The Years We Were Alive: Year 1

The Feast, the Train, and New Friends

September 1, 1971

"Okay honey," a kind looking blonde woman smiled at a blonde little girl, "that old man said we have to run through that wall," the woman pointed at the wall between the platforms nine and ten.

"That's odd, isn't it?" the girl raised an eyebrow at her mother, "I mean, how do you know that I'm not being pranked?" the little girl seemed excited, but also as if she was afraid of that feeling.

"I just know dear, now, on you go," the woman pushed the girl into the wall. To her surprise, the girl went right through the wall and was quickly followed by her mother.

"Mom, how did you?" the girl shook her head.

"I trusted that old man, he was a really nice guy,"

"So, I think I need to get my stuff loaded right about here," the girl nodded in the direction of a staunch man loading various trunks into the train, "excuse me, hi, is this where I leave my things?" the girl put on a kind smile that she was not wearing while talking to her mother.

"Yes, ma'am it is," the man had a different accent than the girl did. She wasn't from London, where she was now. She was from a whole different country. Across an ocean even.

"Thank you so much," she set down her case and walked away.

"Okay honey, I'm going to miss you so so so much," the woman embraced the child in a tight hug.

"I'll miss you too," the girl begrudgingly hugged her mother back.

"Okay, make some friends honey, send me one of those owls! I'll figure out how to send one back to you," the woman spoke while she reluctantly let go of her daughter.

"I will mama, bye, tell J that I love him and miss him!" the girl was rushed. She could hear the train warning bell. It would be leaving soon, "have a safe flight back,"

"I will, I love you, baby," the woman walked away, and back through the wall splitting this platform from the rest of the world. The girl walked away too, and she entered the first door she saw to the train.

She wasn't completely that what she was seeing was real. Magic? No way. She was going to get to this weird boarding school and find out that it was all a waste of their precious time and money. There was no way that this was really her life. She didn't even think that she had a weird number of peculiar situations. She thought that everybody experiences stuff like that.

She walked down the halls of the scarlet-colored train. She was looking for kids that looked like they were her age. Maybe they could tell her some more about magic. Maybe they could help her wake up from this dream. After passing a few cars she saw an excited boy in a car. He had long dark hair, and he was rather skinny.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked the boy.

"Not at all," he smiled at her, "My name is Sirius Black, it's nice to meet you,"

"Hi Sirius, my name is Lizzie Davies," the girl smiled at him.

"Woah, you sound funny, where are you from? You don't sound like anyone I've ever heard,"

"Oh, uh, I'm from America," the girl nodded at him.

"They let you go to Hogwarts? That's crazy!" the boy had become very interested in her story when three boys came up to their car.