25 Oct 2019, 15:25
Leaving is so hard...
Ever since Maxon received the acceptance letter, his life seemed to change almost instantly. Suddenly, he had a million questions, and his grandfather had a billion stories to tell. Naturally, his father was pretty angry over not learning about Hogwarts, or the potential to be magical, believing that he should have been able to know the chance of his son being some kind of wizard. His grandparents spent an entire day trying to apologize to his father. When they were raising him, they believed that his father would develop magic, even if his mother never could use magic herself. But, come his eleventh birthday, and not expressing any sort of magic, they decided to not tell him, fearing he would be majorly disappointed. “Well...turns out magic skips a generation in our family,” his grandfather had said with a nervous chuckle. Eventually, his father eased up a bit, deciding it would be best to not be angry in front of Maxon for too long. “You know, I may not have been able to go to this... 'Hogwarts’ myself, but I’m glad you’ll be able to,” he said to Maxon the next day, “It’ll be good for you to go out and have your own adventure.” Even hough Maxon was pretty excited to go to a school to become a magician, he felt petrified! Moving to England with his father caused him to be a shy wreck for a whole school year, but now he has to go to some magic school in a different country, and he definitely wouldn’t know anybody there.
As they prepared, his grandfather told him many stories of his days at Hogwarts. He’d explain his glory days of playing Quidditch, collecting chocolate frogs, and even sneaking out past curfew. But, he especially loved telling Maxon about his first trip to Hogwarts and riding the Hogwarts Express. “You know Maxon, once you get to the train station, you’ll have to run through a wall to get to Platform 9 3/4!”, his grandfather said matter-of-factly. Maxon, questioning the sanity of his grandfather asked, “Are you sure? That sounds...implausible.” His grandfather simply let out a hearty laugh, saying, “Oh, I assure you! But, don’t worry, I’ll show you when we go there.” Maxon had contemplated this for a moment. Sure, he was excited, but...he hated the idea of not having someone there with him. Maxon looked up at his grandfather and asked, “Are you sure you can’t come along with me? I don’t want to go alone...” His grandfather looked down on him with a small, serious smile, understanding in his eyes. “Max, don’t worry about it, alright? Trust me, I bet you’ll make a new friend within the first days you arrive! You’ll have lots of fun! And if you ever feel homesick, you can always send us an owl!” Maxon didn’t know what “send an owl” meant, but he didn’t bother asking. At the time, the start of his new life seemed to be so far away, but time went by so much faster than he expected...
It took Maxon a few minutes to get ready. He wore a blue v-neck sweater and brown pants that his grandmother had bought him for the occasion. As he was packing his bag to go, he heard his father yell, “Breakfast is ready! Come get it before it’s too late!” Quickly zipping up his bag and slinging it over a shoulder, Maxon quickly ran down the stairs to the kitchen. As he got closer, he could smell the fragrance in the air. Chocolate chip pancakes. His favorite! As he reached the bottom of the stairs he saw his father neatly stacking three pancakes on a plate. Dropping his bag, Maxon sat at the counter, expectantly waiting to receive pancakes. Turning around, his father smiled upon seeing him. His father placed the pancakes, and a bottle of maple syrup, in front of Maxon and said, “Better hurry up and eat these, your grandparents will be here in a few minutes to pick us up!” Maxon stopped while pouring some syrup and looked at his father, he didn’t know that his grandparents were coming. Seeming to read his mind, his father smiled again saying, “Did you really think your pa and ma would miss this?” Maxon simply shrugged and proceeded to enjoy his pancakes.
Not a second after finishing his pancakes, Maxon heard a knock at the door. "Go put your dishes in the sink and get your bag, Maxon! We`ll be leaving in a second!" his father said walking to the door. Maxon did what he was told. He felt a pit form in his stomach, he was even more nervous than he was before. This was it, he was going to head to the famous Platform 9 3/4. As he grabbed his bag, he heard the creak of the door opening, and his father yelling, "Mom! Good morning!" Maxon walked to the door as his grandmother waved and said, "Hello, my two favorite boys! Are you two ready to go? Gregory is waiting in the car." His father looked back, checking to see if Maxon was ready. Seeing that he was, he looked at his mother and said, "Yep, we`re ready to go!" "Alright, we better get back to the car before your da honks the horn, he doesn`t want Maxon to be late for the train," his grandmother said before walking off. Maxon`s father locked the door behind them as they followed his grandmother to the car.
