Chapter One: Trolleys, Trains, and Practical Jokes

To an ordinary person, the brick wall in front of me would be a perfectly normal thing. They would pass by the barrier between the platforms nine and ten without a second glance, strolling towards their own destinations at the train station, completely unaware of its true nature.

But to me, it’s something different entirely. This dirty brick wall in front of me is actually a gateway into a completely different world that I am about to enter. I am nervous, enough for my hands to shake.

“You go first, James,� says Dad. My oldest brother grins widely. “And wait for us this year!�

Rolling his eyes, James charges towards the barrier with his head lowered like a bull, pushing his rattling trolley in front of him, completely fearless as he vanishes from sight.

“Al,� says my mum, nodding towards my other brother. Albus, unlike James, is more cautious. His shockingly green eyes survey the Muggles around him warily before he walks briskly forward and disappears as well.

“Ready, Lily?� asks Dad, taking hold of my trolley. I nod.

“Can I push the trolley myself, Dad?� I plead.

“Sure, Pumpkin.� He laughs as I wrinkle my nose at the nickname.

Focusing on the barrier, I take a deep, shaky breath. Bracing myself, I charge forward and plunge through the seemingly solid brick wall.

I emerge onto the other side and grin when I see what awaits me. People in robes and Muggle clothes alike are milling about, some of the children already boarding the train. All sorts of animals--from owls to pygmy puffs--are sitting in cages on top of some of the luggage. My own pet, a small and sleepy barn owl, hoots softly from its cage.

Of course, I have been to Platform 9 3/4 before, but it was never me who was boarding the scarlet train that waits there. It was always one of my brothers or cousins leaving for Hogwarts. But it’s my turn now.

My parents appear on either side of me, and we walk forward to join Albus and James. As soon as we reach them, James breaks away from the heated conversation that they seem to be having and turns to our parents.

“Dad, can I please go find my friends now?� he begs.

My father shrugs. “Go on.�

Mum furrows her brow. “Aren’t you going to say hi to your cousins?�

James gives her a look. “I’ll see them all at Hogwarts anyway! Plus, Louis is in my dorm with me.� With a grin and a lazy wave, he disappears into the crowd.

I stand next to Albus while we wait for Rose and Hugo to show up. Albus seems to think that he needs to point everything out to me.

“…and that’s Aidan Zabini. He’s a real git. You should stay away from--“

“Look!� I cry, cutting him off. Coming towards us is a family of four, three of which are redheads.

“Hey, Rose,� says Albus. Rose Weasley grins and immediately begins chattering away with Albus, who looks slightly uncomfortable at the mention of studying.

“Honestly, Rose, OWLs aren’t until the year after next!�

Rose glares at him. “They’ll come up sooner than you think. Then you’ll wish you listened to me!� She flips her red curls over her shoulder and crosses her arms. Rose can be truly terrifying, and I think that she knows it.

Hugo, her brother, is my age and much more quiet.

“Reckon we can sit together?� he asks.

“Of course we can!� I tell him, trying not to laugh.

A few minutes later, a blond girl who I recognise as Gwen O’Connell, Rose’s friend, joins us. Rose and Albus wave goodbye to their parents and the three of them run off to find the other member of their group, Scorpius Malfoy.

“You two should really be getting on the train now,� says Aunt Hermione, swooping down to kiss Hugo on the cheek. My cousin scowls and rubs at his face as Uncle Ron ruffles his hair and tells him that he’d better get into Gryffindor.

“I’ve told your sister and now I’ll tell you,� he says, fighting to keep a serious expression on his face. “If you aren’t in Gryffindor, I will no longer call you my son. I will disinherit you and--“

“RON!� Aunt Hermione exclaims, swatting his arm.

“Oh, all right,� Uncle Ron relents. “No matter what house you’re in, we’ll still love you.�

Hugo looks visibly relieved.

I hug my parents and board the train with Hugo. All of the compartments seem to be full. We look around until we find James, Louis, and their friends in a compartment. All of them are laughing, probably at some joke that James told. My brother looks up as I stick my head inside.

“Oh, hey, Lily.�

“Hi, James. Can we sit with you? All of the other compartments are full.�

Making a huge show of rolling his eyes, James agrees. Hugo sits down next to Louis and I sit across from James. I stare out of the glass of the compartment’s door in time to see Louis’s older sister, Dominique (another cousin of mine) walking by with her group of Slytherins.

Dominique was the first Weasley to ever be a Slytherin since Great Uncle Aloysius. She was always the quietest of her siblings, much different than her older sister, Victoire, and her brother Louis. When she was Sorted, she wasn’t even upset. It was like she expected to be Slytherin.

I’ve always admired Dominique. She’s brave, but only when she has to be. I’ve never seen her panic, not even when she fell out of a tree and broke her arm at Rose’s sixth birthday party. She was nine then.

My older cousin catches my stare and fixes her eyes onto mine. They are wide and dark blue under the blond hair that is always falling over her face. She gives me a small smile and continues on her way.

The train begins to move. All of us wave to our parents out of the window. I see my parents smiling and waving. I wave back until they disappear from sight, then make my way back to my seat.

James and his friends are talking about things I don’t understand much about (nasty teachers, for example). As it always seems to, however, the discussion soon turns to Quidditch.

“I can’t believe Hufflepuff won last year,� groans Louis, banging his head against the seat.

James and Louis are Beaters for Gryffindor. Apparently they lost to Hufflepuff by a mere fifteen points when the opposite team’s Seeker caught the Snitch. Gryffindor’s old Seeker graduated, and I’m crossing my fingers that Albus will fill in his position. However, I can’t help but wonder if I myself would make a good Seeker…

“Do you think I’d be able to try out?� I ask James. He laughs.

“Sorry, Lil, no first years allowed.�

I scowl. “But Dad did!�

“Yeah, of course he did, he’s Harry Potter!� says Owen Brown, another one of James’s friends.

Louis smiles. “Maybe next year you can try, Lily.�

“D’you think you’ll play Quidditch, Hugo?� asks James. Hugo’s face turns red and he shakes his head. Though he hasn’t told anyone but me, he’s terrified of heights.

The rest of the trip is spent talking and eating the treats that we buy from the Trolley Witch. Everyone laughs when James gags on a squash-flavoured bean from Bertie Bott’s.

“Bloody hell!� my brother gasps. He spits out the bean onto Owen’s lap. The other boy cries out and quickly brushes it off onto the floor. Louis kicks it under a seat.

By then, even Hugo is laughing. His eyes catch mine and he grins to show me that he knows what I did. I lift a hand to cover my smile.

A few hours later, the castle comes into sight and we pull our robes on over our clothes.

“We’ll be there in a few minutes,� says James, ruffling my hair. I scowl and try to smooth it down.

“You’d better be Gryffindor!� says Louis.

“You know we will!� I retort, rolling my eyes.

“I dunno,� says James, nodding at Hugo. “Mr. Bookworm here may be Ravenclaw.�

“I will not!� says Hugo angrily.

“Hush!� says Owen, hitting James on the back of the head. “We’re slowing down.�

I hold my breath and try to contain my excitement as the Hogsmeade station comes into sight.

“This is it,� murmurs Hugo, and I nod, silently praying for bravery.