Chapter 2 - The Hogwarts Express

The rest of that night passed quickly and soon Taylor's mother was shaking her awake. After a hasty breakfast of porrige and after stuffing her things in her mother's car trunk, Taylor climbed into the backseat with Sebastian and his cage in her lap. As her mother drove off (her father couldn't drive a car to save his life), Taylor turned in her seat and waved goodbye to her house.
A good twenty minutes laster, they parked and disembarked at King's Cross Station. Try as she might, Taylor couldn't see any wizards or witches. She also couldn't see a platform labled "9 3/4" and people were starting to stare.
Taylor couldn't see why they would be staring at her. Her mom had made sure she was dressed like muggle. Taylor was wearing a knee-lenght jeak skirt and brown turtle-neck sweater. She decided that they were more likely than not staring at her owl.
Sebastian gave out a racous squawk and Taylor realized she had nearly smashed his cage into her parents. They had stopped quite suddenly in between platform 9 and platform 10.
"Where is it?" Taylor asked, swivling her hread around. There was no Platform 9 3/4.
"It's beyond that piller." Her dad answered, "We have to conceal it so that the muggles can't see it."
"How do I get in?"
"Just run at it."
Taylor laughed. THe idea of running full tilt at a black of stone was ridiculous. Her laughter died out as she realized that her dad was serious.
"You go through now and I'll come with your mother after." said Archimedes, giving his daughter an encouraging pat on the back. Taylor turned back to the pillar. Deciding that getting it over with was a better idea, Taylor gripped her lugage carrier in both hands, squeezed her eyes shut, and ran.
She never hit anything. Her eyes popped open after she was sure that she had passed teh barrier. In front of her was an enormous hall, packed to bursting with wizards of all colors. On the far side was a long, scarlet steam engine. Kids were boarding, waving to their parents on the ground.
A few feet away, she saw two girls embracing. Both looked to be Taylor's age. One had a bushy mane of brown hair and large front teeth; the other had sleek light brown hair that pulled into a ponytail and still managed to have a small braid coming it out of it on one side. The latter was wearing a school uniform of sorts, consisting of long sleeved pale blue-silk dress and matching lace up boots. A hat made of similar material was perched on her head.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Amanda." The bushy-haired girl said.
"I'll miss you more!" Said the other girl, who's name was apparently Amanda, "Write me everyday!"
"I will!"
"Well, are you ready to go Taylor?" Taylor's parents had made it into the platform.
"Yeah." said Taylor. A hard lump had formed in her throat now that the time had come to leave.
"We'll miss you, Taylor." Her mother said, wrapping her arms around Taylor.
"I'll miss you, too, mum."
"Write as often as you can."
"I will."
Her mom let her go and Taylor squeezed her dad, pecked him on the cheek, and scuttled off to the train. She paused before boarding it and looked back. Her dad had his arm around her mom's waist. Taylor gave a small wave and they waved back. She climbed on to the train, lugging her things behind her.
The doors slammed shut and the whistled started to blow. Taylor joined the throng of students congregating at the windows. As the train pulled out of the station, she thrust her head out the window and waved.
"Good-bye!" She shouted, "I love you! I'll miss you!" Her parents waved back and then they got smaller and smaller until Taylor couldn't see them anymore.
The crowd disperesed and Taylo drew her head back inside. The train seemed to consist of alternating open chairs near windows and private compartments. Taylor grabbed her stuff (Sebastian had fallen asleep despite all the noise) and made her way towards the back of the train.
Most of the compartments were full. Taylor saw a lot of people, most of them in higher grades than her. A lot of squealing was being done by friends excited to see each other after the summer break. When she got to a compartment with only two people inside, Taylor opened the door.
"Can I sit with you?"
The two girls occupying the compartment looked around at her. Taylor was surprised to see they were the same two girls she had met in Diagon Aleey.
"Sure." said the purple-haired girl, "What's your name again?"
"Taylor." Taylor said, entering the compartment and putting her bags and owl on a top rack, "Taylor Short."
"Kitty Dumbledore." said Kitty, smiling.
"Molli Hawk." said the girl in the overly large hat, "Did you get your wand?"
"Yup." said Taylor, now settled in her seat. She withdrew her silvery wand from her pocket, "Willow and dragon heartsting."
"Mine's willow, too." Molli said, "Only it's got a griffin feather core."
"Are you guys nervous?" Taylor asked.
"Of course not!" Kitty said, "I've been wanting to come to Hogwarts for my entire life! I hated the school years. I had to stay with Molli while my grandfather went to school!"
