𝙎𝙋𝙀𝙇𝙇𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙆𝙎 !!! (Modern Hogwarts)

. 𝙤𝙣𝙚

CHAPTER 1 - CALM BEFORE THE STORM - September 1, 2019

"OLIVER, WAKE UP!" a forceful voice demanded. The young brown-haired boy's eyes popped open to see his brunette mother towering over him with a scolding face. He quickly sat up as his mother commanded him to get ready for his trip to Hogwarts. He changed his clothes in a rush and opened his bedroom door while trying to get his ripped left shoe on.

"You should get new shoes" A young, annoying feminine voice called from the hallway. His beady-eyed younger sister, Isabella, stood at her door frame, wearing a pink sequin dress and clear plastic heels. "I guess" he replied. She scrunched her button nose and rolled her eyes then scampered downstairs to the kitchen, probably to beg their mother for something.

Oliver soon followed his sister downstairs after he slipped his other shoe on. The wooden steps creaked as he rushed down the stairs and entered the dining room. His three older siblings were already sitting at the rotting mahogany table, his other younger siblings most likely asleep. Jack definitely was, his favorite thing to do was sleep. He lumbered to the table and sat in a creaky old wooden chair, picking up a steaming slice of toast, a jar of raspberry jam, and a butter knife on the way.

"Oh, look who's finally awake!" His brother, William, sarcastically said, while stuffing his face with eggs. "Oh, be quiet, will you?" Muttered Noah. "You woke up just a few minutes ago." Of all Oliver's siblings, Noah was by far the nicest. William playfully elbowed him. "Oh, come on! You know I was just joking around!" Oliver sighed and began to spread jam on his toast. Gwen's grumbling and mumbles could be heard from the kitchen as she was forced out of the bathroom so Isabella and Rosemary could get ready.

"Ready for your third year, slugger?" His father said from behind him as his hand messed up Oliver's hair. Oliver cringed as he fixed his hair. "Yeah, you ready slugger?" William mocked him. The twins, William and Gwen were in their last year at Hogwarts, but William sure acted as if he was in his first. Rosemary, another younger sister of his, was going to be in her first year, but even she was more mature than William.

"Don't do that William, how about you, Rosemary, ready for your first year?" His father asked as he saw the dark-haired girl being pushed out of the bathroom by Isabella. "Uh, I guess?" She replied. "Don't worry, I'll share all the secret passageways, so you can get out of class!" William cut in. "No, he won't!" His older sister said. Gwen was quite tall but built like a twig. Though she might have seemed weak and frail, she was surprisingly strong, always sticking up for the younger ones. Except for Isabella. She was just god-awful. "He never does, cause it's about all he's got up here." She said as she glared at him, pointing to her temple.

"Alright children, go grab your trunks. We'll be heading to King's Cross soon." His mother butted in before any more remarks were made. The five dark-haired children went to retrieve their bags. Oliver had taken a long time to haul his suitcases from his room to the car; they were stuffed to the brim with his textbooks, extra parchment, and at least fifteen books. By the time he had gotten downstairs, everybody was waiting in the car. He sighed and dragged his cases outside, stuffed them in the boot, and sat in the car. He buckled in and prepared for a long, and most likely noisy, ride to the station.

The family of nine quickly exited the car and hurried towards the train station. Inside, Oliver led them to the "9 ¾ Hogwarts Express" sign. He probably knew King's Cross Station better than anyone else in England. His family went through, one by one until it was just him. Oliver had always felt nervous about passing through. He looked at the bricks as if someone might have hexed them and he could have ended up in the cold mountains of Siberia, or on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. He knew it was virtually impossible, but he had always had his suspicions. He took a deep breath, stared into the brick wall, and ran through.