All Alone, Together
September 1st, 2026
9:23am
King's Cross Station
Between platforms 9 and 10
9:23am
King's Cross Station
Between platforms 9 and 10
The hustle and bustle of the station was nerve-wracking.
Emil had never seen a train station. In the past three years, the amount of time he'd been in buildings with more than ten people he could have probably counted on one hand. There were strangers of all walks of life rushing through the open floor with suitcases, briefcases, and everything in between. Suits and avant-garde fashion were equally present, as was the occasional person in their pajamas.
And then there was Emil and his cousin.
Two children who could barely reach the knob of a tall door between them, each carrying their own heavy loads of clothing, books, and the stranger knickknacks that the muggles of King's Crossing would do a double-take if they knew the contents. Not that they stood out any moreso than the rest of the personalities in the station. If anything, the only thing they looked like were two lost children with too much luggage.
Two lost children they might have been, indeed.
"Uh, I think it's that way." Emil cupped his hands over his eyes like makeshift binoculars standing atop a nearby bench, attempting to look over all the giants that blocked his way to spot the signs pointing to their destination. He'd heard, of course, about the famous Platform 9 &3/4 from his parents, but navigating his way around the train station was another beast. He wasn't sure he could ask the station attendants about it nor could he spot any indication of other magical beings.
He jumped down from the bench, landing next to Persephone. A girl who, a few months ago, he'd only met twice in his life and now happened to be the closest person to him. She was family, roommate, confidant, and now classmate all at once. None of this had been willing on either of their parts, solely circumstantial. And there laid a air of awkwardness between them at the suddenness of their ever-changing circmustances.
But at least he wasn't alone. He hoped just maybe... she felt the same way.
"Are you okay? Not too nervous?"
He was. Whether he could hide it was another story.
All Alone, Together
They...left. Just like that. Stiff hugs and a warning to remember who she was...then they were gone.
Location | Platform 9 3/4
Date | 1 September 2025 - nearing mid-morning
Outfit | A blue, striped sundress with a thin cardigan, sleeves rolled up to her elbows
Word Count | 704
Poppy stared in the direction her parents had turned and headed back long after the pair disappeared into the hectic crowd to catch their train. The image of their retreating figures imprinted itself in her mind as the little girl stood in stunned silence. All around them, people hurried to catch their trains, some of them parents taking their children to school, some of them old enough to take themselves.
Not her parents, not this last leg. After travelling together since 5:30 AM, they were...gone.
Poppy couldn't begin to consider the scale of the station or the terror of suddenly being on their own. Such a big day, her first time going to school ever – and so far away – but no parents to see her off and no siblings to wish her luck as she and Emil boarded the Express. Sera, Isla and Jasper had wanted to come, but it was a school day. Isla had her own school to go to, and, until their parents returned, the younger pair were under the care of their neighbour, who would ensure they got their work done.
She understood, of course. Their studies were important. But...her parents? Poppy was doing everything she could to stave off the disappointment that slowly crept its way in, but it was difficult.
It was her first day...
"Uh, I think it's that way."
She barely heard him, her lips feeling heavy when she responded. "...Y–Yeah..." She turned to her cousin as he jumped from the bench, following the direction he'd pointed. That was the direction her parents had gestured, the one they were meant to go in to find Mr. Bernard. It would be her third time meeting the man from the ministry. The first was when he'd come to the farm and sat her parents down to explain that there was an entire world of magic she was expected to be allowed into. She remembered sitting between them, her mother's arm wrapped protectively around her shoulder while the man spoke of a place called "Hogwarts" with its magical classes and students.
Children like her, a whole school of them. The very idea had left them appalled.
The second time she'd seen the man, he'd come back to the farm to escort the family to Diagon Alley with her school list to gather her supplies. Her mother had been horrified by the goblins in the bank when they went to convert their pounds, and neither parent had relented when she and her siblings begged for a stop to get magical ice cream.
