Disclaimer: I do not own or profit in any way from this work. All aspects of the Harry Potter universe belong to J.K. Rowling and affiliated groups. Please ask permission before copying and/or using ideas from the story. Thanks for reading, Phoenixrangers.
Chapter 1: The New student
London's downtown traffic was particularly heavy on the morning of September the first. Dreary clouds hung low over the city and mixed with the smog from the ceaseless streams of cars passing through the capital of England. The vast majority of the city's population went about their daily business without realizing that the first day of September had a special importance to a small number of individuals. These people are muggles, normal everyday nonmagical folk, who live in ignorance of the magic world existing alongside their own.
The first day of September was the beginning of the fall term for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Young witches and wizards from all across the British Isles were descending on London, or more specifically, King's Cross train station. At nine AM there were few magical people about, but in a few short hours one of the largest gatherings of wizards would take place amongst the crowded platforms of the station.
One lone figure stood out among the press of muggles on the platform early in the morning. A tall man, just over six feet, pushed his way past stiff suited businessmen and tired travelers. His name is Kevin Kohana, and he was here to attend Hogwarts for the first time. Kevin did not look anything like the typical first year Hogwarts student. He was wearing a faded rain jacket with the hood pulled up to conceal his face. Dark grey eyes peered out from the depths of the hood to watch all of the activity around him in interest. His raven hair hung down around his ears and framed his proud face with high cheekbones and broad forehead. His coat only partially concealed his powerful build, and he received more than one nervous glance from a passing commuter.
Kevin pushed a trolley ahead of him along the platform. A solid hardwood trunk rested on the trolley, with a covered rectangular cage set on top. Occasionally rustling could be heard from the covered cage. His dark eyes scanned the overhead signs as he pushed further down the station. Platform seven, eight, nine, and then he stopped before reaching platform ten. Kevin pulled a crumpled piece of parchment from his pocket. The Hogwarts Express leaves precisely at eleven o'clock from platform nine and three quarters, King's Cross, London.
"This must be it," Kevin muttered to no one as he stowed the ticket deep in his pocket. Taking a deep breath, he ran at the solid barrier between the two platforms. The next moment he stood in front of a gleaming scarlet steam engine, the Hogwarts Express. The steam shrouded platform was completely deserted at nine thirty in the morning. It would be half an hour before anyone else arrived. Kevin pushed the trolley to the very last car on the train. He easily carried his trunk into one of the compartments and hoisted it into the overhead rack.
A sharp yip came from the covered cage resting on a seat. Kevin smiled and pulled a piece of dried beef from a pocket of his coat and held it up to the cage. A reddish snout shot out and grabbed the meat from between his fingers before retreating back into the darkened confines of the cage. A quick glance out the window confirmed that the platform was still deserted. Without anything else to do, Kevin stretched out over four seats and closed his eyes to rest for a few minutes.
Kevin awoke when the door of his compartment was pulled open from outside. He was on his feet with his alder wand raised before the young girl even realized he was in the compartment.
"I, I'm sorry. I d, d, didn't know you were in here. I'll just leave now," a little girl stuttered.
"It's okay. You just surprised me, that's all. You can stay here if you want." Kevin told the frightened girl after lowering his wand.
"No, I'll go find another compartment. I don't want to bother you." The girl turned and ran down the train, obviously terrified.
'That went well,' Kevin thought to himself. 'I scare away the first person I meet. I hope the rest of the year turns out better than this.' Kevin was about to sit back down when he glanced out the window. The platform was now packed with people who were getting on the train or had come to see sons, daughters, brothers, or sisters off to school.
Right outside the window two nearly identical girls around his age were hugging an older woman who could only be their mother. Two people pushed roughly passed them with a trunk floating a few inches above the ground trailing the two. The two were obviously father and son. The elder of the two was dressed in shimmering silk robes and carried an ornate walking stick which he used to push others out of his way. His son imitated his superior air perfectly. His robes were not silk, but they were expertly made and lined with silver and green thread. Both had blond hair carefully arrayed. Kevin watched the two until they disappeared beyond the window frame. A tall boy with dreadlocks stood waiting not far from where the pair had disappeared. The dreadlocked boy was watching the entrance arch like he was waiting for someone to arrive.
