The rest of the summer was pretty fun. Mom helped me out by telling me the major points the wizarding world's history. She told me a lot but I didn't pay attention to most of it. I only remember the key points: Lord Voldemort's name is never spoken because everyone is too wimpy to say it. You-know-who was the most powerful dark wizard that ever lived because he gained power by persuading a lot of people to join him. Some dork named Harry Potter defeated him when he was only a baby and is called "the boy who lived." Witch burning was completely pointless, and Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts. That's all I'll need. If for some reason I need to know more, I have the book "A History of Magic," as a source for further information.
The day before I was supposed to take the train to school, my mom said that she would "see me on to the train" for fear that I wouldn't be able to get on to the platform. Was she crazy?ཀ I had gotten on to the train tones of times before. What would be so different? I argued this point with her for about half an hour. We stopped because she showed me the ticket had "Platform 9 ¾" and, since I had never heard of such a platform at Kings Cross Station and I actually wanted to get to school, I agreed to let her take me. I would obviously suffer the embarrassment of having her with me, but it was a price I was willing to pay just this once.
"Wow, there's a platform 9 ¾?" the young daughter asked.
"Yes, it's a magical platform." assured the mother.
"Cool! How is it magical?"
"I'm getting there, I'm getting there." said the mother, before continuing.
The morning went as smoothly as it could have been, which was pretty rough.
"Jenཀ You'd better get up right nowཀ You should have been up by now, knowing how excited you are. How could you sleep this late? I can not believe youཀ This is absolutely absurdཀ ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?ཀ?ཀ?"
My mom bellowed this in my ear at (get this) 4:00 in the morningཀ Excited, sure, but she should know that I could never get so excited about school, especially one with a uniform, that I would stay up all nightཀ And she's the one talking about it being absurd.
"Five more minutes, and it's 4:00 in the morning so how can I listen to you?" I replied tiredly.
"Well, you shall have your five minutes, but no more. I want you to clean up this mess that you call a room and make sure your uniform is folded neatly and in your trunk along with all of your things for school." She said firmly.
The five minutes passed in what seemed like a second. Too earlyཀ I asked for five more but Mom wouldn't hear of it.
I dragged myself out of bed groping, half asleep, for something to wear other than my uniform (I would change on the train). I tried my best to grab everything off the floor and shove it somewhat organized on to shelves either in my closet or in my room. If it didn't look like something and alien from Mars could somehow call neat my mom would make me do it all over again while looming over my shoulder. I had to keep all of my school stuff out so that I could, again, shove it somewhat neatly into my trunk and be ready in time to go back to bed for a few hours before I needed to leave.
My mom, of course, would not allow it. At 5:00, once everything was in place, I threw my tired body into bed and was almost asleep when she woke me up. Then she made me have breakfast, brush my teeth, brush my hair (a lengthy process because it was so thick and long,) and go over some of the info that I would need to know at school.
"Now remember, what do you get when you mix asphodel and an infusion of wormwood?"
"A sleeping draft so powerful that it is known as the draft of death." I recited.
"Good. Now, who defeated You-know-who?" she continued.
"Lord Voldemort was defeated by Harry Potter or the boy who lived." My mother flinched slightly.
"Good, and don't say the name."
"What, Voldemort?" I retorted.
"Yes that nameཀ" she hissed.
We went on like this, her question, my answer, her question, my answer, until I got it all right and it was time to leave for Kings Cross.
Kings Cross was your regular train station and I couldn't see anything weird that would keep me from getting on the train like usual, except that there was no platform 9 ¾. Mom informed me that all I had to do to get to the desired platform was to walk strait through the barriers between platforms 9 and 10. It looked pretty solid to me. I figured it couldn't hurt that much, so I ran at the barrier rolling my trolley in front. I ran right throughཀ It was like it was a holographic wall or somethingཀ Very high tech. I decided that the wizards couldn't be all that bad if they had this kind of technology.
Mom followed almost immediately and we were on our way. In front of us was a scarlet steam engin (so much for high tech) and a hundred other students trying to get on to the train. Some were already in their uniforms, but not many. I ran along the train looking for an empty compartment. I found one about halfway along and lifted my trunk onto the luggage rack. The seats were moderately comfortable and I settled in all right.
