Inglorious Bastards [Theodore Nott]

Chapter Two

Once asleep, Charity went to Carina. She took the book from her bed and placed it back in the bag by her trunk. She went to sit on the side of the bed and waited until Carina was settled.

"You nervous for tomorrow?" Charity asked.

"A bit?" Carina admitted. She was frightened. It would be a huge change for her to suddenly not wake to the sound of Maisie's snoring, or to not find the colorful and delicious breakfast made by Charity, or not hear Tom's corny jokes whenever he was at home. And while thinking that for the past few days since she got her letter, Carina felt a bit homesick already, even though she hasn't left yet.

Charity moved and sat beside Carina, she wrapped an arm around her niece's shoulder and brought her to a side-hug.

"I was scared too... so were my parents. We didn't know what we were doing actually." Charity chuckled as she remembered her first time going to Platform 9 ¾ after being oriented by Professor Sprouts. "Don't worry, Hogwarts is a magical place. And you will have so much fun."

"Thank you, Aunt Charity." Carina yawned.

"Anytime, darling."

Later that night, just as Carina was dreaming of running around the halls of Hogwarts, and climbing the tall tower stairs, she woke at the sudden kick at the leg. Snapping her eyes open, she found Maisie snuggling beside her. The girl's head buried to her chest, and arms wrapped around her body. Carina was about to tell her cousin to go back to her own bed but when she heard a shot sniffle, she stopped herself and simply laid back down on her pillow and wrapped around her cousin.

"Promise to write?" Maisie asked.

"I promise."

"Every day?"

"Every hour, if you want." Carina yawned.

"Tell me everything, alright? Don't leave out any detail."

Carina patted her cousin's head and lulled her to sleep.

"I'd even have Hester send you a piece of wood from my bedpost if you want."

Maisie let out a sleepy chuckle but then fell asleep, and not long, Carina did as well.

~*~

Harry Potter was at lost. He has asked almost everybody in King's Cross where he could find Platform 9 ¾ but everyone he asked either looked at him funny, delusional or annoyed – or sometimes all three. He was starting to feel helpless as the clock was about to strike at eleven. Maybe Hagrid has forgotten to tell him somewhere in the line of tapping bricks like the one at Diagon Alley? Desperate, the boy thought of taking out his wand to try it out but stopped when a large family, all with flaming red hair, passed him, and he heard what the woman was saying,

" – packed with Muggles, of course –"

The boys of the family – which he counted was four – were pushing trunks similar to his, and one had an owl! This was his opportunity. He approached the family just as they stopped before the large pillar of Platforms 9 and 10.

"Mom, can't I go?" The small girl asked the plump woman, who Harry believed was the mother of all the children.

"You're not old enough, Ginny... now, Percy, you go first."

"COMING THROUGH! TOO SLOW! HAHAHA!" Suddenly a flash passed the family and Harry. Their loud announcement started the woman, while received cheers from the two identical-looking boys – twins. From what he managed to see was a girl pushing her cart in a run, with a little blonde girl sitting on her trunk, and were heading to the pillar, Harry wanted to stop them before they crashed but they didn't, instead, the girls and the cart disappeared inside the pillar!