Hi, big thanks for your reveiws! I'm so glad to hear that you like this story so far, I'm also glad to find out that there are some other Harry Potter/Twilight fans out there. Must admit that Harry Potter is my true love and has been since I was about eight. Twilight was a delightful discovery that I picked up on a whim in a bookstore on holiday and I immediately fell in love with Edward, so of course he will be featuring in this fic...hopefully soon hmm...
On with the story!
Chapter 3
Platform 9 and 3 Quarters
The rest of the summer holidays went by in a blur for Bella. She actually spent much of her time in reading her new school books and found that she had never been more interested in learning in her entire life. Everything was so new and strange, she couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts and really learn magic. Almost every shop keeper in Diagon Alley had reminded her of the same thing, underaged witches and wizards weren't allowed to do magic outside school except in the most dire circumstances.
Her father had written a short letter of approval that she sent off to Hogwarts with her new owl. She named her Circe, which was a name she found whilst reading 'A History of Magic'. Circe had returned about a day later with another envelope from Hogwarts, this one contained a train ticket which told her that 'the Hogwarts Express' would leave King's Cross station from platform nine and three-quarters at exactly eleven o' clock on September first.
When Bella first showed her father the ticket he had reacted with confusion.
"There's no such thing as platform nine and three quarters," he'd said scratching his head bemusedly, "you're sure there's no mistake?"
"Well, that's what it says," Bella said shrugging.
Renee had taken it in stride.
"Charlie," she said simply, "you wouldn't have believed it when that pub suddenly jumped right up infront of my eyes but there it was, whatever these people say is most likely true even if it seems impossible, I've seen magic now so nothing's impossible."
Bella was quite impressed with how well her parents were taking the fact that she was a witch, especially her mother. Renee was extremely excited at the idea of a magical daughter and had been distinctly disappointed when she heard about the restriction of underage magic, she was just about dying to witness some more of it. Charlie was a little more hesitant to welcome the concept of an entire magical world that had existed without his knowledge all his life but he tried his best for Bella's sake and was almost as excited as Renee was for her, although he didn't show it as much.
Charlie bought Bella a huge trunk to put all her things for school in and a few days before September first, he, Renee and Bella all sat on the floor of her bedroom and packed it with all the thing she would need, and a few things she wouldn't. In a brief interval when Charlie had stepped out to bring them back a take away, Renee stuffed a huge pack of pads into the trunk and reminded Bella to keep track of her period on the calender which she had stuffed in next to it. Bella had blushed furiously at that because thinking about that sort of thing was all very new to her but she thanked her mother anyway, she wouldn't have thought about it on her own and that would have been awful.
All in all Bella greatly enjoyed her last few days at home and it was only on the last day of August that her nerves really set in.
"What if no one likes me?" she asked herself as she got into bed that night.
Since getting her letter she had thought only of the fact that she was only weird at her old school because she was actually a witch but now she was beginning to consider the fact that she was probably going to be in the minority at Hogwarts too because she had non magical parents. So it was with a troubled mind that Bella went to sleep that night and when she awoke that morning it was the day of her departure.
Her Dad had taken a day off work to drive them up to London. It had been a bit of a challenge getting Bella's heavy trunk down the stairs and into the car boot but Charlie managed eventually. Circe was securely shut in her cage and was put in the back seat next to Bella. When they were all in the car, Charlie looked over at her from the front.
"Sure you've got everything?" he asked with a reassuring smile.
"Sure," Bella affirmed with a quick nod. She had spent the whole morning going over her list and making sure she had everything in her trunk.
"Well then, let's get going."
They reached King's Cross station at ten. Charlie lugged the heavy trunk into a trolley and Bella put Circe's cage carefully on top of it. He wheeled the trolley into the station with Bella and Renee walking on either side of him. He stopped when they reached the platforms.
"Now, this is what I meant," He said frowning, "That's platform nine and that's platform ten, platform nine and three quarters should be somewhere in the middle but I don't see anything."
Both her parents stared at Bella questioningly, but the awful thing was that Bella couldn't see anything either. She looked from platform nine to platform ten and stared at the space between them but it was no good, there was nothing there at all. She whipped out her ticket and stared at it frantically, hoping that there were some sort of instructions on it that she had missed before. There were not, it simply said Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
"Maybe," Renee said softly, "you've got to do something, like with that wall to get into Diagon Alley?"
Bella brightened a bit at that. It wasn't a bad idea at all. She discreetly took her wand from her pocket and tapped on the barrier between platform nine and ten. Nothing happened.
