The Third Orphan

Chapter 6

Briella woke up on the day of their departure for Hogwarts feeling more excited than she had ever felt in her life. She had tossed and turned all night, barely able to sleep in a fever of excitement. At six a.m. she leapt out of bed, unable to stand it any longer. Looking out her window, she saw the sun peaking over the eastern horizon. In five hours she would be seeing that same sun, though higher in the sky, from the windows of the Hogwarts Express!

Briella went through her trunk for what must have been the hundredth time, making sure that each item was neatly packed. She scurried to brush her hair and teeth so that she could add the final items to the bag. Finally she zippered her suitcase and gazed down upon it with a smile as brilliant as the sun that was streaming through her windows. She was ready!

As she stood there, a sense of finality came upon her. She looked around her room, stripped of the homey items that made it her own. She felt a little sad: the zippering of her suitcase seemed like the close of her childhood, or at least those sunwarmed, worry-free days that each loved and cared-for child experiences before he or she begins school. Her stomach felt hollow and she felt her first jolt of nervousness: what would today bring? She wondered about the sorting. What if she was separated from Alyssa? But of course they wouldn't be. The twins did everything together, they were best friends. Still, Briella could not quite stifle that jolt of fear that comes when something in your life is out of your control. Dragging her trunk behind her, Briella gave one last look to her empty room and headed downstairs.

At precisely 10:45 the family of five stood at the space between platforms 9 and 10. Their presence drew curious stares from the muggles around them as they stood with three large suitcases, two owls, and two cats, apparently headed to neither of the platforms they were closest to.

"Okay Brenden," said Daniel in a low voice. "You and I will go first and take the luggage." Brenden gave a small nod. As a large group of muggles approached, Daniel and Brenden melted into them and disappeared the moment they hit the divider.

"Ready girls?" asked Elizabeth with false cheer in her voice. It killed her to say goodbye to her two youngest.

"Yup!" they replied in unison. The two stepped forward, holding hands, Alyssa on the left and Briella on the right. In Briella's free hand she clutched the small bag that held her lunch and money for the sweets cart. Despite the fact that she had entered Platform 9 and 3/4 a few times before to say goodbye to and pick up Brenden, Briella still felt nervous strolling quickly towards what appeared to be solid steel. She closed her eyes as she got closer and after three steps was hit by a sudden wall of new smells and sounds. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the welcome sight of Platform 9 and 3/4 and the scarlet Hogwarts Express which this year was finally waiting for her to board it.

Elizabeth appeared behind the two girls and placing her hands upon their shoulders steered them over to their brother. In a minute Daniel reappeared. "Just put the luggage on the train!" he said with the same false cheer that had been in Elizabeth's voice earlier.

"I'm gonna go find my friends," said Brenden. "Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" He gave them both quick hugs and sprinted off to find a compartment, leaving Alyssa and Briella alone with their parents.

The girls looked up at Daniel and Elizabeth anxiously. "You'll write us lots of letters?" asked Briella.

"Every day," Elizabeth assured her. "And remember girls, we love you no matter what house you are in."

The two nodded and both moved forward to hug their parents. "I love you Mummy," said Briella. "I love you more than anything."

"I love you too," responded Elizabeth, fighting back tears.