Chapter 2-The Beginning On Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Chapter 2

The Beginning On Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

 

 

 

 

     Catherine took one last look back at her parents as she took off at a sprint into the wall between platforms Nine and Ten. She didn't close her eyes and she watched as the bright lights of King's Cross turned into blackness, then she went into sensory overload.

     Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was busy and loud as witches and wizards shuffled about, saying their goodbyes. People were pushing their carts with their trunks and owls or cats or toads or rats. Catherine looked down at the songbird that she had found in an owlery. It was only an egg, sold for practically nothing. Catherine had felt an odd connection and felt compelled to buy it. It had grown now, and it was an green-blue color, with a pointed, long orange beak and big blue eyes. It had a white stomach and little orange feet clinging onto the perch. Catherine had decided to name it Rendsriffti, or Rendsa for short. She found it in one of her wizarding books. Catherine had stayed up one night and read them all in three hours.

     Rendsa looked up toward the scarlet train, and so did Catherine. She let her eyes rake over the the magic of it all, but she was shoved forward by a force in her back.

"Oh goodness!" exclaimed a voice as Catherine gathered herself off the ground. She felt a small hand grab her and pull her up. She came face to face with a pale girl, with brown eyes and outrageously frizzy brown hair. "I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, brown eyes wide.

"No, no," Catherine said,"It's fine, really."

The brown-eyed girl smiled wide. "I'm Hermione," she said, extending a hand.

"I'm Catherine," she replied, taking Hermione's hand. Catherine always found handshaking awkward, but Hermione's hand seemed to fit fine in her own. She smiled.

"Look at you!" A camera flash blinded Catherine for a moment. "Making friends already!"

"Of course, Mum," Hermione said. She grabbed Catherine's waist, pulling her next to her. Another camera flash went off and when Catherine stopped seeing stars, she could make out two grown ups who she identified must be her parents.

"I'm Mrs. Granger, and this is my husband," said Hermione's mother, grabbing Catherine's hand.

"Hello, I'm Catherine," she said, smiling. Her hands reached up to tuck a hair back into her messy bun at the nape of her neck, but most of it ended up falling out. Mrs. Granger stared.

"Why did you do that to your hair?" she asked. Catherine looked at her for a moment, then remembered. "Oh!" she said nervously,"You mean the purple and green streaks?" Mrs. Granger nodded, tight-lipped. Catherine shrugged. "I wanted to."

"...Well, you wizards sure are interesting..." Mr. Granger said, looking concerned. Would his daughter come home with bright pink hair?

"Oh, no, I'm a muggle born," Catherine said, then turned to Hermione,"are you?"

"Yes!" Hermione exclaimed. "I was so worried that there wouldn't be many of us, but here's one I've found!" Hermione once again pulled in Catherine for a hug. Catherine flinched, not used to the touch.

"Ah, look at the time!" Mr. Granger said. "You girls better get on the train."

"You're right," Hermione said, smiling wide. "Bye Mum! Bye Dad!" she yelled as she and Catherine boarded the train. The parents waved as the train steamed off.

 

She and Hermione found a compartment with a sniffing round boy, but he was asleep within minutes.

"How many of your wizarding books have you read?" Hermione asked.

"All of them,"Catherine replied,"twice."

Hermione smiled. "Really?" Catherine nodded.

"Well-" Just as Hermione opened her mouth, she screamed. Two boys with flaming red hair had entered the compartment just moments ago, but Hermione hadn't noticed the large tarantula the one next to her had released. She continued to scream, as she stood and backed against the window. The two identical twin boys were laughing so hard. Catherine leaned in to get a closer look at the spider, even taking it in her hand and touching the hairs on it's back timidly. The boy next to her stopped laughing and looked at her. Soon, so did the other boy.

"'Ey," said the one next to her. "You're not scared of it?"

Catherine looked from the boy to the spider. "I don't think he'll hurt me. And if he does, then he does." Slowly, a smiled stretched across the twins faces.

"Hey!" he said, punching her shoulder,"you're alright, girl! I'm Fred-this is George. In case you can't tell, we're twins. Though, I would say, I am the more handsome one."

"Says who?" George yelled.

"Says me!" and the two started arguing until Fred remembered the girl with the spider.

"What's your name?"

"Catherine," she said, smiling.

"Catherine?" Fred said, making a face.

"What kinda name is that?" George asked.

"And what's wrong with it?" Catherine said.

"Well," Fred said,"It's too long. Let's say, I'm falling off the Astronomy Tower, right? And your right below. I can't say,"CATTHHHERINNEEE" before I hit the bottom, can I? No."

"Why do you need me? Won't George be with you?"

"No, see, he'd be the one to push me off."

George smiled,"Yeah, I would."

"So?" Catherine asked.

"So, love, you need a nickname." Fred smiled. Catherine backed away.

"...Kitty," he said, proud of himself.

"Kitty?" Catherine asked.

"Ya, haven't ya heard of girls who go by Kitty for short?"

"Yes," Catherine said, smiling.

"There you go."

    Hermione smiled. "I like it," she said,"it fits you."

