Author's Note: This is my first fanfic and I don't really know what I'm doing here but please enjoy anyways. Also reviews are much appreciated.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who. I don't own Sherlock. I don't own Harry Potter. If I did Steven Moffat's plot holes would be nonexistent and there would be 20+ Harry Potter novels.
The station is stuffed full of people. Tall business men stand in their smart black suits, walking at a brisk pace to look up at the arrivals board. Clusters of families pushing trollies, arguing easily with each other about the train delays. There is a district smell of petrol in the air as a small blonde girl pushes her way through the crowd near the arrivals board toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Her mother walks behind her, carefully rolling a trolly laden with a large, battered, leather trunk, rather out of place in the modern setting, and most peculiarly a large bird cage containing an eagle owl that hoots indignantly at the passers buy. Most people are to flustered by the train delays to pay any attention to the owl or the trunk, so for the most part the woman goes unnoticed. The woman, who is plainly the girl's mother, cranes her neck to see where she has gone. The blonde girl takes after her mother in terms of looks, big bright eyes and full lips. The girl turns around, "Mum, come on, we're gonna be late!" "Rose, sweetheart, slow down unless you'd like to push your own trolly!"
Rose turns back around, with no intention of slowing down, and crashes head long into a lankly boy of around her age, with wild brown hair sticking out in all directions pushing a trolly as well. The contents of the trolly end up with them on the floor in a tangled heap. He offers her a hand to help her off the floor, pulling both of the them to their feet. She flushes a brilliant pink, "Oh God, I'm so sorry wasn't watching where I was going and I just-you are all right aren't you?" "I'm perfectly all right, but I'm not so sure about my trolly." He says all this with a grin so wide that she can't help but smile back at him. "Oh let me just," she starts to lift a heavy trunk off the ground and he grabs the other end and they hoist it onto the trolly. Rose reaches down to pluck a fallen book from the ground, but he hurriedly pulls it out of her hand but not before she get's a good look at the cover, A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot. The boy hurriedly tucked the book in the bag slung over his shoulder and looks up at Rose. Upon noticing her confused look, he says, "Umm…that was just some fantasy book I was reading, rubbish isn't it?" "No, it isn't, I'm one too, a witch I mean" He smiles at her again this time his grin is even wider as he says, "Are you heading to Hogwarts too then?" "Yeah I am, but you're going the wrong direction, platform 9 ¾ is this way" she says pointing in the direction she was heading earlier. He looks embarrassed and stares down at his converse, tugging on his ear nervously, "Well you see, I, um, don't exactly know where I'm gonna cause it didn't say on the ticket and I, uh, come from, I'm an orphan and they just dropped me off here so-" His rambling is cut short by the arrival of Rose's mother and her cart.
"Rose, I told you to be careful, at this rate we'll actually be late and you know how-" Jackie, Rose's mother, stops abruptly looking at the boy with interest, "Whose this, then?" Rose sighs exasperatingly at Jackie and turns to the boy, "This is, hang on I never did get your name." "I'm John, John Smith, I'm going to Hogwarts too, my first year even." He's still bouncing on the balls of his feet as he says all this grinning at Jackie and Rose. "Your kiddin' right? John Smith, just, it's such a, I dunno, you don't meet many John Smiths, you know?" says Jackie with a laugh. "I'm Rose's mum, you can call me Jackie if you'd like, where are your parents then?" At that John's jubilance fades and he becomes glassy eyed as he again looks down at his feet, "I'm an orphan," he mumbles very quietly his whole demeanor changing, "My parents died when I was just a baby, I, uh, live at the orphanage still, so…they just dropped me here, and it never said on the ticket but umm, where is platform 9 and ¾?" He says all of that so fast it takes Jackie a minute to process it all. "Oh come on dear, we'll show you." All three of them walk forward (Rose now pushing her own cart) until they're standing directly in front of the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Jackie turns to John, "Now you just run directly at the barrier, don't hesitate, just run right at it. Here Rose can go first if you'd like." Rose takes as much of a running start as she can with the crowd pressing in around them and runs right into the not so solid barrier, disappearing completely. John gapes in aw at the spot where Rose had been standing just moments before. "Now you go John" says Jackie coaxing him and his cart forward, "That's it, now just run right through the barrier." With a deep breath John begins to run toward the barrier, his face scrunched up as if excepting impact that never comes.
