So before I begin this new story I'd like to point out a few things.
First- I had originally created this story when I was 14 years old. The only reason why I'm posting this newly rewritten story is that of one of my friends pleading with me to finish or at least continue writing this story. The original was god awful and I cringe reading whatever I had written already.
Second- I doubt I'll ever post the original story, seeing as how it was incomplete, to begin with. I may have to take back those words in the near future due to my friend also having access to both versions of the story. I do owe her a few too many for my liking.
Third- I'm now 18, recently graduated High school, and will try to find as many opportunities to write. I have to finish this damn thing anyway.
Also, in regards to my other Fanfictions: I may have to postpone adding to those just to focus on writing this one. I will eventually finish HYEFFSYKU. And there is also an AdvancedShipping Story I am currently writing whenever I get writer's block with this story. Someone PM'd me a few years back and I did promise to write it, so I've been doing that too.
Now, without further delaying the inevitable:
Welcome to Hogwarts: Another Story
Packing up his trunk, a young 11-year-old boy with black hair and black eyes smiled as he packed a few of his closest belongings. It was the end of summer vacation, yet he didn't feel the least bit of anxiety. He was actually excited because, as you may have guessed by the genre and the title, he was accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The possibilities of learning magic were endless. All the RPG's he's played throughout the years coming into his mind, which he may soon make into a reality. That, of course, couldn't have been further from the truth as he had no idea that the wizarding world had even existed until the day he received 2 letters in the mail, one from Hogwarts and one from Ilvermorny. The thought that 2 schools wanted him was more than enough to send the kid into a spiral. He had shown his parents almost immediately and was soon sent off to London to live with his Aunt and Cousin.
It was a no-brainer, really. If the boy were to go to Ilvermorny, then he'd quite possibly accidentally perform a spell outside of the school grounds and very much put his family in danger. With him 'Studying abroad' while living with his aunt, then people would assume he had just gotten into an accelerated program at some private school in London, which wasn't that far from the truth if you really thought about it.
The transition wasn't all that difficult, and the trip to dragon alley was an enjoyable experience as he acquired his wand; a rare Applewood with a Phoenix Feather core 12½". Ollivander even commented on how the combination itself was very hard to come by, and only a few have ever had such. The supplies weren't all that hard to acquire, and he even got to catch glimpses of a few other kids following their parents and older siblings around as they ran to get their own supplies. It was an overall fun experience, and the boy even got to buy himself a Black Cat, named Xenia. There was no need for an Owl, seeing as his Aunt had 3 personal owl's, one of which was going with the boys to the castle.
"Now, remember, don't cause any trouble! The last thing we want is for you to be expelled because you decided to throw a whole box of Dungbombs into the Grand Hall during a holiday banquet. Don't think I didn't see you sneak in while I was fighting to get you your books. Johnathan, you better keep an eye on him, don't think you won't go unpunished if anything does happen to him. So help me I will send a howler that has dwarfed any in existence, capiche?" Angela, a 47-year-old widow with blue eyes and black wavy hair, glared at the two boys in the back seat as she drove down the road towards Kings Cross.
The two boys, John and Tony, sat stock still and straight as two boards in the back seat as they began to sweat. The lady might be getting into her older years, but that doesn't mean that she was any less scary than when she was a youthful teenager. Once she placed her gaze back on the road, the two boys visibly calmed and sighed in relief.
"You'll be fine. She's just riling you up for the first term. There's nothing to be worried about. The Headmistress already knows about Xenia and is fine with it, Destiny is in her cage and busy eating a rat she found this morning, and you've got all the things you'll need for school. There's nothing to worry about" John, a brown-haired kid who looked to be about 14, reassured Tony once more, having noticed his younger cousins demeanor.
"Besides, once we're both in Gryffindor I'll be able to show you around the castle as much as you like. It's kinda weird that they're starting the term on a Friday, but I'm not complaining." John then took out a spare pen and tapped it to his lips. "If this is the case, then we should start classes on Monday."
Tony simply stayed quiet and began to stare or the window.
Thoughts of the castles corridors and the mythical creatures he had read about in his books flooded into the young boy's mind, his finger sticking into the book on his lap, the potions book for first-year students.
"I can't wait."
|—|
When they arrived at the station, the place was as busy as could be. This, of course, attracted a lot of attention as the woman walked briskly in front of two boys, one pushing a cart with 2 ginormous trunks loaded on top and the other riding along casually taking in the sights of the Station.
