IT had finally come.
the day that i'd been waiting for before i'd even been transported to this world. the day i'd been waiting for ever since i first read the harry potter series. i stood between platforms nine and ten in the king's cross station, my parents standing behind me and fussing with my belongings. people wizzed around me with their luggage carts, some which i recognized as wizards and witches, others simply muggles trying to catch their train.
the brick pillar i had only seen in the movies or in my dreams stood tall before me, swallowing witches and wizards so they could get to the only train that would take you to hogwarts. nerves and excitement washed over me in waves, taking turns or sometimes crashing into each other to make a single big wave. i tapped my foot nervously.
"dear, are you ready?" i turned to meet the smoky eyes of my mother. she'd always been beautiful, from the first day i'd met her, but now she seemed a different kind a beautiful i'd been used to. now it was a commanding and strong beauty that she radiated. she looked at me with concerned eyes. "i know it'll be a big change, and the people will be different. but i know you can do it. you're beautiful and kind and smart, nobody would dare to mess with you. and if they do you can just show them what you're capable of." she sent me a wink.
"yes, if anyone messes with my daughter they'd have to go through me," my dad said, in all his adorable, made-up confidence. he puffed up his chest and lifted both his arms to flex, which made me laugh, and my mom roll her eyes with a smile. "but... you can take care of yourself. you know it. we know it. and we're so proud of you." my eyes started to water, and his got glossy.
i blinked, and a tear fell. i wiped it away quickly, embarrassed to be crying in such a public space. we weren't even at the platform yet. "thank you," was all i could say before i stepped into my dad's torso to give him a hug.
his surprisingly strong arms wrapped around me, feeling warm and safe, like home. my mom wrapped her arms around both of us the best she could, the double pressure around my body comforting me.
i stepped back, pretending to check the luggage cart. my dad sniffed and wiped his teary face. my mom just stepped back, a sad smile on her face. she let out a huff-laugh at the both of us. "why, it's not like we'll never see each other again. stop crying, we'll see each other at christmas." she said it with assertion and confidence, but her voice cracked a little halfway through.
i laughed a little too, wiping my few tears. "i guess we should get to the platform now." i said, slightly embarrassed for that little showcase of pda.
"i suppose we should," my mom said, walking to the back of the luggage cart and pushing it over to me. "let's go."
as i faced the brick pillar with the cool handle of the luggage cart clutched in my hands, i began speedwalking towards it. pushing myself through before i could stop out of fear of crashing, the brick wall swallowed me up.
i stepped out on platform nine-and-three-quarters. the many voices and conversations nearly overwhelmed me as wizards and witches alike began to crowd together as the train's whistle blew and it came into the station. my parents stepped out of the wall behind me and put their hands on my shoulders. lightly pushing, they led me toward the train, which was beginning to board its passengers.
"i guess this is where i'll be going now." i said, turning to the people i grew accustomed to call my parents over this one summer. "thank you so much. i'll see you over winter break." i heaved off my large luggage bag from the cart and pushed out its wheels so i could easily roll it over to the train. i waved at them from a three-yard distance so as to not repeat what had happened earlier. my dad began to get tears in his eyes once more.
"write us a letter every week! tell us everything, okay? i love you! we love you!" he called out, waving with one arm, the other clutched around my mom's shoulders. she rolled her eyes at him to me, and then sent me a wave.
the children around me - mostly crusty little kids - began to snicker at what my dad had said, but i wasn't embarrassed. i finally had parents to love. i finally had parents that loved me, and were not afraid to say it. so instead of being embarrassed, i gave them a wave and a big smile in return before i boarded the train.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
before i got on the train, i didn't worry much about who i would sit with, or what i would say. i thought that for sure they'd have an empty compartment, and i could just sit there and sleep the whole time, or some extroverted person would come and sit with me and then we'd become friends.
but that wasn't the case. every compartment i could see and that i searched for was full, or with at least a couple of people that seemed to already know each other. of course, there were those near-empty compartments with those little kids that were presumably first-years, but it would be kind of weird if the first friends i made in this school were first-years - plus, i saw one picking his nose.
finally, i found a compartment that had a boy who looked slightly older than me. his cocoa skin and shoulder-length dreadlocks were slightly familiar, but i couldn't quite place it. he looked quiet enough and seemed to be looking out the window for something. perhaps his parents? i gathered some courage and opened the compartment door slightly. it brought the boy's attention to me.
