The small boat moves slowly across the dark, cold water.
Anna and Kane sit next to each other in the boat. Anna's thick glasses look so out of place with her robes.
They are both Muggle Borns. They met in Diagon Alley just outside Ollivander's Wand Shop while their parents walked around all the stores, amazed. On the train, all the Muggle Borns ended up in the same booth after finding that all the rest were full of kids who already knew each other
Hermione is on the other boat, talking excitedly to other people.
When they first got on the train, she found their booth easily because Anna put a sign that said "Muggle Borns" in the window, for all the Muggle- Borns who didn't have a place to sit so they wouldn't be so lonely.
She talked about how excited she was and showed her skills by fixing Anna's glasses which broke on platform 9 ¾. She was already halfway through all her textbooks. Kane and Anna were showing her how to make waterproof fire and contain it in a bottle to be used later when a boy, (who said his name was Neville) came into the booth and asked if anyone had seen his lost toad. Everyone said no but Hermione went with him to help him find it. They never saw her again until they were in the mob of students exiting the train.
Anna dips her hand in the lake.
"I wonder if the lake is magical," she says.
Kane gives her a look.
"Duh, it's magical. We're in a Wizarding School."
Anna rolls her eyes.
As they get closer to the enormous castle, they get more excited. All their lives, they believed that magic was a myth, and now they are finding out that it is real, all at once.
Anna dumps her head in the water to see if she's dreaming, and finds out that she's not, but does find out that the lake water is anything but clean. Some people from the other boats give her a strange look, but most just burst out laughing.
The boat stops at the large wood dock leading to a trail up to the entrance.
Halfway up the path, Anna looks back and sees the trail of black robes leading all the way to the dock, at least thirty.
Anna and Kane freeze at the entrance with a yellow glow made by fire in stone basins standing next to the huge double doors.
They take a deep breath. Then they walk in.