Chapter 6
The Journey From
Platform Nine
And Three-Quarters
The last month before school was not that bad at the Dursleys. For the most part they didn't acknowledge that we existed, Harry found it quite lonely but I enjoyed it. I took the time to read all the books we bought and got ready for school. I was able to get through all the required ones as well as the extras I bought hoping to get a good headstart on classes. I tried to get Harry to read some of his school books but he wasn't too worried about it like I was. The only book I was able to convince him to read was A History of Magic, that was also the place he found the name of his owl, Hedwig. Thankfully Petunia added not coming into our room as one of the ways of ignoring us because she would have a fit if she saw the mess from our birds. Hedwig had a tendency to bring dead mice into our room after a nice flight and Renata would occasionally get ashes everywhere from being a bird of fire. While the peace was nice, the both of us were more than ready to finally be at Hogwarts. We had a calendar on our wall filled with red check marks marking down the days till we will be on our way to our new life. After putting it off till the end of august, we finally had to ask our uncle for a ride to Kings Cross to get on our train. Harry was hesitant but I couldn't care less about their reactions. I went downstairs and to the kitchen to find the three of them watching some show on the television.
"Hey Vernon, we need a ride tomorrow."
He grunted and without even turning to me he responded,
"Where in the world would the two of you need a ride to"
"Kings Cross, we are going to school tomorrow,"
I was a little worried that he would say no so I said just the thing to scare him into giving us a ride.
"If you don't then we will just have to be forced to do our homework here. I think one of the lesson plans wass turning people into frogs, what do you think?"
His face got pale at the mention of us doing magic in his home and quickly agreed.
"Fine, we have to go into London tomorrow anyway, Dudley is having that tail removed before going to Smeltings."
A mischievous smirk grew on my face, the one that I got before getting into trouble.
"Personally I think it's an improvement, it shows just how much of a pig he really is."
I ran out of there before the large meaty fist Vernon aimed at me could connect with my head. I ran up the stairs laughing at his angry yelling.I ran into my bedroom doubled over laughing. Harry had just looked at me like I had gone mad, but with my record of getting in trouble because of my mouth, he quickly figured out what I did and rolled his eyes. I finally was able to stop laughing enough to let him know that Vernon would be giving us a ride. He nodded then went back to packing up his trunk for school. I then opened my trunk and started to do the same. I made sure I had all my books stacked, my supplies organized, and my school robes on top ready to be taken out on the train before we got to the school. After closing my trunk I put tomorrow's clothes on top so that I would be ready to walk out the door.
It was five o'clock when we woke up and got out of bed. We got dressed in our normal clothes so we wouldn't attract too much attention from the Muggles at the station. We were already going to look weird with an owl and odd looking bird with our luggage. Finally at seven our trunks were loaded into the car and we were on our way to the station. Arriving at Kings Cross, we got our trunks and the Dursleys quickly sped off not wanting to deal with us for another moment. We went in and walked to the area between platform nine and ten. We both were confused and puzzled on how to get onto the Hogwarts platform. I decided to try and ask someone who worked here where to find the train that left at eleven but he just told me that there wasn't a train that left at that time. He looked at me as if I was crazy and walked away. Looking at the clock, we realized we only had ten minutes to get on the train. I then noted a group of redheads with similar luggage walking past and I overheard the lady mention Muggles. I nudged Harry to follow me and we both trailed after the family. The mother turned to the older looking boy.
"All right Percy, you first."
The first boy was tall and lanky with curly red hair, blue eyes behind horn rimmed glasses, and a look of arrogance in his stance, he was motioned to go first by his mother. He then ran towards a brick wall between the platforms and disappeared. She then turned to two of the boys. Looking closely at them I noticed they were twins. Both tall like their older brother, but with chocolate brown eyes.
"Fred, you next."
One of the boys rolled his eyes.
"I'm not Fred, I'm George. Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother?"
"Oh sorry George.'"
Both of the twins stepped up one behind the other. The one that claimed he was George turned back to his mother.
"Only joking, I am Fred."
He and his brother then rushed through the wall before their mother could scold them. By the look on their mothers face, they did that often. Finally I walked over to the woman and a young girl with the same features as the rest of her family but looked to be eoter the same age or younger than us.
"Excuse me, Ma'am? Um how exactly did they do that? It's me and my brother's first year and we're new to this."
A soft and friendly smile grew on her face and she patted my shoulder.
"Not to worry dearies, all you have to do is run straight at the wall, and don't be scared, you'll do fine. You two can go before Ron."
