Chapter 4- A New Friend

As the sun rose on September the first, anyone looking though Kirsty's window would have found her in a similar position as that fateful day. Her eyelids were tightly shut and her arm hung off her bed. As she rolled over onto her side it was 'Hogwarts: a history' that fell to the floor with a dull thud.

The eleven year old was woken by the noise and her bright blue eyes flickered open. She peered around her to see where the noise had come from. After she had reached down to the floor and picked up the book her eyes flickered over to the clock on the wall. It was only 5:30 in the morning! However, deciding that there was no hope in going back to sleep, she slipped out of bed.

However, like she had done most mornings since that day a Diagon Alley, she paused as she slipped deeply into her own thoughts. She could feel that someone was not telling her something. It seemed like a puzzle piece that was lost under the sofa. When someone knows what it pictures. That thing Lucius had said. It scared her. She had told no one of his words or anything else about what had happened. She did not want to think about it. However, she knew she had to find answers.

After placing the text book back into her Hogwarts trunk, she pulled on her slippers and wondered downstairs to watch television.

However, her nerves were tingling all around her small body. She would soon be heading off on the Hogwarts express, to a school many only thought was fantasy. To live many children's dreams. She could not wait to see the castle, the forbidden forest, to learn magic and to find out who she truly was. She smiled happily.

By 7:00am Kirsty was sitting at the kitchen table. Her spoon was halfway to her mouth when a voice called, "by the way Kirsty what's the Daily Prophet?"

"It… the wizarding newspaper," Kirsty answered sheepishly, she knew where this conversation was heading.

"Ok… it's just that I found it on your desk when I came to wake you up," replied her mother, "So why are you and a boy on the front cover?"

"Well…" Kirsty replied, at a lost for what to say as her mother scanned the front cover.

"So this is Harry Potter, Kirsty have you read this article?" asked her mother.

"Nope! It only arrived this morning."

"I think you should…." said her mother, handing her the paper.

Kirsty placed her spoon on the table beside her bowl and began to read:

Many came to Flourish & Blot's last week to get their copy of Gilderoy Lockhart's books signed by the man himself. However, they did not expect to see not only the Boy-Who-Lived, but Kirsty Broom - the first magical relative in her family since the great Witch-Of-The-West herself. Recognized by Lucius Molfoy, Kirsty soon told your favourite newspaper about how it had always been her dream to meet Harry Potter since she had read the muggle book, "Harry potter and the philosophers stone."

A witness of the scene, Draco Molfoy, told us, "yes she seemed in amazement when she heard about who she was, of course being raised by her muggle parents I would expect no less. Harry Potter, as always, enjoyed the attention of a girl."

"I can't believe him! I never said any of that!" she screeched, throwing the paper onto the table.

"What is it? You usually get excited when ever you are in the newspaper, or TV," her mother asked timidly.

"Don't get me wrong, I did want to meet Harry Potter. However, I never told them any of that credulous thing they've come up with! I hate that Draco Molfoy, he's horrible!" Kirsty shouted angrily.

"Don't worry about it, you won't see him at school."

"I will see him though, Hogwarts is the only magical school in the country," Kirsty sighed before she went back to her breakfast cereal.

Soon she rushed upstairs to again check she had packed everything. Her dad then came in and helped her carry her trunk to the car.

By 8:30am Kirsty and her parents sat in the car. All was quiet until,

"So I release my only daughter into a magical world, and the next thing I know she's headline news, but sorry, did I miss something?" her dad asked.

"Sorry dad, I was really embarrassed about it. I don't really know what they were so fussed about anyway…"

There was silence for a long while. About 2 hours later her father called, "alright, we're here."

They all bundled out of the car and, after her dad had loaded Kirsty's trunk onto a trolley, they all set off in search of platform 9 and ¾s.

"In the books it said it was between platforms 9 and 10. Should we try there first?" asked Kirsty.

Her father nodded. Then at 20 minutes to 11 they found the barrier. Completely at a loss for what to do next Kirsty stood and starred round hoping to see someone who could help.

"Hello," called a dreamy voice.

"Very pleased to meet you!" called a man's voice. He rushed over and started shaking Kirsty's hand, "let me introduce you to my daughter, Luna."

Kirsty looked at the girl the man was pointing to. Luna had dirty blonde hair. It was tied into a messy knot behind her head, her robes where so long they dragged along the floor and she wore a cork necklace.

"Like your necklace," commented Kirsty.

"Thank you," replied the dreamy voice of the girl, "I like your eyes."

"Well," said the man Kirsty now knew to be the girl's father, "can't wait out here all day, shall we go onto the platform?"

Everyone nodded.

"Kirsty, would like to go first?" asked Luna.

"I've never done it before."

"Don't worry," answered Luna's father, "All you have to do is just run strait through the barrier - which is the wall before us, I promise you'll get through."

Kirsty counted to three and made a run for it. Before she knew what was happening she had run through what had seemed to be a solid brick wall. The magical world never ceased to amaze her. A few seconds later everyone was through. Kirsty and Luna pulled their trunks into the same compartment and then they went outside to talk to their parents.

At 10:55am the whistle blow. Kirsty hugged both her parents one last time and with a cry of, "I'll send you a letter when I get there!" she ran onto the train.

As it pulled out of the station she waved excitedly. When they were out of view both Luna and Kirsty sat down.