Hello! Thanks again for reading! I am going to be going back and editing the chapters before this to fix any errors so it might take me a bit to post the next chapter, but stick around! This is where the adventure REALLY begins! I will more than likely be changing a few things in the very first chapter, so if you want, go and check out the new version! (I'm not quite sure if fanfiction sends out notifications, so I'm sorry you'll have to probably guess and check!)
I opened my eyes. The sun was barely shining through the curtains of my window. I checked the clock. It read just a little after five AM. I groaned, rolled over and closed my eyes, trying to fall back asleep. Then I realized what day it was and shot straight out of bed into a standing position. It was the day! Today, September first, was the day I would be going to Hogwarts. I turned and pondered for a moment how, clumsy me, had managed to jump out of bed without hurting myself or falling, but I couldn't focus on that for long. A ball of emotions exploded inside my chest. Happiness, fear, excitement, dread, passion, dedication to learning everything I could and a want for adventure. I also felt a terrible sadness creeping up on me. I would be leaving this house, the one that had been my home for eleven years. It would be the longest I had ever been away from home, away from my parents. But the sense of rising adventure overtook the negative feelings trying to claw their way into my heart. I could deal with the rest later when it came up.
I got dressed in a rush. I threw on a Spirited Away tank top, my favorite choker, and black skinny jeans. It looked like it was going to rain, but the weather was still hot. I brushed my hair quickly and, in my excitement, my brush caused little streaks of darker purple to appear in my hair. I liked it, the silvery purple and dark purple mixed together well. Somehow, it fits. I rushed downstairs to have a quick breakfast. My mother was nowhere to be found. A sinking feeling started in the pit of my stomach. She really couldn't be here today? Just TODAY, the most important day. I started to feel tears threatening to spill over and quickly swiped them away before stepping onto the landing and entering the kitchen.
"Morning, Dad," I said, with as much enthusiasm as I could throw in. The greeting sounded flat to my ears, so I forced a tired smile on my face, hoping I could feign exhaustion. It seemed to work because my dad smiled from behind his paper and said his usual, "Hullo."
I sat down and made myself a bowl of cereal. I was too addled to eat anything much. It was a small bowl and I forced myself to finish the final third of it. I knew I would need the energy today.
Just then, my mother walked into the kitchen. She looked just as tired as I was pretending to be. I perked up immediately. She hadn't left after all! She barely looked at either me or my father but went straight for the coffee machine and the freezer. Oh, no... One of her headaches…
"How did you sleep, dear?" My father asked, having not noticed the freezer door opening. He did hear the crinkle of her ice bag, however. He turned in his seat, concern flooding his eyes as she answered.
"Awful," was her short, blunt reply. She always got this way whenever she had a headache. Crabby, spiteful, short-tempered and of course, bitter. I knew one trick though, that might get her to feel better.
"Want me to make you some herbal tea, mother?" I asked politely. She only nodded and slumped on the table, ice on her head, coffee in hand and eyes closed.
She was never in a state to make it herself when she had one of her headaches. So, I exited out the back door and made my way along the little stone path to our garden shed. It was next to our vegetable garden. There were tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, and even peppers planted there. But they were not what I was after.
I made my way to the backend of the shed, through a long bush that hid a tiny alcove of soft grass right in the middle of it. I pushed on a specific panel and a line formed, in a rectangle, exactly the shape of a door. A piece of the shed wall itself had swung open to allow entrance.
I went in and quickly pulled the piece of wall shut behind me. It was even that much more a secret entrance because there was a false wall in the actual shed, hiding the ramp that sloped down to my right. We didn't have neighbors over often, let alone did we allow them in our shed, but this was a place no one, besides family, could go. It needed to be kept secret.
