“Whoa! It’s big in here! Where’s the station, Dad? Where’s Platform 9 ¾?”
Izora marveled at the interior of Kings Cross as she walked inside with her parents, grabbing a cart to wheel her luggage and cat on. The place was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and being there made the redhead feel very excited. She whipped her head around, making sure she looked at everything as she walked through the stations.
Her father chuckled, leading her over over to a brick wall near the other side of the building. He gestured to it, proudly, a wide grin on his face. “Here we are!”
The girl furrowed her brow at the sight her father presented her with. “Uh, Dad… that’s a brick wall,” she told him as if it was very obvious, holding a hand out towards it. “How did they bewitch a brick wall? Is it like Diagon Alley, or-”
“Sh!” he suddenly hushed the girl, moving his hand around to face her. “We don’t want the Muggles knowing about this!”
This only made Izzy more confused. “But you just-”
Again, she was cut off. “All you have to do is run into it! I will be right behind you, alright? Go on, sweetie, stand in front of the wall, but not too close.”
Izzy had no idea how no Muggles were paying any attention to them or why her dad had mentioned being quiet in the first place, but she decided to question none of it, instead wheeling her cart a few feet away from the brick wall she was supposed to run into. She felt something behind her, so she turned around to see her father, her mother standing off to the side. “Mum! I’m gonna miss you!” she called, running over to her mom to give her a big hug.
The woman smiled, giggling quietly as she embraced her daughter. “I’ll miss you, too, honey,” she told her, brushing a stray strand of curly red hair behind her ear and fluffing out her pigtails playfully. “Make sure you write to us, alright?”
“Of course!” Kissing her mother’s cheek, Izzy whizzed back over to her cart, bending her knees to prepare for the run of her life. Her father’s hands clasped the bar of the cart around her own, and he began to count down.
“Three… two… one… go!”
Izzy ran as fast as she could, her dad right behind her, directly at the brick wall.
The sensation she felt was… unusual, to say the least. It almost felt as if her body was being stretched and squished like Play-Doh, and she couldn’t really tell if it was a pleasant feeling or not.
Thankfully, it was over in the blink of an eye, new sounds filling her ears and a warm sensation filling her body. She opened the eyes she had closed during the run, first noticing the steam pouring from the funnel of a long, red-and-black train. Blue-grey eyes widening, Izzy once again whipped her head around to look at everything, quickly noting the many people that wore cloaks and pointed hats.
Her father stepped into the station, breathing deeply and exhaling in a sigh. “Ain’t she a beaut, Iz? That train’s the Hogwarts Express. She’s the one you’re gonna be riding in in, oh, say, five minutes,” he explained, checking his watch.
Wheeling her cart closer to the train, Izzy hummed in response, unable to take her eyes off of the sleek mode of transportation…
...until she heard a loud barking noise.
“Wah!” Izzy called in alarm, backing up a foot or two to see a beagle barking at Zip, who merely looked down to the dog with a seemingly taunting look on his face. “Hey, you may be cute, doggy, but you can’t just bark at Zip like that!” she told the dog as if he could make sense of her words, picking up her cat and holding him in her arms, defensively.
An owl flew over after the dog, landing on the handle of the cart and turning its head to look at Izzy.
“What’s going on over here?” the redhead’s father asked, placing a hand on his daughter’s shoulder as he watched the scene play out.
“I dunno whose pets these are, Dad, but they just came over here for no reason!” Izzy explained, placing her chin on the top of Zip’s head, looking up to her father.
“Shard! Rocket! There you are!” called an unfamiliar voice from the same direction the animals showed up in. Izzy turned her head to see a boy with brown hair run over to her, blue eyes wide, and a smile on his face. “I’ve been looking all over the place for you two!” Picking up the beagle, who still growled at Zip, the boy looked to Izzy and her father, an awkward expression on his face. “Sorry about that. These two can be real troublemakers, like, all the time.” He held a hand out to Izzy, still holding Rocket in the other. “Name’s Alpha! The here’s Rocket, and my owl’s Shard!” he introduced himself and his pets, smile widening.
Izzy nodded in response, shaking Alpha’s hand. “That’s alright. It’s nice to meet you! My name’s Izora, but you can call me Izzy! My cat’s name is Zip.”
Alpha reached his hand over to Zip, causing Rocket to even more. He groaned, backing up to shut his beagle up. “Nice to meet you, too! I think you should get your stuff on the train, though, so you don’t miss it. C’mon, I’ll help you out!”
Turning back to her father, Izzy hugged him tightly, a smile of her own spreading across her face. “I’m gonna miss you, Dad! I’ll make sure to write, but you need to write to me, too!”
Her father patted the girl’s head, chuckling. “Will do, honey. Now get going! Alpha’s right- we don’t want you to miss the train!” He let go of her, waving as Izzy and Alpha wheeled her cart over to an open door.
“Tickets please,” a man in a long black cloak asked, holding his hand out to the two, wand in the other, a look of expectation on his face.
“You have your ticket?” Alpha asked, taking his own out of his pocket.
“Yeah,” Izzy replied, getting her own out and handing it to Alpha so he could give both to the man.
“Thank you kindly!” With a simple flick of his wrist, he shot a perfectly circular hole into each ticket, handing them back to the two. “Enjoy the ride!”
With all the luggage put away, tickets taken, and their pets in tow, the two chose an empty compartment facing towards all the parents, across from one with a lone boy seated inside. They waved as Rocket ran alongside them, out on the station, until the Hogwarts Express blew its whistle and trudged forward, out into the sunny air, beginning the trip to school for both Izzy’s and Alpha’s first time.
