I watched the family pass through the brick pillar between platforms 9 and 10. This was to be my first year at the legendary school. The first American to be accepted into Hogwarts; I should have been thrilled. There was one problem, I was 16. The headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, had told me at instead of two more years of school I was to take three. Hence my disappointment. Any normal kid would be happy to go to a wizarding school, but I wanted to be done with school of any types.
Platform 9 ¾ was packed with families and friends; neither of which wanted to accompany me here. I was the lonely muggle born who everyone at home thought was a freak. Don't get me wrong I was thrilled to be there, but being the new kid at any school is hard. My owl, a small barn owl I had named Kevin, flapped his wings excitedly in his cage. He was more excited than I was, woo. As we searched the train for a place to sit we found all the cars were filled. But there was one car that still had two empty seats in it.
"Can I join you?" I asked the kids occupying the compartment.
"Sure," a sweat girl with red hair said smiling at me. She looked to be about my age but was probably in the year that I should have been in based off of age.
"Your new aren't you?" asked a boy with short black hair and deep green eyes. He looked a little like the girl who said I could join them. Siblings, I thought.
"How could you tell?" I asked trying to make light of my situation.
"It's your accent."
"Lack off you mean," I said sitting down. "To me you are the ones with the accents."
"Whatever you say mate, my name is Albus Potter. That there is me sister Lily. The kid next to the window is my friend Scorpio and the girl across from him is my cousin Rosie. Her brother Hugo should be along in a moment."
"Nice to meet you all, my name's Nate."
"What's your owl's name?" asked Rosie joining in on our conversation.
"Kevin," I said happily. The others just stared at me as if I was telling a joke.
"That's so American," Scorpio chimed in from his window seat. He had blond hair the fell past his ears like a surfer from California. His chin was pointed and he seemed rather rude.
"Thank you?" I said rather confused.
"Where's Hugo?" asked Lily trying to change the subject.
"Right here," a boy with red hair and freckles said joining us. He and his sister had the same bright red hair and freckly face. "Mum and dad wouldn't let me go until I gave them all of uncle George's gifts."
"And did you?" Albus said and a look of panic fell across his face.
"Yeah," Hugo said cheerily. "All of the ones in my pockets. There's still a load of things in my trunk."
"Good, otherwise it would have been a boring year."
"Mum said not to get into trouble this year though Al," Lily said trying not to be a part of her brother's plans.
"Are you all in the same house?" I asked before I became a part of them too.
"Me and Scorpio are in Slytherin, and the rest of em are in Gryffindor."
"What house are you in?" asked Hugo.
"I'm not in one yet," I said sinking into my seat.
"You're not a bloody first year, you're too big," Scorpio said with curiosity.
"You're right," I said. "I'm 16, but McGonagall is making me a 5th year."
"Then you'll be in our year," said Lily happily. "Mine and Hugo's that is."
"You're 15 then?" I asked feeling a little better.
"I'm 16, she's 15. Missed the cutoff otherwise I would be a 6th year." Hugo said taking a bit out of a piece of chocolate. At that moment the train started to pull away from the station and everyone but me waved good bye to their parents. Mine were probably at work thinking about a year with no children. I thought about missing my flight to England but desided that would have been a bad idea. Minerva must have gone through alot to get me here.
"So," Albus said sitting back down. "Why weren't you asked to come to Hogwarts sooner?"
"In the letter MacGonagall said something about treating my school years as a sort of muggle studies."
"So we can come to you for muggle related questions then?" asked Rosie intrigued.
"I guess so," I said feeling welcomed.
"So tell me, what the function of a rubber duck is." she said excited.
"I'm sorry, but what?"
"A rubber duck! what is the function!?" Rosie seemed all to enthused about the question.
"To float in the bathtub?" I said rather confused. "It's just a toy for small children."
"Thats so American," she said unenthused. "Why can't you just use a real duck?"
Then Hugo chimed in, "I don't think it would go very well for the person trying to take a bath sis."
"Anything from the trolly?" asked an extreamly old woman pushing a cart down the hallway of the train car.
"How much are the pumpkin pasties?" I asked looking at the cart.
"Four sickles," the woman said sticking a bony hand.
"What is that like 25 cents?" I asked reaching my hand into my pocket. I had forgoten that I traded in all my american muggle money for wizarding currency.
"That's so American," I heard Scorpio say from behind me. I handed the woman four sickles and sat back down. While the others paid for their sweets I wondered if my life would ever be normal again.