Disclaimer: Unless you have just recently returned from your ten year voyage to Uranus, you'll realize that all of these characters and situations belong to J. K. Rowling and her various publishers. In other words, this is a work of fan fiction. It is done without expectation of gain or any claim of originality. I own nothing but debts. If you wish to sue for a share of that, knock yourself out.

Harry Potter and the New Day Dawning

Chapter 1

The compartment was empty save for one tall skinny boy playing a concertina of all things. Harry remembered him as part of the large group of redheads whose mother had given to Harry the secret of finding platform 9 ¾. The boy seemed lost in his music as the world sped by the window. Harry did not want to disturb him but the prospect of roaming the aisles of the cars until they reached Hogwarts was unappealing to Harry as well. He steeled his nerves and slid open the door to the compartment.

"Excuse me," Harry began nervously. "Do you mind sharing? Every other one seems full."

The Boy casually nodded towards the empty bench opposite him but kept playing. "I have no right to block you. After all, we are all going to the same place."

"Yeah, Hogwarts," Harry said as he entered the compartment.

The boy stopped playing the concertina and looked at Harry in puzzlement. "Hogwarts? This train is going to the Apple Grove Academy of Sorcery."

"Apple Grove!" Harry exclaimed. "But I thought this was the Hogwarts Express!"

"No, this is the Apple Grove Special," the Boy replied assuredly as he sat his instrument on the seat beside him. "The train for Hogwarts leaves from platform 3 4/9."

"But my ticket… Hagrid.." Harry stammered as he frantically searched through his pockets. He finally found the elusive, old fashion looking ticket in his back trouser pocket.

Hogwarts Express

Platform 9 ¾

11 am

September 1

The ticket was very clear. Confused, Harry looked down at the redheaded boy who stared back at him with a blank face.

"You bloody todger!" Harry laughed as realization came to him. He flopped down on the bench "I was about to run screaming for the conductor or the engineer."

The boy, a small grin playing on his lips, extended his hand. "Ronald Bilius Weasley," He said. "Or simply Ron."

"Harry James Potter," Harry replied as he clasped Ron's hand. "Harry, if you will."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "The boy who lived? I doubt if you will have to introduce yourself to very many, Harry. Especially if you do have the scar that everyone says that you have."

Harry pushed the hair from his forehead briefly exposing the jagged, lightening bolt shaped scar.

"It's been weird this last month," Harry said. "I spent eleven years being treated like something nasty on the bottom of a shoe now I find out that I'm both a wizard and famous."

"Rumor has it that you were hidden among the muggles after your parents died," Ron said. "Is that so or is it still a secret."

"If it's supposed to be a secret no one told me," replied Harry with a trace of bitterness in his voice. "I lived with my aunt and uncle and cousin who are muggles. In fact, I had no idea about whom or what I was until my eleventh birthday when Hagrid showed up with my Hogwarts letter. I never knew about wizards or even how my parents really died until a month ago. I don't remember anything and no one bothered to tell me anything except for lies. "

Ron shrugged his shoulders slightly. "No one truly knows what happened that night but for most people it was enough that Voldemort was gone."

Harry frowned. "I thought that you weren't supposed to speak his name. At least that's what Hagrid told me."

"Yeah, most people don't," Ron acknowledged. "But Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, always said that fear of the name increased fear of the man. I have spent the last couple of years trying to face my own fears and overcome them so it seemed to be good advice to me."

Harry, who had a closet full of demons himself, had his curiosity piqued. "What fears have you faced?" he asked trying to sound causal.

"Oh, spiders, failure…" Ron began.

"Failure?"

"Well, failure may be a poor way of saying it," Ron said sheepishly. "You see, I am the youngest son in my family. Percy, Fred, and George are still at Hogwarts. Bill and Charlie have finished there. Bill is what every boy wants to grow up to be like. Charlie was a quidditch star now working with dragons. Percy's a prefect. Fred and George are pranksters but they still get pretty good marks., I was afraid of somehow not living up to the standards that people expect of the Weasleys at Hogwarts."

"What people," asked Harry.

Ron grinned again. "That's one thing I learned. The faceless people that worried me don't really exist. I mean, who in the world has ever heard of Ron Weasley let alone care about how well he does in a school they don't know about."

"So how did you beat back that fear?" Harry asked genuinely interested by now.

