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Author: Grandma Kate Story: The Early Years Rating: Everyone Setting: Pre-OotP Status: Completed Reviews: 9 Words: 16,838
The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J. K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. Author's Note: Bold Face Type indicates a direct quote from Chapter Six, The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-quarters in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. There wasn't a calm person anywhere in the Burrow. Arthur was muttering, "We'll miss the train. We'll be so late that we'll miss the whole thing." Molly was yelling, "Ron, get your trunk down here this minute! Fred, let go of George so he can finish his breakfast. Percy, you need to eat something or you will pass out from hunger on the train. Ginny, not now! You can't sneak on the train a year early and that is that!" The sudden quiet when she finished yelling was instantly filled with various Weasleys asking where clean socks were or if she'd packed enough sandwiches or was she absolutely certain that Professor Dumbledore would notice that she was only ten. Arthur took charge. "QUIET!' he bellowed. "The Ministry car is here and everyone must get in it now. I'm leaving you off at the train station so I can return the car Minister Fudge was nice enough to lend us. Molly and Ginny can take the Knight Bus home." The four Weasley brothers put their trunks in the boot and they and Ginny climbed into the magically expanded car. "Everyone have everything you'll need?" asked Molly as they pulled away from the Burrow and drove to King's Cross. Arthur pulled up to the passenger loading zone and kissed each of his children saying, "Be good at school. Study hard. We'll see you soon." He gave an extra hug to Ron and Ginny. "I'm sure you will be Sorted into Gryffindor, son. Don't cry, Ginny. You'll be surprised how fast your last year of home schooling will go." Molly gathered her children around her and supervised them as they put their trunks on trolleys and wheeled them into the station. "It's packed with Muggles, of course," commented Molly. She and Ginny led Percy, Fred, George, and Ron pushing their trunks. "Now, what's the platform number?" asked the boys' mother. "Nine and three-quarters!" answered Ginny ...who was holding her hand. "Mum, can't I go..." "You're not old enough, Ginny. Now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first." Molly lined her children up and turned to one of the twins. "Fred, you next." "I'm not Fred. I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I am George?" Molly gave him a close look and said, "Sorry, George, dear" "Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier — he was almost there — and then quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere. "Excuse me," a small, dark-haired boy said to Molly. "Hello, dear," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too." She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. Molly felt a little tickle in her memory, like she knew she should know something but couldn't quite think of what she ought to know. "Yes," said the boy. "The thing is — the thing is. I don't know how to —" "How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly. The boy nodded. Molly noticed his eyes were a bright green. She thought it had been many years since she had seen someone with such green eyes. She remembered wondering if a baby's eyes would be that color. "Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best you do it in a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron." The dark haired boy pushed his trolley around and stared at the barrier... He started to walk toward it. He went faster and faster as he approached the barrier. He was running when he disappeared through it. Molly smiled and nodded to Ron. "Your turn now. Remember, don't be afraid that you'll run into the barrier. Make it fast. We'll see you on the platform." Ron took off at a smart pace. "Hold my hand, Ginny," said Molly. "This is the last time you'll have to say good-bye to your brothers." Molly glanced down at her daughter and then looked as though she was going to cry. "Next year you'll be leaving me, too." She and Ginny disappeared through the barrier. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Molly and Ginny watched as parents and children said their good-byes at the start of another term. There were cats of every description and owls being put in travel containers. Students were hauling their trunks up the steps of the train. Molly saw the little dark-haired boy with the green eyes trying to lift his trunk and was pleased when George stopped to help him. "Want a hand?" George asked. "Yes, please," panted the dark haired boy. "Oy, Fred! C'mere and help." Molly was glad that her twins had helped the little boy who was alone but worried that they seemed to be taking longer than needed. After a few minutes, she called out to them. "Fred. George! Are you there?" "Coming, Mum." The twins replied in unison and hurried back to Molly and Ginny to make their good-byes. Molly took out her handkerchief. "Ron, you've got something on your nose." She began to try and get it off by rubbing his nose vigorously. Ron tried to get away. Molly tried all the harder so he'd look his best on the train. She hoped he make some new friends. "Mum — geroff," He wriggled free. "Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nose?" asked one of the twins. "Shut up," said Ron. Molly suddenly missed one of her children. "Where's Percy?" said their mother. The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes... "Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have two compartments to themselves —" "Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea." "Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once —" "Or twice —" "A minute —" "All summer —" "Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect. "How come Percy got new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins. "Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term — and send me an owl when you get there." She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins. Molly