The Safeworld Network
Disclaimer: You know the drill. This will be my last disclaimer…unless somebody new turns up.
In this chapter: Morgan meets a certain someone, with hilarious results…at least for us…
Chapter 6: Red Roots™ Rollers
'Thank God I brought a rolling suitcase' thought Morgan, as she rolled it along passed the platforms in Kings Cross Station.
At this point, it is necessary to describe the suitcase in question, as it plays a large role later in this story. It was a red suitcase, quite large, with numerous pockets edged in black on the front. It had a telescopic (collapsible) handle, and two durable, plastic wheels attached to a reinforced black plastic splash board on the bottom. The bag's most striking feature was the logo on the front, which consisted of a beaver surrounded by leaves sitting on top of the words Roots™. It is this logo that will become important.
But enough about her suitcase.
Morgan reached Platform 9 and looked around. Here was Platform 9, and there was Platform 10. 'Now, logically,' she thought, standing in between them, 'Platform 9¾ should be right here in front of me.' But there was nothing there besides a plain metal ticket barrier.
'Okay. Now what. Did Dumbledore forget to tell me something? Or it is really there, but I just can't see it? Yes, that's more like it…a hidden train platform…very British. Now I just have to figure out how to find Platform Invisible.'
As Morgan thought this over, a group of people walked up behind her. Not wanting to attract attention, she drew back and watched them, leaning inconspicuously against a pillar. They were a family, she observed, noting that they all had flaming red hair. The plump older woman she assumed was the mother, and then there were the six children. The eldest was a pompous-looking young man with horn-rimmed glasses. Then there were the twins, or at least she assumed they were twins… even from this distance, Morgan could tell they were identical. There was the youngest boy, whom Morgan guessed was about her age, though he was almost unnaturally tall and lanky. Last of all there was the girl, whom Morgan surmised was the youngest.
Her gaze then moved down to the luggage trolleys the boys were pushing. Each one held a large wooden trunk with the name WEASLY and the boy's first initial stencilled on the front. Morgan smiled, remembering the trunk in her basement, the wooden one with D. YLIME stencilled on the top in bold black letters. 'They're all going off to boarding school' she thought, 'and their mother and sister are her to see them off.'
Looking away from the trunks for a minute, she vaguely wondered if they were going to Rugby like her father, she returned her focus to the task at hand. Glancing around, she considered asking one of the employees or passer-by's about Platform 9¾, then remembered the looks she'd gotten when she asked the way to the Metro and dismissed the idea. She sighed, and was contemplating getting out her wand and tapping the barrier with it when she was startled out of her reverie by the plump redheaded woman.
"Always packed with Muggles," she was saying, and Morgan's attention snapped back to the family.
They had an owl.
Suddenly everything clicked into place. The trunks, the owl, the reference to Muggles… these kids weren't going to Eaton's or Rugby, they were going to Hogwarts! And judging by their ages, at least one of them had been there before, which meant…
They knew how to get onto the platform!
Morgan walked over them quickly, rolling her suitcase along behind her. One of the twins spotted her approaching and whispered to the other. They both stared suspiciously at her t-shirt. Glancing down, she realised why. It was a bit faded, but still almost blood red with a maple leaf and Canada '67 splashed across the front. Coupled with her beige, almost-white shorts and her suitcase, she was the spitting image of a tourist.
'Too late to change now,' she thought, reaching the group and taking a deep breath.
"Hi, my name is Morgan Ylime," she said, introducing herself and sticking out her hand, "and I was wondering if you knew the way to Platform 9¾?"
The woman looked at her strangely for a minute, then recovered herself and, with a nervous smile, asked, "Why on earth would you want to go there?" Her tone was innocent, but her face said otherwise.
'All or nothing,' thought Morgan, than answered aloud. "I need to catch the 11 o'clock train to Hogwarts…" she caught the look of surprise in the woman's eyes and finished, " and I see that you don't know what I'm talking about. I'll be going then. Thanks anyway." She was turning to walk away when the woman caught her arm.
"Wait a minute. You were serious, weren't you?"
"Yeah."
"Please excuse my behaviour. I must have seemed rude, but your clothes…and your luggage…I just assumed that you were…"
"A tourist?"
"Yes dear. Now, getting onto the platform. All you have to do is walk straight through that barrier, and the platform's on the other side. Percy," she indicated the eldest boy," will go through first, to show you how it's done."