 

Kitty twitched her nose, and smiled slyly.

"Here's your spider," she said, slipping it into Fred's pale hands.

"It's no ours, it's Lee Jordan's. We took it when he wasn't looking."

 

The two boys left the compartment, and Fred winked at Kitty as he left.

"Kitty," she said, trying it on her tongue again.

"It is shorter," said Hermione.

"Alright," Catherine sighed,"I like it."
The sniffling boy had woken again, probably from Hermione's shrieks. He looked at the two of them.
"Y-you haven't seen a toad, have you?" he asked timidly. Kitty looked around her.
She shook her head. "No, have you lost one?" The boy nodded.
"We'll help you look for it! Won't we, Kitty?" Hermione exclaimed, looking eagerly at the blonde.
"Er...of course..." she said, but it sounded more like a question.
"I'm Ca-...I'm Catherine, but call me Kitty. Kitty Bridges," she said. "And this-"
"I'm Hermione Granger!" the brunette cried. Kitty chuckled inwardly.
"I'm Neville Longbottom."
Hermione made a face at the name, but Kitty saw this and smiled for him.
"That's such a lovely name. Neville. It's very mature," she said, smiling warmly. Neville didn't look so sad after that.


     Kitty and Hermione set off opposite Neville in a race to find the toad. Trevor.
"What an odd name for a toad!" Hermione had cried. "Your bird, what is its name?"
"Her name is Rendsa."
"...Well that makes more sense than Trevor!" she said after a moment.
The girls changed a few moments later after Hermione's constant obsessing into their Hogwarts robes. Kitty's skirt felt awkward on her lap and her high knee socks and Mary Janes felt too new. They weren't worn in and she felt like a ghost of the real her. She brushed out her gold hair and let her purple bangs flop just above her eyes, and the green streak on the left middle of her head was pulled back, just like a section of gold on the other side, meeting in the back to form a small pony tail over the blonde wavy river. It stopped just below her shoulders. Not soon after, they started searching again.
After checking a third compartment which said that Neville had already come by, Kitty was ready to give up.
"One more, Kitty, then we'll be done. Alright?"
She sighed, rolling her eyes at the brunette. "Alright. Last one."
    Hermione threw open the door, and Kitty saw Neville walking this way and waved him over. She saw a red haired boy with his wand raised, a shabby rat on his lap. There was one other boy with messy black hair and bright emerald eyes. There was candy all over the compartment, and it was clear that the trolley had come by. Kitty had walked by and purchased two licorice wands and a chocolate frog, which was still in her pocket. The dark haired boy was leaned forward close to the red head, each looking from Hermione to Kitty to Neville. Kitty blushed.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," Hermione said.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," the red head sad shortly, but Hermione's attention was turned to his wand.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then."
The red head stammered for a moment before nervously reciting:
"Sunshine, daises, butter mellow
turn this stupid fat rat yellow."
He waved his wand, but nothing happened. The rat stayed snoring on his leg. He frowned. Hermione laughed behind her hand.
"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not a very good one, is it? I've tried a few spell just for practice but they've all worked for me. Nobody in my family is magic at all, it was all such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard-I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hoped it will be enough-I'm Hermione Granger by the way. Who are you?"
"Ron Weasley," the red head muttered.
"Harry Potter," sad the black haired boy. Hermione gasped.
"Are you really? I know all about you, of course. I got a few extra books for background reading and you're in about 3 of them."
"Am I really?" he asked.
"Goodness, you didn't know? I'd have found out every thing if it was me. Oh, this is Catherine by the the way. Catherine Bridges. Call her Kitty." Hermione smiled.
I waved gently at the two boys, who didn't seem to be paying any attention.
"This is Neville Longbottom," I said, waving to him.
"We've met," Ron grumbled, still upset over Hermione.
Hermione sat down next to Harry and across from Ron. Kitty took a seat next to Weasley and smiled gently at him. Apologetically.
"Do either of you know what house you'll be in?" Hermione asked. "I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best;I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be to bad either...Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change into your robes, we'll be at Hogwarts soon." And Hermione exited, dragging Kitty and Neville by their wrists. Kitty tossed one sad apologetic smile to both of the boys before she left.
"C'mon, Neville, go look up front. Kitty and I need to get back to the compartment."
     Neville nodded at Hermione and sniffed his way to the front of the train. As Kitty turn around one corridor, she tripped and fell. A pale hand jutted out to catch her arm. Kitty looked up to a pair of grey eyes in a pale mousy face. The eyes were shocking and void of emotion. The pale boy had platinum blonde hair. He didn't stop to check on Kitty, but keep walking, eyes on her. He winked and a smirk decorated his lips.
"Hey," he mouthed. Kitty swallowed. She pretended she wouldn't remember him. That's what she wanted-to forget those grey eyes. She thought of Harry's emerald ones and Fred and George's blue ones-the same as Ron's. As Kitty and Hermione went into the corridor, they could hear the shouts of the other students. Kitty looked at Hermione and saw her bewildered expression copied her own and they both ran to the window.

They both gasped as they got their first sight of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.