"hello," i said, ignoring his surprised look at my voice. "can i sit here? all the other compartments are full, or have too many people and are waiting for someone." he thought for a moment.
"sure, i've got some company coming over though, and they're quite the rambunctious bunch. as long as you're okay with that," he said, shrugging. i thanked him and slid into the carriage with my bag trailing behind me like a suitcase. i heaved it up and put it on the racks on top of the seats before plopping down on the seat across from the boy.
it was quiet for a while, as he stayed staring out the window at the platform. when the train blew its final whistle, the boy's eyebrows furrowed and he started to look out the compartment's clear door. when the train began to move, he sat up straight, seeming now extremely concerned, and inched closer to the door he was staring out of.
a set of loud laughter from outside made his concerned expression relax, and instead turn into a smile. he slumped back in his chair and focused on his lap, a lazy grin still on his face. all i could do was watch, as i forgot to take out my mp3 player from my trunk before i put it up there, and i was too lazy to get it back out.
a pair of redheads came running up to the door, tall and lanky and laughing. the infamous weasley twins. now that i saw them in person, i couldn't help but notice how alike they looked. they slid open the compartment door with a bang, slightly breathless and their gazes synchronized to look between me and the boy across from me.
"lee, you didn't tell us a pretty girl was sitting with us," one said, sending me a wink. the boy must have been lee jordan, the twins' best friend.
"ah, of course. i should have just owled you from here and said 'be warned, there's a pretty girl in our compartment!'" lee said sarcastically, waving his arms for emphasis. the twins snickered at this, and i couldn't resist a huff of a laugh.
"congratulations lee! you've finally made a pretty girl laugh!" the other twin exclaimed, raising his arms above his head.
"hurrah!" his double cried, following the other's actions. "after seventeen years if being unable to get any girls, you've finally been able to at least make a girl laugh!" lee flushed. i laughed again, covering my mouth to make it not seem like i was making fun of lee with my laughter.
"oh, sit down will you? i've made plenty of girls laugh before! i mean, have you heard my brilliant quidditch commentary?" he countered as the redhead duplicates sat down next to him. one rolled his eyes and swirled a finger next to his temple while pointing to lee. the other just laughed.
"keep telling yourself that mate." a mop if red hair swished toward my direction, and the other followed, like a lagged reflection. "and what about her? you're not going to introduce us?"
"don't know anything about her except that she's got an american accent. sorry about not introducing myself by the way," lee said, turning to me. "it's lee. lee jordan." i nodded opening my mouth to reciprocate with my own name, but i was cut off by the prankster twins.
"you're american?" one asked.
"funny, we've never met an american yet." the other commented.
"i'm fred," the said man started.
"and i'm george. weasley." his clone finished.
"we're twins if you couldn't tell." they stated, in unison.
it scared me. i'd never seen any two people be so in sync. "uh, y/n. y/n l/n. nice to meet you all."
"cute name," the boy i thought was fred mused.
"maybe we should give her a cute nickname to go along with it," the other, presumably george, suggested. he looked up towards my trunk, noticing something. "rainbow?" he wondered, pointing up at the sticker my dad had pasted on my trunk.
"no, that's not it. perhaps sweetie-pie?" his twin smirked, making it clear to me they were teasing me.
"honey?" lee butted in. i almost groaned aloud.
"marshmallow?" it was hard for me to keep track of which twin had said it.
"chocolate?" their voices had begun to merge.
"graham cracker?" they snickered at the build-up.
"s'mores?" one ended, and they all perked up.
"s'mores, that's what we'll call you." the other decided, and his twin nodded along.
and that's the story of how i became s'mores.
okay hate the ending sentence but this chapter was good!!! also reader has no parents in her original world so that's why she's so happy to have parents in this one. they're pretty much super ideal, super perfect parents. so i hope this helps heal whatever daddy issues or mommy issues yall have. anyways, thanks for reading again and i love you guys sm <3