Over the next few weeks, Coral felt increasing anxiety. Would Hogwarts be fun? What if no one likes me? What if I’m in Slytherin? Were the thoughts that most frequently passed through her mind. On the morning of September the first, Coral and her family woke on the crack of dawn. She had packed her things into her trunk the night before, so when she dragged it downstairs she set it by the door before jumping back up the steps. She combed her hair and had her mother do French braids that ended in wavy pigtails before running back down for a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs. “Muuuum!” Called Ivy. “What?” Eleanor called back. “I can’t find my hairbrush!” “Did you look in your room?” Eleanor asked, sounding exasperated. “Never mind! I found it!” Ivy said. Coral rolled her eyes, going back to her bacon. “Coral, are you ready to go?” Eleanor asked, putting one hand on Coral’s shoulder. “Yes!” She said excitedly. Eleanor waved her wand and Coral’s plate zoomed over to the sink. “Girls, quickly! Get in the car!” She called upstairs. “Is Dad coming?” Piper asked as she strolled down the stairs, taking her sweet time. “Yes, he’s coming.” Rico Fernsby followed Piper downstairs. “Car, now!” He told her, and Piper dashed to the car with Coral following. Coral and Piper sat down in the car, waiting for Ivy and their parents. “Are you excited, Coral?” Piper asked. “I mean, obviously yes!” She replied, grinning. “You have to tell me ALL about it! Write every single day, do you understand me?” “Yep, yep, sureee,” Coral said sarcastically, twirling a gingery strand of hair between her fingers. The car door opened and Ivy sat down next to her sisters. “Hiya! Mum and Dad are on their way!” “Great,” Piper said, “I was starting to get bored.” “You always get bored after two second of something,” Coral giggled. Piper was about to say something rude when the front doors of the car opened and Eleanor and Rico sat down in the front seats. Eleanor was driving. The sisters stayed quiet throughout the whole drive, until they came to Kings Cross station. Rico helped Coral pile her trunk onto a trolley and Eleanor pointed to the brick wall in between the plastic numbers 9 and 10. “Run at that wall right there, and don’t stop,” she told Coral, who looked at her mother. “But—“ “Trust me,” Eleanor said firmly. Coral gave a shakey nod. She ran at the barrier, surprised when she ran through it, instead of crashing. The Hogwarts Express was magnificent. Gleaming red, and she watched students say their goodbyes and file into the train. Her two sisters came next onto the platform. Ivy was staring at it with her mouth open in shock and Piper was pinching herself to make sure this wasn’t all a dream. Their parents came next. Rico flinched as he prepared to run into a solid wall. “Coral,” said Eleanor, “we have a gift for you.” Rico was holding a carrier in his hands, and a soft meowing was coming from inside it. “A cat,” he said opening the latch and a furry brown tabby cat jumped out of it, right into Coral’s arms. Piper and Ivy both exploded. “Why does she get a cat?” “I want one!” “How is this fair? It’s not!” “Child abuse!” “Favoritism!” Rico glared at them, which shut them up. “Well Coral? What will you name him?” Eleanor asked. “Bear,” she said after thinking. “Luckyyyyy,” Ivy whined. Coral put Bear back in his carrier and took it from Rico. Her family embraced her, before Coral dragged her trunk and the carrier to the train. [~] ^_^ [~] Inside the train were separate compartments. Dragging her trunk through the train, she found and empty one. Coral heaved her trunk onto shelves above the seats, and opened the cat carrier so Bear could come out. He purred loudly and he settled himself on Coral’s lap. She sat there, stroking him, until a noise made her jump. The compartment door opened. A girl who looked Coral’s age stood there. She had honey-blonde hair and bright green eyes. “Do you mind if I join you? I can’t find anywhere else and this trunk is /heavy/,” she asked. “Of course you can!” Coral said, nudging Bear off her lap so she could help the girl get her trunk on the shelf opposite of the one Coral’s trunk was on. “Cute cat,” the girl said when they both sat down again. Bear had settled back on her lap. “Thanks. His name is Bear. Oh—I’m Coral Fernsby, by the way,” she said, beaming. “I’m Whitney Birdply!” She said cheerfully. “Nice to meet you,” Coral said with a grin. Whitney’s stomach rumbled loudly. “When do you think the witch with the food trolley will be here?” She asked. “Hopefully soon!” Coral nodded. As if on queue, the witch with the food trolley came by their door. Coral and Whitney jumped up to buy sweets. Coral bought a handful of chocolate frogs and some pumpkin juice, while Whitney paid for her cauldron cakes and licorice wand. They both sat down again. “Blegh, I don’t like licorice,” (Continued below)
(Continuing from above ) Coral said, sticking out her tongue when Whitney offered her a licorice wand. “Really?” Whitney took a bite from the wand. Coral unwrapped a chocolate frog, looking at the card. She munched on the frog while saying, “Huh. I got this random broomaker,” she said. “Let me see,” Whitney said, taking the card, “Huh. Never heard of him.” “Same here,” said Coral, taking back the card. After a while of eating in silence, Whitney said, “We should change into our robes.” So the two changed quickly, right as the train was slowing. Coral nudged Bear back into his carrier and followed Whitney off the train. A female voice called, “First years over here!” Coral and Whitney followed the rest of the first year students towards a woman with messy grayish hair and worn robes. “Everyone here? Right. Get in these boats, no more than four to a boat.” A fleet of boats were sitting in the lake, and Coral and Whitney clambered into one, and they were followed by a mousey-haired boy and a pretty girl. The boats began rowing by themselves, and the woman at the front shouted, “You’ll be able to get your first glance at Hogwarts soon!” Coral’s heart soared as they saw the magnificent castle. She was here, finally here.
