Beams of sunlight broke through the panes of glass arching above me as I made my way through King's Cross Station. My thick chestnut hair was in a rather messy braid down my back that swished back and forth with each step, along with my skirt lightly bouncing against my fishnet adorned thighs. I weaved my way between what I assumed were businessmen, I wasn't overly familiar with muggle culture, trying my best not to run over anyone's foot with my trolley as I steadied my precariously balanced belongings every so often. It did baffle me slightly that not a single one of these muggles seemed to bat an eyelid at me despite the fact I was pushing a literal owl around a train station with a wand sticking out of my chunky leather boot, nevertheless I strode on until I reached the wall to my platform.
I'd heard all about the magical passage to platform 9 3/4 but I wasn't overly confident in what I was meant to do at this point so waited a moment for someone else who looked less muggle-like to help me. Surprisingly I hadn't seen many other wizards on my journey through the station but then again I was a little late which was no shock for me. Two minutes or so after standing near the wall a lanky, dark haired boy in an adorable little blue sweater vest approached clutching a toad in one hand and his trunk in the other.
"Excuse me," I called making him jump slightly.
"I'm sorry. I'm new could you maybe show me how this works," I asked gesturing to the brick wall beside us.
He gulped giving me a timid nod before saying "you sort of just run at it. I know it sounds mad but we can go through together if you'd like?"
"Please," I replied enthusiastically shuffling to the side a little.
He approached me rather slowly, tucking the toad in a little pocket on his sweater, and placed a hand on the trolley. I smiled and straightened us up so we were directly in front of the wall.
"Okay on three," he said looking down at me taking a deep breath.
"One...two-"
"THREE," I shouted charging towards the wall making the boy yelp a little as he tried his best to keep up.
I screwed my face up as we approached the wall at an alarming rate, almost bracing for impact but just like that the wall had vanished. I unnarrowed my eyes to see a long black steam train and what looked like hundreds of students and wizard families bustling around on the platform. My ears filled with the screeching of owls and excited first years shouting goodbye to their weeping parents. I grinned taking it all in until the tall boy I'd just hurtled through a wall with snapped me back to the present.
"Crikey you're trouble aren't you," he laughed, composing himself, panting a bit.
"You have no idea," I paused for a second realising I never actually asked him his name.
"Neville," he said with a smile recognising my hesitation.
"Neville Longbottom."
"Well Neville Longbottom, thanks for your help," I said cheerily as I turned to get on the train.
"Wait! What about your name," he called after me.
"Oh you'll find out," I replied with a wink slipping onto the train marked 'Hogwarts Express'.
I made my way through the train, squeezing past people holding all kinds of creatures and crazy contraptions, until finding an empty compartment and plonking myself down next to the window. I pulled out a book about magical ailments and remedies, I'd always been interested in the medicinal side of magic, and began to read the chapter on bone regrowth as the train set off for my new home for the coming months.
The motion of the train must have made me dose off at some point as I was awoken by the sound of my compartment door sliding open and the faint smell of pumpkin pasties filling the carriage. I fluttered my eyes open to see a girl with beautiful auburn hair crouching near the door scanning the floor of the compartment for something.
"Sorry," she said still not looking at me.
"My friend Neville has lost his toad again," she said in a slightly exasperated tone giving me the impression Neville was frequently misplacing the slimy little creature which from what I'd seen of him didn't really surprise me all that much.
"Neville Longbottom," I asked with a chuckle, making the girl dart her head up to meet my gaze with her dazzling blue eyes.
"You know him," she questioned, clearly confused as she'd never seen my face before and I was sitting on the train completely alone.
"You could say that," I responded with a slight smirk just as Neville entered the compartment nearly toppling over the girl in the process.
"Oh hello again," he said beaming at me.
"Haven't seen Trevor have you?"
"The toad I'm assuming," I said to the girl who was now clambering off the floor to sit in the seat opposite me. She let out a laugh, nodding, as Neville slid the compartment door shut.
"I'll find him later. Suppose it'll be easier if everyone's left the train," he stated sitting himself down.
"So how exactly do you two know each other," the girl questioned looking between Neville and I with a slightly furrowed brow.
"Well, Neville Longbottom here helped me get on to the platform earlier," I answered.
"She went for it too you know. Scared the life out of me the speed she was going," Neville recounted dramatically making the girl laugh once again.
"You sound fun," she said raising her eyebrows at me still smirking.
"She's trouble I'm telling you now and oh- I haven't even introduced you two sorry," stuttered Neville, bringing a hand to his forehead.
"Trouble, this is Ginny Weasley. Ginny, this is the new girl."
"No name," Ginny questioned, clearly intrigued.
"Like I said to Neville, you'll find out soon enough but Trouble works for now," I replied giving them both a mischievous grin.
"We've got enough trouble around here already and it just happens to be in the form of my brothers," Ginny laughed rolling her eyes.
"Oh is that so," I replied curiously.
"They're going to love you," she said leaning back shaking her head slightly.
"Merlin help us all," chuckled Neville.
