"CARRIE. CARRIE. CARRIE. CARRIE. CARRIE."
"Maisie. Maisie. Maisie. Maisie. Maisie." Carina mocked her young cousin whilst still keeping her eyes glued to the textbook she was reading. It was one of her school books, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch. It was an interesting subject – next to Astronomy. Not long, Maisie, who kept on asking Carina to let her play with Hester the owl (who Carina named after a classic literary character), but has been rejected countless times.
"Why not?" Maisie pouted.
"Because I don't want Fred to eat him!" Carina turned a page from her book.
"But Fred won't eat him! He's a good cat!"
Maisie picked up her orange cat off the floor, who Carina was sure she saw was trying to escape the room, and brought the creature to an embrace. The sight of the cat was pitiful as it pleaded to Carina's way with its one eye.
"I think Fred's had enough of your hugs." Carina took the cat from Maisie's arms and let him run around the house before he would sleep at the foot of Maisie's bed. No matter how much Fred hated being babied by his own, Carina knew that the cat was protective of Maisie and would always sleep at the foot of the girl's bed.
Maisie jumped into Carina's bed. She laid right down in the middle and then wrapped herself with the blankets, like a burrito. Carina huffed, she closed her book and placed it down before kneeling up before Maisie with a raised brow.
"From what I remember, your bed is the one on the left side of the room," Carina said.
"Buy yours is softer, mine is a bit stuffy." Maisie wriggled like a worm as she made her way to the pillows.
"We have the same type of bed!" Carina exclaimed.
"But yours is softer, and it smells good."
"Maybe yours would smell good too if you stopped wetting the bed."
Maisie gasped at her cousin's remark. She sat up and glared at Carina.
"I do not!"
"Hard to believe since I saw you trying to dry out your mattress in the middle of the night."
"I spilled my milk on the mattress! It was milk!"
"Yes, milk." Carina rolled her eyes.
"Shut it, Grumpy!"
"Make me, Blondie!"
"Girls."
Charity appeared at their door. With a stern look, the two arguing girls fell silent and were sitting straight at their beds.
"Hello, Mum!" Maisie greeted.
While Carina said, "Hello, Aunt Charity."
"I hope you two were not arguing. This is your last night together in this room." Charity went to take Maisie from Carina's bed. "Tomorrow, Carina will be leaving for Hogwarts and next time you see her is at the Holidays... Now, get to bed, we need to get up early tomorrow." She then turned to Carina. "You don't want to miss the train in your first year at Hogwarts, do you?"
Carina shook her head with a chuckle, "no."
"Now, bed!" Charity tucked in Maisie in her bed.
"It's not fair!" Maisie yawned. "How come Carina gets to go to Hogwarts."
"Don't worry, you will too. Next year." Charity then brushed her nose with her daughter. "Goodnight, darling."
"Goodnight." Maisie smiled and then closed her eyes.
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!
"CARINA! MAISIE!" A man came running after the girls and to the pillar. Disappearing as well.
"We're so sorry, Molly," A woman with blonde hair came, "It looks like the girls couldn't hide their excitement."
"Not to worry, no harm done. But I can't say about the other side." The plump woman piped. "It seems Hogwarts would be dealing with more trouble this year."
The blonde woman sighed, "You have no idea. Last night, I was sure she was trying to sneak in some fireworks into her trunk. Now, I must see the damage."
And just like the two girls and the man, the blonde woman jogged towards the pillar and disappeared inside.
"Right, now, Percy!" The red-haired continued. The oldest boy marched towards the platform and went through. "Fred, you next."
"I'm not Fred, I'm George!" one of the twins said.
"Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother?" the other said.
"Sorry, George, dear."
When the boy who claimed to be George went to his running start, he turned back to his mother with a grin, "Only joking, I am Fred." And then ran to the pillar and disappeared, he was soon followed by his twin. Now, there were three brothers at the Platform.
"Excuse me," Harry called to the woman.
"Oh, hello, dear." She replied with a kind smile. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new too." She pointed at the remaining son at this side of the Platform. He was tall, tin, with freckles, and like with any other members of the family, he had fiery red hair.
"Yes," Harry said. "But I don't know how to –"
"How to get to the platform? Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the wall at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared or you will crash into it. Best if you start with a run." The woman kindly instructed him.
Harry pushed his trolley for a running start. He heard the little girl call out "good luck" to him. Then he started his sprint. Leaning forward at his cart, he braced for impact but like the first three, Harry did not crash, he kept running. He opened his eyes. The scarlet steam engine appeared before him, and a platform full of people, all with similar trunks as he. And looking at where the barrier was, Harry saw the sign of Platform 9 ¾. He made it. He was there!
