Riptides (Fred Weasley Fan Fiction)

Chapter 10

Stellar - Ashes

The next morning was very busy for Lyssie. She had to wake up early, check her trunk again a couple of times, get ready and have breakfast in a hurry. She didn't have much of an appetite that day, but Anthony warned her that he wouldn't allow her to go on a train with an empty stomach. So, she forced herself to have some toast with jam and run upstairs to drag her trunk to the car. Her dad helped her put it on a back seat and they both sat down in the car. They didn't talk too much during their car ride. Lyssie was to nervous and excited to be able to say a word.

The train station was about twenty minutes away, but Lyssie felt as if they've been driving forever. She was so excited she couldn't sit straight in her seat and the traffic they came across around Central London made her feel really nervous.

"Will we make it on time, dad?" she asked as they were moving forward about 10 kilometers per hour. She looked at the clock in the car and it showed 10:23.

"Don't worry," he answered. "We still have plenty of time."

Lyssie wondered if there were any magical ways of transport which worked a little faster than a regular, old car. Maybe something like the teleporter, she saw on TV one day, or a flying car. However, Anthony was right, and they got to the station on time and didn't have to run to the train.

They walked through the station and Anthony guided her to one of the platforms. She looked at the signs above her head as they were walking past crowds of people. On the one side, it said, "Platform number 9" and on the other "Platform number 10."

"Those muggles," she heard somewhere on the right. "There are always crowds of muggles! Fred, George, hurry up!"

Fred? Lyssie started looking around her. She noticed a group of ginger wizards hurrying through the platform. There were at least seven of them there, all equally ginger. She couldn't see their faces, however, as they were now walking in front of her. Could it be Fred from the diary? Well, Fred was quite a common name, but the red heads of the people caught her attention. It made her feel better that she wasn't the only one with this hair color there.

But then, the wizards she was observing started disappearing in the distance. They all, one after another, were just gone!

"All right, here we are," Anthony said suddenly. Lyssie looked around but there weren't any trains on any of the platforms right now. Just crowds of people hurrying from place to place. "Listen carefully now. Your train leaves from platform 9 and ¾. That means that we have to run through this wall here. It feels weird for a second but once your there, it's all right."

Lyssie looked at him confused. What? She had to run through the wall? Also, she has never heard of platform 9 and ¾. Was her own father playing jokes on her?

"You go first," she said confidently, trying to make sure that it wasn't a big prank. Her dad smiled at her.

Anthony took her luggage and run into the wall with it. So, he wasn't joking. Those wizards will never stop surprising her. Lyssie took a deep breath and run in the exact same place her dad did a second ago.

What she saw there, seemed to be a regular busy platform. Dozens of people were walking around, trying to find the best place to say goodbye. Lyssie noticed the family she was observing again. They were now standing in a big circle, hugging one another. But most importantly, there was a huge, long train, already full of people. It was making all sorts of noises, almost as if it were trying to hurry people up.

"Here's your ticket," Anthony said and handed her a piece of white and gold paper. It said "Hogwarts Express, Platform 9 and ¾, 11 o'clock" on it. Lyssie put it into the little bag she had on her shoulder. She completely forgot that you need a ticket to ride a train and she didn't see her dad purchase it anywhere.