Poppy got onto her toes, but it wasn't until a natural partition appeared in the crowd that she was able to spot the man. "There," she said, pointing. She took hold of her trolley that was stacked with everything she was told she would need and spun it to head in the direction she'd seen the man.
"Are you okay? Not too nervous?"
"I'm–" Poppy turned to steal a final look behind her, already knowing she wouldn't be able to see her parents anymore but instinctively reaching for that final comfort. "Yeah...yeah, I'm fine," she replied quietly when she turned to look at the boy again. They were gone, and no amount of staring would change that. Waiting there any longer would only make them miss the train.
It went without saying she was nervous. Poppy had never seen a station this big. Louth didn't have any, only buses. She'd also never seen so many people crammed into one place before. "Come on." She gave a hard shove to get the heavy trolley rolling.
"What do you think it's like – the castle, I mean? As magical as Diagon Alley?" That place had been...spectacular. She'd never seen anything like it – had never seen magic so openly used. Her only experiences had been accidental at best and not nearly as mesmerising. The people who'd walked around there acted like it was nothing – just another day out shopping – while her entire sense of reality was being rewritten in real time.
Would Hogwarts be the same?
Last edited by Persephone Grimsbane on 9 Mar 2026, 00:47, edited 2 times in total.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
All Alone, Together
"What do you think it's like – the castle, I mean? As magical as Diagon Alley?"
"Probably even more so!" The boy's voice kicked up a notch in volume, competing with the overhead PA announcing delays as the crowd shifted. His cousin's hard shove prompted him to do the same, following along towards where she had spotted Mr. Bernard. "Mom-" his voice dropped back down. He'd tried not to mention them in the last two months, but it was most of what had been on his mind. In another world, they would have been walking along with him the whole way, holding his hand. They would have loved to talk with Poppy too. Dad would have been over the moon at seeing the first witch from his side of the family.
"...Mom told me back in her day, there were kids throwing spells around everywhere. That there were flying brooms, ghosts, and all other sorts of things hanging around the castle. Even paintings that talked!" The boy cracked a smile as his arms struggled to push the weight of his trolley along with his cousin. It was the happiest conversation topic in weeks, his new guardians not very keen on talking about their upcoming magical journey.
"I'm sure there's a lot of fun stuff to do in the castle. I think dad tried to take me flying on his broom once but... I'm not so good with heights. Maybe you'll like that!"
As they approached Mr. Bernard, a man with whom Emil and company had become slightly familiar with over the last month, he clutched the handle of the cart tightly. He didn't know what to expect once they boarded the express. A completely different life than the one he'd spent years imagining laid waiting beyond the boundry of the platform. The only comfort he had was his cousin, and even then he wasn't sure if she'd want to stick with him once they entered the castle.
"Hey, Poppy..." he started as they continued pushing forward. "Do you think, maybe once we get into the castle that... maybe we canー"
"Ah! There you two are! Over here!"
Mr. Bernard's booming voice cut the boy's request off. The older man approached the two students, easily cutting through the crowd unlike the two tiny children.
"Ne..never mind. I'll ask you later." Emil managed to whisper off before they stood face to face with the man. At least they were in the presence of someone who could finally guide them to their destination. Just the thought made Emil swallowed what seemed like a lump in his throat.
"Probably even more so!" The boy's voice kicked up a notch in volume, competing with the overhead PA announcing delays as the crowd shifted. His cousin's hard shove prompted him to do the same, following along towards where she had spotted Mr. Bernard. "Mom-" his voice dropped back down. He'd tried not to mention them in the last two months, but it was most of what had been on his mind. In another world, they would have been walking along with him the whole way, holding his hand. They would have loved to talk with Poppy too. Dad would have been over the moon at seeing the first witch from his side of the family.
"...Mom told me back in her day, there were kids throwing spells around everywhere. That there were flying brooms, ghosts, and all other sorts of things hanging around the castle. Even paintings that talked!" The boy cracked a smile as his arms struggled to push the weight of his trolley along with his cousin. It was the happiest conversation topic in weeks, his new guardians not very keen on talking about their upcoming magical journey.
