Chapter 6 - The Train Ride to Remember
It was the Twins' last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun.
The twins spent the time in there room alone meditating,
with their new owl for company.
Lewis called his James, Harry called his Lilly.
They started reading late into the night together,
James and Lilly swooping in and out of the open window as they pleased. It was lucky that Aunt Petunia didn't come in to vacuum anymore, because they were making a mess,
but after Lewis keep cleaning the mess.
Every night before they went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.
On the last day of August, they thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so he went down to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and
ran from the room.
"Uncle Vernon?" Asked Lewis.
Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.
"We need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to go to Hogwarts."
Said Harry. Uncle Vernon grunted again.
"Would it be all right if you gave us a lift?" Asked Lewis.
Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.
"Thank you." They said.
He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon
actually spoke.
"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?" Asked Vernon.
They didn't say anything.
"Where is this school, anyway?" Asked Vernon.
"I read it in one of the books, The Highlands of Scotland."
Said Lewis, "Which is why the train."
"What time do you get the train?" Asked Vernon.
Then he pulled the tickets Hagrid had given him out of his pocket. "It just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," Harry read.
His aunt and uncle stared.
"Platform what?"
"Nine and three-quarters."
"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."
"It's on our tickets." Said Lewis.
"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "Howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway,
or I wouldn't bother."
"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.
"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."
They went to bed, Lewis hugging Harry. It was Lewis turn to be the one hugging his Harry.
They sleep well it was comforting be next to each other.
They decided together that it was best wear, what did Hagrid call them Muggle Close instead of his wizard's robes we'd change on the train. They checked the Hogwarts list yet again to make sure they had everything they needed,
the owls in their cages, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, the heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry who Harry and Lewis where hugging each other and they had set off.
They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon helped each other load there stuff on to their own cart and wheeled it into the station. Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.
"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?
Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. They saw without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing.
Percy and the middle Twins made it through before,
Lewis and Harry could make it to the exact spot where the segment of wall where the Portal was before Ron and Rob could head there. Then they standing there. Weasleys where just watching them.
"So, what are we going do?" Asked Lewis.
"I have no clue." Said Harry.
"We can't exactly walk there, it in Scotland." Said Lewis.
"I know this was too good to be true." Said Harry.
Molly, Ron, and Rob still watching. They hugged each other and started crying, "We are not going back to hell." Said Lewis.
"There is no platform." Said Harry.
"No, we are not going back to number four." Said Lewis.
"To think a place like that could be real." Said Harry.
"Even the name sounds fake, Hogwarts." Said Lewis.
"Wonder where the nearest overpass is."
"Let aske those, got a strange feeling." Said Harry.
"They got the same trunks." Said Lewis. "And there cute."
They walked over. "Do you have a minuet?"
"No, we don't." Said Molly.
"Sorry for bothering you." Said Lewis. "My mirror,
know this was a pipe dream."
"True." Said Harry.
They moved the trunks next to the column and set on them.
Lewis started writing a letter, while he was doing this the three red heads disappeared into the wall, but they did not notice.
Lewis finished then sent the owl.
Lewis and Harry was sitting next to the column,
"Who did you send it to?" Asked Harry.
"The nearest Hogwarts Professor." Said Lewis.
On platform 9 ¾, Molly saw an owl flew right to Flitwick.
Nearest Person in Charge at Hogwarts, we are at the station in London, we are stuck, need help, we don't know what to do.
If Hogwarts is real. Can you send help. We will wait at this pee smelling station for twenty minutes, then we are heading to the caldron somehow.
Flitwick went up to Molly and asked, "Molly did you see anyone outside the Portal?"
"There was two boys." Said Molly. "Why."
"Can you go check on them?" Asked Flitwick.
"Hold the train." Said Molly.
She went back out and looked around for them,
and saw them heading to the main doors,
and ran for them and caught up to them.
"Did you need help?" Asked Molly.
"Na, we are good." Said Lewis. "We must go, what a joke,
had a trick played on us. Now off to be homeless."
"Why?" Said Molly.
"We were told this is where you go to Hogwarts."