I walked down the dirt ramp, and made a left turn, into a small dirt hall that led to a glass door set into the ground. The walls of the hall were smooth and cleanly cut out of the dirt. The door was green and led to an underground greenhouse that expanded to the left, following the length of the shed above. The top panes of glass had been bewitched to act like the sun, mirroring the same one that was shining directly over the shed. It was as if the shed above wasn't there at all, flooding the entire greenhouse with bright light.
There were many magical plants, flowers, and herbs that my mother kept down here, and she tended them well. From a corner of the greenhouse, I gathered a few different herbs for the tea. I grabbed three leaves of one extra plant, my own secret ingredient when my mother was having an atrocious headache. The leaves were bright purple. I looked around at the many plants and flowers, vines swinging, leaves fluttering, grasses dancing in a non-existent breeze. I loved it down here. I would miss it most of all places at home when I went off to Hogwarts. I hurried back out of the secret greenhouse, that was filled with so many colors and moving plants and a heavy, flowery aroma. A small slice of magic in an unapologetically normal neighborhood, hidden below ground and away from prying eyes. Maybe that's why I liked it so much.
I entered the kitchen and started the kettle right away. While I waited for the water to boil, I got out some metal tea balls. My mother hated having dregs in her tea. I got to work cutting the leaves and stuffing the little metal ball full of them. When it was completely full of leaves, I stuck it in our ceramic teapot, the long chain of the ball hanging out from under the lid. The leaves were a mix of green, blue, purple, and yellow. Each a different plant with a different healing quality. My Grandmother had taught my mother well, and in turn, my mother had bestowed that knowledge on me. But I often experimented with the combinations my mother had taught me. I found that if I added the purple leaves, my mother's headaches went away faster and cut through the harshest ones.
A shrill whistle sounded, and I knew the tea was almost ready. I pulled the kettle off the heat and brought it to the living room. My mother hadn't moved, or so it seemed at first. I noticed about half her coffee had gone but her face still remained pressed upon the table, the ice still on her head. I put the ceramic teapot down and poured some hot water into it, letting the tea leaves start their steeping process. I put the kettle back in the kitchen and got mugs. I didn't have a headache, but I loved tea. Any kind, usually. I got out honey and sugar from the cupboards and cream from the fridge. I carried them all to the table at once, balancing things carefully and walking slowly.
As I got to the table my mother looked up at me and gasped loudly. She hated when I took more than she thought I could carry. I had almost everything set down, but a mug slipped when she had made the noise. I watched as it plummeted to the earth, almost in slow motion. My heart seemed to sink with it. I reached with my now free hand to grab it. I wasn't going to make it, I wasn't fast enough. I knew what the broken mug would mean, no matter how much tea I made, my mother's headache would be at top caliber all day long. My plans to fix this day had been ruined.
Suddenly, the mug was in my hand. I hadn't reached down any farther than when I thought I was going to miss. I had resigned it to be nothing more than broken pieces on our carpet and stopped moving, my hand still outstretched. But the mug had ended up there anyway. Hah, magic! I thought. What a lifesaver!
"Can you NOT do any of that today, please?" My mother groaned, putting her head back down on the table.
I scowled but didn't say anything. I knew better than to argue when she had a headache like this. Even though I HAD just saved one of her nice mugs… Instead of saying anything, I simply put the mug on the table, in front of myself, and put the other mug in front of her. Goddess knows she wouldn't want one that had been affected by magic. I silently rolled my eyes at the thought. It wasn't like the cup would be any different.
With my mother's headache quickly fading and her mood steadily improving, we packed away my things into the car. We would drive to Kings Cross Station and they would help me get my trunk and Emiko's cage on the train. I had told them earlier this month that they didn't need to watch the train pull away. I knew how final that would be for my mother and I didn't want to make it any worse for her. My father had insisted vehemently at first, but I talked him down. My mother had said nothing at all.
