Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Digi Potter ❯ Gather Round the Cross ( Chapter 3 )

Digi Potter (for lack of a better title)

By Chyna Rose

Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Digimon.

Continuity/Spoilers: Everything up to and including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; just before Harry's fifth year starts.

Warnings: None

Couples: None yet.

Author's Note: I had a bit of trouble coming up with the chapter name for this one. When I split chapter three into three bits, I had a name, but it got lost. I like how this chapter panned out. At least I like the idea, which came out of an ER episode. What can I say? Inspiration comes from odd places.

And I have been to England a total of one time, before I even read my first Harry Potter book. I've never been to King's Cross Station, and my knowledge of English trains doesn't go far beyond the Tube. I'm assuming the non-subway trains work much like Amtrak or the Italian train system.

@--->--Gather Round the Cross--<---@

King's Cross Station in London is one of the larger stations in the city. It is one of the cheapest and most practical way to visit cities and towns outside of London. It has been operational for many years, and thus has seen many, many strange things. It watched passively as an excited red haired girl with green eyes passed through a wall into Fate's hands. It watched sadly as, years later, a lone boy with untidy black hair and green eyes searched and searched for his platform with a somewhat desperate air about him.

And it was watching on that first lazy early Sunday in September. Few people had passed through its doors, as it was before noon on a Sunday at the tail end of summer. But still, it wasn't totally empty. In fact a number of families had entered only to disappear moments later as they waited on platform nine. A pair of people pushed a trolley over to the mini Bermuda triangle. The pair, siblings by all appearances, didn't seem all that concerned. The boy pushed his trolley against the wall separating platforms nine and ten. A gaggle of kids made their way through the station; talking and joking as they walked. The tallest, a lanky blue haired youth, acted the part of the parent in order to insure that they got where they were going without incident. In another part of the station, there was a bit of excitement. A pair of blondes in the company of a small brunette boy and a girl with lavender hair worked their way across the terminal unaware that they were being followed by trouble. Trouble was a 'wild' raven that somehow had gotten in, and was avoiding attempts to capture and 'free' it. Then came the old family. It wasn't that they looked all that strange in comparison to other travelers who choose to ride the rails, for they looked rather normal on that count. And it wasn't their overall behavior was all that unusual. They made their way to the platforms like seasoned travelers. It was the way the four of them interacted with each other. The warmth of the family was missing between some of them, unlike the troupe that just entered. That particular family had warmth to spare. It was something that can be felt; like sunlight.

As the four groups began to converge on the single platform that exuded Importance, a number of things occurred. The ten fifteen train to Bristol arrived a little early on platform thirteen a little too fast causing quite a bit of panic. In that moment, as passengers and crew rushed about tying to advert disaster, there was a shout muted by the over all noise level. When the commotion had passed, two people were missing. Both were boys on the cusp of adolescence; one with neat blue hair, the other a wild mass of red-brown. Yet, a second alarm was not sounded nor a search headed up. Life at the station had returned to normal, and the station itself breathed a sigh.

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The extended condensed Weasley family made its yearly trek through the terminal at King's Cross. It was a tradition that would most likely die in three years time, as the youngest left the school system and the next generation had no even been born. Yet it did not have to be so. Although Molly was beyond an age to bear any more children of her own, she had enough love to raise many more. With her nest empty of her precious babes, she could easily open it to those innocent casualties of war and unfortunate circumstances. She would talk to her husband about talking to the DWCFS about becoming a foster parent as soon as he got home from work.

Harry and Ron (with Fred and George interjecting their opinions every now and then) were discussing Weighty Matters (Quidditch) while Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes before starting their own talk. As they began their final approach to their current destination, the excrement hit the oscillating blade.

Hermione gasped as she realized that an incoming train wasn't slowing down fast enough to avoid collision with the wall at the end of its track. The breaks of the train squealed, and people shouted in both horror and instruction. Hermione and Harry froze in confusion. Ron pulled them out of their trance by tugging on their arms and explaining that there was nothing they could do. A second shout rang out, short and full of alarm, closer than the others. They located the source of the shout when they reached platform nine. A pair of feet stuck out on one side of the barrier for about a minute before they got pulled through. The train managed to stop in time, and the only ill effect was that a number of people had a rather nasty scare.

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Ken sneered as he looked around. Here was a group of teens; laughing and joking as they went. There walked two sets of people followed by a bird and people trying to catch it. And leaning against the wall was a boy talking to a girl. Pathetic, the lot of them.

To think that any of those… insects would be going to the same school he was, nearly turned his stomach. After all, his cat looked smarter than the brown haired boy waiting on platform nine. And Kimera was just a dumb animal.

Osamu watched his brother as he rolled across the terminal. He hated having to manipulate his parents like this. But it was the way things were in his house. It wasn't up to him to change things in this regarded, and his parents were so… blind to the issue that they couldn't see that change was needed. And for all their ignorance, Ken was the one to suffer.

While Osamu was busy thinking about his life, and Ken was occupied with belittling strangers in his head, the Ichijouji family arrived on platform nine. They still had a good fifty minutes to find the train, and it wasn't as if they were left to fend totally for themselves thanks to the DIE.

Then what Ken had been hoping for came. A train coming into the station had misjudged the distance and was in danger of causing a crash. People were scrambling around like chickens with their heads cut off. Ken took advantage of the distraction, which could not have been better if he had planned it, to slip quietly through the barrier. About a meter away from him lay, stunned, the brunette boy who had been leaning against the wall.

