𝑩𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒑 | ᴊᴀᴍᴇs ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ

1 | 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 9¾

"𝐬𝑜, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑖 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒, 𝑖 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑖𝑝
𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖 𝑤𝑜𝑛𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑔𝑜"

𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 , 𝐧𝐨𝐚𝐡 𝐤𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧

A brick wall stood before the platform where Euphemia, Fleamont, and James had led her.

"Well" Euphemia clapped her hands together as she turned round to face Aria and her family, the girl flinched at the noise and cowered back slightly. Euphemia seemed not to take notice as she smiled brightly. "Who first?"

Aria stared blankly at the woman. What did she mean by 'who first?'

Fleamont took one look at the eleven-year-old girl's face and laughed lightly. He moved to stand next to her short figure and knelt to eye level, pointing at the red bricks with a tan hand.

"We, are going to run straight at that wall." Aria's head spun around, Fleamont had said the sentence in a cheery voice and with a bright smile gracing his face like everything he had said was a normal thing to say in public.

In short, Aria thought the man was completely insane.

Euphemia took James' hand and grabbed his trunk from Fleamonts awaiting hand, huffing lightly at the weight she had taken. She and James walked forward slightly, just ahead of where Aria and her husband were standing.

"Meet you on the other side estimado, are you okay with making sure Aria makes it through alright? And to take her trunk for her?" Fleamont nodded and flashed a toothy grin to the girl in question who couldn't help the small downwards smile that crept up on her face.

The mother and son readied themselves to run straight at a brick wall.

'never thought that would ever be something I would ever have to imagine' Aria thought as she stared apprehensively at the pair.

Moments before they were set to run, James turned to face Aria, a smile reflecting that of his fathers gracing his face—a kind smile, the same that forced the shy girl to smile back up at him.

"See you on the other side!"

They ran.

Aria braced herself to witness the inevitable crash that was mere seconds away, closer and closer. The eleven-year-old closed her eyes, unable to bear it if her friends were to get themselves hurt.

But the crash never came.

Aria opened her blue eyes, but there was nothing. It was as if the pair had vanished into thin air, leaving nothing behind that gave any indication they had been there in the first place.

Fleamont tapped the girl's hand lightly and took it in his own.

"Your turn, you ready kiddo?"

Running through a brick wall was not on Aria's bucket list, however, she had no other choice but to run with a random man and pray that his wife and son were not just a figment of her young imagination.

It was the strangest feeling; like what one would imagine running through a cloud or a pile of bubbles would feel like.

Before she could think, a new image appeared in front of the girls' eyes. One of wonder that emanated pure joy.

A lone train stood still, a red and black steam train, by a platform, one unlike the previous platforms back on Kings Cross and one busied by magic. Couples waved farewell to their overexcited children as they boarded the train, siblings hugging each other as specs of joy danced around them.