The next week, Kim and Ben woke Duchess up early in their hotel room at 7AM. It was time to go to the train station.
The morning fog curled around King’s Cross Station, dampening the cobblestones and softening the world to a hush. Duchess stood between her parents, her small hand tucked firmly into her mother’s elbow. Her glittering silver hair caught the soft light as she turned to stare at the towering woman who had just approached them—Hermione Granger, Minister of Magic herself.
“Good morning,” Hermione said with a warm smile that felt both familiar and dazzling. “You must be Duchess.”
Duchess nodded, her other hand tightening around the handle of her golden cat carrier. Hermione gently took it from her.
“Let me,” she said. “I adore cats.”
The orange tabby inside blinked slowly through the grates as if it, too, recognized the gravity of the moment.
Kim, Duchess’s mother, squeezed her daughter’s arm as they walked, her own voice low and uncertain. “I don’t know where we’re going, either,” she admitted softly. “But just stay close.”
Hermione led them briskly through the station toward Platforms 9 and 10. “We’re headed to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters,” she explained. “To get there, you just walk straight through that wall.”
Ben laughed nervously. “I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t overthink it,” Hermione said. “Just a bit of speed and don’t hesitate.”
Duchess looked up at the solid brick archway and took a breath. With her mother’s fingers wrapped around her elbow and her heart pounding in her chest, they rushed forward—then vanished cleanly through the barrier.
The other side was something out of a dream. The air smelled faintly of smoke and sugar. A gleaming red steam engine—the Hogwarts Express—sat puffing on the tracks. Wizard families bustled around them, cloaks fluttering, trunks levitating, owls hooting impatiently in cages overhead. Children were everywhere, some already in their school robes, others still in jeans and sneakers, holding wands like they were toy swords.
Duchess turned to her parents, her voice caught somewhere between awe and goodbye. She threw her arms around them, first her father, then her mother, holding tight as the seconds dwindled.
Kim turned to Hermione, anxious. “Can she bring her phone? How will we talk to her?”
Hermione hesitated. “I’m afraid Muggle technology doesn’t work well at Hogwarts—the magic interferes with it. But don’t worry. I’ll set up a way for her to check in with you regularly. I promise.”
That was all the reassurance they would get. With a final kiss to her daughter’s silver hair, Kim stepped back, slipping her hand into Ben’s. The two of them would be on a plane back to the States within the hour, the rest of their day swallowed in quiet disbelief.
Hermione guided Duchess toward the train. “Go ahead and sit anywhere. The trolley will come by shortly—you can buy a treat if you like,” and Hermione turned around and left the trolley so quickly, Duchess didn’t even notice. It was like she just disappeared into thin air.
Duchess stepped onto the train with trembling legs, her cat carrier bumping gently against her knee. Most compartments were already half-full, but she finally spotted one with a single girl seated by the window. The girl wore plain black robes, just like hers. No house emblem yet.
“Hi,” Duchess said, sliding the door open. “Can I sit here?”
The girl looked up and grinned. “Of course.”
She had short purple hair—vivid purple—and eyes like storm clouds.
“I’m Melody,” she said. “First year too?” she asked, seeing Duchess’s robe didn’t have a house emblem either.
“Yeah,” Duchess replied, settling across from her. “I’m Duchess.”
Melody twirled a strand of her hair between her fingers. “I’m a Metamorphmagus,” she added casually. “I can change how I look—my hair, my face—but only one thing at a time. I wanted purple today.” Duchess hadn’t asked, but Melody could tell she was curious by how awestruck she looked.
Duchess blinked. “You can do that without a wand?”
“Mm-hmm. Just born with it. You have brilliant hair!” Duchess blushed. “Is it like that all the time?”
“Yes. I was just born like this. People always wondered why I looked so different. I’m half Asian, and my mom has jet-black hair, while my dad has blonde hair. Who knows what happened to me… It’s kind of funny, though. Sometimes it’s more blue than silver, and sometimes it’s more silver than blue. I can’t control it, though.”
“I love it!” Duchess smiled at Melody, whose hair had turned back to her natural brown.
The train rumbled beneath them, soft and steady like a heartbeat. Duchess leaned her head against the window for a moment, watching the blurred streaks of green hills fly past. Across from her, Melody shifted in her seat, her legs crisscrossed, her vivid purple hair catching the chandelier’s glow.
“I love your accent,” Melody said suddenly, her voice full of curiosity. “Where are you from?”
Duchess smiled. “California.”
Melody’s eyes lit up. “No way! I know all about California! That’s where they make all the movies and television shows, right? My parents are both wizards, but they let me watch Muggle telly growing up. I’m obsessed. I don’t get how they make such amazing shows without magic.”
Duchess laughed softly. “They use technology—cameras, special effects, editing. People call it ‘TV magic,’ but it’s not real magic. Just a lot of time, effort, and… patience, I guess.”
Melody leaned forward, clearly fascinated. “That’s wild. You’d think they were using spells. The dragons, the explosions—have you seen that show with the thrones and the icy zombies? I swear those dragons looked real.”
“Yeah, the effects are amazing,” Duchess agreed. “But I’m not from L.A., where all the studios are. I live about two hours south of there, near the beach.”
Melody tilted her head. “What’s it like?”
“Quiet,” Duchess said, her voice softer now. “More natural. There’s salt in the air all the time, and the wind comes off the ocean like it’s bringing you secrets. Everything slows down at night. I think… I think I’ll miss it.”
Melody studied her for a moment, her purple ponytail swaying gently as the train rocked.
“You’ve got a bit of ocean in you,” she said. “That calm sparkle, y’know? You’ll be okay. Hogwarts has its own kind of magic.”
Duchess smiled again, this time a little deeper, a little steadier.
“I hope so,” she said.
The train gave a low whistle and began to rumble forward. Duchess leaned back, a swirl of emotion tugging at her chest—excitement, fear, wonder, everything layered on top of everything.
Melody tilted her head. “It’s a long trip—about nine hours. You should nap. It’s going to be a big evening.”
Duchess nodded. How can she nap sitting up? Plus, the train was bustling with such interesting personalities, she couldn’t help but stay wide awake and soak everything in. Melody couldn’t nap either. She talked and talked like she hadn’t had anyone to talk to in months.
“When we get there,” Melody continued, “we’ll get sorted into houses, eat a huge dinner, and then they’ll show us where we sleep. Tomorrow, after breakfast, one of the prefects from your house will give you a tour and all that.”
“I’m glad I’ve met you. I don’t know anyone there. No one’s told me anything about the school.”
“Well, I don’t know everything. I only know what my sister has told me. She’s 2 years older and she’s already at Hogwarts. She answered a lot of questions for me at home, but she said she’s only answering them now so I don’t talk to her at school. I’m supposed to pretend I don’t know her. So, I guess I don’t know anyone there, either.”
“You know me!” Duchess said brightly.
As the landscape blurred outside the window and the steady rhythm of the train lulled her, Duchess rested her cheek against the seat back and exhaled. As she finally shut her eyes, she saw Melody’s hair start to sparkle just like her own.
They were on their way to Hogwarts.
Chapter 9: A Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, Chocolate Frogs, and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans