12 May 2025, 21:02
Lost Charms
It wasn't Julie's first time on Platform 93/4. Since her older sister, Gwen, had been admitted to Hogwarts, visiting this bustling station had become a yearly tradition. But now, standing on it as a soon-to-be student herself, everything felt with a fresh, almost electric energy. Just the thought of her and Gwen both on the Hogwarts Express sparked a thrill of anticipation within her. What adventures might they have? Were they even allowed to explore the train beyond their compartments? Julie sighed contentedly, a wave of excitement washing over her before she turned her attention back to her parents.
"Right, you should get going," Gilbert Cameron said, and he and his wife, Ylana, enveloped their daughters, Gwen and Julie, in one last tight embrace as the Hogwarts Express let out a resounding hiss of white steam – a clear signal that departure was imminent.
Gwen and Julie returned their parents' kisses and began to maneuver their trunks through the throng of giddy students, when Ylana called out, "Julie, you forgot this!" She walked briskly towards her youngest daughter, waving a wooden pendant on a black string.
From a distance, it appeared to be a simple wooden carving, but as Julie met her mother halfway and took the trinket, her right eyebrow arched in curiosity. "A mandrake?" The pendant was a detailed miniature of a crying mandrake, its intricately carved leaves fashioned from a rough green stone, like unpolished jade. "It's from your great-grandfather's. I'm passing it on to you now," Ylana said, cupping Julie's hand around the pendant. "It brought me luck during my time at Hogwarts. I'm sure it will do the same for you, if you take care of it." She kissed Julie's forehead and urged her to hurry and join her older sister.
"Stay here for a moment," Gwen said, tugging Julie into an empty compartment. "I thought we were sitting together! What am I supposed to do alone?"Julie huffed, her cheeks flushing with a sudden heat of annoyance. But before she could voice her protest, Gwen released an exasperated sigh. "Look. I need to find one of my mates. She has Mum's only copy of her research on Iberian magical creatures. And I've got this awful feeling she lost it because she didn't owl it to me over the summer." She slapped her hands onto her face, massaging her temples. If she'd been worrying about this since they left home, Gwen was either a brilliant actress or Julie was completely oblivious to her sister's inner turmoil. "Mum's going to feed me to the badgers if I don't get it back." She let out a frustrated groan before disappearing back into the bustling corridor.
Before Julie could even protest again, the train roared again and began to chug forward, leaving the platform behind. It seemed she would be counting trees for the majority of the journey. She instinctively reached into her pocket for a flavored bean, but halfway there, a sudden mental jolt struck her – her mandrake pendant was no longer around her neck. She frantically patted her trouser pockets and the inner folds of her robes, but her fingers met only fabric.
"Shoot," she muttered, a rueful sigh escaping her lips. She'd already lost her mother's precious pendant. Would her mum threaten to feed her to the badgers too if it wasn't found? Julie peered out into the hallway, scanning left and right, but there was no sign of it. She began to wander into other empty compartments, her eyes diligently searching for the missing trinket, even going so far as to gently upturn a few stray items and peek inside an open book left on a seat.
"Right, you should get going," Gilbert Cameron said, and he and his wife, Ylana, enveloped their daughters, Gwen and Julie, in one last tight embrace as the Hogwarts Express let out a resounding hiss of white steam – a clear signal that departure was imminent.
Gwen and Julie returned their parents' kisses and began to maneuver their trunks through the throng of giddy students, when Ylana called out, "Julie, you forgot this!" She walked briskly towards her youngest daughter, waving a wooden pendant on a black string.
From a distance, it appeared to be a simple wooden carving, but as Julie met her mother halfway and took the trinket, her right eyebrow arched in curiosity. "A mandrake?" The pendant was a detailed miniature of a crying mandrake, its intricately carved leaves fashioned from a rough green stone, like unpolished jade. "It's from your great-grandfather's. I'm passing it on to you now," Ylana said, cupping Julie's hand around the pendant. "It brought me luck during my time at Hogwarts. I'm sure it will do the same for you, if you take care of it." She kissed Julie's forehead and urged her to hurry and join her older sister.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
"Stay here for a moment," Gwen said, tugging Julie into an empty compartment. "I thought we were sitting together! What am I supposed to do alone?"Julie huffed, her cheeks flushing with a sudden heat of annoyance. But before she could voice her protest, Gwen released an exasperated sigh. "Look. I need to find one of my mates. She has Mum's only copy of her research on Iberian magical creatures. And I've got this awful feeling she lost it because she didn't owl it to me over the summer." She slapped her hands onto her face, massaging her temples. If she'd been worrying about this since they left home, Gwen was either a brilliant actress or Julie was completely oblivious to her sister's inner turmoil. "Mum's going to feed me to the badgers if I don't get it back." She let out a frustrated groan before disappearing back into the bustling corridor.
Before Julie could even protest again, the train roared again and began to chug forward, leaving the platform behind. It seemed she would be counting trees for the majority of the journey. She instinctively reached into her pocket for a flavored bean, but halfway there, a sudden mental jolt struck her – her mandrake pendant was no longer around her neck. She frantically patted her trouser pockets and the inner folds of her robes, but her fingers met only fabric.
"Shoot," she muttered, a rueful sigh escaping her lips. She'd already lost her mother's precious pendant. Would her mum threaten to feed her to the badgers too if it wasn't found? Julie peered out into the hallway, scanning left and right, but there was no sign of it. She began to wander into other empty compartments, her eyes diligently searching for the missing trinket, even going so far as to gently upturn a few stray items and peek inside an open book left on a seat.