Charlie went over to ask a passing guard about any trains leaving at eleven but the man assured him that there were none, when asked where the train he was asking about was going Charlie was unnable to give an answer and the guard walked away with a rather annoyed expression on his face. By then it was half past ten and Bella was getting worried. People were giving them funny looks because of Circe and she started feeling ill.
"Excuse me?" a soft voice said from behind her.
Bella turned around and saw a beautiful woman of around her mother's age. She had softly waving caramel coloured hair and deep green eyes which shone with kindness.
"Are you trying to get on to the platform dear?" she asked in the same sweet soft voice.
"It exists," Bella sighed in relief along with her parents.
"Of course it does," the woman smiled, "Me and my husband were just about to go through ourselves, to see our son off, he's going into first year as well."
Bella looked beyond the woman and saw for the first time a very handsome blond haired man, he seemed a little older than his wife and was also smiling at her, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling slightly.
"Carlisle Cullen," he introduced himself, shaking her mother and father's hands, "and this is my wife Esme."
"Nice to meet you," Charlie said a little gruffly, "Charlie Swan, my wife Renee and our daughter Bella, you can probably tell...we're completely lost as to how to get to this...platform nine and three quarters."
"I guessed when I saw your owl," Esme smiled, "she's beautiful by the way."
"Thanks," Bella grinned.
"Now," Carlisle started, "what you want to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten."
"It's best to go at a bit of a run if you're nervous," Esme added helpfully.
"And most important is that you aren't frightened you'll crash into it," Carlisle finished, "you'd better go quickly, your parents will be right behind you."
Bella looked towards Charlie and Renee and they nodded reassuringly.
Bella took the trolley with her trunk and Circe and pulled it in front of her. If she was going to run into a barrier then she felt better with something between her and it.
She began to walk and gradually started going faster and faster with the momentum from the trolley. The barrier was getting nearer, she had broken into a run and there was no way she could stop now, she had lost control of the trolley. She squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for the crash. It never came.
When she opened her eyes she was on a new platform which was completely crowded with people. A scarlet steam engine waited next to it, the sign above said Hogwarts Express, eleven o' clock. Bella looked behind her just in time to see her mother step through a wrought iron archway where the barrier had been, she was followed by Charlie and the Cullens.
"It was nice meeting you," Carlisle said shaking their hands a final time.
"Good luck at Hogwarts Bella," Esme said smiling, "I have a feeling we'll meet again."
Then they both went off in search of their son, who apparently had gone through before them but was mysteriously unseen doing so by the Swans.
It was very noisy and cramped on the platform and they all had to somewhat push their way through the crowd in search of an empty carriage. As Bella walked down the platform she took in the sight of many wizarding families and for the first time saw witches and wizards of her age.
She passed a small girl who's think curly hair made up for her height, who was saying to her mother, "Mum, please don't write every day, everyone at Hogwarts will think I'm a total loser!"
Her mother was busy rolling her eyes exasperatedly.
A little further down a tall blond haired boy was saying goodbye to his very stern looking father who was dressed in robes of navy blue. The boy was nodding quickly to whatever his father was saying and Bella thought he was doing a good job of trying not to look very nervous.
Eventually they found her an empty compartment near the end of the train. Bella put Hedwig inside and her Father hefted her trunk up the stairs and tucked it away in a corner of the compartment before heading back out to stand next to Renee on the platform.
Bella stood before them and began to feel tears welling in her eyes.
"I'll miss you," she said shakily.
Immediately Renee threw her arms around her and Charlie soon joined the embrace.
"It's just till Christmas," Renee said tearfully.
"We'll see you again in no time," Charlie assured her, though his voice was suspiciously thick.
"Remember to write to us," Renee said kissing Bella's forehead, "and don't worry, you'll make friends by the end of the week, I'll bet you."
Bella nodded and stepped out of their arms just as a whistle sounded.
"Oh, better get on quick Bells!" Charlie said as students began to run for the carriage doors. With one last hug and kiss from both her parents Bella did just that. She leaned out of the window and waved as the train began to move.
"Bye!" she called one last time as it picked up speed, she continued to wave until the train rounded a corner and she could see them no longer. She fell back in her seat and sighed as she watched Buildings flash past the window. She wiped away the last of her tears and began to feel the stirrings of great excitement inside her. She couldn't wait to see her new school.
The compartment door slid open suddenly. A brightly dressed, very tiny girl with short dark hair entered. Her dark blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Hello," she said chirpily, "do you mind if I sit here, everywhere else is full."
"No, not at all," Bella said smiling as the girl danced in and sat daintily on the seat opposite her.
"Alice Brandon," she said offering her hand to Bella.
"Bella Swan," Bella replied as Alice shook her hand vigourously.
