-Chapter 3-
Journey From Platform 9 ¾
At 8:00 in the morning, Cassandra and her grandfather hurled Cassandra's enormous trunks into the back of a taxi, the taxi driver had also helped to get Cassandra's trunks in the car ('What have you got in there, stones?'), after what seemed like a long time, they all got in the taxi and set off to king's cross station.
'Well,' said the driver, breaking the silence between them, 'where are you going with all those trunks young lady?'
'I-er-I-am going t-to to' stuttered Cassandra, she didn't even know how to go to the place she was really going to, 'Birmingham, that's right, Birmingham.'
'Birmingham?' The taxi driver eyed Cassandra suspiciously, 'There are no trains going to Birmingham from King's Cross Station.'
'Um-did I say Birmingham? I meant I'll go to Birmingham from Edinburgh.'
'Oh, that explains it.' Although he said so, the taxi driver still eyed Cassandra suspiciously from time to time. The rest of the ride was uneventful. Everyone just sat quietly looking out the window.
They stopped in front of King's Cross Station at exactly 9:00, and went into a restaurant nearby for breakfast. But something kept bothering Cassandra.
'Grandpa, how exactly do I get on to the platform?' asked Cassandra, this had really been bothering her all summer, how could you possibly get on a platform in the middle of platform 9 and 10?
'Come,' said the old man, the same mysterious smile he had the day they went to Diagon Alley had again, crept on his face, 'I'll show you now.'
With that, he walked out to the platform, Cassandra followed the old man, her little feet running as fast as it could. Suddenly, Cassandra's grandfather stop in front of a ticket barrier in the middle of platform 9 and 10, he turned around and told her to watch closely, a second later, he was gone, Cassandra blinked, when she opened them again, he was standing before her eyes. Cassandra stood, her mouth hanging open, her grandfather went over to her and told her, 'All you have to do is go straight towards the ticket barrier, you can't be nervous, or else it won't work. The trickiest part is to not let anybody see you, now, you go try it out.'
Cassandra was very nervous, she had never tried it before, she broke into a run, she wouldn't care if anyone saw her, she was just too nervous. Cassandra waited for the crash, but it never came, instead, when she opened her eyes, she saw a platform full of people, and in front of her, was a scarlet train that had a sign that said 'Hogwarts Express' she turn around and saw nothing but solid wall, she waited for her grandfather to come, but he didn't, she decided it was because he had to put memory charms on people who had seen her, so she pushed her trolley towards the train and started to put it in, but it wouldn't budge.
'Do you need help?' said a voice.
Cassandra whirled around, in front of her stood a girl about her age. She has shoulder length brown bushy hair, a pair of big cinnamon eyes, and rather large front teeth. Cassandra nodded, she was too tired to talk, the two girls heaved the trunks into the train and walked down the corridor.
'Do you mind if we share a compartment?' asked the girl.
'Of course I don't, I'd love to.' Said Cassandra, 'My name is Cassandra, what's yours?'
'My name is Hermione, Hermione Granger.' Said Hermione, as they both sat opposite to each other. Cassandra put her owl, Persephone, on the windowsill, and Persephone hooted happily as Cassandra put her hand in and gave Persephone a little treat. Hermione looked at Cassandra and finally spoke, 'I would like a pet, you know, so I would have company, but I can't have one yet, only until I learn to take care of them.'
Hermione gazed at the owl, and smiled. For the first hour or so of the train ride the two girls sat and talked about school and tried some spells, but a while later, they were both very tired, and decided to visit other students in the train. The girls walked along the corridor of the train, finding people about their age to talk to, soon, they came to a compartment with two boys sitting in it, one was incredibly tall, he has flaming red hair and his freckles was scattered all over his face, especially his nose, and sitting opposite to him was a thin boy who has bright emerald green eyes, he was wearing round glasses, on his head was a mop of messy jet black hair, and under all the hair, was a thin lightning bolt scar. Hermione and Cassandra gasped in unison, then slowly, they looked at each other, then back at the boy sitting in the compartment, Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts School at last.
Hermione opened the compartment door and stepped in with Cassandra right behind her, they sat down and Hermione spoke, 'Hi, are you both first years?' after the red haired boy and the black haired boy nodded dumbly, Hermione continued, 'We are first years too, I hope I would be in Gryffindor, my name is Hermione, Hermione Granger'
'I am Cassandra, Cassandra Ruthven.'
The two boys looked at each other for a moment and turned back to the girls.
'My name is Harry, Harry Potter,' said the boy with the messy black hair, then he pointed to the boy with the red hair who was stuffing his mouth full with pumpkin pasties and said, 'and that, is Ron Weasley'
'You're Harry Potter?' squealed Hermione and Cassandra as soon as Harry finished his sentence, 'We've heard all about you, I hope we're going to be in the same house.'
Ron stared at the two girls with disgust 'Stop talking to Harry like that, he's not an animal in the zoo you know.' And this time, it was the girl's turn to stare at Ron, who calmly continued 'and can you two excuse us? We need to change into our robes, we're almost there.'
Hermione and Cassandra went out of the compartment, but before leaving, Hermione said one last thing to Ron, 'You've got dirt on your nose did you know that?' she pointed to the spot on her own nose where the dirt is on Ron's nose, then, the two girls left laughing, leaving the boy's looking very annoyed, Ron was trying to get rid of the dirt while saying 'Those two are mental I tell you, hope we're not in the same house.'
2 hours later, the students of Hogwarts were all standing on one side of the lake, ready to reach the marble castle on the other side.