"I'm sure there's a lot of fun stuff to do in the castle. I think dad tried to take me flying on his broom once but... I'm not so good with heights. Maybe you'll like that!"
As they approached Mr. Bernard, a man with whom Emil and company had become slightly familiar with over the last month, he clutched the handle of the cart tightly. He didn't know what to expect once they boarded the express. A completely different life than the one he'd spent years imagining laid waiting beyond the boundry of the platform. The only comfort he had was his cousin, and even then he wasn't sure if she'd want to stick with him once they entered the castle.
"Hey, Poppy..." he started as they continued pushing forward. "Do you think, maybe once we get into the castle that... maybe we canー"
"Ah! There you two are! Over here!"
Mr. Bernard's booming voice cut the boy's request off. The older man approached the two students, easily cutting through the crowd unlike the two tiny children.
"Ne..never mind. I'll ask you later." Emil managed to whisper off before they stood face to face with the man. At least they were in the presence of someone who could finally guide them to their destination. Just the thought made Emil swallowed what seemed like a lump in his throat.
All Alone, Together
Kids...throwing spells everywhere...?
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Brooms that flew? Real ones? Ghosts?
Poppy felt her stomach churn. If even half of that were true, the little girl didn't think that Hogwarts sounded like the sort of place she wanted to go to after all. She fell silent, listening to her cousin share everything his parents had told him about the castle and the things that went on there. A part of her had hoped that...well...that it would be different.
What he described sounded every bit as frightening as her parents had warned her things would be. Ghosts were evil, often vengeful spirits that haunted a space and wreaked havoc for all present. More accurately, they were demons who'd never found rest and likely never would. Why would anyone be happy to have them flying around at a school? And how were portraits talking? Were there people trapped inside them? Who would do that?
Poppy found herself sparing another, forlorn glance behind her, growing less and less certain with each step that she took through the station.
Had she expected anything different? She supposed not. Her parents had spent her life imparting the dangers of such lifestyles and practices. They'd done everything they could to keep her away, even when her hair started changing colours in warning that something was very wrong. Poppy had been excited to head off to this new place – for the chance to be headed off to any school at all, and no longer confined to the farm – but she'd be lying if she said there wasn't a growing dread, too. They were headed to a place that she'd been told in no uncertain terms was, inherently, evil, and here Emil was all but confirming it with a fond smile.
"Uncle...Uncle Rowan...had a broom—of course, you'd have one at home. Y-you have to keep the house clean, but—I mean—one that...that..." Her voice lowered as if being heard saying the word too loudly might bring its own peril, "flies?"
Her father never mentioned such a thing, not even when he got into one of his moods and began reminiscing about all the problems her uncle had brought on himself for marrying 'that wretched woman'. How did he fly without magic? Could anyone fly? None of the brooms at home could, and even if one could, her mother would burn it out by the barn before cleansing the space.
Poppy didn't know whether she'd 'like' it or if she'd be allowed to try, but she filed the information away for a quieter moment when she would have the chance to interrogate it.
"Hey, Poppy... Do you think, maybe once we get into the castle that... maybe we canー"
She was relieved to have his question cut off by the man's approach. The girl could guess what he'd wanted to ask, but the truth was that...she didn't know. Just the thought had her heart picking up speed. He wanted them maybe hanging out. Her parents had been firm about them limiting their contact to only the essentials. Her mother, in particular, worried that they may feed into each other and that they may encourage each other's downfall. The woman had done what she could to prevent them from having moments alone once he arrived, knowing that Emil also had something stirring beneath the surface.
At the same time...she was going to an entire school full of children like her cousin – like her. Was she...meant to avoid them all?
"I'm glad you two've made it just fine." Mr. Bernard paused, looking around as if he expected to see her parents, but understanding quickly settled in his expression. He shook his head, deciding it wasn't worth the fuss. "The platform's right this way," he went on, turning to lead them along.
