Effervescence | h.p.

i | x. a train station wall

September 1st, the Potter and the Lupin-Black families could be seen at King's Cross Station in London. This would be Lyra Lupin-Black's first time on the platform, and it would be Harry Potter's first time as well.

Their tickets had said that the Hogwarts Express would be departing at eleven o'clock from Platform 9 3/4, but there was no such thing, was there? Certainly there could not be a platform between Platforms 9 and 10, but that's what the ticket listed. Surely, a school wouldn't misprint a train ticket, especially not two.

The parents of the pair found their children's confusion quite humorous. They had previously come to the collective decision to let the kids at least attempt finding the platform by themselves, to test their problem-solving skills. If they hadn't figured it out either by coming to the realization that they were magic or when they saw people disappearing through a wall within the next five minutes, they would bring them through to the platform all at once.

Harry was trying to figure out how there could even be half of a platform, never mind three-quarters of one. He wasn't understanding how other witches and wizards could possibly be ending up on the seemingly non-existent platform. Harry was just too close-minded for this test.

While Harry was trying to understand the logistics behind the mysterious Platform 9 3/4, Lyra was thinking similarly. However, Lyra was more open-minded than Harry and had been considering the possibility that the platform could only be reached by those with a background of magic. She was thinking about running straight into the wall.

Would it work? Who knew.

Would it hurt if it didn't? Like hell, it would.

She considered just leaning back onto the wall between two platforms; nine and ten. If she ran at the wall and it was completely solid, it would turn out horribly. It would result in pain, embarrassment, and a mess of her trunks and her kitten in a pile. Whereas if she simply leaned against the wall and was somehow brought somewhere, she might fall over backwards, but at least she would have completed the adult's test of problem solving.

Without wasting any more time, she simply leaned back, as if to rest momentarily against the wall. She held onto her trolley, which held Milo in his cage and her trunks all the while. What she saw next mesmerized her.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Upon turning around, Lyra was met with a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it.

When Lyra disappeared, Harry took it upon himself to panic. His parents and godparents seemed relaxed still, maybe they knew where Lyra disappeared to? Or maybe they were unaware of what just happened.

Looking around desperately to see his closest friend, Harry couldn't seem to locate her at all. He wanted to ask Remus and Sirius if they had seen their own daughter, but then he figured it would cause them to panic. He didn't want to cause more panic and problems at the train station, but he was so worried about Lyra, he had to ask someone what was happening.

Three minutes after noticing her disappearance, Harry walked over to his family. "There's a — er — problem. . . . Well, see, Lyra she — she, well, she seems to be — er — missing," Harry stuttered out, all the while he had been scratching the nape of his neck. "I'm sorry, I-I thought I was watching her close enough."

"Harry, are her things still here, or are those gone, too?" James asked his son, trying to sound worried when in reality, he knew his goddaughter had managed to find the platform.

He was secretly quite proud of the eleven year-old he had helped raise quite a large amount.

"No — no her stuff's gone, too. I-I don't think she could've gone too far. She's been gone — what — three minutes? But now that I say it out-loud, that's quite the long span. She could get quite far in 180 second, but she could've been gone longer," Harry rambled, anxiously.

"Harry — Harry, have you considered how smart your friend is?" Sirius questioned, while taking hold of Harry's shoulders. "Maybe she's on the platform."

"But — no — I mean, she's smart, but Platform 9 3/4, it can't be a real place. It just can't be," Harry tried convincing, but he was wrong.

He was in denial of the whole situation he was thrust into. So, in response to Harry, all the parents laughed.

"Harry, sometimes I think you got my brain, and in times like these, I know you got most from your dad," Lily laughed. Then she began whispering in his ear, "Harry, you're magic and going to a magic school. Start opening your mind a little more."

"Oh. OHH! It's not a normal platform, is it? It's hidden?" Harry realized, finally catching on to magical ideas.

He still had no idea where the platform was and how to get onto it, but now he had an idea of where Lyra had gotten off to.

Lily and James led their son to the wall between platform's nine and ten, and stopped him.

"Now, you're going to run at this wall and you're going to find Ly, is that clear? It seems scary, but you need to trust us, okay? You trust us, right?" James said to his only son.

"I do. . . . " Harry was uncertain, but his father was correct, he trusted them. "Okay, here I go. Straight at the wall," Harry told himself more than anyone else. Shaking his head at how stupid he sounded, he began running at the wall head-on.

He prepared for collision and braced himself a bit, but then nothing came. Slowly opening one of his tightly-shut eyes, he saw what Lyra had seen a bit ago. A scarlet steam engine was in view and just as he started towards it, he jumped back as its whistle loudly sounded.

Someone suddenly grabbed his hand tightly and pulled him towards the train. Looking at the person who had attached themselves to his hand, Harry saw Lyra, who had a big grin covering her bright face.

"Come on! We have to say goodbye before we can get on the train! It's leaving in less than five minutes," Lyra quickly stated.

Dragging Harry to where their parents stood together, sadly awaiting the trains departure.

Hugging her Dad and her Padre for the last time before she goes off to Hogwarts, she whispers to each individually, "I love you. I'll miss you."

After each father got a tight hug out of their daughter, they all got into a family hug that eventually included Lily, James, and Harry.

Lyra grabbed Harry's hand, intertwining their fingers with each other's. With a final nod to one-another, they walked in-sync onto the train. Turning as the train began moving, they offered a final, sad wave to their parents.

And they were off to Hogwarts.