Okay, I hope you guys like this story

Okay, I hope you guys like this story. It's been in my head for a long time, but this is the first time I've written it down. I'm changing a lot from the book, but I'll try not to do so too much. I know this chapter is boring, but please review it!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter stories, nor will I ever, much to my dismay.

The trouble with train stations, Clair thought, was that there were far too many Muggles. They filled the station, elbowing, jostling, pushing, and shoving. And of course, Clair and her family had attracted more than a few strange looks, what with her mother's sparkling robe and pointed hat. Not to mention her father's pet raven.

Her parents were not very good at blending in.

Clair's musings were interrupted by her father tapping her arm. "Clair? We're at Platform 9 ¾."

Clair looked up to see… "A brick wall?"

She looked inquiringly at her mother, who smiled. "Just walk toward the wall, dear."

"Won't I just crash into it?" Clair asked doubtfully.

Her mother laughed. "You'll see."

Shrugging, Clair pushed her trolley toward the wall. She closed her eyes and braced herself, waiting for the impact- but it never came. Clair opened her eyes to see a sign saying 9 3/4 and a red and black train with the words Hogwarts Express written on it. Her eyes widened, and from behind her, she heard her father chuckle. "See? It was fine!"

Clair turned and gave her father a Look. "You could have told me at the very least!"

"Well, where's the fun in that?"

Clair shook her head. "Oh, never mind." She gave her parents a hug. "I'll see you at Christmas."

Her father smiled. "Have a good time. Oh, and stay away from boys, all right?"

Her mother smiled. "Oh come on, Arch. Clair has more sense than that!" She bent down and embraced Clair. "Good luck, sweetheart."

Clair nodded. "Thanks Mum. I love you." The train whistle sounded. "Oh, I should go."

"Of course." Her mother straightened up as Clair walked onto the train. The corridors were filled with boys and girls, all laughing, talking, and smiling. Clair picked her way through until she found an empty compartment. She placed her trunk on the overhead rack and sat down with a book on magical creatures. She was reading about Mooncalves when two boys walked in, talking loudly. One sat down near Clair and the other took a seat on the opposite side. A short while later, a girl and a boy entered the compartment, the girl wiping her eyes like she had been crying. A little distantly, she heard the boy say, "You'd better be in Slytherin."

"Slytherin?" The boy opposite Clair looked toward the new boy. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" This last part was directed at the boy sitting by Clair. The boy didn't smile.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he said.

"Blimey," said the first boy, "and I thought you seemed all right!"

The boy by Clair grinned. "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you headed, if you've got the choice?"

The first boy raised an imaginary sword. "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."

The boy sitting by the girl made a small, derisive noise. The first boy turned toward him.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No," said the boy sitting by the girl, a slight sneer on his face. "If you'd rather be brainy than brawny-"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" the boy by Clair interrupted.

"Actually," Clair interjected quietly, looking up from her book, "Slytherin has nothing to do with brains. It's for the ambitious. Likewise, Gryffindor has nothing to do with brawn. It's for the brave. You can be brainy and be in Gryffindor, and you can be brawny and be in Slytherin. The only house where brains really matter is Ravenclaw. I just thought I'd let you know."

Everyone stared at her.

"Wow," said the boy sitting near Clair. "That was a little out of the blue."

"So what house do you want to be in?" the first boy asked. "Ravenclaw?"

Clair shrugged. "Anything would be nice, I suppose."

"Anything?" the boy by Clair exclaimed. "You've got no preference whatsoever?"

Clair shook her head. "My father was in Ravenclaw and my mother was in Gryffindor, so both would be good. But if I were in Hufflepuff or Slytherin, I probably wouldn't complain either."

"Wow," said the boy by Clair again.

"You're a pureblood?" This came from the boy who wanted to be in Slytherin. Clair nodded. "What's your surname?"

Clair bit her lip. "Doyle."

The boy sitting by her grinned. "Isn't that the family with the moon obsession?"

"It's not an obsession. It's more of a fascination."

"Obsession."

"Fascination!"

"Obs-"

"You know," the other girl said hastily, speaking for the first time, "we should really change into our robes."

"She's right," the first boy said, grinning at the girl, who gave him a look of disdain.

"Right then," said the boy by Clair, jumping to his feet. He and the other boy grabbed their robes and left the compartment. The boy who had come in with the girl left too, leaving Clair and the other girl alone. The girl looked at Clair.

"Thanks for that house explanation," she said, looking at Clair.

Clair smiled. "No problem. Thanks for stopping that boy from going on about my family's moon obsession."

The girl's eyes widened. "Then it is an obsession?"

"Well, yes. My family has a history of naming children after the moon. Latin names, moon gods, moon goddesses… anything." Clair held out her hand. "I'm Clair, by the way."

The girl shook her hand. "Lily." She smiled. "You know, we should probably get into our robes, too."

"Right."

Yes, I know that this chapter is slow. The story will get better though, I promise! The next chapter is where Clair gets Sorted. And for anyone who's wondering, Clair is not gay.

Stupid Quote: "The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. I mean in this century's history. But we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century."- Dan Quayle, United States vice president, and famous for his idiotic quotes