The smoke billowed out of the Hogwarts Express. Platform Nine and Three Quarters was a center of activity. Owls hooted from their cages, cats meowed loudly, and students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry chatted animatedly with their families. The first day of term had arrived, and the excitement that a new term at Hogwarts brings shone on every student's face.

Neville Longbottom stepped through the magical barrier that separates the Hogwarts Express from the Muggle world, pushing a trolley that carried a large trunk. An eleven-year-old boy about to start his first year at Hogwarts, Neville was pretty average looking. He was not particularly tall or short, and he was a bit on the heavy side. His eyes were hazel, and his black hair was short, with some bangs covering his forehead. The bangs were not enough, however, to hide Neville's most striking feature: a scar shaped like a lightning bolt.

Neville saw the train loom over him and gulped. It wasn't enough that this was his first day at Hogwarts. No, that he could probably handle. But everyone at the school had already heard about him, everyone will be expecting great things of him, all because of something that happened when he was only one year old. The Dark Lord had killed his parents as part of his mad bid for power, and then tried to kill Neville. But for some strange reason, the curse failed to kill Neville and rebounded on the Dark Lord, rendering him powerless and maybe even killing him, though Gran thought otherwise.

"Keep moving, Neville,"a stern voice said behind him. "You're blocking the entrance."

Neville jumped and hastened to obey. His grandmother followed him onto the platform. Gran was an imposing woman, with sharp features and beady gray eyes. She wore a green coat and a stuffed vulture on her head. She had a scarf made from a fox and carried a large red handbag. Neville tried to explain to her that while her clothes did come from the Muggle world, the way she wore them was not part of the normal Muggle style, and that she was bound to attract attention. Gran had insisted, however, and Neville was not going to start an argument on the day of his departure.

"Have you got everything?"Gran asked. Neville turned to look at her. She was trying to look expressionless and stern, but he could see the sorrow in her eyes. She was going to miss him, and he her.

"Yes, Gran,"Neville replied.

"Where's your wand?"she pressed.

"Right here,"he said, pulling his wand out of his back pocket. Gran nodded.

"And your toad?"she asked. Neville reached into the front pocket of his sweatshirt, but didn't pull his hand out. His eyes bulged.

"Gran, he's gone!"he said, nervously.

"Again, Neville?"she asked, rolling her eyes. Neville's toad Trevor frequently disappeared. Gran always said it was because Neville was being irresponsible, but Neville had taken pains in the past to keep Trevor with him, only to have Trevor escape when Neville was asleep.

"He was here when I crossed the barrier,"Neville insisted. "He must have hopped out of my pocket when I was staring at the train!"

"And you didn't notice? Honestly, Neville, how can you expect to handle your homework when you can't even keep track of your pet toad?"

Neville bit his lip and looked down. Gran softened and put her hands on his shoulders. "Well, never mind,"she said warmly, "I'm sure he'll turn up. He always seems to know where you are."

"I guess so,"Neville said, still looking at his feet.

Gran grabbed Neville's chin and pulled up his head. "Listen to me, Neville,"she said, still in that warm and loving voice that he rarely heard from her. "You're going to be fine. You're a bright young man, and you have your father's blood. Just believe in yourself, okay?"

"O-okay,"Neville said, his eyes starting to get misty.

Gran's hands left his shoulders. "None of that, Neville,"she said, her voice turning hard, but her smile never leaving her face. "You can't cry today. You don't want to leave a bad first impression, do you?'

Neville shook his head, blinked once, and steeled himself. He gave Gran a hug goodbye and wheeled the trolley aboard the train. He eventually found an empty compartment at the rear end of the train, and tried to lift the heavy trunk into the basket above the seat. He dropped it twice, and gave a particularly loud yelp the second time, as it landed on his foot.