Izora marveled at the interior of Kings Cross as she walked inside with her parents, grabbing a cart to wheel her luggage and cat on. The place was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and being there made the redhead feel very excited. She whipped her head around, making sure she looked at everything as she walked through the stations.
Her father chuckled, leading her over over to a brick wall near the other side of the building. He gestured to it, proudly, a wide grin on his face. “Here we are!”
The girl furrowed her brow at the sight her father presented her with. “Uh, Dad… that’s a brick wall,” she told him as if it was very obvious, holding a hand out towards it. “How did they bewitch a brick wall? Is it like Diagon Alley, or-”
“Sh!” he suddenly hushed the girl, moving his hand around to face her. “We don’t want the Muggles knowing about this!”
This only made Izzy more confused. “But you just-”
Again, she was cut off. “All you have to do is run into it! I will be right behind you, alright? Go on, sweetie, stand in front of the wall, but not too close.”
Izzy had no idea how no Muggles were paying any attention to them or why her dad had mentioned being quiet in the first place, but she decided to question none of it, instead wheeling her cart a few feet away from the brick wall she was supposed to run into. She felt something behind her, so she turned around to see her father, her mother standing off to the side. “Mum! I’m gonna miss you!” she called, running over to her mom to give her a big hug.
The woman smiled, giggling quietly as she embraced her daughter. “I’ll miss you, too, honey,” she told her, brushing a stray strand of curly red hair behind her ear and fluffing out her pigtails playfully. “Make sure you write to us, alright?”
“Of course!” Kissing her mother’s cheek, Izzy whizzed back over to her cart, bending her knees to prepare for the run of her life. Her father’s hands clasped the bar of the cart around her own, and he began to count down.
“Three… two… one… go!”
Izzy ran as fast as she could, her dad right behind her, directly at the brick wall.
The sensation she felt was… unusual, to say the least. It almost felt as if her body was being stretched and squished like Play-Doh, and she couldn’t really tell if it was a pleasant feeling or not.
Thankfully, it was over in the blink of an eye, new sounds filling her ears and a warm sensation filling her body. She opened the eyes she had closed during the run, first noticing the steam pouring from the funnel of a long, red-and-black train. Blue-grey eyes widening, Izzy once again whipped her head around to look at everything, quickly noting the many people that wore cloaks and pointed hats.
Her father stepped into the station, breathing deeply and exhaling in a sigh. “Ain’t she a beaut, Iz? That train’s the Hogwarts Express. She’s the one you’re gonna be riding in in, oh, say, five minutes,” he explained, checking his watch.
Wheeling her cart closer to the train, Izzy hummed in response, unable to take her eyes off of the sleek mode of transportation…
...until she heard a loud barking noise.
“Wah!” Izzy called in alarm, backing up a foot or two to see a beagle barking at Zip, who merely looked down to the dog with a seemingly taunting look on his face. “Hey, you may be cute, doggy, but you can’t just bark at Zip like that!” she told the dog as if he could make sense of her words, picking up her cat and holding him in her arms, defensively.
An owl flew over after the dog, landing on the handle of the cart and turning its head to look at Izzy.
“What’s going on over here?” the redhead’s father asked, placing a hand on his daughter’s shoulder as he watched the scene play out.
“I dunno whose pets these are, Dad, but they just came over here for no reason!” Izzy explained, placing her chin on the top of Zip’s head, looking up to her father.
“Shard! Rocket! There you are!” called an unfamiliar voice from the same direction the animals showed up in. Izzy turned her head to see a boy with brown hair run over to her, blue eyes wide, and a smile on his face. “I’ve been looking all over the place for you two!” Picking up the beagle, who still growled at Zip, the boy looked to Izzy and her father, an awkward expression on his face. “Sorry about that. These two can be real troublemakers, like, all the time.” He held a hand out to Izzy, still holding Rocket in the other. “Name’s Alpha! The here’s Rocket, and my owl’s Shard!” he introduced himself and his pets, smile widening.
Izzy nodded in response, shaking Alpha’s hand. “That’s alright. It’s nice to meet you! My name’s Izora, but you can call me Izzy! My cat’s name is Zip.”
Alpha reached his hand over to Zip, causing Rocket to even more. He groaned, backing up to shut his beagle up. “Nice to meet you, too! I think you should get your stuff on the train, though, so you don’t miss it. C’mon, I’ll help you out!”
Turning back to her father, Izzy hugged him tightly, a smile of her own spreading across her face. “I’m gonna miss you, Dad! I’ll make sure to write, but you need to write to me, too!”
Her father patted the girl’s head, chuckling. “Will do, honey. Now get going! Alpha’s right- we don’t want you to miss the train!” He let go of her, waving as Izzy and Alpha wheeled her cart over to an open door.
“Tickets please,” a man in a long black cloak asked, holding his hand out to the two, wand in the other, a look of expectation on his face.
“You have your ticket?” Alpha asked, taking his own out of his pocket.
“Yeah,” Izzy replied, getting her own out and handing it to Alpha so he could give both to the man.
“Thank you kindly!” With a simple flick of his wrist, he shot a perfectly circular hole into each ticket, handing them back to the two. “Enjoy the ride!”
With all the luggage put away, tickets taken, and their pets in tow, the two chose an empty compartment facing towards all the parents, across from one with a lone boy seated inside. They waved as Rocket ran alongside them, out on the station, until the Hogwarts Express blew its whistle and trudged forward, out into the sunny air, beginning the trip to school for both Izzy’s and Alpha’s first time.