Maxon opened the door and quickly sat in, putting on his seatbelt. He heard his father do the same beside him. Sat nustled between them, was a medium-sized, cardboard box. He reached to open it before his grandfather chimed in, "Ah ah ah! Don`t open it yet, it`s a surprise!" The boy relented with a sigh, he hated surprises. He always obsessed over what could be inside and he hated it when it turned out to be something disappointing. He heard his grandmother chuckling and looked up to see her looking at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Don`t worry Max, you`ll come to like it," she said with a calm voice, before turning around to face the road. Maxon didn`t know how what he was supposed to think of that, but he could only make guesses.
It was an agonizing ten minutes before his grandfather proudly announced, "We`re here!" Maxon`s heart skipped a beat, it was almost time for them to split. As they started to get out, his grandfather looked back and asked, "Could you get the box, Neil? I don`t want little Max here opening it before its time!" His father obliged without a word. Maxon rolled his eyes when his grandfather wasn`t looking, as curious as he was, he wasn`t going to open the box. Seeing that his son grabbed the box, Maxon`s grandfather started to walk towards the train station, a bounce in his step. Maxon followed his grandfather solemnly, he still couldn`t believe it was already time to go. Once inside the train station, he looked around at the busy crowd of people scrambling to get to their platforms. He saw many people running, clearly late to their train, some families going on vacation, and even some other kids like him. Maybe they were going to Platform 9 3/4 like him? "Such a nice day to go on a trip, isn`t it Max?" his grandmother asked. Maxon looked up at his grandmother and simply nodded. His grandmother chuckled saying, "Oh Maxy, I know you`ll have fun. You always do."
Looking up, Maxon started to count the numbers on the signs. 6...7...8... The boy stopped counting and looked straight ahead, platform 9 was up ahead. Maxon recalled his grandfather saying that they would have to run through a wall to get to his platform. His grandfather stopped walking and said, "Alright, we`re here!" Maxon stood there confused for a second until he looked up to see that they were standing between platforms 9 and 10. His father put a hand on Maxon's back and calmly said, "Don`t worry Maxon, I know you`re going to be nervous, but I promise you`ll do just fine." His father hugged him. After a few seconds, his father let go and said, "Now go have fun!" "Well, I guess this means goodbye Maxy," his grandmother said, before hugging him tightly, "Now, don`t you spend too long worrying about your father! We`ll keep him company!" Maxon couldn't help but hug his grandmother even tighter. he stifled a tear, not wanting to get emotional or anything. His grandmother let go and yelled, "Oh my! I almost forgot to give you my present!" Reaching into her purse, she grabbed a little red baggy, with a familiar aroma. "I made you some chocolate chip cookies for the trip. But don`t eat too many now! You don`t want to have a tummy ache when you arrive!" she advised. Maxon took the treats with a smile and placed it into his bag. Oh, he was definitely going to eat them all before he arrived! Maxon stood there awkwardly for a second before his grandfather walked up. Putting a hand on his back, his grandfather asked, "Are you ready to go?" Maxon only nodded. Taking the box from his father, Maxon's grandfather led him away. "You see that wall right there?", his grandfather asked pointing to a seemingly random wall in the station. Maxon nodded. "That`s where we are going," his grandfather stated. Maxon looked up at his grandfather, seeming to say Are you crazy? His grandfather laughed and grabbed Maxon`s hand before running towards the wall. "We have to run towards it?!" Maxon screamed with surprise. His grandfather didn`t answer, only laughing. Maxon closed his eyes as they neared the wall, expecting to get hit...