The platform began to empty as all of the children gave their families one last hug before boarding the train. Checking his watch, Kevin saw there was only five minutes until the train departed. The boy with dreadlocks began to look anxious as the departure time crept nearer. Suddenly he began waving wildly while shouting something unintelligible to Kevin. Following the boys gaze, Kevin saw a large group of people appearing through the barrier from the muggle side of the platform. Several members of the group had bright red hair, who Kevin could assume were all related. Also accompanying the group were a young woman with bubblegum pink hair, and a man with a wooden leg and a bowler had pulled low over one of his eyes.
Two other kids were also with the group. One was a young woman with bushy brown hair who clutched a cat carrier. The other was a young man wearing baggy clothes and who was rather thin. He wore round wire rimmed glasses and kept brushing his unkempt black hair out of his eyes. Kevin recognized the boy as the most known figure in the wizarding world. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the defeater of the most powerful dark lord in history, was standing on the platform. The boy certainly didn't look like anything special. The younger portion of the group was quickly shepherded onto the train by the harried red headed mother. The luggage was piled onto the train just as the warning whistle blew. Moments later the train lurched into motion and sped away from the station on the way to Hogwarts.
Kevin was just pulling a large book from his trunk to pass the time when the compartment door slid open behind him. He turned to see three of the people from the platform. Harry Potter, as well as the bushy haired girl and the youngest redhead boy stood uncertainly in the doorway.
"Hi, do you mind if we sit here? All the other compartments are full. Oh, is that Hogwarts, A History? I think the history of the castle is fascinating, and all of the magic that went into building it. I would have loved to meet the founders myself, they all sound amazing."
Bloody Hell, Hermione. Give the man a chance to breathe before you interrogate him. I'm Ron Weasley, by the way. This is Hermione Granger," the redhead said while gesturing to the bushy haired girl. "And this is Harry Potter."
Despite himself, Kevin couldn't prevent his eyes from darting up to Harry's forehead where the famous lightning bolt scar rested. Harry seemed nervous and flattened his hair over his scar to hide it from view. "Yeah, come on in. I don't mind. I'm Kevin Kohana. I'm here as an exchange student from the Salem School of Sorcery. As for this," He raised Hogwarts, A History, "I bought it over the summer when I planned on coming here, but haven't gotten a chance t read it yet."
"Well, you don't need to read it now. Hermione here is our own walking version of the book." Ron told him.
"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "Other people can read things for themselves. Besides, we need to get to the prefect meeting."
"Bloody annoying, that. Well, see you later Harry. You too Kevin." With Harry's help, Ron loaded the three trunks into the luggage rack and followed Hermione down the train.
Kevin and Harry both sat in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes. Harry stared at a spot on the floor while Kevin watched the outskirts of London flash past the window. They both jumped slightly when the compartment door opened again and three people entered.
"Hi Harry. Do you mind if we sit with you and," The red haired girl began.
"Kevin. Kevin Kohana." He told them.
"Oh, well I'm Ginny Weasley. This is Neville Longbottom, and this is Luna Lovegood," She said, gesturing to each of them in turn. "I don't think I've ever seen you before. What year are you in?" She asked Kevin.
"This is my first year at Hogwarts. I'm an exchange student from the Salem School of Sorcery. I'll be a fifth year here, though." Kevin told them.
"Cool. That's the same year as Neville, Ron, Hermione, and I," Harry said. "Which house will you be in? All of us are in Gryffindor."
"I don't know yet. I'm supposed to find out which house I'll be in this evening during the feast. You wouldn't know how they determine which house everyone is in, are you?" Kevin began to get a little nervous when every other occupant of the compartment exchanged mischievous glances and began smiling.
