I awoke with a start. I looked up on my calendar. Today was September first! I'm going to Hogwarts today! I looked over at my school trunk which was filled to the brim with supplies and such. My owl, Quill, was gnawing on something that looked remotely like a frog. I ran to get dressed and eat breakfast because the train left at eleven.

Once we piled into the car we realized that the trunk was in the living room. Quill hooted in annoyance as he was stuffed in the trunk next to my trunk. We lived fairly close to the station so we were there in no time.

Kings Cross Station was bustling with activity. My parents and I arrived at Platform 9. There was obviously no Platform 9 ¾. I maneuvered my trolley, which was of balance from my trunk and the screeching Quill's cage, towards an usher. Then I lost control of my cart and hurtled for the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. My parents rushed to help my, but it was to late. The trolley smashed head on into the barrier. However instead of crashing, we went right through it. We ended in by a large old steam engine with the name of the Hogwarts Express. There was a sign that said Platform 9 ¾. This was it! I glanced at the large clock on the wall. It read five to eleven. I hugged my parents good bye, promised to write, and then boarded the train.

I had never been on a train before, having never left the general area where I lived, so this was a new experience. I looked for an empty compartment, but a lot were already filled by bigger kids. Finally, I found a compartment with only a small boy with greasy, blonde hair. I figured he wasn't to threatening, so I sat in the compartment. Instantly he said with a sneer, "Who are you?"

"Hi," I replied, "My names Mark." He looked me over and said, "I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. Are you pure?"

"Am I what?" I asked.

"Are your parents wizards or what?"

"No, their both non-wizards,"

"You mean Muggles." he said snootily.

"Yeah I guess," I said with a shrug.

"You're a filthy Mudblood then!" I wasn't sure what it ment, but it didn't sound good.

"What!"

"Yeah, you heard me! A Mudblood, a Muggleborn!" he taunted. Fighting to hold back tears, I dashed out of the compartment. The train pulled out of the station with a lurch and I began to look for another compartment. Again, most were full, but others held experiences similar to the first one.

"At this rate I'll never find a seat!" I thought, angrily. Then, a a girl with bouncing red curls walked by the compartment that just shunned me came cries of "blood traitor" and "Muggle-lover". The girl seemed to ignore it but her eyes showed the hurt she was really feeling. I felt a pang of sympathy for this girl, so I said in a small voice, "Hi." The girl looked at me expecting to be insulted but when I waited for a reply, she said, "Hello, my name's Ginny,"

"I'm Mark," I said now waiting for the question that led to my shunning every time. But it didn't come. Instead Ginny said, "Wanna go find a compartment?" I found myself agreeing. We searched up and down the train until we found a compartment with a lone girl in it.

"Excuse me, would you mind if we sat here?" Ginny asked. The girl had dirty blonde hair and kind green eyes. She looked up from the magazine she was reading. I noticed that it was upside down.

"It's fine with me, but be careful, I think that there's a wrack spurt floating around here some where." said the girl, dreamily. Not knowing how to respond to that, Ginny and I sat down.

"So, what's your name?" I asked.

"Luna Lovegood, but some people have taken to calling me, Loony."

"Well that's terribly rude of them!" said Ginny, hands on her hips.

"Mmm, I guess not, but I'm used to it. Besides I'm more worried about the Rotfang Conspiracy than what some half-wit, egotistical, pure-bloods think of me." "Whats the… Never mind," asked Ginny, "But I know what you mean, I'm pure-blood, but, who honestly cares?" "I'm not exactly sure what I am, but people keep calling me a mud blood." I said.

"Oh, I can't believe that they would call you something so terrible! A mud-blood is derogatory term for muggle-borns. It means nothing." said Ginny.

We talked and the rest of the trip went by fast. I learned that Ginny is the only girl in her family with six older brothers who talk non-stop about their favorite sport, Quittich. Ginny also said how an apparently famous wizard, Harry Potter, stayed with her older brother Ron, this summer. Luna seemed quite impressed by this. Luna is a strange kid. Her dad is the editor of an eccentric magazine called the Quibbler.

After the sun set there was an announcement from the conductor telling them that they would be arriving in fifteen minutes and they had better change into their school robes. I left the compartment as the girls changed and they left as I changed. The train lurched to a halt and we were told to leave our luggage and get of the train. Once we were off we heard a loud voice saying, "Firs' years over 'ere!" There was a swinging lantern to follow as he led us to a fleet of rowboats. We each climbed aboard, three to a boat. The boats took off by magic and started to glide through the silky water.

Our boat rounded the bend on the lake and I got my very first glimpse a Hogwarts. I was a magnificent castle with towers, wall and soaring turrets. The many window were light up at for the night. It was amazing! We pulled up to the shore and walked in a big group to the front of the castle gates. The humungous gates slowly creaked open…

/A.N./ Thanks for reading my second chapter! Please review! I want to improve my story!/