"Alan, goddamnit, calm down,"
"Scott, language," hissed their grandmother from the front of the car.
"Sorry, Scotty, I'm just so excited!" the blond Tracy squealed.
The whole Tracy family were on their way to King's Cross Station in London. John was driving, Grandma Tracy was in the passenger seat, Alan was squashed between Scott and Virgil in the back, and Gordon was sat uncomfortably in the boot seat.
You see, the Tracy Family were not ordinary people. They had a special talent, what the ordinary human would call magic. There were many others like them in the world, from all races and religions, for it is an ancient power, that arises when one least expects it. Many, many years ago, four friends built a castle in the Scottish Highlands, to teach young students with this magical ability to control and harness their magic. They gave it a name: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Four of the five Tracy brothers had been to this school, and now it was Alan's turn to embark on his journey to the castle.
A white Volvo XC90 pulled up at King's Cross station, and the family got out. John clicked the boot open and pulled out five trunks, handing the blue one to Scott, the emerald-green one to Virgil, a bright yellow one to Gordon, a crimson one to Alan, and picked the final orange one up for himself. Scott grabbed a trolley for everyone, and they dumped their possessions into it.
"How do we get onto the platform?" asked Alan eagerly.
"Not here!" Scott hissed at him as they pushed their trolleys onto the platform. Heads turned as they passed, as it was a fairly odd sight to see a family of six with five brightly-coloured trunks and two hooting owls walking along the station.
"I'll go first," said Gordon brightly, jumping at the chance to impress his younger brother.
Alan watched in amazement as his immediate elder brother ran strait at the stone pillar between platforms Nine and Ten, and was seemingly absorbed into the stone. Virgil pulled his trunk forwards and copied Gordon, vanishing as he hit the stone. After Scott had vanished, Grandma Tracy turned to her two remaining grandsons.
"Do you want a moment?" she asked, and John nodded. Their grey-haired grandmother walked through the barrier and John turned to his youngest sibling.
"Are you okay?" the fair blond boy said to Alan, who nodded.
"Do you want to go together?"
Alan nodded.
"Wait here." John disappeared through the barrier and returned without his trolley. He put his arm round Alan's shoulder, and the two of them stepped through the magical gateway. It was curious sensation; he felt like he was stepping through a waterfall, though remaining very dry. He felt smoke in his lungs as he stepped onto Platform 9 & ¾, and saw a glistening scarlet steam engine with the words 'Hogwarts Express' emblazoned along the side in gold. His other brothers were still standing patiently by the gateway, waiting for him. Grandma Tracy pulled him into a tight hug, and whispered in his ear,
"I know it's been hard without your father, but you'll be fine. You're brothers will look after you."
Alan broke away as Grandma hugged her other grandchildren in turn. Turning to Scott and John, she said, "Make sure you'll look after him."
"I'll send you a Hogwarts Toilet Seat!" Shouted Gordon, leaping onto the train, his jet-black hair shining in the sun.
"You will do no such thing!" yelled back their grandmother. Trunks were handed to Scott and John, who shoved them onto the train, and climbed on. Virgil spoke quickly to his grandmother.
"Be careful, grandma."
"You too, Virgil."
The brown-haired Tracy clambered aboard the train after his brothers as the guard blew his whistle and the scarlet engine puffed away from the station.
Virgil found his brothers settled into a compartment and slipped in next to them.
"Hi, Virgil."
He sat down next to Gordon, who was chatting animatedly to Alan about the houses. Again.
"There's Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Huffle…" began Alan.
"Hufflepuff," continued Gordon, "And Slytherin."
"How do they decide who goes in the houses?"
"Well, there's all sorts of things, you have to fight trolls, wrestle bears, make a teacup tap-dance…"
"Gordon," said John warningly, for Alan came over quite pale and looked scared, "No, Alan, you don't have to do any of that. You just have to try on an old hat."
Gordon looked disgruntled as John ruined his joke. He sat in silence while John continued the explanation of the houses.
"Gryffindors are usually brave and chivalrous people, Ravenclaws are the clever and witty ones, Hufflepuffs are loyal and kind, and the Slytherins, well, they're not all the best of people. They're cunning and sly, and mostly all pure blood."
"Where do you think I'll go?" asked Alan with trepidation.