"We might know a little. It's usually a fairly easy test. Last year you had to wrestle a troll, and your house was based on the time you managed to avoid being hit." Ginny said.
"Yeah, and the year before that it was swimming across the lake. Only two first years needed to be rescued from the giant squid at the end." Neville added.
"This year will probably involve the forbidden forest. Maybe you'll have to spend the night and get sorted in the morning." Ginny continued. Kevin looked slightly incredulous as he scanned their faces. Finally, he settled on Harry and gave him a withering stare. Harry was only able to keep a straight face for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. The others soon followed.
"Sorry," Harry gasped, "but it's a Hogwarts tradition to never reveal how you are sorted. You'll just have to wait until the feast tonight. I can tell you that the test is simple and not painful."
"Thanks a lot." Kevin grumbled. "You could have just said that in the first place."
"What's the fun in that?" Ginny asked. "Besides, if you think we're bad you need to meet my brothers. Fred and George are considered the greatest troublemakers in Hogwarts since the time of Harry's parents. The Marauders are still a school legend."
"The marauders?" Kevin asked.
"That's what my father and his friends called themselves while in school. My dad was the leader, and the others were Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew." Harry told him, spitting out Peter's name in disgust.
Kevin let the subject drop while Neville and Ginny looked at Harry with concern. They weren't used to seeing him this angry. Luna, who was sitting opposite Neville, pulled a magazine titled The Quibbler from her bag. Kevin noticed that she was reading the magazine upside down. Deciding not to question anything, he went back to starring out the window at the passing scenery.
"Hey, guess what I got over the summer." Neville pulled a strange gray cactus out of his trunk. Small boils covered the plant instead of spines, and it seemed to pulse in Neville's hands. "This is a Mimbulus Mimbletonia. My uncle Algie got it from Assyria, and they're supposed to be really rare. I don't think they have one at Hogwarts, even. It also has a really interesting defense mechanism. Want to see?"
"Sure." Everyone replied a bit hesitantly, slightly wary of Neville's sudden enthusiasm.
"Here, hold Trevor." Neville pulled a toad out of his pocket and dumped it in Harry's lap. He then pulled a quill out of his pocket. Carefully picking a spot, Neville poked the plant sharply with the tip of the quill just as the door to the compartment slid open. Great jets of green slime spurted from every boil on the plant. Kevin and Ginny threw their hands up to protect their faces while Luna hid behind her upside down newspaper. Harry and Neville, whose hands were occupied with the plant and containing the Trevor, were covered in the slime from the waist up. The worst hit, however, was the young woman standing in the open door. She had long silky black hair and bright eyes that were wide with shock and anger. Her entire front was covered in the green slime, and her open mouth was filled with the stuff. She seemed frozen in surprise, and just stared at the rest of them. The worst part was the strong smell of manure the slime gave off.
"I'm sorry, Cho, I was just showing the others my new plant. Don't worry, stinksap isn't poisonous." Neville said when the girl had spit her mouthful of slime onto the floor. Cho didn't say anything. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she turned and ran from the compartment.
"Cho, wait. What did you want?" Harry called after her, but received no answer.
"Don't worry about it, Harry. Cho's probably still having trouble getting over Cedric from last year," Ginny told him.
"She's not the only one," Harry mutter so quietly that Kevin was the only one close enough to hear. Kevin knew that the triwizard tournament had been hosted at Hogwarts the previous year, and that one student had been killed during the final task, but he did not know the details. Seeing the look of pain on Harry's face, he decided not to ask any questions.
"Don't worry, we can get rid of this stuff easily," Ginny said. She pulled out her wand and muttered "evanesco." The green slime vanished, but a faint stench of cow manure remained.
"Sorry about that. I've never done that before. Normally it just shoots out a little stinksap." Neville apologized.
"Don't worry, the smell drove away any Wrackspurts check and see if this is the correct creature that were in the room. They make your brain all fuzzy." Luna said in a dreamy sort of voice. She immediately went back to reading her magazine, ignoring the stares from the other occupants of the compartment.
