Hey guys~
This is a story I've been meaning to do for a while, so I thought I might as well start now. I spent a lot of time on this particular storyline, and it's one of the ones I'm particularly happy with. I hope you continue to follow the story as it continues (hopefully I'll establish a weekly-release style like I did with School of Heroes), but, with that, I hope you enjoy this first chapter of Faded Parchment!

Chapter 1

The train whistle rang loud and clear through the dreich British morning at King's Cross Station, a final call to all travelers who wished to continue their journey through the magical British isles, despite the rain.

Something not many travelers knew, though, was that hidden away, fitting snugly between platforms nine and ten, was another platform, one which ferries an extraordinary secret to and from a secret school every year. It was a train upon which many memories survived, promises were made and broken, and the well-wishes of past travelers lived on, their happiness echoing still through the carriages as though their conversations had never stopped to begin with.

It was a train of magic.

A train of memories.

"Alright, dear, we don't want to miss the train now, do we?" a woman said, speaking to her son as they walked briskly through the station. "Come along, now."

The boy didn't speak, pushing his trolley silently through the busy station, but his mother expected no reply from the small, eleven year-old boy as she turned to her older daughter.

"Alice, dear, make sure the teachers know that he's a Faerison, won't you? It wouldn't do for him to be sorted into the wrong house now, would it."

"No, mother," Alice responded, stepping lithely alongside her mother as her brother pushed their trunks. On top, an owl screeched loudly and she turned briefly to quieten it with a treat. "Hush, Archimedes. I'll let you out on the train, ok?"

The small group stopped as they came to the barrier between platforms nine and ten and, without looking back at the boy, his mother and sister continued on, stepping through the solid wall as though it were mist. The boy calmly followed them, wincing slightly as he passed through the solid barrier, trying to prevent the walls closing in around him with the power of his mind, but finally he was through. He stopped, overwhelmed by the sight before him. Hundreds of people milled around a fire engine red train embossed with midnight black and gold – the Hogwarts Express.

He was finally going to Hogwarts.

"Come along now, dear," his mother said, stirring him from his reverie. He deposited the luggage from the trolley with the large pile already gathered next to the train, like his sister had told him to beforehand, and followed his family, carrying his sister's owl and passing it to her as she climbed on the train. With a quick good-bye to their mother, she disappeared inside with her owl, making her way quickly to where her friends always sat. Smiling proudly at the sight of her daughter leaving, the boy's mother turned to him, her smile turning to one of pride for her son as she did so. Leaning down, she kissed his head affectionately, reassuringly, then ruffled his blonde hair.

"You be good to your sister," she warned him sternly before returning to her usual, smiling self. "Oh…I'm so proud of you. Your sister is a prefect this year, and now you're off to Hogwarts too…" she sniffed a little. "I'm so, so proud of you."

"Thanks, mother…" the boy said, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, don't think of it," she wiped her eyes. "Now, don't worry, I'm sure you'll be a great Gryffindor, the sorting hat will sort you there as soon as it touches your head, mark my words."

"What if I'm not, though?" the boy asked quietly, not fearfully, simply a concern for his mother's opinion. She leaned down and hugged him reassuringly.

"You will be – every Faerison ever has been a Gryffindor until now, there's no reason for such a proud trend to end now, is there?"

"No, I guess not," the boy said, agreeing with his mother.

"Of course not," she beamed, then kissed him on the forehead as the whistle blew, signaling the immediate departure of the train. "Your sister would never let me do that. Have fun at Hogwarts for me, ok? You'd better get going now, or you'll miss the train."

"Will you send me letters?" the boy asked quietly, and his mother nodded reassuringly.

"Yes, yes, I want to hear all about Gryffindor, after all! Now get going or you'll be late!"

The boy scrambled quickly onto the already-moving train, leaning out to watch his mother and the rest of the platform fade quickly and then, as the train pulled around the corner, disappear.

The Hogwarts Express was full of wonderful, magical items that the boy had never seen before. Colorful streamers that twist through the air before coiling into a snake and dancing away like a kite in the wind, chocolate frogs which seemed hell-bent on escaping only to be squished on the fast moving ground outside the train, and magical balls which morph into whatever the person who bounces them thinks of. Sweet aromas drifted through the magical carriages, carrying with them the familiar scents of pumpkin juice, hot chocolate, and the sweet smell of candy. His mouth watered, but he didn't stop to purchase any – he had to find a compartment first.

He passed by the cabins, but each seemed to be full of students who were already acquainted and comfortable with one another. He passed his sister, who waved and invited him to sit with her group, but he declined, not wanting to intrude on his sister. Shrugging, she returned to demonstrating what looked like an incredibly difficult transfiguration spell, but the boy moved on before she could finish explaining what it did.

The boy passed every compartment until he came to the end, and seeing only one other person inside opened the door tentatively.

