In the blink of a was August 31st. Esmeralda had spent her holiday very productively.

  She spent every day either reading or practig spells, diligently like a bee flitting among flowers. The previously empty progress and proficy bars had seen signifit improvement, proving that hard work indeed paid off.

  The bright moon hung high in the sky, and Esmeralda's room was still lit. She was busy pag her things.

  She put her books and telescope irunk, but her clothes were still not fully packed.

  Eda had taken out all her clothes from the wardrobe, seleg a few to take with her to school.

  Knock! Knock! Knock!

  "Eda, are you still pag?" It was Mrs. Mary, the orphanage head.

  "Yes, ma'am," Eda replied, putting down the clothes she was holding. "I should have packed way earlier, since I'm leaving for school soon."

  Mrs. Mary felt a bit worried. The little girl in front of her was about to go to a b school she had never heard of.

  Looking at the clothes Esmeralda had id out on the bed, Mrs. Mary asked, "Are these the clothes you're pnning to take?"

  "Yes, ma'am. Although I'll mostly be wearing the school uniform, it's good to have a few extra clothes just in case," Eda expined.

  Before Eda could finish speaking, Mrs. Mary had already started folding the clothes on the bed.

  As she folded, she said, "Esmeralda, you o take good care of yourself when you're away. Remember to put on warmer clothes when it gets cold so you don't catch a chill. You've had a poor appetite these past two years and haven't beeing well. Even if no one supervises you there, you must remember to eat properly..."

  Seeing Mrs. Mary looking so thin made Elda feel a pang of sadness.

  "Don't worry, ma'am. I've grown up, and I will take good care of myself. But you, you've lost so much weight pared to before," Esmeralda said, Mrs. Mary used to be a bit chubby in her memory, but now she looked quite frail.

  They quickly finished pag, and after everything was ly arranged irunk, Mrs. Mary took out some money and ha to Eda. "Take this money, keep it with you for emergencies," she said.

  Eda hahe money bars. Mary, saying, "No he school is providih a schorship. You don't o worry."

  Hogwarts provided room and board, so she didn't need much money, and she had exged some Galleons, which were more than enough.

  Mrs. Mary hugged Eda, her voice trembling, "Poor child, may God bless you!" After saying this, she left the room, her slightly shaking shoulders indig that she was g.

  The door to the room was left ajar; Mrs. Mary usually closed it behind her.

  Eda looked at the empty corridor outside and whispered, "The magical world's god is sidered to be Merlin, so God probably has no say... May God as well as Merlin bless you, Mrs. Mary."

  ...

  September 1st, King's Cross Station: a new journey, a new beginning.

  Eda had po leave early in the m to avoid goodbyes, which she found painful. However, Mrs. Mary woke up even earlier, thwarting her pn.

  They had breakfast together, and Mrs. Mary, much calmer now, kept repeating her advice to Eda, over and ain.

  Though these stant reminders could have been annoying, they made Eda feel warm inside.

  After breakfast, Eda didn't leave the orphanage immediately.

  Mrs. Mary had arranged for her friend, Mr. Kirk, to take Eda to the station, sparihe awkwardness ing twe trunks by herself.

  Eda arrived at the station just before ten o'clock. Mr. Kirk helped her put her trunks on a trolley and pushed it into the station before leaving.

  'You'll find the ptform between 9 and 10' Was what Magall had told her. She missed her Potterhead friend at times like this.

  Eda then made her way to the space between ptforms nine ahere was no sign of ptform nine and three-quarters, as mentioned oicket.

  Esmeralda had anticipated this. The entrao the magical world wouldn't be out in the open where Muggles could see it. She didn't foolishly ask a Muggle guard about the ptform's locatioher. She khat if she did, the guard would surely think she was an idiot.

  Esmeralda had seen how to enter Diagon Alley, which gave her a good hint about finding the ptform entrance. Si was called ptform nine and three-quarters, it had to be somewhere in the pilrs or walls between ptforms nine and ten!

  Leaning against her trolley, Esmeralda kept looking at the walls betweewo ptforms, feeling a bit anxious. She wasn't sure which wall to choose. If she picked the right wall on the first try, that would be great; otherwise, she estimated she might fall rather badly.

