Chapter 1, Year 1
The Hogwarts Express
The large, crimson train known as the Hogwarts Express had just arrived at Platform 9 ¾, and many students were bidding farewell to their parents. Among these students was a small, freckly first year with pale skin and waist-length blonde hair. She was very nervous, as she could hardly believe she just ran straight through a brick podium. She had been told over and over again that the Wizarding World would be very different from the Muggle, or non-magical, world, but she had never expected this.
As she turned to say goodbye to her mother, her aqua blue eyes began to fill with tears. She did not want to leave her mother's side given that she was only eleven years old, but she had always known that her mother and little brother were Muggles and they would not be able to come with her.
"Don't cry, Alex, or else I'll start crying too," said her mother, whose brown eyes were already filling with tears.
"I'll write you letters all the time, mom. I can get Sandy to deliver them," Alex explained as she pointed to her small, brown owl who was in a cage that was placed on top of her luggage trunk.
After many hugs and goodbyes from both her mother and little brother, the Hogwarts Express whistle blew loudly in front of them.
"You better get on the train. I love you and I'll see you during Christmas time!" said Alex's mother.
"'Bye mom, I love you too!" Alex exclaimed as she hurried towards the crimson train. As she walked away, she could hear her brother asking if he will ever be able to go to a magical school too.
The Hogwarts Express was unlike any other train that Alex has ever been on. In fact, when she thought of it, this may be her first ever train ride. There were many compartments with sliding doors and sofas on either side of her.
I guess I'll just choose one to sit in, Alex thought to herself. After a bit of searching, she was finally able to find an empty compartment. When she had finished putting her luggage on the shelves above the compartment window, she heard the door slide open as Sandy gave a faint hoot.
"'Ey, can I join ye?" A girl with a thick Scottish accent was standing in the hallway of the train. She was shorter than Alex with brown eyes and glasses. She seemed to have taken her long brown hair and tied it in four braids, which then seemed to have been tied above her head.
"Um, okay, sure," Alex had slightly stuttered while responding, given that she was rather shy around new people. Something about this girl, though, seemed oddly welcoming.
"Thank ye," said the girl as she put her luggage on the shelf. She took her calico cat out of her carrier, sat down, and said "My name's Sara. I'm kinda new to this whole wizardin' thing"
"Oh, my name is Alex. I'm a bit new to the Wizarding World too, but my mum has told me a lot about it. My dad had many stories," Alex said, and she could feel her cheeks flush slightly. She felt as though her subtle British accent was miniscule compared to Sara's thick Scottish accent.
"Your da' is a wizard, then?"
"Yes, I'm half-blood."
"Wha' does tha' mean?"
"A half-blood is someone who has one magical parent, and one non-magical parent. I think non-magical people are called Muggles," explained Alex.
"So then, wha' is it called if ye only have Muggle parents like me?" Sara asked, looking very interested now.
"I believe you're called a Muggle-born," said Alex
"Oh, tha's creative," said Sara sarcastically, and Alex laughed.
"There are also people with an all-magical family, called Purebloods," explained Alex.
Suddenly the compartment door slid open and a boy with brown hair and glasses was asking to join them. Alex gave a neutral shrug and Sara agreed to let him in. After putting away his luggage and introducing himself as Isaac, he sat with Sara on the sofa across from Alex.
"So, anyway, is there anythin' else I need to know abou' this blood thing?" Sara asked, returning to the subject. Alex could not think of anything else, and the boy named Isaac chimed in at that point. He explained that some purebloods (but not all) think of Muggle-borns as filth. They call them "Mudbloods" because it taints the pureblood status. He warned Sara to never let anyone call her a Mudblood.
At this point, a lady with a cart full of sweets approached their compartment and asked if they would like to buy anything.
"We have Treacle Tarts, Cauldron Cakes, some Butterbeer, and may other things," said the cart lady.
"Wha' are all those things?" Sara asked in amazement as they stood and looked at the cart, and Isaac explained what everything was made of and how they tasted.
"Sure, I think I have a bit of wizard money left," Alex said, but Isaac stopped her and bought a couple of sweet treats to share.
"We also have a fresh supply of Cockroach Clusters," said the lady, and she held up what appeared to be a dead cockroaches covered in a candy glaze. Sara screamed at the very sight of the cockroaches and flipped the entire cart over.
"I'm sorry, but I really hate cockroaches!" Sara exclaimed, and Alex was already apologizing and thanking the lady while trying to clean up the mess.
"That is quite understandable," said the lady with a slight laugh, and when she spotted Alex she said "Oh, you don't have to bother with that dear." Then with a flick of her wand, the cart stood right-side-up and all of the sweets were put back in their place.
Alex, Sara, and Isaac finally settled back into their seats after a moment and began to consume the magical treats.
"Ooh, chocolate!" Alex said happily, and she picked up a chocolate frog. As she opened the box, the frog jumped right onto the compartment window and Alex screamed. Isaac explained that they're actually pure chocolate and they come with trading cards of famous wizards, then he asked everyone to stop screaming.
The rest of the ride to Hogwarts was filled with stories of both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. Isaac gave explanations of the four different houses at Hogwarts, and what type of people they accepted. As the train ride led on, the excitement only grew and Alex was very eager to see more of this strange new world. What new adventures and discoveries awaited her? She would soon find out.
