Tracks to Somewhere New
A grand establishment. Lavish windows like the sun, rising from the sand coloured bricks. It was Violet’s first time standing face to face with such a building. Layers of bricks, placed neatly row by row. Between the two glass panes was a tower with a large clock. It was beautiful. The girl stared up in awe, her mouth left gaped open as she admired the station. Violet had lived in London for her whole life, she was already used to all the gorgeous old buildings, though this one really stood out to her.
Rosemarie tugged on her daughter’s sleeve. “Violet, we have to head inside the station. You might miss the train.” She warned. Violet looked up at her mother and nodded in agreement.
It was incredibly crowded inside the station main lobby; Violet felt a little uncomfortable with the amount of people surrounding her. It was bound to be busy, but she had never expected this much. They wandered through the large crowd towards the many train platforms.
Sleek trains scattered at each row, parked and docile. But none of these was her destination. On her ticket said - Platform 9 ¾. It was definitely strange. There was no such place as described on her ticket. All she saw was platform 9… then platform 10.
“Mum, platform 9 ¾ doesn’t exist…” Violet mumbled, she shot a questioning look up towards her mother.
Rosemarie offered a smirk in return, “Oh, but it does Violet! You just need to look for it”
Violet wasn’t exactly following what her mother meant by that. Rosemarie pointed to a wall in the middle of the platform, “That is our way to the platform honey.” She smiled. The girl simply just looked at the wall in confusion.
“wait- ...mum- !!!”
A moment passed; Violet and Rosemarie were now on a different platform, one much less crowded. Just seconds ago they ran through the brick wall, and now they were on platfo- platform 9 ¾?! It was bizarre! The bricks felt like nothing as they passed right through. It was like magic. How the wall simply molded around them, letting them pass into this new dimension. Violet stared at her mother in shock, in reply her mother just gave a toothy grin.
“Mum, how did we like- uh… go through the wall? And how are we at platform 9 ¾? Is this the place we need to b-” Violet’s words were cut short as she felt a touch on her shoulder. She whipped her head around to get a glimpse of who it was.
“Vi, you should calm down! Magic really isn’t that weird”
“...Dazai? Chuuya?” she questioned.
Dazai slapped a hand over his mouth as he giggled. “Well who else would it be?”
Chuuya spoke up, drawing the attention of the mother and daughter. “How are you? Passing through that wall made Dazai nauseous, I hope it didn’t do that to you”
Dazai pouted, turning his head to his partner. “Chuuuyyaaa! You weren’t meant to tell anyone that!!” He whined, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. It was a childish display.
“Oh, I’m fine!” Violet answered.
Rosemarie’s gaze lingered on the two for a moment, “Are you boys with an adult? I sure hope you didn’t run off again”
Dazai blinked up at her, thinking through his next words. “Ah, Chibi and I are here with my father and sister, they’re still coming through.” He smiled awkwardly, Chuuya could tell it disgusted him to refer to that man as his father.
It wasn’t long until a tall, black-haired man accompanied by a young blond girl passed through the wall. The man’s features were scrunched with panic and a pathetic attempt to look sincere. Dazai turned his head towards the approaching figures, hiding his displeasure well under his skin.
“Osamu, Chuuya! Don’t run off like that! I was so worried I’d lost you two!” The man lectured, sounding like a whine. He let out a sigh of relief as he approached the group.
Dazai exhaled briefly while trying not to roll his eyes, “Ah, sorry Mori-san~! We just got so bored and decided to move ahead!”
Rosemarie watched the man with slight suspicion. So this is Dazai’s father? They barely look alike… “Hello sir, I take it you’re Dazai’s guardian?” She turned to look at the young girl next to him. “You must be his sister, lovely to meet you.” Again, she doesn’t look related…
Mori plastered a grin over his face, “That I am, my name is Mori Ougai, and this is Elise!” Elise looked up at the woman and gave a wide smile in response. The doctor looked down towards Violet, “You’re a friend of Osamu and Chuuya, correct?”
“Yes sir, I’m Violet Bellbottom! This is my mum, Rosemarie”She explained, gesturing to her mother standing beside her.
A loud screech cut through their conversation, interrupting them. Dazai and Chuuya both looked to the source of the sound with subtle surprise on their faces. Parked by the edge of the platform was an old-fashioned steam train.
“That’s the Hogwarts express, we should hurry up and get on before it departs.” Chuuya stated, facing his partner.
“Right!” Dazai agreed. He turned to look down at Elise. “Bye Elise-chan, don’t get too lonely without me!”
“Bye bye Osamu-oniisan! Bye Chuuya-san!” The girl hadn’t said a word until then, Violet was starting to think she was mute. Chuuya patted the girl's head, slightly smiling. Elise gave Dazai a big hug, uncaring about whether or not she would be nullified.
“We have to go now, Elise-chan. Okay?” Dazai said, gently pulling Elise off his leg, carefully not to make skin contact so his ability didn’t activate. Elise just nodded and walked back to Mori’s side.
Violet quietly watched the interaction between her friend and his sister, it was so sweet to watch; before this, Dazai hadn't even mentioned any of his family.
