The Journey From Platform Nine And Three-Quarters

I decide to wait for Harry between platforms 9 and 10, guessing he'd be harder to miss there. One people look at me with judgemental eyes when they see Salem in his cage. Owls aren't a typical muggle pet, understandably. But the longer I wait, the more people with owls walk past me.

A bunch of wizard families walking onto the platforms, running past me but when I look to see where they're all going they've already disappeared.

I have a feeling deep in my guts that Harry and I are going to have to run through a wall to get to the actual platform but I am not willing to bet on it until I see some other wizards do it first.

At about half past ten I see Harry appear with a cart and Vernon by his side. He smiles as soon as he sees me and ignores the nasty grin Vernon is giving him as he makes a remark over the platforms. "Have a good term." I hear him say disingenuously.

Harry ignores him completely as he walks towards me. We leap into each others arms

"I've missed you so much." Harry says "The last month would've been a living hell if we hadn't been in contact."

I nod "Same here. The waiting drove me insane." we hug for about another ten seconds then he lets go and looks around.

"So... where is our platform?"

I shrug "Not sure, but I'd say we're rather close."

He looks confused.

"We're waiting for someone." I tell him

"For who?"

"Can't tell you." The Weasleys.

"Should we ask someone?" Harry asks pointing at a guard but I shake my head. "They're going to be here soon."

"Who?!"

"Can't tell you."

He rolls his eyes "This vision thing would be a lot more fun if you'd let me in on your secrets, Wilderwald."

I smile.

He wants to say something else but I raise my finger to my lips, signing him to be quiet and listen "...packed with Muggles, of course..." says the voice I've been waiting for.

Harry swings around to see Molly Weasley and five of her kids rush by. He looks at me "Muggles!"

I nod "Yes! Now let's go."

We push our carts after them. We all come to a stop at a barrier dividing platforms 9 and 10.

"Now, what's the platform number?" asks Molly.

"Nine and three-quarters!" responds the small red haired girl... Ginny. Ginny Weasley "Mom, can't I go..."

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."

Harry and I examine closely as the oldest, Percy marches towards the barrier. Harry doesn't even blink, making sure he doesn't miss how to get to the platform.

"Gotta go through the wall." I whisper quietly.

"What?" he seems a little shocked and looks at me missing Percy disappearing into thin air.

"Just look." I say as Molly tells her next son to go

"Fred, you next."

"I'm not Fred, I'm George. Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

I laugh quietly "That's Fred Weasley." I tell Harry quietly

"But-"

"Shh."

"Sorry, George, dear." says Molly to her son.

"Only joking, I am Fred." he says and off he goes, disappearing.

"Do you know them?" Harry asks

"Not yet." I say as we watch George disappearing as well.

Now.

"Excuse me." I say to Molly and drag Harry a little towards her direction

"Hello, dears. First time at Hogwarts?" she asks us "Ron's new too." She points at the last and youngest boy.

I smile at him.

"Yes." says Harry "Do we really have to go through the wall?" he asks her, pointing at the barrier.

"Pity you don't trust me." I whisper jokingly.

Molly nods "Yes, just walk straight at the barrier. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron." she tells us

"Er, okay" says Harry visibly nervous.

"Want me to go first?" I ask.

He nods.

I move my cart around, making it face the barrier directly. Deep breath. It's easy. Just go straight through it.

I begin walking, gaining speed with each step moving closer and closer towards the solid rock wall. If I crash, Salem, who has been sleeping through all of it would never forgive me.

I close my eyes as I'm only a few steps from the barrier and just run through it with full speed. As I open my eyes I am already there. On the crowded platform, looking directly at the Hogwarts Express.

I can feel my heart beating in my chest as I look around the platform, moving my cart away from the iron archway where the barrier had been, so that Harry won't crash into me.

I'm pretty sure I can spot Malfoy's white hair in the distance and feel the disgust for him boiling back inside of me. Hadn't wasted a single second thinking about him for the past month. I doubt I'll get to experience that pleasure ever again.

Harry now also appears on the platform turning around to look at the archway with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it.

"It worked" he says bright eyed.