After a few seconds, Maxon opened his eyes again. But, he wasn`t in the station he had arrived in, he was somewhere new. Seeing the surprise on his face, his grandfather laughed saying, "See? I told you that`s how we get in!" Maxon huffed. Fine, he was right. They stood waiting on a platform for a few moments before he heard a loud whistle. "Well, sounds like your ride is here," his grandfather said looking own at Maxon, "I guess its time to give you your present!" Slowly but surely, his grandfather knelt down to Maxon`s level to give him his gift. His grandfather untied the knot before saying, "Go on, open it!" Maxon grabbed the lid and slowly lifted the lid. Looking inside, he saw...an oil lamp. "An oil lamp?" he asked. "Aye, but this ain`t your usual Dietz original," his grandfather corrected, "This here, is a magical lamp! It doesn't need oil to work! You just turn it on!" His grandfather turned the knob to demonstrate. A fire instantly ignited, causing a soothing golden globe to emanate from the lantern. Maxon smiled, he actually kinda liked it. Seeing the smile on Maxon's face, his grandfather handed him the lantern. "When I first went to Hogwarts, my father gave me this lamp," his grandfather explained, "It helped me light up the many dark places I found myself in at Hogwarts. Things that seemed scary to me stopped being so scary once they were lit up by this lantern." His grandfather stood up and continued to say, "I had wanted to hand this down to your father when he went to Hogwarts, so then he could hand it down to you, but he never had the chance to. That lantern there helped to light up places...all physically, mentally, and emotionally...that caused me to fear. And now, I know it will do the same for you." His grandfather placed a hand on Maxon`s shoulder with a smile. "Now, you go and have a great time. I know you`re a shy boy at times, and that you have trouble making new friends. But, trust me, I know you can do it. You just have to try. But if you ever get homesick, just send me an owl. You`ll...find out what that means when you get there," his grandfather said with a wink.
The train entered the station with a loud whistle. His grandfather looked back for a second before turning his attention to Maxon again. "Could you do me a favor?" he asked. Maxon nodded. "When you come back home for Christmas break, could you bring me one of those Chocolate Frogs? I haven`t had one for a very long time." Maxon nodded. His grandfather chuckled, "I knew you would!" The train stopped with a lurch and one last whistle. Maxon looked at the now open coach door. It was time. "Come on! You wouldn`t leave you ole` grandpa without a hug, would you?" his grandpa asked opening his arms for a hug. Maxon obliged and hugged his grandfather. "Trust me, Max, you will do just fine." Letting go, Maxon walked towards the coach, lantern in hand. Stepping onto the train, he looked back at his grandfather and waved. His grandfather smiled and waved back. Without a word, Maxon entered the coach. Ready to start his new adventure.
Life’s a video game, except you don’t respawn.
As they prepared, his grandfather told him many stories of his days at Hogwarts. He’d explain his glory days of playing Quidditch, collecting chocolate frogs, and even sneaking out past curfew. But, he especially loved telling Maxon about his first trip to Hogwarts and riding the Hogwarts Express. “You know Maxon, once you get to the train station, you’ll have to run through a wall to get to Platform 9 3/4!”, his grandfather said matter-of-factly. Maxon, questioning the sanity of his grandfather asked, “Are you sure? That sounds...implausible.” His grandfather simply let out a hearty laugh, saying, “Oh, I assure you! But, don’t worry, I’ll show you when we go there.” Maxon had contemplated this for a moment. Sure, he was excited, but...he hated the idea of not having someone there with him. Maxon looked up at his grandfather and asked, “Are you sure you can’t come along with me? I don’t want to go alone...” His grandfather looked down on him with a small, serious smile, understanding in his eyes. “Max, don’t worry about it, alright? Trust me, I bet you’ll make a new friend within the first days you arrive! You’ll have lots of fun! And if you ever feel homesick, you can always send us an owl!” Maxon didn’t know what “send an owl” meant, but he didn’t bother asking. At the time, the start of his new life seemed to be so far away, but time went by so much faster than he expected...
♦Present Day♦
Maxon woke up to a light knocking on his door. “Come on, get up Max. You don’t want to be late!”, he heard his father say on the other side of the door. The young boy laid in bed for another few moments, moaning while taking a long stretch. Taking his time, he slowly sat up in his bed, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He wiped the tiredness out of his eyes with a frown. Welp, his most dreaded day was finally here. His grandfather had tasked him with reading countless books on Hogwarts, forcing him to learn as much as he could. By the week prior, he already knew every known fact one could know, pre-chose all the classes and electives he would take (3rd year was gonna be fun), and he knew the history of all four of the houses. Even though he learned so much, he still felt a large pit in his stomach. There was so much that could go wrong! What if he never found any new friends? Accidentally caused an explosion? Got expelled???! Honestly, he wanted to curl right back into his bed and forget about Hogwarts, public school would work just fine. But, he knew his family wouldn’t approve. I mean, being admitted into Hogwarts was a special event, so what was he to deny his family the bragging rights?