Alice sat back then,her legs dangled off the edge of the seat and she swung them to and fro.
"I'm just about to faint with excitement, aren't you?" Alice grinned, "I've been waiting for this day my whole life!"
Bella smiled at her exuberance.
"I'm pretty excited as well," she said, "but I only found out about Hogwarts a month ago so I haven't been waiting my whole life."
"Oh?" Alice asked, curiousity growing on her face, "you're Muggle born then?"
Bella nodded.
"How fab!" Alice exclaimed unexpectedly, "you must've been really surprised then, when you got the letter."
"I was," Bella said nodding again, "I almost couldn't believe it and neither could my parents but I knew I could always do something...I just didn't know it was magic."
"Oh yeah," Alice grimaced, "it must've really confusing when you did accidental magic, my mum threw a party when I first did it, your parents were probably really shocked!"
"My mum said she thought she was going mental," Bella said and Alice laughed.
"Is everyone in your family magical?" Bella asked curious.
"Er...yeah, I think so," Alice said thoughtfully, "My great great uncle married a muggle though, so I might have some muggle relatives that I don't know about."
"You must know lots about magic already then," Bella said nervously, "I don't know anything at all."
"Don't worry about that," Alice said brightly, "Lot's of people come from Muggle families,you know, you won't be the only one, and anyway I haven't done any bit of magic on purpose, ever, so we're all in the same place."
Bella actually did feel alot better after Alice said that.
"So what's it like to live with Muggles?" Alice asked.
"I dunno," Bella shrugged, "what's it like to live with magical parents?"
"You've got me there," Alice laughed like tinkling bells, "have you got any brothers or sisters?"
"No, it's just me," Bella said, "you?"
"Well, I haven't got any real siblings," Alice said, "but my cousin Edward is like a brother really, he's here this year too, but I didn't see him on the platform...of course I was really late, I almost missed the train because I forgot my wand in my dad's car and we had to run back and get it."
She pulled her wand from the pocket of her pink jumper.
"I'm really glad I remembered to check for it before I went through the barrier," she said, "I'd have been so embarrassed if I forgot it."
As they talked the buildings flashing past the windows turned to houses and the houses turned to fields with grazing cows and sheep.
Around half past twelve a plump older woman slid open the door of their compartment and said, "Anything off the trolley dears?"
Alice immediatly sprang up and delved into her pocket for money. Bella didn't have much money herself, and what little she did have she intended to keep saved carefully. However, she was a little hungry so she bought herself a pumpkin pasty and watched in amusement as Alice bought most of the sweets the woman offered.
Alice grinned as she tossed her loot onto the seat and plopped herself down next to it.
"My parents don't let me eat too many sweets," she said by way of explanation, "they say sweets make me hyper."
Bella looked on in interest as Alice unwrapped one of the sweet packets. She didn't recognise any of them. Alice must've noticed her looking because she tossed her one of the same packets.
"Have a chocolate frog," she said as opened up her's and began eating something that looked very much like it was wriggling in her grasp.
"It's not a real frog is it?" Bella asked in alarm.
"No, no, it's just a spell," Alice assured her, "and anyway, what you really want are the famous witch or wizard cards, see what you've got, I'm missing Cliodna."
Bella carefully unwrapped her Chocolate frog and checked the card.
"It's Harry Potter," she said to Alice.
"Oh, I've got about ten of him," Alice said now opening some licourice wands, "Want one?"
Bella shook her head and looked back down. The picture she had first seen of a man with messy dark hair and glasses was gone.
"He's disappeared!" she exclaimed.
"Well he's not going to stay all day is he?" Alice shrugged.
"You know," Bella said, "In Muggle pictures people don't move around."
"Really?" Alice said in amazement, "do they just stay still then?"
"Yes, like if they're frozen."
They slowly made their way through Alice's sweets. Bella had been particularly interested in Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.
"Be careful, they mean every flavour," Alice had warned her with a grimace, "I once got one that was rotten fish flavoured."
The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder as the sky grew darker. The neat fields and hedges were gone and now they were passing thick woods and dark hills.
The compartment slid open and Bella recognised the girl she met in Madam Maxine's in Diagon Alley as well as the girl who'd been talking to her mother on platform nine and three quarters. The girl from Madame Maxine's wasn't wearing her glasses and her eyes were all squinty, she looked very upset. The other girl had an arm around her.
"Have you seen Angela's glasses by any chance," the curly haired girl asked, "this awful red haired girl stole them and said she's hidden them somewhere."
Alice and Bella shook their heads.
"Oh, well if you see them come find us, I'm Jessica by the way," the girl said.
The girls all introduced themselves and then Jessica led Angela out of the compartment.
