Elisa hadn’t needed an alarm clock that day. She awoke to her parents’ shrill voices bickering before the sun had even crept over the horizon. From that moment, the sound of their high-pitched, anxious quarrelling was a constant stream of noise accompanying Elisa’s every action. Her Muggle parents were beyond unhappy about bringing their daughter to some remote, unknown, and mysterious magic school. As fervent Catholics, the shocking truth that Elisa was a witch about to study magic was nearly as horrifying and catastrophic as discovering their precious daughter was a satanic priestess.

Her parents’ overwhelming distress contrasted heavily with Elisa’s mood that day. She was the picture of happiness, an imperturbable grin glowing on her face ever since she first opened her eyes that morning. She was overjoyed to go to Hogwarts, to be leaving her parents’ oppressive control, and to learn and discover magic and the magical world. Deep down, she did feel for her parents and understood how traumatic and difficult all of this was for them to accept. However… Elisa couldn’t help but wonder if all Muggle parents reacted this way or if some were in fact, happy, even excited for their children. Was that at all possible?

Once the three had reached between platforms 9 and 10, her parents’ shrill voices seemed to reach a whole new octave in their anxiety. “This is madness! She will break her nose!” her mother shrieked. “Come on, Rosa, look around! There is no Platform 9 ¾. This has clearly been some sick joke!” her father shouted back. With all their panicked voices and theatrical gesticulations, it seemed that they were attracting some stares.

But Elisa wasn’t paying much attention, her gaze focused on the barrier to Platform 9 3/4 . Her heart was beating fast as she tightened her grip on her trolley. She knew what she had to do, but it was hard to bypass that instinctive certainty that the barrier would remain solid.

“Okay! I’m going!”she shouted excitedly, finally mustering up enough courage. She barely registered the frightened shrieks of her mother crying, “No, darling, don’t do it! You'll hurt yourself!” Elisa sprinted towards the platform, heart pounding wildly, her mother screaming as though her daughter were running towards oncoming traffic.

The young witch shut her eyes, half-expecting that at any moment now, her trolley would hit the solid barrier. But the collision never came. Instead, the scene changed. And there she was, on a whole new platform filled with the happy, excited faces of children and their families. For the first time that day, she couldn’t hear her parents bickering or screaming, her ears filled instead with excited, cheerful chatter that synchronized much more with her own elated feelings.

Overjoyed that she had actually made it onto the platform, Elisa stood still at its entrance, looking around and taking in the scene. She smiled and breathed deeply. Suddenly, something slammed against her from behind, causing Elisa to stumble forward and let go of her trolley. It rolled a few feet away from her, bumping into the crowd in front of her.

The trolley behind had slammed against Elisa with enough force to drop her hard onto her knees. "Ouch," the young witch breathed quietly as she picked herself slowly off the floor. Brushing dust off her legs, she suddenly tensed at the sight of the small tear in her new, turquoise, flower-patterned dress. It took her moment to realize there was no need to brace herself for an onslaught of criticism and yells. Her parents weren't there. It wasn't them who had collided with her, but a seemingly sweet, apologetic family, the mother of whom had hurried over to make sure Elisa was alright.

The young witch smiled, blushing in slight embarrassment. "I'm okay, really! It's my fault, I shouldn't have just stood there like that." Indeed, her mother would have berated her for being so absent-minded. What were you doing, standing there stupidly? Where's your brain? She was so used to hearing her mother criticize her that apparently, Mrs. Flores didn't even have to be present. Elisa's mind could imagine perfectly well her mother's exact comments.

Did this mean they wouldn't be able to cross onto Platform 9 3/4? Elisa thought guiltily that she hadn't said much of a goodbye, especially considering it was her very first time parting with them. Elisa had never been away from home, for any length of time, now that she thought about it.

Elisa's eyes widened. Wait, where was her trolley? She spotted it immediately, somewhere off in the crowd ahead, and sprinted towards it. There were a few people staring in its direction and as she approached, she noticed a girl with long, brown hair, about her age, coming up off the floor from behind the trolley. She seemed to be by herself, just like Elisa, as no parent or sibling was at the girl's side to help her off the ground.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry," Elisa exclaimed. Though it was no longer moving, Elisa grabbed hold of it, as if to make 100% sure it didn't run off on its own and run over anybody else. "Are you hurt?" she asked, brows furrowed in concern. "I should've moved out of the way," she added, gesturing back towards where people were still appearing out of thin air onto the magical platform. "I was just a little, um, I don't know...I guess I was surprised that I'm actually here, that Platform 9 3/4 actually exists." Her lips curled up in a timid and uncertain smile, wondering if the girl was angry at all. "I half-expected I'd discover Hogwarts wasn't real and that I'd have to go back home today."

