Rae had hugged her muggle parents goodbye and made her way inside the station alone. She truly did not know where she was going, and it was at the moment when she passed platform 9 and came to platform 10 that she began to worry that the letter was a fake.

She felt her throat constrict and the welling of tears in her eyes, but brushed them away quickly.

It's okay, it's okay... Rae mentally assured herself Mum said you just have to ask. Just ask someone. Just ask someone!

Inhaling deeply, Rae looked around and found a man dressed in a uniform. She had never taken a train before, but she knew that uniforms must mean they know...all of the things? They had to know something about this place. Certainly more than she knew. She approached him.

"Ex...excuse me?" she said shyly.

The man looked down at her. "Yes? How can I help you little miss?"

"I-I...I'm looking for platform nine-and-three-quarters."

The man burst out laughing. "You seem to not know how train stations work, there's a platform 9 and a platform 10. Nothing in-between."

"Oh. I'm sorry." she said and without another word she walked away from him, looking from platform nine to platform ten, hoping to see someone who looked like they were going to Hogwarts, and, minute by minute, dreading the thought that she would be stuck here until she had to call her parents to come get her.

Makena was so exited but also nervous what if she ended up like her mother she didn't want that but Makena was glad her mother didn't take her to the train station not that she would anyway she isn't that nice but Makena she had just got to the train station she was with her best friend Kaleb she hugged him tight before grabbing her cart and waving goodbye. Makena tightly gripped the handle of her cart before taking a deep breath and looking at her ticket one again, Makena had a big cart with her it had many books and bags placed everywhere, she then started to walk over to platforms nine and ten she would be getting the train at platform nine and 3/4 her mother told her all about it, it was probably the only helpful thing she said. Makena was walking around when she saw a girl around her age she looked a bit confused maybe she was on her way to Hogwarts as well so Makena decided to introduce herself. "Hello, you seem lost is everything okay."  Makena held out her hand "I'm Makena by the way" she was looking at the girl hoping she was also going to Hogwarts.

Rae looked up, a small gasp escaped from her lips. "Oh, um!" Rae smiled at the dark haired girl. "I'm Rae. I just seem to be a little lost..." She glanced over at the girl's things. Bags upon bags on a cart. She searched for any sign that the girl was also on her way to Hogwarts, but suspected that she was going there, being another child, alone in the station.

And that's when she spotted it. A History of Magic. The book was placed among the many many items that the girl had piled up on her cart. Rae felt a wave of absolute relief wash over her.

"You're going to Hogwarts, then, too, right?" Rae said pointing to the book. She then produced her ticket from her back pocket. "I was adopted by, uh..." she searched for words to describe her Muggle parents. But, being raised by them, the word "Muggle" was not in her vocabulary. "Um, well, non-witch or wizard parents. The ticket says nine-and-three-quarters," she lifted her ticket up for the umpteenth time to check to see if she had misread it, but again she found that she was, indeed, looking for platform 9 3/4. "Please tell me that means something to you. I'm beginning to think this was all a bad joke."

The girl Makena was talking to looked up

"Oh, um!"

The girl then smiled at Makena. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you"

I'm Rae. I just seem to be a little lost..."

The then glanced over at Makena's things.

"You're going to Hogwarts, then, too, right?"

The girl said pointed at the A History of Magic book "Oh .. Yeah I am"

"I was adopted by, uh... Um, well, non-witch or wizard parents. The ticket says nine-and-three-quarters. Please tell me that means something to you. I'm beginning to think this was all a bad joke"

"Don't worry it isn't a joke we cant have muggles seeing what the wizarding world is so we have our own platform its platform 9 3/4 it is right in between platforms nine and ten but don't worry my mother said it will be fine." Makena paused before then grabbing hold of her cart again "Follow me" Makena started walking with the girl towards platforms nine and ten Makena then stopped in between them, "I'll go first..." Makena took a deep breath she was scared but she ran towards the wall closing her eyes right before she ran into it Makena then appeared on the other side a beautiful red train was in front of her with the words 'Hogwarts Express' written on the side. Makena then moved a bit forward and waited for Rae to come through.

Up until the very moment that Rae saw Makena disappear through a brick wall, she was convinced that there was no magic school and that the whole thing had been a bad joke. She was already thinking about how the wands, the owl, all of Diagon Alley, and everything that she knew to be true in her heart were just part of some elaborate scheme. But the second that Makena disappeared into that brick wall, Rae was in shock. Magic was real. And for a moment, Rae didn't want to believe it.

