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━━━ TWO could you give me a sickle?
The asphalt crunched under the weight of the tires when their car pulled up by the Kings Cross station. The street was crowded with people, most of them wearing expensive watches and carrying leather briefcases━often consulting their watch to check the time before hurrying forward.
Father used to drop them at the station during the first few years, when they had an easier time. They used to sit at one of the benches and people-watch. He could easily spot the wizarding folk among them and even take a wild guess about their blood status━the pure-bloods with the deer caught in headlights looks, hauling their suitcases and owls along with them. The half-bloods were more discreet about it, effortlessly blending with the crowds. The muggle-borns would just be obnoxious, looking all around them as if someone was always watching them. Raya remembered building on her father's assumptions, giving names and lives to these strangers. She enjoyed it.
With their mother, there was a lot more affection. She'd drop them, kiss them goodbye and remind them to write to her whenever they found the time.
They helped their mother take the suitcases from the trunk, now dragging them across the street and into the station. Raya hated herself for it━but she still looked around, unconsciously filtering out the wizarding folk from the crowd like they used to do with father.
"Hurry up, girls, we're late," Her mother hurried forward towards platform nine. She checked her watch worriedly.
Even though she had done this numerous times before, Raya still felt strange when she waited for Aylin to run into the brick wall that led to platform nine and three-quarters. Magic was boundless━anything was possible. She used to think about how it was possible to hide such a big world behind a wall, then she thought of her body━about whatever invisible barrier she pushed through to get there━that if, for a moment, she was crossing through a wall that melted around her body to let her through. But she still wouldn't keep her eyes open when she ran and she ran at full speed, when her mother told her that no one was watching.
She quickly regained her balance when she came to the other side. Aylin was already pushing her suitcases ahead, moving toward the center of the platform. Raya stood there for a moment, trying to slow her breathing to normal after her run. Their mother followed behind, with the grace of someone who had done this numerous times.
