So for those of you that have been chomping at the bit to see Rick and Kate in Hogwarts your wait is over. Thank you all for you kind following and reviews, it has helped tremendously. My heart goes out to you.

As always, I don't own anything here except for the plot.

Chapter 6: The Journey to Hogwarts

"Platform 9 ¾? Ok, now you're just making stuff up." Rick huffed at Kate when they reached the train station and loaded they're trunks onto the trolleys.

"I'm not lying. It says so right on your train ticket. Look." Kate pointed out holding up her own gold trimmed ticket and pointing to the black lettering.

Rick simply starred at her open mouthed, knowing that he had to go with her on this. He looked around the train station trying to find a hint of platform 9 ¾ but saw only platforms 9 and 10 with nothing but tall brick pillars between them.

"Rick I don't know why you continue to question me constantly," inquired Kate, "you accept the fact that you're a wizard but you refuse to believe most of what I try to tell you about the wizarding world. I'm doing you a favor so you don't come off as a complete idiot when we get to Hogwarts and you just don't seem to appreciate it."

"You're right. I'm sorry. All of this you've been telling me has been very helpful."

"Thank you."

Mrs. Beckett noticed that the kids had stopped arguing and chose that moment to start in on them about getting to the train.

"Alright kids, here's how this is going to work. Rick I know this is new for you so I'll explain it for you. You see that brick pillar right in front you?" She indicated to the wall in front of them. Rick nodded. "All you have to do is walk straight through it. Before you say anything I know what you are thinking. 'How does one get through a solid brick wall' right? Well remember the back alley of The Leaky Cauldron that opened up to Diagon Alley?"

"Yes."

"It's just like that. But, instead of the wall moving, you are just going to be moving through the wall. It will take you straight through to platform 9¾. Understand?" Again Rick just nodded. "You understand all of this too, right Katie?"

"Yes Mom."

"Alright. Kate, sweetie, why don't you go first? The rest of us will meet you on the other side."

"Ok." said Kate in voice that suggested she was just a bit nervous as this was her first time to Hogwarts as well. "See I told you so," this last bit was in a voice only Rick could hear as she passed by him briefly.

Rick watched intently as Kate lined herself up with the wall, squared her shoulders, and looking just bit less nervous than he felt headed straight for the wall with her trunk and owl cage laden cart ahead of her. Then just as soon as Rick thought she was going to collide with the pillar she vanished into it.

Rick couldn't help but stare blankly for just a moment wondering what exactly was on the other side of the barrier.

"See Rick nothing to it." Said Mrs. Beckett

"You know Rick this will be the first time either I or you mother will be going to through the barrier as well." This time it was Mr. Beckett that spoke. He was a man of few words but when he did talk, he spoke with such calm confidence and wisdom that it made Rick want to trust the older man fully, even though they had only met just a week ago.

Rick smiled at Mr. Beckett then looked to his mother.

"I have to go through with you in order to get on to the platform," said Martha, "Right Johanna?"

"Yes, you'll need to hold on to him as you two go through the barrier."

Martha looked back at her son and said, "Ready?"

"Well we've come this far," Said Rick, "Seems silly to turn back now."

They lined up with barrier and taking it at a bit of a run Rick and his mother, who had a firm grasp on her son's shoulder, headed for the bricks in front of them. A small part of Rick still believed, even though he had seen Kate go through just a minute ago, that he was going to hit the wall and not make it through. However Rick had shut his eyes for a just a second in the course of his push through the barrier and ended up on the other side.

When everything came back into focus for him he was able to see the gleaming red of what had to be none other than the Hogwarts Express. Not only could he see the slight smoke rolling out of the top of the great steam engine but when he looked to his right he saw Kate standing there waiting for them and smiling as she saw them come through. He also took a moment to take in all the people walking around him. 'I had no idea there would be this many people. And the only person I know is Kate.'

"Hey," she said to them, "I see you made it through in one piece."

"Disappointed are you?" Rick responded.

Kate just rolled her eyes as Martha spoke up. "Well then wasn't anywhere near as weird as the trip through the underground caverns of Gringotts. I hardly felt a thing." They moved away from the pillar and off to the side to stand with Kate and wait.

Not 30 seconds later Mr. and Mrs. Beckett came through hand in hand.

"Everyone here?" asked Jim.

"All present and accounted for." said Martha.

"Well then let's get going." Said Kate,"We still need to get our stuff on the train."

Johanna smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "Fine, impatient one. Let's find you two some seats."

They took their things and loaded them on to the train finding a compartment about half way down that just happened to be empty.

They all stepped off the train and back onto the platform to say their goodbyes. Rick's mom pulled him off to one side while the Becketts said good bye to Kate.

"Richard darling, I love you so much. Study hard and please try to stay out of trouble." Martha had a tear running down her face at this point.

"No promises, but I'll certainly try Mom. I love you too. Please don't cry, then you're going to get me cryin' and I will just never want to go." There was a slight tone of mocking in his voice as he said this last part but she knew her son well enough to know it was just his way.

"But seriously, Mom I will miss you."