It took Maxon a few minutes to get ready. He wore a blue v-neck sweater and brown pants that his grandmother had bought him for the occasion. As he was packing his bag to go, he heard his father yell, “Breakfast is ready! Come get it before it’s too late!” Quickly zipping up his bag and slinging it over a shoulder, Maxon quickly ran down the stairs to the kitchen. As he got closer, he could smell the fragrance in the air. Chocolate chip pancakes. His favorite! As he reached the bottom of the stairs he saw his father neatly stacking three pancakes on a plate. Dropping his bag, Maxon sat at the counter, expectantly waiting to receive pancakes. Turning around, his father smiled upon seeing him. His father placed the pancakes, and a bottle of maple syrup, in front of Maxon and said, “Better hurry up and eat these, your grandparents will be here in a few minutes to pick us up!” Maxon stopped while pouring some syrup and looked at his father, he didn’t know that his grandparents were coming. Seeming to read his mind, his father smiled again saying, “Did you really think your pa and ma would miss this?” Maxon simply shrugged and proceeded to enjoy his pancakes.
Not a second after finishing his pancakes, Maxon heard a knock at the door. "Go put your dishes in the sink and get your bag, Maxon! We`ll be leaving in a second!" his father said walking to the door. Maxon did what he was told. He felt a pit form in his stomach, he was even more nervous than he was before. This was it, he was going to head to the famous Platform 9 3/4. As he grabbed his bag, he heard the creak of the door opening, and his father yelling, "Mom! Good morning!" Maxon walked to the door as his grandmother waved and said, "Hello, my two favorite boys! Are you two ready to go? Gregory is waiting in the car." His father looked back, checking to see if Maxon was ready. Seeing that he was, he looked at his mother and said, "Yep, we`re ready to go!" "Alright, we better get back to the car before your da honks the horn, he doesn`t want Maxon to be late for the train," his grandmother said before walking off. Maxon`s father locked the door behind them as they followed his grandmother to the car.
Maxon opened the door and quickly sat in, putting on his seatbelt. He heard his father do the same beside him. Sat nustled between them, was a medium-sized, cardboard box. He reached to open it before his grandfather chimed in, "Ah ah ah! Don`t open it yet, it`s a surprise!" The boy relented with a sigh, he hated surprises. He always obsessed over what could be inside and he hated it when it turned out to be something disappointing. He heard his grandmother chuckling and looked up to see her looking at him with a twinkle in her eye. "Don`t worry Max, you`ll come to like it," she said with a calm voice, before turning around to face the road. Maxon didn`t know how what he was supposed to think of that, but he could only make guesses.
It was an agonizing ten minutes before his grandfather proudly announced, "We`re here!" Maxon`s heart skipped a beat, it was almost time for them to split. As they started to get out, his grandfather looked back and asked, "Could you get the box, Neil? I don`t want little Max here opening it before its time!" His father obliged without a word. Maxon rolled his eyes when his grandfather wasn`t looking, as curious as he was, he wasn`t going to open the box. Seeing that his son grabbed the box, Maxon`s grandfather started to walk towards the train station, a bounce in his step. Maxon followed his grandfather solemnly, he still couldn`t believe it was already time to go. Once inside the train station, he looked around at the busy crowd of people scrambling to get to their platforms. He saw many people running, clearly late to their train, some families going on vacation, and even some other kids like him. Maybe they were going to Platform 9 3/4 like him? "Such a nice day to go on a trip, isn`t it Max?" his grandmother asked. Maxon looked up at his grandmother and simply nodded. His grandmother chuckled saying, "Oh Maxy, I know you`ll have fun. You always do."