looked very serious. She was worried that they would not set a good example for Ron. "Now you two — this year you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've — blown up a toilet or —" "Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet." "Great idea though, thanks, Mum" "It's not funny. And look after Ron." "Don't worry, ickle Ronnikins is safe with us." "Shut up, " said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it. "Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train? You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?" "Who?" Molly suddenly felt uneasy. Something that the twins were going to say would be important but she couldn't quite remember why. "Harry Potter!" announced the twins in unison. Molly clutched Ginny hand tighter. Ginny struggled to get away. "Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please..." Ginny looked like she was going to cry. "You have already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?" Molly felt uneasy. She didn't really want to know whether the dark-haired boy was Harry Potter or not. She remembered thinking that Harry Potter would be in the same year as Ron. Then she remembered someone saying, "I hope they will always be friends." Molly shook her head. She wished she could remember who said that. Fred was eager to talk about meeting the famous Harry Potter. "Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there — like lightning." "Poor dear — no wonder he was alone. I wondered. He was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform." Molly looked pensive. She suddenly wondered if his Aunt Petunia ever realized what a special boy Harry was and how much he was loved. Fred pressed his Mum. "Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" Their mother suddenly became very stern. "I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day of school." "All right, keep your hair on." A whistle sounded. "Hurry up!" their mother said. and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry. "Don't, Ginny, we'll send you lots of owls." "We'll send you a Hogwarts' toilet seat." "George!" Molly glared at her son. "Only joking, Mum." The train began to move... Molly waved at her sons with one hand and wiped her tears away with the other. Ginny got free from her grip and started down the platform. She was half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved. Ginny slowly walked back to where Molly was standing. She had tears running down her cheeks as she sobbed, "I really wanted to see Harry Potter again. He needs me to be his friend." Molly wiped Ginny's tears and said, "We'd better go flag down the Knight Bus so we can be home for lunch. How about a nice grilled cheese sandwich?" They went out front of King's Cross and found the bus already loading. "We're going to the Burrow. We'll have the hot chocolate special," she said to Stan Shunpike as they climbed on. She and Ginny found two comfy chairs and waited for the bus to start up. "The real Harry Potter looks just like my 'Dance with Harry Potter Life-Sized Doll", only taller." said Ginny. "You got that doll when you were only four, " Molly reminded her daughter. "Now you are so tall you have to hold it up to dance with instead of sticking your feet under its feet with the elastic bands." Ginny nodded, "But I know where my Life-Sized Harry Potter is so he can keep me company until I go to Hogwarts next year. The real Harry Potter and I are going to be best friends then." Molly thought, "At least Ginny has teeth now." Then she wondered why such a strange thought had come to her. "When we are best friends, Harry Potter and I'll go to Hogsmeade together when I am in third year and then we'll be sweethearts." Ginny was warming to her tale. "Harry Potter and I can't get married until I am finished at Hogwarts. But he'll wait for me." She smiled. "I'm so glad we finally met." Molly sipped her hot chocolate. It was not as good as homemade, but few things were as good as when she made them. She listened with a part of her mind to Ginny's chatter and wondered how she knew just what her daughter was going to say next. It was true that Arthur read The Harry Potter Story to her many nights as her bedtime story, but usually Ginny just sighed and said she was going to marry Harry Potter when they both grew up. The plans for the years they were together at Hogwarts showed that she had been thinking about him more than they realized. "Now, Ginny, he's just a little boy and you are far too young to worry about getting married to anyone, especially Harry Potter!" Molly tried to change the subject. "Did you see how green his eyes were? They're just like Lily's were." "Did you know Lily Potter?" Ginny was suddenly transfixed. "Was she nice? Why did You-Know-Who have to kill her and Harry's daddy?" Molly thought a bit before she spoke. "Yes, your dad and I used to know Lily and James. Both of them were very nice. They were very good friends with your Uncle Gideon and Uncle Fabian." Molly shook her head and decided she'd better ask Arthur what he remembered that she couldn't. "Lily did have the very green eyes that Harry has but he looks more like his father. I haven't thought about them in years." Molly paused a bit and continued, "You even wore some of Harry's outgrown clothes when you were a baby. And just before they went away, Harry gave you that unicorn you still sleep with. Now, why couldn't I remember that before?" Ginny smiled. "I knew that Harry Potter and I were destined to be together and live happily ever after. Now Harry Potter will just have to notice me and realize that he loves me when we are a little older." Molly shook her head. "That 's not how it works. Harry's just a little boy. It will be years before he begins to like girls. You both need to grow up. Then we'll see. Maybe your dreams will come true." She hugged Ginny again. She could hardly wait until Arthur came home. She had so much to ask him. He would know what to do about Ginny and Harry Potter. He always knew the answer to a problem with their children. And he would know why she hadn't thought about her friend Lily for almost ten years.
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