After this chapter, all updates will be on schedule. (This one was supposed to be updated yesterday, but I was out of town again.) So Nagini is almost on her way to Hogwarts. I'll admit it—this chapter is mostly filler, but the next chapter is the train ride to school. Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nagini is my beautiful brain-child (human-Nagini at least). The rest is JKR's.

Chapter 10: King's Cross Station

August 31, 1991

Nagini looked up from her plate and glared at the whisperers. They fell silent. Nagini sighed to herself. Ever since they had discovered Nagini would be going away for school, rumors had abounded. They seemed to have lost some of their fear of her since they wouldn't be seeing her for another ten months. Nagini couldn't tell who would be happier with the separation—them or her. After a moment's thought, though, she reconsidered. She would most certainly be happier—not only was she leaving them, but she was also going to Hogwarts to study magic.

Presently, the whispers started up again.

"How'd she get into this school, anyway?"

"It's supposed to be a school for 'gifted' children. . ."

"Gifted? You mean weirdos."

"Or criminals."

"Either way, she'll be gone."

"Thank God for that."

Nagini rolled her eyes then smiled slightly. As it was her last night, she figured she'd give the others something to remember her by, something to teach them not to gossip about her if they valued their lives. Keeping her head lowered, Nagini glanced up at the others. The whispers had faded, but the guilty ones were still talking quietly and shooting her pointed looks.

With a flick of her eyes, Nagini caused Jared Gow's fork to jerk away from his mouth, and the mashed potatoes that was on it to fly across the room, landing on Sarah Flynn's nose. "Hey!" she cried. Nagini laughed quietly.

"I didn't do it!" Jared protested. Both of their heads swiveled to face Nagini, who pretended to be engrossed in her own potatoes. They didn't say anything, just stared at her, and Nagini smirked to herself. This was too easy. Jared and Sarah returned to their dinner but would glance up at Nagini every so often. Nagini noticed that the two didn't participate in the whispered conversations about her for the rest of dinner.

About ten minutes later, Nagini felt it was time for another display. Betty Thomson had stood up to get more water from the sink, and Nagini watched her make her way around the table. Betty turned on the tap, and Nagini waited. Betty turned off the tap and slowly brought the cup towards her. Just then, she dumped the cup of water over her shirt. Everyone turned to look at her, and Nagini had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "What the—?" began Betty before turning to look at Nagini, but Nagini had already turned away.

Betty slowly turned back to the sink and refilled her glass. She slowly brought it towards her and seemed relieved when it didn't spill. Betty made her way back to the table and towards her seat, but as she was making her way around the table, she suddenly stopped and dumped her water on Tommy's and Derrick's heads. Her eyes widened in shock, and the entire table fell silent watching the three of them. Nagini watched, interested, as Tommy and Derrick stood up to face Betty. "What was that for?" demanded Tommy.

Betty raised her hands as if to defend herself. "I didn't mean to, I swear!" Meanwhile, Derrick had picked up his own glass of water, still three quarters full, and proceeded to dump it on Betty's head. Betty slowly turned to glare at Nagini, who had ducked under the table to hide her grin.

The rest of dinner passed uneventfully. The other orphans would look at her every so often, but Nagini ignored them. When she had finished eating, Nagini stood up, and the others tensed. Nagini smiled, looking around at them all. A small breeze began to blow, tugging at their hair, and they flinched. Nagini, however, remained untouched by the ghost wind. "I hope you all have a lovely year," she told them all before turning and walking toward the door. With every step she took, the wind grew stronger until it rattled the pots hanging in the kitchen. Nagini opened the door without a backward glance, and when the door slammed shut, the wind became still.

Nagini headed upstairs to the room she shared with the other girls. That was the last meal she would eat with them for ten months, she thought. At this time tomorrow, she would be sitting down to eat with the other students. Nagini smiled to herself as she entered her room. She threw herself down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling happily. She was leaving tomorrow. She couldn't wait.

