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"Why don't we just build our own train station?" Aurora asked nervously, trying to ignore the various people around her. The passers-by were giving her and her family odd looks, staring rather rudely at the wire cage containing a small barn owl in Aurora's arms. Athena the owl chirped contently, oblivious to the noisy Muggles gawking at her.
"Because, mon ange, Muggle-Borns would never find it if it was enchanted and if it wasn't, Muggles would stumble across it and wonder what it was," her father said reasonably, pushing Aurora's trolley in front of him as they walked.
Aurora frowned to herself. She hadn't really been looking for a logical answer, but her father wasn't always great at deciding when to be heartfelt and when to remain stoic.
"Regulus," Aurora's mother said, raising a singular blonde brow. She was holding Aurora's little sister's hand tightly; Luna was fond of wandering off.
Regulus blinked. He glanced at Aurora before putting a hand on her shoulder, maning her trolley with his other. "Ignore them, Aurora, remember what we've said."
Aurora recalled her father's words before they'd left the house. She raised her chin and stared straight ahead. However, that did absolutely nothing to stop the curious stares of the Muggles.
Aurora wouldn't consider herself a particularly confident person, even so she assumed her self-consciousness wasn't purely to do with their looks but rather to do with her nerves about finally attending Hogwarts.
She glanced at her little sister. All summer Aurora had been thrilled at the thought of attending school. Her father had homeschooled her and her two siblings for years, teaching them basic arithmetics, magical theory, and language.
Now, standing in the train station, Aurora longed to be at home with Luna learning long division.
The young family reached the small stretch between platform nine and ten all too soon. Aurora's parents had informed her of the interesting nature of platform nine and three quarters. She knew they had to pass through a gateway to find it but she didn't see any gateways about.
As she glanced around, she found she could distinguish between the wizards and Muggles around them. The wizards, appearing much less stressed, were pushing trolleys with trunks and often had owls or cats in their possession. Owls were typical pets for new first years as they were useful means of communication; whereas, Muggles used a man to do their post.
Aurora spotted one boy in particular pushing a trolley with a gorgeous snowy owl in a gold wire cage. The owl gave a small hoot and the boy looked up. Aurora caught his eye and looked away quickly.
"Where's the passageway?" Aurora asked her parents, embarrassed to have been caught staring.
"It's hidden," Luna said softly, letting go of her mother's hand to twist tiny braids into her light hair.
