Leaving
Ron woke up early the day that Aila would leave for Hogwarts. He had been having dreams of Hermione and Hilary ever since he accidentally broke Hilary's nose at Olivander's. Every time he looked at Aila he thought about her identical twin sister. He smiled thinking about how he could end up getting to know her, as long as Aila made friends with her.
But the thing that really shook Ron up was when he caught a glimpse of Hermione later that day. He saw her in the potions shop, probably getting the supplies for Hilary. She was beautiful. She had her hair pulled into a ponytail. It was as frizzy as ever. She was still thin, and she wasn't wearing a wedding ring.
Ron's heart fluttered when he thought about her ring-less fingers. He had a chance. He got out a box he had of pictures of her from their time at Hogwarts and the few pictures of her when she was pregnant. How could I have been so stupid? I chased her away!
"Dad!' called Aila, from the sound of her voice probably from the kitchen, "We need to leave in 15 minutes. I want to have time to get a good seat on the Hogwarts Express."
Ron stood up and pulled on one of his numerous old Chudley Cannons shirts and a pair of jeans. He ran his fingers through his hair and was ready to go. "Coming!" he called. When he got down to the kitchen he was Aila struggling to push her trunk to the door. "Let me try." He said flicking his wand and saying to incantaion. The trunk rose and began to move slowly toward the door.
They walked out to the car Ron had borrowed from the ministry and put it in the trunk. Then they got in the car and fastened their seatbelts. "Dad?' asked Aila from the passenger side, "Is it true granddad had a flying Ford Angela?"
"Yes, and I wrecked it in my second year."
"Why did you take it in the first place?"
"A stupid house elf named Dobby enchanted the wall separating platform nine and platform nine and three quarters to not let us go through it. So we couldn't get to the train. I figured that it would be alright for us to fly to school."
"You were that stupid?"
"We got there didn't we?"
"I don't know." Said Aila wryly, "did you?"
"Yes, as a matter of Fact. We did." Ron smiled and was relieved that his daughter was nothing like him and that he didn't have a flying automobile.
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Hermione opened the door as her good friend Viktor walked in. "Thank you for coming to see Hilary off." She said, hugging Viktor.
"I am going to see about this 'no brooms' business." He said.
"Oh, please Viktor," she said, "Not now. If you really care that much write a letter. And there is nothing that you could do. She won't have the broom at school so you might as well forget it." Hermione handed Victor a firewiskey and leaned against the counter.
"Vere is Hilary?" Hermione loved it when Victor said Hilary's name. He always pronounced it like 'heel-airy'.
"She is getting dressed. Would you mind getting her trunk into the car and helping her load it onto the train when we arrive at Platform nine and three quarters? I am no good at lifting weight, the same with Hil." Hermione took a drink of her tea and looked at her watch. "Hil' hurry up! We need to leave in ten minutes to get there on time!"
"Be patient!" Hilary yelled back, "I won't go to Hogwarts for the first time any other time!"
"Vat did she say?" asked Viktor with a bewildered look on his face.
"She is trying to make herself look presentable." Hermione put down her tea, "Wait here." Said Hermione before walking to her daughter's bedroom. She was afraid to open the door. Hermione had forgotten to check and see if Hilary had cleaned her room. If this were a normal day the room would look like there was a massive, yet bloodless, battle.
Hermione opened the door and almost died. All of Hilary's books were scattered all over her bed and her clothes was spewed all over the floor in piles, and Hermione was sure that not all of them were clean. "What?" said Hermione, her voice shaking, "Why didn't you clean this last night?"
"Oh." Said Hilary, as if she had just noticed the mess, "I did."
"Then why is all of that," she indicated at the mess all over the floor, "not in there." She pointed to the trunk and took a deep breath.
"I had to get my shirt out and it was at the bottom."
"Put this up now!"
"I have to do my hair!"
"NOW!" Hermione pulled her hair, "No, no. I will do it. Finish your hair and you had better be finished and ready when I am done. I am not going to let a mess ruin the day you leave."
"Okay." Hilary turned around and continues to mess with her hair pinning it up one way then taking it down and then doing something different.
"I suggest you hurry." Said Hermione taking out her wand. She flicked her wand at the bed. All of the books flew into nice stacks into the trunk, then at the floor. All of the clothes were folded and landed neatly into the trunk. Then at a stack of supplies that flew and landed at the top of the trunk.
"Wow." Said Hilary, she one half of her hair in a pigtail. "Can I learn how to do that."