"Of course it did. Now come on. Gotta get on the train." we make our way down the platform on the search for a carriage that isn't full yet.

"I can't believe we're actually here." Harry smiles

"We actually made it..." I agree.

"All these kids are going to school with us." Harry says pointing at the filled carriages and all the kids still on the platform "and they're all going to know who I am." he adds gloomily.

"Good for me." I joke "Having a famous friend."

He rolls his eyes "I knew you had bad intentions with me."

I giggle "You were absolutely right."

We finally find an empty compartment near the end of the train. We put our owls in first and then try to somehow push our heavy trunks into the train.

"Wait let's do yours first, then mine." I say and we begin to heave the trunk onto the train.

"Jesus Christ." I pant "What did you pack?"

"Just what's on the list. Don't act like yours is any lighter."

I let a heavy breath out of my nose "I promise you it is." We somehow make it up the stairs and let the trunk sink to the floor. Just as we're about to set it down completely the handle slips out of my hands making the trunk fall on my feet and then on Harry's who also loses control.

"Jesus fuck!" I whimper under my breath.

"You two look like you could need a hand or four" says George Weasley suddenly appearing behind me.

Harry and I both nod "Yes please" we say in union.

"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!" Fred joins us helping George to first tuck away Harry's trunk in the corner of the compartment and then mine.

"Thanks." I smile at them and Fred flashes me a quick smile back.

"Yes, thanks" Harry adds. He pushes his sweaty hair out of his eyes, exposing his scar.

"Harry, scar." I whisper and he moves the hair back onto his forehead.

But the twins heard us "Harry?" asks Fred.

"As in Harry Potter?" adds George.

"Guess I am." Harry says turning red as the twins stare at him.

He seems relieved when Molly calls for Fred and George and they leave us to ourselves. "Great." he grunts as we go to sit down both next to the window.

"They're nice." I say.

"Won't stop them from telling everyone I'm here, will it."

I shake my head "Probably not."

He leans his head against the window "I would love to have something like that." I say to him, talking about the Weasleys when I notice him staring at them an listening closely.

He nods "I would give everything for my mother to wipe the dirt off my nose." He agrees.

I laugh "If you've ever got dirt on your nose I'll do that."

"I'll return the favour." he smiles softly.

I turn around to look at the family as well, listening closely to the twins making fun of Percy, the prefect. "Oh, shut up." he says to them.

"How come Percy gets new robes anyway?" one of them asks. "Because he's a prefect." replies Molly.

"Having brothers must be great." I say to Harry.

He nods "Imagine having three of them. You'd never be alone. Only If you're lucky of course and they're not like Dudley or that blonde kid from Madam Malkin's."

I laugh "I promise you, if I get into Slytherin I'll give Malfoy hell."

"Maybe you can curse him." he smiles.

"Maybe with the leg-locker-curse. Not really dangerous unless you're running from something... or going down some stairs, I suppose. Or when you're swimming."

"What does it do?"

"Exactly what it's called. Sticks your legs together."

"Can you show me?"

I shake my head "I would but I don't know the counter-spell."

"How do you know that anyways? There were no curses in any of our schoolbooks."

"Don't you remember in Flourish and Blotts? Curses and Counter-curses. You wanted to curse your cousin. I looked at it as well, I only remember a few of the curses though. And none of the counters."

"We looked at them for maybe a minute and you memorized them?"

"I thought it could be useful."

"What other ones to you remember?"

"Well, there was the babbling curse. That would be rather funny during class, same as the tongue-tying-curse. Then there's the-"

Our heads swing around as the compartment door slides open. It's Ron.

"Anyone sitting there?" He asks pointing at the seat next to Harry "Everywhere else is full." we both shake our heads and he sits down.

He glances at Harry, then me and then out of the window. There's still some black on his nose. Harry unconsciously wipes his own nose and I laugh quietly.

"Hey Ron." The twins appear in our compartment. "Listen, we're going down to the middle of the train. Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right." says Ron quietly.

"Harry Potter and-" they look at me

"Oh, er- Haven." I say.

"Harry and Haven, did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later then."

"Bye." all three of us say as Fred and George slide the door shut behind them.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurts out as soon as the compartment is closed. Harry nods.