The trio came to a stop before a solid wall.
"When you're both ready, you'll want to go at a bit of a run – ah, see, like they're doing," he said, gesturing to a woman and a girl who could have been her daughter as they hurried toward the wall. The woman muttered something about the girl's father coming along with the luggage before...disappearing.
Poppy's hair flashed bone-white at once, her eyes bulging as a new terror set in.
Where...how...?
When they'd gone to Diagon Alley, she'd watched the man tap the bricks, then the bricks moved out of the way. That had been neat, and she'd been impressed. Slamming into a wall? On purpose? She could faint. She was going to be sick. This was the end of the road for her.
Seeing her distress, Mr. Bernard turned his attention to Emil. "Why don't you go first? Give her a moment more to gather herself? We'll be right behind you. Go on," he encouraged with a warm and disarming smile.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
All Alone, Together
"Why don't you go first? Give her a moment more to gather herself? We'll be right behind you. Go on,"
Emil had his eyes glued to the mother and daughter that Mr. Bernard had pointed out before turning back to him. The boy's eyes shifted down to see his cousin, hair white as a ghost matching her somewhat pale complexion. It always took him for a loop to see the change.
He had looked up his cousin's affliction, of course. At first, that's what he'd thought it was, but upon further reading it was more like a blessing. The books showed that, over time, she'd be able to change not just her hair color but the way she looked completely! The shape of her nose, her height. She could even make herself look like a boy, although how that worked logistically was a part of the book he chose not to peruse.
He came to, realizing the two were now waiting for him to cross the threshold onto the other sidie of the platform. He knew what would happen, heck, he just saw what would happen.
And yet he still winced at the thought.
"Okay, here I go, I guess. See you on the other side?" He glanced over to his cousin, shooting a softened smile, hoping to see her soon enough on the other side. What if they ended up on different parts of the platform? Was that even possible? Thoughts of separation and crashes came rolling in one by one as his body automatically shifted the trolley to face the wall of Platform 93/4.
A deep breath... then out.
Another deep breath, and his arms pushed the trolley forward. The wheels working double time as the boy shifted to a run, Emil kept the cart as straight towards the wall as possible squinting his eyes enough to prepare for an impact he hoped wouldn't be realized. At the point momentum had taken over, the weight of the trolley was carrying him moreso than he was pushing it.
When the murmur of King's Cross had disappeared, replaced with the air of a steam train and the screeches of owls, he opened his eyes.
"Woah..."
He had arrived.
His eyes watered, looking around for the first time at the Hogwarts Express his mom had told him so much about. Majestic was a word for it. He was sure there were more, but none that came to him at the moment. There were so many nights he stayed up with her while she regailed him with stories of her first journey as well. He'd imagined it so many times before but now he was finally here. He quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and moved further into the platform as he waited for his cousin to appear next.
Emil had his eyes glued to the mother and daughter that Mr. Bernard had pointed out before turning back to him. The boy's eyes shifted down to see his cousin, hair white as a ghost matching her somewhat pale complexion. It always took him for a loop to see the change.
He had looked up his cousin's affliction, of course. At first, that's what he'd thought it was, but upon further reading it was more like a blessing. The books showed that, over time, she'd be able to change not just her hair color but the way she looked completely! The shape of her nose, her height. She could even make herself look like a boy, although how that worked logistically was a part of the book he chose not to peruse.
He came to, realizing the two were now waiting for him to cross the threshold onto the other sidie of the platform. He knew what would happen, heck, he just saw what would happen.
And yet he still winced at the thought.
"Okay, here I go, I guess. See you on the other side?" He glanced over to his cousin, shooting a softened smile, hoping to see her soon enough on the other side. What if they ended up on different parts of the platform? Was that even possible? Thoughts of separation and crashes came rolling in one by one as his body automatically shifted the trolley to face the wall of Platform 93/4.
A deep breath... then out.
