Chapter 5

Journey from Platform Nine and Three Quarters

"Ronald, stop messing around."

"I can't find Scabbers!"

"Elizabeth, why are you going through the laundry basket"

"I'm looking for Scabbers."

"Ginny, dear, please do stop crying. You can go to Hogwarts. Next year."

"Get back here you bloody bird."

"Why would Scabbers be in the laundry basket?"

The Burrow was pandemonium. Ginny was sat at the dining table, sobbing her eyes out because she was too young to join her siblings at Hogwarts. Percy was failing at wrestling his owl, Hermes, into his cage; and Fred and George had relocated to the garden. At that moment, they had taken to tossing each other a, rather sickly looking, rat. The same rat that Ron was in a frantic search for beneath the sofa.

All Elizabeth could do was giggle. She couldn't bring herself to feel bad for Scabbers. She had never really had much experience with these furry little critters, so didn't know whether it was all rats she didn't like or just this one. Either way he made her feel uneasy.

She did however feel sorry for Mr. Weasley; who had taken refuge in the Ford Anglia they would be taking to Kings Cross Station. This was no ordinary Ford Anglia. It had been adapted in a way that it could fit all of the Weasley's, their belongings and still have room to spare. And yet it still looked as ordinary as any other Anglia you would ever see. Once or twice Elizabeth wondered what the muggles, non-magic folk, must think as a stream of children with trunks, owls and a rat exited the back of the vehicle. She dreaded to think; but that was nothing to what she thought would happen if they discovered it could fly.

Two hours later, the Weasley's were heading down platform nine of King's Cross station

"What's the platform number?" Molly asked.

"Nine and Three Quarters," piped Ginny; who had only just stopped crying and was now walking down the platform holding her mother's hand. "Mum, please can I go?"

"No Ginny. I've already told you. You're not old enough. Alright, Percy, you first."

Percy marched up to the middle of platforms nine and ten, and ran at the wall as fast as he could. A large crowd of tourists seemed to get in the way but as the last backpack cleared, Percy has vanished.

"Fred, you next," Mrs Weasley said.

"I'm not Fred, he is. Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother."

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred." On that note both boys ran through the barrier one after the other, laughing at the frustrated expression on their mother's face.

"It's time Elizabeth, dear." Elizabeth aligned herself with the barrier and began to walk towards it. People jostled her on their way to platforms nine and ten. She began to walk quicker. Leaning on her trolley for support she broke into a heavy run. The barrier was coming nearer and nearer and just as she thought she might hit the solid wall; she passed straight through it.

A scarlet steam train was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock. Another sign above her bore the words Platform Nine and Three Quarters. She was finally here.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd. Cats of all colours and sizes were winding in between their feet, as owl after owl hooted excitedly. She left her trunk with Fred and George and went for a wander to explore the train.

The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of windows to talk with their families, some fighting over seats. Elizabeth waved to Susan Bones, another new Hogwarts student, whose mother worked with Arthur at the ministry.

A few moments later she, made her way back to the platform to say goodbye to her mother and Ginny.

As she got there, the words she had been dreading reached her ears.

"Oi! Izzy. We just met your brother. He's on the train." Elizabeth took a deep breath and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Fred, tell me you have forgotten who you are… again! I'm Elizabeth your sister. And this here is George, your twin. Remember him?" George laughed at her antics as Fred fixed his twin with a piercing look, as though he had just had an epiphany.

"Georgie! How could I have forgotten you? Do you think you could ever find it in your heart to forgive me?" Fred said getting on his knees and begging George for forgiveness.

Elizabeth left them to it as she went to say bye to her mother and Ginny. After plenty of hugs, a few tears and promising to write, Elizabeth got back on the train.

"Right, boys," she said "I'm off down the middle of the train. Apparently Lee Jordan has a baby Acromantula, and I don't believe a word of it." And with that she headed of find the dark-skinned, dread-locked boy that had been the twins' best friend since they had started Hogwarts.

As she headed of she heard Fred and George promising to send Ginny a Hogwarts toilet seat and Mrs Weasley's long-suffering response; and then the train began to move.

She wasn't far from the compartment that she had seen Lee occupying not long ago; when the two identical troublemakers caught up with her. Fred ran on ahead whilst George hung back to walk with her; he clearly had something on his mind.

"Spit it out, George," she said. She hated it when they tried to be gentle with her. It wasn't the way their little trio worked.

"You just going to ignore him then?" George asked. She could hear the tone of disappointment on his voice; but wasn't entirely sure why. In her opinion, it had little to do with him, in the end.

"For now." She replied shortly.

George caught her by the arm before she turned into the compartment that was their destination. She looked up at him.

"Look, we always go on about family, about how important family is. Now I don't know what it is you feel or think he has done but just remember this; he is family." Elizabeth looked at the floor, for some reason slightly ashamed with herself. When she looked back up George had a cheeky grin plastered over his face.