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Takeru, Yamato, Miyako, and Iori walked through the station unaware of the commotion they were causing. Or, if they were aware, at least were ignoring it. Tengu passed them as best he could from the air, skillfully avoiding those who were attempting to 'rescue' him.

Even though the four (five?) of them had walked in together, they didn't really interact. Miyako had quickly grown tired of trying to draw the blondes into conversation. Takeru simply didn't have much to say, and Yamato was down right anti-social. Thus the trip to the station was a silent one.

And since they were not distracted with chatter, and one of them was very familiar with the station, they arrived at platform nine in short order. Which set off minor alarms in Miyako's mind. There was a wall between platforms nine and ten. A wall that was for all intents and purposes, solid since someone was using it to prop himself up. This posed a problem, but Miyako was up for the challenge.

Then the air filled with a high pitched, metallic shriek. A train wasn't stopping fast enough. They winced in pain as the noise assaulted their ears. People ran past them in an effort to help those who would need it. Through her mostly closed eyes, Miyako thought she saw a bit of movement from the leaning boy, but figured its was just a trick of the light. Still, that brief sight nagged at her from the back of her mind. Once things settled down, the boy was gone without a trace.

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"Are you sure about that?" Hikari asked her brother. The six of them were walking through King's Cross Station under Joyu's watchful eyes.

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"Yes."

They lapsed into silence. Well, most of them were quiet. Mimi was talking to Sora, and both girls appeared to have started in on Girl Talk territory.

Hikari thought about what her brother had said. It seemed likely, but nothing official had been said. And if it was true, then wouldn't something have been said; some sort of public announcement made. But then, Taichi wasn't your typical big brother. He rarely teased her, but he had his moments. Like his hiding her whistle when they were much younger. Still…

"Oh isn't this just great."

Hikari was jarred out of her musings by Joyu's sarcastic statement. Hikari looked to see what had caused Joyu to momentarily revert to his pessimistic ways. A burgundy haired boy leaned against a trolley that was, in turn, leaning against the wall between platforms nine and ten. He was talking to a girl with the same wine colored hair. And that presented the problem. As long as the boy was using the barrier to prop himself up, they couldn't go through it for worry about exposing the existence of magic to someone (she thought) shouldn't know about it. Yet there was nothing they could do about it. After all, where was it written that someone couldn't lean on a wall while waiting for a train. Well, there was one thing they could do. They could wait.

As they waited, and Koushiro worked to keep Joyu out of high panic mode, something happened. Or rather a couple of things happened; none of which Hikari expected. A train came into the station, which was nothing new here, but something was wrong. The train wasn't stopping in the right way. People began rushing around, and Joyu had gone into what Taichi referred to as 'doctor mode'. The boy turned towards the noise and confusion. And as he did this, Hikari watched him. And as an undignified look began to dawn on his face, she noticed that the trolley he was leaning on began to roll past the barrier.

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Daisuke and Jun Motomiya walked through King's Cross Station quietly. Each of them was lost in thought; he about the upcoming year, and she about how he would do without her around to bail him out and back him up. They had arrived early for a number of reasons. For one thing, Daisuke was one of those people who continually late. Even if he left on time, or even early, he always managed to end up late. And it was rarely his fault that he ended up late. Second, Daisuke didn't know how long it would take to find the platform; or rather find the trick and opportunity to get to the platform. The DIE agent, who was supposed to tell him how to get to platform nine and three quarters, had not done the most thorough of jobs about it. Daisuke had simply been told about the barrier (mainly that it existed) and that Muggles (his sister and parents excluded of course) couldn't see him go through.

They reached platform nine at half past nine. Daisuke pushed the trolley he had put his trunk on, against the separating wall between platforms, and leaned against it. Jun propped herself up on a nearby column. They looked out at the passing people.

"Well, this is it."

"I guess so."

"Think your ready for this?"

"Nope, but I'm not going to let that stop me."

"Think you'll be okay?"

"I'll manage. I mean, I'll probably be a bit homesick for the first couple of days, but that's kinda to be expected."

"Yeah. I remember the first time I stayed away from home for than a night."

"You were only gone a week."

"Not my fault I had to have my tonsils removed and had to come home. Anyway, that's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"I'll let you know if I figure it out."

"If you have any problems with anyone, let me know, and I'll be up there to kick their ass; magic or no magic. No one messes with my little brother but me."

"I can handle myself Jun. … But thanks."

"Jun, do you think mom'll be alright?"

"She'll be fine. She's a Motomiya; we're known for our reliance and stubbornness."

Both brother and sister slipped into silence. They watched as a number of people came their way; including the boy in the wheelchair Jun has seen in Ollivanders, and the girl who lived next door. It was relatively quiet now; few people were milling about their end of the station. Daisuke let more of his weight be supported by the trolley, which in turn had its weight resting on the barrier, when all hell broke loose. People began rushing towards platform thirteen in preparation of a potential disaster and train wreak. As attention began to shift to the perilous track (his included), Daisuke began to notice something. The trolley that he was using to prop himself up, was moving slowly. As this began to register in his brain (and show on his face), the trolley began to move faster. With a bit of flailing, and a startled whoa, Daisuke found himself falling through the barrier onto platform nine and three quarters. The trolley holding his trunk continued on its merry way until it hit the side of the grand 'ole dame, the Hogwarts Express. Daisuke sat there a moment, catching his breath, before getting up and reclaiming his things.