King's Cross Station
01/09/57
Sunday
10:50 AM
Even in the early hours of Sunday morning, King's Cross retained it's usual frantic hustle and bustle, courtesy of being one of London's largest and busiest train stations. Here and there, people scurried about: a family departing with several large suitcases to Heathrow, ready for their first holiday abroad; a blushing young couple, brand new wedding rings shining on their hands as they looked forward to a romantic getaway; a businessman, attempting to juggle a bacon sandwich with his briefcase as he ran to catch his train on time; and perhaps more curiously so, a lone child of no more than 12 skipping quite happily along platform 9, trolley laden with ancient looking leather trunks, a broomstick, and a small, loudly squeaking toad locked up in a small glass box, balancing precariously atop her luggage stack. Arriving at the stone wall separating platform's 9 and 10, if one were to look away for just a second, she would disappear. The family, the honeymooners and the businessman didn't notice this however - in fact, nobody did. For most, seeing a wee girl and her luggage completely vanish into thin air would be a cause for concern, but as each new strangely dressed person approached the barrier, there was no worry on faces beyond that of wondering if everything has been packed, or if they would make the train on time, or if their youngest would fit in well enough at their new school. For each new person to disappear behind the barrier, they would emerge unscathed on the other side, emptying out into a packed platform that held dozens of clamouring schoolchildren, fussing parents, and a glorious red steam engine. This was Platform 9 and 3/4, holding the Hogwarts Express that was scheduled to leave at 11 AM on the dot. Sure enough, by the time the merrily skipping girl had handed off her luggage to the porters and found herself a seat with her friends within, a shrill whistle sounded, signalling the departure of the train, and the start of a new term. Children waved goodbye to parents and relatives in the station; some perhaps feeling a pang of homesickness as their family slipped out of sight, but also excitement for the year ahead. There was bound to be something new and interesting this year, just like every other year had!
Hogwart's Express
01/09/57
Sunday
06:46 PM
By now, the students were about an hour away from Hogsmeade station; the sun was slipping behind the horizon as dusk crept in, the sweet trolley was all but decimated by greedy schoolkids and sticky fingers, and first-year were clambering into their robes already, eager to make a good first impression for their brand new school.
Eva, however, hadn't even thought about her uniform yet. In fact, she hadn't moved from her seat since the last time the trolley had trundled past to buy yet another cauldron cake, and according to her grumbling stomach, that had been far too long ago.
"Merlin, I'm starved." She groaned dramatically, head lolling back onto her seat and rolling back and forth comically. She glanced at her bush rat as he squeaked, a glare appearing on her face as she noticed him stuffing his cheeks with sunflower seeds from within his cage, taunting her with his little beady eyes and sharp claws. She was going to feed him to the Giant Squid one day, she was certain of it.
"Do you think we're nearly there? I could eat an entire gryphon at this rate." Looking now to the twins sat in the carriage with her, Eva stuck out her bottom lip in a petulant, but joking, manner. Honey and Andreas should be used to her flair for over-exaggerating her hunger by now.
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