The steam from the Hogwarts Express descended over the minute platform. Students of all ages hung out of steamed-up windows, a grim expression on their faces; a feeling of elatedness churning in their stomachs.
I struggled through the crowd, accidentally knocking over grandparents and tripping up new students, trying to get onto the train. I cursed myself for not getting here earlier, but it was too late for it now. My trunk rattled after me, with mysterious contents inside, and I kicked it. All it had done so far, was get me in trouble.
Security guards had examined it, convinced I was trying to smuggle drugs out of the country. All I had done was growl back at them. I pushed my inky black hair, unusually long for a boy, out of my silvery grey eyes and shoved an elderly couple out of my way, again, accidentally. I yelled a sorry and rushed even more into the crowd. Just two minutes left until the Hogwarts Express left. Finally, I managed to get aboard the train, with several bruises and a battered-looking trunk.
I sniffed the air cautiously and started sauntering down the posh, velvet-red hallways. So many wizards and witches had walked down here before, petrified of what might await them at Hogwarts. I suddenly spotted something, out of the corner of my eye. There he was. A young, yet toweringly tall boy was sauntering down the hallway behind me.
He seemed to be panting, and wheezing loudly, his trunk rattling crazily behind him. He coughed and glanced at me. I sighed and saw an empty compartment.
"Here," I announced, pointing into the compartment.
"Thanks," he declared and dragged his trunk into the compartment. He sat down heavily and coughed once more, before looking around nervously. "I'm er... Sebastian Dark." He offered his hand. I take it. "
I'm Jason Dale," I mutter. His electric blue eyes widened in shock. I nodded. "Yes, I am."
"Your dad is Andrew Dale?" Sebastian demanded. He swallowed and shook his head in disbelief. I felt stupid for not realizing sooner. Everyone knew my dad's name, even if they hated Quidditch. That's right. My dad is heavily involved in Quidditch, in the broomstick producing industry. He's one of the two major designers and producers. The other one is Jack Lynne, who designed the Nimbus and has been against my dad ever since the Firebolt came out.
"Yes. Er, what house are you gonna be in?" I asked Sebastian. He ruffled his golden brown hair nervously and glanced at his feet.
"Slytherin. You?" Dark replied. I smirked. I knew it would always come to this. He glares at me, puzzled at my smile.
"What do you think?" I answered. "Well, your dad was a Ravenclaw and your mother was a Gryffindor... I guess Ravenclaw?" Dark announced, his blue eyes brimmed with deep suspicion. I chuckled heartily, and shook my head.
"No, Sebastian. No. I'm going in the same house as you, if I can," I declared. He raised his eyebrows.
"Why? You sound like a good Gryffindor, perhaps as smart as a Ravenclaw," he wondered loudly. I merely shrugged my shoulders, and just wondered if he was the person I could trust with my terrible secret.
"Can you keep a secret?" I demanded. He nodded and raised his eyebrows. "I'm a werewolf."
"You're a-" he remarked before I cut in.
"Werewolf. Shhh! You're the only person I feel like I can trust. Everyone else... just doesn't understand, you see," I announced. He sighed and took a sea-green book out of his coat pocket.
"How did you get bitten?" Dark asked, not looking at me, but glaring at his book.
"I probably got bitten when I had my broomstick accident, or somewhere about then..." I shuddered when I said 'broomstick'. I closed my eyes and remembered that fateful day, where agonising pain rippled across my body like wildfire...
"Jason?" Sebastian demanded loudly. I sighed loudly and opened my eyes. "What do you mean by 'broomstick accident'?" I swallowed.
"My father had a broomstick, the Firebolt, and he needed to test it, before he...mass produced it. I wanted to fly on it but he wouldn't let me. Said it was too dangerous for me to fly on yet and when he went to bed, I stole it away and flew on it. My uncle had cruelly put a Sticking Charm on it and... I didn't know that... I crashed into an orchard... That's all I remember..." I trailed off, remembering the flash of blinding white before everything went black.
"So you're not a fan of flying, then?" Dark asked. I nodded.
"I'm OK at flying, I suppose..." The train lurched forward at that moment and began to chug away from the station, first slowly and then quite rapidly. I took to glaring out of the window before suddenly remembering the pack of Exploding Snap I brought with me.
"Fancy a game of Exploding Snap?" I asked. Sebastian smiled and nodded, before swiftly putting his book away and dealing his hand of cards. The train rattled loudly and I heard raucous footsteps and a rough kich at something. There was a grunt of pain from somebody in the corridor and I snarled. Somebody was coming.
"What's wrong?" Sebastian demanded loudly. I waved at him to be quiet before snatching at my wand and pointing it at the doorway.
"Get out." A pale and dark haired boy is stood in the doorway of my compartment. He seemed to sneer at us, purely because he thought me and Dark are Muggle-Borns.
"No, Mr Rosalier," Dark declared, defiantly. "We're here now. Accept that."
"Cowards," Rosalier muttered under his breath. I laughed loudly.
"What are you laughing at, filthy Mud-blood?" I shook my head before acting in a split-second and punching him on his nose. I watch crimson red blood spurt everywhere.
"Do you not realize who you are talking to?" I demanded, advancing towards him with my fist raised. Sebastian gulped behind me.
"Jason!" Dark gasped loudly, trying to pull me back.
"All I know is you are one nasty tempered brat," Rosalier announced.
"Do you have a Firebolt?" I growl at him. He nodded, pinching his nose. "I guess you know who designed it, then."
"Andrew Dale. Why?" he snapped at me, daring me to touch him. I chuckled loudly. I wondered why on earth he didn't know who the heck I was. Maybe he was a pure-blood who spent his time riding brooms and crashing them.