Said Lewis, "But we orphans, someone was heartless enough to play tricks on homeless orphans, he works for Hogwarts gave us tickets saying here."
She moved closer to Lewis, when he flinched and moved away. She noticed this. Then she saw all the injuries.
"Yes," said Harry. "The thing is the thing is…"
"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly,
and Harry nodded. Then she noticed bruising on hands and face and a black eye. "Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous."
They walked back to the portal. "Er - okay," said Harry.
Harry started pushing his trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid. He started to walk toward it.
People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten.
Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble - leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run - the barrier was coming nearer and nearer - he wouldn't be able to stop - the cart was out of control - he was a foot away - he closed his eyes ready for the crash - It didn't come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes then he was gone.
Lewis went from calm to full panic attack, "No, no, no."
Starting to hyperventilate. "First time I trusted a stranger and lost my twin. W-h-e-e-e-e-r-r-r-e-e is h-h-h-e-e?"
Then he passed out.
Molly picked him up. "Dam he light. He was starved."
Lewis came to a few minuets' latter. Then saw this female holding him. "Put me down and bro help me."
"He on the platform." Said Molly, putting him down.
Lewis keeping an eye on her.
Then Lewis tried the same thang. And there was Harry he pushed his cart up to Harry.
A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock.
Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, they had done it.
Lewis then forgot his stuff and hugged Harry who asked,
"Are you ok?"
"I think so." Said Lewis.
Then started down the platform in search of an empty seat. They pushed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train.
Lewis got in first they got the two owls in first,
and then started to struggle to get the trunks toward
the train door. They tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully
on his foot. "You ok bro?"
"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"
The twins' get Lewis and Harry stuff on the train,
then Harry's and Lewis' trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.
They sat down on the train. "Thank you twins there."
Said Lewis. "Four brothers plus a Mom."
"Must be nice, but I love my mirror." Said Harry,
"That all I need. You are twins you know how we fell.
No one is more important."
"No problem." Said Fred.
Then they walked off. While Percy was talking to Flitwick,
"What wrong Professor?" Asked Percy.
"Go check on the boys with your youngest twin brother,
I think you can put them off guard and get answers."
Said Flitwick. "Something off. Then came and tell
me what it is."
Lewis and Harry got into the same compartment,
then the train was off then Ron and Rob joined the compartment with raven haired twins.
Then before the young red hared boys, three more red heads joined them and saw there where next to each other keeping their eyes on the red heads.
"You guys, ok?" Asked Percy.
"Yes." Said Ron.
"Assume you guys are brothers." Said Lewis. "We can move,
if you don't mind our stuff in here, it is heaver then us."
"No, you guys can stay." Said Percy.
The trolly man showed up. "Food anyone." He asked.
They went up and looked, he then asked, "Is this food?"
"Yes." She said.
"Does not matter, we only got a few coins." Said Lewis.
"Do you guys know what any of this is?"
Percy walked up with Ron and Percy asked,
"How much do you have?"
"Not munch, a few of these funny coins." Said Lewis.
"Same here." Assed Harry.
They pulled out the 10 gallons they each had.
"We got this." Said Lewis.
"Can't be a lot." Said Harry.
"20 gallons." Said Percy.
"Is that a lot?" Asked Lewis.
"Yes." Said Percy.
"Can you pick something off the food trolly." Asked Lewis.
"We don't see anything we know." Said Harry.
"A big harry man who brough our school stuff gave us those,
But here it is." Said Lewis dropping coins in the oldest boy hands. "Pick enough for all seven of us."
"Who was this big harry man." He asked,
grabbing a lots of stuff off the trolly, giving the change back.
He put the food between the two boys. then Lewis and Harry looked a little confused, "Is this food?"
"Yes." Said Ron.
"Never seen any of this." Said Lewis.
"I got a corned beef sandwich." Said Ron.
They looked at the sandwich. "Would you rather have some of this, we would be happy for the sandwich." Said Harry.
"That smells so good." Said Lewis. "Do you see something you like, don't have a clue what most of this is, but will trade you."
Ron handed the sandwich over. Lewis took half and give Harry the other. "Grab whatever you two, if you want to,
this stuff looks strange and not sure food."