"How horrid!" Alice said angrily, "why would someone do that?"
"I don't know," Bella said feeling very sympathetic, "poor Angela, it looks like she can hardly see without her glasses."
A few minutes later they settled back into conversation.
"What house do you want to be in?" Alice asked Bella.
"Well I don't really know much about them," Bella said shrugging, she had learnt the names of the school houses from one of her books but she had been unable to find out anything else about them.
"Oh of course," Alice said, "well, actually, I don't know much about them either, but my dad was in Gryffindor and my mum was in Ravenclaw, either would make them really happy but I think I'd like to be in Griffindor, it's the house of bravery."
"What about the others?" Bella asked thinking that she definitely wasn't Griffindor material.
"Ravenclaw is for cleverness," Alice said, "Hufflepuff is the house of kindness and Slytherin is for ambition...it doesn't have a very good reputation, there's not a witch or wizard that went bad who wasn't in Slytherin."
Bella wasn't sure what house she's be in at all but she supposed that Hufflepuff was probably where she was headed because she wasn't at all brave or ambitious and wouldn't call herself overly clever either.
"I think we'd better change now," Alice said looking out the window and into the night.
They quickly changed and almost as soon as Bella finished tying her shoe laces a voice echoed through the train: "We'll be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes, Please leave all luggage including owls and other pets on the train in their cages, they will be brought to the school separately."
Bella shared a slightly nervous glance with Alice and they found themselves gripping hands. They shared an anxious giggle.
"All of a sudden I feel all jittery," Alice laughed and then shook her head as if to clear it.
They joined the crowd pushing through the train door and out on to a small dark platform. Bella fell herself shudder, both from nerves and the fact that it was quite chilly. The glow of a large lantern appeared and was followed by the form a huge man.
He was gigantic and hairy, with hands the size of dustbin lids. He would've been quite scary if not for the fact that his eyes were warm and crinkled at the corners and his voice, while rough, was filled with kindness.
"Firs' years!" He called loudly, swinging his lanturn, "Firs' years, over here!"
Bella heard the squeaks of fright as the other first years took in the giant man but they all thronged around him anyway.
"Alrigh'," the man said scrutinising the group of them, "Is that all o' yer? Good, follow me! Mind yer step!"
The way the man was taking them was very uneven and everyone found themselves clinging to each other as they slipped and slided on the grass and mud. It was very dark and quiet so Bella guessed they were moving between thick trees. The only light was provided by the giant's dim lantern.
"Ye'll see Hogwarts in a minute," he called back to them. A moment later they rounded a bend and there it was. It was magnificent. The path through the trees had suddenly opened up onto a wide clear space at the edge of a darkly glistening lake. Perched above the lake, on the side of a great hill was Hogwarts. It was the most beautiful sight, the light from the castle glowing like tiny pin pricks in the darkness.
The giant pointed out a large group of tiny boats tethered at the edge of the lake.
"No more'n four in each," he said loudly as they scrambled towards them.
Bella and Alice got into one that was already occupied by another girl and a small boy. He was shaking slightly, the boy, and looked quite pale. He was very short, about the same height as Alice, may be a little taller. The girl sitting on the far end of the boat was quite frankly more beautiful than any eleven year old girl had a right to be. She was blonde and fair and her eyes were an undeterminable colour in the gloom but Bella knew they were most likely as perfect as the rest of her. She was looking away from them, away from anything in particular. She looked almost angry.
"Everyone in?" the giant man asked, he was sitting in a slightly larger boat of his own, "Good...FORWARD!"
As he shouted the last word the boats immediately glided forward across the glassy water in the direction of the castle. There was complete silence, everyone was entranced by the beauty of the castle looming before them. They sailed closer and closer until they were basically under the cliff in stood upon.
"Careful!" the giant called as they went under a rocky ledge, "keep yer heads down!"
They all bent their heads and the boats pushed through a thick dark curtain of ivy that hid the opening of a little cavern under the cliff. They continued down the dark tunnel until they reached what looked like a rocky beach which had steps leading off it. At the giant's signal, they all clambered out of the boats. Bella noticed that the blond girl was clenching and un-clenching her jaw with contained frustration.
They followed the giant man down a passageway. They walked up three flights of steps and ended up standing outside huge oaken doors.
"Everyone still here?" the man asked them, setting down his lantern, he seemed to do a quick head count before he reached out and knocked three times of the doors.
Alrighty! So Bella met Alice, Jessica and found out Angela's name. Any guesses for who the horrid red haired girl was? And how about the blond, beautiful and obviously truoubled one? Edward is Alice's cousin...we'll see him soon...Sorting Next!
Must go try to write the Sorting Hat a song...er...