Ron gave Harry a small smile. "I learned or internalized as Mum's Child rearing advice books called it, that I am Ron, not my brothers. I can do only my best and let the chips fall where they may. I'll tell you for nothing; that was harder to learn then learning to love our eight-legged neighbors."

Harry laughed at a sudden absurd vision of having the neighborhood arachnids over for tea but he sobered quickly. "I'm afraid that someone will come up and tell me that's there has been a mistake and I'll have to go back to Privet Drive," he admitted to his surprise. "Or that I'll be so stupid at magic that I'll be tossed out. I don't know the first thing about magic other then I want to learn how to use it more then anything."

"Don't be so concerned about it, Harry," Ron reassured him. "Every year there are some students plucked out from the muggles and invited to Hogwarts. They haven't a clue about magic yet they do fine and so will you."

"I hope so," Harry said.

"You don't want me to force you to read all seven volumes of the Gretchen Goodchilde Magical Parenting series, do you?" Ron asked. "Volume five is about our age group or as she calls us, the 'tweens."

"'Tweens?"

"Between early school age and puberty," Ron explained. "Why not just say older child is beyond me but there you go. Mum devoured the books and, to be honest, while most of it seemed pretty much what I shoveled out of our chicken coop there was some bits of good mixed in. Of course, the other day I made the mistake of saying that the books went from Tit to Teen."

"You didn't!" chortled Harry slapping the seat beside him.

"Mum didn't think it was funny but Dad howled." Ron answered. "That saved me from extra chores, no doubt."

Harry eased into the corner of the seat and extended his legs. Much of the tension that he had felt since his uncle had left him standing bewildered at the lack of a platform 9 ¾ earlier in the day had dissipated in what was really just a few minutes of conversation with Ron. For the first time that Harry could remember someone was actually friendly with him. An ember of happiness threatened to burst into flame when it was doused by an icy blast of fear.

"But what if I'm no good?" Harry asked drawing his legs back to him.

"Harry, Hogwarts isn't the only school of magic in Britain but it is by far the best," Ron said kindly. "I have no idea as to how Hogwarts selects those to whom they extend invitations to study there but they have a very, very high graduation rate. Those who do leave generally leave for reasons other then failing marks. Just remember, they asked you to study with them. Dumbledore could have left you where you were with none the wiser yet here you are. If Albus Dumbledore believes that you will succeed at Hogwarts, you probably will but if you believe that you will succeed at Hogwarts, you definitely will."

"Are you always this positive?" Harry asked trying to push back his anxiety.

"As the old adage goes, it's better to light a candle then curse the darkness," Ron replied. "Or, as Dad says, succeed for it surprises your friends and confounds your enemies."

Harry smiled. "Your parents sound pretty cool."

"Yeah, I like them even if Mum can never remember that I don't like corned beef sandwiches," Ron said as he pulled a large sandwich from his pocket, sitting it on the seat beside him.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Does the Apple Grove Academy really exist?"

Ron grinned mischievously. "Yes, it does. It's over in the Netherlands though, in Zeeland. Many of my family studied at De Academie van het Appelbosje van Hekserij. My mother's Dutch although she was born here in England. Her family moved here during World War II."

"Do you speak Dutch?" Harry asked.

"Ja doe ik mijn litteken bedekte gezichtsvriend," Ron replied. "Sometimes when Mum gets mad she slips in and out of Dutch. It's pretty funny really unless you are the target of her anger. Then, of course, it's Yes Mum, No Mum, Never again Mum. But I picked up a lot of the language from those sessions."

Harry nodded. "She was really nice to me back at the station. Hagrid forgot to tell me how to get on the right platform. If I hadn't heard your mother say 'muggles' I'd probably still be in London wondering what to do. If you telephone her anytime soon please thank her for me."

"What does telephone mean exactly?" asked Ron.

Harry glanced over suspiciously. "I don't see where the joke is."

Ron raised his palms up. "No joke, Harry. I don't know what it means. You have to remember that the wizarding world does things differently from the muggle world."

"How do wizards talk to each other over a distance than if they don't use telephones?" Harry asked.

"We use fireplaces. Most wizards have their fireplaces connected to the floo network. You can talk to anyone in the world who is linked to the network," Ron explained. "There are also magic mirrors. Some witches and wizards are true telepaths so they can see and hear and talk over great distances using only their minds but that is a very rare talent right in there with being a parselmouth or being able to become invisible using only your will."

