I reached the arches between the two platforms that I'd come to know so well and jumped through the threshold, ignoring the quizzical looks from muggles passing by, and the beautiful red train that would allow me to escape my problems and propel myself into work sat just ten meters away. Just a few moments away and I was free of home. No longer would I have to provide an explanation as to what I was doing, where I was going, and who I was seeing. No more lying to my parents, and no more even entertaining the idea of changing who I am to please those around me.
At Hogwarts, I'm as independent as a teenager could be. Being a trained spy had it perks; at the very top was being able to hide, and stay hidden, though that didn't necessarily mean that no one was looking for me.
Regularly, I visited my dad's classroom to prove that I was alive. If I went in voluntarily, there wouldn't be a force out looking for the daughter who ran away. I believed wholeheartedly that my family loves me, I just have absolutely nothing in common with any of them, leaving no one way to describe our relationship anything but complicated, even when my sister and brother grew up to realize that being in separate houses wasn't the worst thing in the world. I'd spent my entire life living in the shadows while they scratched and clawed their way into the light. Frank and Alice Longbottom knew that they were talented and popular, and there's nothing wrong with realizing it, but I saw that no good could come from it.
I deemed myself to be an outsider long before I was made to feel like one.
And so today, of all days, when I'm running to the train, do I feel resentment when I hear my name in waves across a crowd of heroes. Cheers of Charlie and Charlotte echoing through the not so big platform nine and three quarters and my new chucks skidding on the pavement as I turned to the sound of my name.
Of course, it was the Potter's.
My first lesson five years ago had been how to disguise emotions, my very first formal training in the art of lying. Little did my teachers know I'd been trying to master it for as long as I could remember, yet still I find myself smoothing my skirt, my shirt, my hair, casually as there is no other way, anything to take up time before I ended up in a conversation with the England's favorite perfectly imperfect family. I smiled at Harry, at Ginny, waving slightly to Lily, nodding my head to James, before embracing Albus, my best friend in the entire world. The five stood in a semi-circle, a mixture of red and black, green and brown. The parents as beautiful and simple as they were in old photographs and the children almost exact replicas of the parents with less wear and tear.
I vaguely recall Ginny asking how my summer was, wondering why I didn't come to the house as often as I once did, Lily missing me, and Harry wishing I'd at least call my godparents once in blue moon.
James didn't say anything. He never said anything to me anymore. Sometimes I wonder if he knew how much he meant to me, but into retrospect, I'd doubt it. He never looked away from the older girls to notice the likes of me.
"Charlotte!"
My sister. The almost screech defined as her signature happy voice that had always been slightly frightening. Alice was a very kind and doting sister or at least she tried to be; a faultless and pristine creature in all aspects of life, and the very best combination that could be offered of Neville and Hannah Longbottom. She embodied what the next generation was supposed to be, beautiful with her cascading hair and regal disposition, intelligence that couldn't be taught, and compassionate to all walks of life. I don't remember the day that jealousy erupted from me, but I do know that once it had begun, it would never cave. I envied all my sister had and I wasn't ashamed to think it.
It hurts to fake a smile to Alice, but I do all the same.
She draped her arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug as if I hadn't just been in her company an hour previously. This kind of treatment was normal after being sorted, Alice acted like she'd never see me again even though we attend the same school.
My smile widened in return, "Alice," I responded to her earlier inclination, "did you need something?"
She tapped her forehead like she'd forgotten something important and feigned helplessness, "Oh!" she remembered, "mum and dad wanted to speak to you before you got on the train."
I nodded at my sister before giving a curt nod to the Potters who had watched the ordeal, not doubt impressed by Alice just being. As I walked towards the exit of the platform where my parents would most likely be, I was pulled into yet another hug by yet another person.
Why no one knew I wasn't a hugger, I had no idea.
It was Scorpius this time so I leaned into the comfort. He was as tall of the best Quidditch players around and as shiny as a new coin. Scorp was beautiful, for a lack of a better word to describe his blonde hair and grey eyes that reflected like a veela.
"I need to talk to you," he whispered into my shoulder before pulling away.
