In the blink of an eye, it was August 31st. Esmeralda had spent her holiday very productively.
She spent every day either reading or practicing spells, diligently like a bee flitting among flowers. The previously empty progress and proficiency bars had seen significant improvement, proving that hard work indeed paid off.
The bright moon hung high in the sky, and Esmeralda's room was still lit. She was busy packing her things.
She put her books and telescope in one trunk, but her clothes were still not fully packed.
Eda had taken out all her clothes from the wardrobe, selecting a few to take with her to school.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Eda, are you still packing?" It was Mrs. Mary, the orphanage head.
"Yes, ma'am," Eda replied, putting down the clothes she was holding. "I should have packed way earlier, since I'm leaving for school soon."
Mrs. Mary felt a bit worried. The little girl in front of her was about to go to a boarding school she had never heard of.
Looking at the clothes Esmeralda had laid out on the bed, Mrs. Mary asked, "Are these the clothes you're planning to take?"
"Yes, ma'am. Although I'll mostly be wearing the school uniform, it's good to have a few extra clothes just in case," Eda explained.
Before Eda could finish speaking, Mrs. Mary had already started folding the clothes on the bed.
As she folded, she said, "Esmeralda, you need to take good care of yourself when you're away. Remember to put on warmer clothes when it gets cold so you don't catch a chill. You've had a poor appetite these past two years and haven't been eating well. Even if no one supervises you there, you must remember to eat properly..."
Seeing Mrs. Mary looking so thin made Elda feel a pang of sadness.
"Don't worry, ma'am. I've grown up, and I will take good care of myself. But you, you've lost so much weight compared to before," Esmeralda said, Mrs. Mary used to be a bit chubby in her memory, but now she looked quite frail.
They quickly finished packing, and after everything was neatly arranged in the trunk, Mrs. Mary took out some money and handed it to Eda. "Take this money, keep it with you for emergencies," she said.
Eda handed the money back to Mrs. Mary, saying, "No need, the school is providing me with a scholarship. You don't need to worry."
Hogwarts provided room and board, so she didn't need much money, and she had exchanged some Galleons, which were more than enough.
Mrs. Mary hugged Eda, her voice trembling, "Poor child, may God bless you!" After saying this, she left the room, her slightly shaking shoulders indicating that she was crying.
The door to the room was left ajar; Mrs. Mary usually closed it behind her.
Eda looked at the empty corridor outside and whispered, "The magical world's god is considered to be Merlin, so God probably has no say... May God as well as Merlin bless you, Mrs. Mary."
...
September 1st, King's Cross Station: a new journey, a new beginning.
Eda had planned to leave early in the morning to avoid goodbyes, which she found painful. However, Mrs. Mary woke up even earlier, thwarting her plan.
They had breakfast together, and Mrs. Mary, much calmer now, kept repeating her advice to Eda, over and over again.
Though these constant reminders could have been annoying, they made Eda feel warm inside.
After breakfast, Eda didn't leave the orphanage immediately.
Mrs. Mary had arranged for her friend, Mr. Kirk, to take Eda to the station, sparing her the awkwardness of dragging two large trunks by herself.
Eda arrived at the station just before ten o'clock. Mr. Kirk helped her put her trunks on a trolley and pushed it into the station before leaving.
'You'll find the platform between 9 and 10' Was what McGonagall had told her. She missed her Potterhead friend at times like this.
Eda then made her way to the space between platforms nine and ten. There was no sign of platform nine and three-quarters, as mentioned on her ticket.
Esmeralda had anticipated this. The entrance to the magical world wouldn't be out in the open where Muggles could see it. She didn't foolishly ask a Muggle guard about the platform's location either. She knew that if she did, the guard would surely think she was an idiot.
Esmeralda had seen how to enter Diagon Alley, which gave her a good hint about finding the platform entrance. Since it was called platform nine and three-quarters, it had to be somewhere in the pillars or walls between platforms nine and ten!
Leaning against her trolley, Esmeralda kept looking at the walls between the two platforms, feeling a bit anxious. She wasn't sure which wall to choose. If she picked the right wall on the first try, that would be great; otherwise, she estimated she might fall rather badly.