"Tig, you're it!" he yelled as he ran into the compartment behind her. And the moment was broken; just like that.

The compartment was packed with girls all cooing over Lee and his 'Acromantula'. An Acromantula was a ridiculously large spider. It was only as Elizabeth saw, what looked to be, nothing but a hairy leg sticking out of the box Lee was holding, that she understood why they weren't all screaming.

"Come on, Lee, "Fred shouted. "Let us see more."

"Yes, Lee. Let's see all of it." George agreed with his brother.

Elizabeth saw Lee's guilty face, and couldn't resist walking over and knocking the box out of his hands. It cluttered to the floor, and a Tarantula scurried out.

"See, it's only a Tarantula," Elizabeth mocked.

It took a grand total of four seconds for the compartment to clear of screaming girls. Elizabeth and the twins lost themselves in fits of giggles. Taking care not to harm it, she shuffled the spider back into its box and handed it to the disappointed looking boy on front of her.

"Well that went well," he said. The result of this comment meant that all four were so lost in laughter that they didn't notice the spider climb out of its box and through the compartment door to explore the Hogwarts Express.

The journey continued without incident. They talked about how excited Elizabeth was to be a first year; about their summers and ideas for pranks to pull. The topic had just turned to Quidditch, when the compartment door opened.

"Anything from the trolley dears?" asked the small, dimpled woman. They all stocked up on Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans, Cauldron Cakes and Pumpkin pasties. She even pocketed two chocolate frogs, one to send to Ginny and the other for Ron. He would no doubt be hungry by the time they arrived at Hogwarts, having nothing but the corned beef sandwiches Mrs Weasley had packed them for the train.

The rest of the journey was spent eating sweets and playing exploding snap. Lee was unlucky enough to get a vomit every flavour bean, causing the other three occupants to once again dissolve into fits of laughter.

After she had returned to the compartment, from changing into her robes, they were interrupted once more. It was the girl from Scrivenshafts and she looked somewhat flustered.

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy called Neville's lost one." She said in a bossy voice.

"Erm… Nope." The twins said in unison. And with that the girl stormed off letting out a frustrated sigh. This was the girl that no more than a month ago had been a scared little mouse who couldn't even choose a quill. Something wasn't right about this.

"Well… she was fun." Stated George and the laughter began yet again.

Elizabeth glanced out of the window. It was getting dark. She could see mountains and forests under a deep-purple sky. The train seemed to be slowing down.

A voice echoed through the train; "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave all your belongings on the train, they will be taken to Hogwarts separately."

Elizabeth felt as though an entire herd of Centaurs had taken up residence in her stomach and had decided to stampede. The nerves she knew had been there all along had decided to say hello.

All four members of the compartment crammed the last of their sweets into their pockets and joined the throng preparing to exit the train.

Finally the train stopped. People pushed their way out the door and onto a tiny, dark platform.

"We'll see you later," the twins said hugging her goodbye. "We have to head and get the carriages." She must have held them tighter than she had intended, as George whispered to her "you'll be fine; I promise."

With that they were gone; she was alone.

A lamp came bobbing out of nowhere and a booming voice followed. "Firs' years! Firs' years, over here! All right there, Harry?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Trust her brother to already know half the staff of Hogwarts. The giant who introduced himself as Hagrid was beaming at them all through a large bushy beard.

"C'mon, follow me – any more firs' years? Mind yer step now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep narrow path. It was so dark either side of them that Elizabeth concluded there had to be a deep thicket of trees there. Nobody spoke much, nerves having taken over.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a moment," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "Jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Ooooh!"

Elizabeth had thought she would never see anything quite as amazing as the first day she ever set foot in Diagon Alley. The image of Hogwarts, however, watching over them; as it would for the next seven years, was breath-taking. For a moment she couldn't speak or move, she had never seen anything like it.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Elizabeth shared a boat with Susan, who she had seen earlier that day; a young sandy haired Irish boy, who introduced himself as Seamus Finnegan; and a pale skinned dark haired boy whose name she discovered was Justin.

"Everyone in?" Shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself, "Right then, FORWARD!"

And the fleet of boats moved of all at once, gliding across the water which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle that towered over them as they sailed, nearer and nearer, to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of Ivy, which hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle. Soon they reached what seemed to be a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out onto the rocks and pebbles.

"Oi, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor," cried a small, round-faced, boy Elizabeth assumed was Neville. He ran to Hagrid holding out his hands and taking the offending amphibian from him.

They all clambered up a passageway in the rock, led by Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and all crowded around the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got your toad?" Elizabeth couldn't help a chuckle. She had the distinct feeling she was going to like this giant of a man.

Hagrid raised an enourmous fist and knocked three times on the castle door.