1 – The Boy

The Great Hall slowly fell away to silence as Dumbledore stood. The First Years had been sorted, and the feast was about to begin. Just a few announcements. Harry Potter waited with his friends Ron and Hermione as eagerly as anyone for the moment when they could start eating. Normally it took just a couple of minutes for Dumbledore to give the reminders, but this year it was different.

'I know you're all keen to tuck in,' said the old Headmaster, 'but this year I'm afraid the announcements will have to go on a little longer than normal. Firstly, you will all have House Meetings in you Common Rooms after the feast. Hopefully the reason for this will become clear a little later. Secondly, we have one more new student. He will be going into Fourth Year, and I hope you will all welcome him. He is not a wizard in the traditional sense, but he will be an important asset to the school, and you should all make the effort to be friends with him. Please say hello to Nickolas Hewitt.'

The doors of the Great Hall swung open, revealing a boy standing on the threshold. He had dark brown hair, and a little on the tall side. He shifted awkwardly under the gaze of the hundreds of students, and looked at the floor.

'Nickolas will be assigned a house when he makes some good friends,' Dumbledore continued. 'Meanwhile, he will be staying elsewhere in the school. He may attend classes as he wishes, and has the choice of whether or not he wishes to come to meals. I do not want any of you to look down on him because he is different. Bear in mind that it would be advantageous to become his friend, both for you and for the school. Thank you Nickolas.'

The new boy ducked his head, and left the hall. The doors swung shut behind him.

'Now, Filch the caretaker has asked me to remind you...' the Headmaster went on, but nobody was listening. At last he finished, and suddenly the tables were groaning with food. Everyone began to eat, but for once the discussion did not revolve around the holidays and being back at school.

'Why do you reckon he's here, if he's not a wizard?' asked Ron, mouth full of chicken.

'Dunno,' said Harry, also digging in. 'Maybe Dumbledore just knows him or something.'

'Be sensible,' said Hermione, exasperated. 'He's obviously got some sort of magical ability, otherwise he wouldn't be here. Dumbledore just said that he wasn't a wizard. That doesn't mean he's not magical. People don't get in just because Dumbledore knows them.'

'Guess you're probably right,' Harry replied. 'But we'll probably find out for sure at the House Meeting.'

'Probably,' Ron agreed. 'It sounds pretty cool though, doesn't it? Going to whatever classes you want.'

Harry jumped in. 'Yeah, that'd be awesome. No more Potions.' The boys started to discuss what subjects they would and wouldn't attend, but they were interrupted before they got far.

'Well, I think you're being insensitive,' said Hermione. 'It'd make you feel like such an outcast. I mean, the poor boy doesn't even have a house. How would that make you feel? No sense of community. That's why Dumbledore's so keen for us to make friends with him, so he feels included. We'll have to try especially hard, since he's in our year.'

The discussion between the three friends was a model of what was being talked about in the rest of the Great Hall. Everyone was curious about who this new boy was, where he came from and what was special about him. They were about to find out.