"My name is Jason Dale. And my dad is Andrew Dale," I declared, shoving today's Daily Prophet into his face. It has a picture of me and my father, attending some rubbish convention. He snarled and Sebastian coughed loudly.
"I guess you're a pure-blood, too Dark?" Rosalier sneered. Sebastian nodded.
"Do me a favour, will ya? Keep your families pure and don't take in any of that mud-blood crap." He left the compartment, leaving me standing and a bitter silence in the air.
"I can't believe you punched him, Jason," Sebastian finally announced. He laughed, and I shook my head. "Bloody hell, I'll have to watch out for you then." I laughed with him then. My body finally relaxed.
"Anything off the trolley, dears?" a portly, ancient woman asked us. I nodded and Sebastian shook his head.
"No, I haven't any money," Dark explained to the woman and she turned to me.
"A bit of everything, please," I said. "How much will that be?" Sebastian smiled at me and mouthed a sombre 'thanks'. I nodded and paid my six Galleons before putting the mixture of multi-coloured sweets, gently, onto the table.
"Can I have some?" Sebastian asked me.
"Course you can, Sebastian," I answered loudly, choosing a random Chocolate Frog and tearing its head off. "What did I get?" Sebastian glanced at the card and shook his head. I tasted the succulant aromas of the frog. I bit into an exquisite Pumpkin Pasty as well. "Mmmm..."
"Professor McGonagall," he announced, before choosing one and glaring at the card. "Merlin, Morgana and... crikey! It's your dad!"
"What?! But I thought he wasn't on the Chocolate Frog cards!" I declared.
The sky outside had grown an inky black colour and I was nervous about what was looming over me, like an bloodied axe hanging above my head. I swallowed and I noticed Sebastian seemed gloomier than I'd seen him yet.
"What's wrong?" I asked him, loudly. He glared down, at his muddy sneakers.
"Just nervous about the Sorting, that's all..." he replied. I instantly knew it was a lie.
"Hey, c'mon. Don't be nervous," I tell him.
"My dad will disown me if I'm in Slytherin." I shot him an steel cold look, to make sure he wasn't kidding. I slapped my forehead, even though I knew what he'd been thinking all along.
"My dad is a little afraid of what the newspapers will say if I'm in Slytherin. He's petrified that they'll write up that I'm cursed or something and I'm doomed to eternal damnation if I'm in Slytherin..." Sebastian snorted softly."...But, do you know what? If I'm in Slytherin, I'm in Slytherin. I'll be proud of being one, y'know."
"So you're saying that I shouldn't be afraid of what my dad might do?" Dark demanded.
"Yes. It's all right, if he doesn't want you home for Christmas, you can always come over mine," I announced. He nodded, satisfied with my answer. I really hoped his dad didn't disown him. That would be major bad.
I felt better, in a way. Mainly, because I had a friend I could rely upon now. The train gragually screeched to a halt and I hurriedly put my Hogwarts robes on, and so did Sebastian. I stuck my head out of the minute window and smelt the oily yet salty aromas of Hogsmede Station.
I saw a casual wizard traipsing along the station, holding up a blindingly bright lantern that was a tawny-gold colour. "Let's go!" I announced, stepping outside of the compartment. I saw that Sebastian had barely moved.
"What's up?"
"Nothing," he swiftly lied and crossed the compartment into two strides. I shook my head in disbelief. Sebastian was a true Slytherin and there was a lot more to him than met the eye.
"First-Years!" the wizard bellowed thunderously. "FIRST-YEARS!"
Me and Sebastian sauntered to him, struggling not to lose each other in the hustling and bustling crowd. Several First-Years lined up behind me, chattering elatedly, excited and nervous about what was to come. The toweringly tall wizard nodded and spun around on his feet, before hurrying off towards the gloominess. I could feel a high level of tension now, in the air. Something strange and marvellous was about to happen. I spotted a shimmering lake in front of us, in pitch black, way before the others did.
We suddenly arrived on a shore, where our footing was loose and I taste a pang of salty water in the air. I noticed several boats, which seemed to be waiting for us.
"Four to a boat!" the wizard yelled. I rushed to a earthly brown boat, which seemed kind of rocky, but stable for the time being. Sebastian swallowed nervously and I could feel my heart pounding against my ribs... The waves seemed to ripple against the boat silently, and all I could hear was the loud breathing of Sebastian. I elbowed him.
It seemed to be so eerie, the way we glided through the Black Lake, without as much of a sound and tiny pinpricks of silvery light, which represented stars, in the waters. Thankfully, it wasn't a full moon tonight. Then, a breath-taking, elegant yet mysterious view of the castle loomed suddenly, out of the gloominess. It certainly took my breath away.
"Wow," somebody muttered in my ear. I almost jumped out of my seat. I breathed shallowly.
Hogwarts was amazing.
That much I knew so far. Then, that was when the boats glided into a natural, underground harbour. We had finally stopped.
"I hope you enjoyed your scenic tour," the wizard declared. There was a murmur of agreement amongst the First-Years. "However, we must get into the castle, now. I will, then, pass you over to Professor Dale and you will be Sorted shortly."
The group hurried up the steps, carved into the rock, which were slippery with slime and seaweed, and then, we appeared in front of a pair of elegant, elaborately-carved, wooden doors, where each detail was amazingly perfect. The wizard knocked the brass eagle three times. A thunderous clunk was to be heard on the third knock. And the doors opened.
"I will take them from here, Mr Malfoy," a snide voice announced.
And ,standing in the doorway, was my uncle, Professor Androclus Dale.