Chapter One

Mindlessly playing with a chocolate frog, a small blond boy sat on the edge of his chair, eagerly looking out of the train window. It was ten o'clock, a full hour before the train was due to leave, but Luke had insisted on arriving early so that he could meet every single first-year before they got sorted into houses. He was actually distantly familiar with the names and stories of most of the students because his mom and brother never stopped gossiping about various wizarding families. Regardless, Luke wanted to get an impression of all his classmates before they were divided up. At last someone burst onto the platform, juggling trunks and owls precariously on their cart. He knew this girl as Athena because his brother had been hopelessly pining over her elder sister all summer. Luke bounced up out of his seat to meet her.

'Hey, you're Athena, right?' Luke said, walking towards her.

'Yeah,' Athena responded hesitantly. 'You're Snyder? Is that right?'

"Yeah, I'm Luke! Luke Snyder. Nice to meet you! Let me help you with all this stuff! Wow I love your owl she looks amazing. Brand new I reckon. What's her name?" And with that Luke was completely in his milieu, speaking a million words a minute trying to get to know all his fellow first-years and making them feel right at home.

Soon enough there were hundreds of students on the train and the upper-year students were savouring the familiar sights and smells of the bustling chaos that the Hogwarts Express always provided. Luke, meanwhile, was standing in the doorway of a full compartment with Athena and a few other students, still keeping a keen eye out for new first-years to meet. His brother walked by muttering something about blocking the aisle but Luke wasn't listening as all his attention was on an unfamiliar face looking dumbfounded at the station around him. Through the train's window Luke couldn't hear what was going on but someone seemed to be impatiently telling the boy to stop blocking the barrier and the boy clumsily complying. Without even looking at his compartment-mates, Luke rushed against the stream of students to greet this lost looking boy.

Noah stood completely baffled. A fellow student had kindly shown him how to get onto the platform, but by the time he had gotten through the barrier he couldn't see her anywhere. He looked around in awe of his surroundings. In just two years the Army had brought he and his father around the world from Constantinople to India but nothing compared to what he was seeing now. He just got out of the way in time to avoid a collision with a tall looking kid much older than himself before looking around for someone who could tell him which car to board. Seeing no one, he smiled a little realizing that this was just the same as the normal world. Noah looked at the man beside him giving some last minute advice to his child. After the few seconds he spent mesmerized by the moving pictures on the newspaper under the man's arm, he tentatively tapped his shoulder to ask for help. But at this very moment he caught a glimpse of a blond head parting the crowd and walking in his direction. Noah didn't even notice the man responding to him as he looked transfixed at this boy.

'Hi', Luke said approaching the boy confidently. 'I'm Luke, and you are?'

'Noah. Yeah, I'm Noah. Um, could you tell me which car to get on please?' Noah said, relieved to have finally found some instructions.

'Oh sure' he replied, 'Just follow me, I think there's room in our compartment. Well if there isn't, it's okay we can squish you in. We're just over here.' Luke showed Noah up the stairs and into the compartment. 'Everybody, this is Noah.'