Two hands shoved at Kalani's back, sending her tripping and stumbling and nearly falling through the wall between platforms nine and ten.

Falling through.

She came out on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The Hogwarts Express was already sitting there, ready to go. The black paint on the train shined off the sunlight, and smoke bubbled out of the pipe on the top. The platform was bustling with other kids and their parents. Right after her came Sofia, her hoahanau who had used her day off to make sure she got there safe. It was nice of her, Kalani guessed. She just wished she'd be a little gentler.

The tall cousin clapped a massive hand on Kalani's shoulder, hard enough that she staggered. "You got everything, kid?" She asked once Kalani was looking at her.
Kalani looked down at her case, as if she could see through the hard, black outside and into the stuff inside. She shrugged. Her Anake Suzanna had packed it. As far as she was aware, it had all of her fancy robes, her uniform, and all her books. Her Anake had told her that it was better to dress in casual clothes, and then change into her uniform on the train, so she was wearing her too-big-jeans, a scruffy white t-shirt and a khaki raincoat that was getting too small.
Sofia thought for a second, then shrugged back at her. "Whatever. You're probably fine."

Sofia's head suddenly snapped off towards the direction of the train. "The horns just gone off," she told Kalani. "You better get going. See you!" Quick as anything, Sofia turned back around and slipped back through the wall.

Kalani stood for a second, stunned. Then she kicked into action, spinning on her heel and sprinting towards the train. Being short was finally a good thing: she could zip through the crowd in a couple seconds, and then she was on the train. Easy.

Picking up the suitcase by the handle, she started shuffling down the skinny aisle. The first compartments that she passed were all taken. The first empty one she got to was Compartment #10.

She slid open the door and shuffled inside. With a sigh, she flopped down onto the seat by the window, sliding her suitcase between her legs. She took off her raincoat and laid it down on the seat next to her, revealing the bracelets all up and down her arms. Peering out the window at the other students, she rolled the bracelets around her wrist, not thinking about the fact that she was faced away from the door.

"Hurry! We have to hurry!"

Charles and Antoinette Lafee were pink-faced and manic, each carrying a toddler sized ball of chaos upon their hip while ushering their eldest, Anafe, through London's King's Cross Station. Charles had left the house early that morning, as he usually did, to report to Auror Headquarters and receive his daily briefing. It didn't take him long to realize, however, that today was the Big Day.

The Big Day.

The day Anastasia finally went to Hogwarts.

"Run through, Ana, just like your cousin Chessie did last year!" Charles said with a huff, wrestling with little Ethan as he slowed down his trot, trying not to tangle himself with Ana's heavy trunk. "Don't stop, just go through."

And Ana, with a big smile stretched upon her face, did just so.

It took her a moment, after nearly running through the brick wall, to find her breath. Coming through always took her breath away and as she caught sight of Platform 9 3/4" her smile broadened and her heart swelled to the size of the moon. The hustle and bustle of the crowded platform was a bit disorienting, but she soaked it in, smile growing to the point of pain. Excitement soared through her and she turned around to throw her arms around her pa, giving Ethan a kiss on the forehead as she did.

"Oh thank you, thank you! I..I can't believe I'm finally going! It's gunna be such a big advent--"

"Remember to behave, Anastasia," Her mum said with a loving frown. She knelt down and allowed Elijah to give his older sister a hug before wrapping her arms around Ana as well. "Send us an owl in the morning to give us the big news! We so proud of you, Stasi."

The Hogwart's Express whistled and there was an uptick in the crowd, the jostling happening even more frequently as parents rushed their children onto the train. Her father made them a path just in time, hefting her trunk up and onto the train. After sharing a quick goodbye and a quick swipe of her eyes, Ana took the handle of her trunk and hefted it down the aisle in search of an empty compartment.

There weren't any empty ones, however, so Anastasia doubled back to Compartment #10, and rapped a few times upon the door. She gave the girl in there a moment or two to respond, and then realizing she was blocking the aisle, opened the door and slid inside, allowing a group of older students already in their robes to walk on by.

"S-sorry about that, didn't wanna just barge on in-b..but there were a few older students waiting on me and I j-just..." Ana slowed her speech with a hesitant laugh, pushed her trunk under the bench, and then introduced herself. "Name's Ana!"

After a few seconds of sitting uncomfortably with her case between her legs, she took the time to slip in under the bench. Her hoahanau's send off had been less than it should have been, she realised from watching the other families from the window. She watched parents hug their kids before putting them on the train, siblings playfully tug one another onto the carriages, and parents waving through windows when the train hadn't even started moving. She sighed, turning her head towards her lap rather than looking out on the stuff that was just making her feel sad.

She knew that her Makuahine and Makuakane would have come to say goodbye if they could have. But they couldn't have taken the time off of work, and plane tickets would have been too much. That'd always been the way it was; couldn't come to a soccer game because of overtime; had to leave camp early because money was getting low back at home; left her home alone for dinner because of mealtime rush; left her with her grandparents because they were exhausted. She was used to it by now, but watching other families would always bring the old feelings back.

Kalani didn't notice she had company until she watched a trunk slide under the bench in front of her. She jumped, turning her head just in time to catch the girl introduce herself. She smiled awkwardly. She'd said 'Ana', right? To check, without thinking, she spelt the name out with her hands, looking up at Ana, head tilted. She quickly realised her mistake, and blushed. She put out her left arm, palm down, and pointed towards the bracelet on the bottom of her skinny little wrist. 'I'M DEAF', it explained. Up her arm, the other bracelets explained the rest. 'I'M MUTE', 'BSL, ASL, HSL', 'KALANI', 'ELEVEN', 'LIP READER'. She smiled at the girl lopsidedly, and used her right hand to sign, "sorry," by circling her chest with her fist. She didn't know what she was apologising for, but it felt right to. Her mom had always told her to be polite.