Author's Note: This is an fic that I wrote all the way back in early 2008. At the time I was 15. Since then, I have become a professional writer for a number of different industries, including animation and video games. Still...this story drew me back in when I found it on a flash drive the other day. I hope that, with the experience I now have under my belt, I am able to provide an enticing story with characters that you can grow attached to.

And always remember to review, because constructive criticism is by far one of the greatest things you can give a writer.

The first of August was the date when the man with the letter arrived, introducing me to a world unseen by most. My parents, always the pragmatic type, at first believed it was a prank. You see, my father had just been transferred to Britain by the military. It was part of a special program where members of two countries' respective armed forces traded places and trained with the other country for a set amount of time. It built stronger friendships and better cooperation between the nations.

When this transfer happened my parents were required to find a suitable school that I could attend. A public school had seemed the best bet until this man, Mr. Longbottom, showed up. After a little convincing (through first hand demonstration), they were intrigued enough to allow him to come in and explain in depth.

Over my childhood years, things had occurred around me that were not "normal". This made it a little easier for my parents to accept that I was being invited to attend a school for the magically gifted, despite their normal outlook on life.

"Mr. and Mrs. Summers, your boy is a wizard. It may seem odd considering the rest of your family are muggles, that is our word for non-magical persons, but it is actually quite common for wizards to come from non-magical families such as yours. One of my greatest friends and the most intelligent witch I have ever had the pleasure to know is a muggle-born," Mr. Longbottom explained. His speech seemed genuine not rehearsed as if he was trying to con us. However, being only eleven at the time, I was far more interested in how he dressed. He wore earthy green robes, which, apart from bath robes, I'd never seen anything like before. He even smelled like earth, like I did after a hard day of helping my parents in the garden. While my mind was riding this train of thought, he turned to me.

"James, as I said before, you are a wizard ,and from meeting you, I believe you could be every bit as fantastic as Hermione, an extremely gifted muggle-born witch. I know it seems quite sudden for me to appear like this, but it is customary in the magical world for young witches and wizards to start their education in magic at the age of 11. Had you been in the United States you likely would have attended the prestigious Ilvermorny," he said, smiling enthusiastically. Everything about this man was likable and charismatic, and that drew me in. Before I could ask any questions, he handed me the letter he had been holding the whole conversation.

Dear Mr. Summers,

We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Angelina Johnson
Deputy Headmistress

The list of supplies brought a few questions to mind, so, I asked, "Where will I find everything on this list? And when I do find them, how will I buy them? I don't have any of your money, assuming the magic world uses its own currency. Is there an exchange rate for muggle currency?" Mr. Longbottom chuckled at the rapid-fire questions.

"You really are like Hermione. Muggle-born, intelligent, and always asking or answering questions. To answer your questions, you'll come with me to Diagon Alley. It is the best place to buy everything on that list at once. We do have our own currency. And you can exchange your currency at the magical Gringotts bank run by goblins, quite frugal creatures," Mr. Longbottom answered, again with a warm smile. At the time, I was unsure of being compared to a girl, but that was because I was 11. However, he seemed to think very highly of her, so I was a little proud. I had always strove to be the best at everything I did, especially school. So, naturally I would include magic in that competitiveness.

"So, when do we go?" I asked after receiving a nod of assent from my parents. Mr. Longbottom clapped his hands and I could feel his excitement as well.

"We can leave this instant if your parents don't mind. It would be the best time, and I'll have you back before supper. That they can be assured of," he enthusiastically spoke. My dad, after Mr. Longbottom's reassurances, stood up and left the room. For a brief moment I was worried he had changed his mind. Instead, he came back with a large amount of cash.

"If it is the only way for him to get his things, you may take my son with you," he said to Mr. Longbottom. Then he turned to me.

" I was saving this money to help pay for your education this year, but now you can use it for the necessary supplies," my father said quietly as he handed me the money. He had always been strong, and soft-spoken.

Mr. Longbottom seemed to feel that the talk was over, and he clapped again as he spoke, "Great! Come now James…we have much to accomplish."

He motioned me over to stand next to him, as he explained, "Hold on tight, we're about to go on a side-along apparition. You'll feel a pressure and a pull, but keep your grip tight!" Suddenly, there was a tug, and an immense pressure as the world went black. After only a few moments we were deposited onto street full of witches and wizard. The street was lined with an array of fantastic store fronts.

"Our first stop will be Gringotts so you may change over the muggle money that your wonderful father gave you. Then we can begin our journey in earnest," said the cheerful Mr. Longbottom. His confident and likable nature eased any unease that I had. As we walked, he pointed out the bank in the distance. It took only a few minutes to reach, and the bank was much more imposing up close. As we passed through the doors I the inscription on them caught my eye.