Percy pushed his trolley up to the barrier, than nonchalantly leaned up against it and, as a crowd of tourists came by, went through it, though rather more slowly then normal.
"See dear? Now you try. Don't worry about crashing into it."
Morgan pulled her suitcase up to the barrier. She looked at it carefully. It looked quite solid. She looked back, and one of the twins caught her eye. His look seemed to say "Go on. I dare you to do it!" Then he turned to his brother and said in a voice just loud enough for her to hear "I bet you ten Sickles she won't do it!"
All concern over the solidness of the barrier was erased from her mind, and, throwing the boy a look that clearly said, "Watch me," she walked straight into it. She closed her eyes for a split second, and when she opened them again she nearly gasped in surprise. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock. She looked back, and saw a wrought iron gate in the middle of where the barrier had been. The twins had just walked through, and the first one was passing the second a handful of silver. They had passed her by now, and she silently walked up beside the first.
"I hope you've learned your lesson," she said, low enough that only they could hear her.
The boy looked at her surprised, then, recovering his air of cocky assurance, asked, "And what would that be?"
"Don't make bets against me. Unless you like to lose."
Both boys had stopped now and turned towards her, looking at her as if for the first time. There was no sign of cockiness now. Finally, they broke out into identical grins.
"Well, Miss Ylime. It's seems you have surpassed my expectations. I'll remember that in future. I'm Fred Weasly, by the way, and this," he indicated his twin, "is my brother George."
"I'm pleased to meet you both." She shook their hands. "I'm glad to make the acquaintance of two boys so smart as yourselves."
"Pleased to meet you," said George, speaking for the first time. "If you ever need someone to show you around Hogwarts, we're your guys."
"I'll remember that. See ya 'round."
The twins mother and sister had come through by now, and the boys ambled off to join them. Morgan continued along the platform, looking up at the packed windows of the first few cars. She walked on, looking for an empty space, and suddenly walked smack-dab into the middle of a group of mean-looking kids.
"Watch where you're going!" Morgan looked at the boy she'd run into. He had blond, slicked back hair and cold, dark eyes. His mouth was twisted into a malicious sneer.
"Where do you think you're going with that thing," he drawled contemptuously, indicating her suitcase.
'I don't need to stand for this,' Morgan thought, turning away. She was about to walk away when the blond boy blocked her path.
"I asked you a question, Roots. What do you think you're doing here? Cause it's obvious that you're not here to go to Hogwarts."
"What did you call me?" Morgan's expression was neutral, but her tone implied that she was inched from breaking this kid's smirking jaw.
"Roots." he repeated. "That's the name written on your luggage. Right underneath that pathetic excuse for a bear."
"It's a beaver." Her tone was icy.
"Oh. Alright, Beaver Roots. What are you doing here?"
"She's catching the train, just like you." Morgan smiled inwardly as she recognised Fred's voice.
"This guy bothering you Morgan?" asked George, coming up on her other side.
"Nah. I was just curing him of some common misconceptions about Canada's national mammal. I'm sure he'd be delighted to learn that beaver hats were quite fashionable in Britain in the 1800's. I'm sure his ancestors had several."
The thought of his ancestors running around wearing mangy old beavers on their heads was sufficient to mollify Malfoy while George offered her his arm. Morgan accepted it and allowed him to lead her to an empty car near the back of the train.
"That was very gallant of you," she remarked with a smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Mutual dislike," answered Fred darkly. "Guy's a Slytherin if I every saw one. He'll turn out just like his father, you mark my words."
"I see."
"Need a hand with that?" asked George, indicating her suitcase and the steps up to the train door.
"Sure. Thanks!"
Between the three of them Morgan's case was soon stored away in the corner of an empty compartment. Fred and George had to go say goodbye to Ginny, who apparently was miserable at the prospect of a whole year without her brothers. Morgan sat down by the window and, opening it, stared out. Parent's lined the platform, and students hung out the windows, waving, laughing, crying, and calling goodbye to their parents. She smiled, remembering the first time her parents had put her on the bus to kindergarten.
The whistle blew, and the train started to move out of the station. Morgan pulled out a book and her CD player, stuck her headphones in her ears, pressed Play, and settled back to learn all she could about Magical Drafts and Potions.
Okay, this was supposed to be one long chapter, but I didn't plan on her meeting the Weaslys so it was getting too long and I split it.
Next Chapter: Morgan discovers a strange new talent…and finally gets to Hogwarts!