"Write to me. Put that skill of yours to good use. I want to hear all about it."

"Ok."

Rick gave his mother on final hug and headed back for the train with a wave. Climbing back up into the train and trying hard not to look back.

When Rick found his compartment again he loaded his things up into the over head storage racks and sat down just in time to see Kate giving her father one last hug good bye then make her way towards the train. A pinch o jealousy hit him as he began to realize that only reason he was here right now was because of his father and he had never even met the man. While Kate still had both of her parents.

Rick pushed the thought from his mind as Bertie hooted upon Kate's arrival in the compartment. He also noticed the many other students passing by their compartment shouting for their friends, reuniting after a summer apart.

Kate took a spot in the seat right across from him and neither could help but smile a bit.

"I can't believe this is finally happening" said Kate who was now grinning from ear to ear.

"I know, a month ago I never believed any of this existed." agreed Rick.

There were now only three minutes until the train was scheduled to leave the station. Rick watched out the window for a moment to see all the other students that were lingering on the platform, parents waving goodbye, and younger children trying to get away from their parents to follow their older siblings onto the train.

The whistle blared and the train slowly began to pull out of the station, gradually picking up speed. The two of them enjoyed the ride out of the city and into the quiet country side in comfortable silence for about a half hour.

Just then there was a bustling of people out in the corridor. He and Kate both jumped up to take a look. A fight had broken out between two boys who looked to be about Rick's age.

"Hey, get off me." A small brown haired boy yelled at a slightly taller boy, who appeared to be Hispanic and had him in headlock.

"Take it back", said the bigger one.

"Take… what back?" the smaller boy gasped.

"Take back what you said about me being a…Mudblood."

Rick couldn't believe his luck, 'a fight braking out on the first day right in front of our compartment. This is great'. He was content to stand there and see how this one played out. Kate looked less than pleased and about ready to break it up herself, given the right moment.

Before they had a chance to see the rest of their fight an older student with red hair came stalking their way and did his best to pull the boys apart. The one being held fell to the floor and the other one was still being held up by the older boy.

"Man, what are you doin'? You know what he called me?" the Latino boy demanded from the kid in glasses restraining him.

"I understand what happened and I'm not happy with him either. I'm Percy Weasley, I happen to be a school prefect and fighting is not allowed on this train, magic or otherwise. So just who are you, you're getting written up since you're a first year and don't have a house assignment yet I can't dock points yet."

"Javier Espisito." He said looking disgruntled. Percy just nodded letting him go.

"And you are you alright?" Percy huffed at the other boy who was rubbing his neck. He just nodded his head and responded with a brief, "Yeah I suppose so".

"What's your name? I need to write you up too, as you started the fight."

He was shot a dirty look from Javier and said, "Kevin Ryan".

"Alright, the rest of you, move along, nothing more to see here. Come on." Directed Percy, whom Rick, recognized from the time he saw the Weasley's outside Madame Malkin's.

Rick watched as the crowd dissipated and Kevin and Javier separated going in opposite directions. Thinking fast Rick reached out for Kevin, beckoning him into their compartment.

"Hey, come sit with us." Rick looked over at Kate as if looking for assurance that this was ok and she said "yeah sure join us. Anyone who starts a fight to cover up insecurity is welcome here." Rick and Kevin could both hear the sarcasm in her but ignored it.

"It's ok," said Rick, "she's always like that."

Kevin smiled and introduced himself.

"Yeah we, um, we know. We saw you get yelled at by Sir Dork-a-lot out there".

"Rick, that's not nice and you're one to talk. He's a prefect. That means he can put you in detention and probably will if he hears you call him that." said Kate, pointing a finger out to make her point more clear then looked at Kevin. "I'm Kate Beckett, that's Rick Castle. We're both first years as well."

"It's really nice of you guys to let me sit with you," said Kevin. But just then Kate started in on him.

"Do you know the meaning of the term you used? It's foul and cruel. Of course, you would know that if you had any sense of respect for your fellow wizard, which, clearly you don't. Rick you keep that in mind too, I'm not scolding you I'm just telling you in advance you don't want to go around using language like that."

Kevin just sat there looking slightly ashamed of himself but not enough to convince Kate that he was sorry for what he said.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Said Rick "So what's the deal with you and macho man back there?"

"We grew up down the road from each other. We never got along. I didn't realize he was a wizard until I saw him on the platform this morning. All his family are muggles and he was never nice to me. Called me a freak because he accidently saw me do magic once when I was mad at him and I couldn't defend myself because of the law against exposing magic to muggles."

"So, you don't have good history then?" Kate eyed Kevin as if looking for a sign that his story wasn't over.

"You could put it that way."

"So, you hate him because he made fun of you when you were younger?" asked Rick. To him this didn't seem like a good enough reason to hate someone. "That makes perfect sense."

"Sounds like maybe you need to think that one through, Ryan" Kate arched her right eyebrow as she spoke that last syllable. "We're all going to be at school together for the next seven years. We may as well learn to like one another." She glanced over at Rick. "Who knows? Maybe we could even be friends."