"That is a warning to those who would tempt fate by robbing Gringotts. This bank is one of the safest places on the planet, protected by thousands of protective spells. It would be folly to attempt to rob it. Only two successful break-ins have occurred, and both were perpetrated by some of the most powerful wizards of our time." His explanation hinted at a bit of pride. It wasn't until much later I discovered that some of his closest friends were among those who robbed it.

We walked through the main hall, and approached a goblin who sat at a desk and was not attending to anyone. Its long fingers held a gold coin that it was carefully scrutinizing with a jeweler's microscope. He crinkled his already wrinkled face, clearly unhappy before looking to Mr. Longbottom than to myself.

"Leprechaun gold! Entirely worthless…" He said to Mr. Longbottom as he held up the coin. He placed the coin in a pile he'd taken it from before turning back to us.

"Another muggle born?" It seemed more a scathing remark than an actual question. Mr. Longbottom ignored the tone, and instead responded cheerily.

"Yes! We would appreciate it if you could exchange his muggle currency for him and open a vault in his name." I wondered if this respectful cheeriness was just his nature, or if he was simply trying to make the goblin more comfortable. It didn't seem to matter either way, but the goblin gestured for the money. After I handed it to him, he callously flipped through it and then spun around.

"Ungok! Take this and exchange it for the proper currency while I take care of the paperwork for opening a vault," he spoke abrasively to the goblin behind him. It quickly became clear to me that this goblin was simply not a happy individual to be around. Ungok took the money and walked off, leaving the goblin at the desk to take out a large stack of papers.

"This is the standard agreement. Sign it and be done with it," he said as he pushed the papers towards us. I signed it after looking for an indication from Mr. Longbottom to do so. The goblin sighed after I signed, pulled out a key, and handed it over. "Your vault is number 9380, and this is your key." Shortly thereafter the other goblin returned with a large bag of coins. The pair of goblins started talking, but I couldn't make out what they said.

"That is Gobbledegook…the Goblin's language," Mr. Longbottom whispered to me. Suddenly the pair stopped talking and Ungok handed me the bag. It was exceptionally heavy for a bag of currency, so I looked inside. There was an array of coins of three types. I closed the bag and Mr. Longbottom thanked the goblins before we left. Afterwards, he led me to a bench where he motioned for the bag. He fetched out one coin of each type, and gave me a short lecture.

"This is a gold Galleon. This one is a silver Sickle. And this one is a bronze Knut." He brandished them in order as he spoke their names.

"There are 17 Sickles to a Galleon and 29 Knuts to a Sickle." I found it odd, but pretty simple math. That meant there were 493 Knuts to a Galleon. Once the monetary lesson was over, we headed to a shop for robes. It was named Madame Malkin's, and the elderly lady within was kind as she measured and fitted me for the robes. The whole process was over in a short time, and after I payed, Mr. Longbottom led me out of the shop.

Our next destination was to be my favorite of the day. It was an odd little shop by the name of Ollivander's. Earlier I had overheard people in the Alley talking about what a shame it was that Mr. Ollivander had finally retired. They also said that he had left a very capable relative in charge of the store. Entering it, I was met with a stuffy, stale atmosphere. The individual behind the counter didn't even turn around, keeping his back to me as he went about his business. His slicked-back black hair went well with his long skinny figure. After I stood around for a short time, he spoke.

"First year I presume? And not from a wizarding family I grasp." I was stunned he was able to tell without even looking at me. He turned with a warm smile and I nodded. He looked over me, and it felt like he was appraising me before he spoke again.

"My name, like my great uncle's is Ollivander. Now, what is your name," he asked. I hesitated a moment before answering.

"My name is James Summers." His eyes sparkled as he stood there watching me, and his gaze was rather unsettling, but his smile did more than enough to offset it.

"Well Mr. Summers, let's get to business shall we? Which is your wand arm?" Since I had never owned a wand, I didn't know which arm to raise, so I just took the most logical approach and raised my right arm, as that was my dominant one.

"Good…Good. Let's see here." He flourished his wand towards me and a tape measure sprung from the wand's tip, snaking towards me. It started taking measurements all on its own, and Mr. Ollivander went behind the counter to rummage through the many shelves full of boxes. He grabbed one box.

"Maple, 10 inches, phoenix feather core and brittle." He started back towards the counter before stopping mid stride. He placed it back upon its shelf before starting his search anew.

"How about an Oak…American Red perhaps," he mumbled to himself as he sorted through a new shelf. He seemed to finally find something as he took a long pause.

"Interesting…I don't sell many of these. It's fitting…" He took a box from another shelf, bringing it to the counter with a flourish.

