21 Sep 2020, 05:12
Magic in Plain Sight
Septima walked side by side with her father. He pushed her cart, not because it was too heavy for her but because he was, "too much of a gentleman." She had responded to this with a simple eyeroll before continuing their trip into the train station.
This was the first time Septima had been inside the London train station. She had walked past it many times before but she never thought she would go inside it. Yet, here she was. It was packed full of people, all practically running. She was rather surprised people could run in a crowd without crashing into eachother. She decided it was a skill she hoped to one day develop. The other skill she wished she had was how on earth to locate platforms. Her thumb brushed over the ticket in her hands. She squinted as if this might help her understand the ticket. "Nine and three quarters...? That's a lot of platforms." She mumbled mostly to herself. Her father did hear the comment, his loud obnoxious laughter was to show for it. Septima jabbed her elbow into her father's arm, receiving an ouch between his cackles.
When he finally calmed down he spoke up, "you'll see soon enough, Seven." Septima decided to let it be. Her father was stubborn, a strong trait she inherited, and she came to realize sometimes the best thing to do was keep quiet. He had a tendency to yell over Septima just to win an argument or prove a point. A bustling train station was the last place she wanted her father to start hollaring in.
The two mosied on through the train station. Her father took it upon himself to hum as they went. He usually sang tunes that were foreign to Septima. Once she asked him what he was singing which was quickly followed by an exasperated conversation on how he failed to introduce "real" music to his daughter. She never asked again.
Septima lead the two down a set of stairs, passing platform after platform as she went. She was counting as they passed and quickly realized that there would be no 9 3/4. The numbers were as goes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Septima kept walking past nine just to stop at ten. She was gobsmacked. She turned back around just to notice her father standing at nine. He smiled, waved and suddenly started running. He ran straight towards a wall. Septima made her way towards the wall her father vanished behind and he was gone. Panic filled her. She began searching around the wall through the hordes of people. She found nothing. So she did the next best thing. Exactly what her father would want, for her to follow in his footsteps. She backed up, aligned herself to the wall and sprinted. Every step screamed at her to stop. That this was dangerous. That this was crazy. So she ran harder and slammed her shoulder into the wall just to slip through it. Only to ram directly into her expectant father.
The wind was knocked out of him as she collided into his chest. He pushed her off him to dramatically gasp for air. He was soon laughing, his eyes gleaming with pride, "I didn't think you would follow me into a wall! Perhaps you are a Gryffindor like your father." He wiped away a fake tear as he wore a grin that stretched ear to ear.
"Guess we will find out soon, huh." Septima replied softly. She held the ticket under her father's nose. "Now where is it?" Her father gave her a dumbfounded look. "The platform!" Her father let out a humored 'oh' before rounding the corner. Septima made sure to follow closely just in case her father produced another vanishing act. However, she was greeted with a glorious sight.
There sat a deep red train, steam billowing around it. On the front was a sign with gold letters that read: "HOGWARTS EXPRESS." Atop this sign was an insigna which she recongized as the one her father had shown her. Beside the train were hundreds of magical families saying goodbye. Septima also noted just above her head was a sign that confirmed she stood on platform 9 3/4.
Septima and her father walked down the length of the train, her father began telling his first time on the Hogwarts Express. Septima only half listened, too in awe of seeing the train. She was beyond excited to get on the train. She wanted to experience it for herself, as much as her father's stories captivated her, she was more excited to see the real thing. Her father soon took notice. "Ah, the train will be leaving soon. You better get on! Don't worry about your luggage, Seven." He produced a small warm smile before pulling Septima into an embrace. When the two finally parted he continued, "make sure to write everyday!" Septima nodded, laughing softly as she made her way onto the train. "I will be expecting letters! Eileen will be reading them too! So try not to slaughter the Slytherins too much!" He gave a single hardy laugh as Septima disappeared inside the train. Soon he saw her face peeping back at him through a window. The two gave a final wave before departure.
Septima watched the sign of platform 9 3/4 slowly move away as the train rolled foward. She just ran through a wall. A WALL. She grinned, vibrating in her seat with excitment. Magic is just the coolest. She wondered how Hogwarts must compare if their way of entry is through a wall just to ride an awesome train to a massive castle. She just couldn't wait.
