Ch.2 The Hogwarts Express

The rest of the week until September 1st was spent unpacking and settling into the house. By the end of the week, all Alexa wanted to do was go to school so she could escape the endless monotony of unpacking boxes.

On the morning of September 1st, Alexa woke to the annoying and familiar ring of her alarm clock. Alexa groaned and rolled over, hitting the off switch. The alarm stopped.

9:00. Alexa sighed, and then realizing what day it was, jumped out of bed.

She ran over to her chair and put on her jeans and T-shirt she had laid out the night before, and then ran downstairs to cook breakfast.

On her way down to the kitchen, Alexa stopped at her father's room and opened the door a bit. Her father was still in bed. She sighed and reached around to find the light switch.

The light came on, and Mr. Regalton made a disgruntled noise and pulled his head under the pillow.

"Get up Daddy." Alexa walked over and grabbed the pillow away from him. "It is now 9:06. Breakfast will be ready at 9:30, ok?"

Mr. Regalton nodded wearily and laid back down on the bed.

Alexa exited the room, pillow in hand, and walked down to the kitchen to start breakfast.

The Regaltons pulled out of the driveway at 10:30 and started for the train station at King's Cross. Unfortunately, they got stuck in traffic on the way, so by the time Alexa and her father arrived, there were only ten minutes until the train was going to leave.

Alexa and her father looked around the train station for a 9 ¾ platform but they couldn't find it. Alexa looked around her, at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. She beckoned to her father.

Mr. Regalton walked over.

"We're looking for a muggle solution to a magical problem. Maybe we ought to look for a magical solution," Alexa stated. She gestured towards the wall between the two platforms and smiled slyly. "Want to give it a try?"

Mr. Regalton looked at his watch. Five till eleven. "I suppose we don't have any other option do we?"

Alexa nodded and then began walked quickly towards the wall. As she touched it, she felt herself move through it and she reappeared on the other side. Her father arrived close behind her. They walked around the corner to find a sign 'Platform 9 ¾'. Alexa turned to her father and smiled. "I guess we found it."

"I guess." He looked at her and smiled. "Have a good term, Alexa. I'll see you at Christmas, ok?"

Alexa nodded. She hugged her father and then she walked slowly towards the train.

Alexa peaked into another booth. "Full," she muttered to herself. She walked down to the next one. "Full." And then the next one. Full. Alexa groaned. She walked to the next compartment and peaked inside. It was occupied by only one boy. Alexa looked around her and sighed. I guess I have no choice.

She pushed open the door and poked her head inside. "Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?"

The boy looked up. "Sure."

Alexa started as she looked at the boy. Then she got over herself and slowly walked inside, sealing the compartment shut behind her. She sat down and turned to find the boy staring at her.

He blushed as he noticed her gaze. "Sorry," he said, "But I thought I recognized you."

Alexa smiled. "You're right. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. You came in with the red-haired family."

"Oh." He smiled. "Are the Weasley twins friends of yours?"

"No. I just met them that day. They seemed to take a fancy to me." Alexa smirked.

"Probably true," Harry conceded. "You new to Britain?"

"Yes, actually. We moved here from America barely a week ago."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Wow. 'We' meaning?"

"My father and I."

"No mother?"

Alexa's face darkened. "No mother." She sat back, tight lipped.

Harry noticed her expression and changed the subject. "So what's your name?"

Alexa smiled a little. "Alexa Regalton."

"I'm…"

"Harry Potter, I know," Alexa finished for him. Her eyes glanced to his forehead. "Who wouldn't know?"

Harry looked down uncomfortably.

The sound of rapid footsteps made both quickly turn and look out into the corridor.

Alexa raised her eyebrows. "I guess someone needed to use the restroom?"

Harry chuckled. "Really badly." He turned and looked at her. "So what made you move here?"

"My dad got a job in the ministry here. Not like I had much of a choice not to move." Alexa leaned forward conspiritorally. "The worst part was the way we moved."

Alexa was interrupted by a loud band in a nearby compartment. She frowned and peered out into the hallway. She shrugged and continued. "We moved the muggle way…with all the boxes and the shipping and everything. I guess dad didn't want to look conspicuous moving into a muggle neighborhood…Of course, it's not like muggle aren't noticing OTHER things anyway."

Harry slowly nodded in agreement.

A loud band sounded in the compartment right next to them.

"What the..?" Harry started.

Then there compartment door was thrown open and a tall blond haired boy stood in the doorway. He looked malevolently at Harry. "Harry, I have something to give you." He raised his wand and pointed it at him. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Then before I could react, he turned and jinxed me with the same spell. The boy walked over to Harry and pushed him violently to the floor. "This is for my father, Potter!" Then he stamped loudly on Harry's face.

Alexa heard a loud crack and saw blood start flowing down Harry's face. Alexa was indignant. Who the hell was this?

The boy turned and looked her. "You didn't see any of this." He grinned evilly. "And if you did…" He let his voice trail off.

Alexa glared at him. Or rather, tried to. The jinx wouldn't allow her to move, so she ended up giving the boy a blank stare. The boy laughed and left the compartment.

Alexa was furious with herself. I wasn't fast enough. And to be jinxed by a freak like that…Had Alexa been able, she would have growled. But until someone came and performed the countercurse, she was stuck like Harry: unable to move.

Several long minutes later, voices came wandering down the corridor, and, eventually, two people appeared. One was a boy with bright red hair and the other was a girl, smaller in stature, with brown bushy hair. They opened the compartment door and walked inside.

The girl jumped back. "Goodness what happened?" Then she raised her wand.

Alexa felt the magical force binding her vanish and she gasped and fell forward.

Harry groaned and gingerly touched his nose. "Ow!" He stood up slowly.

Alexa stood up. "I can fix it." She pulled her wand out of her jeans pocket and raised it to Harry's nose. "Episkey," Alexa stated.

Harry felt his nose. "That's better."

The girl wrinkled her nose. "Tergeo," she said. The dried blood on Harry's face disappeared. The girl nodded satisfactorily.

"Thanks," Harry said. He sat down on the seat.

Alexa felt the girl and the red-haired boy staring at her. She turned and smiled. "Hi, I'm Alexa Regalton."

The girl smiled back. "Hermione Granger."

The boy nodded. "Ron Weasley."

"She's a transfer student from America," Harry explained to the two.

"Who was that?" Alexa asked abruptly.

Hermione and Ron looked at her. "Who was who?"

Harry looked up. "Draco Malfoy. He did it."

"Malfoy! That creep!" exclaimed Ron.

"Malfoy?" Alexa repeated. Her face took on an intense look of dislike.

"You know him?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Know of him…or rather his father…Lucius Malfoy," Alexa elaborated.

All three of them were looking at her in amazement.

Alexa raised one eyebrow. "Just because I'm from America doesn't mean I don't know what's going on in Britain. It's not just Britain that's affected by the wizards' war. Every country has its dark side… That includes America," She added bitterly.

Hermione looked at her understandingly. "So…" she started hesistantly, "What year are you in?"

"I'll be in 6th year," Alexa answered slowly.

Harry nodded. "Maybe you'll be in Gryffindor."

Alexa looked at him. "What's 'Gryffindor'?"

Ron chuckled. "That's right; you're new here. I guess we'll have to educate you…"

Alexa put her hands up in mock terror. "No! No schooling already! Term hasn't started yet! You can't make me!"

"It's for your own good," Hermione said, but she was smiling.

Alexa chuckled. "I guess." She smiled. Maybe, it won't be so bad here. She looked aroundat her three new friends. Not so bad at all.