Chapter 3—Platform 9 ¾

Her mother fussed over her children, as she always did, straightening Glen's collar, yanking a brush through Jordan's hair—in the middle of the station!—one last time, asking them if they'd both packed enough socks and underwear. Bernie was in a sulk over not being able to go with his brother and sister, until Glen promised him that he could have all of Glen's toys until the holidays. This seemed to satisfy him, and he didn't complain when he was told to stay behind with his mother. Kevin Havers would be escorting his children to the platform.

Nervousness gnawed at the pit of Jordan's stomach, until she felt quite ill. It wasn't the passage through an until-then-solid wall; the Southern Day-School she had formerly attended involved a daily plunge underneath the steps of the Alley Theatre. No, the sickly-worried feeling that made her want to hide behind her daddy until she was back in Texas was her situation. Glen was lucky; he might attract some notice for being foreign—doubtful—but she had to enter the eighth grade again! Well, it was the third year, here, but she tried working it out in her head, and she was fairly certain that she was repeating a grade. But what if they study different things? her niggling inner pessimist whispered, you could be completely behind! Not only that, but she entered in the third year, with a class that had already been together for two. Would they be friendly? Or would they merely stay with their established friends? Jordan didn't make friends very easily; she only met Jolie because of a partner activity in the fifth grade. Jordan never would have been able to approach someone so rich and well-liked. She had a sinking feeling that it would be the same here.

Just talk to someone, she told herself. Don't be so silly. No one's out to get you. She chickened out. She hauled her trunk to an empty compartment, then helped Glen with him. Her father had insisted on coming almost a half an hour early, so there weren't very many people about. She wondered how full the train would be with everyone on it.

"Jordan, isn't this cool? I've never been on a train before!" said Glen excitedly. She wished she could share his excitement. All she felt right now was a bit sick.

"Neither have I," she said quietly. His sister's mood didn't seem to rub off on him. He kept talking.

"I mean, I rode the Metro all the time, but this is different from the Metro. No one could drive into this one, I bet!" That much was certainly true. Large and maroon, probably with a whistle to burst your eardrums, there was no way anyone could be stupid enough to pull a right turn into this. She checked her watch. 10:45, and the station was beginning to fill with more and more parents and students of all ages. It was easy to see which groups were first-timers and which were old hands. The first-timers acted much like her mother, pinching the cheeks of their oldest child, maybe clinging to the hand of a younger sibling, tears flowing freely. The old hands had a ready-made checklist of small necessities, no tears, and an impatient older brother or sister pulling the newest student on to the train. That should be me, thought Jordan, watching an older sister put a younger brother through his paces. She remembered when Glen started kindergarten back in Houston, and how much fun she had scaring him about teachers and giving him the wrong directions to the cafeteria. It was odd to be in the same position, for once. We're in this together, she realized. She looked to her father, who was sitting silently in the compartment with them.

"Dad?" He looked at her, giving a fake happy smile.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I…I think we're all right. You, Mom, and Bernie can go home. We'll see you in June." He looked concerned.

"Are you sure? This will be a big change for you, I don't want you to get upset or lost…" Glen bounced in his seat.

"We're all right!" Jordan drew herself up, hoping to be the picture of cool sophistication to contrast Glen's earnest joy.

"Dad, you can't be with us everywhere, now. Hogwarts is a boarding school, of course it will be different. But we're not alone. We have each other." His smile looked a little more realistic, this time. He kissed her on the forehead.

"My, but aren't you growing up! You're becoming so mature, little Jordie." She wrinkled her nose at the baby nickname. Her father stood, kissed Glen's forehead, and opened the compartment door. "Have a good time, you two. Stay out of trouble, pay attention to your teachers, and make lots of new friends. I love you both, write often." He stopped. "Your mother really is better at this than I am. I want to hear all about your first day, all right?"

"Bye, daddy! Have fun with the Order!" Glen didn't quite understand the implications of the Order of the Phoenix. Jordan, however, knew all to well. Her chin began to quiver with the effort to keep the smile on her face. Her father was better at this than she was.

"I certainly will. Good-bye, Glen."

"Good-bye, Daddy," she whispered.

"Bye, Jordan. You'll have so much fun, you won't even notice when it's June. Good luck." And the door clicked shut behind him. Jordan looked out the window, and she waved as he exited the platform, joined by Glen. When he was out of sight, she pulled Glen down, so he was sitting next to her.

"Glen…"

"Yeah?" He was still happy. Why was he always happy?

"Listen…you know I'm your big sister, and I always will be, but…" She chewed her lip, unsure of how to continue. "Well, in Hogwarts, I'm like a first year. I don't know any more than you do. So it's almost like we're not brother and sister anymore. Well, what I mean is…let's look out for each other, okay? Help each other?" She had startled him into seriousness.

"Oh. Yeah, duh, of course, Jordan. Does this mean you don't want to admit I'm your brother?" She jerked him into a headlock and gave him a rough noogie.

"Of course not, doofus! I'm proud to be your sister, sometimes. I'm just saying that things are gonna be a little different from now on. I can't show you the ropes."

"Well, I knew that," he said, wiggling out of her grip. "We'll stick together, you'll see. This'll be fun. I wonder what they teach here…"

"Magic," she said practically. "It can't be that much different, right?" She heard the words, in her own voice, but she wasn't quite sure she believed them. They seemed to soothe Glen, however, so she continued on. "Who knows? Maybe you'll even know more than they do."

"Or less," he said, squirming in his seat.

"Well, maybe you'll know more in some areas and less in others. We can catch up. We're smart. I bet you'll make so many friends, you won't know what to do with them all. One of them can probably help you if you're struggling. Or I can. I bet I could."

"But who's going to help you?" he asked. She shrugged uneasily. Sometimes, she didn't like being the oldest.

"Me, I guess. Or I'll make friends, too. Or I'll study very hard."

"You, study? You hate studying." She frowned at him. It was true, to an extent, but that didn't mean she liked being reminded of it.

"Well, I'll study anyway. And I'll make sure you are, too. If you aren't doing your homework, I'll owl Dad." He stuck his tongue out, but it was a good-natured ribbing. Did her brother always have a sense of humor? Jordan had never been especially close to her siblings; after all, they were boys, and young ones, at that. Besides, she had Jolie if she ever needed companionship. She was just beginning to realize that Jolie wasn't here anymore, and wouldn't be for the rest of the year.

She had received an owl from Jolie a few weeks ago, a reply to the one she sent reporting her tale of woe, how they were now living in London and attending Hogwarts. Jolie's letter had a distinctly glum tone to it, saying that it was utterly tedious in her absence (Jolie must have been reading the thesaurus again) and that she, Jordan, was to give a full report on all of the cute boys she was going to meet, as well as a run-down on all of her teachers. I suppose, it read, that you can make more friends. But make sure they aren't better than me! Typically Jolie. She had included a picture of herself, and Jordan kept both that picture and the folded-up letter in the pocket of her robes. She had a feeling she was going to need all the courage she had for what came next.