-Chapter One-

The Train Journey

A scarlet steam engine was waiting impatiently next to a platform packed with people. Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the hustling and bustling crowd. There was a wrought-iron archway with the words Platform Nine and Three Quarters on it.

At eleven o'clock precisely the driver whistled and the train began to pull away from the platform, leaving some of the chattering crowd behind.

Throughout the train were chatting and laughing students trying to find a compartment to sit in for the long journey.

In one of the compartments there was a girl sitting looking out of the window. She had long light brown hair and brown eyes, and was slim but quite short, wearing a pink hoody and three-quarter-length jeans.

"Anyone sitting here?" She looked round and saw a boy with black messy hair and emerald green eyes that were hidden behind his round glasses. "Everywhere else is full."

"If you want," the girl replied.

"Oh here you are Harry!" A girl with dark brown hair, held up messily in a pair of buns, with the darkest brown eyes ever possible, swung through the door. She was wearing a bright pink skirt with purple tights. "There's a guy down there, Lee or something, and he's got a tarantula. It's really cool. Oh who are you?"

"I'm Charlotte Slater, who are you?"

"Oh yeah, I'm Amy Black. Nice to make your acquaintance," Amy said shaking Charlotte's hand.

"And I'm Harry…Potter."

"Really? You're Harry Potter? And have you really got – you know…the…the," Charlotte blurted out and pointed at Harry's forehead.

"He's not a sideshow freak you know!" Amy snapped rudely.

"It's alright," Harry replied and pulled back his fringe to show his lightning scar.

"So that's where You-Know-Who-?"

"Yes that's where Voldemort turned on Harry after killing his mum, but the spell backfired and left Voldemort really weak, blah, blah, blah, we all know the story thanks!" Amy snapped.

"Sorry Harry, I didn't mean to offend you!" Charlotte replied quietly.

"It's OK, really, I don't remember any of it, just a lot of green light but nothing else," Harry said.

"I don't suppose you saw loads of boys with red hair near that tarantula?" Charlotte asked.

"Oh you mean the Weasleys? No I didn't but they're around somewhere," Amy replied.

"Never mind, I'll find Ron later. He's supposed to be meeting me, that's all. Did you bring any animals?" Charlotte asked.

"I've got a snowy owl called Hedwig from Diagon alley the other day. What about you?" Harry replied.

"I have an elf owl called Lolly. What about you Amy?"

"Oh what? Yeah animals, I've got a long-eared owl, she's called Aella, it means Whirlwind."

"Nice. Do you play Quidditch?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah of course! I play chaser. You?" Amy replied, finally warming to Charlotte.

"I play chaser too. My mum says I'm good and should try out next year. What about you?"

"Wild hippogriffs wouldn't keep me away! Harry plays too, but I have to say he doesn't have the natural skill that I possess," Amy replied sarcastically.

"Excuse me, I'm a great seeker," Harry replied.

"Yeah I suppose for someone who's optically challenged."

"Shut up, you're just jealous!"

Amy was about to make a smart comeback when the compartment door opened and a tall, thin and gangling boy, with freckles and flaming red hair came in and shut the door behind him.

"Ronald, where have you been? You were meant to meet me ages ago!" Charlotte said playfully.

"Ssh, I'm hiding form Fred, George and Lee Jordan. They've got a huge tarantula and keep chasing me," Ron replied.

"I've seen it too, I thought it was really cool!" Amy said.

"Cool is not the word I was thinking of, Amy," Ron replied as he sat down next to Charlotte.

"So, hang on. You know each other?" Charlotte asked.

"Yeah, mine and Amy's parents are distant cousins or something, and I know Harry because he lives with Amy."

"OK cool, you never told me you knew Harry!" Charlotte said indignantly.

"You never asked me," Ron replied coolly.

"How do you know Ron then Char?" Amy asked.

"Oh, we've known each other since we were babies. Our dads both work near each other in the Ministry."

"Also our dads were in the same year at school and in Gryffindor and have been best friends since they were young," Ron replied.

"Oh, well, anyway, I saw the Chudley Cannons are out of the league, that was a surprise! Whereas the Prides are through to the finals," Amy said mockingly.

"That was just sheer of bad luck, and anyway everyone knows the Prides cheated in the last game," Ron replied sulkily and Charlotte agreed.

"You what! The Prides are the best team in the league at the moment and at least they're actually doing something. The Cannons haven't won since 1892! Don't tell me you support Chudley Cannons as well Char!" Amy yelled.

"Yeah, they are the best!" Charlotte replied.

"See, it's two against one, Amy," Ron said. Amy and Ron started to argue.

"This could go on for hours," Harry said to Charlotte, "let's try and distract them!"

"Ron, what's in your pocket?" Charlotte asked.

"You what? Oh yeah, it's Scabbers, total waste of space." Ron pulled out an old, fat dishevelled rat.

"Oh you poor thing, how come you've been given that?" Charlotte asked sympathetically.

"Well Percy got an owl for being a prefect, so he gave me this," Ron had just stuffed Scabbers in his pocket when the compartment door once again opened.

