Chapter 4

Grace's POV

I was leaving today. My train left King's Cross Station at eleven a.m. Mum had my ticket and Professor Lupin was going to meet us there. I had my trunk packed for weeks, ever since we came back from Diagon Alley. I must have skimmed through all my books, even going as far as to try a few spells. Nothing worked. Were they sure I was a witch? Could there be some mistake?

Lying on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling. It had that weird raised surface and when I was little, I used to imagine that I could see shapes in the bumps. 'Grace! Do you have everything packed?' My mum called down the hall for what felt like the hundredth time today.

Sighing, I rolled over and planted my feet on the floor. 'Yes!' I called back, picking up the handle of my trunk. I dragged it into the hallway and to the living room, leaving it in the centre of the room. 'You've asked me that already.'

'Are you positive? You wouldn't want to forget something. I wouldn't have the slightest idea where to send it.' Mum had her hands clasped tightly together and she shifted from foot to foot. She was nervous, probably more than me. She'd never been alone, at least not in eleven years. She said she hadn't live alone since before she met my Dad, something like thirteen years ago.

'Yes!' I replied impatiently. 'I have all my books, extra clothes, my wand is right here.' Carefully, I pulled my wand from the front pocket of my rucksack. I had a real magic wand!

'All right,' she said, not sounding all right at all. 'Well, let's go. We're supposed to meet Remus at King's Cross in thirty minutes.' I took my trunk the floor and dragged it outside as Mum shut and locked the front door.

Together, we walked down the sidewalk to her car. Mum opened the boot and helped me lift the trunk inside. Lily mewed from her carrier, begging me to let her out. 'You'll get let out when we get to the school,' I said to her as I lightly taped the top.

After sliding the carrier into the back, I sat in the front and clicked my seatbelt. I was nervous and my hands shook. I tried to keep them tightly in my lap, but it didn't help. 'Are you sure you want to go?' Mum asked when she slid into the driver's seat. She stuck the key in the ignition and turned toward me. I knew she was worried and wanted me to say no. I wanted to say no. But I couldn't. I was a witch, or so Professor Lupin told me. I needed to go.

'Yes, I'm sure,' I said after a moment's hesitation. 'According to Professor Lupin, the castle's really cool. There are hidden passages and stairs that disappear…' I trailed off. My voice had cracked and Mum knew.

'Okay, if you're sure.' She chose to ignore my quick moment of emotion and turned back to the front of car. The car turned on and I allowed myself to sit back against the seat and stare out the window.

This was the last time I would be home in months. Mum would pick me up again at the train station in December for the Christmas holidays; almost four months away from home.

I watched familiar sights fly past as our car sped toward the station. It didn't take long, and soon we were unloading my trunk and heading toward the platforms.

'Now,' Mum said, looking around. 'We need Platform 9 ¾. Remus is supposed to meet us here, between 9 and 10.' She navigated the trunk toward a bench and we sat down to wait.

'How do you know Professor Lupin?' I had wanted to ask the question for weeks now, but was always too nervous. Mum rarely talked about her life before me, and Grandma would only mention stuff in passing, like how nice my Dad had been. I always wanted to ask more, but I never knew how.

Mum turned to me with a look of shock. 'Well,' she started, 'he was good friends with your father back when we were dating.'

My father? 'So you knew him through Dad? Does he know where he is?' I looked up anxiously, wanting some piece of information… something about my Dad. I just wanted to know something about him. All I knew about Dad was that they met in their early twenties and were together a year before he disappeared. Whenever I asked, Mum always changed the subject.

'No,' she said sharply, cutting off anything else I might ask about him. 'He does not know where your father is and I forbid you to discuss it with him.'

Biting my lip, I fell silent and stared down at my hands. So much for finding out any information today. Why wouldn't she tell me about my Dad? What was so bad? Was she that embarrassed about him that she wouldn't even tell me his name?

'Krista!' Mum and I looked up to find Professor Lupin walking toward us.

'Hello, Remus!' Mum stood and hugged him quickly, a happy smile on her face. I honestly hadn't seen her that happy in quite a while. It was a nice change.

'Hi, Professor Lupin,' I said, standing up next to Mum. He gave me a quick, one-armed hug before smiling.