"Oh, well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes." Ron says. "And have you really got... you know..." He points at Harry's forehead.

Harry pulls back his bangs revealing the scar. Show off.

"So that's where you know who...?"

"Yes, but I can't remember it."

"Nothing?"

"Well... I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."

"Wow." Ron turns to me "How do you know Harry?"

"We're friends." Harry answers for me.

I smile that's a much easier answer than saying I saw him in a vision so I stalked him and made him help me because I literally didn't exist a week ago and had no idea how to get here.

"I wish I had friends beforehand... all I've got are my older brothers. And they don't count."

"Well you're here with us , aren't you?" I ask Ron. He smiles.

"Are all your family wizards?" Harry asks.

"Er- yes, I think so. I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."

"So you must know loads of magic already."

Ron nods "I heard you went to live with Muggles. What are they like?"

"Horrible- well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. We just talked about it-" Harry points at me "Wish we'd have three wizard brothers."

"Five." Ron corrects him "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left, Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny." they are really funny "Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat." He reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a fat gray rat, currently asleep.

Wormtail. I remember that stupid rat. It's not a real rat though, is it? I have a short vision of it "His name's Scabbers and-"

Ron and Harry look at me as I jump out of my seat

"Sorry." I say "I've got a weirdly bug fear of rats since one bit me when I was little... nasty bite, was sick for weeks." lie. There's no way I'm going to mess up with the rat like I did with Quirrell.

"Well, Scabbers would never bite anyone." wrong "He's always asleep."

"Yeah, probably but I'm just gonna go for a second." might strangle the ugly beast if I have to see it for one more second.

"Where are you going?" Harry asks.

"Going to check out that giant tarantula."

"You're scared of rats but are fine with... spiders?" Ron asks.

I laugh "I'm more scared of spiders but the curiosity wins this round."

"You want me to come with?" Harry asks.

I shake my head "No stay, I think you two will get along pretty well. And Ron?" Ron looks at me "I'm sure you'll do more than well at Hogwarts. Sounds like being special runs in your family."

He tilts his head "Thanks... I really hope so."

"Trust her on that one." Harry says "She's got a bit of a sixth sense when it comes to people."

Subtle Harry.

Ron just smiles.

I'm really not a fan of spiders and the giant tarantula looks very willing jump on my face, kill me, plant eggs in my eyes and slowly devour my intestines, so I leave the compartment just as fast as I've gotten there and start walking back to Harr...
I'm really not a fan of spiders and the giant tarantula looks very willing jump on my face, kill me, plant eggs in my eyes and slowly devour my intestines, so I leave the compartment just as fast as I've gotten there and start walking back to Harry and Ron.

"Not a fan of giant tarantulas?" a voice behind me asks.

I turn around to see the twins standing in front of me.

"Might not be my favourite creatures." I admit.

"Scared?" the twin I assume to be Fred asks.

"Not scared. Just... careful." I lie.

"Ah, of course." George says.

"Has our brother annoyed you already or why are you putting yourself in such mortal danger?" Fred asks.

"No, your brother is fine. It's his rat I don't like.

The twins laugh "Any small animals you're not scared of?"

"As a matter of fact, I love small animals. Keep insects, arachnoids and rats away from me and I'll be perfectly content."

"Even butterfies?" George asks.

I shiver "Especially butterflies."

They laugh again and Fred pushes George in the side "This one's going to be fun." he whispers.

"Any of you try to scare me I will give you the curse of the bogies." I try to threaten them, pointing my wand at them.

They raise their hands "Ooooh, the curse of the bogies, did you hear that, George?" Fred laughs.

"Oh yes, a dangerous one." George laughs.

I roll my eyes as Fred pulls out his own wand and moves mine out of his way. "Haven, is it?" he asks as he leans in on me, close enough for me to feel his breath on my face.

I nod.

"Well, Haven...." he smells oddly good "I think you might want to grow at least thirty Zentimeters before threatening Fred and George Weasley."

"I didn't mean to-" I say quietly but Fred smirks and winks at me "Very interested to see what the powerful one meter witch has to offer."

"Keep butterflies away from me and you're never going to have to find out." I joke.

