Amelia Lerelle’s blue eyes shimmered with a thin layer of water as she lurched into yet another long hug with her grandmother. As the wonderful scent of rose perfume merged with their heavily flowing tears, Amelia slowly turned and received a bony hug from her grandfather. It took at least a minute for the tiny girl to release herself from the elderly couple’s embrace and when she finally did, it seemed that the three were very red faced.
It should have been old Maggie and Kurt who bid the girl the final farewell and insisted the young girl to head into the platform and onto the train, but it seemed Amelia was to do it.“I really should go now. I don’t want to miss the train.” She said softly, wiping her teary eyes and looking as if she hoped her grandparents would insist she had another hour.
“Oh, popilkins!” The elderly, lightly British accented voice of a woman cried. “You will write to us often?“ She hesitantly pushed the trunk towards the girl. “Oh, goodness, I’ll miss you… and your old Dickens readings.” She added trying to sound less attached to the little girl, lest she feel guilty and decide not to go. An unfortunate hiccup of tears betrayed her.
Amelia sighed softly as she was buried in yet another of her grandmothers hugs. “Every week!” She assured, and instead of correcting and informing her grandmother of her rather lengthy opinion on Charles Dickens, she merely said with a gentle smile, “I’ll miss you both too!”
“You be good, Amelia!” Her grandfather laughed mock sternly, before pecking her on the head. “I’ll look after your grandmother, don’t you worry!”
Amelia smiled, a brightness radiating off her otherwise pale face, “Thanks Gramps!” She gently took the rather heavy trunk in her hand.
Old Maggie seemed to be unable to contain her sadness at seeing her only granddaughter off and as she bent down to make sure there wasn’t a crease in her uniform, she said. “Well, you’d better go pumpkin, I do agree that you wouldn’t want to miss the train! Oh, and don’t forget about the treats I popped in your trunk.”
Amelia’s grandfather sniffed in a sort of amused way. “Honestly, Mags, she has fifteen minutes until the train leaves!” As the elderly man blew his nose loudly, young Amelia couldn’t help notice a small glint of water in his eyes.
Ignoring her husband, another question came, “Are you sure you don’t want us to come in?” Amelia’s grandmother asked, almost hesitantly.
It took Amelia less than a second to respond, “No, really, it’s fine!” While, in all truth, the child would have loved and appreciated it very much if her grandparents were to come onto the platform with her, she knew that they felt uncomfortable with the new revelation of a magical world and she had no wish to stretch them.
Amelia took her trunk, gave her grandparents another hug and gave her final farewells. She then, lunging her unnaturally heavy trunk, got ready to make her at the barrier between platform 9 and 10. It should have been easy, but the brick was unusually solid looking and she hesitated, wondering if this was a joke. The young girl, avoiding any looking at the opaque brick wall made a run towards the barrier. She stopped less than a meter away, and unable to feel full confidence in the magic of the wall, simply reached her hand forward. It should have stopped, but it went through. With a final, bright smile at her grandparents, she summoned her confidence and walked through the wall.
On the other side was something she had never dreamed of. Perhaps she was expecting a lonely station or maybe something else odd and magic looking, whatever that would be. Instead a chaotic bustle of students greeted her along with a scarlet steam engine puffing with smoke. She paused, taking it all in, her blue eyes bright and amazed.
Still dazed by the stunning sight of what she had just seen, Amelia pulled her heavy trunk and began to weave through the many families and students. Finally, cheeks a slight color of red from the hard work of her trunk, the small girl had hoisted herself into the train, ready for her adventure of Hogwarts.
