Platform 9 ¾

Will crossed his arms, and glared darkly at Derek. "Drop that act. I almost couldn't go on the day trip with the Silva's because of that stunt. And if I pissed it I would been pissed. But forget it..." Will suddenly laughed loudly. "THIS is going to be the BEST year besides seventh year!" he proclaimed loudly.

"Damn right, bro," Derek said nodding. He grinned happily.

Adam shrugged. "They still don't sound very civilized." Was that really all he could think of to say? Rattle your brain a bit, lad! "I'm just starting out... here..."

"Me too! I'm trying to find my cousin, but the idiot she is, she probably slept in or something," Leah muttered looking ticked off. "Well, if you're just starting out here, we should be friends."

With that, Will turned away. "Well, I have to go sit with the Quidditch team, now. We have to go over matches and things like that... after all, I am the announcers." he replied melodramatically. He obviously wanted something from Derek.

"What's up with you, Will? On your period?"

Something kindled in Adam's eyes. "Friend?" he repeated. Someone was actually ASKING to be his friend! What should he say? "I... I guess..."

Will turned around to look at Derek, looking slightly irritated. "Damn, I thought you were going to take the bait!" he exclaimed.

"What bait?" Derek asked innocently.

~

"Yeah, duh! Don't you know what it means? Well dictionary it. I'm not telling you. Come on, let's get on the train."

"You know very well! Derek you're so dumb sometimes I wonder how you function-you know what, nevermind. Let's cut to the chase." said Will quickly. "You know your little brat of her sister, and her sidekick are starting Hogwarts? I REALLY want to piss them off... they get angry so easily, it would be a hilarious cheap entertainment. We could CHARGE people to see them in action!"

Derek's innocent face grew into a big grin. "Oh my God, I love you, man." he said and hugged his friend. "Please, let's do it."

The Silva clan nonchalantly made their way onto the platform, sqeezing their way through the crowd, Matilda accidentally bumping shoulders with some preppy-looking blonde boy. Not like she apologized. In fact, she didn't even think anything of it as the family of six found an opening in the crowd by a wall and stopped to give last-minute pep talks and advice to the first-years. Libby breathed in slowly--she was practically shaking because she was desperate to go back to St. Mungo's. Since becoming one of the top positions and one of the most sought-after Healers, she'd become a bit of a workaholic and become enamored with her job. It wasn't like she slacked off at home--it's just that if she didn't work her nice x-amount-of-hours-per-day-this-many-days-a-week schedule, she felt like she wasn't doing her job properly.

This was Matilda and Josiah's first year. She had to be at the station for them to send them off properly, like she had done for Jared, who was now a fifth year. That's when Libby remembered--she had to give him the talk about the OWL's!

Wait, hadn't she done that already?

Oh well. Parents always repeat the obvious, Libby figured. And, knowing Jared, he'd probably already forgotten already. Jared had taken after Max's carelessness. Great.

"Jared, dear?" Libby started tentatively. Wait, no! You're his MOTHER! Exert your force! Be in charge! "Study for your OWL's this term. No, it is not an option, and no, you are not getting away with not doing so. I'll embarrass the hell out of you if you don't."

Jared raised his eyebrows, eyes turning to suspicious slits. "How so?" he asked, his tone wary. Libby always had a way of embarrassing her children, especially the eldest and the youngest. Damn Josiah and damn Matilda, being the middle children.

"I'll give you a great big hug and slobbery kiss right on this platform. With all your friends to see."

Jared looked disgusted, recoiling and looking like someone suggest he drink a liter of sewage water. "You wouldn't DARE!"

"Yes, I would!" Libby pointed her index finger menacingly at him. "AND I'll send you weekly Howlers for the whole school to hear! You'd better get all passing grades on your OWL's. No D's, P's, or T's in sight for any grades throughout this year. Turn over a new leaf, Jared."

Jared groaned, sounding thoroughly annoyed as he flicked his head to get his just-too-long hair out of his face. "Fine, mum. Anything else?"

"Follow school rules. Oh, and let me cut your hair over winter break, Jared, it's too long..."

Jared rolled his eyes. "Mum, you said yourself that you could style your hair however you wanted when you were even younger than me. We've been through this. It's not fair to me that you could and I couldn't. I've seen pictures. You were one crazy b--"

"Have fun this year!" Libby cut across him, kissing him on the cheek and sending him off to the train, waving at him. She then turned on her heel and stared her next youngest straight in the eyes--both of them. Matilda and Josiah, the fraternal twins, had always been trouble. They were always at each others' necks, and Libby could only pray (though she didn't do it often) that they wouldn't be in the same House. "Josiah, Matilda. Please, follow the rules and do well in school, okay? You two were straight-A students back in primary school, please become straight-O's in Hogwarts."

"Isn't an O rated lower in the alphabet than an A?" Matilda asked curiously, fiddling with the long hair that had been put in two braids. It just touched under her breasts, and her straight bangs were in her eyes. She still wasn't used to the whole Hogwarts grading scale--she tended to tune out her parents' (mostly Libby's) scolding Josiah for getting D's and P's and T's.

