Hyperesthesia || Harry Potter

02 | A Friendly Train Ride

By the time it was September first, Pepper had begun to get excited for her journey to Hogwarts. She looked more on the positive side rather than the negative. After all, she had to make sure her family was feeling easy about this change, and that would only happen if she kept up an optimistic attitude.

She woke at six o'clock the morning of travel, too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. When she got up she pulled on some of her usual Muggle clothes because she didn't think it'd be smart to walk into the station in her witch's robes — she'd change on the train.

She checked her Hogwarts list yet again to make sure she had everything she needed, ensured that Momo was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for her parents and brother to get up.

An hour later, Pepper's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the family car, albeit with a little secret help from Celeste's magic. On the way to the station, Nick insisted on Pepper demonstrating some magic that she was not yet capable of doing, but was quickly shut down when Celeste had shown him a small trick involving his race car. They reached King's Cross at half past ten.

Radcliffe set Pepper's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for her.

"Celeste?" he said as they approached platforms nine and ten. "Where exactly is Platform 9 & ¾?"

"Right there, Radcliffe," Celeste pointed straight at the brick wall between the two platforms with a long slender finger.

"What?"

"Mom," said Ellianna, "that is a wall."

Celeste let out a small laugh and shook her head. "To you Muggles it may be. But to us," she gestures to herself and a very puzzled Pepper, "it is more than that."

"No, that definitely is a wall, Grandma. I think you need to get your eyes checked," Pepper declared.

How was that wall the platform to the train that would take her to school? Was this some sick joke? Was she going to realize that this was a prank and she'll be sent back to primary school with the rest of her non-magic schoolmates?

"You have to run through it, dear," Celeste chuckled.

"No way!" Pepper gasped in excitement.

So that's how it worked!

"That's scary!" declared Nick.

"No, that's crazy!" Radcliffe protested.

"Maybe so, but it causes no harm or pain, I assure you," Celeste said understandingly.

"Well, I want to go first and watch her to make sure she gets on the other side," Ellianna declared.

"I'm sorry, dear, but Muggles can't go through," Celeste said apologetically. "Only magic folk." Seeing the nervous looks on the parents' faces, she quickly added, "I will demonstrate it myself if you're so concerned. Only, Pepper, do be sure to run at it."

The older woman stood directly across from the barrier, Radcliffe and Ellianna beckoned Pepper and Nick toward them, and watched as Celeste briskly walked to the wall before disappearing as she came in contact with it.

"She just- What the- I'm gonna- HUH?" Pepper was flabbergasted, absolutely amazed by what she had just witnessed.

"Pepper, if you don't think you can do this, that's okay, you don't have to go to this school —"

"No, it's fine," said Pepper shakily. "It's fine. I can do it."

She pushed her trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.