He opens his eyes and finds Rose smiling at him in a busy platform that seems to be full of witches and wizards of varying ages. Most seem to be in muggle clothes but there are a few who have already donned robes and hats. John also catches site of the scarlet steam engine, young witches and wizards hurriedly boarding it. "Come on we better load our trunks onto the train, my mum will be along in a moment," says Rose weaving her way through the crowd John right behind her. They finish pushing their heavy trunks and Rose's owl Jabe onto the train and head back onto the platform where Rose says a hurried goodbye to Jackie. "Bye Mum, I love you, and I'll write often I promise!" "Oh Rose sweetheart, remember I'm just an owl away if you need anything at all." When Jackie finally releases Rose from her crushing hug, she and John head back onto the train into the compartment they had just put their things in.
Rose opens the door only to find it occupied by a dark skinned girl already wearing her robes and a girl with fiery red hair telling her something in an annoyed tone. The red haired girl looks up and regales in a thick Scottish accent, "Hi, are these your trunks? We can move if you want, its just that everywhere else is full." "No, its fine, the more the merrier, I'm Rose by the way." She says sitting down next to the dark skinned girl as John takes the seat opposite her. "Amy," the red haired girl says in response extending her hand to Rose who shakes it. "I'm John, John Smith. Rose and I are both in first year, how about you?" John says shaking Amy's hand and then turning to the other girl who has her nose hidden in a book. Looking up, the girl replies, "Oh sorry, I'm Martha Jones, and me and Amy are both first years too. My brother, Leo, is a third year and my sister, Tish, is a second year so I know loads about Hogwarts already. What houses to you want to be in? I want to be in Ravenclaw, although I suppose Hufflepuff and Gryffindor wouldn't be bad either." "Oh, I want to be in Gryffindor!" says John exuberantly, "I've read all about the houses and their origins. Did you know that Salazar Slytherin built a chamber underneath the school at one point that was rumored to hold a giant venomous snake?" "No, that's so creepy," said Rose shivering a little, "I defiantly don't want to be in Slytherin, all the books make it sound so vile." "Oh it's not so bad," said Amy, "Martha's brother is in Slytherin and he's really nice. My aunt was in Slytherin though, and she's a proper nightmare, she is." "So do you two know each other then?" said Rose gesturing to Martha and Amy. "Yeah, we grew up together. You're kinda forced to become friends with everyone when you live in a village with a population of about eight people," replied Martha laughingly, "we came here with Rory, but he wandered off somewhere." "He's probably lost, he's always lost," grumbled Amy. "You're lucky you have wizarding friends," scowled Rose, "when my dad died, my mum lost contact with most of her magical friends so I've never really know anyone else whose magic. It's weird though, having to keep everything hidden from your best friends. Mum hardly uses magic around the house anymore incase someone drops by from a visit." "I didn't even know I was a wizard until a couple of months ago. My parents died in a train wreck when I was really little so I never knew about magic or anything. Ms. Sally, the sort of mother of the orphanage, got really scared when letters kept coming for me out of the fireplace, but finally one of the teachers from Hogwarts arrived and explained everything to her and she let me go out of buy all of my things. The orphanage isn't actually all that bad, its just that I wish I could have known my parents you know?" "Yeah, I know how you feel. Both my parents died when I was two years old," said Amy putting a hand on his shoulder, "let me tell you being raised by my aunt was not fun in anyway, she usually goes out at night and get's herself really pissed and comes back in the afternoon and yells at me constantly. These days I usually spend most of my time at Martha's place or with Rory." At that the door slid open to reveal a short boy with a round face and a mop of brown hair.