Looking up, Maxon started to count the numbers on the signs. 6...7...8... The boy stopped counting and looked straight ahead, platform 9 was up ahead. Maxon recalled his grandfather saying that they would have to run through a wall to get to his platform. His grandfather stopped walking and said, "Alright, we`re here!" Maxon stood there confused for a second until he looked up to see that they were standing between platforms 9 and 10. His father put a hand on Maxon's back and calmly said, "Don`t worry Maxon, I know you`re going to be nervous, but I promise you`ll do just fine." His father hugged him. After a few seconds, his father let go and said, "Now go have fun!" "Well, I guess this means goodbye Maxy," his grandmother said, before hugging him tightly, "Now, don`t you spend too long worrying about your father! We`ll keep him company!" Maxon couldn't help but hug his grandmother even tighter. he stifled a tear, not wanting to get emotional or anything. His grandmother let go and yelled, "Oh my! I almost forgot to give you my present!" Reaching into her purse, she grabbed a little red baggy, with a familiar aroma. "I made you some chocolate chip cookies for the trip. But don`t eat too many now! You don`t want to have a tummy ache when you arrive!" she advised. Maxon took the treats with a smile and placed it into his bag. Oh, he was definitely going to eat them all before he arrived! Maxon stood there awkwardly for a second before his grandfather walked up. Putting a hand on his back, his grandfather asked, "Are you ready to go?" Maxon only nodded. Taking the box from his father, Maxon's grandfather led him away. "You see that wall right there?", his grandfather asked pointing to a seemingly random wall in the station. Maxon nodded. "That`s where we are going," his grandfather stated. Maxon looked up at his grandfather, seeming to say Are you crazy? His grandfather laughed and grabbed Maxon`s hand before running towards the wall. "We have to run towards it?!" Maxon screamed with surprise. His grandfather didn`t answer, only laughing. Maxon closed his eyes as they neared the wall, expecting to get hit...
After a few seconds, Maxon opened his eyes again. But, he wasn`t in the station he had arrived in, he was somewhere new. Seeing the surprise on his face, his grandfather laughed saying, "See? I told you that`s how we get in!" Maxon huffed. Fine, he was right. They stood waiting on a platform for a few moments before he heard a loud whistle. "Well, sounds like your ride is here," his grandfather said looking own at Maxon, "I guess its time to give you your present!" Slowly but surely, his grandfather knelt down to Maxon`s level to give him his gift. His grandfather untied the knot before saying, "Go on, open it!" Maxon grabbed the lid and slowly lifted the lid. Looking inside, he saw...an oil lamp. "An oil lamp?" he asked. "Aye, but this ain`t your usual Dietz original," his grandfather corrected, "This here, is a magical lamp! It doesn't need oil to work! You just turn it on!" His grandfather turned the knob to demonstrate. A fire instantly ignited, causing a soothing golden globe to emanate from the lantern. Maxon smiled, he actually kinda liked it. Seeing the smile on Maxon's face, his grandfather handed him the lantern. "When I first went to Hogwarts, my father gave me this lamp," his grandfather explained, "It helped me light up the many dark places I found myself in at Hogwarts. Things that seemed scary to me stopped being so scary once they were lit up by this lantern." His grandfather stood up and continued to say, "I had wanted to hand this down to your father when he went to Hogwarts, so then he could hand it down to you, but he never had the chance to. That lantern there helped to light up places...all physically, mentally, and emotionally...that caused me to fear. And now, I know it will do the same for you." His grandfather placed a hand on Maxon`s shoulder with a smile. "Now, you go and have a great time. I know you`re a shy boy at times, and that you have trouble making new friends. But, trust me, I know you can do it. You just have to try. But if you ever get homesick, just send me an owl. You`ll...find out what that means when you get there," his grandfather said with a wink.
The train entered the station with a loud whistle. His grandfather looked back for a second before turning his attention to Maxon again. "Could you do me a favor?" he asked. Maxon nodded. "When you come back home for Christmas break, could you bring me one of those Chocolate Frogs? I haven`t had one for a very long time." Maxon nodded. His grandfather chuckled, "I knew you would!" The train stopped with a lurch and one last whistle. Maxon looked at the now open coach door. It was time. "Come on! You wouldn`t leave you ole` grandpa without a hug, would you?" his grandpa asked opening his arms for a hug. Maxon obliged and hugged his grandfather. "Trust me, Max, you will do just fine." Letting go, Maxon walked towards the coach, lantern in hand. Stepping onto the train, he looked back at his grandfather and waved. His grandfather smiled and waved back. Without a word, Maxon entered the coach. Ready to start his new adventure.
Life’s a video game, except you don’t respawn.