Libby took a moment to explain the Hogwarts grading scale, and put one hand on Josiah's shoulder and one on Matilda's. "I'm so proud of you guys. Be good, okay? Matilda, don't call men pigs. They don't appreciate that, you know."

"But men ARE--" Matilda tried to interrupt, her brown eyes flickering to life. Josiah gave her a light slap on the arm. "Oi! Be nice, I can kick you butt any day of the week!"

"Us men aren't pigs!" Josiah snapped at her, glaring.

"How would you know, you aren't a man," Matilda murmured bitterly. Libby grinned to herself, shaking her head. "Okay, just don't kill each other. Go get on the train now, I told your aunt Holly that I'd meet her here. Do you want me to tell Blake you two said hi? It would mean a lot to her."

"Sure," Matilda said in monotone. Honestly, she didn't care how Millicent Blake Kire felt. She couldn't care less about Millicent Blake Kire if she tried. That bitch cousin of hers was nothing but trouble, and of course she'd have to be starting her first year, too.

"That was enthusiastic," Libby replied sarcastically. But, she knew what it was like not to favor someone. "Just get on the train. Or, hey, find Leah. I bet she's wandering around here somewhere."

"Bye, mom. Love you," Josiah and Matilda chanted in unison, each giving Libby a hug and a kiss before disappearing into the crowd--Josiah to find a compartment on the train to invade and Matilda to find Leah. Libby fought her way through the crowd to find her sister, Holly.

Leah sighed. "You should talk more. Look, I see my cousin, but I'll be right back." she said and stomped off to the Silva's. "Hey, you guys are late, you know," Leah grumbled meeting up with the kids just as Libby was leaving. "You had me waiting like an idiot,"

"LEAH!" Matilda cried, setting her suitcase down and giving Leah a hug. "D'you have a compartment yet? We're SO sitting together."

"Do you have to say it outloud? The world should already know we're attached at the hip so there's no seperating US!"

Adam suddenly felt quite uncomfortable. He shifted his weight to his other foot, his grip tightening on Opal's case. "Err..."

Immanuel hugged his mom and dad, and then stopped at his brother with a frown. "Have a good time living near close to a muggle, Trenton." With a grin, a couple more hugs, and the usual 'Write back this time!' Immanuel gave one last final wave to his parents as he tugged his trunk onto the train.

~
Matt noticed everyone was starting to get on the train, and then came the second thought if he didn't move fast he'd be stuck with the compartment with the lumpy seats again. He gave a quick squeeze-hug to Jennifer, and hugged. As soon as she let go she had the last round of the Amanda-rant going.

"I want above A's this year! No more day dreaming! And uhm... stop betting on the quidditch games, don't ignore my letters, don't send anything terrible to your sister in the mail again this year and..." She looked down at him and sighed, "Just write back a lot, alright, hun?" He grinned and nodded and took off for the train.

Too bad he didn't notice the bright red howler sticking out of his jean pockets from Jennifer.

"Oh, go choke on a cochroach cluster!" Trenton retorted angrily, a red blush forming on his cheeks.

~

Leah turned and saw Adam. "Hey, you! Come over here! You need to stop being so awkward, you know. Let yourself go, you're going to Hogwarts! Anything is possible there!"

Adam straightened up as soon as he was recognized again. He was going to Hogwarts, wasn't he? "I guess..."

---

As well, Olivia had again caught up with her progeny. She'd never been successful at those lectures, but she was trying to fake it anyway. Doing her best to look stern, she stares up at Alex and says: "Stay away from knives. Also, Professor Cruise. You'll want to avoid her this year. Got to be stressed-out enough as is, poor girl..." Of course, this is to no effect; Olivia Digandi has about as much intimidation as a common house ant. Alex, disregarding as usual, habitually tugs on the sleeves of his hoodie, trying to get them to cover his hands. "Also, don't touch girls. Ever. They're like... those knives. You don't touch 'em."

---

That ginger-headed woman from before watches the train windows wistfully. Four years, and all the same nerves returning. Feeling her social exigency boiling forth, she turns to a tall, bespectacled woman in the proximity. "They never really grow up, do they?" she asks.

Amanda didn't respond for a few moments, thinking she wasn't the one that carrot top woman was speaking to. After the lack of response she nodded with a sad smile, "It's so true! What year student are you sending off?"

"Fourth." The woman sighed daintily. "You?"

"Secondie who acts like he's seventh." Amanda shook her head with a confused smile. "I didn't catch your name?"

"Oh, I understand that. My daughter things she can go running off all unsupervised and-- Oh, pardon me. I'm Julia," she said, flashing a smile. She was rather embarrassed about the implications of her surname, so she typically left it off unless asked specifically.

Amanda stuck out her hand. "I'm Amanda, it's nice to meet you." Amanda looked at her face, trying to picture her at Hogwarts. "So, ehm, did you go to Hogwarts?"

Julia genially shook Amanda's hand. "Oh, no. I'm, ah... normal. I know you all have a word for that, but it's escaping me."