Then Lewis and Harry ate it up like it was a steak.
Then started looking though the other strange food.
"Who are you boys?" Asked Percy.
"Who are you? Those two are differently cute." Said Lewis.
"Love those cute freckles."
"I am Percy, those two are Fred and George, and the other two are Ron and Rob." Said Percy.
"Why are you two alone in the station?" Asked Ron.
"So, you all brothers with a Mom?" Asked Lewis.
"Yes. These four are mine, we have one more set of twins."
Said Percy. "They already finished school."
"Must be nice." Said Lewis, then he realized something,
"You think my mirror?"
"They must be the sort that boy in the alley told us about,
before he told us to keep to our own." Said Harry.
"If that is important, best otherwise we might be in trouble,
there protection might be wise." Said Lewis.
"We don't know this world after all, allies would be good."
Said Harry. "Especial if we are what did he call us?"
"We would live to be your friends." Said Ron.
"You sure you want to?" Asked Harry. "We don't know much about your world yet, but we felt we should be honest,
He said he was a pure blood family, one of the old families.
The way you talk you family is to. We are not,
can we be friends still. We don't understand munch.
We like you guys, but not sure we can be friends."
"But from what he said it sounds like it is not normal for old pure blood family to mix with, what did he call us,"
Said Lewis who through for a few minutes.
"He was nice till he learned one thang,
I think the phrase he called us was, 'A Mudblood',
then Nothing but said 'We are nothing more than a Filthy Mud Blood filth.' See our parents are what did he call it Muggles.
From what he said it sounds like a taboo to mix."
"Who are your parents?" Asked Ron.
"We don't know who our Parents are, just that they died in a car crash. Eleven year ago." Said Lewis.
"You know that not important." Asked Ron.
"You sure he made it sound very important." Said Lewis.
Then Draco walked in and said, "So you came."
Lewis and Harry did not talk. "Filth talk."
"We don't want to stay with the adopted family we were with,
even as an outcast at Hogwarts would be better than where we were." Said Lewis. Lewis and Harry where now in the corner.
"So, are you bunch friends?" Asked Harry.
"We can leave, we don't want trouble." Said Lewis.
They went to stand up. "Please we know our place.
Just don't hurt him. He is important to me."
"I not friends with them." Said Draco.
"You're a Mudblood, but there blood traitors."
Lewis and Harry looked confused, then Lewis said,
"They sounded like one of those old pure blood families you talked about being important."
But Percy said, "Leave them be, it is a big train."
Then they noted they Lewis and Harry seem to now slightly be communicating but now. Fred and George where
looking at the food. Draco left.
"Are you two hungry?" Asked Lewis.
"We could eat." Said Fred.
"Dig in." Said Lewis. "If you want to explain some of this food would be useful to, Wizard Stuff is new. Would you mind if I opened the window? It is hot."
"Fine with me." Said Ron. Lewis opened the window
"Can you tell us something about your world?" Asked Lewis.
"Any thang we should know."
"We want to figure out how to keep our heads down."
Said Harry. "Apparently we are in a hated group."
"You guys are lucky, family that loves you." Said Lewis.
"We are orphans, not sure why they took us in, they hate us."
"Do they beat on you." Asked Percy.
"We are freaks after all, and are lucky to have a place at all."
Said Lewis. "No matter where we go seems we
get the short end."
"What happened to you parents?" Asked Ron.
The Percy saw Fred and George where staring at the boys. "Fred? George? Don't stare."
"We are just two underage Mudbloods." Said Lewis,
"Through we do seem to make a good punching bags.
We were told by our foster family that we were in a car crash,
and then told that all we need know, and freaks like us are lucky to have a place at all."
"Really." Asked Ron.
"Is your whole family like this?" asked Lewis.
"Er - Yes, I think so," said Ron.
"So, you must know loads of magic already."
"What are the Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"
Then they noticed them starting to cry a little,
"We at least have each other, that all that matters.
You family looks great. They love you."
"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy.
"I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left - Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others,
but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first.
You never get anything new, either, with five brothers.
I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand,
and Percy's old rat." Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.