She pointed over to her last son who had the signature red hair like the rest of his family, with blue eyes, and a face covered in freckles. I nodded at the woma and went to stand in front of the wall at a good running distance. I then quickly started to run till I was sprinting towards the wall. I felt nothing as I passed through the wall and found myself on a platform in front of a beautiful scarlett red train. I moved away from the wall where I came in and waited for Harry who joined me a moment later. Knowing he made it through I started walking through the crowd of people towards the train, knowing he would follow me. The platform was filled with smoke from the steam engine and dozens of other families saying their goodbyes. There were people wearing unusual cloaks, or normal in their world, and people with different types of pets and objects. The compartments of the train held students hanging out the windows to say goodbye to their families one final time. We walked down the platform till we saw what was an empty compartment. We went to the closest door to the train and started to load our things. I was able to load Harry's trunk easily but mine was a little more difficult due to my many extra books. It wasn't until it landed on Harry's foot that one of the twins from earlier came to our aid.
"Need a hand?"
We nodded our heads and he turned to call his brother.
"Oy Fred! C'mere and help."
The other twin then came over and the both of them started to help lift my trunk into the train. After it was loaded up I was able to get a good look at both of them. Looking closely at them I could see that they were two of the best looking boys I had ever seen. I could also see subtle differences that most people wouldn't be able to see. The one that was apparently Fred was maybe an inch taller than George and he seemed to smirk more than smile while George had more of a wide toothy smile and had more of a sparkle of mischievousness in his eyes. Me and Harry gave our thanks as he wiped the sweat off his brow. The twins looked at his now exposed forehead. Their eyes grew and each took turns speaking.
"Blimey, are you?"
"They are."
"Harry and Hope Potter."
Oh come on, seriously?
"Uh yeah that's us, so?"
Before they could respond their mother called them back over. When they left, me and Harry got into our compartment and settled on one of the red comfy benches. I reached under the seat and opened my trunk to grab one of the advanced potions books I was reading and opened it to where I left off. We saw that the red headed family from earlier was outside our window so I cracked it a bit to be able to listen to what they were saying. The mother was wiping the younger boy's nose with a handkerchief.
"Ron, you've got something on your nose."
He tried to get away from his mothers death grip with no success.
"Mom - geroff."
The twins then walk up and decide to tease their little brother.
"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nose?"
"Shut up."
The mother finally stops wiping his nose and turners to the twins.
"Where's Percy?"
"He's coming now."
The other boy came up to the group dressed in his robes already with a shiny badge pinned to his long black robes.with the letter P on it.
"Can't stay long mother, I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves."
Wow this kid is pompous, he needs to get that stick out of his arse. Apparently the twins agreed with me.
"Oh are you a Prefect, Percy?"
"You should have said something, we had no idea."
"Hang on, i think i remember him saying something about it, once-"
"Or twice-"
"A minute-"
"All summer-"
Finally the pompous boy had enough.
"Oh shut up!"
"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?"
"Because he's a Prefect,"
Their mother was obviously proud of the accomplishment.
"All right dear, well, have a good term - send me an owl when you get there."
She kissed his cheeks and turned to the twins.
"Now, you two, this year you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or -"
Ok I need to hang out with these two often.
"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."
"Great idea though, thanks Mum."
She smacked one of their shoulders.
"It's not funny. And look after Ron."
"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."
They both slung an arm on Ron's shoulders which he quickly shrugged off.
"Shut up."
They finally took their attention off their brother and turned to their mother with excitement in their eyes,
"Hey Mum, guess what? Guess who we met on the train?"
"You know the red haired girl and her brother with the black hair? Know who they were?"
She shook her head.
"Who?"
"The Potter twins. Harry and Hope Potter."
The little girl then began to shriek and jump in place.
"Oh mum, can I go on the train and see him? Oh please?"
I chuckled at the fact that this young girl had such a big crush on my brother. He didn't seem to share my humor in it though.
"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in the zoo and neither is his sister. Are they really Fred? How do you know?"
"Asked them and saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning."
"Poor dears - no wonder they were alone, I wondered. She was ever so polite when she asked how to get on the platform."
"Do you think either of them remember?"
Their mother suddenly became very hard and stern.
"I forbid you to ask them Fred, don't you dare! As though they need reminding of that on their first day of school."
"Alright keep your hair on."
The whistle on the train suddenly sounded as a warning for everyone going to Hogwarts to get on board. The boys all kissed their mother on the cheek and hugged their little sister. They all then got on the train and waved goodbye as the train pulled away from the platform. As the platform disappeared and strips of city buildings filled our sights then long strips of greenland and farm houses took their place. Suddenly the door of our compartment slid open and the youngest red head was in the doorway.
