It was the night before the first day at Hogwarts, and tension was high in the Weasley house. Kaylei and James were frantically running around the house, trying to locate their various possessions.
“No, I haven’t!” Kaylei’s mum yelled back. “Ask dad!”
“Dad!” Kaylei called.
“No I haven’t!” he called back without being asked. “And I don’t have time to look, your brother is having some trouble closing his trunk!”
“Perhaps because there is an extra pair of robes in here?” James said.
“Lemme see those!” she screamed, sprinting from her room to James’s.
James showed her the pair of robes. “Are they yours?” he asked.
Kaylei took them and held them up. “No,” she said, disappointed. “They’re too small. They must be Mara’s, she couldn’t find hers the other day.”
“Forgive me for asking,” Kaylei’s dad asked, “But what is a pair of Mara’s robes doing in James’s trunk?”
“Don’t ask me,” Kaylei and James said together.
Their dad rolled his eyes.
“James! Kaylei! Get ready for bed, it’s almost half past ten!” their mum called from downstairs.
“Mum! I still haven’t found my robes!” Kaylei yelled, nearly hysterical.
“Oh, Kaylei, didn’t I tell you? I found them under Scabbers Jr.’s cage,” her dad said, looking up. “I thought I put them on your bed, but maybe I put them in my room….” He drifted off.
Kaylei didn’t even stop to consider how her robes ended up under her rat’s cage. She was so disorganized; it was common to find something in a completely random place. Instead, she sprinted into her parent’s room. Sure enough, there sat her third pair of robes, looking as though they had been tossed there without much thought as to whose they were. She snatched them up and ran back to her room, where she stuffed them hurriedly into her trunk before getting ready for bed.
Fifteen minutes later, Kaylei’s mum was there to tuck her in.
“Mum,” Kaylei said, her large blue eyes filled with worry, “What if Mara and I get sorted into different Houses? What if we miss the train? What if”“
“Sssshhhhhh, Kaylei,” said her mum soothingly, “You won’t miss the train, and you and Mara are so much alike, it would surprise everyone on the staff if you weren’t in the same house. You know how we say that you and Mara are just like dad and Uncle Harry? They were in the same house.”
“I know, but”wait”“ she broke off, “What are you and dad and Uncle Harry going to do? Don’t you have to be at Hogwarts too?”
“We’re coming later, so we can see you and James and Mara off. We’ll Apparate. Now get some sleep. And stop worrying, everything will be fine.”
She kissed Kaylei on the forehead and left. Not entirely convinced, she rolled over and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come. It didn’t. She kept worrying about the House she would be in, if Mara would be with her, if people would be mean to her or not take her seriously because her parents were famous. She kept up the worrying until she fell into a restless sleep disturbed by dreams involving her chasing after trains while people laughed her and hid her robes from her trunk.
The next morning, Kaylei ate little for breakfast; she was too nervous and excited. Kaylei’s Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny stopped by with Mara so they could get to Platform 9 ¾ together. Mara seemed more excited than nervous. She was fidgeting and couldn’t seem to sit still for too long. James kept checking his watch, because he didn’t want to be late.
At fifteen minutes to eleven, they all piled into the Ministry car that Mara’s mum had managed to borrow. Mara chattered the whole way, while Kaylei sat in silence, twisting her hands in her lap. The worry thoughts began to creep up again.
A few minutes later, they pulled into King’s Cross station. They found trolleys for their luggage, and headed to the ticket barrier that separated them from the Hogwarts Express. For the first time, Mara seemed a little uncertain as she contemplated the very solid-looking metal in front of them.
“Now, I know that it seems like you won’t make it through, girls, but trust me, it works,” said Kaylei’s mum, practically reading their thoughts.
“Yeah, and I know that there aren’t any crazed house elves trying to stop you from getting to Hogwarts,” Uncle Harry said, laughing, as he remembered when he had first met the house elf Dobby.
The two girls managed a weak smile. James turned his trolley towards the barrier.
“I’ll go first so those two can see how it’s done,” he said importantly.
He started to walk towards the barrier. His steps quickened a little as he came nearer, until he vanished completely.
“Go ahead, Kaylei,” said Kaylei’s dad as Mara’s dad said, “Go ahead Mara,” They looked at each other.
“Mara can go first,” said Kaylei’s dad at the same time Mara’s dad said “Kaylei can go first,”
“She can go first,” said Kaylei and Mara at the same time, pointing to each other. Everyone burst out laughing. Kaylei’s mum finally solved the problem by walking briskly forward and seizing Kaylei’s trolley and marching to the barrier. Kaylei had no choice but to follow, lest she lose her things.
Kaylei was becoming increasingly uneasy as the barrier came closer and closer. She had never done this before, she had always been sick when James boarded. Her pace quickened without her knowing it as her mom let go. The thoughts raced through her mind as the barrier came nearer. What if I can’t make it through? Why am I running? Oh my gosh! I’m going to crash! I know it! She braced for sudden impact as she slipped straight through the solid metal. Reality catching up with her, Kaylei slowed and looked around.
There stood the Hogwarts Express, as gleaming and as scarlet as it had when her parents had ridden it. James stood there shifting his weight anxiously from one foot to the other.
“Mum, what took you so long?” he asked, “Todd and Kevin are waiting for me, and I had to wait for you!”
“Sorry, dear,” said Kaylei’s mum, “But we had a bit of trouble deciding who should go first. You can go with Todd and Kevin, I’ll see you at school.” She gave James a motherly squeeze, and he ran off.
Kaylei and Mara were gazing around, overwhelmed. They didn’t know what to make of this fast-paced environment, where they usually were at home. They worried that they would get lost or something.
“You girls will be fine, there’s no need to worry,” said Mara’s mum, reading their thoughts just as her sister-in-law had.
“Yeah, and besides, we’ll be there to make sure you two don’t blow up the place or something!” Kaylei’s dad said, playfully messing up Kaylei’s hair.
Kaylei’s ears went red. She had unfortunately inherited that Weasley trait, among others from her dad.
“C’mon Mara, let’s go find a seat,” Kaylei said, dragging Mara by the arm.
The four parents watched them affectionately, all of them remembering the last time they had boarded that train.
The four friends were getting a lot of stares. They had defeated Lord Voldemort only a month beforehand, and had returned to finish their schooling. People kept coming up to them and asking for their autographs or for a firsthand account of what had happened.
They found a compartment to themselves. Harry and Ginny sat together; they had gotten back together almost as soon as Voldemort had been vanquished. Ron and Hermione had glanced at each other and looked away for about a half an hour until they burst out at the same time, “ Ron/Hermione, I love you,” and promptly blushed, realizing how much more outgoing they had gotten. Harry and Ginny laughed, and eventually Ron and Hermione joined in.
The four finished their schooling career together, and then sought jobs either at Hogwarts or the Ministry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all decided that they were tired of fighting dark wizards and would rather be teachers. So after some training, Harry became the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Ron became the flying instructor, and Hermione became the Transfiguration teacher. Ginny, on the other hand, sought a career as a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The golden years were back.
A/N: Sooo? What did you think? Not one of my favorite chapters, this one is more of a filler. I'm not a big fan of filler chapters either. But you can't make a story without them! Reviews are always appreciated. :)