Unluckily, that girl Hermy found me.
"Mind if I sit with you?"
She didn't give me a choice and sat down as I was about so say that, yes, I did mind. She was wearing a hand-knitted sweater and some geans. She didn't have a pet, I assumed, because none came with her. I hoped that she had met some other friend and would move in with them soon. I doubted that though.
"Could you help me prepare? I've already read all of the textbooks through, but I wondered if you could quiz me so that I am absolutely ready for the first day. Let's start with '1,000 Magical Herbs and Fungi'."
Again, she didn't give me a choice. This was probably part of her strategy, you know, act like you're asking someone their permission when you're not. She seems too like my mom for comfort. I continued to quiz her until she, luckily, found out that some forgetful boy named Nevil Longbottom had lost his toad and set off with him to make others look for it. Then I was alone in my compartment, which was too boring. So, after a few minutes, I set off to look for someone to bug.
I set off along the train looking for open compartment doors. There was one not far away and a drawling boy's voice was leaking from it.
"My father had never approved fo Dumbledore, you know. Father always said that he should only let pure bloods into the school. I quite agree. None of this half-blood nonsense for me. All mudbloods if you ask me. Father always said ..."
"Aw, do you run to daddy for everything?" I interrupted in a babyish voice. Now that I was nearer the compartment I could see who was inside it. The one doing all the talking was a boy with brand-new everything. Probably a stuck-up jerk. They were the easiest victims, quick to anger. This one had sleek blond hair, a pale face and grey eyes and seemed to be accompanied by two body guards. They were both big, very muscular and also very stupid by the looks of them. They would fall easy with a good punch to the stomach or fall backwards with a hammer-fist to the nose. Not a threat.
"No. I don't." he replied bitterly. "Do you?"
"Wouldn't if I could. Don't bother asking 'why can't you' because you won't get an answer."
"Wow, you were pretty mean back then." said the young daughter, scoldingly.
"Yes, I know. I was simply bored, and had nothing better to do, I suppose." she answered whimsically.
"Ahem, Draco Malfoy. These are my friends, Crabb and Goyle. Who are you?"
"Jen, and don't you mean body guards, 'cause there's no other reason a couple of buffoons would hang out with you." Crabb and Goyle cracked their muscles menacingly, but they didn't scare me.
"Watch your mouth." he spat.
"Make me."
All I got in reply to that was a dagger glare. I was doing good so far.
"What house do you think you'll be in?" He was trying to keep the conversation on a subject that was least prone to insults.
"Don't care." Ianswered, indifferently."You?"
"I hope I'm in Slytherin. My whole family's been in Slytherin for centuries. But anything's better than Hufflepuff. My father thinks people in Hufflepuff are a lot of duffers, don't you?"
"Well then, I'm afraid that you will most definitely break the family line and be in Hufflepuff. Duffers, you say?" I said, mockingly."Sounds a lot like you, only you forgot to put in the description snobbish, ugly, and full of themselves."
I said this casually rather than angrilyto add injury to the insult. I definitely saw a more than a tint of pink in his pale cheeks.
"Get outཀ"he stapped, "If I never see your face again it'll be too soon."
He jumped to his feet, his two buffoons stumbling clumsily to join him. He was completely red in the face now.
I gave all three of them a sharp punch to the stomach. They collapsed immediately onto the seats. What wimps. I slipped out of the compartment and decided to add a final last touch.
"I greatly enjoyed talking to you, but I am afraid I must take my leave." I said elegantly. "NOTཀ" I blurted, crudely."See ya later, geeks."
I slammed the compartment door shut behind me. That was fun, and too easy. I hope I left the right impression.
There seemed to be plenty of time left, so I hurried down the train, looking for another open door, and another victim.
Okay. I know I haven't given the readers much of a physical description of Jen. Here it is: she has long, thick brown hair, bright green eyes, and an average body for the age of 11.
Disclaimer: All characters in this story are the property of J.K. Rowling, not me. Don't sue me, I'm an innocent child of 14ཀ Maybe not so innocent, but innocent of this anyways.