Reducio

Siobhan Speaking: #556b2f
Siobhan Thinking: #99b39c
Irish Translations:

Interacting with: @Elisa Flores

Siobhan looked up at the person who was claiming ownership over the runaway cart. She wasn't hurt but she wasn't sure wether she was ready to speak to this girl who had a proper accent. Most people in Killarney spoke with such a heavy Irish accent that she had little practice with those who didn't. Siobhan slowly stood up and nodded shyly as the girl continued to apologize.

"I half-expected I'd discover Hogwarts wasn't real and that I'd have to go back home today." The girl explained as she gripped the handlebars of the trolley. This caught Siobhan's attention because she also half expected this to all be an elaborate hoax put on by their neighbors who thought that she and her "kooky" family were a disgrace to the town.

"Wait you're muggle too?" Siobhan blurted out in a thick Killarney accent. She clasped her hands over her mouth afraid that the other girl would think it was weird and that she was weird for having it. Plus that assumption was just a reflex and not a thought behind it. She didn't want to assume that this girl was but because Siobhan didn't know better, she owned up to her blurted thought.

"Sorry... I'm just nervous. I'm a muggle-born and I'm alone here. My parents couldn't get through the barrier and none of my siblings are magical either. I- I don't know what to do." Siobhan admitted as she knocked the foot of her dirty sneaker on the floor of the train platform. Normally she would have excused herself to go find a corner to read in and pretend that she wasn't trying to avoid detection from the other wizarding children but now that she'd possibly found someone in her exact situation, she had to know.

From the looks of it, it seemed like this girl was alone as well but she didn't seem all to upset about it. In fact she looked, dare Siobhan say, ecstatic to be alone on the platform. Which confused Siobhan slightly. Judging from her previous statement, this girl would be starting Hogwarts as well so she had to be with someone right? Siobhan looked around for any frantic parent or set of parents who might be looking for their kid. Out of habit for taking care of her younger sister,

"Tah, aren't your parents around?" Siobhan asked with a quizzical look.

The platform was alive and loud with excited chatter and the hooting of owls. A soft mist had spread over the platform, steam from the train's chimney creating something of a magical and mysterious ambiance. Children were beginning to board the train, waving and yelling loud goodbyes to their loved ones.

"Oh, what a delightful accent!" She blurted the words out before she could stop herself, but hesitated mid-way, the last word coming out much quieter than the first. Noticing the girl's reaction, Elisa hoped she hadn't just made her more self-conscious. Accents weren't a big deal to her, really. Well, except that she found them each to have their own unique beauty. Even her parents' accent had its own charm. They weren't originally from England, but immigrated together late in life. Though their English was faintly colored with a British accent, it was perhaps more heavily tinged with the sound of their native language.

"I'm a muggle-born too!" Her face lit up in joy. Elisa didn't mind being alone on the platform as she often felt most comfortable in solitude. Still, she was relieved to meet someone in her same situation. She had often wondered in her bed at night, when thoughts of Hogwarts kept sleep at bay, if muggle-borns like her were rare. "I'm completely clueless about all of this," she added, looking around at the crowded platform and the Hogwarts train puffing smoke.

"But, I guess that's what makes this day all the more magical and memorable for the both of us, isn't it? We have no idea what to expect, so everything that's happening.. everything feels like a miracle." She smiled at the girl, her heart full and open, ready for any and all possibilities.

Perhaps she should have felt nervous, but for Elisa, it felt like life was finally opening up for her. It was like opening the door on a caged bird. Though the world outside may be unknown and frightening, she only cared that she would finally be able to spread her wings.

"I'm Elisa by the way. What's yours?" she said, a friendly smile on her lips. "And um, no, my parents... they aren't here either," Elisa said, shaking her head. She glanced behind her, looking thoughtful. She only now noticed the metal archway, under which families were still appearing with trolleys often overflowing with luggage. The words Platform 9 3/4 was carved on top. "Wait, so our parents... they definitely can't cross onto the platform?"

Her smile slipped off her face, her brows furrowed in concern, as she fought images of her mother repeatedly banging into the solid metal barrier in hopes of getting through. "If that's the case, then I didn't say much of a goodbye," she added with a nervous chuckle. "I hope they aren't too worried. This is all very frightening and upsetting for them. Are your parents really scared and upset as well?"

Reducio

Siobhan Speaking: #556b2f
Siobhan Thinking: #99b39c
Irish Translations: cén chaoi ar cheart dom a rá (how do you say?)

