September 1st, 1992
Rory sat at the end of the twin bed, brows furrowed, new wand pointed fervently at her feet. Teenie had taught her a spell to tie her shoes. Rory's laces twitched about, but were no were close to a knot. Newt picked his eyes up from the paper to survey the situation.
Newt crossed the room and kneeled before the young girl. He gently pulled one of Rory's feet to the side, and whispered, "it's a bit more like this love."
He gently flicked his wand in a small figure eight, "nodius" rolled off his tongue and the white trainer was adorned in a perfect bow. Newt gave the girl a nod "deep breath, remember, magic is fun" and they smiled together.
Rory closed her eyes, and took a deep breath- in through the nose, out through the mouth. Magic is fun.
"Nodius" she whispered and flicked her wand in two tiny loops. The laces landed in a bit more of a flop than Uncle Newt's did, but nonetheless, she did it. Rory beamed down at her guardian, who then stood up and planted a swift kiss on her forehead.
"Nice work honey," Tina said admiring her little family. "Are you about ready now? It's nearly time to apparate to the station" she added, reaching for her cloak.
Rory nodded and began to check her trunk one last time. She was currently in her muggle clothes: a pair of baggy black jeans, a white tee shirt, and a short sleeve denim button down open over it. She had her hair pushed back in a bandana, she knew there would be a lot of emotions today- might as well cover it some.
In her trunk were her books (already dog eared from her initial flip troughs), her assorted school clothes, as well as stationary. Underneath a cozy-looking grey turtle neck, Rory took a final glance at her walkman, photo album, and polaroid camera. At the last moment, she grabbed the camera and stashed it in her canvas tote bag. She wanted a picture of the train and didn't want to have to dig around for it.
With one last glance in the mirror, Rory joined hands with her guardians, and with a crack they left the leaky cauldron.
...
Kings Cross was packed with muggles in suits and tourists in caps that bustled around in every direction, making Rory feel quite small. Newt tugged gently at her hand, "this way my dears," and he lead his little family in the direction of the platform.
There, standing between the pillars for platforms 9 and 10 stood the rest of their family, Annie fussing with Rolf's hair.
"Mum will you please stop it," Rolf pleaded, dodging his mothers picking fingers. "I told you its supposed to look like that, it's how the muggles do it".
"Oh I've seen the muggle magazines, pickle, but what I don't understand is you're going to a wizarding school-"
"Don't call me pickle! I'm not a baby anymore! I'm eleven now!"
Griffin and Annie both chuckled at this, but gave their son the space he requested. Rory took the opportunity, let go of Uncle Newt's hand, and dashed over to the boy, bumping hips with him.
"Oh don't worry Rolf, I'll only tell my roommates your petname. Teenage girls are sooooo good at keeping secrets" Rory snorted and Rolf's scrunched face shone scarlet. The two began swatting at eachother until they were in a fit of hysteria, wrapped in each others arms. Standing there with her best friend, the closest thing she could imagine to a brother, she wasn't so nervous anymore.
Rory had never been very good at making friends. It wasn't that she was unlikeable or shy, she was just a bit... awkward at first. Her nerves and excitement bubbled inside of her like a murky potion being brewed over a too large flame. It was hard to contain herself, yet another reason why you could read her emotions like a book.
But Rolf was very different. He was extremely level headed and logical, and undeniably loyal. He had always been Rory's ally: sticking up for her, including her when she felt alone, and grounding her when her heart and her head were speaking two different languages. Having Rolf attend Hogwarts with her was a gift from Merlin.
As the family chatted for a moment, Rory watched a few different young witches and wizards travel through the barrier. It was startling, and awe-inspiring. Uncle Newt had told her about platform 9 3/4, he had answered all of her Hogwarts questions in detail. But seeing people disappear through a wall in the middle of a crowded muggle train station was something else. It was fun.
Rolf and his parents pushed through first, and then Newt and Tina gestured for Rory to make her move. She hoisted her tote a little higher on her shoulder and headed toward the pillar. With closed eyes and teeth gnawing at her lips, she pushed through to the other side. By the time her guardians had joined her, Rory was already staring with her mouth agape at the massive crimson steam engine.
She made her way closer, and Rolf stepped by her side. He knew.
Rory reached into her bag and pulled out her camera. Rolf leaned in and used his longer arm to take the picture of the two of them, the train behind them. As it printed, a large gust of wind billowed down the platform, blowing the undeveloped picture away.
The pair of them darted after the picture, skipping between families saying their goodbyes. They lost sight of it among the crowd and split up in their efforts. Rory bent down to the ground for a different vantage point, and there it was, the corner under the toe of a yellow hightop shoe. She lunged forward just as the other girl bent down as well.
The girl had an enormous amount of luscious blonde locks. Her eyes were a pale grey, nearly white, and they glimmered despite the lack of natural light. Each one of her dainty fingernails was painted a different color, and her smile made Rory's heart warm.
"is this yours, or someone else's?" the girl mused, tilting her head.