"Woah! This place is HUGE!" Tony practically yelled, the noise of Kings Cross making it sound like more of a whisper.
"And busy." His Aunt grumbled as she quickly turned a corner. When John pushed the cart around the corner, Tony could see clearly the signs of both platforms 9 and 10. This caused Tony to turn toward John in confusion.
"Quick question." The black Haired boy began, once again glancing at the signs and back at his ticket. "Where the hell is platform 9¾? I only see platform 9 and platform 10."
John began laughing, not slowing down at the clear confusion of his cousin. It didn't help that the brown haired boy was currently pushing the cart towards a wall. John smiled as he looked around, checking if anyone was looking. He then began to run toward the pillar. Tony noticed this and began to freak out
"John..." he said, the cart gaining speed.
"John." they were about to crash into the pillar.
"JOHN!" Tony closed his eyes, expecting to crash into the pillar, only to feel a small gust of wind. He opened his eyes to see another train, this one both dwarfing the size and general aesthetic of the ones seen in the station before. Tony was at a loss for words as he looked over at the Scarlet train.
"This train is known as the Hogwarts Express," John said, looking over fondly towards the train. "It'll take us to the school grounds once it departs, so you may want to get comfortable. You may even encounter some of your lifelong friends on your rides here." John then pulled the cart close to the train, about midway in its length, before grabbing a hold of one of the latches of the trunk. "Help me out."
Snapping out of his trance, Tony hopped off his cousin's trunk and helped pull his own onto the train. They pushed it into an empty compartment, sighing in relief as they began to head back to get John's own trunk. They got back to see Angela waiting for them by the cart, noticing how John's trunk was missing.
"Your friends took it. I'll be expecting a letter from each of you at least once a month. It's fine if it's a joint letter. Tony, dear, come here." She pulled the young boy off to the side.
"I know it might be scary, and I know this world is all new to you, but you must always remember to be yourself. No matter what house you are put into, you must prove to yourself that you belong. No one else matters. If you are honest with yourself, everything that follows will be child's play. Now, give me one last hug." Angela opened her arms, taking Tony into one before she dragged her own child into the other. "I'm going to miss you two goofballs. The house isn't going to be the same with you guys gone." She then sighed as she briefly looked at the ground.
"Take care of each other. You're family first, house second. Blood is thicker than water. So let water go under the bridge and enjoy yourselves. Take it from this old coot: You're not getting younger." She ruffled their heads and gave them one last hug.
"Do have each other's backs. You'll need it more than you can ever know." She then pushed them onto the train.
"Oh, and help your cousin ease into this new world. I'll see you guys later!" She checked her phone quickly and then began to walk into the crowd, the boys eventually losing sight of her.
They retired momentarily to Tony's compartment John helping his younger cousin settle in, before he perked up, a devilish smile appearing on his features. Tony did not like the way that smile was placed.
"Well," John said with a bit too much happiness, "this is where I leave you until later. I'll see you around Tony." Before the younger cousin could say anything, John had bolted out the door, running down the hall to join his own friends in a compartment further down the train.
Tony sighed.
'Great. I have no idea where I'm going, nor how the hell we got through that pillar to here, and yet he just leaves me with all these questions. God damn it, John, you always do this shit!'
The compartment door opened to reveal a somewhat skinny boy with brown, slightly curly hair. He smiled brightly as his hazel eyes had glazed over in relief. "Hey. Is it ok if I join you here? I'm new here so I don't have any friends, and most of the other compartments are practically full." Tony nodded, gesturing for the boy to sit. He nodded his thanks, pulling in his trunk. The boys worked together to put it away on the other shelf, with a lot of difficulties. A few trial and errors, a helpful older student, and two quick 'thank you's later, the boys sat across from each other, smiles on their faces.
"My names Alex, by the way. Just Alex, not Alexander. I hate when people call me that." His face darkened for half a second before he looked back up at the boy sitting across from him. "Can I ask what's yours?" Tony waited a few moments before answering.
"The names, Tony. It's nice to meet you, Just Alex." The boys then sat in silence. Tony took out a book for his bag and began reading. "Whatcha got there?" Tony smiled. "Just one of the books from the list. I'm really getting into this potions book, you know. It's really fascinating." Alex looked at the other boy with a curious expression before it dawned on him. "You're a muggle then, right?" His voice was edged with delight.
