The only problem Amaryllis found with getting their supplies early, was that they had to spend the last month back with their Aunt and Uncle. It had taken all of Amaryllis's persuasion to get Uncle Vernon to allow them to keep Harry's owl and her cat, Carissa, upstairs while only being let out twice a day for some fresh air. Which neither animal seemed happy about, but there wasn't much she could do about that.
After that, it was as if they had never existed. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon barely spoke a word to either of them as they came down for breakfast, only to quickly eat and leave the confines of the small dining room in which they all frequented. They had gone out more than the twice Amaryllis had said they would, and yet they hadn't not gotten in trouble or spoken to about it once.
Whatever reason it might have been, her and Harry took advantage of it while they could.
The first two weeks had drug by slower than molasses in her opinion, but the last two, as her and Harry read up on many of the books, passed by quicker than they realized as she had woken up on the first of September.
Amaryllis shook her brother. "Harry, get up. Today's the day."
"Lissie," Harry groaned, trying to roll over, but she threw the covers off him, not allowing him to have another moment of peaceful sleep.
"No. Now. We still have to convince Uncle Vernon to give us a ride."
"Can't you do that without me?"
"I could, but I don't trust him to think I'm the only one asking for a ride. You know he'd do anything to sabotage either one of us leaving if he could."
Harry grumbled a reply into his pillow.
"Let's let him get up, Carissa. We'll go out for a little bit before we get stuck on a train for who knows how long."
Carissa meow'd, following behind her as she walked out of their room and shut the door. She'd leave Hedwig to Harry as they still hadn't seemed to get a long, even after spending a month together.
The kitchen was quiet, except for the sound of bacon sizzling in a frying pan she knew her Aunt Petunia was cooking. She'd wait for Harry to come down and eat before she asked their Uncle to drive them to King's Cross. It would be the only thing they asked from him twice a year. A ride to and from the same place every year, at the same time. Wasn't to hard, right?
Wrong.
It had taken longer than she thought it would to convince him. If only she had lead with that bringing them there, they wouldn't have to see them until next summer. It seemed to be Uncle Vernon's selling point as he told them to file into the car and begrudgingly drove them there.
He drove off as soon as they had all their stuff out of the car, without so much as a word. Though it didn't matter as they now had to find the platform that Harry read off the ticket Hagrid had given them.
"Where do you think it is?"
"You're guess is as good as mine."
With a sigh, Amaryllis followed Harry into the station, glancing around at each metal sign that hung out from the red brick walls. The further they went the more confused they had become.
There was no platform nine and three-quarters and when they asked an attendant, he laughed at them, saying the same thing they noticed.
They were going to miss the train and they had no way of knowing who to ask and how to get to the right platform.
"This way. Platform nine and three-quarters up ahead."
Amaryllis turned to the sound of the woman's voice that had spoken and noticed a group of red-heads following a woman with bushy red hair and a little girl at her side.
"You think...?"
"It's the only choice we have," Amaryllis said, not waiting to question it any further as she pushed her cart over to them.
She made it up just in time as she saw two red-heads back to back run at the brick wall and disappear right through it.
"Excuse me?"
The woman turned, staring at her and Harry. "Yes?"
"I couldn't help but overhear, is this the platform to nine and three-quarters?" She hoped she was wrong, because going through a wall seemed absurd and she didn't need a head injury on top of whatever else was wrong with her. She knew Harry could deal with at least one run in.
"Why, yes. First times?"
"Yes. I'm Amaryllis, ma'am. This is my brother Harry." She gestured to Harry beside her who waved with a small smile.
The woman's smile beamed back at her. It was the warmest and friendliest smiles, besides Hagrid's she'd ever received. Though, it was different, because it was the smile she knew only a mother who loved their kids could give. "I'm Molly Weasley, dears. Now, all you have to do is get a running start and you'll be at King's Cross station."
"Mum, we'll be late."
"Oh, hush, Ron. Harry, dear, why don't you go first."
Amaryllis shrugged to her brother when he gave a dubious look. There was no way she was going first, even if she saw two others do it first.
Her hands gripped the cart tighter with each step her brother ran toward the brick wall. She waited for him to slam directly into it and have everything come crashing down, but it didn't happen as Harry disappeared through it just as the other two.
"Your turn dear."
Amaryllis noticed Mrs. Weasley was staring at her while Ron seemed to wait impatiently to take his turn. She opened her mouth to tell Ron to go, but Mrs. Weasley lightly tapped her shoulder and pulled her forward.
"No need to be nervous. As long as you pass the barrier before eleven, you won't run into the wall."
She didn't see how that was supposed to make her feel better as her eyes drifted to the clock on the wall that read three minutes to eleven. They had really cut it close and the longer she prolonged going through, they'd never make it.
Amaryllis took a deep breath, and let it out as she began to sprint to the wall. She heard her heart hammer away in her chest. The blood that rushed past her ears drowned out the rest of the noise at the station and the closer she got, the more nervous she became.
Just as she was prepared to be the oddity out, she flew threw the brick wall and crashed right into Harry's cart when she didn't stop in time. Everything fell over to the ground it a loud crash. Some of the stuff at the top of her cart flung off and onto the pile.
"Oh, gods, Harry. I'm sorry."
Hedwig screeched at her with his gold eyes wide. He was more angry than terrified and for once, she didn't blame the owl for being mad at her.
"Sorry, Hedwig."
He let out another loud screech that pierced not only her eras, but everyone around them.
"Hedwig, knock it off. It's alright, Lissie." Harry began picking up his stuff as she came around to help him.
"Are you two alright?"
Amaryllis turned to find Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and the little girl behind them.
She gave Ron a small smile, glad he had a decent mind more than her to not run into her.
"We gotta go, mum. The train'll be leavin'."
Molly seemed to huff, yet Amaryllis noticed the tears in her eyes as she turned to the other red-heads around them. "Oh, alright. Get goin then. Shoo, before it leaves without you. It was lovely meeting you two."
Harry smiled at Mrs. Weasley, saying what they both felt, yet she couldn't find the words to say. "You too, Mrs. Weasley."
Amaryllis left with a parting smile, dragging her luggage to the train as one of the taller red-heads came beside her and helped.
"Care for a hand?"
"That would be wonderful. I'd rather not miss the departure."
The older boy chuckled, lifting her trunk with ease as she grabbed Carissa and the rest of her things.
"I'm Fred, by the way."
"Amaryllis."
"Beautiful name. Where to?"
"Oh, uh..." She stood on the tips of her toes to peer over the heads of other students to find Harry waving at her from further down. "My brother, Harry, is just up there. I'll be sitting with him."
"Harry?" Fred questioned. "You don't mean..."
Amaryllis stared at the ground, and shifted her feet slightly. "Yes, that Harry. Please don't say anything."
"Never. Your secrets safe with me."
She glanced up at Fred to see a twinkle in his eyes, yet she didn't doubt his words.
"Thank you."
"No problem, Mellie."
Amaryllis eyebrows pinched together at the nickname and stared up at Fred, but he was already waving to the other boy that looked similar to him. "That's my brother George. Let's go, I'll help make a path for you, since ya know..." Fred took in their height difference with a chuckle before he turned as shouted for everyone to make way.
She kept her head down as she followed Fred, already regretting getting his help. She couldn't deny that it got her to the compartment Harry was quicker and slammed the door in a laughing Fred's face.
"What was that about?"
Amaryllis plopped down into the seat and heaved a long sigh out. "Nothing."
Her brother said nothing as he shook his head. Not long after, she heard the sound of the train whistle and the shake of the whole thing as it begun to move.