'Well, ladies, are we ready? The train leaves in fifteen minutes.'

I nodded and saw Mum do the same. Wrapping my hand around the handle of my trunk, I followed Remus toward a wall. 'Well, the barrier onto the platform is right through here.' He pointed toward the wall between Platforms 9 and 10.

'Don't we need Platform 9 ¾?' Mum asked, looking around confused. My gaze followed hers and I was certain my face looked as confused as hers did. 'Wait, is there even a Platform 9 ¾? Aren't all the platforms whole numbers?'

If possible, the small smile on Professor Lupin's face widened. 'Yes, it's right this way.' He bent down so that he was my height and looked me in the eye. 'Now here's what you need to do. Just walk quickly, right at that wall. I promise you, you'll go right through. Can you do that for me?'

I felt my eyes widen with fear as I glanced from the wall to Lupin. 'I have to walk through that wall? Won't it hurt?' My voice squeaked and I was slightly surprised. I didn't know I could sound like that.

He chuckled softly. 'You won't get hurt, I promise. It's magical wall. I'm going to walk through with your mum, so that she'll get through unharmed. It's best to take it at a bit of a run if you're nervous.'

I looked up at Mum, my eyes still wide with fear. Before I could change my mind, I turned to face the wall, set my shoulders and took off at a brisk tempo, my trunk trailing behind. I held back my urge to stop as I approached the wall and soon walked right through what felt like a wall of jelly.

When I reached the other side, I looked around in complete shock. A large red locomotive sat on the tracks, puffs of steam billowing from the smokestack. Kids roamed the platform as parents tried to usher them onto the train. There were so many people… it was overwhelming. 'Grace!' I heard Mum's voice from behind me and I turned, running into a tall, red-haired boy.

'Oh, excuse me,' I said as my cheeks grew pink. 'I wasn't watching where I was walking.'

'No worries,' the boy said, stepping aside. 'Watch where you're walking.'

I watched him as he walked away towards a family of red-haired people. 'Grace, come over here.' Mum's voice called again and I dragged my eyes from the family and headed toward her.

'This so cool,' I exclaimed as I walked up to them, a big grin on my face. The blush from a few moments ago had faded and I looked around nervously.

'Yes, it definitely is,' Mum agreed. She wore a much smaller smile than I, and she looked very nervous.

Our small trio fell silent as both Mum and I looked around, taking in all the sights. 'Well, we should get you to a compartment,' Professor Lupin said after a few moments. He had politely given us a few moments to look around and I wish I had hours. There was so much to see!

'Yes, come on, Gracie. Let's get you a seat.' Mum took my hand and picked up the cat carrier with her other and we followed Professor Lupin toward the train.

I looked over at a small crowd of kids, all dressed in normal clothes. 'I'm sure glad I didn't wear my robes,' I said to Mum, tugging lightly on her hand.

'Those students have on their robes,' Mum said, pointing out another small crowd.

'They're first years,' Professor Lupin said, passing my trunk along to the porter. 'Only first year students dress in their robes on the train. Most of the older students find it too embarrassing to dress in robes on the train.'

'Well, it is a good thing you didn't wear them.'

I followed Mum and Professor Lupin to the stairs and stood awkwardly with my hands behind my back. 'Now, promise me you'll write,' Mum said, kneeling down in front of me.

'Yes, Mum,' I said softly, blinking quickly to get rid of the tears that had filled my eyes. 'I promise.'

'I'm going to miss you.' She pulled me in for a hug and I wrapped my arms around her neck, hugging tightly. She lightly kissed my forehead before pulling back and looking me in the eye.

'I'm going to miss you, too. I'll write you as soon as I get there, I promise.'

'All right. Behave now, understand?' Mum's green eyes were teary and I forced myself to take a deep breath. I could do this. I could get on this train and go to this school with people I didn't know. I can do this.

'Yes, Mum,' I said, trying to put on a brave face. 'Can I please get on the train now?' Professor Lupin chuckled from behind me and I smiled at my Mum. I wasn't as brave as I was showing, but I could at least fake it.

'Of course. Here's some money. If you need more, just write and I'll send you some.' Mum handed me a small red velvet bag that jingled when I took it. I gave Mum one last hug and raced up the stairs with Astra's carrier. I wanted to look back at Mum; I wanted to run back to Mum and go back home. But I couldn't. I needed to be brave and find a compartment.

