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.


BOOK I Chapter 1-The Girl Who Wanted to Live Among Us

BOOK I

Chapter 1

The Girl Who Wanted to Live Among Us

      Catherine Bridges was born in Coffeyville, Maryland on April 13th, 1980. She grew up in a normal family. A mother, a father, a brother, and a dog. She had a white picket fence in the yard and a rose garden in the back. Behind the back picket fence, a wall of trees hid her from nature. Behind these trees lay a small meadow, filled with soft green grass and yellow daises and pink poppies. Catherine spent most of her time here.

Catherine did not, however, cooperate with her normal life. She was anything but. As a child, Catherine loathed picture books and anything bright and cheerful. She hated being read to and toys that sang and danced. She hid behind the couch and recited poems in her head. She sang little songs in words no one understood, and muttered about Angels and Demons and Witches. She loved scary, cliched, Halloween movies.

When school began, she didn't color within the lines, and always fought with the teacher. She was bullied terribly and read constantly. Her parents were first ashamed, then infuriated. Then, they shunned her. Catherine Bridges learned to be quiet, and speak only when spoken to.

      When her 11th birthday rolled around, and the school year was ending, the more she snuck into the meadows, just a mile or so from the house. She went through the thicket and briers to the meadow. She sang, and the animals listened. Birds sang with her, the deer watched, and the horses danced as she twirled. She was a fairy among them.

As she got older, the incidents happened more often. By incidents...well...how to explain? She could do things...things other children couldn't. She could make a chair zoom across the room at light speed and...cause the tree to instantly shake it's leaves. She once ripped Jenny Rupert's skirt with a glare. And you could always tell it was her. Always.

She could also...see things. She could see them, and it would just happen. Later. In the future. She heard things, what people were thinking. She could move things with her mind. She could see the past of a person with one look at them. But she was learning the control them. They would only happen on will now.
      Twirling in the brush she was carefree and totally wild. Her gold hair spun out around her. It was wavy and bright, and curled wildly around the crown. Then, abruptly, she stopped. They animals looked at her, but went about there business. It wasn't unusual for her to be so unusual. One moment later, after Catherine had stood motionless and wide-eyed for what seemed an eternity, her mother reluctantly yelled for her.
"Catherine!! Catherine get your arse up here you ninny!!" Catherine ran to the house with an odd look in her eye.
"Yes, moth-?" she asked went she ran in the door, and into the stranger that was lurking in the parlor.
"There's someone here to see you." her mother said.
The woman was tall, and had on a long brown robe, and a button up taffeta dress under it. Her skin was worn, and she was old. Her hair was dark and grey all at the same time. Her eyes were judging, but there was a soft kindness behind them. Catherine found herself accidentally looking, but stopped herself. She saw dark hall made of stone, and a lake with fog. Catherine looked up at the woman, her blue eyes sparkling. Catherine looked at the hat, which had a round brim, and ended in a point to the ceiling. Catherine smiled at her.
"Greetings,"said the girl. "I like your hat."
"I'd like to speak to the girl in private, please, madame."
Mrs. Bridges sniffed at the comment from the woman.
"If you'll come with me," the stranger asked. She started up the stairs. This only shocked Catherine for a minute that she knew where her room was.
They entered her room, which was originally violet but was covered with notebook papers filled with writings and drawings. The woman looked around and Catherine offered her a seat on the large bed with was indeed a mess. The woman asked to remain standing.
"Do you know what you are?" the woman asked her.
"I'd rather ask who you are first ma'am."

She chuckled darkly. "I suppose you have a right to that question." Was her accent Scottish? "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

    Catherine's tongue got stuck and tied itself into a knot. "I..." another moment passed. "My name is Catherine Bridges. I was born in Bath, London. My mother is from Bath but my father is from Maryland so we moved here when I was 3. My father's last name was Smith but we changed it to my mother's last name at some point. I don't know why. Things happen with me. I can't explain them. Is that why your here? To put me in some special place that can help me? Not the asylum? I've not gone round the bend, I promise. And-"

"Quiet! And I will explain everything to you. I am a scout to come to address all new muggle-born students on what is happening. What did you mean by strange things?"

Catherine explained everything and Mrs. McGonagall explained everything. What Hogwarts was, what was happening to Catherine. She told Catherine she was a witch. She told Catherine that she would be attending Hogwart's school if she so pleased. Catherine excepted vigorous. And when she did so, she jumped in the air with a flourish, stayed just two seconds longer than gravity should allow, and her skirts lit a blaze. She looked down, and stopped them. McGonagall smiled.

She left her.

     Catherine sat on her bed in disbelief. "Did that really just happen," she whispered. "Did she actually just clarify this weird quirk I try to suppress or hide is a talent that could get me out of this town! Out of this life! Into the world and away from this city that hates me.... Maybe once I get there, I'll do things they've never dreamed. My father will be proud of me. My mother not ashamed! Next to the headmaster and mistress I'll be the brightest flame!" she controlled a flame around her finger. "And this gift or the curse-I can't decide. Maybe at last I'll know why, when I'm at Hogwarts, the witches, wizards, and I!" She twirled and twirled then stopped. Her body shook and she got a far away look in her eye. "I just had a vision almost like a prophecy, I know. It sounds truly crazy, and true the vision's hazy, but I swear some day they'll be, a celebration throughout our world that's all to do, WITH MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! And I'll stand there at Hogwarts, feeling things I've never felt and though I'd never show it I'd be so happy I could melt! Held in such high esteem...when people see me they will scream...were half of Hogwart's favorite team! The wizard and I!!"

     Minerva McGonagall called the potions master at this time.

"I don't believe you."

"I'm telling you, Severus. This year at Hogwarts will be the top class! With the girl I've just seen and Harry Potter coming to Hogwarts..."

"Your starting to sound like Sybil."

"Ha. She can keep her job and go and mock me, Severus. I know this year...It's going to be different."

     Catherine brushed her hair two weeks later, with her bags packed. Her knew black robes were sitting on the foot of her bed. Her parents argued below. Which was better, their daughter being a witch or her out of the house? All that mattered was in the morning, Catherine Bridges would be on her way to Hogwarts.

Welcome! Welcome All to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!

Welcome! Welcome All to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!

My name, Is Meg Giry.

I AM THE NEW HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS.

I HAVE DUG UP THE FILES INVOLVING THE YEARS IN WHICH HARRY POTTER WAS ATTENDING THIS SCHOOL

J.K. Rowling lied.

And I have the truth.

Let it begin...