Chapter Two: Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

JC followed her mom to the train station; the paper said Platform 9¾, but there wasn't one to be found.

"Mom, this is a joke, there isn't one!"

Her mom gave a laugh, "Just watch, what numbers is 9¾ between?"

"Nine and ten, duh."

"Well there you go, watch me," her mom looked around and saw no one, she walked up to the platform and then disappeared into the brick wall.

"What the-," JC screamed.

A few people looked at her as they walked by, but she ignored them, all she wanted to know if this was truly the entrance onto the platform?

She stepped in front of the platform with the cart, she pulled it behind her, she took a look at the brick wall and looked to see no one coming so, she charged at it, closing her eyes.

She opened her eyes, to a new world; people were all around her laughing and talking. Students talked with their friends they hadn't seen over the summer break and others said bye to their parents, "About time, I thought you would have went back home."

JC smiled up at her mom, "Next time I have to walk through a wall, pull me through with you," she looked around, "Mom I don't know anyone."

"It will be okay, you will make good friends here, don't worry, the best part is the Quidditch matches, and I know you will just love them."

She remembered her mom telling her about playing with the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team as a chaser. From what she heard, her mom was damn good, and just a few years ago she took her to a Quidditch World Cup match which she would remember for the rest of her life. It was there when JC fell in love with Quidditch; it was the only magical thing she had contact in before school.

JC handed her trunk and Finis to a man in a red uniform and she looked back over to her mom, who was staring at a man over near the train, he was short and a little round, starting to go bald. He looked back at her and she turned away. JC watched as her mom looked at the ground, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, honey I am fine," the whistle of the black train sounded and everyone started to board.

JC hugged her mom, "Well I guess that means I have to go mom."

"It does and don't worry, you will be fine, just don't swim in the Black Lake, write to me every weekend, love you."

JC smiled, she had tears in her eyes, "I love you too mom."

She got on the train and looked for a compartment, maybe with that was empty, at least until she knew some people around. Finally, at the back of the train she found the last compartment; it was empty. She sat down and gazed out at the window her mom was already gone, was it because of that man she was trying to hide from? She kept wondering why her mom would be hiding from that man, but it was too late to find out, maybe she will ask when she writes her first letter home.

"NOW GET IN HERE AND SIT DOWN, I HAVE FRIENDS HERE; I DON'T NEED YOU TWO EMBARRASING ME!"

JC woke up to the compartment door slamming shut, "What," she asked. She felt stupid when she saw two boys laughing and giggling.

"Sorry, our brother woke you up, he has no sense of humor," one of the boys said.

She looked at the two of them closely; they were twins, with red hair, freckles, and the same eye color. One was taller than the other, but other than that, she couldn't tell them apart, "It's fine, I need to get up anyway, I didn't know the train ride was this long."

"Trust me when I say this we have three older brothers and all of them came to Hogwarts, it seems like forever but, when you get there it's worth it, well that is what they say anyway," the shorter one said as he and his brother sat across from her.

"My name is George Weasley, and this is Fred," the taller said introducing them.

JC smiled, "I'm JC Weber, there's nothing special really I don't have any brothers or sisters, and my dad is a muggle."

"There's nothing wrong with that," said Fred.

JC shrugged and looked back out the window, when she fell to sleep it was sunny, but now the clouds were getting dark, it was going to rain. She left the twins to the compartment so they could change into their robes and she went to the girls' bathroom to change. She looked in the mirror at her uniform, she liked the way the long black robe was, and the skirt that hit just about her knees. Another girl came out of the stall, she had dark hair and brown eyes, and she was a first year also. The girl said nothing, so after flipping her hair JC left and went back to the compartment.

She found that the boys had changed and another had joined, he had shoulder length black curly hair and brown eyes, and was already changed into his uniform, "Hey," he said as she entered the compartment.

"JC, this is Lee, he somewhat kind of fell through the door," George told her.

She couldn't help from laughing, "How did you manage to do that?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, it just happened, I'm Lee Jordan."

"Hi, I'm guessing these boys told you who I was then."

Lee nodded, "They did."

It wasn't long after she came back when the train stopped; they were at another train station. She got up and followed Lee, Fred and George off the train, the rain outside was pouring and Fred and George sighed, "We have to cross the Black Lake in the rain!"

"A little rain isn't going to hurt!"

From the crowd of students they heard a loud deep voice, "Firs' years over here! Any more, come on don't be shy, firs' years!"

Everyone gazed up at the half giant man, "whoa," JC said looking up. The man towered over her, but she wasn't frightened of him like a few of the others.

One of the twins laughed and said, "That's Hagrid, I've heard so many things about him, but as we cross the lake, don't let the giant squid get you!"

She rolled her eyes and laughed, "Please, my mom said that!"

"If there is one thing you learn about us, it is that we love to joke and play pranks, you will see don't worry."

She couldn't tell which twin was talking; it was too dark to see. Hagrid led them down a path that stopped at the edge of the Black Lake where several boats were lined up, "No more'n four to a boat!" They got into the boat and JC held the lantern that was in the front seat, beside her was one of the twins and Lee and the other sat in the back, "Let me ask a stupid question here, which twin is beside me?"

He laughed, "Fred, you will learn, even our mom gets us mixed up."

JC laughed to herself. They looked up at the castle, it was lit up all towers and tariffs, they could even see the main part with the stained glass windows, "Wow look at this place, it's amazing!"

"FOREWARD," hollered Hagrid and the boats started to move on their own.

Across the lake they went and then into a tunnel where ivy hung low from the ceiling, everyone could tell they were going underneath the castle. The boats stopped at the docks and everyone got out onto the ground, the rain had lightened upon them.

Hagrid led them up a flight of stone steps and to a huge oak door, he knocked on the door and a tall silver-haired lady stepped through. She wore green robes that shinned in the lighted emitted from the lanterns among the wall. Her face was focused on the first years, "Thank you Hagrid, I will lead them the rest of the way."

"Thank you Professor McGongall."