"Oh, um, yeah that would be mine" Rory said, reaching for her photo, but the girl pulled her hand back. Rory was flustered by this and could feel her scalp tingling, taking a sharp breath before remembering her bandana. The girl didn't notice anyway, she was busy studying the Polaroid in her hands, and comparing it to Rory's puzzled face.
"Well I guess it is you. I prefer moving pictures myself, or enchanted drawings if you have the time. Of course those are rather difficult to master, and father says its no use trying unless you have the proper ink made of-
"Horklump blood" the girls said in unison. Rory blushed, but the blonde girl beamed.
"Luna Lovegood, first year" she said with a huge smile, aggressively shaking Rory's hand.
"Rory McKinnon, I'm a first year too" she pulled her hands away to adjust her bandana, making sure her roots were covered. A few inches hung down her back, but she didn't think Luna could see. Not that she would mind, Rory noted; Luna was a bit odd herself.
With perfect timing, Rolf appeared through a gap in the crowd, followed closely by the rest of the family. Luna looked from Rory to Rolf and back again, furrowing her brow once more.
"Not siblings," she said very matter-of-factly, "but you do photograph quite well together. You fancy each other then?" she asked without hesitation.
Rolf and Rory scuttled apart and made varying noises of distaste. Luna was right, you could clearly tell they were not related. Rolf had porcelin skin and tight dark curls, where as Rory's freckled arms were a deep olive, and she had much sharper features than her best friend. It was a new occurrence for people to mistake them as a couple, but Rory had a sinking suspicion that it would only happen more with age. A thought that made her queasy.
"No, nope, definitely not" the boy said shaking his head and glancing quizzically at Luna.
"Well who are you then?" Luna asked, finally handing the photograph back to Rory.
"Name's Rolf Scamander, I'm just starting at Hogwarts,"
Luna's eye grew even wider at Rolf's surname. She then locked eyes with Uncle Newt behind the kids. "Oh! Daddy, look!" Luna exclaimed, tugging at the sleeve of the tall and equally as peculiar wizard beside her, "It's Newt Scamander!"
And with that, Newt was preoccupied once again. The remainder of the group said their goodbyes and assisted with the trunks. Everything was happened so quickly and before Rory had time to process or take it all in, she was leaning out the train window, fingers sliding out of her Uncle Newt's hand, watching her Aunt Teenie's dark eyes well up with tears.
The moment Rory had waited for her whole life had finally arrived, she was truly going to Hogwarts.
...
On the train Rolf and Rory had picked the first empty compartment they could find, but their privacy was short lived. Luna Lovegood appeared so swiftly that Rolf let out an audible yelp. Luna only giggled at this as she secured her patchwork knapsack above her seat. She didn't seem to hesitate in making herself comfortable.
Luna plopped herself down and locked eye contact with Rory. "Your last name is McKinnon, but you arrived with all Scamander's, and I heard you call Newt your uncle," she said flatly.
Rory waited for the question for a moment before realizing that there must not be one.
"well, um, yeah... Newt and Tina are my guardians"
"Oh dear," Luna said with a frown "an orphan."
"Excuse you-" Rolf started, sitting up a little straighter. Rory put a hand on his shoulder and he settled down a little, leaving an uneasy eye on Luna.
"I didn't mean to offend you. See, it's just me and my father myself. Mum died a few years back." Luna twirled one of the many tiny braids intermixed in her curls. Rory's heart ached for the girl. At least she never knew her parents.
"Uncle Newt's a bit blunt like you" Rory said with a smile.
"Oh really?!" Luna exclaimed "what a compliment! Me! Like Mr. Newt Scamander!" she chuckled and trailed off, her eyes wandering as she bounced between giggles and hums.
Rolf nudged Rory with his knee and gave her a skeptical look, which she brushed off. Luna was odd, but so what? So was Rory. Rolf rolled his eyes and cozied himself against the window, shifting his attention to the passing countryside.
Rory rolled her eyes and said, "be pleasant, alright?" as she stood up. "I'm going to find the restroom, be back in a moment Luna. I hope Rolf is tolerable, but if he's not you let me know. I've got years of secrets I'm prepare to spill," and with a devious chuckle, she left the odd pair for the hall.
Meandering down the train she finally came across the bathroom. Rory jostles the handle, and the door swooped open to reveal a young girl with her face buried in her hands. She looked up with a gasp, revealing a pair of dazzling brown eyes, bloodshot, and full of tears. Rory stumbled back, muttering apologies before realizing that the ginger girl before her was the same one from the big family back at the leaky cauldron.
The girl tucked a strand of fiery hair behind her ear and wiped her snot on her jumper before quickly attempting to abandon her hiding spot. The two girls awkwardly jumped back and forth, dancing to avoid the others path. Rory eventually let out a giggle and placed her feet firmly in one spot.
"This is silly, you don't need to run away" Rory said with a smile. "What's the matter? Are you nervous?"
The red head furrowed her brow at this "of course I'm not nervous, it's just a school and four of my brothers with be there with me" she started, but at the last words her breath caught and gaze softened.