"Need a hand, buddy?"a voice said. Neville turned and looked. Leaning against the open door to the compartment was a boy around eleven or twelve with messy jet-black hair and glasses over his green eyes. He was slightly shorter than Neville, but very fit. It almost looked like he had no body fat at all. He had a smirk on his face. Not a condescending smirk, Neville noticed, but a cocky one. He was daring Neville to say yes, he might take accepting his help as a sign of weakness.

Well, I guess I'm weak, Neville thought. "Yes, please,"he said, panting. The boy grinned wider and walked over. Working together, the two boys heaved the trunk into the basket. "Thank you,"Neville said.

"Don't thank me yet,"the boy said. "Every other compartment is full. You don't mind if I ride over with you, right?" Neville shook his head. "Great. So, give me a hand with my trunk, then."

Neville agreed and the two boys lifted the trunk into the basket across from Neville's seat. The boy ruffled his hair, making it even messier, as he turned to Neville. "Thanks, man,"he said. "My name's Harry. Harry Potter." He held out his hand. Neville took it.

Neville's entire body shook. A strange force shot through his hand and rocketed up and down his spine. His hair started to stand up. Neville let out a small shout and pulled his hand away. Harry laughed and held up his hand for Neville to see that he was holding a small silver circle between his middle and ring fingers.

"It's a Muggle toy called a Joy Buzzer,"Harry explained, still laughing. "It's easy to hide and sends a small shock through your body. It's like a miniature lightning strike. My godfather gave it to me before I left. He said that most wizards don't know about shocks and I thought it'd be fun to give them a little scare."

"I didn't find it any fun,"Neville mumbled angrily, rubbing his wrist. Such a strange sensation. "You might have killed me."

Harry laughed, and slapped Neville on the back playfully. "Hey, it isn't like that!"he chuckled. "It's just a small enough shock to surprise you. If it were dangerous, I wouldn't be using it on people." Neville didn't answer. "Hey, mate, I'm sorry,"he said, laughter finally leaving his voice. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just thought it was a good joke."

"No,"Neville said, smiling. "It didn't hurt. I just didn't know what to expect, and you compared it to lightning, and I overreacted."

"Friends?"Harry asked, holding out his hand again. Neville didn't take it this time, and shot him a glare. Harry chuckled and took the Joy Buzzer off his hand and stuck it in his pocket. "You can't blame me for trying, Neville."

"I guess not,"Neville shrugged, slumping into his seat. "Wait!"he said loudly, sitting up straight. "I never told you my name!"

Harry sat down across from Neville. "How many other people have lightning-shaped scars on their foreheads?"he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Neville sighed. He really should not have been surprised. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?"he asked.

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. Didn't really seem important. I was too busy trying to keep the Joy Buzzer hidden until the right moment."

Neville gave Harry a bewildered look. "How is that your reaction? Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I thought you'd be more excited to meet a famous person."

"I'm used to famous people."Harry said, leaning back. "My dad's a chaser on the Chudley Cannons, and my godfather's Sirius Black."

Neville gasped. "The Auror? Moody's second in command?"

"That's right,"Harry said, beaming proudly. "Funny, most people react more to my dad being James Potter than my godfather being Sirius Black."

"YOUR DAD IS JAMES POTTER? HE'S MY FAVORITE PLAYER!"a boy shouted from the doorway. Neville and Harry turned. Neither of them had noticed the long, lanky red-haired boy open the door, about to ask them if they had room in their compartment. His face was slightly dirty and covered in freckles, and his clothes were too big for him, obviously hand-me-downs. His mouth hung open with astonishment.

Harry laughed. "Yep. Don't wet yourself just yet though, mate." Harry pointed at Neville. "He's Neville Longbottom."

The red-haired boy strode quickly toward Neville, his trunk sitting forgotten in the doorway. He leaned in close and stared at Neville's forehead intently for several seconds, making Neville feel quite uncomfortable. He coughed, and said, "So, what's your name?"

The boy blinked, and stood back up (Neville quietly thanked God for the return of his personal space). "Ron Weasley,"he said holding out his hand. Neville shook it. "And I'm not famous like you two seem to be."he added softly, barely above a whisper.