"Does anyone want to play a game of exploding snap?" Ginny asked as she pulled a deck of cards from her trunk. Everyone but Luna agrees, and soon they had a boisterous game going. While playing, Kevin told the others more about his life in America, what his school was like there, and his friends from school. He didn't say much about his parents other than his father was a full blooded Sioux Indian and his mother was a member of the magical branch of the American military. Eventually the topic changed to what everyone had done over the summer. Kevin didn't join in this discussion, and noticed that Harry didn't say much either except that his summer was "A normal one spent with the Dursley's."
When Neville tried to question him about an apparent dementor attack and trial, Harry just said he didn't want to talk about it, and threw down his cards when Neville persisted. The entire pile of cards blew up in their face, immediately ending the game. Ron and Hermione returned to find the compartment filled with smoke, and every member sporting small burns from the cards.
"What happened here?" Hermione asked immediately. "You haven't been fighting?"
"No, Hermione." Ginny said crossly. "Harry just decided to blow up the entire deck of cards in our face. All Neville wanted to know was what happened over the summer."
"And I don't want to talk about it," Harry said. "You must have read the paper over the summer; it was all explained in there."
"The ministry approved version was in the Prophet. With everything they have been saying about you this summer, I thought the true story would be different than the one printed in the Prophet. I don't believe anything that paper has printed about you this summer." Neville said.
"I don't want to talk about it. Just know that nobody was hurt, and I got off without any punishment. The trial was more as a punishment for saying Voldemort had returned than anything else."
When Harry said Voldemort's name, everyone in the compartment shuddered except Harry, Luna, and Kevin. Neville was so surprised that he dropped his Mimbulus Mimbletonia. Only a quick lunge by Kevin saved the plant from striking the floor. Harry and Ginny both sighed in relief when Kevin managed to catch the plant without covering the compartment in stinksap again.
"Don't drop this again. One bath in stinksap is more than enough," Kevin told the embarrassed Neville when he handed the grey cactus back to the boy.
Ron and Hermione finally dropped into the two free seats nearest the door. Neither seemed to realize just how close they had come to getting covered in stinksap. "I'll give you one guess who's the new Slytherin prefect," Ron said.
Harry Groaned. "Not Malfoy?"
Ron nodded. "Good guess. The pig Pansy is the other Slytherin prefect."
"Who are the other prefects?" Harry asked
"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff, and Anthony Goldstein with Padma Patil for Ravenclaw." Hermione said. "Malfoy is already abusing his badge by abusing the younger students. We saw him throw two students out of a compartment so he and his friends could have it for themselves. If he keeps this up, I will report him."
"Report me for what, Granger? My blood?" No one had heard the compartment door slide open again. Three boys stood in the doorway. The pale, blond haired boy Kevin had seen on the platform stood in the middle with a sneer on his ferretlike face. He was the one who had spoken. Two hulking gorilla like boys flanked him, looking like a combination of enforcer and bodyguard. "All the other little mudbloods actually have the intelligence to give me the respect I deserve, unlike you. With the dark lord back, it won't be long before you receive the punishment you deserve."
Harry, Ron, and Ginny all surged to their feet while reaching for their wands. "Take that back, Malfoy, before we make you!" Ron demanded. The two hulking bodyguards moved in front of Malfoy, cracking their knuckles threateningly.
"Careful, Potter, careful. I might just have to give you a detention. I'm a prefect, so you have to listen to me this year." Malfoy drawled.
Ron and I are prefects too, Malfoy." Hermione told him. "Why don't you just leave the rest of us alone?"
"I'll leave when I want to, mudblood, and not when you ask me to." He snapped. At this, Kevin decided he had had enough from Malfoy.
"I believe she asked you to leave. Now get out." Everyone looked to Kevin in surprise as he slowly stood. For the first time he pulled off his worn jacket. Beneath, he wore a sleeveless leather vest over a plain green shirt. His bare arms were heavily muscled and as big around as Malfoy's pale head. The most striking feature, though, was the four parallel scars running from his left shoulder down to the inside of his elbow. It looked almost as if he had been clawed by some animal.