Rick smirked, catching her meaning. She wasn't just talking to Kevin. Kate was truly extending her hand of genuine friendship to Rick as well, for the first time since they had met. Rick thought for a moment. Did he want to be Kate's friend? Yes, yes he did.

"What if I don't want to be his friend?" asked Kevin, rather defensively.

Rick decided it was his turn to say something…he wasn't about to let Kate have all the fun.

"Then I guess that's your problem. But from what I just saw out there you probably should not pick another fight with him if you want to live through the year."

"Ptfff," was the only sound out of Kevin's mouth added to an eye roll.

"I hate to admit it but Rick is right." said Kate. Rick tried to suppress a grin in front of Kevin.

"Hey, that's it. I'm out of here. Thanks for your fantastic advice, but I think you should stay out of my business. I can take care of myself." And with that he hopped up and left, slamming the compartment door behind him. Kate and Rick sat quietly in the compartment for a few long moments after Kevin left, both of them eat a loss for words.

"Great, our first day and already we're making friends." said Rick desperately trying to break the tension.

"There's something he's not telling us. I can feel it and I could see it in his face. He's hiding something. I guess he's right though; it's none of our business. "

"Kate, we were just trying to help. Right?"

"Well I would think so. Kevin probably just thought we were being nosey."

"I guess we're just going to wait and see what happens."

"I guess so."

The two of them sat for the rest of the journey in comfortable silence most of the way. Rick even closed his eyes and tried to take a nap but found the shaking motion of the train made sleep difficult for him. From time to time they would hear people in the hallway talking and a kid named Harry Potter was mentioned several times. From what he heard it sounded mostly like gossip and Rick didn't concern himself with it much, but there was a nagging feeling in him telling that this Harry guy was important though he wasn't sure why. He made a mental note to ask Kate later if she knew anything about it. He looked across the way at Kate, who was flipping through one of the spell books she had pulled out of her trunk. He studied her expression for a moment as she read.

"Kate?"

"Hmmm," Kate looked up at his suddenly.

"So… are we friends now? You and me?" Rick had thought that this question could most likely go without being asked but he felt the need to ask it anyway.

Kate just stared at him with a quizzical expression. "Do you want us to be friends, Rick?"

"Yes, I'd like that."

"Even if we end up in different houses at Hogwarts?"

"Yes."

"Ok, then I guess we're gonna be friends then." said Kate grinning. Rick also smiled at her words.

"So does this mean you're going to stop being annoying?" Kate had to ask.

"When have I been annoying?" Rick said in a mocking tone. Kate just cocked her eyebrow at him the same way she had with Ryan earlier and Rick replied with smile, "Not a chance."

By that time, the train was beginning to slow and made its way into Hogsmead Station. The two of them gathered their things and prepared to get off the train with everyone else.

When the train finally came to a stop they grabbed up their belongings and stepped off the train; Rick doing so rather clumsily and almost tripping over his trunk. They were told to leave their luggage at the station as it would be taken up to the school separately. Rick then turned around to a booming voice and bright light in his eyes.

"Firs' years this way. Firs' years follow me."

Rick didn't know what to make of this giant of a man coming towards them, beckoning. But then Kate nudged him in the arm and nodded in the direction of the rather hairy man indicating that they should get moving and follow him.

"Firs' years, this way to the boats. Follow me you lot."

They made it to the boats he was talking about and the vast, dark lake.

'Creepy,' Rick thought taking a deep breath, getting into the boat as instructed. He and Kate shared a boat with the Espisito kid from the train and a dark skinned girl with bright eyes. In the boat directly ahead of them was a boy with messy black hair and glasses sitting next to him was another boy with freckly skin and bright red hair. These two were sharing the boat with a girl with bushy, brown hair and a small pudgy boy who looked rather nervous.

There was no need to row the boats as they moved on their own, magically.

Rick looked around and saw Kevin Ryan in a boat with a pale skinned, blonde boy who looked to be barricading himself between two, slightly larger friends of his.

As the boats moved across the lake Rick found himself no longer looking at the people around him, but at the brightly lit form of Hogwarts Castle ahead of them. Kate told him it was supposed to be huge but nothing prepared him for what he was actually seeing. It was magnificent. Rick found it hard to believe this was actually supposed to be a school.

"Wow."

"I know isn't it great?" asked Kate who had been sitting to his left.

"It's fantastic." he replied. "Better than I pictured."

They came to a stop at small boat house and the large man told them to come on out of the boats and follow him up to the school for the Sorting.

So that's just what they did.

They finally found their way up to the Entrance Hall after walking through perhaps the biggest set of front doors Rick had ever seen.

There they were greeted by an elderly witch in dark green robes and matching hat. She had a stern expression and reeked of authority. Rick's instincts told him it wasn't wise to cross her.

She simply looked down at the group of first years gathered in front of her and said "Welcome to Hogwarts."

A/N: Well that seems like as good a place as any to stop. Hope you are enjoying it so far. I know this was a long chapter. You're welcome. It wore me out. I'm looking forward to more and hope you are too. If you do review I appreciate anything you have to say, just please be nice about it.