"I don't know," said John, with a smile, "Maybe, Hufflepuff?"
"But you're all in Gryffindor, so I can't be in another house!" Alan realised in delight.
"Not true," replied Scott, "Siblings can be sorted into different houses, although it is quite rare."
"It took that old hat about a second to decide what house I was in," said Virgil.
"Yeah, same here," replied Scott and Gordon together, "What about you, John?"
"About five minutes," and when the others looked at him in disbelief, "No, seriously. It kept considering putting me in Ravenclaw, but changed its mind."
"Hell!" exclaimed Scott, jumping up, "John, we need to go!"
John stared at him for a moment, then dropped his book, jumping up too. They pulled on their school robes, which were lined with scarlet. John's had a badge pinned above the left breast, red, with the letters 'HB' on it, for Head Boy. Scott's robes had two badges, both red; one with a glistening silver 'P' for Prefect, and one with a golden 'C' on it, symbolising Quidditch Captain. They rushed out the glass door and down the train corridor to the Prefect Compartment. Virgil picked up John's book and surprisingly, carried on reading it, for it was about the History of Magical Art. Gordon and Alan plotted pranks for a while, and brought a multitude of sweets when the food trolley came round.
"What's this?" asked Alan, picking up a purple and gold pentagonal sweet.
"Chocolate Frog," replied Gordon, not taking his eyes off the Every-Flavour Beans he was unwrapping.
Alan pulled open the wrapper and was surprised to find a living chocolate frog, which, the second the top was opened, hopped out and onto the window. Alan grabbed it and bit off its chocolate head, and it wriggled its legs in the air for a few moments, then dropped, lifeless.
"Want one?" Gordon asked.
"What are they?"
"Every-Flavour Beans. They mean every flavour."
He tossed his younger brother a couple of beans, and Alan bit into one, crying out in disgust.
"It's cauliflower!"
Gordon ate a bean, and sat with a puzzled expression.
"What is it?" asked Alan, "What flavour?"
"I think it might be grass. I've had worse. There's a vomit-flavour one."
After hearing that, Alan pushed the bag of beans back towards Gordon. A magical voice swept through the train.
"We will be arriving at Hogwarts shortly, please change into your school robes and leave your trunks here. They will be brought to the castle shortly after your arrival."
The three brothers pulled on their school robes; Virgil's and Gordon's were lined with scarlet, like John's and Scott's, but Alan's were lined with black, as he had not yet been sorted into a house. It was nearly nightfall when the train pulled into a small station in the village of Hogsmeade. The three brothers stepped off the train and into the cool night air. Virgil and Gordon walked towards a series of horseless carriages; Alan made to follow, but Virgil grabbed his arm and spun him round.
"Over there," he pointed to where a kindly-looking grey-haired man with a slightly Asian sounding voice was calling, "First Years, over here! This way!"
Alan shot his brothers a disappointed look and set off towards the man holding a glowing lantern. A knot of other nervous-looking first years were gathered around the man, and he led them down to a wooden boathouse, where there were many boats moored up, big enough to hold about three or four people. They clambered into the boats, and the man, who was in the front boat alone, shouted, "Forward!"
Alan gasped in amazement as the boats untied themselves and started to move out of the boathouse. One of the boys in the boat with him sniggered.
"What's the matter? Never seen magic before, you filthy mudblood."
Alan lunged forward suddenly with a growl, and the boat toppled precariously. The girl at the front turned and Alan saw she was very pretty, with long dark hair, and brown eyes.
"Unless you two want to end up in the lake, I suggest you shut it."
The other boy immediately silenced, but kept throwing Alan dirty looks. He gasped again, but this time, no-one criticised him, as they had just rounded a bend, and saw, for the first time, Hogwarts Castle. Virgil had painted Alan pictures, of course, but nothing compared to seeing it in the flesh. He could see the many lights in the castle, and it was beautiful, silhouetted against the moon.
"Mind your heads!" called the man in the front boat, and Alan ducked just in time. They had just passed into a low passage at in the cliff the castle stood upon, and into an underground harbour. The man climbed out of his boat, and waved a gnarled staff in the air, and the boats tied themselves to the posts. Alan and the other first years got out, and followed the man up a stone passage, and they came out in front of the great oaken front doors. The man raised his staff, and rapped six times on the door.