Nagini sat up and walked over to her trunk, which lay at the foot of her bed. She knelt down and opened it up. Inside, she saw her books and robes and other equipment, neatly stacked and folded. Her wand lay in its case on top of her robes. Nagini picked up the case and opened it. Her wand was beautiful, she knew. It was a thin stick of dark wood, and Nagini could feel the power that pulsed within it. She removed the wand from its case and put the case back in the trunk, which she closed and locked.

She sat back down on her bed, wand in hand. Ever since she and McGonagall had gone to Diagon Alley, Nagini had spent her days in the maple tree with wand and book in hand. By that point, she had read every book three times over and had practiced the spells in the confines of the maple branches. She had greater luck with certain spells than with others, but she supposed that having a teacher in the classroom would make a difference.

According to her father, knowledge was Nagini's greatest weapon. He told her to learn all she could, and she planned on doing exactly that. Besides, what else was she to do that summer instead of reading her books and practicing the spells? Play with the other orphans. She thought not; neither she nor they would ever allow that, but the thought of her playing with Betty and Sarah and the other girls brought a smile to Nagini's lips.

Nagini sat on her bed for a while, just staring into space and dreaming about the next day. Presently, she heard the sounds of the other orphans on the stairs, and she shook herself out of her reverie. She hid her wand in her sleeve just before the girls, led by Betty and Sarah, poured into the room. They all pointedly looked away from Nagini. She pursed her lips, trying to keep from laughing. Apparently, they decided their new strategy was to pretend she didn't exist. Why, in Merlin's name, hadn't they tried this strategy earlier, wondered Nagini. It certainly would have saved her a lot of headaches.

Nagini hid her wand under her pillow and changed into her pajamas. She lay down gently and slipped one hand under her pillow to grip her wand. With her other hand, she held her locket tightly. Around her, the other girls were yawning and murmuring to one another. They slowly put on their pajamas and slipped under their covers. Someone turned off the lamp, and the girls fell silent.

Nagini stared out into the dark room, lit only by moonlight. The minutes drifted by, and the other girls slowly succumbed to sleep. Nagini heard them snore and roll over in bed. Nagini pulled out her wand from under her pillow and rolled over onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling and sighed. There was no way she would be able to fall asleep, she realized. She was just too excited.

Nagini sat up and got out of bed. She silently crossed the room in her bare feet, still holding her wand in her right hand and her locket in her left. She stopped in front of the window and stared down at the streets of London, lit up by the yellow light of the streetlamps. She turned to the other girls. None of them stirred. Nagini turned back to the window and sank into the chair beside it. She pressed her face up to the glass and stared out. She didn't think of anything; she just sat there quietly, waiting for the dawn.

Hours later, Nagini slowly stirred, blinking her eyes blearily. The soft dawn light was streaming through the window. She must have fallen asleep, realized Nagini. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around. It was still very early, and the other girls were still fast asleep. There was no way she was going to fall back asleep, thought Nagini. Not when she was finally leaving for Hogwarts today. She stood up and silently made her way to her bed. She quickly changed and packed her pajamas in her trunk.

Nagini slipped in her wand up her sleeve and secured it. McGonagall had given her the idea, the day they went to Diagon Alley. Nagini had asked her about it, and as a result, McGonagall had helped her find a shoulder holster that went around her upper arm like a bracelet. Nagini wore it everywhere. She knew how important it was to carry her wand with her everywhere. Always keep your wand somewhere you can easily access it, her father had advised her. As usual, Nagini followed his advice. Unfortunately, the blouse and skirt that all the girls at the orphanage wore didn't have pockets in which she could keep her wand. She liked it better this way, though, decided Nagini.

Nagini closed her trunk and locked it once more before dragging it to the door and down the stairs. Leaving her trunk at the foot of the stairs, Nagini headed to the kitchen for some breakfast. No one was in the kitchen except Martha, who looked up from the stove when Nagini entered. "Good morning, Nagini. Today's the big day, isn't it? Are you excited?" Nagini nodded, and Martha continued, "I just finished making some eggs. Would you like some?"

Nagini nodded again. "That would be great," she said sitting down. Martha brought her a plate of eggs and a couple slices of toast. Nagini ate slowly, enjoying the peace and quiet of a breakfast without the others. She sighed happily. Today was the day. She was finally leaving.

