Nott scared are you?

Platform 9 3/4

I pushed my trolly with my mother and father behind me. They were once again reciting the same speech they do at the start of every term. Don't do this. Don't do that. You need to remember. You must always. I used to listen to this speech when I was in my first year. After that, I didn't even bother. All I had to do was say "100% of course" at the right time, and agree with what they were saying. At that point, they just become too predictable.
I messaged Daphne (Greengrass my best friend) that I am waiting for her between the two platforms. Oh my gosh, where the hell is she. I can guarantee that that girl would be late to her own funeral. My phone vibrates in my hand and I open her message.

Daphne <3: Don't get mad, I'm stuck in traffic. I will be about 5 mins.

Me: For God's sake. Its the same thing every time. You're not going to be 5 mins you're going to be 20. If we don't catch the train because you're late, I swear to God Daphne, I'm going to kill you.

Daphne <3: I knowwww I'm not good with my time management but I couldn't help it. My mother had to scold the house elf for not packing my trunk

Me: I didn't really want to know that because now I feel bad. Love you see you soon

Daphne <3: Love you to

So, I stand there. Waiting. I take note of the time so that I know by exactly how much time she is late by. I see multiple people pass by with the same dark brown hair as hers. People with the same worried expression on their face as she would have on now that we are both late. I'm looking  between  my parents and my watch. I take a nervous glance at my watch. Counting down the minutes till the gateway closes to the platform. 10 minutes, she really is cutting it short. Then I see her. She is practically blundering down the platforms. I start grinning. I mean THE Daphne Greengrass, the ever graceful, polite, straight A student is blundering towards me. I can visibly see the exertion and worry on her face. She must have ran the whole way from the car. As she approaches me I can see her mouthing "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I am late." 

Clutching a stich at her side, she comes to a stop next to me and embraces me in a hug. I hug her back, feeling how fast her heart is racing and how quickly and big her lungs expand in her chest. And in that one moment I forget why I was even annoyed with her. All that matters is that my best friend is here with me to venture through our next year of Hogwarts. "Don't say sorry, I understand. Our house elf is not most competent either." She takes a few more lungfuls of air before she replies, "Thanks chicken." 

I bid goodbye to my parents, hugging them tightly. As annoying as they may be, I still love them dearly. And will miss them so much. It's a long time to go, 3 and a half months without seeing my family. I remind them that I will do everything that they say to keep them from worrying about my wellbeing. My mother reminds me to keep in touch and I tell her that I will write every week. With one last hug from my mother, I start walking towards the gateway with my best friend, briefly looking over my shoulder to wave goodbye to my parents.

 Me and Daphne go through the gateway with alarmingly little to no time to spare. After we get help putting our luggage onto the train, we make our way to the carriages. We decide to look for empty compartments in the back carriage. No one wants to sit at the back. I mean literally no one. Not even looney Luna sits at the back with her issue of the Quibler. Hopefully we will be able to get an empty compartment all to ourselves. We peer into the compartments left and right as we make our way along the carriage. It seems that we weren't the only ones who were late boarding the train.

 I see Katie Bell with her friends in one of the compartments. Even though me and Daphne are proud Slytherins and she is a Gryffindor through and through, I decide that no matter where we look, we are going to have to share a compartment with other people. I have spoken to Bell a few times in class. She seems nice and made conversation with me. Despite how dull the conversation was, she still made the effort to act against the Gryffindor x Slytherin dilemma. I mean last year we managed to squeeze 7 people in one compartment, and Katie Bell's only has 4 people in it. I mean it would be a tight fit but we don't have a better option. I lightly tap on the door and open it a crack.