“Do I get a hug Osamu?” Mori asked, batting his eyes at Dazai. His tone was disgusting to hear. The boy just cringed, brushing off the request and advanced towards the train, pulling Chuuya along with him, despite the shorter boy’s protests.
“Absolutely not, Mori.” he mumbled, loud enough for the doctor to hear.
Violet followed behind her friends after saying goodbye and waving to her mother. The train had multiple carriages, afterall, it had to transport every single returning Hogwarts student.
.
.
.
The interior of the train looked elegant. Plush red cushions lined with velvet fabric, gold coloured linings along the walls and furniture. Staring down the rows of cabins was like standing at the end of a tunnel and looking back. Violet lets out an exhale, taking note of her surroundings. Though the countless carriages onboards were a little intimidating, it was expected since this was the only train that took new and returning students back to hogwarts.
The three, Chuuya, Dazai and Violet decided to share a compartment, stuffing their belongings in the overhead storage spaces. Violet sat on one side, gazing intently outside the window. Her eyes were glued to the passing view.
After exiting the station, the landscape swiftly changed to plains with dense patches of greenery. It was beautiful. Vibrant with colour and life. It was nothing like the dull and uneventful London. A place crowded with tall buildings, powerlines, and even more buildings. Rarely would you encounter a view like this.
Silence settled comfortably amongst the three. Violet was busy staring out the window, while Dazai and Chuuya had fallen asleep. With the ginger resting his head on the other’s shoulder, and Dazai’s arms wrapped tightly around Chuuya. It was a gentle and warm embrace. The only sound was the ambience from the train. Tracks and wheels brushing against each other making a repetitive sound, along with the occasional surprise from the steam being released into the open air.
There was a brief knock on their door before it slid open. An old woman with a kindhearted smile blessing her features, and a trolley full of strange looking treats.
“Anything from the trolley dear?” She asked in a blissful tone.
Violet paused, taking a minute to process those words. Her eyes glanced over at the sleeping pair before shaking her head.
“No thank you..”
“That’s alright. Enjoy the trip, sweetie.” WIth that, the old lady closed the door, and walked off. It was a brief interaction as things quickly returned to normal. Violet dozing off with her eyes glued to the view, Chuuya and Dazai still sound asleep within each other’s comfort.
Around halfway through the trip, the compartment door was suddenly pulled open, snapping Violet out of her daydream. She turned her head, finding another girl, probably her age, standing there. After a rushed introduction, we learn that her name is Hermione. She was asking if they had seen another kid’s pet toad. Being the only one awake, Violet was the one to answer.
“Sorry, we- … I haven’t seen a toad around here” Violet explained.
“That’s fine, would you mind if I joined you? You look a little bored there with your friends asleep” Hermione offered kindly, and Violet agreed.
The two girls got along well. They rambled on about their interests, discussed their hobbies. By the end of the trip, they had gotten along quite well.
–
A flood of students flooded off the train; creating enormous crowds. Violet was awkwardly pushed out by people from all corners. She was never a fan of large crowds like these. It’s been an irrational fear of her’s ever since she was small. The noise, excessive touching from strangers, people bumping into each other - Violet despised it all.
When Violet, Dazai, Chuuya and their new friend Hermione departed the train, a loud whistle was heard at the end of the tight platform. There stood an incredibly large bearded man who towered over the students. It was clear that the sound came from him. Once the man had their attention, he signaled for the 1st-years to follow him while older students took a different path.
Hermione clearly had some knowledge of this man. “A half-giant by the name of Rubeus Hagrid.” She whispered to Violet amongst all the chatter.
Violet took a moment, assessing the man who they were following and nodded. Giants exist… wow
The 1st-years were led to some docks, overlooking the lake before them. A glistening pool of dark navy waters. The gentle waves led by the wind and the night sky that casted its light as a reflection. It was beautiful.
Dazai and Chuuya shared one of the small boats. Meanwhile, Hermione and Violet shared another, trailing not far behind the two. Light ripples formed under them as the boats dragged along the waters by… magic.
Hushed whispers of amusement and shock erupted around them. Curious students who were sitting a bit too close to the edge marveled at how the boat was being carried forward by nothing at all.
For a short while, a stiff, awkward silence hindered between the 4 kids. Hermione sat there quietly, she hadn’t yet introduced herself to the boys.
“Well, how about we all introduce ourselves to break the silence?” Dazai offered.
“Right, I’m Chuuya Nakahara. Call me Chuuya”
“Osamu Dazai, nice to meet you :)”
“Excuse my asking, are you two by chance foreign? I noticed you speak in an accent, perhaps Japanese? Your English is very good for a second language!” Hermione exclaimed. Her interest and eagerness to learn more about their cultures was clear.
“Yeah, we are.” Chuuya answered.
Violet spoke up, “You should probably state your name too…?”
“Ah- my apologies! My name’s Hermione Granger!”
Dazai offered a toothy grin in response before turning his head to ask Chuuya something, only to be met with the ginger’s distracted gaze into the distance. The brunette followed his eyes, curious about what had gotten Chuuya so quiet. In the near distance, at the end of the lake, stood a castle. A gorgeous structure with towers, built on a rock formation. It almost appeared eerily creepy in the night with little light illuminating its shape. Gorgeous nonetheless.