Ashley Pryde

Vanishing people

I'm staring at Kings Cross station, when the magnitude of what I'm about to do hits me. I'm about to leave my school, my home, my parents and my friends to go learn magic in a school I've never heard about before.
I look over at my parents who are unloading the car of all my books and clothes and placing them on the trolley.
"Wait Harold." My mother said. "Put the trunk in first, at the bottom so it doesn't fall out, then put the book bag in front of it. "
" I know what I'm doing Sophie" my dad said, then did what mom told him to do.
"Do you want some help?" I asked
"No no it's fine dear." My mom said, her back to me as she fiddled with my belongings.
I walked towards the car where David was sitting and opened the door "David?" My voice was timid, scared almost. And I realized I was scared. What if Dave never forgave me for being magic while he was normal?
David looked up at me, the same crooked grin he always wore. " Take care Kitty. I'll see ya when you come back." I smiled, relieved that he was back to normal. "No you won't, I'll have learned how to turn invisible by then." I teased.
"Sure Kitty. And that dragon of yours will teach you Kung fu."
" What movie is that from?"
"It's not a movie, it's from a comic."
"Whi-"
"Ashley!" My mother cut me off holding up her watch. "You're going to miss the train!"
I looked at the time; 10:43
I should probably get going. "Bye Dave."
"Bye Kitty. I'll see you later."
" No you won't." I stuck my tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes, smiling.
I grabbed the trolley, and headed inside, excited and scared as I passed by the platforms with my parents right behind me. 4....5....6 This was it. I was going to learn magic. The real kind, not the misdirection used by professional magicians.8.....9.....10? What? Where was platform 9 3/4? I felt sick and I dared not look at my parents, like this whole thing was my fault.
" Maybe.. we passed it? " my dad suggested. He knew we hadn't, and I knew we hadn't. "Okay dad." I said turning the trolley around slowly, as if delaying the inevitable, and headed back.
To our right, I saw a blond haired boy with a man whose hair just as blond and a woman who I assumed where his parents, walk straight through the barrier between platform 9 and 10 and vanish. I was speechless, gawking at the place I had last seen the vanishing people. "Did you see that?"
"See what?" Mom asked. " I was looking at the trains."
" I had something in my eye." I frowned at them. "Some people just walked through the barrier!"
"Which barrier?"
"That one!" I pointed.
"The one between platform 9 and 10" my mom asked pointedly, as if trying to hint at something. "Wait for someone else to go through then ask them if it leads to platform 9 3/4."So we waited. And it wasn't long until a large family of 5 stopped right in front of the barrier. One of the girls started running towards it, going faster and faster, I had to hold back a scream as a girl slammed into the wall, or would have if she hadn't disappeared through the wall. Magic, it's just magic. I reminded myself so I wouldn't have a heart attack. I turned towards my parents, excited. "Did you see that! Did you see that!"
"See what? I was a bit distracted." Said my dad. " I was checking the time." Said mom. I looked at them incredulously. How had they not seen that? The answer came to me as soon as I asked the question. Magic. There was probably a spell to prevent normal people from seeing magical people disappearing through a brick wall. That made sense. The station was full of people running around, trying to catch a train, how would nobody eventually notice that unless there was a spell to prevent that?
"Go talk to them before they all disappear." My dad said. I looked over at the family. Only a boy and the parents where still here. I ran over to them as quickly as I could. "Excuse me! Is this how you get to platform 9 3/4?" The parents looked amused.
"You muggleborn?" The man asked eyeing my parents.
"Ummm probably? What's a muggleborn?" I asked. Did it mean was I born a muggle? Hence the muggleborn? Then what was a muggle?
The man laughed and the other two seemed amused as well. I tried not to be offended and failed. I hate being made fun of. Especially by strangers.
"It's simple really." The boy said. The boy looked a little older than me, with dirty blond hair and blue eyes. I suddenly felt very shy looking at him, and fidgeted with my jumper sleeves." You just walk through the barrier between platform 9 and 10. It's easier if you run at it, believe me."
" Oh um, thanks." I said. Don't turn red don't turn red. I pleaded internally. By some miracle I didn't and I turned to face my parents. "Good bye. For now." I said as I hugged them both. "We love you. Your coming home for Christmas."
"Ok. I promise to write." I turned around and the boy gestured to the barrier "After you."
"Thanks." I looked at the brick wall and before the anxiety and ridiculousness of what I was about to do could fully set in I started walking towards it, then jogging and before long I was in a headlong sprint and when the barrier became so close that I was sure that maybe something would go wrong and I would slam into it with that tendril of fear wrapping around my intestines. I closed my eyes and ran faster.....and opened them. A huge scarlet train was waiting on the rails billowing tons of smoke that seemed to glitter from certain angles. I smiled at just the majesty of it, and the relief that I had made it through the barrier. Maybe I would fit in and find the new normal. I must have looked like a dumbstruck fool staring at the train but I was a dumbstruck fool, trying to memorize every inch of it.
"Pretty amazing." I started at the voice. It was the boy from earlier. " Do you want some help getting your stuff on board? The trains gonna leave soon."
"Yes. Please." I looked at my shoes. I was wearing my black sneakers the ones with the pink laces. It seemed like a good idea at home but now they just looked weird. I walked extra close to the trolley, hoping he wouldn't notice them. "Grab the back, I'll pull it up."   Once my trolley was in the train, I helped him pull his in. "Let's find a compartment." I nodded, not trusting myself to speak without my stutter making an appearance.
We passed by a couple of them full to the brim, then one with a red head and some other guy. Every single compartment that we checked was full. Farther ahead one of the compartment doors opened and  out stepped a girl with straight brown hair, not straight like mine that looked lifeless and weighed down, but like hers were sleeping and might wake up if you touched it. The girl looked our way, and I wanted to hide behind this boy I had just met. She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen and I was painfully aware of how short I was, how long my hair was, and how plain my clothes where, from my knitted red jumper to my gray sweatpants.
"Peter!" She exclaimed. "There you are! I was almost sure you had missed the train."
"Me? Late?" Said the boy, Peter." As if. I was just helping..." He trailed off looking at me for some help
"Kitty, I mean Ashley" I said, that last part tumbling out of my mouth as fast as I could get them out. Oh what's wrong with me?
Peter looked confused. "Sorry?"
I wanted to die of embarrassment as I felt my face turn red "Myname'sAshleybutmybrothercallsmekitty"
He still looked confused "Sorry?"
"She said her names Ashley but her brother calls her Kitty." The girl smiled at me. It was the most adorable smile I had ever seen on a girl. And I grew up with a lot adorable girls.
I flushed even redder. Just hoping to get out of here before I said something else that was sure to embarrass me.
"Well, Ashley, it was nice to meet you. Do you still need help finding your way?" The girl asked
"No thank you. I'll manage." I started to push my trolley past her.
"I remember my first year, I was terrified, but I had people to look out for me. Got any siblings?" She asked
I nodded.
"Really? What house? Maybe I know them."
It suddenly felt weird to say that he was an ordinary person, as if it was this big secret about myself, that I'm really just an ordinary person.
"He isn't attending Hogwarts." I said, cautiously, fearfully.
"A younger brother then? Aren't they the worst? I've got one of those, his name is Jonathan. Oh! Let me introduce you two!" She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me towards the compartment she had just left, forcing me to let go of my trolley or have it knocked over. I locked eyes with a smiling Peter, as if he had been waiting for something like this to happen, and I felt a little less frightened, like this was normal.