"Noted." Fred nods "Tarantulas it is." with these words him and George turn around and leave, still laughing and joking.

I make my way further down the train back to our compartment but before entering it I listen to the boys talking.

They're talking about me. "Yeah, she's a muggleborn as well, as far as I know. But don't let that fool you, I bet she'll be the best in all the classes." I smile at Harry's compliment.

"She seems mean. Kind of, anyways." Ron says doubtfully.

"I thought the same thing, but she's usually really nice. However, when we were in Diagon Alley we got in a bit of a fight with this kid, Draco Malfoy and -"

"Blimey, you met a Malfoy already?"

"Yes, I didn't like him a bit. But Haven scared the hell out of him. It was pretty cool."

"I don't think it's smart to mess with the Malfoys."

"Hagrid said that too, but I don't think she's too scared of them."

I slide the door open and enter "The Malfoys are all talk. Not much to be scared of."

"But they have a lot of power in the wizarding world. Could have you expelled with the snap of their fingers."

I shrug "I'd rather be expelled than let them be the disgusting, snobby assholes they are."

"Language, young lady." a voice says. It's a smiling lady pushing a cart filled with sweets.

"Sorry." I mutter. She just keeps smiling "You want anything off the cart, dears?"

Harry leaps to his feet but Ron just says "All good, brought sandwiches." he doesn't look all good. His ears are pink with embarrassment.

Harry and I go out on the corridor. I push him in the side "Bet you want to try some of all."

He nods "Never seen any of them before
He nods "Never seen any of them before. Plus I'm really hungry."

I smile and ask the lady for some of each. "My treat." I say to Harry.

"But-"

"No but. This is me beginning to repay you for Diagon Alley. He turns a little red but lets me have my moment. I give the lady 1 Galleon and 11 Sickles and Harry and I carry the whole back into the compartment and let it fall into the empty seat next to mine.

"Hungry, are you?" Ron asks eyeing all the candy.

"Starving." says Harry.

"Moderately." I shrug it off.

Harry takes a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty while I try one of the cauldron cakes instead. Ron begins unwrapping four sandwiches.

He pulls them apart "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."

"Who does." I say. "Should probably try one of these instead." I say reaching him a pumpkin pasty.

"Oh it's alright. It's not that bad."

"Tell you what, I'll swap you one of these-" Harry points at the sandwiches for the pasty. I love corn beef."

"You don't want this, it's all dry. She hasn't got much time, you know, with five of us."

"Go on." I say.

"Have a pasty." Harry adds.

I have to admit, the wizarding worlds obsession with pumpkins doesn't sit too well with me. They're rather disgusting, actually.

I find my joy in a pack of licorice wands and chew on them thoughtfully.

"So Haven-" Ron says to me "Harry told me you're muggleborn?"

I shrug "To be honest... I don't know."

"What? You told Malfoy you were-" Harry says in confusion.

"Harry, notice how I had to ask you to help me? How I needed you and Hagrid to get me here?"

"Yes, so? I needed Hagrid as well."

"It's not quite the same thing... listen, I can't have you tell this anyone else. Not yet..." I take a deep breath to get ready to tell them that I have no memory going bac further than a month and a week "I don't know, who my parents are, whether they're alive or dead, I don't remember anything from before the day we first met." I look at Harry.

"Blimey... sounds like you were obliviated." says Ron to me.

"Obliviated?" Harry asks.

"Obliviated..." I whisper to myself. How did that never cross my mind. "But Ron, is there a memory charm strong enough to erase my entire existence from my mind? Not to mention I could remember my name shortly after."

Ron shrugs "Don't know that much about it but yes, the wizard casting the spell has rather good control over what exactly they're erasing."

"I'm sorry, but what exactly does that mean?" asks Harry.

"Well a memory charm... erases someone's memory, it's really as simple as that." I say.

"They often use it in the ministry, for example to keep our secrets from muggles." explains Ron.

"The ministry?" asks Harry "The ministry knows about wizards?"

I laugh "Well, the ministry of magic sure does."

"There's a ministry of magic?"

Ron and I both nod.

"But Haven, how can you be muggleborn if you know this much about our world." argues Ron.