When she had finished, Mrs. Cox walked into the kitchen. "There you are, Nagini," she said. "I see your trunk's packed. We'll be leaving in just a few minutes. I have some errands to run downtown after bringing you to the train station." Nagini nodded and stood up. She quickly brought her dishes to the sink and turned to face Mrs. Cox.

"I'm ready now," she said.

"Really?" asked Mrs. Cox surprised. "Don't you want to say goodbye to the others?"

"We said goodbye last night," replied Nagini with a tight smile. It was the truth, of a sort. She really didn't care one way or another if she saw the others before leaving, and she suspected they didn't really want to see her either.

"Very well, then," said Mrs. Cox uncertainly. "Wait for me by the door. I need to grab a few things before we leave."

Nagini nodded and headed out of the kitchen. She sat down next to her trunk and waited. As she sat there, some of the other children came out of the dorms. When they saw her sitting there, they stopped. Nagini knew they were there but didn't turn around. She had nothing to say to them.

Soon, Mrs. Cox returned with her purse and keys. She stopped in front of Nagini. "Let's go then, shall we?" she asked.

Nagini nodded, standing up. Mrs. Cox appeared to not see the children standing at the top of the stairs, waiting. Mrs. Cox then turned around and led the way out the door with Nagini following close behind, pulling her trunk after her. Nagini glanced back as she pulled the door shut behind her and saw the other children begin racing down the stairs, shouting and laughing. Nagini rolled her eyes. Nice to see they would miss her. Then she turned around and broke into a grin as she followed Mrs. Cox to the street and put her trunk in the back of the car. She was finally leaving!

The journey to King's Cross Station was silent, neither Mrs. Cox nor Nagini attempting to make conversation. Nagini stared out the window of the car at the passersby without noticing them. Her mind was a thousand miles away, dreaming of a castle deep in the heart of Scotland. Nagini was soon shaken out of her reverie when Mrs. Cox got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Nagini hurriedly followed suit.

When Nagini reached the back of the car, Mrs. Cox had already unloaded her trunk and was glancing at her watch anxiously. "I have a meeting in fifteen minutes," Mrs. Cox muttered. "I'm never going to make it in time."

"It's okay; you can go to your meeting," Nagini spoke up. "I can find the platform myself." Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had been wondering how to get rid of the matron without making her overly-suspicious. She didn't think it would be the best idea if Mrs. Cox saw her disappear through a barrier to a nonexistent platform.

"Really, dear?" asked Mrs. Cox, relief evident in her voice. Nagini nodded.

"I know exactly where I'm going. It's no problem."

Mrs. Cox nodded. "Alright, then. Let's just get you a trolley for your trunk first."

Pulling her trunk behind her, Nagini followed Mrs. Cox into the station. Right inside the doors, there was a line of trolleys just waiting for someone to take them. Mrs. Cox loaded Nagini's trunk onto one then glanced down at her watch again. "Ten minutes," she muttered. "Well, I have to go," she added looking at Nagini. "Have a nice school year. We'll see you next summer."

"Good-bye, Mrs. Cox," said Nagini watching the woman leave, half-running.

When the matron had disappeared into her car, Nagini turned away smiling to herself. She began pushing her trolley through the station, looking for platforms nine and ten. As she pushed her way through the crowds, Nagini looked up at a clock on the wall. Ten-thirty. She had plenty of time, but Nagini found herself walking faster and faster as she passed platforms seven and eight. She couldn't wait to see the train.

Up ahead, Nagini saw signs for platforms nine and ten and between them, a barrier. She paused for a moment, her excitement building before setting off once more. Nagini walked right up to the barrier, stopping her trolley just short of the brick wall. After a deep breath, she pushed her trolley a foot forward, and it disappeared! Nagini smiled and pushed her trolley farther into the wall before walking through the brick wall herself.

So even though I said that this chapter was mostly filler (and probably mostly unnecessary in the overall scheme of things), comments, compliments, and critiques are still accepted and encouraged!

See you on the 20th with the train ride!

And before I forget—check out my profile page for all update schedules and to see where I'm at for each of the stories.