"Are those seats taken?" he asked the girl sitting inside, but she shook her head no. As he sat across from her, next to the window, he noticed that she had already changed into her school robes. Then again, though, he too had changed beforehand, not willing to risk changing on the train. From the looks of it, she was a first year like him, but he didn't pose the question forming on his lips, instead reaching inside his own robes and withdrawing a notebook and pen. He began reading, pausing to write something in a quick, elegant scrawl here and there, but the girl sitting across from him still didn't speak. The silence was nice, though, and soon the boy had sunk deep into thought.

The door suddenly banged open, and three large bodies muscled their way into the room. They were definitely part troll, the boy thought, glancing up at them but otherwise ignoring them. From the green house sigil already emblazoned on their robes, he assumed that they were second or third year Slytherins, students who should have no business in a small compartment with only two first years.

There were four houses into which the students of Hogwarts were distributed: Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. Each house was renowned for certain qualities their students possessed, Ravenclaws were smart, for instance, Hufflepuffs were loyal and dedicated, and Gryffindors were the brave. From the abrupt appearance of the three trolls from Slytherin, the boy assumed – smiling wryly behind his notebook – that the Slytherins' greatest quality was their brutishness, but he kept this to himself.

"Hey, there she is," the first troll said, turning to the girl, ignoring the boy. "The mudblood."

"You, what's your name, eh?" the second troll said, crossing his arms.

"Amber Shields," the girl said, looking at her shoes.

"What a joke," the third troll said, sneering at their victim. "This school isn't for mudbloods, go back to your muggle parents, girly."

"Do you know what a mudblood is, girly?" the first one asked. The girl shook her head, and the three laughed uproariously. "Well, a mudblood is the low kid of two muggles, get it girly? You don't deserve to be here with real wizards. Go back to your muggle school, girly."

"Hey, what's with her red hair, huh?" the third troll said, waving his hand over her hair. "Look at it, it's like blood, huh?"

"Mudbloods with hair like yours…" the first troll said, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. "You're in for a rough ride, girly. You're a freak."

"I-it's dyed…" the girl said faintly, visibly shaking.

"What, girly?"

"It's dyed."

"What that mean, huh?" the second troll said, jutting his jaw out. "You using some muggle termidology wit' us, eh? Eh?"

"N-no!" the girl said, shaking her short red hair vigorously. "I-I didn't mean to-"

"Better watch it, girly," the third troll said, raising a fist. "I bet you don't need teeth back where you're going."

"Put that down," the first troll said, shoving the one who had threatened the girl, "there'll be plenty of time for that later, especially when she gets sorted into our house." He leered at her, "would you like that, girly? To be in our house? We promise we'll take good care of you. You'll be our good little mudblood, and we promise not to hurt you…too often."

"Slytherin, Slytherin, the mudblood's going to be in Slytherin!" the other two trolls screeched, parading out of the room, their leader in tow, all of them laughing uproariously. At the last moment, the first troll turned around spreading his arms in a mocking welcome gesture and sneering at his victim one last time.

"Welcome," he said, bowing, "to Slytherin."

With that, the three left, still laughing, to find other victims. Looking up at the girl from behind his book, the boy felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. She was incredibly pale, scared beyond comprehension, and still shaking all over. He berated himself for not saying anything, not standing up for her. She probably had never known about Hogwarts before she got the letter, and the wizarding world was still new to her. She was like a baby, not knowing anything, but he hadn't helped her.

It was before the semester had even begun, but he felt like he had already failed.

For the rest of the train ride, he couldn't bring himself to say anything to the small, scared girl sitting across from him, and by the time they pulled into the station the silence between them had solidified into a tangible, impenetrable wall, preventing all conversation.

Darkness had fallen by the time they got off the train, and the girl disappeared from his side, melting into the mass of students crowding around the station. A giant figure stood out though, towering above the other students, a massive lantern swinging from one of his enormous hands. He was a giant of a man, but his face was kind, beaming down at a group of first years who had already gathered near him. His hair and beard was a mat of silver hair, but it gave him a fatherly look. The boy felt himself calm down, and headed towards the giant man.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" he boomed, calling the new students together. Once it looked like they were all there, he turned, beckoning for them to follow. "Name's Hagrid, groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts. C'mon, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step now! Firs' years follow me!"

They walked a short distance, following a narrow path, until they came to the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a cast castle with many turrets and towers, seeming to beckon them closer, welcoming them.

Hogwarts.

"Righ' then, no more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, gesturing to the boats. "In ye go now, mind yer step." Once they were all in, he raised a battered umbrella and looked around at the eager faces which surrounded him. "Everyone in? Right then – FORWARD!"

The fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. They continued on, their little fleet silent with awe, and disembarked beneath the cliff, following a path up through the stone. Up and up they went until, finally, they came to a huge, oak door. Hagrid raised his lantern, checking to make sure nobody had fallen behind.

"Everyone here? Righ' then, let's go."

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. The door swung open at once, and the group of first years was met by a tall, dirty-blonde haired witch in pale blue robes. Her eyebrows were very pale, which gave her a permanently surprised look, but she gazed evenly at the new students who stood before her. As the boy looked up at her, he thought she gave off an aura of distinct dottiness.