Malfoy's smirk slid off his face as he backed away from Kevin to hide behind his two towering bodyguards. His eyes were locked on the scar running along Kevin's arm. His nervous look changed to fear when he realized that Kevin was larger than either of his two bodyguards, and looked much fiercer. "Who are you?" He asked.
"My name's Kevin," Kevin told him. "I'm an exchange student from the Salem School of Sorcery in America."
"Well, I guess I can't fault you for your poor choice in friends when you don't know anyone here. It must just be bad luck that you picked the worst group in the entire school. You picked the compartment with the mudblood bookworm, blood traitor weasels, fat squib, and the lying potty. You might want to consider forgetting about these people and making friends with true British wizards," Malfoy said.
"I can make my own choices, thanks. And I don't want to make friends with anyone who you consider a true British wizard. I've dealt with people like you before, and I won't take any insults from you."
"Are you threatening me? You'll pay for that later." Malfoy threatened with a sneer.
"I'm sure. Just remember, don't start a fight that you're not prepared to finish. Now get out." Malfoy and his two bodyguards retreated under Kevin's withering glare, and he shut the door behind them.
"You sure had him running scared. The little weasel will probably be horrible all year now that daddy's little boss is back." Ron said.
"What?" Kevin asked.
"You've heard about the return of Voldemort?" Harry asked before Ron could speak.
"Yes. Just so you know, I don't believe everything your ministry is printing about you being a liar." Kevin told him.
"Thanks." Harry said a bit uncertainly, having not read most of the ministry claims himself. "Anyway, Malfoy's father was one of Voldemort's closest supporters before Voldemort fell. He is also a powerful member of the wizenagamot and a friend of minister Fudge."
"Wait, are you saying that the head of your ministry is friends with a servant of Voldemort?" Kevin asked.
Harry nodded. "Malfoy uses his money and influence to weaken the ministry and draw attention away from Vol…" Harry was cut off.
"Oi! Will you stop saying his name already!" Ron yelled. "You know we don't like to hear it."
"Sorry. Malfoy draws attention away from You-Know-Who. The ministry is doing nothing to prepare to confront him while he continues to gather followers. So far he hasn't done anything to draw attention to himself. Nobody wants to believe that You-Know-Who is back, so they just ignore it."
"They'll come to their senses eventually. Once Voldemort…"
"Oi!"
"Get over it. Once Voldemort begins attacking others they will come to their senses." Kevin told them.
"I just hope it won't be too late to stop him by then," Harry mumbled. The others looked guilty and nervous at the prospect of Voldemort attacking their friends and family. The train rattled over a high bridge crossing a swift river before anyone spoke again.
"Who were the two goons following Malfoy?" Kevin asked the others.
"They were his self appointed bodyguards Crabbe and Goyle. The two follow him everywhere. They're strong, but not very bright."
"They looked like they're not used to someone standing against them. I can't wait for the two of them to try fighting me."
"Are you sure you can handle Crabbe and Goyle by yourself?" Ginny asked.
Kevin smiled. "I'm sure. Those two are big, but they got their strength from their parents, not hard work. There's a big difference between the two. I can guarantee those two haven't had much experience against anyone as strong as they are."
"I hope you end up in Gryffindor. It's almost a prerequisite to make an enemy of Malfoy before you can be sorted into the house." Ron said.
"Can you tell us more about America and the Salem academy?" Hermione asked.
"Sure." Kevin spent the rest of the trip describing life in America and how it differed from what he had seen so far in Britain. Kevin described life with the American auror corp, since he spent most of his Christmas and Easter holidays living at Fort Meade. He also related his story about a hunt with his father when he was thirteen. Kevin revealed that the scar on his arm had come from a dog that attacked him one day.