"A telephone is a machine that allows people to talk to each other," Harry explained. "It does the same thing as your fireplaces but over wires and through satellites."

"Satellites?"

Harry spent the next hour discussing how muggles did things. He stopped briefly to buy some sweets from a cart that came around. Around pumpkin pastries and chocolate frogs Harry tried to explain muggle technology although how a computer worked was beyond him. He was amazed that Ron had so little knowledge of the everyday things that Harry had taken for granted for eleven years. Satellites, television, light bulbs, telephones, sewing machines, and football were as alien to Ron as the far side of the moon. Oddly enough, he knew a great deal about cars.

"Dad has one in the barn," He explained. "We tore it down and rebuilt it three times. It runs as good as the day it was made and it can do a few things that the original engineers never thought about. What I really want is to get my hands on a motorcycle but Mum would probably have kittens if I did."

"But haven't you ever been in any muggle home or building and seen how they do things?" Harry asked.

Ron shook his head. "No. Witches and wizards in the big cities or even the towns probably know a lot more about muggle ways then I do but I live miles from a town of any size to speak of and have rarely been in one. My trips to London have been confined to the train station and Diagon Alley."

Aren't there any muggles where you live?" asked Harry

"Sure but I just never hung around them," Ron replied. "I have five brothers and a sister. I guess with such a large family I never felt the need to look to outsiders for friendship."

"I would love to have brothers and sisters," Harry said forlornly. "All I have are relatives who hate me."

"Yeah, Voldemort cheated you out of a lot of things," Ron said sympathetically. "But Hogwarts may be a turn around for you. It can't replace family but you will probably make a ton of friends there. After all these years, my parents are still close to some of their old schoolmates especially those that were in their form and house."

"Hagrid told me about the houses and some kid I met at the robe shop was going on about them," Harry said. "He wanted to be in Slytherin. I think Hagrid said that he had been in Griffindor,"

"My parents and all my brothers were placed in Griffindor," Ron said. "Some place a lot of importance to the house but it really doesn't matter. You go to the same classes as everyone else."

"Slytherin," he continued. "Has a bad reputation because most of the Deatheaters were in there but not all Slytherins became Deatheaters and not all Deatheaters were in Slytherin so there you go."

"Hagrid and that kid seemed to look down on Huffleduff house," Harry said in hopes of getting Ron's view on them. He wasn't disappointed.

"It's HufflepuffHarry," Ron corrected. "Everyone supposedly is sorted by what trait is strongest in them. Griffindor is courage, Hufflepuff is tenacity, Ravenclaw is intelligence, and Slytherin is cunning. Anyway, the badgers always seem dull and plodding to the others who look for quick ends to problems they face."

"Badgers?" asked Harry.

"Each house has an animal mascot," Ron explained. "Lion, badger, eagle, and serpent. Didn't you notice the Hogwarts shield on your letter?"

"Yeah, I just didn't make the link," Harry said. "So what house do those who are scared spitless go in to?"

Ron laughed. "Well, let's see. If you will forgive me for saying so, you've been kicked around somewhat by fate and your..ah.. family…"

"That sums it up in a nutshell," Harry agreed.

"Yet, when given the slimmest chance, you seized the opportunity to leave what was known for the unknown," Ron said. "That shows courage to me. When I made the joke about the train's destination, you immediately grabbed your ticket looking for evidence to prove or disprove my statement so I'm guessing that you're fairly smart, at least. And, again forgive me for bringing it up, but surviving your family, more or less whole, probably means that you are both cunning and tenacious."

"In other words," Harry said sardonically. "Who knows where I'll end up?"

"As I said it really doesn't matter," Ron said. "But I hope that we are placed in the same house."

"Yeah, me too," Harry said startling himself by the depth of his hope. So long friendless, Harry felt that he had finally found a friend. Maybe Ron was right and Hogwarts would be a turnaround for him at long last. He let that small ember of happiness grow just a little warmer.

The compartment door slid open and a flushed faced, worried looking boy poked his head in. "Have either of you seen a large toad? I've misplaced him. His name is Trevor," he said rapidly.

"No," Harry said.

"Does he answer to his name?" Ron asked with the same blank look he had given Harry when they first met.

"What? Uh, no," the boy said. "If you see him, I'm three compartments forward. Please bring him to me."

"Who are you?" Ron asked.

"What?" the boy asked. "I'm Neville, Neville Longbottom."