"Honestly, I made that up to piss off Malfoy. I really have no idea where I'm from."

"Besides-" Harry says "Haven knows everything. She can just see-"

I interrupt him by punching him in the ribs "You should really try one of these." I try to distract him by giving him a chocolate frog. I've been eager to try one as well. They make me feel at home, somehow.

"What are these?" Harry asks curiously, taking the package from me and inspecting it "They're not really frogs, are they?"

"No." says Ron "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."

"Agrippa?" I ask "I've read about him before, I think."

"Who's Agrippa?" asks Harry.

"Some wizard who wrote some book. Not important." says Ron "However, I'm still missing his card."

"His card?" Harry asks confused.

"Oh, of course you wouldn't know. Chocolate frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect. Famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."

I take a chocolate frog as well and unpack it.

"So this is Dumbledore!" says Harry, looking at his card.

"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" says Ron "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa-"

I nod at him.

"Thanks." he says.

I pull out my own card. "Circe?" I ask Ron "She's famous in Greek mythology..."

"Greek mythology?" asks Ron "she was a witch as far as I know."

"Yes she was a witch in the mythology as well." I say.

Ron shrugs "She's not mythology though. Real person."

Harry looks up and shows us his card after reading it "He's gone!"

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day." says Ron "He'll be back. No, I've go Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting." he asks Harry and me.

I shake my head but Harry takes it thankfully, meanwhile Ron peeks at the unwrapped chocolate frogs sitting next to me.

"Here-" I say and give him a few packages "maybe Agrippa is in one of those."

He takes them thankfully.

"So do all the pictures move?" Harry asks "The ones in the hotel did too."

I nod but Ron loos fascinated "They don't in the mugle world?"

"Not at all."

"Weird!"

We peacefully unwrap more and more of the frogs, Ron is more interested in the chocolate than the cards but Harry examines every card of his growing collection carefully.

"Wicked..." I mumble as I open my last frog "Ron, you're going to like this."

"What?"

I show him the card showing Cornelius Agrippa.

"No way, you got him?" Ron shouts looking at the card carefully.

"Tell you what, trade you for one of your Dumbledores and you got him."

Ron nods, hectically searching for a Dumbledore card in his collection "Here you go." He says as he gives it to me.

"Pleasure making business with you." I reply as we exchange the cards.

"You want to be careful with those." Says Ron to Harry, who's just about to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans "When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour. You know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavoured one once."

"How does he know what boogers taste like anyways?" I laugh.

Ron grins "Go ask him that." he picks up a green bean and carefully bites into a corner. He immediately looks disgusted "Bleaaargh, see? Sprouts."

I frown in disgust but pick up a bean myself, how disgusting could red ever be? I'm very satisfied as the taste of strawberries fills my mouth.

The next one however isn't lucky at all "Ewwww" I cry as the taste of vomit fills my mouth.

"What did you get?" Harry asks looking at the greenish, yellow bean.

"Vomit." I stick my tongue out in disgust, hoping to remove that taste from my mouth.

"Oh that's a nasty one." Ron laughs as he picks up another bean.

"You don't say." I frown and try to get rid of the taste with another bean. I roll my eyes as vomit is joined by the strong taste of liver "Oh fuck this."

Ron looks at me weird "I hope you know that swearing is forbidden at Hogwarts."

I shrug my shoulders "We're not at Hogwarts yet, besides..."

I'm interrupted by a knock on our compartment door before a small round faced boy enters... Neville, isn't it?

"Sorry," he says looking rather tearful "but have any of you seen a toad at all?"

We shake our heads.

"I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!" He cries.

"He'll turn up." says Harry.

I nod and say "Hey I've been reading a lot about divination and getting rather good at it..." I carefully reach for Neville's hand "May I?"

He looks confused but nods.

I pretend to read the inside of his hand and do some fortune teller hocus pocus "Your toads name is Trevor. Correct?"

He nods.

"Ah yes, I see him... he'll come back to you once we're in the castle."

"Really?" Neville asks excitedly.

I nod "Oh yes, the lines in your hands never lie." this feels like one of the dumbest things I've ever said. But Neville looks a lot less tearful and that's all that matters.

