Hello all you wizards and witches! Okay so I've had this story lingering in the back of my mind for a while now and a friend told me to publish it so thought I'd give it a try. It's rated M but only because the storyline is quite dark. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Love always, Jess xx

The platform sign read 'Platform 9 ¾'. Harry clutched his Hogwarts acceptance letter tightly in his hands whilst carrying Hedwig in the other. His suitcases were already loaded onto the train so he was left stood there debating which carriage to get onto. Around him, young wizards and witches were buzzing with excitement whilst their parents were stood with them crying tears of joy. Some people were shoving past him to make their way onto the platform whilst others were doing the same as Harry – standing in awe at the feet of the magnificent Hogwarts Express. The train was a royal red and lined with black, the carriages vintage style with laced curtains lining the windows. If something so grand was only the transport to Hogwarts, what would the actual place be like?! Harry had rarely been on a train before, the last on he had been on was when he was being transported to the Dursley's after his parents death. He would have loved for his parents to be here with him right now, sharing the same moments of farewell as all of the other children were. His heart pained for a moment, but it was quickly taken over by the ambition and excitement of boarding this train and having his life changed forever.

The blow of the whistle and the shout of the conductor shouting "final boarding!" brought Harry out of his train of thought. He rushed towards the train door, lifting the white owl up beside his head and saying "this is it, Hedwig!" The owl chirped back (out of excitement or being nervous in such a busy station, Harry didn't know) and Harry made his way up the large steps and boarded the train.

He found an empty carriage and seated himself down with Hedwig on the seat beside him. The owl was restless but Harry felt bad that he couldn't let her out of her cage. Usually in the confinement of his own bedroom under the stairs he could let Hedwig out to stretch her wings a little, but on a train as large as the Hogwarts express, he couldn't risk it. Harry had always loved Hedwig, he found her outside in the snow one morning when he was 8, had snuck it upstairs and rested it back to health. After that, the owl never wanted to leave his side. Harry had used his minimal allowance from the Dursley's to feed Hedwig, buy her a cage and any treats at Christmas time. The Dursley's were never fond of Hedwig, and only let Harry keep it providing that he cared for the owl himself. They didn't think she would last through the winter, but Harry had proven them wrong.

Many students were rushing past Harry's cabin, some the same age as him but most of them were older. Nobody stopped to enter his cabin but some did stop momentarily to look at the beautiful owl sat beside him. Harry didn't mind really, many people commented on how beautiful his owl was and he couldn't blame them. She was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. He didn't mind being alone either, he liked talking to Hedwig when he was feeling lonely and didn't like being judged for it. After all, humans are animals too, why can't we talk to animals as our equals? Hedwig often chirped back so he knew she liked him talking to her.

After 5 more minutes, all of the students were seated and as he looked out of the window he saw all of the parents crying and waving their goodbyes. There came that twinge of hurt again. None of them were looking at him, none of them were missing him already, none paying him any attention. At least that's what Harry thought. As he went to turn back to facing the seat in front of him, Harry caught sight of a hooded figure, dressed in all black. There was something dark and mysterious about him, something cold that made a shiver run up Harry's spine. He was wearing a black cloak with black trousers, black shoes and black gloves. His face was shadowed by the hood of his cloak and he stood at the back of the crowd. Nobody else seemed to notice him but Harry. The only thing that wasn't dark about him was the yellow of the sun reflecting off his glassy eyes. And they were focused on him.

Looking right at him.

Harry wanted to look away but he felt drawn to him, almost as if he couldn't look away no matter how much he willed himself to. The stranger's eyes followed him until he was out of sight, the train carrying him off into the distance.

The whirring engine shook the entire train into a constant rumble, making Harry feel slightly queasy. He hoped he would get used to this, having to do this twice every Christmas and summer. Thankfully, to his delight, the lady with the food trolley was only in the next carriage and was slowly making her way to his carriage. He didn't want food but could hopefully get some water to relax his stomach a little. He waited in silence until she came.

