Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did I would live in England and be ridiculously rich. I do however adore side characters. They need the love too you know.
Chapter 1- Of First Meetings and Train Rides
Kings cross station was packed with people milling about and rushing to catch their trains. Men in suits and large families with screaming children went about their morning business and through all this a small eleven year old girl dressed smartly in a blouse and pleated skirt strode to her destination pushing ahead of her a trolley with a large trunk and a caged bard owl. She was followed by a tall willowy woman and another girl of about nine years who shared the same light brown hair and sharp grey eyes.
"What is the platform number Daphne? Where are we going?" The younger girl was bouncing on the balls of her feet gazing in wonder at the muggle world around her.
Daphne looked down at her little sister in despair. "Don't be foolish Astoria. You know the platform number is 9 ¾ as well as I do."
"Here it is." Daphne's mother broke what was sure to be an oncoming argument. "Through the barrier now, we haven't any time to waste. I need to get you onto the train and then take your sister to her dance class so we won't be able to stay until the train leaves."
Not looking at her mother Daphne simply nodded her acceptance and walked briskly through the barrier. On the other side she stopped to stare in wonder at the scene before her. Kings cross had been crowed to be sure but not in the same way. Everywhere she looked there were other students, young witches and wizards preparing to board the great scarlet steam engine that dominated the view.
"Don't stand there gaping like a muggle Daphne, you're blocking the entrance. And shut your mouth, you are a Greengrass start acting like it."
With that her mother strode into the melee of families and began to search for an empty compartment. Daphne followed close behind scrutinizing the faces of the other students as she passed. She had plans for her Hogwarts years but first she would need to find some companions who would suit her. Her father had told her several times that the associates she made at Hogwarts would aid her later in life and that she should choose carefully who she would be seen with. At the moment though, Daphne was only hoping to find some people that she could stand for an entire train ride.
Her mother quickly found an empty compartment and after a short speech on propriety and a promise to send her owl with the news of her sorting straight away, Daphne was left alone to wait until the train departed.
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Terry Boot was, according to many (mostly teachers and parents), utterly hopeless. He did not concentrate on anything and could not explain the strange things that constantly happened around him. In all, the boy was a basket case who would not amount to much in this world. At the moment however Terry Boot was a boy who was running late on leaving for a very different world. His father had dropped him at the station on the way to work and now all he had to do was find this platform that would take him away from this life of mockery and cruelty.
Stopping between platforms nine and ten to catch his breath, Terry watched curiously as a large family of redheads and one boy with black hair vanished through the barrier between platforms nine and ten. He rubbed at his eyes. It couldn't have been a trick; the family was defiantly going through the wall with purpose. Heck two of the younger ones ran into the wall. Shrugging his thin shoulders Terry decided to go for it, there wasn't much to lose either way, and he had already seen an entire alleyway hidden behind a dirty pub. Closing his eyes tightly he gave his trolley a great shove and found himself gaping at a scarlet steam engine and a platform full of students.
With much difficulty he heaved his trunk onto the train and started off down the hallway for an empty compartment. Most of the compartments had groups of people already in them, and most of them seemed to know each other. Terry grimaced slightly; perhaps there weren't many students like him coming from a completely non magical family. What had the man who had given him the letter called it? Muggle? Yes that was it. He passed a compartment that was empty save for the black haired boy he had followed onto the platform along with the red haired family, but he was staring intently out the window and Terry was beginning to feel like he didn't really want to sit with any of these kids after all. Surely the loud redheaded family would be by soon to sit with the boy. That was not something Terry wanted to be caught in the middle of.
He had nearly made it to the end of the train before he found a compartment that had only a lone girl with her nose buried in a well worn paperback novel. Terry brightened instantly; surely this girl would have no objection to him sitting in here. He stood there for several awkward minutes before realizing that she was not about to look up and cleared his throat.