Harry bought a large pile of cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs from the trolley to share with everyone. Soon all the talk about dark lords was forgotten, and the seven teenagers were having a great time swapping chocolate frog cards. When darkness fell, the group took turns changing into their robes. Since he had yet to be sorted, Kevin's robes were solid black. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville all had red on their robes to symbolize Gryffindor, and Luna had blue for Ravenclaw.
Half an hour later the Hogwarts Express began to slow down with a slight screech of brakes. A few minutes later the train stopped at the brightly lit Hogsmeade station. Ron and Hermione left after exacting promises someone would look after their pets. Kevin carefully picked up his still covered cage and followed Harry, Neville, and Ginny into the flow of students in the corridor. Many students stared at Kevin, but he ignored them. A few feet ahead, Harry seemed to be looking for someone without success.
Near the end of the platform a woman was shouting "First years over here! Right this way! First Years!" Harry and Ginny seemed confused by her presence. They were whispering frantically, and he only caught scattered phrases. "Where's Hagrid? Back from mission. Grubley Plank." Made little sense to him. From their reaction though, it was clear that this woman was not normally here.
"Hey, Kevin. Do you know where Pig is?" Ron asked, suddenly appearing at his elbow.
"Pig?"
"My owl. Stupid name, but blame it on Ginny."
"I think Luna had him. Ginny also had Hermione's cat."
"Kevin, have you seen Crookshanks?" Hermione had caught up to Ron and him.
"Ginny has him," He said, correctly guessing that Crookshanks was her cat. "There she is, over by that carriage." Kevin looked away from the carriage to continue looking for Luna, since he was one of the tallest in the crowd, when he did a double take. Hitched to the front of the carriages, standing quietly while the students swarmed around them, were several horses. These horses were not normal however. Each was jet black and skeletal; looking like someone had taken a horse skeleton and stretched leathery skin over it. Bat like wings lay folded over the horses back while the dead looking eyed idly watched passing students. Kevin recognized the horses as Thestrals. They were supposed to be impossible to train, but someone had obviously taught them to pull the school carriages.
Everyone else completely ignored the horses, with the exception of one person. Harry stood rooted in front of the carriage, staring at the Thestral not five feet from him. Harry quickly pulled Ron over when he reached the carriage with Kevin and Hermione.
"What is it?" Harry asked him.
"What's what?"
"There, pulling the carriages. What are they?"
"There's nothing there, Harry. The carriages are pulling themselves, like always." Hermione told him.
"Can't, Can't you see them." Harry asked desperately.
"There's nothing there, Harry." Hermione said again, now sounding slightly worried. "Let's just go. We're holding up the other carriages."
"But I don't have Pig yet!" Ron protested. Just then, Luna appeared from nowhere with the owl in her grasp.
"Here you go, Ron. He's a cute little owl, isn't he?" She handed the cage with the overexcited owl to Ron before turning to Harry. "Don't worry, I can see them too. You're just as sane as I am." She climbed into the carriage without a backward glance. Harry now looked more worried than before. When Luna was the only other person who agreed with you on something, you should worry.
"Don't worry. I can see them too," Kevin told Harry. They're called Thestrals. Normally they live in forests and caves away from humans, but someone managed to tame this group."
"Why are they here now? The carriages always pull themselves." Harry asked.
"Have you seen anyone die recently?" Kevin asked, his voice suddenly much gentler than normal.
Harry nodded. "Last spring, during the Triwizard tournament."
"Thestrals can only be seen by those who have seen someone die before. They've probably always pulled the carriages, but you just haven't been able to see them before now," Kevin told him. Harry's face relaxed and he managed a small smile. "Thanks. I thought everyone's wish had been granted and I was finally going crazy. Come on, let's go." Harry began to climb into the carriage before a sudden thought occurred to him. "Wait, if you can see them, who did you see die?" he asked.
"Ask me again sometime. It's not something I like to talk about." Kevin said in a tone that clearly meant the conversation was over. With a shrug, Harry climbed into the dark confines of the carriage and Kevin followed. With a jerk, the carriage took off after the others, following the road out of Hogsmeade and up to Hogwarts.