At that moment, she overheard a couple of sentences from the bustling crowd that caught her attention.
"Mom, there are so many Muggles here…" It was a young girl speaking.
Esmeralda looked for the source of the voice and saw a little girl with flaming red hair, clinging tightly to a short, plump woman who was likely her mother.
Next to the woman were five boys, all with the same red hair.
They had trunks similar to Eda's and were carrying owls.
This provided more than enough clues of being 'strange' and 'shady' people. If she didn't know they were wizards, she might as well turn back to the orphanage...
Esmeralda quickly pushed her trolley to follow the family.
"Alright, we're here," said the plump woman, stopping. She pointed to the oldest-looking child and said, "Charlie, you go first."
The boy named Charlie, who had a broad, pleasant face and a sturdy build, walked towards a wall between platforms nine and ten.
Suddenly, he vanished.
"Percy, you're next."
A boy with glasses and neat clothes pushed his trolley towards the wall.
'That wall is the entrance,' thought Esmeralda.
"What are you looking at?"
"Are you searching for the platform?"
Two red-haired boys suddenly appeared beside Eda, speaking to her.
They were twins, looking so identical that even the freckles on their faces were almost in the same spots.
"Uh, yes. But I think I've just found it," Esmeralda replied to the twins.
"So, are you a first-year student?"
"We're first-years too."
The twins said, taking turns to speak as if it was a game they enjoyed.
"Mom, there's another first-year here."
"And she looks like the kind of well-behaved kid you like."
From Esmeralda's appearance alone, the twins weren't wrong.
Hearing the twins' voices, the woman looked over, "Oh, dear, you're a first-year too? Fred and George are as well, though they can be a bit mischievous," she said, pointing at the twins.
"Yes, ma'am, I just saw..."
"Fred, give the girl a demonstration," the plump woman directed, pointing at one of the twins.
"I'm not Fred, I'm George," the boy protested, "Honestly, woman, you say you're our mother, but why can't you tell I'm George?"
"Sorry, George, dear," the plump woman apologized.
"Just kidding, I'm Fred," the boy grinned mischievously at his mother before heading toward the barrier. George hurried him along, and in an instant, Fred and his trolley vanished into the wall.
"Don't worry, and don't be afraid. Just walk straight at the barrier of this wall. Don't stop and don't be scared. Just go straight through, it's very important. If you're nervous, a bit of a run might help. Off you go now, George will follow you," the plump woman reassured.
"Thank you, ma'am," Esmeralda expressed her gratitude, nodding at George who was making faces at her, then she pushed her trolley and jogged straight toward the barrier.
A deep red steam engine was waiting next to the crowded platform.
A sign on the train read: Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock.
The steam from the engine billowed over the chattering crowd, with cats of every color weaving through people's legs.
Amidst the hum of conversation and the clatter of heavy trunks, owls hooted to one another in a discordant symphony.
After passing several carriages, Eda finally found an empty compartment.
She tried to lift her heavy trunk onto the train, but it was quite heavy and she struggled.
Once again, she silently thanked Mrs. Mary for arranging help today.
"Need some help?" One of the twin brothers from earlier asked. It wasn't clear if it was Fred or George.
"Thank you," Esmeralda replied, feeling exhausted.
She recalled an old saying she had heard about being utterly tired – if you can't manage, hire help!
"Fred, come here, quick!" the boy called out, indicating he was George.
The twins first hoisted Eda's trunk onto the train and placed it in the corner of the compartment, leaving Eda to watch their own trunks.
They then loaded their own trunks into the same compartment.
Given that Esmeralda was a girl, the twins worried if their presence might cause some inconvenience. They initially intended to find another compartment, but Esmeralda didn't let them do that.
The Weasley brothers had helped her with her trunk, and she couldn't let them lug their trunks around to find another place. So, the twins stayed in the compartment.
"I'm Fred, Fred Weasley," one of the twins introduced himself after they had all settled in the compartment.
"And I'm George," the other said.
Esmeralda had an urge to follow up with "I'm Peppa," but fortunately, she resisted.
"Esmeralda Twist, but you can call me Eda," she introduced herself.
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