"The firs-years, Professor Lovegood," said Hagrid.

"Oh, wonderful! Thank you, Hagrid. Come along, then, first years…"

With that, they followed Professor Lovegood across the flagged stone floor. The boy could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right – the rest of the school must already be there – but Professor Lovegood showed the first years into a small empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor Lovegood. "The start-of-term banquet will start soon, but you've got to be sorted into your houses first. The Sorting is important, as I'm sure you all know, because your house will be your family while here at Hogwarts. It's really wonderful, really, you have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"There are four houses – Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has points, and you earn points for good things, and lose points for bad things, ok? At the end of the year, the house with the most points even gets the House Cup! But that was a lot of talking, should we proceed to the Sorting?"

Without another word, Professor Lovegood turned and walked through the doors behind her, the first years scrambling to form a line behind her as she strode through the hall, lit by candles which hung suspended over four long tables where the rest of the students were sitting. The first years were led to the front, standing near the long table where the teachers sat, facing a wooden stool, upon which an old, tattered, and slightly charred hat rested. The entire school quietened, as though waiting for something, staring intently at the hat.

After a long silence, a rip near the brim opened like a mouth and began to sing. It was a good song, a long explanation of the strengths of each house, and the promises of what they would achieve at Hogwarts. Afterwards, the hall exploded into applause for the Sorting Hat, and Professor Lovegood stepped forward once more, holding a long piece of parchment.

"When I call your name, just put on the hat and sit on the stool, the hat will do the rest," she said, her voice seeming to drift towards them lazily. "Now then, let's begin with Broyles, Calvin, shall we?"

A nervous-looking boy lifted the hat uncomfortably, sitting on the stool's edge as the cloth hat was placed over his eyes. After a moment –

"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the hat.

The table second from the left cheered and clapped as Calvin went to sit down at the Ravenclaw table, looking incredibly relieved. The boy guessed he had been another victim of the three troll-like Slytherins on the train. With this thought, he returned to thinking about the girl, and how nervous she was, and about how he hadn't done anything. Suddenly, unaware of the amount of time that had passed, the boy heard his name being called, and stepped out of line calmly.

He had decided.

He would no longer remain a passive watcher.

If even for this one moment, he would help someone – even if that someone never knew what he had done.

As the Sorting Hat was lowered over his eyes, he heard a small voice inside his ear. "Hmm, difficult, so much potential, but also so much conflict. You have a nice aptitude for magic, oh yes, and a sharp mind, but also loyalty, not to mention ambition…So where shall I put you?"

The boy kept his gaze leveled at the dark inside of the hat as he answered the question the Sorting Hat had posed to itself. "Put me in Slytherin, but make sure Amber Shields is put in a different house. Put me in Slytherin."

"Interesting," said the small voice, "Are you sure? There's much potential for you in the other houses, not to mention your family, oh yes, your family will be very disappointed. But you want to help this girl – I can see the reason in your mind, your bravery on that is great, more than enough for Gryffindor – no? well, if you're sure, I'll see about this girl, then – better be SLYTHERIN!"

With that, he took off the hat and walked steadily towards the cheering table second from the right, making sure not to glance at the Gryffindor table in case he met his sister's eye. He ignored the congratulations from the other Slytherins and found a lonely spot at the far end of the table, where he could be alone. He had a horrible feeling in his stomach, but for the first time in his life, he felt as though he had done the right thing.

Now, to see if the Sorting Hat would keep its promise.

Gryffin … Nott ... Patil … Robinson … and then, at last –

"Shields, Amber!"

The boy watched intently as the girl walked up to the Sorting Hat, sat down, and lowered it over her eyes. For a few seconds, the hat was silent, considering what house to put her in, and the boy took silent comfort from the fact that he had possibly saved someone destined to be sorted into Slytherin from such a fate. Better someone from a wizarding family take her place instead, like he had. The silence stretched on, and the boy began fidgeting nervously, until at last –

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Beaming, the girl bounced off the stool and practically skipped towards the loudly-cheering table on the far left. As the boy watched, she was welcomed with open arms and began making friends immediately. Smiling slightly at her success, a sense of relief washed over the boy, quickly giving way to grief for the first time since his sorting. He had done something worthwhile, perhaps, but he was nonetheless a failure.

Faerison, Artemis.

Slytherin.

So, how was it? I hope you enjoyed it - be sure to leave a review and any criticisms you have - I definitely want to make this one of the better stories I've done, and I'll always take your advice if I can. Just for reference, since I didn't mention this before, this story takes place after the events of the books, around the time when several of the elderly teachers have passed away (yes, Luna is a teacher now - who better?). I won't be going into the details of characters from the books too much, though the story is still developing and I may decide for something to happen. Who knows.

Perhaps the names were a little awkward, but I hope they didn't disappoint. I can still edit them, though, and if anyone would like to suggest better names for the two main characters I would love to hear them! Thanks!

I have other stories I need to work on as well, and finals are coming up within a month, but I'll hopefully get to post another few chapters before summer comes. Anyways, thanks ~ and see you guys next chapter!