"Have a seat, Neville," Ron said as he picked his concertina up from the bench and sat it on the floor before him. "Do you have your wand?"

"Yes," Neville admitted hesitantly as he sat beside Ron. "But I am not good at magic."

"Nonsense," Ron said confidently. "You are a Longbottom, one of the leading and most respected wizarding families in Britain. More magic courses through your body then in ten average wizards."

With trepidation, Neville pulled his wand from his robes. Nervous sweat popped out on his now pale face. Harry could not understand Neville's reluctance but Ron just smiled encouragingly.

"I'm sure you knew the spell," He said to Neville.

Neville was raising his wand when a bushy haired girl appeared at the open doorway.

"Oh, are you going to use magic to find your toad?" she said.

She sat down beside Harry. "Well, let's see it then," she said in an unconsciously bossy voice. "I tried a few simple spells but they all worked, at least until the Ministry of Magic sent me an owl telling me that I was doing something illegal. I really think that they ought to have mentioned that in the orientation but they didn't."

"I didn't see either of you two there so I assume that you come from wizarding families. I come from an ordinary family and was quite surprised to get my letter from Hogwarts. We thought it was a bit of fun until we, my mother and I, went to Diagon Alley. I much rather learn Magic then anything my local school could have taught me."

Ron raised a hand.

"Yes," the girl asked.

"Take time to breathe," Ron replied.

"Sorry," the girl said. 'I normally don't talk all that much but when I get excited I'm an unstoppable chatterbox. I hate that about myself really but what can one do? I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. I assume that you have met Neville. And you are?"

"Ron Weasley."

"Harry Potter."

"Are you really?" Hermione asked as Neville's jaw dropped. "I've read about you. You're quite famous although you aren't what I expected."

"Most people have found me disappointing," Harry said smoothing his torn baggy jeans.

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound the way it did. What I mean is that I just expected, well, I don't know what I expected."

"Prince Charming with a hot body, lips to die for, sad eyes, and silken locks blowing in the breeze as he thunders across the countryside on his noble white steed," Ron supplied impishly.

Hermione gave him a withering look but Ron appeared unrepentant. "May I assume that with Neville about to perform a spell that the restrictions don't apply aboard this train?" Hermione asked frostily.

"That's correct," Ron answered. "No muggles on the train so it's a safe area. Charms and curses are always being tossed about in the corridors according to my brothers which is one reason that they set the prefects to patrolling during the trip."

"Good," Hermione said as she pointed her wand at Harry's face. "Oculus Reparo!"

Harry's broken spectacles immediately became as new.

Harry took off his glasses and stared at them in wonder. "Thanks," he finally stammered.

"That's a new one on me," Ron said respectfully.

"It's in 1001 Household Charms," Hermione said, the chill gone from her voice. "I bought it to expand on the curriculum. Harry, I really did not mean any insult."

"I wasn't insulted, Hermione," Harry said as he put his glasses back on. "Ron is a bit of a joker although a very sly one. Anyway, what are you going to have Neville do?"

"I'm sure Neville knows the spell," Ron said heartedly.

"Accio?" Neville asked in a quiet voice.

"Goodness, I should have thought of that," Hermione said. "That's one of the earliest spells in our textbook."

Neville cleared his throat. "Accio Trevor," he squeaked.

"Neville," Ron said firmly. "You are a wizard. He is a mere frog.."

"Toad"

"Whatever," Ron said. "Command him to you."

Neville drew a breath "ACCIO TREVOR!" he roared.

Within seconds, a brown streak ended in a thump in Neville's left hand. Trevor the Toad had returned. Harry joined in as Hermione and Ron applauded Neville.

"Bravo," cried Hermione.

"I knew you could do it, Neville," Ron said.

"Cool," Harry added.

Neville stared at the toad in his hand. "It.. it worked," he stuttered.

"Well, of course it worked," Ron said. "You are Neville Longbottom, heir to generations of magic. You'll probably be the greatest wizard in our form."

Neville turned a deep crimson as his mouth twisted slowly into a bashful smile. Harry was speculative. It was oblivious that Neville had about as much confidence in his self as Harry had in his own self yet he was able to do magic.

"Maybe," Harry thought. "There hasn't been a mistake. Maybe I do have the ability after all. Maybe I can be the wizard everyone thinks I am."

"Did you bring an animal with you, Harry?" Neville asked.