When she arrived at his cabin, he ordered a bottle of water, wincing at his stomach every time the train got a bump. The trolley lady frowned at him.

"Feeling a little queasy?" She questioned

"Uh, yeah, hoping the water will help it settle down" He forced a smile.

She pulled put a small box that looked like it contained fruit sweets

"Oh no! I'm not feeling like eating at the moment thank you" Harry protests

"No, honestly kid, these will help with the sickness. That's what Dumbledore made them for. Thank god he did though, I'm sick of cleaning up vomit" She smiled and passed Harry a sweet out of the box.

"Oh, thank you" Harry smiled and popped the sweet in his mouth. Somehow the sickness was already wearing off after it being in his mouth mere seconds. A questionable look crosses Harry's face and she chuckles slightly.

"Yep, he's a genius our Dumbledore. Bet you can't wait to meet him"

"Who's Dumbledore?" He questions

A look of shock passes over her face. "You don't know who he is? Didn't your parents teach you anything when you were growing up?"

Harry shakes his head and looks down at his hands. "My parents died when I was younger, after that I was brought up by my aunt and uncle. I didn't know anything about any of this until my letter came from Hogwarts."

"Huh, typical muggles. Never liked those born with magic for some reason. Think they're jealous. They probably tried to keep you in the dark about it hoping you wouldn't get into Hogwarts. Typical" She huffs. "Dumbledore is one of the greatest wizards alive today. One of the only Wizards the Ministry of Magic will listen to. He represents Hogwarts in annual meetings." She leans in a little closer to him. "Apparently there was a bit of an outburst a few years back because he wasn't deemed 'the chosen one' by the Ministry of Defence to battle 'he who must not be named'"

Confusion and lots of questions raced through Harry's mind. He thought he'd start off at the beginning. "Sorry, but what are muggles?" She's using lots of words that Harry doesn't understand.

She smiles apologetically. "Someone born human. Someone born without magic blood."

"Anyway, I have to keep going with my rounds, lots of hungry wizards and witches still wanting food" She winks at Harry and makes her way to leave. Annoyance flashes through Harry as he didn't get to ask her his other questions but he was sure he'd get answers when he arrived at Hogwarts.

She wanders off down the corridor and shouts back "Hope your stomach is feeling better!"

At that point Harry realises, the queasiness is completely gone. He frowns in confusion. I need to meet this Dumbledore, he thinks to himself.

At that point, everything seems to start shaking, this is more than just the engine, Harry thought. The lights start to blink and the windows start cracking from the tremors. Could it be an Earthquake? No, we don't get Earthquakes in this part of the world. Harry tries to stand to make his way to the rest of the students but the shaking makes him lose his balance and he falls. Hedwig falls off the seat and he picks her up, trying to calm her down.

"Shh, it'll be alright!"

By this point Hedwig is flapping and chirping uncontrollably, clearly distressed by the events around her.

Harry crawls with Hedwig in his hand out into the corridor. He had to find out what was going on. All around him students were shouting and crying, trying to make their way to one another. The older students had their wands in their hands, trying to think up spell to make the shaking stop. In the next carriage Harry could see swirling black shapes flying back and forth through cabins, shoving students out of the way. They broke free of that carriage and were making their way into Harry's. He was frozen in shock. Suddenly everything seemed to slow down as the shaking became worse and the screams became louder. Harry could see everyone around him trying to get away from the dark shapes, but it was no use.

The only thing Harry wasn't aware of was the large picture frame falling from the wall above him, Harry's head being directly in its path.

The next thing Harry saw was darkness.

So there you have it, the first chapter to a hopefully successful story. Please let me know what you think! I'd love for this one to go a long way Jin the next chapter we'll meet some more of our favourite characters *wink wink* and find out what happened after the train incident. Anyway, until next time J

Love always, Jess xx