29 Nov 2019, 06:33
Initial Departure
Standing here felt strange.
Of all the things that had happened to her magically, this was by far the weirdest. So far.
What was this 11-year-old girl doing that was so strange, you ask? Leaning up against a brick wall, a large trunk at her feet, watching disinterestedly as figures hurried past. Erika was waiting.
Sure, what she was doing might seem normal to the naked eye, but that’s before you realize where she was waiting and why she was waiting there — in a train terminal designed for witches and wizards, waiting to board a large steam engine that will take her to a magical boarding school where she will stay for what felt like the rest of her mortal life. And as trippy as that sounds, it wasn’t even the weird part of the whole situation.
The weirdest part, to Erika at least, was actually the entrance of the terminal. Disguised as a thick brick pillar between two platforms at a muggle station, it was actually a secret portal to another dimension. Or so it seemed. In order to gain passage to the terminal, you had to run full speed into the solid brick wall, which you’d then slide through like jello.
Erika frowned. This was supposed to become her new normal? How? There was nothing normal about walking through walls or owning moving photographs! She’d known about the existence of magic for over a year now and it still continued to surprise her. Granted, she had gotten used to the smaller things, so maybe she was warming to it after all.
Just then, a man and woman appeared through the portal together, the man watching everything around him as if he were a lost puppy and the woman pushing a carriage housing a small infant with tufted black hair and startling green eyes. Erika noticed them at the same time that they noticed her, causing the brunette leaned down to pick up her trunk with a sigh as the two approached. Well, technically three, if you counted little Finnian, as she did.
As you could probably guess, the man and woman were Erika’s parents, Gilbert and Brigitte Meyer. Finnian was the baby in the carriage, Erika’s little brother, and only a couple months old.
They had been temporarily separated because her father took a bit more convincing than she did in going through the wall, initially wanting to bid her farewell from outside Platform 9 ¾. It took an extra minute, but clearly her mom had somehow persuaded him to go through as well. She never knew how she was able to do that sort of thing.
Erika knelt down to tickle Finnian’s nose as the carriage pulled up, causing him to giggle. Of all the things she was leaving behind going to Hogwarts, she knew she was going to miss him the most. She planted a kiss on his forehead and straightened to find her mom watching her through tear-filled eyes.
“What?” Erika asked, seemingly annoyed.
“Oh, nothing,” Brigitte replied, wiping away a tear before it had a chance to run, “You’re just growing up so fast.”
Erika rolled her eyes, scoffing at the notion, and turned to see her dad watching the interaction amusedly.
But before she could get defensive on him too, a whistle sounded in the near distance and Erika turned towards the tracks in time to see the fully-functioning steam engine pull into the station. It really was as big and shiny as they said it would be. She took a moment to admire it before the pressure of what it meant began to weigh on her shoulders. She didn’t know she would feel this anxious when the time finally came.
Erika turned back and looked at her parents, sadness glistening in her eyes. Her mom was quick to act and moved around Finnian’s stroller, wrapping her in a tight hug. A moment later, and her dad had joined in from the other side. Still holding her trunk with both hands, Erika couldn’t really hug back, but still felt her spirits lift. She would never admit it to them, however. She had given her parents so much grief over the past year for the decisions they made because of the effect they had on her life, which was probably unfair, but breaking her facade now didn’t really feel right. In the end though, at least one of those decisions ended up having a great outcome, so who was to say this one wouldn’t either?
While this new mindset hadn’t exactly taken root yet, it did amp her up enough that when she released herself from her parents’ hold, she felt ready to board the train. And after a final round of farewells, promises to send owls, and repetitive declarations of love, Erika did just that.
Of all the things that had happened to her magically, this was by far the weirdest. So far.
What was this 11-year-old girl doing that was so strange, you ask? Leaning up against a brick wall, a large trunk at her feet, watching disinterestedly as figures hurried past. Erika was waiting.
Sure, what she was doing might seem normal to the naked eye, but that’s before you realize where she was waiting and why she was waiting there — in a train terminal designed for witches and wizards, waiting to board a large steam engine that will take her to a magical boarding school where she will stay for what felt like the rest of her mortal life. And as trippy as that sounds, it wasn’t even the weird part of the whole situation.
The weirdest part, to Erika at least, was actually the entrance of the terminal. Disguised as a thick brick pillar between two platforms at a muggle station, it was actually a secret portal to another dimension. Or so it seemed. In order to gain passage to the terminal, you had to run full speed into the solid brick wall, which you’d then slide through like jello.
Erika frowned. This was supposed to become her new normal? How? There was nothing normal about walking through walls or owning moving photographs! She’d known about the existence of magic for over a year now and it still continued to surprise her. Granted, she had gotten used to the smaller things, so maybe she was warming to it after all.
Just then, a man and woman appeared through the portal together, the man watching everything around him as if he were a lost puppy and the woman pushing a carriage housing a small infant with tufted black hair and startling green eyes. Erika noticed them at the same time that they noticed her, causing the brunette leaned down to pick up her trunk with a sigh as the two approached. Well, technically three, if you counted little Finnian, as she did.
As you could probably guess, the man and woman were Erika’s parents, Gilbert and Brigitte Meyer. Finnian was the baby in the carriage, Erika’s little brother, and only a couple months old.
They had been temporarily separated because her father took a bit more convincing than she did in going through the wall, initially wanting to bid her farewell from outside Platform 9 ¾. It took an extra minute, but clearly her mom had somehow persuaded him to go through as well. She never knew how she was able to do that sort of thing.
Erika knelt down to tickle Finnian’s nose as the carriage pulled up, causing him to giggle. Of all the things she was leaving behind going to Hogwarts, she knew she was going to miss him the most. She planted a kiss on his forehead and straightened to find her mom watching her through tear-filled eyes.
“What?” Erika asked, seemingly annoyed.
“Oh, nothing,” Brigitte replied, wiping away a tear before it had a chance to run, “You’re just growing up so fast.”
Erika rolled her eyes, scoffing at the notion, and turned to see her dad watching the interaction amusedly.
But before she could get defensive on him too, a whistle sounded in the near distance and Erika turned towards the tracks in time to see the fully-functioning steam engine pull into the station. It really was as big and shiny as they said it would be. She took a moment to admire it before the pressure of what it meant began to weigh on her shoulders. She didn’t know she would feel this anxious when the time finally came.
Erika turned back and looked at her parents, sadness glistening in her eyes. Her mom was quick to act and moved around Finnian’s stroller, wrapping her in a tight hug. A moment later, and her dad had joined in from the other side. Still holding her trunk with both hands, Erika couldn’t really hug back, but still felt her spirits lift. She would never admit it to them, however. She had given her parents so much grief over the past year for the decisions they made because of the effect they had on her life, which was probably unfair, but breaking her facade now didn’t really feel right. In the end though, at least one of those decisions ended up having a great outcome, so who was to say this one wouldn’t either?
While this new mindset hadn’t exactly taken root yet, it did amp her up enough that when she released herself from her parents’ hold, she felt ready to board the train. And after a final round of farewells, promises to send owls, and repetitive declarations of love, Erika did just that.