Interacting with:@Elisa Flores

Siobhan shrugged her shoulders. Truthfully she had no idea if they could or couldn't cross the platform but her parents had chosen to stay together with her siblings just incase they couldn't all go through. She was saddened that her parents wouldn't see her off but she was worried that if she went back through the platform, her body wouldn't want to leave her parents again.

"Honestly, I'm not sure... I know my parents didn't come through just to stay together with my siblings... We can stay together- if you like of course!" Siobhan muttered before blurting out the last part. The last bit of her sentence a desperate yet subtle plea for the only other muggle-born that she'd come across so far to maybe remind her that she wasn't alone in this strange new world. Then she'd remembered that in this girl -Elisa- had introduced herself and Siobhan stood there nameless.

"My name is Siobhan. I-er... forgot to mention it." She said with a weak smile. She tried to remember what her mother had coached her to do when making friends. Smile, introduce yourself, and find something in common. She could manage that at least. Trying to make friends before embarking on a strange train ride was the least she could do in lieu of knowing how magic worked.

"Yeah today will definitely be memorable... I tried to read all about Hogwarts over the summer that way if we were asked questions, I would know some things." Siobhan explained, wringing her hands together with twisted fingers. She wore her sister's hand-me-down knit dress since she had worried it would be chilly on the train. The sleeves of which were far too long for her skinny arms.

"But no my parents aren't to um- cén chaoi ar cheart dom a rá... concerned? We're traditional? Or nature lovers... This was nothing new to them... They always believed this world existed, and I'm their connection. I don't know- its hard to explain." Siobhan said as she rubbed her arm with the other.

It's true. Her parents believed in spirits and the harmonious gifts between humans and nature but what they believed in was drastically different from the Magical world. Siobhan hoped that becoming a witch would help her understand more about the non-magical life she grew up in better. They always talked about keeping their lives in balance with the nature spirits but Siobhan couldn't explain nor did she have the right words in English to explain how her parents operated.

She then had a small eureka moment and with a puffed out chest used the closest word she could think of to describe her family.

"We're bohemian." Siobhan explained matter-of-factly. Wether it was the right word or not, Siobhan hoped that it would shed some light as to why her parents were immediately ok with her beginning the journey to Witchcraft. Her parents where very 'go with the flow' and 'let nature decide your path' kind of people. The muggle words of hippie and pagan didn't describe them exactly but she believed that Bohemian might.

"I reckon your parents aren't much happy about this yeah?" Siobhan asked as Elisa explained that her parents were not on the platform. Siobhan couldn't argue with that logic though. If you hadn't grown up wishing and believing that something so fantastical could be true, you likely wouldn't believe it when it was right in front of you.

"Oh yes, absolutely!" Elisa's reply was so enthusiastic and fast that there was no gap between Siobhan's last word and her answer. "Together, we'll be able to figure everything out, for sure! And help each other!" she added, her face aglow with a warm and reassuring grin.

She nodded her head enthusiastically as Siobhan mentioned reading all about Hogwarts over the summer. She was happy to learn that she wasn't the only one that had been devouring her textbooks, hungry to learn everything about the new, magical world to which they would now belong. "Me too! What excites you most about Hogwarts, after everything you read? I can't wait to explore every inch of the castle! And the nature surrounding it, of course! I bet it's breathtakingly beautiful!" she said, her eyes glazing over as she imagined the moment - only a few hours from now - when she would be standing right there in front of the majestic castle. It still seemed like something that could only happen in the most rare and wonderful of dreams.

Elisa's face seemed to light up with interest as Siobhan explained her parents and her family. "Wow, they sound... so wonderful! I would love to meet them," she uttered sincerely. She imagined Siobhan's parents glowing with pride for their daughter, their hearts happy and optimistic, as they drove back home. She wondered what it would be like growing up with parents that were open to the world of magic, open to a witch for daughter... and couldn't help but envision a pleasant, carefree sort of childhood. "What was it like growing up with such cool parents?" she blurted out, unable to stop herself. "And nature lovers, huh? I love nature so much too!"

Elisa nodded her head when Siobhan asked about her parents. "Yeah, they are pretty devastated," she answered. "They had already handpicked every school and university that I was supposed to attend until adulthood. They even decided I'd choose a career in medicine. So, the Hogwarts letter came as a complete shock. They do believe in magic..." Elisa's eyes gazed upward for a moment, looking pensive. "I think? But, they don't approve. My Lola does though. My grandma, I mean. She's happy for me. And I can't wait to write to her and tell her about all wonders I'll discover at Hogwarts."

Every once in a while, she glanced back towards the entrance of Platform 9 3/4, biting her lip, half-expecting to see her parents appear any second now. She was torn between worry about them being stuck on the other side and worry about them succeeding in joining her. The latter option could potentially ruin the joyous moment she was having with this sweet girl - whom she wished wholeheartedly - might be her first Hogwarts friend.

