I hope you enjoy this story. Anything recognisable is not mine.
Harry climbed onto the train pulling along her trunk as she went and took a seat inside an empty carte, glad that she had told her uncle she had to be there at 10 otherwise she would never have thought to hit the brick structure and have her hand go through. A secret barrier, she should have known after her trip to Diagon Alley through the cauldron.
She sat silently, her feet curled up beneath her worried about the trip. Not sure what she was expecting from it, not sure if anyone would decide to be her friend in the end or if she would be just as much a freak here as she was in the muggle world. The longer she remained alone in the carte, the more her worries seemed to grow.
She was relieved to be knocked out of her thoughts by the entrance of a girl who looked about her age. "May we come in," the girl with long blond hair and cold blue eyes asked from the doorway.
"Please," Harry said lowering her book as the two girls, the second a brunette with warm brown eyes came in and took a seat.
"Hello, I'm Tracy," the brunette said with a nod. "This is Daphne and you are?"
"Haronna," She replied liking her full name more than the commonly used shortened one. No one really called her it as the Dursleys constantly called her Harry. It was a nice separation. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"You as well," Tracy said as they all shook hands. "Are you nervous for Hogwarts, Daphne's not but I most definitely am."
"A bit," Haronna said relieved not to be the only one, "but also excited."
"Daphne is too but she just won't admit it," Tracy said as her friend rolled her eyes. "I think just about everyone is terrified their first day. Do you know much about the school?"
"A bit but I'm...what's the word for it, muggle raised. That's it. I'm muggle raised so I've not had the chance to learn much about Hogwarts as of yet."
"Raised not born," Daphne demanded, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"No my parents had magic I believe but they died when I was young. I was raised by my aunt and uncle in the muggle world," Harry admitted, her family not being something she would brag about on any day.
"A lot of people are in the same boat, being raised by relatives because of the war," Tracy said, "Our families were firmly neutral in the last war, you are probably a half blood. I am...my mums a muggle born."
"I think that's what I was told," Harry agreed glad that they were not like that blond boy she had already met since that very meeting had turned her stomach and was part of the reason why she was so nervous about starting at Hogwarts.
"Which house are you hoping for," Tracy asked leading the conversation since Daphne was never one to try to be sociable.
"I don't know much about them and I think both people who told me about the houses were a bit prejudice, all I know is that dark wizards are from Slytherin and Hufflepuff's are duffers."
That explanation caused Tracy to scowl. "Well, that's nonsense, most dark wizards come from Slytherin because they are ambitious to their goals but not all Slytherins are dark wizards, He-who-must-not-be-named came from Slytherin so everyone looks down on them," Tracy said, "My da was a Slytherin and me mum was a Ravenclaw. Each house stands for a different trait. I'm hoping for Slytherin because I'm not much into books. Houses usually run in families but not always."
That was probably a better explanation then she had been given so far. "What do they look for," Harry asked since the other girl seemed to be a fountain of knowledge and more than willing to share the information she had.
"Well, Slytherin looks for students to be cunning and ambitious," Tracy stated, "Ravenclaws thirst for intelligence and are studious, Hufflepuff's value honesty, hard work and loyalty, Gryffindor's favor the bold and brave."
"Or dark wizards, nerds, throwaways and idiots," Daphne offered causing Harry to chuckle slightly.
"Well then, I think I like Tracys explanation, sorry about that Daphne," Harry returned. "I guess I don't right care if its explained that way."
While waiting for the train ride to begin, the three spoke happily to each other about random things, the two wizarding raised students explaining the wizarding world well the muggle raised explained some of the things about the muggles, (both girls were very interested in the fact that there were entire stores focused on shoes). Eventually the train started moving but none of them seemed to notice as they just continued their conversation.
"Candy carte dears," the women asked interrupting them, causing them to jump slightly as they had not been paying attention to their surroundings.
There seemed to be far too many options for Harry who had no idea what most of them contained. "Um, Trace, Daphne what's good," Harry asked after the two had bought some. She had no idea where to begin.
"About everything, if you want to get something you're more likely to like jumping beans and licorice wands as they are probably the most normal, that and pumpkin pastries."
"Could I get all three of those," Harry asked relieved for the assistance.
"Here you go dearie," the lady said as she paid for them.
"Thank you," she said as the women left and they returned to the conversation.
It was well over an hour later that they were once again interrupted, this time by a rather rude boy. "I'm looking for Harry Potter is she here," the redheaded boy demanded not even bothering to say hello or introduce himself.
"No," Daphne sneered though her eyes suddenly went to Haronna putting pieces together. "Why are you searching for her."
"None of your business," he returned leaving.
They were all slightly taken back by the boy's rudeness. "Well Harry, seems you have yourself a boyfriend already," Daphne returned as Tracy looked at Harry shocked not having come to the same assumption as her friend.
"I have never seen him before," Harry returned, "I have no idea who he is."
That fact failed to be important to Tracy who was taken back by just whom she had been spending her train ride with. "I'm more wondering why you never told us who you are," Tracy demanded.
"I did, my names Haronna, none of us gave last names," Harry said defensively. "I don't really get why everyone seems to think I'm anything but me. I'd prefer to be just Harry especially if I get people like that following me. I wonder if he realized he had dirt on his nose."
"Likely, hard not to notice," Daphne sneered though she was slightly impressed by the other girl, "pure Slytherin not giving the name you were known by though, I admit I'm slightly impressed. Though I doubt a Potter will be a Slytherin, there hasn't been a Potter in Slytherin for over a century."
"Well, I'm not your usual Potter, I wasn't raised wizarding so I guess I don't have any of the prejudice among houses ingrained into me," Harry stated. "I prefer being just Haronna and none of that other nonsense. All I get is questions I can't possibly answer."
"He-who-must-not-be-named still has a lot of followers in Slytherin," Tracy said wanting to be sure she knew.
"That means nothing to me."
"You defeated him," Daphne said since it sure meant something to everyone else.
"I was a toddler who likely was sitting there and doing nothing," Harry returned wondering where people had even gotten that story from. It seemed fairly ridiculous to her. "I had nothing to do with it."
"Fine then, most people believe that you did do something," Tracy said since that made sense. She never really thought about how a toddler could possibly defeat anything.
"That is there problem not my own," Harry returned.
"Good," Daphne replied seeing that the girl in front of her was different then they had been taught to believe and there was nothing exactly wrong with that fact. In the end she was quite pleased with the fact. It would make for a chaotic year and well she didn't seem the sort to like chaos she had a thing for destruction, it made life more interesting.