wanna be yours

xv. BACK TO HOGWARTS

chapter fifteen; the chamber of secrets

1992

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"Are you girls ready to go?" Mrs. Granger called up the stairs to Elodie and Hermione on September 1st. 

"Ready," Hermione called as she and Elodie made their way downstairs with their trunks and Maverick. Mr. Granger helped the girls put their trunks into their new car and soon they were off. 

They reached King's Cross at half-past ten. Mrs. Granger hurried across the road to get trolleys for their trunks while Mr. Granger helped get the trunks out of the car, and they all hurried into the station.

Betsy had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing.

"Right," Mr. Granger, "have a wonderful year girls. Send us a letter when you get there."

"Thank for for having me Mrs. Granger," Elodie said as the woman hugged her.

"It was my pleasure darling, you're welcome anytime," Mrs. Granger said as Elodie smiled. "We'll see you girls later."

"Bye," Elodie and Hermione said as Mr and Mrs. Granger walked away.

"Have you seen the boys yet?" Elodie asked as Hermione shook her head.

"Not yet," she admitted as Elodie nodded. 

"Maybe they're already on the train?" Elodie suggested as Hermione nodded.

"I hope so," she admitted. "Shall we get going?"

Elodie made sure that her trunk was on the trolley safely before she wheeled it trolley around to face the barrier. She felt perfectly confident as she looked at Hermione and grinned. Both of them bent low over the handles of their trolleys and walked purposefully toward the barrier, gathering speed. A few feet away from it, they broke into a run and they kept on running.

Elodie opened her eyes and grinned when she saw the familair scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd. The two girls pressed on through the crowd until they found an empty compartment near the middle of the train. After about fifteen minutes of the two girls struggling, they managed to get Elodie and Hermione's trunks on the train.

"I still can't see them," Elodie said as they got into their compartment and closed the door.

"They have five minutes," Hermione said as she checked her watch, "they should be here soon."

"Look," Elodie said as she looked out the window and saw Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, "there's Mrs. Weasley and Ginny. So, they should be here any second." 

The two girls were feeling slightly better until they heard the whistle and they looked at each other with worried looks. The train began to move and Elodie watched as people on the platform disappeared as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window as she sighed.

"They didn't make it," Elodie said worried.

"Or they did," Hermione said, trying to convince herself as well, "and they got here before we saw Mrs. Weasley and Ginny and we just didn't see them?" Elodie nodded.