Nostalgia (OPEN!!)

Maybe I can just sneak on, Hunter though to himself, as he led his family through a large crowd of people. King’s cross station was packed, as always, with people rushing all over the place, trying to catch the next train that might get them to where they needed to go. People going to work, people going to school – and then there was Hunter, going nowhere. For the first time in seven years, Hunter was only at King’s Cross station to watch everyone else depart. Of course, after this, he’d be returning home with his parents to pack for the rest of his life – he’d just found out that he’d been taken on as a trainee auror at the ministry, a job that he’d worked his ass off for in his last year at school. And with that job, his parents had also helped him get a flat of his own, in London, because it seemed a bit odd to commute all the way to the Ministry from Asch. Even though he could apparate. But, as excited as he was to get the job, at the moment it only made him wish he was returning to Hogwarts more. Being an adult wasn’t something Hunter was sure he’d be very good at.

But he did his best to shake that thought from his head, heading further into the crowd, pushing Lyn’s trolley ahead of him. He glared at a man that was eyeing her owl strangely, and continued on, doing his best not to run over a little kid that sprinted out in front of him. Finally, they reached the platform, and Hunter pulled the trolley to a halt. ”After you,” he said to his dad, who was pushing Lyra’s cart. Hunter watched his family disappear, one by one, until he was left standing alone, facing the solid brick barrier. His sisters would graduate this year – so as he stepped forward during a break in the crowd, he wondered whether he’d ever step through the barrier again.

Even before he was entirely through, the familiar sounds of Platform Nine and Three Quarters hit his ears, and he couldn’t help but grin. There were owls hooting, and people shrieking as they caught up with friends, and of course the sound of the trains engine, rumbling lowly as it waited for people to board. As he stepped into the hustle and bustle, the most severe sense of nostalgia washed over him, and he longed for nothing more than to board the shining red engine with the rest of the students. I can still sneak on, he reminded himself. But really, Hunter knew that if he wanted to board the train, sneaking wouldn’t really be required. Nothing was stopping him – nobody would stop him. But what would be the point? He’d just wind up in Hogsmeade, and have to apparate home. It wasn’t like they’d let him into the school. So, with a sigh, he stepped forward to join his family, unwillingly committing to his unfortunate adult future.