His parents had arrived and the Potter's had most likely gained a Wesley or two in the time since I'd left them. Though they were far away not to hear any conversation, it was likely they saw how happy I was to see my friend as Al made his way to us, easily greeting our most unlikely companion.
That, however, was according to Frank.
Yes, I had Val, Chase, and the duo that rounded out our team, Gwen and Kira, but it always felt as if Scorpius, Al and I were it: a trio of best friends that couldn't be broken up without an explosion of circumstances.
I watched as Al greeted Scorpius' father, Draco, while I was given a cheerful greeting by Astoria and Narcissa Malfoy. Scorp wouldn't dare go and greet Al's parents, nor would he venture to say hello to mine. It just wasn't done.
There had been an incident second year that we just don't talk about.
My parents had allowed a friendship to bloom based on the facts that Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy was not a replica of his father nineteen years previous, but a kind hearted kid with a knack for jokes. That being said, my father would not interact with a Malfoy on principle, and most everyone followed that mantra.
Things were different today than they were when my parents were my age, but not by much. Prejudice existed, it just circled the opposing side. Death eaters were hunted and those associated. Harry had made sure special cases would be presented to the likes of the Malfoys, Flints, and Goyle's, as they gave privy information to the cause.
My family and their friends saw Scorpius as a necessary evil and there wasn't another way around it but to simply ignore the problem, and so we continue on as if we lived in a perfect world where we could all converse.
Draco reached out for a quick hug which I genuinely reciprocated. I looked up to Scorp's dad as I had to all of my parent's friends. Draco Malfoy had made a complete turnaround of his life and the very same I believed about Narcissa. I know that in some circumstances a change in opinion can make the beholder seem a liar, but I have come to understand that it only means that person has grown smarter. The Malfoys were survivors and warriors, and anyone who thought different was ignorant to the new world.
Thought I would have rather stayed to make conversation with Astoria about our new gear for the upcoming year, but as I turned to speak I noticed a very impatient Frank scoffing at my actions. Even though I had learned to keep a medium between my family and my Scorp's family, it never seemed to be enough so I bid a goodbye to the Malfoys and let Al and Scorp know I'd seem them on the train.
"Good morning, Charlotte. So nice of you to join us." My brother, Frank. Not so easy to forgive as my sister and father. He got that from my mum.
I smiled at him, always trying to squash those angered feelings of his towards Scorpius, "I'm here, Frank. I was just saying hello to the Malfoys as always. I haven't seen them since in a while."
I was never one to lie to my family unless I had to. I went for the more teenage appropriate version such as skating around the truth. So when I said a while, I had actually meant a month, which by some could be an accurate statement. Thus, I did not lie because If my brother actually knew what I was doing, he'd flip a broom.
Running through the streets of muggle New York was not something that I necessarily informed my parents about, specifically anyway.
Frank could do as well pleased, as could my sister, but since I was an outsider, my actions were watched like a hawk as to not embarrass them, and handing around with Draco Malfoy's son at Hogwarts was different than in public.
Alice and Frank were essentially two sides of the same coin – Alice received all of happiness from our parents, while Frank seemed to inherit GiGi Augusta's pettiness.
I turned from my siblings to my father who stood expectantly behind my mother. Though they never liked when we fought, they were less inclined to take action in breaking it up. Neville and Hannah were never fighters, but peace-keepers, and it always seemed as though they couldn't tell how to end a feud unless it meant sitting around the dining room table and talking about our feelings.
I for one and Frank for two did not bode well with talking about our feelings.
With a collective sigh and multiple Longbottoms placing their hands on their hips, the conversation ended. It wasn't as if I wouldn't see my siblings and my bad each day, or my mother every weekend.
My mother looked to me with a merciful smile and stepped forward to pull her children into a group hug, my bag falling to the floor in response. "I'll see you all on Saturday," she stated, pulling away after a quick squeeze.
In my life, there had been very few hugs that I wanted to continue. This one had been one of them. I felt my mother's smile enchanting, and I didn't want the warmth of her comfort to leave.
"I love you, darling," she whispered to me, reaching for me arms.
With a weak smile as reassurance, I picked up my bag and turned for the train. With my owl and suitcases already on the train, I was ready to go back to Hogwarts.