Chapter 168: Hogwarts Express

"It's time to go, Chris dear." Mrs. Weasley spoke softly from the kitchen door.

Chris, who was sitting on the kitchen floor with a lazy Crookshanks on her lap, looked up to Mrs. Weasley and nodded.

Mrs. Weasley smiled and left. Chris sighed then took some deep breaths and picked up Crookshanks in her arms. Then she got up and left the kitchen.

Last night, Mrs. Weasley had sobbed hysterically on a frozen Chris's shoulder. Lupin was able to calm Mrs. Weasley down, but before he could turn to Chris to comfort her, Chris had left the room with a blink. 

She didn't talk to anyone after that and was lying on her bed with opened eyes. Even next morning she was up and dressed before anyone else.

The memory of her father's dead body was too much for her. But she realized she couldn't let her emotions control her actions. So she've to prepare herself before going to school. 

And now was the right time.

"Hey Chris!" Fred said coming downstairs.

"Hey Fred." Chris smiled.

Fred crossed her grinning as Harry stopped beside her.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine Harry. Don't worry." Chris gave him a smile before walking towards Mrs. Weasley.

"She's lying." Ginny said bluntly to Harry.

"But maybe she's trying to be fine." Hermione added.

"I just hope she feels fine." Harry replied. "It's hard to lose... family... even imagining it... I know the feeling."

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"How are we going to King's Cross?" Ron shouted over Mrs. Black's loud screeching sound.

"We're riding Black's car. He bewitched it to fit almost all of us." Aurelia said to Ron and Chris. "Let me tell you a secret, it was my life long dream to ride Black's motorcycle. But he loved it too much."

Ron and Chris laughed as Aurelia made a face towards Sirius.

"Now c'mon, we're going to be late." Sirius said rolling his eyes.

Lupin and Mr. Weasley followed Sirius out.

"Yes, yes. You lot... Follow me, Tonks is waiting." Mrs. Weasley said hurriedly.

She wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight. Chris and the rest followed her. The door slammed behind them and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.

They turned the corner where Sirius's car was waiting. The piled inside it very fast as Sirius started the car. Only Moody refused to go in the car.

It took them hardly seven or eight minutes to reach King's Cross. On the way Aurelia and Tonks talked about loads of things to keep the mood light. Chris felt greatful as no one paid any particular attention to her.

Once inside the station they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through onto platform nine and three quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families.

After sometime Moody appeared with two other Order members.

"No trouble?" growled Moody.

"Nothing," said Lupin.

"Well, look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He also gave a bright smile to Chris, while shaking her hand.

Chris smiled back.

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, "And don't forget, all of you — careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"They'll be careful, Mad-Eye." Sirius said shaking hands with each one of them. "They're smart kids." Sirius said the last thing, as he hugged Harry and winked at Chris.

"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging Hermione, Ginny and at last Chris. She hugged her tightly and whispered, "Life will always give us trouble Chrisy, but remember we're strong enough to face them. Do what your heart says."

As she pulled away Chris saw a Tonk-ish smile on her face.

Aurelia shook hand with everyone but at last hugged Chris and Harry.

"You should know Harry, no matter what I said, I know for a fact that your parents loved each other very much..." Aurelia said to Harry. "And they would've been very proud of you today. Stay safe."

To Harry's surprise Aurelia kissed Harry's forehead at the end.

"Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random and catching Chris twice. "Write . . . Be good. . . . If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on. . . . Onto the train, now, hurry . . ."

Suddenly someone bumped into Chris and rushed towards the train, looking distracted. Chris realized who it was.

"Theodore?"

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Theodore abruptly stopped at the mention of his name and turned around.

"Oh Chris!" He said looking surprised. "Hi."

"Hi. You just bump into me. You okay?" Chris said randomly.

"Yeah.. I'm..." Theodore looked around and saw Sirius, Mrs. Weasley and Mad-Eye. A sudden fear crossed his face and he hurriedly looked away. "See you later."

"C'mon Chris." Chris heard Hermione calling her as Theodore disappeared into the crowd.

"See you!" Harry called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waved beside Chris. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Aurelia, Sirius, Moody, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly.

"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later," and he and George disappeared down the corridor to the right.

The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past and they swayed where they stood.

"Let's go, we need to find an compartment." Ginny said to Chris.

Chris nodded and followed her.

"We're — well — Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly.

Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.

"Oh," said Harry. "Right. Fine."

"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors fromtime to time."

"It's really fine, Hermione," said Harry. "Well, I-I might see you later, then."

"Yeah, definitely," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather — but we have to — I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy," he finished defiantly.

"I know you're not," said Harry and he grinned.

"So I guess it's us then." Ginny said as Ron and Hermione left. "We should look for Colin and Luna. Maybe they saved us seats."

"Right let's go." Chris said picking up Leon's cage and her trunk.

They struggled off down the corridor, peering through the glass-paneled doors into the compartments they passed, which were already full. Chris noticed that a lot of people stared back at her and Harry with great interest and that several of them nudged their neighbors and pointed them out. 

Chris intentionally rolled her eyes on their face and walked ahead holding her head high. If her fear couldn't drag her down, then some gossip obviously won't stand a chance.

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To be continued...