"you have MORE than four brothers?" Rory let out a desperate laugh.
"six..." the girl said with a small chuckle.
"merlin, I wouldn't be nervous of school either. I don't know if I'd be nervous of anything with six brothers. I just have Rolf around and he causes enough trouble"
"oh you have a brother too?"
"no... not really. I mean he's basically my brother, but he's actually my nephew, but were not even really related he's just my guardians grandson-"
"and I thought my home life was a mess"
"I need to use the restroom, but then do you want to come back to my compartment with me. Rolf is there and this other girl our age we met named Luna. I don't know much about her, but she seems nice."
The girls eyes glowed a soft gold at the offer, and with a smile she stepped to the side, fully vacating the bathroom.
"Name's Rory by the way"
"I'm Ginny, Ginny Weasley"
...
The girls could hear a ruckus as they approached the compartment, and opened the door to quite the scene.
Rolf seemed to have built some make shift barricades out of their trunks, pulled his cloak out, and covered every inch of his body with the thick black fabric. He appeared less wizard and more like a large and lumpy throw pillow. Luna on the other hand had removed her yellow high tops and denim jacket, leaving them sprawled on the seat beside her. her nose was buried deep in a book as she rapidly sketched.
Rolf poked his nose from beneath his cloak. "Thank Merlin you came back, I didn't know if I would make it out alive!"
Ginny and Rory's glances darted between the two before looking to each other in confusion. Luna bit her lip and squinted before looking to the pair.
"All I asked was that he remove his shirt so I could get a better look at his collarbones. I like my drawings to be accurate and collarbones say so much about a person" before returning to her sketch.
Rolf waved his arms frantically before making a stern grumble and throwing his cloak over his head again. "I never should have let you talk me into leaving America".
"Oh like it took any convincing at all, you'd follow me anywhere, pickle" and with that rolf lunged across the compartment, tackling rory to the ground.
"Yup. He's a brother" Ginny said, stepping over the pair and planting herself next to Luna. With out introduction, the two began discussing her drawing, and the shadowing on Rolf's neck.
"You've got to be kidding me" Rolf said with a groan.
"I love them" said Rory.
The four spent the rest of the ride laughing (mostly at Rolf's expense) and sharing different hopes and dreams for hogwarts.
Rolf and Rory knew some, Luna knew more, but Ginny was a wealth of information regarding anything and everything to do with the castle. She had spent her entire life listening to stories from her parents and siblings, pining for the day that she would get to board this crimson train with her brothers.
"Where are they anyway" Rolf asked toward the end of another story. Ginny blushed at this and her muscles all tightened. She looked like she might cry again.
Looking to her shoes, Ginny mumbled, "Percy, George, and Fred all said they didn't want to sit with me. Ron was supposed to, even said I could sit with his friends, but... but he missed the train-" her voice caught again.
The compartment fell quiet for the first time all afternoon. What happened if you didn't get the train? Would they even let you come to school still? No wonder Ginny had been so sad.
Rory inched her toes forward until they bumped into Ginny's. They sat there for a moment, white trainer against white trainer.
"But he's a Gryffindor, right?" Piped up Rolf. Ginny sniffed and gave a small nod. "Well thats good. He's brave, so you know he's not scared?"
"Guess that means I'd make a crumby Gryffindor," mumbled Ginny, pulling her knees toward her chest.
"I don't really think it works that way," added Luna. "Bravery isn't the lack of fear, but the ability to move beyond it."
Ginny lifts her chin at this, meeting Luna's glassy gaze. "Thank you Luna, you're incredibly kind. I bet you'd make a fantastic Hufflepuff." Ginny said with a small grin.
"Well thank you, but I sure do hope I'm in ravenclaw. Whole family has been for generations."
"I can relate," Ginny replied with a sigh.
"Merlin knows where we'll end up", said Rolf, rubbing his temples. This had been a bit of a stressor for him for quite a while. Since most of his relatives had attened Ilvermorny and the housiung system is completly different, he wasn't sure what to expect.
"Uncle Newt and you're dad were both Hufflepuff, so maybe you'll be like them" Rory squeezed Rolf's knee.
"You've said that before, but it just doesn't feel right. Guess we'll find out soon enough."
"What about you, Rory?" asked Ginny.
Rory felt that little knot in her throat again when Ginny addressed her directly. Something about the firey girl made Rory feel dizzy. And it wasn't just her classmate, the whole sorting notion had been a bit of a soft spot for Rory as well.
Rory didn't know what house her mother had been in, let alone who her father even was. For all she knew he was a muggle, or went to a different school like durmstrang.
A moment passed without any answer when Luna broke in, "Whatever house you all are in, you are my friends," she smiled and nodded while surverying the group. Her kindess made Rory's heart feel warm.
Out the window, the city was long gone, and the soft coutryside grew more distant as the train began to navigate through the Scottish highlands. Rolling mountains and glimmering lakes flashed by, and Rory could feel a million butterflies fluttering in her chest.