"Thanks." he says and leaves the compartment.

"That was a little over dramatic." laughs Harry.

I shrug "It worked."

"Doesn't make it less dramatic." grins Ron "How'd you know the Toad's name?"

"Heard him say it on the Platform." I lie.

"Oh okay. Don't know why he's so bothered. If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk." Ron points at the rat then gives me a careful look "It's okay, he's asleep as always."

I give him a forced smile "Great."

"Look at him. He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference." he seems rather disgusted.

Don't give me any ideas Ron...

He looks around his trunk and pulls out a rather unfortunate looking wand "Unicorn hair's nearly pointing out. Anyway-" Harry and I give each other a pitiful look.

Ron is just raising his wand as the door slides open again.

"Hermione?" I ask as she enters.

She grins "Haven, good to see you. I've been wondering where you were. That boy, Neville lost a toad, have any of you seen it?"

"No we already told him." I reply.

Hermione looks at the wand in Rons hand "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it then." I move the remains of our sweets out of the way and Hermione sits down next to me.

Ron looks a little taken aback as he says "Er, all right."

After clearing his throat he says "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

He waves his wand at the indeed stupid, fat rat which stays exactly the same, gray, stupid, fat and asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" asks Hermione "Well, it's not really good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Here let me show you-" she takes out her wand and points it at Harry's face.

He jumps back a little as Hermione says "Oculus Reparo." and just like in the vision I had a month ago Harry's glasses fix themselves.

"Nobody is magic at all," Hermione keeps talking "it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best wizarding school of witchcraft there is, I've heard. I've learned all the course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough. How has your studying been going?" She asks me.

"Oh fantastic. Read everything on mythical creatures and internalized as many spells as possible... I'm a little worried about potions. The ingredients seem simple enough but you have to be really exact when making them. I'm afraid I'll mess it up." I admit.

She shakes her head "I bet you'll have it easy enough." she looks back at Harry and Ron "How rude, sorry. I'm Hermione Granger by the way. Who are you?"

The boys both look rather stunned and give each other a short look.

"I'm Ron Weasley." mutters Ron.

"Harry Potter." says Harry Potter.

Hermione gives me a weird look "You didn't tell me you knew Harry Potter."

I shrug "I met him shortly after."

"I've read a lot about you." she says to Harry.

"Yeah, you're in an absurd amount of books." I grin at Harry.

"I am?"

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me." says Hermione. She looks back at me "Still set on getting into Slytherin?"

I shrug "Honestly... I don't know anymore. I think I'd be happier with Ravenclaw."

She nods "Yes, Ravenclaw really wouldn't be too bad. What happend to change your mind?"

"We met this huge prick, Draco Malfoy in Diagon Alley. If all the Slytherins are like him I'd drop out immediately." I explain.

"Oh well, I bet there's just as many nice ones..." she tries to comfort me "Do any of you know what house you'll be in?" She asks Harry and Ron but keeps talking before they can even answer, which makes me chuckle a little "I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best. I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but as I said Ravenclaw would be fine as well."

She looks us up and down "You better change into your robes by the way. I expect we'll be arriving soon. I'm gonna go try and find Neville's toad." with these words she leaves us be.

"Blimey Haven, are you friends with her?" asks Ron.

I nod "Yes I'd say so."

He looks a little unimpressed "She talks... a lot."

"She has a lot to say." I laugh "She's nice though. I reckon you should give her a chance." I say a little harsher. I can feel both the boys didn't like Hermione very much.

Harry and Ron give each other a very unconvinced look.

"What house are your brother's in by the way?" Harry changes the topic.

"Gryffindor." Ron replies as gloom fills his face once again "Mom and dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I suppose Ravenclaw would be fine..." another careful look at me "But imagine if they put me in Slytherin."

I sigh.

"Sorry... it's just not, you know-"

"Yeah, yeah." I interrupt "I'm not too fond of it anymore either."

I get up and take my robes out of my trunk. I catch a glimpse at the Hufflepuff peaking out from the bottom as Harry asks Ron about his family.

