Of Constellations → 𝘥. 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘺

ii. air and water

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chapter two

air and water

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On September first, Mum woke me up at four in the morning. It was ridiculous, considering Hogwarts Express left at eleven, and the drive was only an hour and a half. But, traveling always left Mum panicked. She'd camp out at airports twelve hours in advance if not for Dad encouraging her to relax. It certainly didn't help that the train was, apparently, supposed to leave from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

("Where the hell is Platform Nine and Three-Quarters supposed to be? This is ridiculous, why couldn't they have included directions?")

Naturally, it made her want to get there extra, extra early.

She was so stressed she hardly ate any breakfast before it was time for us to head to King's Cross. And, when we got there, she instructed Dad and me to keep an eye out for other magic folk who might be able to help. I was pushing my things on a luggage trolley, barely tall enough to see over my tower of stuff. Muggles passing by were giving Ptolemy strange looks as he hooted in protest every time I passed over an uneven patch and jostled him.

"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters," Dad said, softly. His eyebrows were drawn together in confusion. "Perhaps it's like the Leaky Cauldron where Muggles can't see the entrance."

He lowered the ticket as we made our way through the bustling concourse towards the platforms. I tried to spot another family with an owl or any other wizard-y knickknacks but couldn't find anyone.

We stood between platform nine and platform ten still not terribly sure what to do. It wasn't like we could ask an employee—they were Muggles.

For another minute or two, I stood silent while my parents tried to talk it through. Finally, a girl with long, curly hair and a no-nonsense expression rushed by us. We watched as she ran right at the pillar and, instead of crashing into it, disappeared through it.

Mum threw up her arms in a gesture of aggravation. "For a society so terribly concerned with secrecy, they really thought having hundreds of students and their families walking through walls in London's busiest railway station was a good idea?"

Dad gave Mum an amused grin but ultimately ignored her protesting. He kneeled down to even his face with mine.

"I love you very much, Mars," he said, opening his arms to wrap me in a tight hug. "I promise, you're going to love it at Hogwarts. You'll have so much fun in all your classes and you'll make a lot of new friends. Be safe, be smart. And do you remember who I told you to be careful around?"

"Yes. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott....uh, and whoever else is on the list...," I said. Being the half-blood daughter of a Death Eater defector was a precarious thing to be when you went to school with the sons of the Dark Lord's former servants. This was especially true when that defector was still in contact with the inside (in Dad's case, my Uncle Otto—who had the Dark Mark and everything). Those boys couldn't know that, or else my entire family could be in trouble.

"Right. Be mindful, but try not to focus on them. Focus on learning. And having fun!"

My father beamed proudly at me and he blinked hard as his eyes began to water. My mother looked less sentimental.

"Okay, do you still have my lesson plan? I expect Ptolemy to bring me your assignments on the first of each month," she said.

I groaned. My mother had included extra textbooks so I could continue my Muggle education at Hogwarts (this was of utmost importance to her). The maths and science and even the language arts I didn't mind, but I couldn't stand the history and geography.