  At that moment, she overheard a couple of sentences from the bustling crowd that caught her attention.

  "Mom, there are so many Muggles here…" It was a young girl speaking.

  Esmeralda looked for the source of the void saw a little girl with fming red hair, ging tightly to a short, plump woman who was likely her mother.

  o the woman were five boys, all with the same red hair.

  They had trunks simir to Eda's and were carrying owls.

  This provided more than enough clues of being 'strange' and 'shady' people. If she didn't know they were wizards, she might as well turn back to the orphanage...

  Esmeralda quickly pushed her trolley to follow the family.

  "Alright, we're here," said the plump woman, stopping. She poio the oldest-looking child and said, "Charlie, you go first."

  The boy named Charlie, who had a broad, pleasant fad a sturdy build, walked towards a wall between ptforms nine and ten.

  Suddenly, he vanished.

  "Percy, you're ."

  A boy with gsses a clothes pushed his trolley towards the wall.

  'That wall is the entrahought Esmeralda.

  "What are you looking at?"

  "Are you searg for the ptform?"

  Two red-haired boys suddenly appeared beside Eda, speaking to her.

  They were twins, looking so identical that even the freckles on their faces were almost in the same spots.

  "Uh, yes. But I think I've just found it," Esmeralda replied to the twins.

  "So, are you a first-year student?"

  "We're first-years too."

  The twins said, taking turns to speak as if it was a game they enjoyed.

  "Mom, there's another first-year here."

  "And she looks like the kind of well-behaved kid you like."

  From Esmeralda's appearance alohe twins weren't wrong.

  Hearing the twins' voices, the woman looked over, "Oh, dear, you're a first-year too? Fred and Gee are as well, though they be a bit mischievous," she said, pointing at the twins.

  "Yes, ma'am, I just saw..."

  "Fred, give the girl a demonstration," the plump woman directed, pointing at one of the twins.

  "I'm not Fred, I'm Gee," the boy protested, "Holy, woman, you say you're our mother, but why 't you tell I'm Gee?"

  "See, dear," the plump ologized.

  "Just kidding, I'm Fred," the boy grinned mischievously at his mother before heading toward the barrier. Gee hurried him along, and in an instant, Fred and his trolley vanished into the wall.

  "Don't worry, and don't be afraid. Just walk straight at the barrier of this wall. Don't stop and don't be scared. Just ght through, it's very important. If you're nervous, a bit of a run might help. Off you go now, Gee will follow you," the plump woman reassured.

  "Thank you, ma'am," Esmeralda expressed her gratitude, nodding at Gee who was making faces at her, then she pushed her trolley and jogged straight toward the barrier.

  A deep red steam engine was waitio the crowded ptform.

  A sign orain read: Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock.

  The steam from the engine billowed over the chattering crowd, with cats of every color weaving through people's legs.

  Amidst the hum of versation and the ctter of heavy trunks, owls hooted to one another in a discordant symphony.

  After passing several carriages, Eda finally found ay partment.

  She tried to lift her heavy trunk onto the train, but it was quite heavy and she struggled.

  Once again, she silently thanked Mrs. Mary fioday.

  "Need some help?" One of the twin brothers from earlier asked. It wasn't clear if it was Fred ee.

  "Thank you," Esmeralda replied, feeling exhausted.

  She recalled an old saying she had heard about being utterly tired – if you 't manage, hire help!

  "Fred, e here, quick!" the boy called out, indig he was Gee.

  The twins first hoisted Eda's trunk onto the train and pced it in the er of the partment, leavio watch their own trunks.

  They then loaded their own trunks into the same partment.

  Given that Esmeralda was a girl, the twins worried if their presence might cause some inveniehey initially inteo find another partment, but Esmeralda didn't let them do that.

  The Weasley brothers had helped her with her trunk, and she couldn't let them lug their trunks around to find another pce. So, the twins stayed in the partment.

  "I'm Fred, Fred Weasley," one of the twins introduced himself after they had all settled in the partment.

  "And I'm Gee," the other said.

  Esmeralda had an urge to follow up with "I'm Peppa," but fortunately, she resisted.

  "Esmeralda Twist, but you call me Eda," she introduced herself.

  _______