I have to admit, I miss Isaac. Sure, he's a little weird but he gave me a familiar feeling. And as the eagerness to be in Slytherin slowly turns into fear of being in Slytherin I can feel myself being drawn to the idea of being sorted into Hufflepuff... or Gryffindor where at least I'd have some friends already.

I take a close look at the snake wrapped around my finger, asking myself if this is really my fait as a familiar snarly voice makes me turn around.

Three boys are now standing in our compartment, one of which is Draco Malfoy. I give him a disgusted look.

"Look, it's the mudblood." he says to his thickset bodyguard friends as he points at me. He inspects Harry "They were saying that that Harry Potter was in this compartment. So I guess that" he points at me "didn't lie after all."

I take my wand out of my sock and point it at him "Shove off Malfoy." he ignores me but the taller bodyguard slaps my hand out of the way.

"I see you're hanging out with the worst kind of wizards already." Draco says directly to Harry, only shortly pointing at Ron and me. " A mudblood and... a Weasley. You'll soon find out that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. Now, this is Crabbe, and Goyle. I guess you know who I am. I can help you make sure you don't end up like this wizarding trash." He holds his hand out, visibly expecting Harry to shake it.

Harry however ignores it "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks."

The cool tone of his voice makes me smile.

Draco, whose pale cheeks are turning a slight pink says slowly "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter. Unless you're a little bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys, that Hagrid and mudbloods, and it'll rub off on you."
Both Harry and Ron now get up and stand next to each side of me.

"Say that again." Ron says.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?"

"Unless you get out now." says Harry, his voice not quite as sure as his words.

I nod and make a step towards Malfoy pointing my wand at his neck. He looks down on it with a little fear in his eyes raising his chin slightly but he doesn't step back "But we don't feel like leaving, do we boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some." The bigger one reaches for one of the unpacked chocolate frogs on Ron's seat but before Ron or anyone can stop him, Goyle lets out a horrible yell.

The rat is hanging of his finger, his teeth deep in Goyle's knuckle. I chuckle, alright one point to traitor Wormtail. ONE.

Goyle shakes the rat off rather violently, making it fly against a window and him, Malfoy and Crabbe leave our compartment.

Just a second later, Hermione comes back into our compartment, looking concerned "What has been going on?" she examines us, standing in the mess Goyle had made.

I roll my eyes "Draco Malfoy decided to give us a friendly visit."

"Malfoy?" Hermione asks curiously.

"His father used to be a death eater. Pure-blood family." says Ron shortly as he picks up Scabbers by his tail "I think he's been knocked out." He shows him to us.

I lean in closer "I think he's asleep, actually." I laugh.

"I don't believe it..." Ron says looking at the rat.

"Anyways did you want something?" I ask Hermione.

"Well, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there." she points at Harry and Ron "So you two better put your robes on." now talking to me after noticing the wand in my hand "You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there."

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us." answers Ron for me, his tone a little too snarly for my taste.

I give Hermione a friendly smile "Come on, let's let the boys change, I reckon we can take a quick walk before we arrive."

Hermione smiles "Sure. By the way-" she looks at Ron "You've got dirt on your nose, did you know?"

Ron glares after her as we leave.

"I don't think they like me very much." expresses Hermione her concern as soon as the compartment door closes behind us.

"I think you've been coming off a little too strong, for their taste." I say carefully "But they'll come around."

"I tried to be nice... people keep telling me I'm rather annoying."

"Oh please. Stupid people always get annoyed with smart people. Because they're intimidated and don't want to be reminded of their thickness."

"They weren't annoyed by you though." Hermione mumbles.

"I don't think that's a fair comparison. I'm decent with spells and that's it."

"Yeah, right." she says sarcastically.

Two older boys race past us almost showing us against the train walls. Hermione just rolls her eyes.

"They've been doing this for a while now, all behaving very childish."

I laugh "Don't forget, we are children. It's okay to have fun sometimes. You should probably remember that."

She looks at the ground with a little bit of embarrassment flashing through her face. "How do you think we'll be sorted?" she asks, changing the topic.

"What do you mean?"

"How do they determine what house we'll be in? Are they going to ask us questions or..."