"Speak of the devil!" said Martha with an exasperated sigh. "Sorry," said Rory apologetically, sliding into the seat next to Rose, "There was a fight in one of the cars and the crowd was massive! I'm Rory Williams by the way." He said to Rose and John. "I think they figured that out stupid!" said Amy rolling her eyes. "I'm John Smith and this is Rose Tyler, nice to meet you Rory!" said John smiling his goofy grin again. "Hey, wait a minute, I never mentioned my last name to you!" said Rose suspiciously. "Oh sorry, I read it on your trunk when we were carrying them in." replied John sheepishly, "So Rory, who was in the fi-" before John could finish his question the door burst open a second time and a tall girl with dark red hair came charging in. She seemed quite annoyed about something and Rose noticed that she had a prefect badge pinned to her robes. "Oi, you there," she said pointing to Rory, "I'm Donna Noble, a Gryffindor prefect, did you happen to see who was involved in that fight? Professor Smith thought she saw you near the action, we couldn't get a good look ourselves you see." "Umm… I don't know them by name but I could describe them to you if you'd like" said Rory cautiously, "There was a tall boy with curly black hair and a shorter boy with slick black hair…and, uh, there was another boy with sandy hair trying to break them up." Donna swore under her breath, "Holmes, Moriarty, and Watson! I knew it, they are going to get it this time, I swear! Oh and you lot should get your robes on we'll be arriving soon," and with that she ducked out of the room probably to find Professor Smith, Rose thought. "We should change, she's right," said Rose, "Rory, John would you guys mind leaving for a minute so that Amy and I can change?" The boys grabbed their clothes and exited the compartment as Amy and Rose began to change into their school uniforms. Martha again buried herself in her book, A Beginners Guide to Transfiguration as Amy and Rose finished changing and the boys came back into the compartment. A short while later a nasally voice announced that they would be approaching Hogwarts in a couple of minutes and that their luggage would be taken to the school separately.
The sky outside became dark and soon the English country side had become a small village. The train came to a halt in front of a long platform and Rose and her new group of friends exited their compartment and began to file out of the train onto the platform. The small group stood there uncertain about where to go until they heard a loud voice call out, "First years! First years over here!" They headed towards the voice fighting their way through the crowd until they found the source. An old man stood there smiling kindly at the small crowd of first years already gathered there. "Is this everyone then? I'm Wilfred Mott, the gamekeeper here at Hogwarts. You can call be Wilf." Wilf lead them over to the edge of what appeared to be a large lake although it was hard to tell in the dark. "Four to boat and be careful as you get in!" He said kindly. Rose and John clambered into one of the small boats and were joined by a boy named Adam and a girl named Gwyneth. They didn't talk much as they drift across the lake, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, it was as if a sort of electricity was buzzing through out all the first years. "You'll get your first sight of Hogwarts in a second!" called Wilf from his own boat. The first years all took a collective gasp at the sight of the castle. John had read and reread all of his textbooks describing Hogwarts but none of it contested with the actually sight of the castle. It was massive with, it seemed, hundreds of towers. The lights in the windows flickered comfortingly and Rose thought she saw some of the other students trickling into the main entrance way. When the boats approached the shore, the first years clambered out and Wilf lead them up a rocky stairway towards the castle. Soon they reached the side of the castle and Wilf rapped twice on the large Oak door in front of them and it swung open to admit them. The first years entered into a long chamber with high ceilings.
Someone else entered through the door at other the end of the chamber. She was dressed in lavender robes that flowed around her as she walked. Her dark hair was wavy and shoulder length and her lips were pulled into a friendly smile as she greeted the first years. John's immediate impression was that he could confide in her. It was a little frightening to feel this way about someone who you had only just met, but he supposed this might be attributed to the lack of maternal figures in his life. "Hello first years. I am Professor Sarah Jane Smith, deputy headmistress, and head of Gryffindor House. In a moment, you will enter the Great Hall and be sorted into one of the four houses we have here at Hogwarts, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin," John thought she said the latter with just a hit of bitterness although he couldn't be sure. "Throughout your time at Hogwarts, your house will become your family. You will eat at your house table, sleep in your house dormitories, socialize in your house common room. If you preform well educationally and behaviorally you may be awarded house points," she paused here to look sternly down at them, "however, if you misbehave you can loose your house points, which I can assure you will not settle well with your housemates. At the end of the year, the house with the most house points will win the house cup, a great honor. I will return in just a moment, in the mean time please form an orderly line" With that she swept out of the chamber into what ever lay beyond. The first years shuffled nervously into a line, John and Rose near the front and Amy, Martha, and Rory near the back. John turned to Rose, "Do you know how we'll be sorted? Is it a test?" Rose looked very pale, "I don't know, God, what if it is a test and we fail?" John took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, "You won't fail, you're brilliant. We can do this, I know we can." He looked a little green as he said this, "I hope it's short so we can get it over quickly, you know, like ripping a band-aid off?" Rose just nodded meekly. Her knees felt quite wobbly and she was sure that the only thing keeping her up right was John's steady presence beside her. The door on the far side of the chamber opened and Professor Smith walked back inside. "Now if you could all follow me, single file please!" John was forced to drop Rose's hand and move in front of her as they were now moving into what appeared to be a much bigger chamber just beyond the door. The first years again took a collective gasp at the sight of the Great Hall. The large domed ceiling was covered in constellations that seemed to move and shift very slightly. John whispered to Rose, "I read that it's enchanted to mimic the sky outside". There were four long tables filled with the older students talking amongst themselves. Rose assumed that each house had its own table but it was unclear which was which. Behind them a group of adults who seemed to be the Professors, were sitting at their own table on a raised platform as to look over the students. The first years filed out into the Great Hall and lead by Professor Smith, ended up in the middle of the room. Here there was an old three legged stool on which Professor Smith placed a hat, mangled, patched, and incredibly old. A studded silence fell over the older students who all stared intently at the hat. The first years followed their example and quickly turned their gaze on the hat. For a moment nothing happened and Rose felt incredible foolish standing there and staring at the hat, but then the brim opened wide as if a mouth and began to sing.