Another deep breath, and his arms pushed the trolley forward. The wheels working double time as the boy shifted to a run, Emil kept the cart as straight towards the wall as possible squinting his eyes enough to prepare for an impact he hoped wouldn't be realized. At the point momentum had taken over, the weight of the trolley was carrying him moreso than he was pushing it.
When the murmur of King's Cross had disappeared, replaced with the air of a steam train and the screeches of owls, he opened his eyes.
"Woah..."
He had arrived.
His eyes watered, looking around for the first time at the Hogwarts Express his mom had told him so much about. Majestic was a word for it. He was sure there were more, but none that came to him at the moment. There were so many nights he stayed up with her while she regailed him with stories of her first journey as well. He'd imagined it so many times before but now he was finally here. He quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and moved further into the platform as he waited for his cousin to appear next.
All Alone, Together
And just like that, Emil was gone, too, swallowed up by the wall and entered into a great unknown beyond what she could fathom. Did it make her feel better watching her cousin head through? She...didn't...she didn't think so. It didn't alleviate her misgivings surrounding the mystery of the other side, as she suspected Mr. Bernard had hoped. Rather, it filled her with more questions.
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Poppy remained firmly planted on that side of the wall, looking between the solid brick and the man with the kind expression.
Shall we go?" he offered.
She swallowed roughly, knowing the answer should be yes but unable to reconcile what she had to do with what she expected to follow. Emil was gone, and there wasn't any blood splattered on the ground that she could see. It stood to reason that certain death wasn't the rule.
Mr. Bernard took her trolley of things, one hand firmly on the handle, the other extended for her to take. With her heart still thumping fiercely inside her chest and her hair showing no signs of returning to its more acceptable base, Poppy forced herself to take his hand.
He tugged gently against her, accelerating as the wall drew closer. Seconds from impact, the little girl squeezed her eyes shut. Her muscles tensed in preparation for a collision that never came. It took her a few seconds after coming out the other side to realise that she was still in one piece. As her eyes slowly opened to the platform, the tension in her muscles melted, loosening as wonder moved to take its place.
"...Whoa," she muttered as her gaze fell on the Hogwarts Express.
Her vision widened to take in the entire platform, and her awe amplified. It astounded her how an entire world could exist just beyond a magical barrier, away from the eyes of the average person. How many had walked by that narrow column of unassuming wall, day in and day out, without sparing it a moment's thought? How many had carelessly leaned against its sides without falling through, never knowing the hum that radiated on the inside from families saying their goodbyes and friends reuniting after a summer apart?
Poppy took a few tentative steps forward to be clear of the entrance and any who may enter the platform behind her. The stark white began to recede. She was no longer terrified, despite her remaining apprehension, but curious and, frankly, mind-blown.
It felt almost too much for her brain to process in such a short span of time, and Poppy found herself wishing her parents and siblings had been able to see it. The girl thought that, despite their misgivings, they might be able to feel the wonder of the moment, too. It all felt so...big...so profoundly outside of her depth that she couldn't muster the words.
Her awe had nothing to do with having never seen a train before but rather how well-hidden and yet parallel this world seemed. First Diagon Alley and now this secret platform that only opened for the magical and those they took with them. The most staggering part? It had always existed. The magical world didn't manifest the moment she received her letter. It was always there. There had always been people like her, living perfectly normal lives, with their own magical experiences.
She was the outsider finally being clued in to what it felt like everyone else already knew.
"That's the express," Mr. Bernard explained, pointing out the obvious as he gave the children a moment to settle. "It'll be leaving in about an hour or so. You two will want to get yourselves settled into a compartment before then. I have to be heading back to the ministry, but do either of you have any questions before I go?"
Poppy shook her head slowly, her gaze returning to the Express with its glossy exterior and rising steam. It wasn't that she had no questions but that she had too many and preferred not to end up rambling when the man had already done enough. They would be there all day if she got started.
