The Girl Who Was Forgotten

Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

A month later, on 1st September, Magnolia and Harry were stood in Kings Cross Station looking at their tickets in confusion. The tickets clearly said platform 9 ¾, but as Uncle Vernon had so happily pointed out, there didn't seem to be a platform 9 ¾. Magnolia stood with their trolleys holding their trunks, Hedwig and Kaida in their respective cages whilst Harry asked a guard.

"That didn't go well." Harry said sheepishly as he returned. "He's never even heard of Hogwarts. What do we do now?"

As Magnolia was beginning to contemplate getting her wand out and waving it around like Hagrid did with the wall to get into Diagon Alley, a large family walked past them, all of them had hair similar to Magnolia's own red hair. And one of the children had an owl.

"It's the same every year," The elder lady said, "Packed with Muggles of course."

Magnolia hit Harry's arm to get his attention and pointed at the family as the eldest looking boy walked towards the wall between platform 9 and 10. She hit her brothers arm again, this time in excitement, as the boy disappeared through the wall. Magnolia pushed her trolley over to the family as two of the boys, obviously twins, were speaking to the elder lady.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George. Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother."

Magnolia looked between the two twins; they were practically identical in every way. Magnolia wondered, if her parents were still alive, would her and Harry be being dropped off to the Hogwarts Express by them like these children? Playfully talking to each other and joking with each other. The twins, who their mother had actually got the right way round, had disappeared through the wall now too.

"Excuse me." Harry had approached the family and was talking to the mother who introduced him to her son, Ron who was in the same year as Harry and Magnolia.

The fire haired lady looked at them warmly, explaining how to get through to platform 9 ¾ with a motherly tone. Magnolia looked at the wall, just run through, easy enough, just run through. She stepped ahead of Harry who still seemed dubious and smiled at him before pushing her trolley towards the wall hoping, mainly for Kaida's sake that she'd go through.

Magnolia closed her eyes and braced herself for the hit just before she got to the wall, but instead she felt a small draft and suddenly, all around her she could hear children's voices. Opening her eyes, Magnolia looked on in amazement at the train stood in front of her. She'd made it.

After Harry made it through the barrier, the pair set off down the platform trying to find an empty carriage. They walked past so many people; some saying goodbye to relatives on the platform, some hanging out of the train's windows, some were showing friends things they'd brought from home. When the twins eventually found an empty compartment, they put Kaida and Hedwig into the compartment and went back to get their trunks. Harry tried to lift his trunk onto the train but dropped it twice onto his foot and wouldn't let Magnolia help.

"Want a hand, fair maiden?"

Magnolia turned to see one of the red-haired twins walking towards her.

"Please, my brother has tried but our trunks are so heavy." Magnolia smiled in reply to the kind boy.

"Oi Fred! Come here and help!" The boy shouted for his twin, "I'm George by the way."

"Magnolia." She replied, as his brother ran up to them and lifted Harry's trunk onto the train and into the compartment.

George took Magnolia's trunk for her, placing it next to Harry's in their compartment.

"What's that?" Fred asked, interrupting Harry's thanks for the help, pointing at Harry's forehead.

"Blimey. Are you-?" George gasped.