"Well, not so muggle-ish now anyway." Tony fired back, holding the book a bit higher.
"That's so cool! I've never had a muggle friend before! I barely even had any interactions with your kind! I'm a pureblood, which means both my parents are wizards." The Wild haired boy smiled as he began to open up. Tony nodded in understanding; John had filled him in on the necessary vocabulary used by wizards when they had gone to Diagon Alley.
Their conversation lasted for a good five minutes before Alex finally ran out of questions for Tony resulting in both kids sitting in silence once again, Tony not being much of a talker with new people, but he felt comfortable with this one. Maybe it was his wild personality? "Question," Alex stated once more, Tony putting a tab on his book. "Are you a first-year like me?" Tony nodded an affirmative, asking why right after.
"Yeah, it makes sense. It's just that my parents told me that anyone who read the books before we got to school either had a test coming up or was a first-year muggle." Alex smirked, a hint of amusement evident in his voice.
"They give tests as soon as you get back?" The conversation then took off once more, the two boys chatting up a storm for a decent hour, in this time the train left the station and Alex began learning even more about the muggle world and Tony of the Wizarding world.
"So I don't suppose you know any Quidditch teams, then?" Alex asked, tearing into a bag of chips he had brought along in his chest.
Tony shook his head. "I don't even know what Quidditch is. Is it like golf or something?"
Alex facepalmed, a groan escaping his lips.
"Dude, if your gonna be a part of the wizarding world, you're gonna have to know what Quidditch is."
The door suddenly snapped open, revealing a girl standing in the doorway.
She was a tall girl with dirty blonde hair and green-blue eyes. She was in her Hogwarts robes, sporting a beanie that had the Hogwarts insignia sewn onto the front. The two boys jumped at the sudden action, looking at the girl as she smiled while looking between them.
"Did someone say Quidditch?"
Tony looked towards Alex, who could only blink and meekly raise his hand. He then regained his bearings and promptly pointed at the boy across from him. "He doesn't know what it is. But then again he's a Muggle-born, so it's not very surprising."
The girl let herself in, closing the door quietly behind her. She sat down next to Tony and began to explain the basics of the game, pulling out what looked to be a book with all the specifics of the game and with a diagram that moved to show off an actual in-game setting. The book even had moving pictures of players, which bewildered Tony slightly, having seen a few in his other school books. The explanation took so long that, by the time they had finished, the train was almost at Hogwarts.
"You boys better change. We're almost there." Kayla, the tall girl, had said, getting up and heading out to who knows where.
"We'll see you around, Gryffindork." Tony waved before pulling off his clothes and changing into his robes. Alex had come up with the nickname because of her last name: Griffin. It only went better with the fact that she was a half-blood, her parents both having attended Hogwarts. One a Slytherin and one a Hufflepuff. Maybe she could be the first Gryffindor. But that was a thought for the backburner. The boys began to pull off their sweaters and changed quickly into their robes, having just enough time to clean up their compartment and sat down for a few quiet minutes of self-preparation.
He was nervous as the train began to pull into the stop. He looked out the windows to see a massive castle in the distance. Tony looked at Alex, frightened. "Don't worry buddy, you'll be fine." Tony closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. He was hoping that Alex meant those words because right now his legs felt like jelly.
They walked out in the calm swarm of students exiting the train and watched as a few of the older students got into carriages that seemed to move on their own.
"First years! First years over here!" Tony heard over the sea of students. He turned toward the source of the voice, only to see a rather tall man who was bellowing to all the first year students.
Looking through the crowd of first years, he saw Kayla getting into one of the tiny boats, signaling for Alex and himself to hurry up and get in. They rushed to get on a boat, a shy girl joining them on their boat as the others had filled quickly.
"No more than four to a boat!" The man called, getting into his own boat. Once everyone was in they began their trip toward the castle. "TO NARNIA!"
The little fleet of boats moved off all at once, practically gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass, sans the boat's movements. Everyone was silent, staring at the castle that was to be their destination. No one really paying attention to the words previously shouted by the man.
"Heads down!" The man called out his warning as they neared the cliff that held the castle. The boats continued through a tunnel of ivy, that ended in an underground harbor.
They then proceeded to climb up a flight of stairs, ending with them in the shadow of the castle. Tony's nerves still haven't gone down, they did the exact opposite, they multiplied until they were making him shake completely. The students piled onto the stone stairs, waiting outside. The tall man then banged on the door three times.
