For most, it was a regular day like any other at King's Cross station in the great city of London. Bustling, wet, and full of unintelligible chatter. Often, the weather in Britain defied normal expectations and did not deem to conform often to the wishes of those who dwelled in the city. They wished for the sun more often than not, but as autumn slowly began to set in, it brought with it the progressive and premature chill of September.
The station crawled with families of every sort, but there were some that were particularly distinguishable from the rest. If not for their trunks stuffed to the brim, large assortments of rather strange pets, and even stranger airs that could almost be palpably felt as they passed, they might have blended in with the rest. However, they were not meant to blend, but were born to stand out. These were wizarding families making their yearly return to King's Cross, preparing to send their children off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after a long and much-needed break from their studies.
In order to reach the train that would take their children away from home from September to June with only Christmas break in between, the wizarding families had to do something even more peculiar. Racing through a barrier, belongings first, that led to platform 9 and ¾, was a regular practice. However, it was not one that non-wizarding folk, Muggles, ever seemed to notice. If ever asked, it was a fair bet that not one would know what platform 9 and ¾ was. However, once through the barrier, one would be met with the most amazing sight.
Children say goodbye to their parents and younger siblings, perhaps even board the train with their older ones, as they're reunited with those they haven't seen in the long summer months they were away. First years, often more timid than the rest and quite easily lost in the large crowds, tended to bunch into compartments and keep to themselves until they happened upon someone from their own House.
From across the four Houses – Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor – our story begins with what will become the most unlikely group of friends; twelve, though not all the same age, would defy both expectations and rules during their time together at Hogwarts. A group of unsuspecting first years that happened into a rather mischievous group of third years, these twelve students would test even the most patient of professors, some more than others, and would unknowingly cement a lasting bond of friendship that throughout the many years after its beginning, although tested, could never be broken.
There was a particular group of five, before they met the other seven, which had been deemed as the troublemakers of Hogwarts. Fred and George Weasley, James Malfoy, Jilly Lovegood, and Bree Lestrange; these were the personal favorites of Professors James Potter and Sirius Black who had been infamous in their day for being irksome much as these five were presently. This also made them the ever existent thorn in the side of Professor S. Snape, who happened to have quite a history with the other two professors. As everyone understood it, and witnessed rather frequently, the animosity between the three had not quite gone away over the years.
Many of the pupils, however, didn't share Professor Snape's view of the five. Although their detention count was now considered outrageous and rivaled even the Marauder's themselves (a rather worrying prospect for the professors who had been around during their reign) their constant pranks and sometimes dangerous sense of mischief kept things interesting when the year seemed to be dragging endlessly on.
The journey on the train itself often did drag on, but those on board hardly ever noticed it. This was where friendships were born, new spells were practiced (often with less than desirable results), and this alone was enough to keep the students more than entertained.
And once the train reached its final destination and the students made their way up to the castle… well, that's where everything really began.
The friendships born on the train were nurtured, new opportunities were presented giving way to new experiences, and in several years' time, most would be tested by a flare of a particularly dark past. But who will survive whatever lies in store?
Only time will tell.