"Yes, well,"Harry said, chuckling. "I'm sure if you stick with us, we'll rub off on you. My name's Harry." Harry held out his hand.

Before Neville could stop him, Ron took Harry's hand. He jumped backward and started swearing and shaking his hand wildly. Harry roared with laughter and Neville started chuckling in spite of himself. He had to admit that it was actually pretty funny to see an unsuspecting victim's reaction to being shocked.

"What on earth is all this noise?"a disapproving voice asked as a girl poked her head into the compartment. Her brown hair was quite bushy and Neville noticed that she had rather large front teeth. She was already wearing her Hogwarts robes.

"This son of a bitch just attacked me!"Ron shouted, reaching to his back pocket for his wand. "Attacked you?"the girl asked, her eyes widening. She looked at Harry, who was rolling in his seat, then to Neville, who was biting his lip and trying not to laugh. "He doesn't look particularly hostile,"she said, narrowing her eyes. "What exactly did he do?"

"He grabbed my hand and shocked me somehow!"Ron said, pointing his wand at Harry. Neville noticed the back of his neck started to turn pink. "It was like lightning!"

"Lightning?"she asked, folding her arms thoughtfully. "Did he, perhaps, offer to shake your hand?"

"Yeah,"Ron growled, not looking at her or lowering his wand. "How did you know that?"

The girl sighed. "I thought so. He didn't attack you."

"What?"Ron asked, his wand hand falling to his side as he turned to face her.

"You must have no Muggle relatives. Muggles have different toys for pulling pranks, and this particular toy is called a Joy Buzzer. By applying pressure to the hapless victim's skin, it sends a harmless electrical shock through their body. It's meant to startle, not injure. Your over the top reaction, while understandable due to your lack of experience with the Muggle world, has done nothing but gratify your tormentor and encourage him to continue pulling his pranks. Unfortunately for him, he must not have read Hogwarts, a History because otherwise he knew that all Muggle devices that run on electricity, including his Joy Buzzer, fail to operate properly on Hogwarts grounds." She said all of this very quickly. Neville and Ron gaped at her. How could she talk that much without taking a breath. Harry smirked.

"No worries,"he said. "It's not like the Joy Buzzer's the only prank I know."

"I'm sure you have plenty of amazing Muggle pranks to pull,"the girl said, shaking her head. "What will you dazzle us with next? Whoopee cushions? Squirting flowers?"

"That's a secret,"he said, smiling mischievously. "But I promise not to prank anyone else when you're not around to see them react. Your completely serious attitude made the whole thing ten times funnier."

The girl looked at Harry disapprovingly. Ron and Neville started laughing, though. "I see what you mean, mate,"Ron said. "She needs to loosen up."

"You all need to grow up!"she retorted, before she threw her hands into the air and stormed off. Ron shook his head, laughing, and sat down next to Harry.

"Whatever house she's in, I hope I'm not in it,"he said. "She takes everything way too seriously."

"This coming from the guy who threatened to start a duel over a children's toy?"Neville asked. Harry laughed and Ron threw his shoe at Neville. The three boys laughed and talked as the train sped toward Hogwarts. Ron told them all about his large family and how he felt overshadowed by his older brothers. Harry talked about being raised by a professional Quidditch player and a Hogwarts professor (his mother taught the Study of Ancient Runes). Neville mostly stayed quiet and tried to keep the conversation focused on Harry and Ron, but he couldn't hold them off forever.

"So, Neville,"Ron said, as they started changing into their Hogwarts robes, "what was it like?"

"What was what like?"Neville asked coyly. He was hoping to avoid this conversation.

"You know,"Harry insisted. "When Voldemort killed your mom and dad."

Neville and Ron flinched. "Why would you say You-Know-Who's name?"Neville whispered, glancing around.

"I dunno,"Harry said, ruffling his hair. "My dad says it. Sirius says it. I'm just used to it."

