Chapter 1
The train whistle reverberated throughout the platform as youth of varying ages rushed to board. Some were wearing robes of black; others dressed casually, talking to their parents, or boarded immediately having not been accompanied by anyone in particular. Of the people that had boarded early, was a boy of eleven sitting alone in a compartment staring blankly out the window onto the platform below. As his eyes skimmed the crowd, they fell upon a boy who looked to be about his age, bearing a remarkable resemblance to the man he was hugging goodbye, minus the lightning shaped scar on his forehead.
Looking from the window to his lap, he fiddled with his thirteen inch Bermuda Cedar wand. He'd only just gotten it last year, and though he'd looked at it what seemed like a million times he never really studied it. It had been his mothers. He still remembered the smell of bacon and eggs on the morning that he'd awoke to the gift wrapped box lying on the pillow next to his head. He'd carried it into the kitchen with him when he ran to give his mother a hug. Even with the overwhelming smell of breakfast wafting through their house, he closed his eyes as she wrapped him up and breathed in the fresh smell of her perfume, and felt her soft hair on his face. After breakfast when he had finally begged her to let him open it, he hadn't had anything to say when he gazed down at the wand in the wooden case. Gently, he picked it up, and held it firmly in his right hand. He had been a little disappointed when nothing spectacular had happened, but he just smiled and thanked his mom. All that had been before the accident, a year ago on his tenth birthday. The train gave a lurch as it started forward, bringing him back to the compartment in which he was seated.
A knock at the compartment door aroused him from his ponderings. Cygnus Thrace looked up into the green eyes of the messy black haired boy he'd seen on the platform a few moments earlier.
"H-Hey. Do you mind if I sit here?" The green eyed boy asked shyly as he motioned to the seat across from Cygnus, "My brother is being a jerk."
Cygnus gave a nervous half-smile and nodded. The boy took his seat and scooted over to the window, positioning the two boys directly across from each other. Cygnus shifted his gaze to his shoes, wiggled his toes, then proceeded to stare silently out the window at the fast moving countryside. It had been a few moments of slightly uncomfortable silence when a girl with frizzy shoulder length red hair and book in her hand, slid the compartment door open forcefully and addressed the boy across from him.
"Al! I've been looking for you for ages. I had no idea where you'd gone."
She plopped down next to Al, and met Cygnus' surprised stare.
"And who is this then?" She asked the boy she called Al, without breaking their eye contact. Al, opened his mouth to answer when it appeared to have struck him that they hadn't introduced themselves to one another. Cygnus responded for him, with another nervous grin.
"Cygnus Thrace. Everyone just calls me Cyg."
His effort to be welcoming hadn't been in vain and he was met with a bright self-assured smile from the frizzy-haired redhead.
"I'm Rose. Rose Weasley. And this mannerless boy next to me is Al."
"Albus Potter." He smiled, obviously reassured by the presence of the girl next to him. "We're cousins."
Cyg simply nodded in acknowledgement and turned back towards the window. Soon Rose and Al were lost in conversation, and he just sat back and tried not to eavesdrop, as he wondered what Hogwarts would be like.
The sky grew darker as the train grew closer to Hogwarts. Cyg's stomach let out an unceremonious growl, startling him out of the doze he'd fallen into. He look from the window across the compartment. Rose had her nose buried in the book she had when she first boarded the train, and Al was passed out with his head against the cool window leaving little condensation clouds with every sleepy exhale. He wasn't sure whether or not Rose would be perturbed should if he interrupted her reading, but he ventured his question anyway.
"Hey Rose," he said her name quietly trying not to wake up Al but loud enough to try and get her attention, it didn't seem like she'd heard him. "ROSE!" He said in a louder whisper. She look a bit disoriented as she gave him a quick look, acknowledging him. "I'm going to get something to eat, do you want anything?"
She shook her head, and gave him a brief smile before she was once more immersed her book.
Cygnus opened the door and stepped into the train corridor. He wasn't sure where he could get food, but he figured if he walked around long enough he'd find something. He made his way toward the back of the train. He passed various compartments with a variety of students in each. Soon he spotted a cart that had, what appeared to be, food on it. He could hear the woman pushing the cart shouting out the names of different candies and whatnot.
He hurried toward the cart, but before he reached it a rude older girl burst out of the compartment ahead of him, nearly shoving him to the ground. She was taller than him, and appeared to be older as well. She had a badge on her chest that read "Prefect", and her hair was a pale blonde; almost white.
"Excuse me," she said as she pushed past him," would you mind trying not to get in my way. Kay, thanks."
She smiled sweetly like she had been doing a social service by telling him he was in the way. He reestablished his footing and watched her walk toward the cart.
"I'll have…", her voice was like velvet, and her shoulder length hair swayed as she tilted her head in mock consideration," a cauldron cake please."
The old woman handed her the treat and she turned around. He noticed she was wearing a blue uniform tie.
"What are you looking at?"
"Um, well I, what is that thing you just bought?"
"None of your business freak."
Cyg stepped aside as she pushed past him again on her way back to her compartment. The one thing that left him unsettled was how nice her voice had sounded while she was insulting him. He looked over the cart. Everything looked so foreign to him. He'd lived in the wizarding world all of his life, but his mom had never been big on candies. After a few seconds he decided he'd wait until they reached the school. Besides, the run in he'd had with the older girl had left an unsatisfactory taste in his mouth.
Cyg walked into his compartment empty handed, meeting Rose's questioning glance.
"I decided I wasn't hungry."
He flopped face down onto the seat. As it grew darker, and he figured they would probably reach the school in a little while. A good time for a nap, he thought to himself. His eyelids soon grew heavy and his surrounding eventually faded into darkness.