"Oh hello to you all I had a feeling you'd come, the flower, the wolf and the doctor all chums, I was created long before the strife, a hat to tell you what's wrong and what's right, the founders four had each their house, some with the guts of a lion or the wit of a mouse, Gryffindor for those brave and true, Ravenclaw for wit all new, Hufflepuff for loyalty beyond compare, and Slytherin for those who dare, try me on and you will see, that your future stretches endlessly, what house will do its best to make you you? Let's see, come on, it's time, so soon!"
The brim closed again, the hat stilled, and the older students burst into applause. "When I call your name you will sit on the stool and put on the hat," called Professor Smith unrolling a long scroll of parchment. Rose and John looked at each other, "So that's it then we just put on the hat?" whispered John, "I guess," Rose replied very quietly. She still felt nervous, what if the hat placed her in Slytherin, what if she and John ended up in different houses? Rose looked back at Professor Smith as she called out the first name, "Anderson, Phillip!" Anderson walked stiffly forward toward the stool. He was a rather mean looking boy with a sharp pointed nose. He sat down and put on the hat. The first years held their breaths, but almost immediately the hat declared, "Slytherin!" and Anderson walked over to the table second from the right who were applauding happily. Rose and John watched as Gwenyth Cooper became a Hufflepuff and Jenny Flint became a Gryffindor. Rose was becoming increasingly nervous with each passing sorting. On some people, the hat took a long time deciding where to place them for others it was immediate. Rose was sure she was going to be one of those that took ages and ages to decide. Soon it was Martha's turn, and she approached the stool on shaky legs. Sitting down, she pick up the hat and placed it on her head. Immediately the hat shouted, "Ravenclaw!". Martha took the hat off and placed it back on the stool smiling as she made her way over to the table second from the left. "Mitchell, Adam" became another Slytherin, "Moss, Lynda" a Hufflepuff, and "Peth, Astrid" a Gryffindor. A small girl, "Oswin-Oswald, Clara" joined the Ravenclaw table and sat next to Martha along with a short boy, "Owens, Jake". When Amy tried the hat on, it took a while to decide finally on "Gryffindor!" and she happily joined the table on the far left. "Rassilon, Koschei" became a Slytherin and then it was John's turn.
Rose watched as John trudged toward the stool, his face as white as a sheet as he sat on the rickety stool and jammed the hat on his head. It drooped down over his eyes and Rose held her breath waiting for the hat to call out, but it didn't come. Two minutes, nothing had happened people were starting to whisper, five minutes, the professors were getting anxious, and finally at eight minutes the hat announced, "Ravenclaw!". No applause came from the Ravenclaw table, instead a nervous chatter greeted John Smith as he sat down next to Martha. He looked dejected and pale, all traces of his earlier smile wiped from his face. Rose was so concerned about him that she almost missed the next name, "Smith, Mickey". Rose's jaw dropped. It was Mickey, Mickey from school, who she had grown up with, and she had never known, never known that he was a wizard. Mickey made his way to the stool but no one, not even the professors were paying much attention to him as they were still focussed on John's unusual sorting. The hat took only a few seconds to proclaim Mickey a Gryffindor and he walked over to their table still relatively unnoticed by his housemates. Rose felt a pang of guilt for him but nerves quickly over took that as Professor Smith read the next name off the scroll, "Tyler, Rose!". Rose made her way to the stool her legs wobbling as she sat down. The hat was heavy in her hands and Rose could feel the eyes of the other students boring into her. She slipped the hat over her eyes until all she could see was black.