"Platform 9 and 3 quarters… where is it?" Matt advanced from one platform to another, but was stumped as he could only see numbers 9 and 10. He paused to ask a guard, but was told to run off faster than he could say "Hogwarts".

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts… where would I hide if I was a Hogwarts?" He leaned back to rest on a pillar as he thought, but to his shock he found no wall! He had fallen onto the cold hard floor of the platform, and landed somewhere different. He looked up, slightly dazed, and saw on a bright green sign – Platform 9 and 3 quarters!

"Lord does have mercy" he whispered, rubbing grime of his jeans and feeling his elbows. They were grazed as his red chequered shirt did not cover his elbows. But, alas, here he was! In front of a huge red steam train, very long and very old. He dragged his trunk, which had mercifully came all the way through the non-existent pillar. "Imagine if it had got stuck halfway" he laughed to himself. He lugged his trunk up the stairs, if somewhat a stretch of his strength, and put it onto the rack of the first carriage he could find. He managed to remove his rucksack from his shoulders and put it by him on the green leather seat. The clock read 5 minutes to 11. He had made it in the nick of time. He casually glanced out the window. Pandemonium. Several parents waving goodbye to their kids for 9 or so months. "And I thought getting dropped off at the entrance to the station was dramatic" he laughed in spite of himself. Still, him, a wizard? He actually couldn't believe his luck when the letter came through the door. It had made no sense, but yet made everything so clear, like the time he had made the TV remote disappear when he was young. He made it go completely missing because he couldn't watch what he wanted to. Or the time when the hoop from the basketball net went missing at school. He knew he had done it, but didn't know why… But this was the start of his grand adventure. He was going to Hogwarts, and nothing was going to ruin his day.

"D'you mind? Can't find another space." A blonde kid was standing in the entrance to his compartment.

"I thought there was one next door…" Matt was slightly hesitant on these words.

"No, it's filled up. Can I?"

"Be my guest, I guess. Oh, that rhymed." Matt couldn't keep the laughter from his words.

"So, what's your name?" The boy asked quietly.

"Matt. Yours?"

"Pear. Yes and no and yes and no."

"What?" Matt was confused.

"Yes like the fruit; no not after the fruit; yes I do like eating them; no my parents didn't hate me."

"That's… deep."

"Just kidding dude. You got any food? Didn't get breakfast."

"Some marginally stale sandwiches if you want." Matt had almost forgotten food until he quickly remembered them.

The two talked for a while, until someone else came to the compartment. "Anything from the trolley dears?" The two ordered a pasty each and some candies, and watched the scenery roll by for a few hours, talking amongst themselves.

"So what's your parentage?" Matt asked.

"Half-blood. Mum's a muggle, Dad's a wizard. She never knew where he got all the flowers for the dates from."

Matt laughed before saying "Muggle-born. It was a surprise until I got my letter."

A voice came throughout the train "You will arrive at Hogwarts in 10 minutes. First years must get into their school robes and be ready to depart at that time."

"Guess this is it." Pear said.

"Guess you're right." Matt replied, reaching in his trunk for some robes.