"No. You need to get used to cleaning things yourself." Hermione called in Viktor to get the trunk. "Now hurry. We are leaving in two minutes. No buts."
"Do you have a charm to do my other pigtail?"
"No."
"Drat."
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Aila settled herself into a nicely furnished compartment on the Hogwarts Express. She had her trunk on a shelf above the seats. She pet the cat she bought at Diagon Alley, Cocoa, and looked around the compartment. Some of her lifetime friends may sit in these chairs. Aila smiled and picked up her transfiguration book and began to read. She had only read a couple sentences when there was a tap on the window next to her.
Dad was outside, obviously wanting to say goodbye. "Come on!" she could see him saying. Aila stood up and walked out to the platform to see her father. Other students were arriving. "So are you ready to go?" Asked dad.
"Yeah." Sighed Aila, looking back at the train, "I have all of my stuff in a compartment and I am ready to go. I have my schoolbooks to read, I have some money for the trolley, I have my robes for when we are almost there and a pillow in case I need to sleep."
"Oh that's good." Said dad nodding his head. "I guess you have everything. Oh I forgot, things that are fun. What if you make friends? What will you do then?"
"I probably won't make friends." Said Aila casually. "I have the social skills of a lemon drop."
"Here." Said Ron handing Aila a brightly colored box, "This is your own Wizarding Chess set. You even beat me. And I got recognized in front of everyone for my skills, go and teach someone some tricks. Or just kick their butts." He said smiling.
"Only if I have to," she said grinning from ear to ear. "Are you sure that I will need this?"
"Definitely. Or if you are lucky maybe they will have some exploding snap!"
"Dad!" said Aila, "That's a retro game, no one is going to be playing exploding snap!"
Dad smiled and shrugged, "I guess you're set."
"I guess I am."
"Write me?"
"Write me?" asked Aila after nodding her head vigorously.
"Yes I will write you." The two hugged and then parted. "I love you." Said dad with tears in his eyes.
"Love you too." Replied Aila, determined not to cry. She got onto the train and walked slowly to her compartment. Then it hit her. She was leaving. No friends, no dad, just her and her books, and a game of Wizard chess that will only be a dust catcher in the corner. Aila picked up Cocoa and began to cry silent tears. She looked out the window and Dad was crying too.
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Hilary walked onto platform nine and three quarters and looked around. There were a lot of kids and families leaving and getting on the bus. Some were crying (mostly younger kids and mothers) and some were just hugging then parting. She looked around to see if she could recognize if there were any other first years. There were a lot of short kids, but she could not tell of they were also first years, or just short second years.
Viktor walked through the brick wall behind her with Mamma. "So dis is vere the Hovarts students leave?"
"Yes." Sniffed Mamma. She walked over to Hilary, who was staring at the big train in front of her. It was huge, red, and filled with students. Hilary did a nervous laugh as she realized how many people were milling around compared to what she was used to. "These are your classmates Hil," whispered Mamma into her ear.
"They are." Breathed Hilary, still staring at the train with apprehension.
"Good luck." Said Viktor.
"So I need to get on?" asked Hilary.
"Yes." Replied her mother, "Do you want me to come with you?'
"No." said Hilary looking away from the train, "I can do it, but I need Viktor to carry my trunk for me."
"What are you going to do when you carry it off yourself?"
"I am going to make some friends who are boys while on the train ride, they will help me." She said airily. She walked up the train and stepped on. It was crowded because of so many students finding their compartments. Hilary instructed Viktor to put her trunk in a compartment above the walkway. Then began to walk through the train trying to find a compartment.
"Gut bye Hilary!" called Viktor.
"Good bye!" Called back Hilary. She looked for compartments with younger girls on the side next to the platform. She found one with three girls sitting together. "Can I sit in here?" asked Hilary.
"Sure." Aid a girl with long blonde hair and big eyes. "My name is Juliette."
"I'm Hilary." Said Hilary shaking the girl's hand.
"Hello," said another girl, who had light brown hair that was French braided then ended in buns placed firmly in the back of her neck. "My name is Jenna Finnegan."
"And I am Eloise Thomas." Said the other who was obviously of African descent and her hair was in many little braids. They began talking and soon Hilary learned that they were not all in first year, only Jenna was a first year. Juliette was a second year and Eloise was a second year. The trio all already knew each other before Hogwarts because their fathers were friends while at Hogwarts and they had met each other while they were young.
'Wow.' Thought Hilary. 'They are so lucky to know who each other is already I hope they accept me! It would be great to have friends by the time I get to Hogwarts!'
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