Here, take these." The man fished out a pair of gold coins she'd learned were galleons. "A little something to get you started. Buy snacks from the trolley lady if you get hungry. It's a long trip." And he suspected neither of them had been given an ounce of spending money.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
All Alone, Together
"It'll be leaving in about an hour or so. You two will want to get yourselves settled into a compartment before then. I have to be heading back to the ministry, but do either of you have any questions before I go?"
The boy had been looking in the direction of the platform for his cousin and Mr. Bernard, but it wasn't until the man spoke that he had actually focused in. The chatter from the platform along with the train's engine had faded into the backgroud as Emil slightly wandered into his own mind.
It was a lot. There was no other way to look at it.
Expectations of this day clashed with the reality of the situation. A wonderful moment, tearful parting with some last minute words of wisdom. Those were the sort of things he had dreamed of night after night when he laid in bed. Magical moments where floating knicknacks would surround his parents as they held hands on the bricked road of Diagon Alley or going to the pet shop only for dad to tell him that he definitely can't take a pet tiger to school. Nervously but happily skipping about the Hogwarts Express, looking for a compartment with first years to jump in and start a conversation with.
And here he was, dropped off by the State. Virtually alone, save for a cousin who kept her distance and an aunt and uncle who couldn't be bothered to come with their daughter in the first place. How anyone had convinced those two to take him in, he wouldn't have been able to guess.
At least Mr. Bernard gave them a galleon apiece. It was a kinder gesture than the boy thought they merited.
"Ar...are you sure Mr. Bernard? This is... a lot for us." The boy hand inched closer and closer, finally accepting the coin with a pound of hesitance as he looked over to his cousin to clock her reaction. He had felt some way for her too, who had been thrust into this new world without an ounce of moral support. Financial support was also lacking for the both of them, a fact that he couldn't deny as he nodded his head towards Poppy, nudging her to accept it gracefully.
"Thank you, sir. For everything, really."
He turned back once more to look at the Hogwarts Express, the dark sheen imposing it's presence onto the entire platform with the red trim edges giving it an elegance Emil was sure he didn't have the capacity to appreciate. It would be a long ride indeed...
"Poppy..." He looked over at his cousin once more. "Do you think, maybe, you wanna sit together? Unless you want to go find new friends to sit with. I'd... I'd understand."
The boy had been looking in the direction of the platform for his cousin and Mr. Bernard, but it wasn't until the man spoke that he had actually focused in. The chatter from the platform along with the train's engine had faded into the backgroud as Emil slightly wandered into his own mind.
It was a lot. There was no other way to look at it.
Expectations of this day clashed with the reality of the situation. A wonderful moment, tearful parting with some last minute words of wisdom. Those were the sort of things he had dreamed of night after night when he laid in bed. Magical moments where floating knicknacks would surround his parents as they held hands on the bricked road of Diagon Alley or going to the pet shop only for dad to tell him that he definitely can't take a pet tiger to school. Nervously but happily skipping about the Hogwarts Express, looking for a compartment with first years to jump in and start a conversation with.
And here he was, dropped off by the State. Virtually alone, save for a cousin who kept her distance and an aunt and uncle who couldn't be bothered to come with their daughter in the first place. How anyone had convinced those two to take him in, he wouldn't have been able to guess.
At least Mr. Bernard gave them a galleon apiece. It was a kinder gesture than the boy thought they merited.
"Ar...are you sure Mr. Bernard? This is... a lot for us." The boy hand inched closer and closer, finally accepting the coin with a pound of hesitance as he looked over to his cousin to clock her reaction. He had felt some way for her too, who had been thrust into this new world without an ounce of moral support. Financial support was also lacking for the both of them, a fact that he couldn't deny as he nodded his head towards Poppy, nudging her to accept it gracefully.
"Thank you, sir. For everything, really."
He turned back once more to look at the Hogwarts Express, the dark sheen imposing it's presence onto the entire platform with the red trim edges giving it an elegance Emil was sure he didn't have the capacity to appreciate. It would be a long ride indeed...
"Poppy..." He looked over at his cousin once more. "Do you think, maybe, you wanna sit together? Unless you want to go find new friends to sit with. I'd... I'd understand."