Daphne was startled out of her book by someone clearing their throat at her compartment entrance. Quickly she set her book to the side with the cover down, it was a muggle book she had found by chance and was certainly forbidden from reading. Looking over the boy standing awkwardly in her doorway Daphne concluded he was a muggle born and thus there was no real danger of him telling her mother. Abruptly she realized that she was staring and he must want something, "Yes, can I help you?"
Terry shifted uneasily in the doorway as the girl in the cabin looked him over and then rather coldly asked what he wanted. He shifted his grip on his trunk handle, this was looking more and more like a bad idea. Biting his lip he asked "well I was wondering... if no one else is coming that is... if maybe Icouldsitwithyou?"
The poor girl looked utterly confused, but asked in a softer tone than her previous. "Sorry I didn't catch that. What was it?"
"Could I sit with you?" Terry was by this time utterly exasperated with himself. Way to make friends in your new world Terry.
Daphne cocked her head to one side considering the boy before her; he was short and tanned in a way that said he had mixed ancestry at least a few generations back. His hair was dark and messy sitting atop his head like a mop. This was a boy who her mother would never approve of her consorting with, and yet there was something there. Something about this boy was endearing, perhaps he would even offer a conversation worth having. Finally she smiled at him "sure you can. Take a seat."
He lit up immediately and dragged his trunk in from the corridor. Plopping down in the seat across from her he offered his hand. "Terry Boot pleased to meet you." A friend!
"Daphne Greengrass pleasures mine really. I was thinking I may have to ride the whole way to Hogwarts all by myself. Amazing really, that I managed to hold a compartment all to myself so long."
They settled into conversation quickly after that. Daphne explained everything she could about the wizarding world to her eager new friend. School houses, classes, quidditch, and even an amount of potions she could handle, but the depths of Terry's questions were quickly outweighing Daphne's knowledge.
"I don't know how the wand chooses the wizard Terry, it just does."
"But why does it. There has to be a reason, things don't just happen."
In the middle of a discussion on the finer points of wand choices, (Daphne was unsure as to how this conversation had come about as last she knew they were discussing the novel she had been reading.) the compartment door opened once more and a tall blond boy already dressed in his school robes strode in. Zacharius Smith had grown bored with the occupants of his previous compartment and to their relief had left to find more interesting first years.
"Can I help you?" Daphne was irritated by this interruption. She may not have been able to answer most of Terry's questions, but the conversation itself was enlightening. Terry was much better company than any of the pureblood girls and boys she had had forced upon her by her mother. This boy had barged in on the first enjoyable time she had ever had with a person her own age. That would not stand.
"Terribly sorry to intrude" His tone made it obvious that he was anything but. "Unfortunately the people on this train make for terrible company so far and I was hoping for something better in here."
"Well unfortunately for you..."
"Welcome in! Maybe you can enlighten me as to why a wand chooses the wizard."
Daphne looked aghast at Terry, but good breeding kept her from immediately retracting the invite and shooing the blond from her compartment. Instead she settled in and waited for his response to the muggleborns question of wizarding logic.
"They just do."
Terry sighed dramatically. "That's what Daphne said. You don't mean to tell me that no wizard or witch has ever questioned this? I mean is it compatible strains of magic? Is it biological maybe?"
Zacharias stared at Terry for a moment before deciding that the boy was talking to himself or asking rhetorical questions and taking a seat next to Daphne. She snorted quietly, already having become accustomed to Terry's strange ramblings. Holding out her hand she said, "My names Daphne Greengrass. That loon over there is Terry Boot. He may or may not grow on you over the course of the train ride."
"Zacharias Smith, and so far it's better in here than any of the other compartments so I'm sure he'll have plenty of time to do so." And so Zacharias Smith took her hand. Terry beamed from across the compartment, "and now we're a trio! Three is an excellent number to be you know."
I am aware that only three of the Hogwarts houses are represented here. Don't worry I have plans for a Gryffindor addition but he won't show up until fourth/fifth year.
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