Her thoughts then went to the parents she never knew. Her mother who never wanted to know her and the father who didn't even know she was alive. Were they a witch and wizard? Or were they..."muggles" as Makena seemed to called those nonmagical people.

She shook off the thought and with a deep breath, she ran through the wall, too. Emerging on the other side, it was louder. There were plenty of children there her age and older. Rae gasped and then looked from the train back to Makena and smiled.

"This is amazing!" Rae said with a wide smile, "I can't believe it!" Everything was about to begin now. A new world opening up for her.

Maggie was more lonly than ever before, her mother was out of sight, and she only had her trunk with her now. She saw two girls, and walked up to them. "Hi, i'm Maggie." she said, looking down. She was afriad the girls would shun her like the girls at her muggle primary school did.

Makena was looking around there were so many other children around Makena's age and older with their parents or their siblings or their friends. Makena was still looking around at the train, the wall she had just ran through, the other students, just the whole platform when Rae then came running though onto the other side of the wall she walked over to Makena and smiled and Makena smiled back.

"This is amazing! I can't believe it!"

"Here we come Hogwarts!" Makena looked at the train and then back at Rae smiling she was exited but nervous about Hogwarts. Makena was thinking to herself looking at the train waiting to able to get on it with Rae when another girl around their age came up to them. 

"Hi, i'm Maggie."

said the girl before looking down. "Oh hello I'm Makena and this is Rae" Makena said pointing to Rae. Makena was about to say something when the whistle on the train blew and the conductor was telling everyone the train would be leaving soon. "I guess we should get on the train now... Do you want to sit together?" Makena asked looking at both Rae and Maggie with a smile she could hardly contain her excitement but she also hoped they would say yes so she cold make some friends.

Maggie looked up, surprised to see the girls smiling "Oh hello I'm Makena and this is Rae" The first girl said pointing to the other girl. Both of the girls were very pretty, and had kind eyes and soft smiles. Maggie's spirits soared at the thought of these two possibly being her friends. She thought about what she read in books about having friends, and she wondered what it felt like in real life. Before she saw the girls, she attenpted to make small talk with her mum, but that went out the window when she dissapeared. Makena looked like she was about to say something when the whistle on the train blew and the conductor was telling everyone the train would be leaving soon. "I guess we should get on the train now... Do you want to sit together?" Makena said, looking at Maggie and Rae. Maggie couldn't believe her luck. "I would like that very much." Maggie said, smiling. She started to climb onto the train, her red hair bouncing happily behind her as she climbed the steps. She looked back to see if the other girls wer coming too "Are you guys coming?" Maggie asked looking around.

"Here we come Hogwarts!"

Rae smiled and laughed a little. The excitement was setting in. It was then that a red-haired girl approached them, introducing herself as Maggie. She seemed shy, like Rae, but probably wanting to make friends.

Overall, Rae was happy that Makena introduced her. She wanted to make friends, but she didn't know how to talk to people all that well.

"I guess we should get on the train now...Do you want to sit together?"

When Makena asked, Rae's face practically lit up. She nodded, "I'd absolutely love to!" A huge smile came across her face. She had never known friends before, but was so eager to make some. Makena was so pretty and confident and Maggie was eager to make friends. She hoped that it could work out.

She climbed aboard the train after Maggie and walked down the aisles of the car, looking for a place to sit. Eventually, she found an empty compartment. Compartment 21, it looked like. It was the first empty one that she came to, and she quickly took her seat. She began trying to think of things to talk about. Her mum had coached her in the ways of "small talk" but she wasn't what anyone would call an expert.

"Um...I'm from Scotland." She said and then immediately realized that it was not a good conversation starter, and what more, it was probably evident from her accent. She took a breath and tried again, "What kind of wands did you both get?"

Maggie sat on the other side of the compartment they picked out, and looked at Rae. "Umm... I'm from scotland." she said. Magnolia already figured that out. Being from scotland herself, she could recognize a scottish accent from a mile away. Rae seemed flustered by her first statment, and tried again. "What kind of wands did you both get?" she asked. Maggie thought back to her time in the shop with the creepy guy, Ollivander. His grey eyes freaked her out a bit. "Mine is made of chestnut, with phoenix feather inside." She said, looking out the window for a moment, and then going to her trunk to pull it out. It was 29 centimeters, or 11 inches, and had a honey-colored wood. She put it back in her trunk and looked back at them "So, what house are you guys hoping for?" While it was true that she wanted all of them, she secretly leaned towards Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. She stared out the window again for a moment, feilds and rivers flicking past. She thought about wanting to go back to loch tay, but reminded herself that she would go to hogwarts now. She looked back at the girls, waiting for an answer.