Walking through train cars, I finally found a near empty compartment only inhabited by two twin boys and one of their friends. 'May I sit here? No where else is open.' I chewed my lip and crossed my fingers, hoping they'd say yes. Where else was I going to sit?

The three boys looked up and I felt myself blush. One of them was the boy I bumped into earlier, though I couldn't tell which. 'Sure, have a seat. Lee, slide down.'

I stowed Astra's carrier on the seat and sat next to Lee. I pulled out a book and started to read, hoping I could make it to the school without crying. 'I'm George, by the way,' one of the boys said, pulling me from the book. 'This is my brother Fred and that's Lee. You're a first year, right?'

'Hi, I'm Grace. Yes,' I nodded, my voice quivering, 'I'm a first year.'

'Ah, I remember first year,' Fred said with a sigh. 'When we were young and innocent.'

'We were never innocent, dear brother, but we were young.' The trio laughed and I forced a smile, shifting my gaze back down to my book. 'Do you know what how you want to be in?'

'House? What do you mean, house?'

The three looked at me strangely and I suddenly wished I had found a different compartment. Was my whole year going to be like this? I didn't know anything about magic. 'House, you know, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Do you not know about houses?' I shook my head. 'You're muggleborn.'

'Does… does that matter? Being muggleborn?' My heart pounded and I felt my breathing quicken.

'Nah, you'll be fine,' one of the twins said, though I couldn't remember which one. How did their parents tell them apart?

I opened my mouth to ask another question, but the compartment door slid open and a girl walked in. 'Is there room in here? All the other compartments are filled.'

'Well aren't we attracting first years today. Sure, the more the merrier,' Lee said, gesturing toward the seats.

The new girl sat quietly next to me and I forced a smile. My thoughts flew through my head as I now worried about houses. How did they put you in the houses? Did they guess? Was there a test?

'I'm Kaitlyn,' the new girl said, holding out her hand. 'Are you a first year, too?'

'I'm Grace. Yeah, I'm a first year.' I shook her hand and smiled a real smile. The boys had resumed their conversation about Quidditch, whatever that was. Something about House teams and matches. 'Do you know what house you want to be in?' I asked, hoping that maybe I could make a friend here.

'Well, my Mum was in Ravenclaw, Dad was a Gryffindor. I don't care either way, as long as it's not Slytherin. Do you know?'

Kaitlyn turned to me and I shook my head. 'I don't know. I don't know anything about the school or houses or anything. My Mum is a muggle and I don't know about my Dad. Mum doesn't talk about him much.'

'Oh. Well, for certain you don't want to be in Slytherin. From what my family says, there isn't anyone good in that house. Even You-Know-Who was a Slytherin. You do know who he is, right?' She wasn't being mean about it, simply asking.

'Yes, him I know about. I bought a book when we bought my schoolbooks and he was mentioned.'

I fell silent and listened on the boys' conversation, still talking about Quidditch. 'Don't worry about not knowing anything. My brother says lots of people come from non-magic homes and they do just fine.'

'Does your brother go to Hogwarts already?' I asked, trying to keep the resounding feeling of relief out of my voice. Maybe I wouldn't be far behind at all.

'Yeah, he's a fourth year, in Ravenclaw…' she trailed off as the train shuddered to a stop. I looked around our compartment nervously, meeting the eyes of the four other occupants. 'We're not there yet, are we?' Kaitlyn asked and I looked out the window at an attempt to see a train station or something. All I saw was rain.

'No, it's much too early.' One of the twins stood and walked to the door, sliding it open as he peered into the hallway. There was a flurry of chatter before someone screamed and the boy shut the door again.

He glanced at his brother and friend before turning towards Kaitlyn and me. 'Just stay in your seats. Dementors are on the train.'

I had no idea what he was talking about, but Kaitlyn's face grew pale as she whispered, 'dementors? Why are there dementors on the train?'

'I don't know. But I'm sure they'll tell us at the school,' Lee said, glancing out the compartment window.

The air around us grew cool and I suddenly felt sad. More than sad, downright depressed. It felt like I would ever be happy again, like all the world was sadness and nothing was cheerful.

