Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
.
STEPPING foot into King's Cross station always hit me with a giant wave of comfort.
To anyone else it was just another day of work, or a way to leave London and go to other cities; to me it was my ticket home.
Emerging from the brick wall, I turned the corner and took in the sight before me. The Hogwarts Express, in all its scarlet and shining glory, stood proudly on the railroads. No matter how many times I use it in a year, it always looked brand new and well-kept.
Steam was seeping from beneath the train and and into the platform which was filled with loud choruses of friends reuniting, parents saying their goodbyes, and the hooting of owls in their cages.
I was immediately wrapped in a blanket of familiarity and comfort. The thought of being so close to Hogwarts made my stomach do somersaults.
I waited with my parents as the others emerged from the platform, knowing that each of us was accompanied by at least two guards from the Order — You-Know-Who out and about plus an exposed Harry was not good.
The train whistled, and soon enough it was time to say goodbye.
I rushed to Remus first, bidding him a goodbye before reaching to embrace Tonks, who decided to wear her hair fiery red. I kneeled down and gave Sirius — who was in his animagus form — a big hug and a brief ear massage.
I quickly embraced Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as well, before turning to my parents.
I hugged mum first, inhaling in the exquisite scent of her expensive perfume to keep it fresh in my memory.
"Write to us, will you?" She told me. "For updates."
"I will," I nodded and hugged my dad next.
"Stay out of trouble this year, you rascal," he jokingly warned.
I gave the both of them a cheeky grin to which mum only groaned in response. "No promises."
"We love you, dear," mum said one last time.
I took a second to look at them both and flashes of what I heard yesterday ran through my mind. Swallowing down the uncomfortable lump in my throat, I said, "I love you too."
Before I could change my mind to ask them all the questions about last night, I turned around and entered the train.
It looked the same just as it had been in the previous years, with the compartments running along the length of one side and windows on the other. I watched as the faces of everyone in platform became a blur until they were gone, replaced by the outside world.