Journey From Platform 9 ¾
At 8:00 in the morning, Cassandra and her grandfather hurled Cassandra's enormous trunks into the back of a taxi, the taxi driver had also helped to get Cassandra's trunks in the car ('What have you got in there, stones?'), after what seemed like a long time, they all got in the taxi and set off to king's cross station.
'Well,' said the driver, breaking the silence between them, 'where are you going with all those trunks young lady?'
'I-er-I-am going t-to to' stuttered Cassandra, she didn't even know how to go to the place she was really going to, 'Birmingham, that's right, Birmingham.'
'Birmingham?' The taxi driver eyed Cassandra suspiciously, 'There are no trains going to Birmingham from King's Cross Station.'
'Um-did I say Birmingham? I meant I'll go to Birmingham from Edinburgh.'
'Oh, that explains it.' Although he said so, the taxi driver still eyed Cassandra suspiciously from time to time. The rest of the ride was uneventful. Everyone just sat quietly looking out the window.
They stopped in front of King's Cross Station at exactly 9:00, and went into a restaurant nearby for breakfast. But something kept bothering Cassandra.
'Grandpa, how exactly do I get on to the platform?' asked Cassandra, this had really been bothering her all summer, how could you possibly get on a platform in the middle of platform 9 and 10?
'Come,' said the old man, the same mysterious smile he had the day they went to Diagon Alley had again, crept on his face, 'I'll show you now.'
With that, he walked out to the platform, Cassandra followed the old man, her little feet running as fast as it could. Suddenly, Cassandra's grandfather stop in front of a ticket barrier in the middle of platform 9 and 10, he turned around and told her to watch closely, a second later, he was gone, Cassandra blinked, when she opened them again, he was standing before her eyes. Cassandra stood, her mouth hanging open, her grandfather went over to her and told her, 'All you have to do is go straight towards the ticket barrier, you can't be nervous, or else it won't work. The trickiest part is to not let anybody see you, now, you go try it out.'
Cassandra was very nervous, she had never tried it before, she broke into a run, she wouldn't care if anyone saw her, she was just too nervous. Cassandra waited for the crash, but it never came, instead, when she opened her eyes, she saw a platform full of people, and in front of her, was a scarlet train that had a sign that said 'Hogwarts Express' she turn around and saw nothing but solid wall, she waited for her grandfather to come, but he didn't, she decided it was because he had to put memory charms on people who had seen her, so she pushed her trolley towards the train and started to put it in, but it wouldn't budge.
'Do you need help?' said a voice.
Cassandra whirled around, in front of her stood a girl about her age. She has shoulder length brown bushy hair, a pair of big cinnamon eyes, and rather large front teeth. Cassandra nodded, she was too tired to talk, the two girls heaved the trunks into the train and walked down the corridor.
'Do you mind if we share a compartment?' asked the girl.
'Of course I don't, I'd love to.' Said Cassandra, 'My name is Cassandra, what's yours?'
'My name is Hermione, Hermione Granger.' Said Hermione, as they both sat opposite to each other. Cassandra put her owl, Persephone, on the windowsill, and Persephone hooted happily as Cassandra put her hand in and gave Persephone a little treat. Hermione looked at Cassandra and finally spoke, 'I would like a pet, you know, so I would have company, but I can't have one yet, only until I learn to take care of them.'
Hermione gazed at the owl, and smiled. For the first hour or so of the train ride the two girls sat and talked about school and tried some spells, but a while later, they were both very tired, and decided to visit other students in the train. The girls walked along the corridor of the train, finding people about their age to talk to, soon, they came to a compartment with two boys sitting in it, one was incredibly tall, he has flaming red hair and his freckles was scattered all over his face, especially his nose, and sitting opposite to him was a thin boy who has bright emerald green eyes, he was wearing round glasses, on his head was a mop of messy jet black hair, and under all the hair, was a thin lightning bolt scar. Hermione and Cassandra gasped in unison, then slowly, they looked at each other, then back at the boy sitting in the compartment, Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts School at last.
Hermione opened the compartment door and stepped in with Cassandra right behind her, they sat down and Hermione spoke, 'Hi, are you both first years?' after the red haired boy and the black haired boy nodded dumbly, Hermione continued, 'We are first years too, I hope I would be in Gryffindor, my name is Hermione, Hermione Granger'
'I am Cassandra, Cassandra Ruthven.'
The two boys looked at each other for a moment and turned back to the girls.
'My name is Harry, Harry Potter,' said the boy with the messy black hair, then he pointed to the boy with the red hair who was stuffing his mouth full with pumpkin pasties and said, 'and that, is Ron Weasley'
'You're Harry Potter?' squealed Hermione and Cassandra as soon as Harry finished his sentence, 'We've heard all about you, I hope we're going to be in the same house.'
Ron stared at the two girls with disgust 'Stop talking to Harry like that, he's not an animal in the zoo you know.' And this time, it was the girl's turn to stare at Ron, who calmly continued 'and can you two excuse us? We need to change into our robes, we're almost there.'
Hermione and Cassandra went out of the compartment, but before leaving, Hermione said one last thing to Ron, 'You've got dirt on your nose did you know that?' she pointed to the spot on her own nose where the dirt is on Ron's nose, then, the two girls left laughing, leaving the boy's looking very annoyed, Ron was trying to get rid of the dirt while saying 'Those two are mental I tell you, hope we're not in the same house.'
2 hours later, the students of Hogwarts were all standing on one side of the lake, ready to reach the marble castle on the other side.