Hogwarts Express [Open]

Warily, and confused, Alcina Solanine looked around at the platforms of 9 and 10. Her parents were on either side of her; her mother with Al's ticket in hand. She small girl looked at her mother questioningly. She remembered the ticket said Platform 9 3/4s, but there wasn't such a thing. Just the two platforms of 9 and 10. Al groaned as she checked her watch.

"Mum, we haven't time. Only 15 minutes until the train leaves. Are you sure you've never seen that platform?"

Al looked at her mother who just shook her head. Her mother looked just as confused as she was. The people around them moved and circled around, pushing their own trolleys or carrying briefcases. Al was afraid to ask anyone. She wasn't sure how many people attended Hogwarts, nor if they knew where or how to get to the proper platform. She didn't want to make a fool of herself, nor her parents. She glanced around the platforms for someone that looked as though they, too, were looking for the strange platform of 9 and 3/4s. Her eyes were narrowed and her brow furrowed as she scanned the area.

The summer was over and that always left Alida feeling mixed. On the one hand, it was sad that the endless days of playing outside were gone and would soon be replaced by classes and homework. On the other hand, she was very much looking forward to seeing her friends again. Of course she'd visited them and they'd visited her and they'd all written so many owls to each other... but it wasn't the same as having your best friend sharing your bedroom every night and always being there when you wanted someone to share something with. Of course Dundee had felt a little lonely compared to that.

So the third year was excited to catch up with her friends and find out the latest gossip. With her rat, Rum, perched on one shoulder, under a thin, untidy curtain of dirty blonde hair, Alida's eyes were peeled for familiar faces as her family approached Kings Cross station. Alida headed off a little in front of her brother and parents, hauling her trunk behind her and chatting absently to Rum as she approached the barrier. She was so caught up in her excitement that she nearly tripped over a small girl who was standing directly in the way.

"Oh, watch it!" she said, then realised that was quite rude and corrected herself, "I mean, sorry. Are you going through?" She looked from the girl, to the girl's mother and back again. The girl had a trunk and was standing right in front of the divide between platforms 9 and 10 so she was obviously a Hogwarts student, although Alida had never seen her before. She was pretty small and timid looking. First year probably. Alida's eyes glanced over to the mother again, taking in her attire, then something clicked.

"OH! Are you muggles?? Well, obviously, you're not," she continued, looking at the girl, "But you're muggleborn, right? And is this your first time here? You just walk through there." She nodded enthusiastically to the wall with a smile and paused, waiting for the girl to go through. The wall-barrier was normal to Alida. She'd passed through it many times to see her older brother off to Hogwarts before she'd started herself. "We ought to hurry," she added, trying to be helpful, but beginning to get impatient.

Al wrinkled her nose as she looked around, then at the wall between the platforms. How was she supposed to get to the train if the platform didn't exist? She sighed in exasperation just as someone bumped into her. She nearly toppled over, but quickly caught her balance by sticking both of her hands out. She whirled around to see a young girl, a rat perched on her shoulder and a trunk in front of her. Al gave a sigh of relief.

"Mums a muggle, but me, I got my letter."

She looked at the wall before them. The girl said you just walk right through it, but the wall looked awfully solid to her. Al would have hated it if she did as the girl said and just flung backwards. She looked at the girl carefully.

"You sure, I mean, you've done this before? Is it..." She lowered her voice."Magic? I mean, it would have to be, all things considered, but, just right through?"

Al checked her watch again and groaned. The girl was right, they were running out of time. Her 15 minutes had dropped to 10 and Al began to panic. She decided she would have to trust the girl if she was to get to the train on time.

"Alright. So, just right into it. Oi vey."

"Yes, yes, I've done it loads of times!" she insisted, although she was starting to realise that maybe walking straight into a wall wasn't an easy concept to grasp for someone raised by muggles. Especially when the girl inquired if it was magic. Well, of course it was magic, what else was it going to be? "Yes, it's magic," she replied quietly, in a voice that suggested that she thought that maybe this younger girl wasn't very intelligent. "Come on, come on, all the good seats are going to be taken already!" By this point, Alida's family had caught her up and she glanced over at her mother to encourage her to help the muggle lady out.

In the meantime, Alida reached over with her spare hand, to take Alcina's hand. "Come on, we'll do it together!" she said, glancing quickly around to make sure they weren't being watched by any other muggles before tugging Alcina in the direction of the barrier. Alida walked fast, pulling the younger girl behind her as she headed towards the wall, her trunk trundling behind her as well. Without hesitation or a pause, Alida marched right up to, and through, the wall, not stopping the other side, but moving forwards and out of the way so as not to block the path of anyone coming along behind. "There, see! Easy!"