"Anyone sitting there? All the other compartments are full."
He looked towards the comfy red bench of the compartment opposite from where Harry and I were sitting. We shook our heads and let the boy sit in front of us. Not a minute later the door slid open once again and his older twin brothers were in the door.
"Hey Ron, listen, we're going down the middle of the train. Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."
My eyes were wide with excitement.
"A tarantula? Cool!"
They look at me in wonder, probably not expecting a girl to say that about a giant spider.
"Well Hope, if you like you're more than willing to join us. Oh, we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Fred Weasley and this is George, sitting there is our brother Ron."
Me and my brother nodded our heads in greeting and I got up to join them. We exited the compartment and started walking down the hallway of compartments. The one who introduced himself decided to start a conversation with me.
"So Hope, what do you do for fun?"
"Depends on the day. Me and Harry live with our awful Muggle relatives, our Aunt and Uncle with their horrible pig of a son. Usually our cousin tries to pick on Harry so I spend my time kicking their arse's or setting off a prank on our cousin."
His face instantly turned into a smirk.
"Pranks eh? Like what?"
"Well there was the one time we had animals come to our school for a festival and I put feeding corn down his pants which had all the animals biting him and chasing him when he ran. Another time I put bleach in his shampoo which turned his blonde hair bright orange and chunks of it fell out. He looked like a clown with puffy orange hair and bald patches on his head. I got in major trouble for those but it was worth it."
Fred was instantly laughing so hard he was gasping for breath. He called over his brother and relayed the stories I just told him which had him laughing hard as well. Once they had caught their breath Fred slung his arm around my shoulder which made my face turn pink.
"Hope, today me and George are taking you under our wing and making you our official apprentice. You will find no greater prank masters than us."
George then added his arm on my shoulders on top of his brothers.
"We will teach you everything we know and you can bring those tricks home with you. By the time we are done with you, we will be a trio of perfect pranksters."
I smiled and put my arms around each of their waists.
"Boys, I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship."
We then walked the rest of the way arm in arm, sharing other prank stories until we got to the compartment with their other friends. They introduced me as if they had known me for years. In their friend group was a rambunctious boy with dreadlocks named Lee Jordan who held the box with the magnificent spider. The rest of their group consisted of two girls, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell, and an older boy named Oliver Wood. Me and the girls got along pretty well even though they were two years older and Wood helped me understand quidditch a bit more since he was the captain of the Gryffindor team. Me and the twins also shared some ideas for pranks to do during the school year. I also was able to learn more about their family. They told me how they had two older brothers than Percy, one was a banker for Gringotts and the other was a dragon tamer. They told me how their dream was to have their own joke shop one day, and how their mother didn't approve of their dream whatsoever, but they didn't care, they were determined and I gave them a lot of credit for that. When the trolley lady came through we each got a good handful of sweets, me getting one of everything to try, and we all had fun sharing the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. I was able to get a few good ones like cotton candy and strawberry, while I also experienced bad ones, like dirt and earwax. Out of all the candy I had a love for Cauldron Cakes and Chocolate Frogs. After a while of hanging out with the older kids and sharing more ideas with Fred and George I made my way back to the compartment that held my brother and Ron. When I got there I saw them sitting with a girl who looked to be in our year. She had bushy brown hair, large front teeth, and big brown eyes. When I walked in she seemed to be rambling.
"- you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."
She then looked over and saw me walk in.
"Oh you must be Hope. I was mentioning to your brother all the books I found you in. It's quite fascinating, glad to actually meet you. Hopefully we are in the same house. I hope to be in Gryffindor -"
I eventually tuned her out. I feel like this girl spends all her time in a library, if she didnt, she would have had better social skills then making everyone around her feel stupid. I love reading too, but I don't put it out there like some know it all.
"- three had better change into your robes, I expect we'll be there soon."
She then walked out of our compartment and I breathed a sigh of relief. I then plopped down on the bench of the compartment and took a look around. It seemed Harry had the same idea of getting one of each treat and was sharing things with Ron. I noticed them talking about the different houses at Hogwarts and decided to get out my robes to go change in the bathroom since I already heard about the houses from Fred and George. Once I made it to the bathroom, I slipped my Muggle clothes off and slipped my robes on. For arriving I decided to go with trousers instead of a skirt. That way I could see if it was acceptable before my first day of classes. The robes felt perfect against my skin, and looking in the mirror, they felt right, like I was always supposed to wear stuff like this. It was a good feeling to have. I slipped out of the bathroom and went back to my compartment to see three other boys in the doorway. What is up with everyone coming to our compartment. When I got closer I saw that the one in the middle was the arrogant looking boy from the robe shop. He was flanked by two other boys who reminded me of Dudley's friends who would be his little bodyguards. I stood behind them as I heard him introduce himself and his goons.