"Well I wondered how long it would be until you popped up Malfoy!" Charlotte snapped. Three boys slithered in; the middle one was a pale boy with blonde hair. The other two looked thick and extremely mean. Standing either side of the pale boy they looked like bodyguards.

"Well Slater, I didn't come to see you, I came to see the famous Harry potter. So it's you is it?" The pale boy drawled looking at Harry.

"Yes," Harry replied.

"This is Crabbe and Goyle. Now we know you haven't been able to show your real side, so we came to give you to join us. I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy."

"He is fine where he is, thank you very much, so why don't you make, like a tree, and leave, ferret face!" Amy snapped.

"Who do you think you are, talking to a Malfoy like that!"

" I'm Amy Black, and you're a worthless scum!" Amy replied loftily and Ron laughed.

"What are you laughing at? I'm guessing you're a Weasley; red hair, freckles and hand-me-down clothes. Your parents have more kids then they can afford!"

"Malfoy, that was well out of order, now get out. You can't just come in here and start mouthing off. Good bye!" Charlotte yelled while Harry tried to restrain Ron.

"Just remember what I said Potter. You don't want to hang around with the wrong sort!" Malfoy said and turned to leave.

"I can tell the wrong sort for myself!" Harry replied.

Draco turned round; his cheeks turned a pinkish tinge. He glared at them, and "If you're not more careful you'll go the same way as your mother," Draco replied coolly and left.

"I really don't like him!" Charlotte said as she shut the door.

The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder while the group sat quietly, all angered by Draco Malfoy. A girl with bushy brown hair and unusually large front teeth entering the compartment broke the silence. She was already in her uniform.

"Hi, I was wondering if you've seen the woman selling food. It's just she hasn't been up our end of the train and we're all hungry," the girl asked in a bossy sort of voice.

"No she's not been here either," Charlotte replied.

"I'm Hermione Granger by the way," the girl announced haughtily.

"Oh that's nice," Amy replied quite rudely.

"Sorry about her. I'm Charlotte Slater, he's Ron Weasley, and he's Harry Potter!"

"Goodness me, are you really? Wow, it's lovely to meet you!"

"Here we go again," Amy mumbled.

"And this grouch is Amy Black. Like Char said, she is always like that. So what house do you want to be in?" Harry asked.

"I've been asking around. Gryffindor would be the best. I'll sit here with you for a bit if you don't mind?" Hermione replied,

"Sure, take a seat," Charlotte said politely, while Amy scowled out of the window.

"Have you brought an animal, Hermione?" Charlotte asked, trying to strike up a conversation to remove the awkward atmosphere.

"No, I haven't found one to suit my needs."

"What do you mean 'to suit your needs'?" Ron asked.

"It doesn't matter. Now have you read any of our books yet? I've read all of them at least five times and I know them practically off by heart. Being a muggle myself, I wanted to catch up. I suppose you're all from wizarding families. Do you think I'll be at a disadvantage? Oh I hope not." She said this all very fast.

Charlotte, Ron and Harry looked horrified; none of them had really opened their books, while Amy just snorted.

"You have way too much time on your hands, you know that!" Amy said.

"I'm not a keen reader. I find them a bit boring," Charlotte said quietly and Hermione looked at her in disgust.

"Well I don't think there's a question I couldn't answer at the moment," Hermione said smugly.

"Good for you!" Amy snapped.

"I just like to be well prepared," Hermione replied.

"How did we get stuck with miss-know-it-all?" Ron whispered to Charlotte causing her to laugh loudly.

"What's the matter with you?" Harry asked.

"Nothing. How much longer do you think it will be? My bum is really sore!" Charlotte whined.

"Shouldn't be that much longer. Maybe we should get changed. You boys can leave now," Hermione ordered, rather bossily.

Hermione was right. Within fifteen minutes the train pulled slowly into a station.

"Right, I suppose we had better be going!" Amy said excitedly, and they went out into the passageway to join the rest of the students.

"I would be very grateful if people would STOP BUMPING INTO ME!" Amy shouted and started to push people to get off the train. She was one of the first ones off.

"Take your time why don't you," she yelled sarcastically to the others.

There was a sign on the platform with the words First years wait here on it.

"Great! So we're going to stand here and freeze!" Amy moaned, but they did not have to wait long.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" A giant-like man strode towards the tiny first years. He had a bushy beard and brown beady eyes. "I'm Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys. Is everyone 'ere? Good, let's go!" Hagrid led them down a path to a shore with lots of little boats.

When everyone was in a boat Hagrid shouted "FORWARD!" The boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was a smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the huge looming cliff ahead of them.

"Ah this is the life!" Ron said who was sitting behind Charlotte. Charlotte grabbed some of the cold water and threw it over Ron.

"Why you little-" Ron yelled and threw some water but it went over Harry, who then threw some water that went over Amy, and the boat soon fell into anarchy, until Hagrid told them to stop it.

The boats came to a stop at the shore in front of the cliff, and Hagrid led the students up a wooden spiral staircase. He then led them through and archway to a magnificent castle, shining in the dark. Hagrid walked up to the huge oak doors and knocked three times.

"Well chaps and chapesses, I suppose this is Hogwarts. It certainly is something," Amy whispered to Harry. Charlotte rolled her eyes and then the doors swung open.