A Magical Puzzle
Year One
Chapter One
On September 1st, a very nervous John Watson stands in Kings Cross Station gripping his mother's hand and staring up at the sign saying he is on platform nine. John is a small boy, barely 11, with closely cut light brown hair and warm brown eyes. His mother resembles him closely. She is short and slightly mousey, but gives off an air of being kind and loving. A thirteen-year-old girl with two brown braids to just below her shoulders is tugging at her mother's other hand, pulling her and her younger brother towards the barrier in between platforms nine and ten. Both kids are pushing a trolley, each with big worn brown trunks on them.
"Okay Harriet honey, you go first," mother says. Harriet gives a big smile, puts both hands on her trolley and takes off at a run towards the barrier, pushing the trolley in front. Right as it looks as though she is going to collide with the barrier, she disappears. Even though this is the third year John has watched his sister do this, it still amazes him.
"Johnny," mother says, smiling down at John "your turn!" John's knuckles turn white as his hands grip his trolley even harder. He quickly lets go of the handle, wiping his sweaty hands on his pants. He puts his hands back on the trolley. His nerves are showing clearly on his face as he starts pushing his trolley towards the barrier. He closes his eyes, gaining speed until he disappears. When he slowly opens his eyes, he is standing on a platform crowded with people. Steam billows around from a huge scarlet train. John can feel the buzz of everyone around him, as they say good-bye to their families, re-unite with friends, and get excitedly on the train. Harriet, who has been running around saying hi to all her friends, comes back up to John and their mother, who has just appeared behind.
"Come on Johnny! This is it!" Harriet squeals, grabbing John's shoulders. She leans around John to kiss their mother, before running back to her friends. John and mother watch as she loads her trunk on to the train and disappears onto it. John turns around and hugs his mother tightly, not letting go.
"Mommy, will you come too please? I'm scared" John says into his mothers shoulder. Mother kisses his head and runs her hands through John's hair.
"You are my big strong boy Johnny, and mommy is so proud of you" she whispers. She pulls back; putting her hands on Johns shoulders, and looks him in his eyes. "Go with your sister Johnny. You will have fun, I promise." She then puts her lips to his temple, before turning him around and gently pushing him towards the train. As John hauls his trunk onto the train, he turns to look at his mother. She has tears in her eyes and gives him a sad smile. John blinks many times to keep back his tears.
John's daddy had died two years ago, and since then his mother had been weaker. She relied heavily on Harriet and John. During the year while Harriet was away at school, John worked hard to help his mother. He was worried, now that he was starting at school, about his mother.
Mother shoos John inside with her hand. John turns and pulls his trunk down the hall, looking in the train compartments for his sister. In the 7th compartment down sits Harriet, surrounded by her friends. John sees that she has not made any room for him. Feeling incredibly nervous, John continues down. Everywhere seems full. In the very last compartment sits a tall, thin boy staring out the window.
"Do you mind if I sit with you? Everywhere else seems to be full," John says, pulling the door open. The boy says nothing so John walks in, and heaves his trunk into the overhead compartment. The boy has not moved, and John nervously takes the seat opposite. He looks out onto the platform, and to the solitary forlorn figure of his mother. He presses a hand to the window and the tears fill his eyes again as he watches her. The train starts moving, pulling out of the station. John keeps his eyes locked on his mother until her figure has disappeared into the distance. John rests his head on the widow and squeezes his eyes closed.
"First year." The words echo around the silent compartment. John opens his eyes in surprise. The boy is watching him. John nods slowly. The boy is right. John is on the Hogwarts express; the train that takes young witches and wizards to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the best school of magic in Britain. "Me too" the boy states.
The boy stares at John, almost like he is analyzing him. John watches the boy too. He is tall lanky with very pale skin. He has a mop of curly black hair and eyes that look both blue and green.
"Death Eaters or Giants?" the boy asks. John looks at him in surprise.
"What?"
"Which war did your father die in? Death Eaters or Giants?" the boy asks bluntly.
"Giants" John says quietly, as his eyes fill with tears. Thirty years ago, the famous Harry Potter defeated Lord Voldemort in a legendary battle at Hogwarts. That battle is now referred to as the Battle of the Death Eaters, who were Lord Voldemort's men. Two years ago, some of the Death Eaters had banded together under someone who called himself The Savior. They had climbed the mountains, to the giant's lairs and convinced the giants to come down and wreck havoc. Their motives were the same as Lord Voldemort's, to rid the world of muggle-borns. Muggle-borns are witches or wizards born into families of regular people, called muggles. John's father, a well-known wizard, helped fight that war, but was killed. John's mother was a muggle, making John a half-blood.
"You wish to be in Gryffindor," the boy said. John nodded again, watching the boy suspiciously. Gryffindor is one of the four houses in Hogwarts. Each house holds people with certain personality types, and they become like family. Gryffindor are the brave and bold. Everyone in John's family was in Gryffindor, and John wanted to uphold that tradition. Hufflepuff were the kind and caring, Ravenclaw were the witty and smart, and Slytherin the cunning and ambitious.
The boy was still studying John, and it was quite unnerving. John wasn't sure he liked this boy, he was quite strange, and John didn't like how much he seemed to know about him.