Serenity | 1

SIX

"Have Fun"

September 1965, the next week

The dank, empty alley was filled with a whoosh and thirteen witches and wizards found themselves standing, knee-high in a pile of waste.

"Really, Dara? We said somewhere that wouldn't draw attention." Rolling her eyes at her brother, she took Cormac and Winston by the shoulder and guided them out of the waste.

"Stop acting like a baby, you know how to clean yourself."

As they all piled out as inconspicuously as their majority would allow them too, the Riers soon found themselves shuffling through the busy platforms of Kings Cross station. Christian and Serenity pushed the trolley holding two trunks and Merritt. The rest of the group rushed ahead, Chadwick leading the front as he usually would.

"You know you'll have to get off once we get through the barrier, right, Merri?" Shaking her head, Merritt turns to sit on her knees and peers over at her older sister.

"No, you'll have to take me!" Christian carefully pushes down on her head to peer over her shoulder as they passed platform eight. Rolling her eyes, Serenity crosses her arms and looks away from her sister.

Suddenly, through the crowd, she watched as a family of three ran straight towards the wall between platform nine and ten. They disappeared, charging straight into and through the wall. Her eyes widened as Erin skipped up to her and grabbed her hand.

"Come on! You get to go first and I'm coming with you!" Looking helplessly at her sister as their cousin dragged her away, Serenity mouthed a 'help' before glaring as Merritt shrugged with a smirk plastered on her face. "Go, go, go!"

Being pushed towards the brick wall at a considerable speed, Serenity braced herself for the inevitable impact. Instead, she found herself stumbling and falling to her knees on a platform alike to the one she'd just been on. This one, however, was the only platform in sight. A sign above them read "Platform 9¾" which made her smile. She'd made it.

All around her were trolleys alike to the one now emerging from the barrier behind her, some with owls, toads, rats or cats in cages sat atop none. None, however, had Merritt sat atop them- Serenity was different like that. It was obvious who the muggleborns and half-bloods were, there was at least one parent looking lost and in awe. The kids, however, were excited. There were the students who were rushing onto the train and their siblings who were way too giddy for a Monday morning.

As the train attendant whistled to signal the five-minute slot before the train left, Serenity finally brought herself to look at the train. The Hogwarts Express was a  sleek and black steam train with red trimmings all around it. Behind her, Reglin whistles.

"That thing does not age." Turning to smile up at her grandparents, Serenity shares a grin with her grandmother, who places her hand on his arm.

"Well, it wouldn't, dear. It's a train." Giggling, Serenity rushes up to them and throws her arms around their waists. As they hugged her back and gave her a loving pat on the head, Marjorie started to feel her eyes well up. They stood back and Reglin noticed almost immediately.

"Are you alright, dear?"

"Grandma?" Nodding, Marjorie pulls her granddaughter back into her.

"You have fun, alright?" After receiving no response, she releases the gasping eleven-year-old. "Yes?"

"Yes, grandma."

"Mum." They look back to Christian who gestured to the clock. Serenity had exactly a minute to get on the train. Yelling goodbye to everyone and ruffling Merritt's hair as she ran to the train, Serenity smiled broadly. She'd miss her family, sure, but she was about to embark on her own adventure and she couldn't be more excited.