"Are you crazy?"Ron asked, looking both horrified and impressed.

"What's the big deal?"Harry asked, shrugging. "It's just a name. Anyway, answer the question, Neville. What was it like?"

Neville sighed. He knew he was going to have to talk about his parents eventually. "I was one when they died, guys,"he said. "I don't remember anything besides a flash of green light and a high pitched laugh. My grandmother told me that she thinks that, based on where they found the bodies, my dad tried to fight You-Know-Who first, forced only to use his fists because You-Know-Who caught him off guard. Then he dueled my mom for a while and supposedly tried to kill me, but she jumped in the way. I don't know what happened after that, just that I survived and he disappeared."

"Wait, so he let your mom live so he could kill you first?"Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why didn't he just kill her first?"

"Maybe he's just nuts, I don't know,"Neville shrugged. "I always thought it was because I was his real target, and that my parents were just in the way."

"But why would he want to kill you in the first place?"Ron asked. "You were just a baby."

"No idea,"Neville admitted. "But it's the only way that it makes sense. I'll probably ask Dumbledore if he has any ideas if I get the chance, but I'm not getting my hopes up."

Before Harry or Ron could reply, the train whistle blew as the train slowed to a stop. The three boys looked out the window to see that they had arrived at their destination. "Ladies and gentlemen,"a magically amplified voice said, heard in all the compartments, "we have arrived at our destination of Hogsmeade station. Please leave your luggage and pets aboard the train, as they will be transported separately.

This was it. They were about to begin their term at Hogwarts. Neville started to feel his stomach rumble, a combination of hunger and nerves. He looked at Harry and Ron to see how they were coping. Ron was pale, but his jaw was set. Harry simply looked excited, not a trace of fear on his face.

"Let's go,"he said, leading the way out of the compartment. Neville and Ron followed, and they left the train. As soon as they left the train, they heard a booming voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!" The boys followed the voice to see that it belonged to a giant of a man, standing at over ten feet tall. He had long black hair and a beard to match, and his black eyes were warm and friendly. Several other first years, including the bossy girl from earlier, also gathered around the giant, and soon he stopped calling and looked at the crowd.

"All righ', issat everyone?"he asked. "Righ', well follow me, then, you lot." He turned around and marched away. Neville and the other first years had to jog to keep up with his massive stride as he led them through the streets of Hogsmeade. "Yeh'll get yer firs' look at Hogwarts soon."the giant called back to them. "Righ' around dat corner."

Sure enough, they turned a corner and saw a castle, sitting atop a hill across a vast lake. Three large towers sat atop the castle and lights were shining through the windows on the lower floors. The giant led them to a fleet of small boats sitting at the shore of the lake. "No more'n four ter a boat!"he said, taking up a whole boat by himself. Neville crowded into a boat with Harry and Ron, and, to Ron's dismay, they were joined by the bossy girl.

"All righ'!"the giant yelled, pointing a pink umbrella in front of him. "Forward!" The boats lurched forward, sailing toward the castle on their own, with no wind nor oars nor motor to propel them. Once they crossed the lake, the students were led to the front door of the castle, and the giant did a quick head count to make sure that everyone had survived the crossing.

"Good, dat seems ter be the lot of yeh,"he said, satisfied. He turned and faced the door. He raised his fist and knocked three times on the door.

Author's Note: Wow, my first fanfic. I feel accomplished already, and I haven't even really started writing anything substantial yet. Harry was particularly difficult to write, as I imagine that a Harry raised by James Potter is different from a Harry raised by Vernon Dursley. And writing in Hagrid-speak is just plain difficult. Please please PLEASE leave reviews, I have no idea what I'm doing and I could really use the criticism. I know that I tend to use too much dialogue and that my descriptions need work, and if I notice one thing wrong, then there must be at least ten more problems with my writing that I don't know about.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Please, take the time to post a review, and I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter coming soon...probably...I'll try to update frequently, anyway.