"It is not often that I will make wands with cores that aren't dragon heartstring, phoenix feather, or unicorn tail hair. My great uncle was quite forceful about that...claimed they were the three supreme cores,"he explained as he set the box down.

"I believe he was right, but only to an extent. Other cores have their place in wandmaking, but I digress. Now, let's try this. Yew, a dual core of dragon heartstring and demiguise hair, 10 ¾ inches, pliable," he explained as he took the wand from its box and handed it to me. As soon as my fingers brushed the polished wood of the wand I felt a warmth spread across my body. Mr. Ollivander gave me a rather eccentric demonstration of waving the wand, and I mimicked his action. Multi-colored sparks flew from the tip, and the wandmaker happily hummed as he made his way behind the counter to an old register.

"That'll be eight Galleons," he told me before he continued humming. After I handed him the money, he spoke again.

"I expect to hear much about you in the future. That wand was one of my first, and has been waiting a long time for an owner. If it chose you, then I believe you will have many tales to tell when next we meet." Hearing these words from someone who saw as many witches and wizards as he must gave me a bit of pride.

"He was a bit...eccentric…" I said to my chaperone as we walked. He chuckled before responding.

"He's a wizard, and an Ollivander at that. One thing you can be sure of with an Ollivander is a bit of eccentricity. Besides, every brilliant mind is eccentric in one manner or another," he told me. Placated by his explanation, I simply nodded and we continued on. Following Ollivander's we went to a number of different shops to buy the rest of my required supplies and books. Finally when we seemed to be done, Mr. Longbottom had a question for me.

"Now would you like a pet? It isn't a requirement, but they are often a wizard's or witch's best friend," he asked. After only a moment of thinking, I determined that a pet would be nice, especially since I would be away from my parents, and with a group of people I didn't know.

"I think a cat would be nice," I replied warmly. With that he directed me to Magical Menagerie, a small, noisy shop full of cages and animals. As I walked around looking at the animals, I came across one cat in particular. It was a jet-black cat with icy blue eyes. When I looked into its cage, it stared back with incredible intensity. The shop's owner noticed that I had stopped wandering, and came over.

"Ah…she's an interesting one isn't she? My little girl named her Ice because of her eyes. Incredibly intelligent, but she never seemed to take any interest in anyone, so she just hasn't sold. I tell you what…normally a black cat like her is 9 Galleons. They are popular companions. However, I'll give her to you for 6 since you are the only individual I've ever seen her take the slightest bit of interest in. She likely won't sell otherwise," the shopkeep said. I didn't even have to think about it before I nodded. After purchasing Ice along with a few supplies to take care of her, I left the shop to rejoin Mr. Longbottom. From there, Mr. Longbottom returned us home, leaving me with a few words.

"I look forward to seeing you this year in class Mr. Summers. I think you will do exceptionally well," he said. With that, he left, and I realized that he was actually a teacher at the school. I moved my stuff up to my room, placing it in an old trunk that my family had found upon first moving into the house. Then I found the letter Mr. Longbottom had left me so I could look over the list of classes again. Ice cuddled on my chest as I lay on my bed reading the list. Finally, I realized that he must be the Herbology professor. It made a lot of things about him make sense.

Over the next month I read every single book I had bought. They were all full of such fantastic information. The most amazing information were the spells. I wanted to try more than a couple with my wand, but I only attempted the safe ones though. I found Lumos and Nox to be especially useful for reading late into the night without my parents knowing.

I also got to know Ice well. She was, as the shop keeper had said, a freakishly intelligent cat. She was not the anti-social thing that the shop owner had said she was, but instead she was affectionate, rarely leaving my side.

When the day came for me to go to King's Cross Station, I felt content that I had taught myself enough to keep up with those classmates who had been born into magical households. As soon as we arrived at the station, I loaded all my belongings onto a cart and started inside with my parents. We arrived at Platform 9, and I told them goodbye. After a decent bit of convincing from my father, my mother finally followed him out of the station.

After they left, I stood there for a few moments, trying to figure out how to get to Platform 9 3/4. I just didn't know what to do though. Finally, as I thought about it, I heard a couple talking about their first child going to Hogwarts. They had been talking fairly quietly, but I was near enough that I had still heard them. I glanced around and noticed a man and woman with a girl my age. There was also a younger boy sticking close to the woman. I decided this was my best hope for getting onto the Platform, and I approached them.

"Excuse me, but did you say that you have a child going to Hogwarts?" I asked them quietly. I had never been particularly good at talking around new people, because despite my size for my age, I was a bit on the shy side. The man's eyes widened almost comically. Thankfully his wife understood my true intent, and gave me a warm smile.

"Yes we did. This will be our Rose's first year. I assume it'll be your first year as well?" She responded with warmth.

