Portkey," Michael said thoughtfully. "I should learn how to do that. Then I'd never have to learn to Apparate. That would be the life."
"Apparently it's really difficult," Liz told him. "They attempt to teach it to you in seventh-year, but not many people get it. Apparating is ten times easier."
"Too bad we have to wait until we're seventeen," Michael said morosely.
"That's only...four years," said Rachel. "Too long for me."
"And me," said Liz, "but I can wait. I have something to tell you two."
Both of them instantly leaned forward.
"I've been having...problems over the summer. My magic keeps turning on by itself. Sometimes it does what I'm thinking or feeling, and sometimes it goes for no reason at all. My desk disappeared, there was a hole in my floor, I burned Emma—"
"And you knocked the books over in Flourish and Blotts?" Rachel finished for her.
"Exactly. I don't know what's going on!"
Rachel and Michael exchanged bewildered glances. "Neither do we," Liz," Michael finally said.
"It's odd, though," said Rachel.
"I know it's odd. Maybe something's wrong with me."
"What could be wrong with you?"
Liz shrugged. "I don't know."
They further discussed other things, and ended up with Michael describing the Hufflepuff Quidditch team to Liz and Rachel. Liz barely heard any of it. "The three chasers are back, they're Shelia Evangelista, Manuel Southard, and Chad Rounds. The Keeper is a fourth0-year named Hugh Kua. He's okay; it's only his second year on the team. Christina Apodaca graduated, so the other Beater, Eunice Horning, is Captain, and David Hannigan replaced her. And Kathryn Hertel's back—"
"Wait a minute, who?"
"Kathryn Hertel. The Seeker, best in the game, but she's leaving next year—"
"No, not her. Before her."
"David Hannigan?"
"Yeah. Who's he? What year is he in?"
"Third, like us. Why?"
"Oh, I dunno. He's kind of...cute."
There followed these words a long awkward pause in which Michael scratched his head, Rachel gaped at Liz, and Liz became interested in her foot.
"Did I just hear you correctly?" said Rachel.
"What?"
"You...fancy somebody?"
"I just think he's cute. And what's it to you, anyway?"
"Well, you are the one who opposed the Valentine's Day Dance because we were too young."
"Well, do you remember how that turned out? Bettie still won't forgive me. But we were eleven...I'm thirteen now."
Rachel gawked. "Has he ever said two words to you? Ever?"
"I told you, I think he's cute. I don't fancy him."
Rachel sat back in her seat. "Sure," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
The train came to a halt. The three of them hurried off, occasionally running into people they knew, like John, Bettie (who wouldn't look at Liz), and Thomas. They also saw Winnie Chen, a wicked Slytherin, who stuck her nose in the air, and stomped off. They fought to get to the front of the line to see Chris and Hagrid.
"Over here!" yelled Chris' voice. They finally found him. He was directing first-years into the boats."
"You two, in this one!" he called out. "Hi, how have your summers been? Over here, there's room over here!"
"Pretty good," said Rachel.
"I was thinking," said Liz.
"What else is new," Michael mumbled.
"Could you ride in a carriage up to the school with us? Then we could really catch up. Ask Hagrid."
Chris nodded. "Hagrid?" he yelled.
"What is it yeh need, Chris?" Hagrid called back.
"Can I ride with my friends up to the castle?"
"Sure! Meet me up there! Hello, you three!"
Liz, Rachel, and Michael waved.
The four of them climbed up into the last remaining carriage and sat back as it wheeled them away on its own. "So," said Chris, "like I was saying, how have your summers been?"
Both Rachel and Michael looked meaningfully and Liz. She thought they wanted her to tell Chris about thinking David Hannigan was cute. "What?" she said.
"Your magic," Michael said simply.
"Oh. Oh, that." And she launched into a retelling of the story of her out- of-control magic. Chris, at the end, was astounded. "Wow."
"Oh, look, we're here," said Rachel. "That was short. Bye, Chris!"
"Bye," he said. They went inside Hogwarts.