The Hogwarts Express (Open)

King's Cross station wasn't too far from their new home. They had finally moved out of Stella's flat a little less than a month before, and most of their stuff was now unboxed and looking a little less out of place. The Berkeley-Bentons instructed the cab driver to pull up to the curb a little ahead of schedule, so that they'd have enough time to find what they were looking for.

"What does it say again?" Samantha asked over her shoulder as they emerged from the cab, thanking the driver for waiting. They pulled Mariah's luggage out of the boot - Mariah was still getting used to the new lingo - and started walking. As they made their way toward the large, brick arches of the train station, Mariah unfolded the letter that Mr. Weber had sent her with instructions, skimming past the bit about Diagon Alley until she came to the final few paragraphs.

"Go to the barrier between platforms nine and ten, make sure no one's looking, and walk through it. This will bring you to platform nine and three quarters, where the Hogwarts Express will be waiting for you. Muggles can't get past the barrier, so say your farewells before you step through."

"Alright," Katrina responded, searching for signs as they entered the bustling station. They turned and walked past several platforms until they came to platform nine. As Mariah's eyes landed on the barrier, she could have sworn she saw a foot disappear inside. This is it.

She pulled her large, rolling suitcase behind her and walked toward the barrier, her mothers in tow. When they reached the seemingly solid brick wall, Mariah turned and hugged her parents goodbye.

"I'll write," she promised. "Mr. Weber says they have owls to carry all their letters, so don't get freaked out if an owl drops by the flat."

"This is so weird," Samantha sighed, ruffling Mariah's hair. "You're sure they don't have email?"

"I don't know. Mr. Weber didn't mention it, but he was there a long time ago, so things might have changed."

"Well, see if you can find out before you resort to using owls."

"Okay."

"Love you, Ri."

"Love you, Mom."

Katrina swooped in for one last hug. "I love you too. You'll be home for Christmas?"

"Of course."

"Alright. Good luck. Make friends!"

"I'll try," Mariah said with a half-smile. "Bye, Mom. Bye, Mum."

The two women stepped away and waved as their daughter inched cautiously toward the barrier. Mariah reached out a hand and watched as her fingers disappeared through the wall. She pulled back, looked around to make sure nobody saw her, then waved one last time at her parents. With a deep breath, she walked straight into the wall and emerged on the other side.

Harper looked around her at all the chaos surround the Hogwarts Express. Students and parents alike bustled around, trying to make sure they had their luggage and that they had said their goodbyes. Meanwhile Harper was there by herself, as neither parent could have been bothered to come. Not that she had expected them to.

She had been away all summer, touring Europe. Not that she had gotten any letters, phone calls, texts, even an email would have been nice from either of her parents. She, of course, had sent them post cards, even though she hated herself for still seeking their approval for the places she had been.

Living in Hogsmeade, she usually didn’t take the train to school, as the train stopped in Hogsmeade anyways. Previous years she just met everyone at the station with a couple others in her village. But this year when she had come home from her trip only a couple days before the first day of school, she had decided not to go home. Instead she did her shopping in diagon alley, and found a relatively cheap room to stay in, and that was where she moved out of this morning, and headed straight to the train station.

The platform 9 3/4 had given her a bit of trouble. She hadn’t ever experienced any of this, regardless of the number of tickets she had gotten over the years in her Hogwarts letters. Luckily she saw someone else go in first and was able to figure it out from there. Now, there was just a matter of getting her things onto the train and finding somewhere that wasn’t too crowded.

She pulled her bag close to her and scanned the crowd, trying to determine where people where getting on.

The crowded platform buzzed with energy as parents said farewell to their kids, and kids said hello to their friends. Mariah didn't know anyone, so she bypassed the crowd and headed straight for an open door on the train - a big, red steam engine that looked like it belonged in a children's book. Rolling her suitcase behind her, she weaved through a few people and eventually reached the short steps leading up into the train. She collapsed the handle on her suitcase and shoved it up ahead of her, then followed, slightly out of breath.

The quiet interior of the train was in stark contrast to the bustling world outside. She found herself in a narrow corridor, looked both ways, and decided to head toward the back of the train. She passed several compartments that looked to be already full, and decided she wasn't quite up to inserting herself where she wasn't invited.

When she finally found an empty compartment, she slid the door open and slipped inside, claiming a seat near the window. She silently hoped people would come to her and introduce themselves so she wouldn't have to go to them.

For the moment, she was alone, so she glanced back down at the letter still clutched in her hand and opened it to read it one last time.

Mariah,

Congratulations on your acceptance to Hogwarts! I think I've told you everything you need to know about the school itself. You're certainly more prepared than many first years usually are. If you have any questions throughout the year, feel free to write me and ask.

There are a few things you'll need to know in preparation. With your acceptance letter, you should have received a list of books and supplies that you'll need for the year. Everything you need can be found in Diagon Alley.

There is a pub called The Leaky Cauldron on Charing Cross Road in London. It's hidden from muggles, but once you point it out to them, your mothers should be able to see it and come in with you. You can ask the barman to lead you to Diagon Alley. Alternatively, you can go through The Leaky Cauldron and reach it yourself.

Out back of the pub there's a brick wall. Tap this pattern with your wand:

Here he had inserted a hand-draw diagram - a rough sketch of the wall, with certain bricks numbered in the order they should be tapped.

and the wall will open to reveal Diagon Alley, a street full of shops for all your wizarding needs.

First, you'll want to go to Gringotts, the wizarding bank. Here, you can exchange muggle money for wizard money. There are 29 knuts (bronze) in a sickle (silver), and 17 sickles in a galleon (gold). Few things you'll need will cost more than a galleon, so I'd take out mostly knuts and sickles if I were you.

The rest should be fairly straightforward. All the shops have signs. You won't need to go to Olivander's since you already have a wand. Flourish and Blotts is the book shop where most students get their textbooks. You can get a broomstick if you want to try your hand at quidditch, but you should go to a few games first so you're familiar with the sport.

When you've done all your shopping, the next thing you'll have to worry about is the train. With your letter, you should have received a ticket for the Hogwarts Express, along with the date and time of departure. You'll notice it says King's Cross, Platform 9 3/4.

King's Cross Station is a muggle train station, so you'll have no problem finding that. Getting to the platform is trickier.

Go to the barrier between platforms nine and ten, make sure no one's looking, and walk through it. This will bring you to Platform 9 3/4 where the Hogwarts Express will be waiting for you. Muggles can't get past the barrier, so say your farewells before you step through.

The train is a good place to make friends, before you get caught up in all the house nonsense. I'd suggest taking advantage of it. I met some of my best friends on the train in my first year.

As always, you can write at any time and tell me how things are going. Hogwarts uses owls to send mail (there's an owlery in one of the towers), but you can also take things to the post office in Hogsmeade, provided your parents signed your permission slip.

Remember, your school experience is always going to be what you make of it. You will find people you like, people you dislike, and people who like and dislike you. It's up to you which ones you let in. You are perfectly capable of excelling in school, and perfectly capable of making friends.

Take care, and good luck. I'm always here if you need me.

Klaus