Cygnus awoke to someone prodding and pushing him. Groggily he sat up and stretched with a gaping yawn.
"Wha?"
"We're at the station near the castle."
Cygnus immediately came to his senses. He was supposed to have been changed into his school robes. Kids were leaving the train already. He'd never have time to get changed. Rose and Albus sat there staring at him expectantly.
"You guys didn't think about waking me up?"
"We tried," Rose said in a stern, almost motherly disapproving tone.
"But you sleep like a log; a big snoring log." Al finished with a playful smirk.
"Well thanks a lot." Cyg replied with a slight grin," I'll change at the castle I guess."
He stood up and grabbed his bag from the over head rack, and the trio made their way off the train and towards the castle.
The crowd of first years was rather large as they followed the large, giant-esque man in front of them. Rose and Al had greeted their guide warmly, almost as though they already knew the giant, and the three fell into step almost directly beside Hagrid, as they called him. As they walked along the worn trail, Cygnus couldn't help be intimidated by the large forest surrounding them. He wondered how many dangerous and wonderful magical creatures lived there, and whether or not he'd be able to interact with them at all this year. The mangle of eleven year olds gasped. They had come to a stop next to a huge body of water.
"This er' is tha lake. Now mind yer'self getting on yer boats. Don' want yer lot ter fall in now, nasty creatures in ther', ther' are."
Ten boats seemed to appear out of nowhere in a neat row along the bank of the lake, and students were climbing in, some not being as careful as they should have been, and others scared to death of the very idea of being on a boat. Al and Rose seemed just as at ease as everyone else, but Cyg's face went shock white. He'd never learned how to swim. He and his mom had never lived near water, so he'd never had a chance to learn. The black waters of the lake looked menacing. Slowly he regained his composure, and step quickly into the boat, which rocked too much for his taste.
The boat ride to the castle was slow, and Cygnus spent most of his time staring at his reflection in the unnaturally still water of the lake. Even though the boats cut into the surface, the water didn't even ripple. Once he thought he'd seen a pale face staring up at him from beneath the surface of the obsidian lake, but as fast as he blinked, it was gone. He noticed Rose's hushed conversation with Albus, and turned his head to join in.
"I'm still a little nervous about the sorting ceremony," Al's face grew a bit green as he spoke, "I don't want to let everyone down."
"Oh Al don't be ridiculous, you know your parents will be proud of you no matter what. And don't worry about James," Rose tried to reassure him.
"What house do you think you'll be sorted into?" Cygnus ventured. He'd thought about it a little bit on the boat ride to the castle in an attempt to distract himself from the eerie water. It wasn't as though he himself had a particular house he preferred, and being as he'd never really had much of a chance to talk with his mom about, it really didn't bother him that much either way.
"Not Hufflepuff, I know that for sure,"he sounded sure," I don't think I'm Ravenclaw material either."
"You'll probably end up in Gryffindor like the rest of your goody-goody family."
The voice had come from closer to the back of the boat. The boy who spoke had longish pale blonde hair, which looked like it was slicked back and had to have been held in place by some pretty serious magic.
"And you'll probably end up in Slytherin like your prat of a father." Rose shot back, the tips of her ears turning bright red as she flushed with anger.
Scorpius Malfoy moved as if to proceed with the confrontation and the boat gave a harsh jerk. Cygnus felt his heart have a palpitation and tried to diffuse the situation before a brawl started that would capsize their small vessel.
"Slytherin might not be so bad?"
Rose turned on him glaring.
"Not so bad?!" He voice rose threateningly. " Only the most evil, twisted and smarmy gits come out of Slytherin!"
Cyg couldn't help but notice Al shrink back a little bit at the description his cousin had provided for the types of people admitted into the Slytherin house.
"Not all Slytherins are bad!" Scorpius countered. "My father says other houses have produced some pretty dark wizards and witches, even Gryffindor. Don't get all preachy. You must be a Weasley." His lip turned up slightly at the last word, but just enough so that it was barely noticeable. Cygnus was grateful that Rose hadn't. Once they reached the other side he was the first one out of the boat onto dry ground, and even grew to appreciate the climb to the castle as simply because it was solid. The bickering between Rose and Scorpius continued all the way to the entrance hall. A young woman with dark auburn shoulder length hair met them at the entrance to the Great Hall, introducing herself as Madame Hilderod. She had a pretty, round face and a sharp nose, and hazel eyes that jumped around the crowd of first years. Obviously checking to make sure that no one fell in the lake and got eaten by anything.
"Cygnus Perceval Thrace?" Their eyes met and he was given a stern look.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Young man, I assume you were informed that your robes and school attire were to be on your persons before you reached the school. School rules will be enforced Mr. Thrace. Let this be a warning."
Cygnus just looked towards the ground and he felt his ears turning red. Madame Hilderod's voice wasn't mean, or reprimanding, but simply informative; though having the attention on him made Cyg feel like he had just been dumped into a tub of ice water. He heard the snickers of the other first years, and even Rose grinned and Albus gave him a friendly shoulder bump.
"Now you will all stay in a group, two lines single file, as you walk without trampling one another up to the front of the Great Hall. Then you will be sorted into your houses, and you will take your place at the appropriate tables." She looked around expectantly to make sure everyone had understood.
"Off you go then."
The giant doors opened and they were lead into a huge chamber. Cygnus gawked in awe at the candles floating in the air overhead, and was absolutely puzzled by the ceilings scenery. Immediately the talking from the tables on either side of them fell quiet. The group made their way to the front of the large room.