"Um..yes. My name is James Summers, and I'm…well…I'm muggle-born…so…" I trailed off, averting my eyes. Despite my inability to speak under pressure like this, they seemed to get the gist of what I was trying to say. Looking back up I noticed a gleam in the woman's eyes.

"Don't worry about being muggle-born dear. I'm one as well. Just ask my husband…I was at the top of our year. You'll do just fine," she reassured me as her husband chuckled.

"This sure takes me back. It's almost exactly like when I met Harry all those years ago," he told his wife. Then, with a huge grin, he turned to me.

"She's right you know. Hermione was the best in our year, and if you're wondering how to get through to Platform 9 ¾, just follow Rose and I," he said cheerfully. He walked over to his daughter, Rose, who had the same shockingly red hair that her father did, but it was very long and straight. They then proceeded to walk right into the barrier between Platform 9 and 10, promptly disappearing. As unaccustomed to magic as I was, it made for a slightly disturbing sight. Looking back to the woman, I realized that I had heard her name before. She was in a number of text books, and she had been mentioned by Mr. Longbottom.

"You're the Hermione that Mr. Longbottom told me about! You have to be. He told me that you were brilliant and muggle-born. He reassured me that I reminded him of you a lot…"I blurted out. However, I began to trail off as I realized what I was doing. Her smile though, was once again warm, and her eyes still shone.

"Oh Neville…he's such a good friend. Yes, I was the one he was talking about, and if he praised you, then I think you'll do very well. Now let's hurry along. You don't want to be late on your first day. As my husband can attest, missing the train is not a fun experience," she said as she walked with me through the portal, her son clinging closely behind. Going through the barrier was even more disturbing than watching someone do it.

On the other side, I marveled at the enormous steam train in front of me. I had never seen one like this in person. I made my way towards the back end of it, doing my best not to hit anyone with my cart. It was a difficult endeavor due to the sheer number of people. When I finally reached a door to a train car that was not crowded, I stopped the cart and attempted to lift my trunk. Despite being strong, I was too small to lift it alone. Luckily an older boy nearby saw me having trouble, and offered to help. I gladly accepted and we were able to move all my items onto the train and into a compartment where there was no other luggage. I thanked him before I turned to Ice. She was huddled in the back of her travel cage, clearly disgruntled by all the noise and movement.

"I'll be back to let you out in the compartment in just a little bit okay? Until then, here is a treat for being a good girl," I told her. I grabbed the little container of treats I always kept on me and gave her one through the bars of the cage, hoping it would help to calm her down. After I steppedd off the train, I walked around for a bit, amazed at all the different people there. I saw a man who thought was Harry Potter. According to the history books, he had defeated the most terrible wizard of all time, Voldemort, at Hogwarts years before I was born. I was in utter awe of that man…to do something that great at the age he did…it was amazing.

Finally it came time for the train to depart, and I boarded at the same door I had gone to before. As I walked to the compartment where my luggage was, I passed many compartments that were already full. I realized there were a lot of students attending this school. When I finally made it to the compartment I had put my stuff in, I found it already occupied by two people.

"Your brother needs to stop bothering people. He's so nosy sometimes," the girl from before,Rose, told a black-haired boy sitting across from her. I knocked on the door frame, gaining the attention of both.

"Hello James. This is Albus," Rose told me. I was surprised she cared to remember my name, and I wasn't expecting her to be so kind, even if her mom was.

"Hi Rose, Albus. Is…is this seat taken?" I asked them as I gestured to the open area next to Rose. Both of them shook their heads, and I was about to sit down when I heard a meow from above. I looked up to see Ice staring at me intently.

"Well…I did promise. Would you two mind if I let Ice out? She's been in that cage for a long time, and is getting fussy," I asked the other two. Rose's eyes lit up upon seeing Ice.

"Ooooh!" Her exclamation of excitement took me off guard. She didn't strike me as the kind of girl to be taken in by cute, fluffy things. Albus just smiled and nodded his head. With that, I opened Ice's cage door, and she promptly jumped out onto my shoulders. I sat down with her there, expecting her to crawl down into my lap, but instead, she jumped from my shoulders into Rose's lap.

"Traitor…" I joked.

"You know that's actually kind of surprising. According to the shopkeeper I was the only person she had ever taken an interest in." Rose didn't even bother looking up to reply.

"That's because she can clearly sense a smart individual when she sees one," she said rather matter-of-factly. Feeling the shyness start to disappear, I felt confident enough to crack a joke.

"Maybe she just likes the smell of roses," I said. This drew a cold stare from Rose before she promptly grabbed a nearby boxed candy and threw it at me. It hit my arm just right, drawing a bit blood. The next pun came out before I could stop it.

"Albus…it looks like I've been pricked by the Rose!"