But it seems his excitement had him forget to stop his brisk walk that he accidentally ran into someone.
"OW!"
Pulling to a halt, Harry froze in fright as he finally realized he ran into someone. With trembling hands, he went to see who the poor soul was, and to his fear, it was a boy with red hair. He wished he hadn't run into one of the brothers that he saw earlier. That would be embarrassing. But then he noticed that the boy's curly red hair was darker than the family earlier. Auburn.
"I'm so sorry!" Harry held out his trembling hand to the boy.
The boy looked up from the ground, wincing as he rubbed his backside. He was about to make a witty remark but then saw the trembling hands of Harry. Instead, he took Harry's helping hand and got up on his feet.
"Dinna fash!" The boy said. "Everyone gets cold feet their first time – almost knocked over that boy with the toad, good thing my Dad stopped me."
The auburn-haired boy stopped as his eyes saw a glimpse of what hid behind Harry's bangs, he smiled, but then pursed his lips to a gentle smile. He was about to open his mouth to say something but the sudden call of "Roman!" had him wince and turn to what Harry believed to be the boy's mother.
"I guess Mum found the broom Dad and I tried to smuggle in. Better take care of that. I'll see you at the train, aye?"
"Sure." Harry said.
With a wink, the boy, "Roman", left Harry and went to his family. Harry never got to see what happened to him as his view was blocked by the bustling platform. Returning to his cart, Harry went to find his compartment at the back of the train. He passed many families as he did, and even caught a glimpse of the two girls that ran into the Platform at lightning speed, with no fear in their bone. And with said family was the large family who helped him out – it seems that the two were close friends.
~*~
Carina stood in amusement and stiff as Tom and Charity tried to pry Maisie off of her. The moment they got out of bed, Maisie has been tailing Carina around the house, "making the best time she had left" with her cousin, as the little girl said, but the family found it a bit disturbing with how she worded it as it sounded like she was saying farewell to a dead person. And that case, Carina was that said dead person. To make it a happy farewell (and avoid the current situation), Carina thought of making one last run before she heads off to Hogwarts, and that was having Maisie hop on her cart while she runs them to the platform in lightning speed. It did get them in trouble with Tom and Charity, but the two girls had no regrets. But it seems that no matter how much they tried not to make an emotional (temporary) goodbye, tears would be spilled.
"Come on, Maisie, Carina would be back for the Holidays." Tom reassured his daughter, as he tried to get her hands off of Carina.
"But I don't want her to go! It will be lonely at school!" Maisie cried.
"You'll have your friends, and the holidays aren't that long a wait." Charity tried.
"Come on, Maisie, next year the two of us would go to Hogwarts! Just wait a bit." Carina said, patting her cousin's head.
Maisie shook her head and buried her face more into Carina's chest. Because of the girl's firm grip Mrs. Weasley and Ginny tried to help the family with letting go of Carina. And luckily, after a few sweet words from Ginny, Maisie lets go and wiped her snot with her sleeve.
"I promise to write to you every day." Carina told her cousin.
"Yeah, cheer-up, Maisie." Fred came to the girl's side. "We'll send you and Ginny loads of owls!"
"We'll send you a Hogwarts' toilet seat!" George added.
"George!" Mrs. Weasley chastised.
"Only joking!" George raised his hands in defeat, and then he leaned down to Carina's side and whispered, "Not really."
The whistle blew and one-by-one the Weasley kids said goodbye to their mother and sister before hopping on the train. Tom knelt down before Carina and brought her to a hug.
"Good luck and enjoy your first year." Tom said and kissed her at the head. He then took out something from his pocket and handed it to Carina. It was small, with a vintage design: dark wood being its whole body, with metal shields circling the wood with embossed faces on its surface, and on the lid was a beautiful image of two men. "Achilles and Patroclus. Your mother is quite fond of their story, and Greek Mythology, so our father – your grandfather – made her this..." he then opened the lid and revealed a small figurine of a ballerina dancing to the soothing music inside, but at the background of the dancing ballerina were twinkling stars, but the most visible one was the Carina constellation. "She wanted you to have this... and I thought it would be best to give it to you on your first day at Hogwarts."
"It's perfect, Uncle Tom." Carina smiled, admiring the ballerina. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Tom then reached to hug her. "Now, don't get into too much trouble."
"No promises." Carina joked. She has hidden the music box in her bag for safekeeping.
When it was Charity's turn, the woman tried her hardest not to cry but tears were already falling as she brought Carina to an embrace and said goodbye. After a fist-bump with Maisie, and a farewell to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, Carina boarded the train just as it was about to move, she watched from the window of the door as Charity, Tom and Mrs. Weasley waved at their way, and when the train started to move and gain speed, she saw Ginny and Maisie running, trying to keep up with her, and not long, the view of the platform disappeared and was replaced by the scenery of their journey.