"I'm worried about what house I'll get in." Molli admiteed, "What if I get in Slytherin?"
"I'll leave if I get placed in Slytherin." Taylor spat.
"What house DO you want to be in?" Kitty inquired?
"Griffindor!" Taylor exclaimed. She leapt onto her seat an unsheathed an imaginary sword, "Where dwell the brave at hear and Godric Griffindor blesses the steps of all who show courage!"
Kitty and Molli laughed and Taylor sat back in her seat. Then the door slid open and a boy their age walked in. He had a pale, pointed face and white blonde hair. Two other boys came in with them. They were large and not altogether bright looking.
"Why would you want to be Griffindor?" the boy sneered, "Bunch of goody two shoes, the lot of them."
"I don't remember saying you could come in here." Kitty said pointedly.
"Who are you anyway?" asked Taylor.
"Draco Malfoy." the boy drawled, "And this is Crabbe and Goyle."
"Nice to meet you." said Kitty, "Now go away."
"No need to say who you are." said Malfoy, "You're Katherine Dumbledore, that old dotter's granddaughter."
"My grandfather is NOT a daughter." Kitty said hotly. Malfoy ignoed her.
"And you two must be her groupies," he said to Taylor and Molli, "What's your blood status?"
"What does it matter?" Taylor demanded.
"You're obviously a muggle-born." Malfoy said dismissively.
"For your information, I'm a half-blood. Pure blood on my father's side."
"And Mudblood on your mother's." Malfoy said coldly.
"Shut up!" Kitty shouted, "You will be leaving now."
"Says who? I'm quite comfortable here."
It was than that an older, rather plump witch walked by their room. Taylor hadn't realized it was almost lunch time until she had come by with the food.
"Is there a problem, dears?" the witch asked.
"No ma'm." Malfoy said, smirking at the angry looks on all three girls' faces. He got up and his two lackeys followed.
"Anything from the cart, dears?"
Kitty, Molli, and Taylor walked over and bought a large mound of wizard candies. They spent the rest of the trip eating, complaining about Malfoy, and talking about their upcoming school year. When it was nearly dark outside and the lights inside had come on, their door opened again.
"Have any of you seen a toad?" Asked the bushy-haired girl from before, "Only Neville's lost his." She had a boy their age with her. He looked a bit startled about being dragged around the train.
"No. No toads here." Molli said around a large chunk of Chocolate Frog.
"Well, thanks anyway. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. And you are?"
"Taylor Short."
"Molli Hawk."
"Kitty Dumbledore."
"THE Kitty Dumbledore?" Hermione said, her eyes wide, "I've heard all about your grandfather. It's all in "Hogwarts: A History" and plenty of other books. You're mentioned too. It must be fascinating to have such a famous grandfather. Anyway, I expect we'll be pulling into the station soon, so you all should get in your uniforms."
Without waiting for them to respond, Hermione and Neville left, snapping the door behind them. Kitty, Molli, and Taylor blinked at each other and then stood up. After rumaging around in their bags for a bit, they found their uniforms. Taylor pulled the curtains and locked the door.
They all pulled on their uniforms, which consisted of long black robes, a pair of grey slacks, a pair of black shoes, and a pointed black hat. They would get uniforms reflecting their House once they were placed inside it.
Minutes after they had finished dressing and re-packing, the train slowed. With a shriek of the breaks, it halted. Taylor, Kitty, and Molli grabbed their stuff. Taylor noticed they both had birds as well. Kitty had a small owl, but Molli had a hawk.
"Why do you have a hawk?" Taylor asked as they disembarked.
"I use it instead of an owl. My mum breeds hawks and all sorts of birds of prey." Molli explained, "His name is Crimson."
"My owl's name is Gumdrops." Kitty said, "I saved him two days ago."
"My owl is Sebastian." Taylor said, not really understanding why they were introducing their pets to each other.
Most of the students filed to the left and up the road, but the first years were not. Taylor heard the cry of:
"Firs' years! Firs' years o'er here!"
She looked to the left and saw an enormous man holding a lantern. They made their way over to him.
"How are ya, Kitty?" The man asked.
"Fine. How about you?"
"Eh, Can' complain. Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"
Once most of them had gathered, the man lead them over to a lake.
"You know him?" Taylor whispered.
"Yeah, he's Hagrid. He's one of my Grandfather's best friends."
"He's huge!"
"So?"
"So...nothing." said Taylor.
After being instructed to get three to a boat, the trio boarded one of the many small boats floating on the surface. They began gliding, as if by magic, towards the enormous dark shape that Taylor knew was Hogwarts.

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