Courage

-2-

Book: Courage
Chapter 2
Word Count: 4472

A whole nine months had come and gone before it was time for Layla to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardly.

Stood in front of the large brick wall in between platforms nine and ten at King's Cross Station, Layla found herself almost shuddering in fear, her trolley in front of her which held her trunk, her back pack, and the cage with Peaches in. Her dad had told her that the wall in between the platforms led to platform nine and three quarters if you just ran through it. Layla turned her worried gaze to Remus.

"Dad, what if the wall decides to not let me enter? I could get hurt if I run into it!"

"You don't need to worry, honey. That's not how it works. I ran through this wall all the time when I was in Hogwarts. It's not that scary," reassured Remus. "How about, for your first time going through, we'll do it together?"

"Yes please," Layla shakily nodded. Remus smiled at her and helped Layla push her trolley into the run, the two lightly jogging. Layla squinted her eyes shut once they'd ran close enough to the wall, bracing for impact, but it never came. Once they'd stopped running, she heard Remus chuckle from beside her.

"You can open your eyes now, Lay."

So, hesitantly, Layla fluttered her eyes open. She gaped in awe at the sight in front of her.

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Layla looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. She had done it.

"I did it, dad," Layla grinned up at Remus happily, and he smiled back down at her in return.

"Good job, honey. Now..." Remus checked his watch. "It's 10:32am. The train leaves in around half an hour. I'll bring your trunk and Peaches to be loaded onto the train. In your back pack, there is your money to get some snacks on the train, as well as your sketch book, pencils, two reading books, your robes, your wand, and I even packed a blanket and pillow in there for you in case you got cold or wanted to sleep. There's a charm on the bag so it's bigger on the inside."

"Thank you," Layla hugged her dad tightly, and when she pulled away, Remus knelt in front of her so they were around eye-level.

"I love you, Lay. Have an amazing time, get Outstandings in Flying, and in later years, I'm sure you will smash Defense Against the Dark Arts. You're my daughter after all. The other lessons weren't ever really relevant to me but sshhh, Minnie can't know I said that."

"Who's Minnie?"

"Long story," chuckled Remus, remembering his days in Hogwarts in his 'troublesome four' friend group. "But even though Flying and Defense Against the Dark Arts is all that really matters to me for you to excell in, I'm still going to give you the typical father speech. Try and do your best in every lesson, I know you have it in you, but even if you don't do as well as you'd hoped you would, I will be proud of you no matter what."

"I love you, daddy," Layla hugged Remus again, more tighter than the previous hug, and it lasted longer. Once they'd pulled away, Remus rose to his full height and kissed his daughter's forehead.

"I'll see you at Christmas, Lay. Go and have fun."

"Bye!" Layla waved cheerfully, swinging her back pack over her shoulder and then running towards the train, weaving her way through the students saying goodbye to family and friends. Smoke from the engine of the train drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks. Layla eventually made it into the train and began going down the long corridor for a place to sit.