Harry snapped out of his revelry. "Yes, I have a snowy owl named Hedwig," he answered. "She was a birthday present. I couldn't find a compartment so she's in the baggage car."

"How about you, Ron?" Neville asked.

Ron shook his head. "I have a pet rat at home that was more or less fobbed off on me but I saw no sense in bringing it to school so I guess it falls into my sister's care. Hermione?"

"I saw the list of acceptable pets but I thought that I would see which was more useful to have first before I bought one," she said. "Besides, I bought so many books that I was embarrassed to ask for a familiar."

"Actually that's a muggle term, Hermione," Ron said benignly. "Most of us in the wizarding community aren't Satanists therefore we have no need of evil spirits masquerading as animals."

"Again, I meant no insult," Hermione said. "Professor Sprout made it very clear in the orientation that the religious beliefs of witches and wizards run the same gamut as non magical folk."

"What's this orientation you keep talking about?" Harry asked.

Hermione glanced over at him. "Those of us from ordinary families have to have quite a bit explained to us, don't you know," she began. "Eight of us with our parents gathered in the Leaky Cauldron. She, Professor Sprout that is, apologized for the fact that our invitations had a compulsion charm on them otherwise none of us would have shown up otherwise. I mean, who would believe such a gag."

"She explained a quite few things about the wizarding community and Hogwarts then took us into Diagon Alley. I felt like Dorothy in Oz. It was the most wonderful, amazing place I had ever seen. I must have looked star struck because my mother just laughed and said that she knew where I would be for the next seven years."

"I felt the same way," Harry said. "I wished that I had eight eyes to see everything. I guess you two are used to the place."

"No," Neville said surprising himself that he actually joined a conversation with near strangers. "There is always something new to see. I always envied those people who get to work there every day."

"I love just sitting at Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor with a strawberry sundae and just watching everyone pass by," Ron said. "Eventually, we'll be allowed to go into Hogsmeade, the wizarding village near Hogwarts. Bill and Charlie said that it's a lot like Diagon Alley."

"I read about it," Hermione said. "It sounds very interesting but we can't go until our third year at Hogwarts."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," Ron answered. "Probably some rule made in 1547 that no one has bothered to change."

Neville chuckled. "There are a lot of rules like that."

"Like me getting an owl from the Ministry telling me to stop practicing spells in my bedroom," Hermione said. "Hello, my parents know that I am a witch now."

The four of them laughed warmly.

"What sort of instrument is that, Ron?" Neville asked.

"It's a concertina," Ron replied. "It's been in the family for some time. I found it in the attic a few years back and have been squeezing it ever since."

"He's good," Harry said. "He was playing when I got here."

"Thanks," Ron said. "I'm not too bad. In the last year or so my sister stopped running away every time I started so I must be getting better."

"Do you know The Water is Wide?" Hermione asked.

Without a word, Ron began to play and after a few bars Hermione began singing.

The water is wide, I can not get o'er

And neither have I wings to fly

O go and get me some little boat

To carry o'er my true love and I

Hermione was a soprano with a strong clear voice that was well suited for folk music which, she explained between songs, her parents loved and consequently she had grown up listening to herself. The rest of the trip vanished in a blink as Hermione and Ron teamed up to perform If I were a Blackbird, The Female Drummer, Blackbirds and Thrushes, The Trees They grow so High, The Outlandish Knight, and a dozen other songs. Neville and Harry were coaxed into singing a little but by universal acclaim Ron was consigned to only playing after he gave them a small sample of his voice.

"I've been known to scare the ghoul in the attic with my singing." he admitted with a twinkle in his eye.

"You play very well though," Hermione said not wanting to hurt his feelings. "Especially for one your age."

"Thank you," he said as he launched into Next Market Day.

It was only after the song did they notice that it was full night and that the train was slowing down.

"I think were almost there," Neville said unnecessarily.

Hermione leaped up from the seat. "I haven't even got my robes on yet," she exclaimed as she fled from the compartment only to return immediately.

'I will see you all inside," She said calmly. "I do hope that we all get sorted into the same house."

With a smile, she disappeared again.

Neville (minus Trevor) gave them a casual three finger salute. "See you shortly," he said as he followed Hermione out.

"Well," Ron began after putting the concertina back in its case. "Let's go see what the future holds, shall we?"

"Sounds like a plan, mate," Harry said confidently.