All Alone, Together
What Poppy wondered in her head, her cousin said aloud.
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Was the man sure? He'd already done so much for them, and while Poppy understood it was a part of his job, the little girl was less certain that handing them each a golden coin was in his employment contract. It hadn't occurred to her that they might need money or that, should they, they didn't...actually have any.
She'd never had need for money before. Her parents had always bought everything they thought she needed, sometimes indulging her and her siblings when the money allowed. With so many mouths to feed, a farm and home to upkeep and the other expenses of life, they weren't the sort to go spending frivolously. The very concept of any sort of 'allowance' was foreign to the little girl.
Money? Their own money that they could spend freely on whatever they liked? Her parents would never. Her mother alone would wither at the thought of relinquishing that sort of control. Not receiving money to head off to school wasn't as strange to her as it may have been to Mr. Bernard. He was perplexed, she could see, and that brought her more unease and embarrassment than having not been dropped off at all or funded before her trip.
Did schools have shops? Would they be buying things?
The man had spoken of a trolley woman. Poppy...had assumed that the school would provide for all their needs as her home life had so far done.
Emil encouraged her to take hers, and she did but with visible hesitation. Could she really have it? Her own money? What would she spend it on? What was she allowed to spend it on? Her parents hadn't given her guidelines for such a situation. It was doubtful they'd want her spending on anything magical at all, but...where she was headed...it was unlikely that any shelves would be stocked with the 'mundane'. Taking the coin home at the end of the year wouldn't help either. It couldn't be spent in the 'mu...ggle' world, and there was a small part of her that realised her parents wouldn't be happy to know she'd gotten it in the first place.
She either took the coin and made sure all evidence of it was gone before she returned home...or she returned it to the man politely, as she knew her parents would want her to.
Poppy gnawed absentmindedly at her lower lip while she turned the coin over and over between her fingers.
If there was a trolley woman, she thought she might very much like to see the sorts of wizarding snacks she had on offer. Her curiosity peeked through her scepticism, wanting its own day in the sun. During the summer of school shopping in Diagon Alley, they'd only stopped at the shops they were required to. Poppy could still remember the vibrant displays of many other shops, including a small candy shop with many oddities, but she hadn't dared to stare too long, afraid her parents might rightly perceive her longing and attribute it to some desire for rebellion.
It was her chance, and she would be lying if she said she didn't want to take it.
"T–Thank you," the little girl echoed. She slipped the coin into the pocket of her cardigan and gave a final wave before Mr. Bernard disappeared back through the barrier.
Alone again, this time, surrounded by a platform full of magical strangers.
"Poppy..."
She turned at the sound of her name. They were alone, too. No parents constantly watching to ensure she wasn't entertaining her cousin in great depth, no judgemental side glances that warned her to wrap up whatever she had to say to him. There was no longer a force looming that demanded isolation and compliance, just a boy she'd spent a summer or two with and with whom she now shared a home. A boy who was every bit as nervous as she was and could probably use a friend in the same way she could.
"Do you think, maybe, you wanna sit together? Unless you want to go find new friends to sit with. I'd... I'd understand."
New friends...him...neither would be ideal if she were to 'remember who she was'. 'No' was the obvious answer, but it was also the hardest to give. The pressure of her parents was replaced by a more imminent pressure. There wasn't a world where Poppy could see that familiar look of uncertainty in her cousin's eyes – that longing for connection – and turn him away. For the final time, Poppy looked back to the barrier, as if expecting her parents to storm through, letting her know they'd been watching all along and that she'd already failed some test.
When they never came, something set itself in her heart. It was faint and flickering but enough to hold onto. Poppy gave a small nod. "Y–Yeah, alright. We can..." she made quick strides toward the Express, hoping he would follow along. Her decision wasn't without its own terror, and the little girl wasn't interested in being caught now that she'd made her decision. "We...let's find somewhere to sit." While her nerves held up.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.