"Rina, we're heading to Lee Jordan's to see his tarantula." Fred said as he and George passed by her.
Carina watched as the twins went to their friend. Looking around, she found herself to be alone. Ron has probably gone to find a compartment of his own, the twins are with their friends – and she couldn't just barge in there, right? Taking a deep breath, Carina decided to find Ron and join him at his compartment.
"Excuse me." A compartment door opened and out came a boy her age with curly auburn hair, and a Scottish accent. "You look a bit lost for a moment; would you like to share."
Carina looked behind the boy and found that he was indeed alone.
"It's quite lonely, and I'm not really comfortable being alone the whole journey. I prefer to have someone to talk to." The boy had a charming smile, and Carina was sure that his blue eyes twinkled in the light.
"I would love to." Carina smiled.
Grinning, the boy moved for Carina to enter. He helped her with a bag she carried and placed it on the top shelf and then settled to sit across from her. They were silent for a while, both simply looking around, smiling, as they tried to think of something to talk about.
"I'm Roman – Roman Alston."
The boy held out his hand for her to shake. Chuckling, Carina took his hand.
"Carina Black."
She saw Roman's eyes grew wide in shock the moment she said her name. She frowned. This was what she was worried about. Tom and Charity have told her before that there were others who knew who she was and who her father was, and others who did not. And it seems this boy was one of the families who did.
"Wait – Black?" Roman asked. It seems that her sudden nervousness caught the boy's reaction and immediately tried to fix the damage his reaction made. "It's not that I'm – it's not a bad reaction really!"
Carina raised a brow at him, "Really?"
"Aye, it's just that... you don't really see a Black walking around these days – I recall my cousins saying that they're extinct."
Carina chuckled at his choice of words.
"Extinct?" Carina said, "You make it sound like I'm a rare animal running in the wild!"
"Aren't we all animals?" Roman joked and thought of continuing the flow. "And the fact that you're the first Black to be spotted for the past eleven years means you're famous! People would pay to have a glimpse of you."
Carina was now laughing at Roman's exaggerated act.
"Please, it's not like I'm Harry Potter." Carina laughed.
"Speaking of Harry Potter," Roman got up and sat beside Carina. The two then settled with sitting beside each other with crossed legs. "I saw him earlier at the Platform – well he kind'a ran me over with his cart."
"Really?!" Carina said, trying to sound enthusiastic about the news of Harry Potter, but with what she knew about her father, she can't help but feel a bit nervous.
"Aye, it looks like he's attending Hogwarts this year. Hope I get sorted to the same House as he is – seems like a nice lad." Roman shrugged.
"What House do you think he'll be sorted into?" Carina asked.
"Probably Gryffindor – well, that's what I'm betting on. And I hope he does or else I'll be losing my Madam Solomon Limited Edition Chocolate Frog Card to Jason – do you know how hard it was to find her, they say that there were only ten of those in the world. Ten!"
Though she didn't collect Chocolate Frog Cards, she knew the pain and torture, and how much patients a collector needed. She could relate to his pain well enough as she would watch Ron and Maisie moan and groan whenever they would get the same card over and over.
"You bet on Houses?" Carina raised a brow.
"Aye, it's a tradition in the family – Alstons are wildcards you know, you never know which House we'll be sorted in – Dad was a Gryffindor, just like my Great-Auntie Minnie – Mum's a Muggle – my cousin Jason was sorted in Hufflepuff – and I'm pretty sure I have another cousin who was sorted in Ravenclaw or Slytherin – not sure."
"It's like your family is trying to collect Hogwarts Houses."
"Aye. What about you, what House do you think you'll be in?"
Carina clasped her hands together, thinking if she should even say. Maybe if she kept it vague, he wouldn't know – what was she thinking, she thought, of course, he knows, it was obvious with his reaction to her name earlier.
"My parents were both sorted in Gryffindor." Carina began. "My Uncle's in Gryffindor too, but my Aunt's a Hufflepuff – they think that I'd be sorted in Gryffindor too."
"Then I wish that I'd be sorted in Gryffindor as well."
"So, you could be at the same House as Harry Potter?"
"Aye, but I think I'm starting to like you."
"I can say the same thing."
And as if their minds were in sync, Carina and Roman bumped their fists. For the rest of the ride to Hogwarts, Carina and Roman spent their time talking, playing games, eating, and even exploring the train. They met a few other First Years along the way – Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom, who they helped out with looking for his Toad; Roman tried to use the Summoning Spell, "Accio", which he learned from his father, to find the toad, but when he did, it was a random toad that came hurling to his face. He let out a loud screech.