"Oh-" I have a short vision answering that question, it's a rather old, pointy hat sitting on her head, talking to her "I heard it's a question of character, and values... they have a special test for it."

"A test? Do I have to cast a spell?" she asks a little concerned.

I shake my head "Don't worry, it's not that kind of test. You'll be fine."

She looks not very relieved.

"You seem nervous." I point out the obvious.

"Well, sure I read a lot about it, but still, nothing can really prepare you for a wizarding school now, can it?"

I shake my head "It really can't. I just prefer being excited for it. I think it'll be fantastic." unless I end up in Slytherin and it's as bad as I've come to assume.

Hermione smiles "A very optimistic outlook."

"Oh yeah. I'm the definition of optimism."

She responds to my sarcastic tone with a hint of amusement "Well more op-"

She is interrupted by a loud voice echoing through the train "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

I finally put my wand into the pocket on the inside of my Hogwarts robe and Hermione and I both turn to looks out of the window. The setting quickly changes from a wild forest, to a large green field, through a tunnel, past another green field, past a river, followed by another piece of forest, even wildere looking than the first one and then, there it is. As we drive past a black lake we can see a tall castle mounting over the hills in the distance. Hogwarts. We don't lose sight of Hogwarts until we pull into Hogsmeade station.

By now all the students have gathered in the corridors, and as soon as the train comes to it's stop they're off, jumping onto the dark platform.

Hermione and I wait until the crowd thins out a little before leaving the train ourselves, only to be greeted by the cold night air. We both shiver a little, pulling our robes closer around our bodies.

We are greeted the light of a lamp being carried over the platform. Behind the light I can make out Hagrid's face and then he shouts "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry? C'mon follow me. Any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

"I think he wants the first years to follow him." I say jokingly to Hermione.

"You think?" she asks "Should have said that."

I laugh and we begin to follow Hagrid down a narrow path. Hermione grabs my shoulders multiple times, trying not to slip.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here." interrupts Hagrid our joined silence.

"Ooooooh!" shout multiple children as they arrive the end of the narrow path. Instead we are now standing at the edge of a large black lake, Hogwarts on the other side on a high mountain reaching far into the dark sky.

"No more'n four to a boat!" says Hagrid, pointing at the boats awaiting us by the shore.

Hermione and I climb into the boat with two other girls who nod at us politely.

"Everyone in?" shouts Hagrid across all the boats "Right then, FORWARD!"

And the boats begin to smoothly glide across the see.

I look at the two other girls "Hi, I'm Haven and this is Hermione
I look at the two other girls "Hi, I'm Haven and this is Hermione."

"Mandy." says the girl with blonde curls and deep, big brown eyes.

"And I'm Megan." introduces the other girl, a ginger with a face full of freckles, herself politely.

"Nice to meet you." says Hermione.

We stay quiet for the rest of the ride and just stare at the castle growing taller and taller as closer we come to the cliff it's placed upon.

"Heads down!" yells Hagrid and we all bend our heads as the boats carry us through a curtain of ivy hiding a wide opening in the cliff. We proceed through a dark tunnel that leads us into a sort of underground harbour.

Hermione and I help each other out of the boat and walk the ground of rocks and pebbles towards Harry and Ron. Harry smiles at me as I come to a stop next to him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I whisper.

He nods "I don't know what I expected but this... is definitely better. It's brilliant."

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" asks Hagrid, taking the animal out of the boat Harry had been in.

"Trevor!" cries Neville full of bliss as Hagrid hands him the toad.

Ron stares at me "You told him this would happen."

"I hoped it would. For him, y'know."

"Sure..." he doesn't look convinced.

We follow Hagrid up a passageway, onto a field of grass by the castle.

"Why don't you tell him?" asks Harry quietly.

"I don't want to seem like a freak." I respond just as quietly.

"Oh I bet a lot of wizards can do that, can't they?"

"I don't know. I mean, there is the subject of Divination, taught at Hogwarts, but I don't know how common it is for someone to just see the future, all the time. Hagrid seemed surprised, when I told him."

"I just think you can trust him..."

"I don't care. Just keep it to yourself for now."

We walk up a flight of stone steps and arrive at the huge, oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" Hagrid asks and knocks on the door.