Siobhan nodded along at what Elisa explained had happened with her parents. She wasn't surprised when Elisa mentioned how her parents were apprehensive. Truthfully if her parents weren't so fluid with the world and the universe's decisions she was sure that she wouldn't be standing on the platform, she wouldn't have visited the wonder that was Diagon Alley, and she definitely wouldn't be privy to any information about Hogwarts.

She felt bad for the girl, it must be hard not to have a parent's full support over a life-changing moment. She was lucky to have her large family and their love and acceptance over her budding magical prowess. Siobhan wasn't sure what she would do if her parents or siblings had shunned her over this new development.

"Well we can be friends. I don't know how many other muggle-born students are joining us this year. Besides I will need someone to talk to about muggle things." Siobhan said with a happy smile. She was so thankful that this girl had run into her with her trolley even if her Achilles tendon was pulsing with sharp pain. As she spoke she saw Elisa looking back towards the platform entrance. Siobhan sympathized with her plight as she too was hoping that perhaps her parents would be helped through, or even find their own way through the wall. She just wanted to say goodbye one more time.

"Is trua nach ndéanann sé? Sucks our parents are stuck on the other side?" Siobhan asked as she crossed her arms over her book and into her chest. As if suddenly remembering that her book was in her hands, she opened it to a page that she had heavily annotated and looked back at Elisa.

"Since you've also read Hogwarts: A History as well, can I ask you something? How do you think we'll be sorted? I don't know that I could function in any other house other than Ravenclaw." Siobhan asked as she looked at the details of the Houses. It was something that puzzled and worried Siobhan to no end. What if the sorting meant that the members of the houses had to individually pick the new students? Or what if she had to prove herself worthy through some task? Siobhan didn't know any spells nor did she know anything magical that wasn't about plants or magical creatures. If it was a written test on the history of Hogwarts though she might be ok...

She still had no idea. Maybe Elisa had a better understanding or even had her own ideas for what they might have to do.

The train cars seemed increasingly packed with Hogwarts students and their oversized trunks and owl cages. Plenty of cheerful, excited faces stuck out from the windows, smiling, laughing, waving, and loudly conversing with their families waiting on the platform. The excitement in the air seemed to grow with each passing moment, as the clock hand slowly moved closer to 11. Elisa felt so happy that she now had a friend with whom to share her first train ride to Hogwarts. It seemed like it would only make the experience that much happier to share it with someone as equally clueless about the magical world.

"Yes, I would love that," Elisa replied brightly. "It'll certainly be nice to have someone to speak Muggle with! And we could help support each other and share our excitement as we figure out this whole new world!" Elisa was already imagining them exploring the castle and grounds together, enjoying the daily discovery of new, delightful surprises all around them.

Elisa glanced at the book in Siobhan's arms, like recognizing an old friend. She had read the book from cover to cover over summer break, a thoroughly enjoyable read. But perhaps partly because she was a Muggle, all the textbooks had been an enjoyable, even thrilling, read.

"The book doesn't seem to touch on the subject, does it? I have wondered a lot about the Sorting Ceremony. It feels as though the book is purposefully vague about it, like it's meant to be a surprise," she replied. "Which makes me think that it's probably something rather fun, something magical, of course, and...unforgettable!" Her eyes twinkled as she imagined what sort of whimsical tradition awaited them at the ceremony.

It was only natural to worry a little and imagine the worst. And she had. The thought that had especially haunted her was the worry that they might be subject to grueling, magical tests to be performed in front of the entire school. Failure of which would result in not just a very public humiliation, but the announcement that they would need to immediately board the next train to London. There were nights when her stomach was knotted with anxiety over it. But the more Elisa had thought about it - and she had thought about it quite a bit - the less it seemed likely. "I don't think we have anything to worry about it." She smiled at Siobhan, her kind features lit with optimism and hope. She genuinely wished that she could reassure her new friend, allowing Siobhan's Sorting Ceremony to be as magical and happy as possible, from beginning to end. Worries would spoil things unnecessarily and she felt the sweet-seeming girl deserved the very best and happiest first evening at Hogwarts. "I'm confidant that it's a ceremony meant to be welcoming and happy. Something to make us feel right at home."

She had also wondered about the different houses and which would appeal to her most. It seemed only natural that she would be in Ravenclaw, with her studious nature and love for books. Yet she felt pretty confidant that she would be just as happy in Hufflepuff or even Gryffindor. Something about Slytherin repelled her, however. She couldn't quite put her finger on what. "Ravenclaw? Yes, I think, I might be in Ravenclaw too! Maybe we'll be in the same house, who knows!"