Surviving in Harmony

Chapter Thirty-One | Kings Cross, September 1, 2009

Chapter Thirty-One

September 1st, 2009

            Running through a wall was rather hard to do, Max thought. He didn't want to hit his head or maybe it wouldn't even let him through! What if he wasn't magical enough?

"Max?"

Shaking out of his panic attack, Max looked over at his best friend. Teddy Lupin's hair was a soft, pale pink – he was nervous.

"Ted, you're hair."

Teddy glanced up at the pieces dangling over his eyes, sighing. "Sorry." He blinked at his hair turned a bright turquoise. "Better?"

"You're nervous?" asked Max, gripping onto his book bag.

"I –" Teddy remembered his hair. "Well, yeah." Then he beamed at Max, nudging him gently. "But I'm excited, too!"

Max smiled back. "Yeah, me too." A thankful shout came from within his house. "Mamma?" he called. Teddy and he were waiting by Harry's car; Sonia was trying to find something she insisted Max and Teddy needed.

"Coming!" she called, dashing out of the house. Andrew chuckled.

"Your Mamma never changes, Max." he told him. "Always one last thing to pack, to do."

Sonia handed Max a small leather bag. "Open it on the train," she told the boys. "But not a second sooner, or it'll ruin the surprise."

"C'mon everyone," Harry called from the drivers seat. "We don't want the train to leave without you!"

Max and Teddy gave each other a worried look. "Can that happen?"

"Well –" started Harry, but Sonia interrupted him, sending her god brother a glare.

"No boys, of course not. Let's go, c'mon!"

They all piled into the car, quite comfortably. Charlie sat with the boys in the back, Sonia and Andrew in the front with Harry. Sonia and Harry argued about the Quidditch game that had been played a few nights ago and broadcasted over the radio. Max leaned out the window to catch a last glimpse of his home for several months – what if he couldn't do it? Teddy have him a reassuring smile, and Charlie quickly dozed off; he'd been up all night with the hatchlings.

The drive was almost done as they flew over London, and Sonia was still defending her points. "Oh c'mon Harry, you know Gorgio was useless!"

"He's fast, isn't he?" asked Harry, landing carefully in a back alley. The invisibility was turned off and they pulled out into traffic.

Max and Teddy smiled at the adults banter, bouncing in anticipation at how close they were to Hogwarts. Soon they were parking, their trunks were loaded onto trollies – and standing in front of the barrier.

"Okay, off we go!" Sonia said, standing behind Max. "Who first?"

Max and Teddy looked hesitantly between themselves. "I'll go." Volunteered Charlie, patting his son's shoulder. He ran through the barrier, Harry waving at Teddy and following.

"Our turn." Andrew said softly, leading Teddy into it. They moved through, leaving Max and Sonia last.

"Ready Maxxie?" she asked.

Max was going to miss his mothers kind voice. He nodded, swallowing nervously. "Ye-yeah."

"I'm right here." She whispered, and they ran through.

On the other side Max's mouth gaped open. "Woah." The platform was crowded with parents, students, and pets. Cats wove between people's ankles and there was a game of exploding snap happening somewhere; two kids had set up a chess board on a trunk and were playing. Little siblings cried and held onto the older ones hands, begging them to take them, too.