Then Rob and Ron noticed the boys' envious looks.
Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.
"Do you know how lucky you are?" Said Lewis.
"You two have so much." Said Harry.
"We just have each other." Said Lewis.
Then they explain how they lived, he'd never had any money in his life, and they told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting any birthday presents,
nor Christmas either.
"Can I look at the frogs?"
"What?" Said the twins.
"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got
Agrippa or Ptolemy."
Then they both had a look on their faces.
"Chocolate covered Frogs, gross. Is all magic food this gross."
Asked Lewis. "Wizards eat frogs?"
They then laughed, "There not real frogs."
Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog Lewis grabbed the frog,
looking at then ate it. "He right there just chocolate."
Harry picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.
"Who?" said the twins.
"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Percy.
"How could we." Said Lewis. "We are Mudbloods after all.
Why are Mudbloods outcaste?"
"Think I should fix this now. Because he mislead you.
The Proper term is either Mugleborn if both parents are muggles or half-bloods if one is a magic and one Mugleborn,
or quarter born if one is a pure blood and one is a Mugleborn."
"Mugleborn sounds so much better, so not all pure bloods hate those with muggle parents?" Said Lewis.
"No." Said Percy.
"So, we want be outcaste." Said Lewis. "You lot would not mind knowing or be seen with us?"
"No, your two are no different than us, in fact there are lots of Mugleborn." Said Percy. "And I think those two already like you two." Then the two boys looked so much happier.
"Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa." Asked Ron.
"Ron if the food is sitting there then you can eat it don't ask.
They forgot to put a picture on this one." Said Lewis.
"He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."
Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be
unwrapped. "Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know,
the other world, people just stay put in photos."
"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"
"They move on tv, that like a moving picture but it talks."
Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but the twins couldn't keep his eyes off them.
"Don't know who he is but his eye, we seen them before."
Said Lewis. "But not sure where."
Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana,
but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose.
They were now open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry.
"When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and mar- malade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a
booger flavored one once." Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.
"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts."
They had a good time eating Every Flavor Beans.
The Twins got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry,
grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end of a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch,
which turned out to be pepper.
Then Lewis had this look on his face, popped open the window and barfed out it several times.
The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.
There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and threequarters came in. He looked tearful.
"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"
When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"
"He'll turn up," said Harry.
"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him..." He left.
"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad, I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."
The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said.
She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron,
but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand
in his hand.
"Good-by." Said Lewis, standing up and getting her to leave.
"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.
"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."
"I don't care as long as we are together." Said Lewis.
They wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.
"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.
"What is that?" Harry confessed.
"Is it a game." Asked Lewis.
"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world -" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money.
He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game
when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.
Draco came back, with two other boys,
and He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest.
This made Lewis nervous. Lewis now moved in between
this boy and his twin.
"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Potter's in this compartment. So, it's you, is it?"
"No, these Potters are they pure, remember what we are,"
said The Twins. He was looking at the other boys.
Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy,
they looked like bodyguards.
"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking.
"And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.
"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." He turned back to Harry.
"To late we meet the best, they don't think we are trash because of our blood. LEAVE!" Ordered Lewis steaming with rage. Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.
"I'd be careful if I were you," he said slowly.
"Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents, mood blood. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys…"
Lewis said it again, "Leave now." Then they noticed air in the room starting to slowly circle around the center.
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.
"LEAVE!" Said Lewis.
"But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys?
We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."
"There our friends." Then Lewis went to shove them when they flew into the wall, a lot faster than the eleven-year owl should be able to, especial since he did not touch them.
They got up and ran for it.
"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione.
"Can we help you with something?"
A voice echoed 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."
Lewis had already decided he loved this cute boy.
They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and
joined the crowd thronging the corridor.
The train slowed right down and finally stopped.
People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the
students, and Lewis and Harry heard a familiar voice:
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
"Percy the big harry man with the nice eye."
Said Lewis, then grabbed his ribs again.
"Ron and Rob stay with those two." Ordered Percy.
"You think that had to be an order we like these two."
Said Ron. "You two are light."
They got across the lake and up the stairs.
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
pg. 20