Three hooded figures floated past the door and I gasped as I curled into a small ball on the seat. I want my Mum I thought, chewing on my lip. I glanced over at Kaitlyn who was curled in a similar position, and then at the boys who were sitting on the edge of their seats.

Then, just as soon as the cool air had come, the train quickly warmed and my feelings of sadness vanished. 'What was that?' I whispered, uncurling my legs and placing my feet on the floor. 'What are dementors?'

'They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. They're probably looking for Sirius Black, he escaped you know. First person ever to do it.'

I thought back to the news announcement back the day before my birthday. 'He was on the muggle news. What'd he do?'

'He was a supporter of You-Know-Who and caused the deaths of his best friends, the Potters.'

That name sounded familiar, too. 'They're Harry Potter's parents, right?' I remembered reading their names in the book and figuring out that Harry would be at Hogwarts now. Maybe these boys knew him.

The train started up again and soon, we were moving quickly down the tracks. 'Yeah. Hey, we better change into robes soon. We should be there quickly.'

And that was the end of the conversation. Fred, George and Lee retrieved their robes from their bags and left the compartment to change. Kaitlyn and I stayed where we were, quickly changing before the boys returned.

The next few hours flew by. We walked up from the village to the school and I gasped at the sight of it. It was a real, live castle! How awesome would it be to have classes and live in a castle! We floated by boat to the castle, led by a very large man named Hagrid.

Once inside, we were herded to the Great Hall where Professor McGonagall introduced herself and told us about the Sorting Hat. Here I had been, terrified that we were going to have to do some test, when all we needed to do was put on a hat.

I stood in the back of the line, waiting for my name to be called. There were always upsides to being a "T". I never had to go first in an alphabetical line.

Kaitlyn was called sometime near the beginning and was sorted into Gryffindor. She seemed pleased and I hoped I was sorted into Gryffindor as well. It would be nice to be around the only person in my year I had spoken more than a few words to.

'Thomas, Grace,' Professor McGonagall called and I slowly walked forward, up the steps and toward the stool.

My legs were shaky as I sat on the wooden stool. The hat was placed on my head and I suddenly heard a voice in my ear. 'Ah, yes. You are an easy one to place, not at all like your father.'

My father I thought, knowing I must have a strange look on my face. What about my father?

'You belong in... GRYFFINDOR.' The hat shouted the last word for the entire hall to hear and the hat was quickly pulled off my head.

'Get a move on, Miss Thomas,' Professor McGonagall said, ushering me off the stool and down the steps.

My father. The hat had mentioned my father. He must have been a wizard, otherwise, how would the hat know him? He must have come here, to this very school! He would have been a student here. He walked the same halls, sat in the same desks, studied with some of the same teachers…

'Grace! Over here!' I saw Kaitlyn waving me over and I shuffled past the other students as clapped. 'Isn't this so nice! We'll be in the same house!'

'Yeah, that's great!' I forced a smile, still unnerved by the hat's comments.

Who was my Dad?

I looked up at the head table and smiled as Professor Lupin's eyes caught mine. Mum wasn't around. Maybe I could ask him about my Dad?

As I slid my eyes down the table, I caught sight of another man, completely opposite of Professor Lupin. Dressed in all black, even his hair; he scowled out across the hall. When his eyes met mine, however, the scowl changed to shock for a fraction of a second, and then returned to the scowl. What was his problem?

The sorting ended quickly, and Gryffindor gained ten new students including me. Professor Dumbledore spoke to the hall and before my eyes, every empty plate filled with food. Everything I could have ever wanted to eat was in front of me.

As I ate, I realized I hadn't really thought about Mum since on the train. And as soon as I came to this realisation, I suddenly missed her immensely. I'll write her as soon as I get to my room I thought, taking another bite of treacle tart.

I didn't though, for as soon as I reached the dormitory, I collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.

AN: So, what'd you think of Grace's POV? I have quite a few chapters planned in her pov, plus bits and pieces in Sirius'. Thank you so much to: anonymous, Whitters32, LadyStrider17, HPDH213426, Sxburns, the_werewolf_gal, Saffygirl, Dreamsb223, AllenPitt, fruityloops156, fRaNkiEGirL61 and ktmt1120 for reviewing the previous chapter. You are all awesome!