As we drove down the street and away from our house, it started to rain lightly. I took one last look out of the back window that was speckled with water droplets, at my home. I couldn't see it from here, but I knew the garden shed was there. The secret place that lay below calling out to my soul like a siren call on misty waters. I would miss it greatly. Then, I sat back and silently listened to the radio. I wondered about what life at Hogwarts would be like. What friends would I make? What would the classes and teachers be like? Did ghosts really walk straight through walls? Who would be my Head of House? Would I really be sorted into Hufflepuff? What if Star and I AREN'T sorted into the same house.
The thought had my chest freezing. I wasn't sure if I'd make friends with anyone else. I had been likable enough around the neighborhood, but I never felt anyone actually liked me. The neighbor kids just put up with me. I could tell. I was always, too excited, too easily distracted, too enthusiastic, too magical (though they didn't know it), too much…
I banished the thoughts away. I knew a little better now. I had a plant, one I had gotten from Grandma in secret before we left Diagon Alley. It was supposed to help with symptoms of ADHD. Which, according to Muggle doctor's, I had. My Grandma thought it was Muggle nonsense but could see my struggle with paying attention all the same. She had found a little plant called Foci Riza on one of her trips. This one was from Greece. It was a tiny, leafy, blush-like plant with little pointy oval leaves that were a dull orange color and roots that were deep purple that could be cut and replanted. If I tended to the plant and made my own tea from either the leaves or the roots in the common room before breakfast, I could control the hyperactivity. One of the gifts I had gotten from Grandma had been a tiny tea set, that had a mini, self-heating, bottomless teapot and two purple mugs. I wasn't a huge fan of taking something to make me "normal", but I needed to be in order to finish the school work.
I had struggled in homeschooling when my mother taught me. My Grandmother had a knack of grabbing my attention, while also allowing me to delve into the subjects at my own pace, letting me switch from one to another at random. But my mother, orderly and precise, never liked that I enjoyed school with my Grandmother, rather than with her. So, she eventually wouldn't let my Grandmother teach me anymore. She always ended up making excuses, then stopped replying to Grandma's letters altogether. But my Grandmother found little ways of helping me long term, during my time with her. She gave me little trinkets to roll in my hands while my mother was lecturing, so I could listen and still fidget. She was always trying to help me. I loved her so.
I felt the car pull to a stop and looked around suddenly. Oh, we were here already? Oh, man. I hadn't had time to prepare myself. The crowd was probably going to be huge. A knot formed in my throat at the thought and my head started to swim. I took a few deep breaths and opened the door anyway. I would find my friend, Gwendolyn Star. That's what I would focus on. Finding Star. Her pink hair couldn't be hard to miss. I started to feel a tiny bit better.
We walked into the station like an oddly shaped triangle, my Dad wheeling my large trunk and owl cage while I walked next to him and my mother following us. We found the right platform and started towards it. We said nothing much as we approached the little sign for Platform 9. Finally, we reached a spot just like Grandma had described.
"You want to stand a short distance away, act like you are looking around. Stand and chat for a bit, but then walk straight at the wall dividing Platforms 9 and 10."
My father had given her a strange look.
"Trust me, you'll walk right through it. You need to act like its nothing, or people will notice. I know you can all do it."
We stood in a spot, a small distance away from the wall. We didn't linger long. My father looked down at me.
"Are you ready?" He asked me in a whisper. I turned to look at my mother. She was even farther away now.
"Are you coming?" I asked her, not too loudly but loud enough I knew she could hear me. At first, she didn't do anything. She didn't say anything, just kept her eyes locked on the place we would vanish. Then, very slowly, almost as if she were scared the wall might spook and run, she moved closer and nodded her head. I took her hand in mine. She looked at me in surprise. We hadn't held hands in a long time. I smiled at her, reassuringly, then turned to my dad.
"Yes, I'm ready. Let's go."
I may not like how my mother treats me all the time, but she's still my mother. I knew this was hard for her. She had many, many internal struggles. I could see them. She hated herself a lot for being non-magical. She had depression. She was a proud woman, who didn't like accepting help. She wanted to fix it all on her own, mostly by ignoring it. I knew better, if only from watching my mother struggle. I knew you had to face things, especially fear, head on.