This was the first time Septima had been inside the London train station. She had walked past it many times before but she never thought she would go inside it. Yet, here she was. It was packed full of people, all practically running. She was rather surprised people could run in a crowd without crashing into eachother. She decided it was a skill she hoped to one day develop. The other skill she wished she had was how on earth to locate platforms. Her thumb brushed over the ticket in her hands. She squinted as if this might help her understand the ticket. "Nine and three quarters...? That's a lot of platforms." She mumbled mostly to herself. Her father did hear the comment, his loud obnoxious laughter was to show for it. Septima jabbed her elbow into her father's arm, receiving an ouch between his cackles.
When he finally calmed down he spoke up, "you'll see soon enough, Seven." Septima decided to let it be. Her father was stubborn, a strong trait she inherited, and she came to realize sometimes the best thing to do was keep quiet. He had a tendency to yell over Septima just to win an argument or prove a point. A bustling train station was the last place she wanted her father to start hollaring in.
The two mosied on through the train station. Her father took it upon himself to hum as they went. He usually sang tunes that were foreign to Septima. Once she asked him what he was singing which was quickly followed by an exasperated conversation on how he failed to introduce "real" music to his daughter. She never asked again.
Septima lead the two down a set of stairs, passing platform after platform as she went. She was counting as they passed and quickly realized that there would be no 9 3/4. The numbers were as goes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Septima kept walking past nine just to stop at ten. She was gobsmacked. She turned back around just to notice her father standing at nine. He smiled, waved and suddenly started running. He ran straight towards a wall. Septima made her way towards the wall her father vanished behind and he was gone. Panic filled her. She began searching around the wall through the hordes of people. She found nothing. So she did the next best thing. Exactly what her father would want, for her to follow in his footsteps. She backed up, aligned herself to the wall and sprinted. Every step screamed at her to stop. That this was dangerous. That this was crazy. So she ran harder and slammed her shoulder into the wall just to slip through it. Only to ram directly into her expectant father.
The wind was knocked out of him as she collided into his chest. He pushed her off him to dramatically gasp for air. He was soon laughing, his eyes gleaming with pride, "I didn't think you would follow me into a wall! Perhaps you are a Gryffindor like your father." He wiped away a fake tear as he wore a grin that stretched ear to ear.
"Guess we will find out soon, huh." Septima replied softly. She held the ticket under her father's nose. "Now where is it?" Her father gave her a dumbfounded look. "The platform!" Her father let out a humored 'oh' before rounding the corner. Septima made sure to follow closely just in case her father produced another vanishing act. However, she was greeted with a glorious sight.
There sat a deep red train, steam billowing around it. On the front was a sign with gold letters that read: "HOGWARTS EXPRESS." Atop this sign was an insigna which she recongized as the one her father had shown her. Beside the train were hundreds of magical families saying goodbye. Septima also noted just above her head was a sign that confirmed she stood on platform 9 3/4.
Septima and her father walked down the length of the train, her father began telling his first time on the Hogwarts Express. Septima only half listened, too in awe of seeing the train. She was beyond excited to get on the train. She wanted to experience it for herself, as much as her father's stories captivated her, she was more excited to see the real thing. Her father soon took notice. "Ah, the train will be leaving soon. You better get on! Don't worry about your luggage, Seven." He produced a small warm smile before pulling Septima into an embrace. When the two finally parted he continued, "make sure to write everyday!" Septima nodded, laughing softly as she made her way onto the train. "I will be expecting letters! Eileen will be reading them too! So try not to slaughter the Slytherins too much!" He gave a single hardy laugh as Septima disappeared inside the train. Soon he saw her face peeping back at him through a window. The two gave a final wave before departure.
Septima watched the sign of platform 9 3/4 slowly move away as the train rolled foward. She just ran through a wall. A WALL. She grinned, vibrating in her seat with excitment. Magic is just the coolest. She wondered how Hogwarts must compare if their way of entry is through a wall just to ride an awesome train to a massive castle. She just couldn't wait.
||Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 2 | Wisdom: 10 | Arcane Power: 7 | Accuracy: 6||