"This is Crabbe and Goyle, and my names Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ok, did this kid think he was James Bond or something? I heard a sound and saw Ron trying not to chuckle at the kids introduction.
"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."
Ok this kid is going to have his pompous arse kicked in ten seconds if he doesn't get a move on.
10
"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter."
9
"You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort."
8
"I can help you there."
He held out his hand for Harry to take
7
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks."
Malfoy lowered his hand
6
"I'd be careful if I were you Potter."
5
"Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents."
Ok I am really getting pissed now!
4
"They didn't know what was good for them either."
3
"You hang around with riff raff like the Weaslys and Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."
2
Ron was now the one getting angry
"Say that again!"
1
"Oh you're going to fight us, are you?"
"Not them, ME!"
The three turn around to see me angry as a bull. Malfoy's smirk just grows
"Oh and who are you?"
I pointed to Harry
"His sister, the sister that is going to knock the three of you flat on your face if you don't start running."
The three of them just laughed and crossed their arms.
"Oh I'd like to see you try."
"Fine then!"
I then kneed the two goons in the crotch and grabbed Malfoy by the collar and hauled him in the air. I pushed him up on the wall and I could see the fear on his face.
"Believe me now? If you ever get near me again when I can use my wand, I will roast you alive like a chicken and eat you for dinner. YOU UNDERSTAND?"
He nodded his head yes as fast as he could and I threw him down on the ground and kicked him in the arse.
"Now get moving!"
The three of them got up, two of them holding themselves between the legs, and ran off. I went into the compartment to be fist bumped and high fived by the two boys. Harry, who was used to this, smiled at me but Ron looked amazed.
"That was bloody brilliant Hope, I've never seen someone stand up to a Malfoy like that, you had him shaking."
I laughed at his enthusiasm.
"Well the ferret had to be knocked down a few pegs, looks like i had to be the one to do it."
But like all good things, the praise came to an end when the bushy haired girl came in.
"What has been going on? You haven't been fighting have you? You'll get in trouble before we even get there."
I shook my head at her.
"Not that it's any of your business but they were the ones that started it by saying we were going to end up like my parents, now that that's over, would you mind leaving and taking your snotty tone somewhere else?"
She just huffed and turned away, stomping back to her compartment. I turn to the two boys.
"Who is she anyway?"
Harry was the one to answer.
"Her name is Hermionie Granger. She's kind of a know-it-all."
"Obviously, she needs to get better at talking to people or she is going to end up with no friends."
They both nodded.
"Go and get into your robes, we'll be there soon."
They both grabbed their clothes and went to the bathroom to change. I settled myself in the seat and waited for them to come back. When they did, I was happy to see Harry in his robes. Like when I saw myself in mine, he looked like he always belonged in them. We heard a voice echo through the train
"We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Butterflies filled my stomach with nerves. In a few short minutes me and Harry would finally be at Hogwarts, in the world we belonged in. We each picked up our compartment and placed our few things that we got out back into our trunks. We then left our compartment to join the many others getting ready to leave the train. In the hallway I ran into Fred and Gorge again. They had heard about me scaring Malfoy and spinned me around in matching hugs, claiming me to be their hero. I laughed with them until the train stopped and it was time to get off. Once outside me and the twins went our separate ways, them with the returning students, and me with the first years. Over on the side of the platform was Hagrid with a lantern to guide the first years.
"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me."
We walked down a narrow slippery path with large trees on both sides.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here."
Everyone let out a sigh of awh at the sight of the beautiful castle in the distance. The lights coming from the castle gleamed off a large lake, making it look like dozens of stars on the water. There were rows of boats waiting for us to ride to Hogwarts.
"No more'n four to a boat!"
I managed to get in a boat with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. As we got closer and closer to the castle the more beautiful it became. We had to duck our heads down as we came to an opening in the mountain that held Hogwarts that was covered with ivy. The opening led to a small tunnel that led to a small harbor with a small shack where we got off. Based on the looks and location, it seemed we were under the castle. Hagrid came over to lead us once more but not before bringing this poor sniffing boy his toad that he had lost. He led us up many flights of stairs that ended at a giant iron door. After checking to see that everyone was there he banged on the door three times,and it slowly opened