We walked, together, as a family towards the wall. I closed my eyes as we got closer but didn't run. For a second, I felt nothing and wondered if I'd closed my eyes too soon or if we had gotten the wrong wall and I was about to run, face first, right into this one! Then, I felt the air change. I could feel the steam from the engine that I knew would be scarlet. I opened my eyes. A sign that said, Platform 9 ¾ and a metal archway were the only things on the wall behind us. Along with the billows of puffy steam, I had been right. The crowd was huge. Bustling parents, students, younger siblings, even grandparents roamed around. Cats called to each other over the din and Emiko joined in with the hooting of the other owls. People milled about while other's rushed. Some saying goodbye, some giving last hugs and kisses, some shouting reminders of, "Don't forget to write!" and "Yes, you have to wear the robes EVERY day!"
As we moved forward, two little boys were shamelessly holding hands while trailing after their older sibling, laughing and giggling to each other. Another little girl clung to her older sister's legs, crying while the older sister just patted her head while chatting with her parents. Yet another was kissing a little baby on the forehead, tears in his eyes as he smiled at the cooing baby, waving a final goodbye. I felt a tiny dip in my chest at the wish for a younger or older sibling. A tiny hoot from my cage brought my attention back and I smiled. I was alright, I knew how to make friends. I had Emiko, she was like a younger sibling, the way she acted. Always looking for my attention, playful. It's what I imagined having a younger sibling was like, anyway.
My mother suddenly stopped in her tracks. I looked up at her. While I had been taking in my surroundings, I hadn't noticed my mother's behavior. Her back was stiff, and she had a stony look in her eyes. She was hiding away inside herself again. I should have known it would be too much. I sighed and knew it was time to say goodbye before my mother shut herself away completely.
"I think this is as good of a spot as any!" I said, trying to sound chipper and enthusiastic. We had only moved a little farther forward, near the very first train car. It wouldn't do to break down here, it would only make my mother worse. She often couldn't handle the emotions of others.
My father, who had been gawking at everything around him, turned to look at me. He smiled so warmly, I thought he would melt the wall that I had started to form around my heart (so I wouldn't break down in tears in the middle of a packed train station). I felt a couple rise to my eyes anyway but brushed them away. If I let some go, the waterfall would start.
"I am going to miss you so much, Lucy. You have an amazing time and learn all that you can. You write if you need anything, but don't forget to need something every week or so, alright?" My father's warm voice flooded inside my heart, almost bringing me to tears again. But such strength and certainty resounded in his voice that I held myself together. I threw myself at him in a huge hug as a response. I couldn't bring myself to speak. He patted me on the head and hugged me back.
I pulled away and turned to my mother. She hugged me swiftly and kissed me on the cheek.
"Do well in school, use your planner, don't get distracted." Was all she seemed to be able to muster. I could tell she was holding back tears, but I hugged her again anyway and said,
"I will, thanks, Mom."
My dad helped me haul my trunk onto the train and stow it in a compartment. It wouldn't matter which as somehow, they always got where they needed to go when the train reached Hogwarts.
As we stepped back off the train, my father took my mother's hand and pulled me into one last, three-way hug. I held on for a long time. We said nothing. But the meaning was there, all the same. We finally broke away. My father smiled at me one last time and turned my mother towards the exit. She looked incapable on her own, her eyes a million miles away from here. I watched them go the whole time. Right before they got to the exit, they both turned and waved. My father's wave was genuine, sincere, and almost tearful. I waved back enthusiastically, smiling so broadly I thought my face might stick that way. This was finally it! My mother's wave was methodical, preplanned. I could see she was barely holding it together. They turned and walked through the wall, back out into the Muggle world. The world that was no longer fully my world anymore. I was officially immersed in this one. I was going to Hogwarts! I was going to be a witch!