Disclaimer: Not J.K Rowling. Not the Yogscast. Not anyone with any claims to anything you recognise.

Author's Note: Hey guys, so a little short of a million and two years but not so far off. It has been a bit of a challenge getting this out (for me, not for you). We're writing this author's note at quarter to eleven and this is meant to go out tomorrow evening with 600 words still to go. However, we have a kind of plan and the second chapter is already going into third draft so that'll be out on time. We're going to try and aim for every two weeks but that is going to be pretty erratic until we get used to this (which will be sometime in the realm of never.) I hope you enjoy CatherineKat's wonderful first chapter.

CatherineKat and leidineht

YOGWARTS AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE

Chapter One

Diagon Alley

Zoey

Zoey had never been to London by herself before but the letter had said quite clearly that, until she had a wand of her own, she wouldn't be able to take her parents into the wizarding parts of the city with her. This had all seemed fine, up to the point where she found herself in the middle of a busy street, looking for a pub that no one else could apparently see.

Professor McGonagall (whoever she was) had said firmly, in that weird green ink, that no non-magical people would be able to see the "Leaky Cauldron" and so there would be absolutely no point asking any of them for help. That was fine, but for some reason, Zoey couldn't see it either.

It was at least twenty minutes before she noticed a large group of red-heads talking at the top of their voices, though none of them seemed to be listening to any of the others.

"Ickle Ronnikins, a first year!"

"What is the world coming to, Gred?"

"I'm quite sure I don't know, Forge, I mean-"

"Be quiet, the both of you! Now… Which books does Ron need that we haven't already got?"

Having heard enough to be certain that these would be sensible people to follow, Zoey walked behind them towards a door she couldn't imagine how she'd missed before. Slipping through it, she looked around for anyone who might have been able to tell her where to go next.

Inside, the pub was larger than she'd expected, if somewhat dusty. The few patrons mostly seemed to be ignoring each other and Zoey felt rather out of place, standing just inside the doorway, completely unable to see where she should go or what she should do next.

The helpful red haired family had completely vanished and she looked around wildly until the man behind the bar smiled at her. He beckoned her out of a door behind the bar she was certain she'd also never have spotted and led her through to a small courtyard behind the building. Walking up to an old wall that didn't seem particularly magical, he tapped on the slightly cracked bricks in an order she was sure she'd never remember. He waved her through, telling her to ask for "Old Tom" if she ever got lost. Thanking him profusely, Zoey peered through the gap into the incredibly busy street in front of her.

At first glance, Diagon Alley could have been a perfectly ordinary street. But, looking closer, Zoey soon saw that this couldn't have been further from the truth. Instead of jeans in the windows of the clothes shops there were robes, the animals in the pet shop seemed rather unusual and some of the books a shop display appeared to be… moving?

Shaking her head, Zoey searched through her bag for the list that had come with her letter. Professor McGonagall had said the first thing that she needed to do was exchange money at Gringotts and, as the tall marble building was the only one she recognised as something that could have been a bank, she saw no reason to deviate from this plan.

As she neared the bank, Zoey noticed something odd about the people who seemed to work there. She'd thought it was merely the distance and her height that had made them seem small but they hadn't really got any bigger as she got closer. More confusing still, whilst they had humanoid features, they had green skin. One, catching her watching him, glared at her so fiercely that she jumped backwards.

Onto someone else's toes. Leaping forward again, she turned to apologise, only to find a tall boy with purple eyes (who appeared to be completely unbothered by the pain she was certain she'd caused him) looking down at her.

"Oh gosh, I'm so sorr-"

"No, no, it is fine, although it has been a while since Bogrod scared anyone quite like that; I'm sure he'll be delighted."

He had a fairly strong accent that Zoey couldn't place. He indicated for her to enter the building and then followed her in.

"You must be a muggle born, right? I'm guessing from your encounter with Bogrod that you are a first year and haven't changed your money yet."

Zoey nodded as a mute answer as he lead her towards a short line of people who mostly looked as confused as she felt.

"I am Rythian, by the way. I'm starting Hogwarts this year too."

"Oh, yes, I'm Zoey." She smiled at him, as she exchanged the money her parents had given to her into a large pouch that rattled as she shook it.

"Would you like me to accompany you to get the rest of the items on your list? Diagon Alley can be rather disconcerting, particularly on your first visit."

The invitation was all Zoey needed for her curiosity to get the better of her. "Oh, yes, please! There are so many people! Are all of them Hogwarts students? What's Hogwarts like? Have you been there before? What does Professor McGonagall mean by "the houses"?"

Rythian smiled at her, albeit in a slightly confused manner, and Zoey noticed the unusual colour of his eyes again as he walked beside her to the door that lead back into the madness of Diagon Alley.

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"Sorry, I-"

"Don't worry, it's fine, let's see… Mostly students, yes, and some parents, this weekend is always crazy here; no, I haven't ever been to Hogwarts, but my older friends have told me it's wonderful, if manic and a bit on the dangerous side for a school."

"Dangerous?" Zoey hadn't really encountered a dangerous school before, she thought as Rythian continued, only dangerous children in one.

"Oh, only a little, I would not worry about it, if I were you."

"What are the houses?"

"Oh right, so there are four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff-"

"Hufflepuff?" Zoey's eyes widened as she turned to look at Rythian. These were the first words she'd heard that were so completely alien to her, so different from the non-magical ones she was used to and she found it just a little disconcerting.

"That's the only one which sounded odd to you?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Traditionally speaking, Ravenclaw is where the generally intelligent people are –"

"Ow!"

Zoey had been so busy listening that she'd failed to notice three children of about their age exiting the pet shop and, in stopping herself from running into them, had fallen down onto the pavement. Thankfully for her dignity, the mildly dishevelled boy in goggles on the left was the only one who noticed her, the other two being far too busy chatting, presumably, about the owl and cat they were clutching.

"Are you alright?" Rythian looked mildly worried.

"Fine, fine…" She stood up and brushed herself down as they continued down the street. "So, Ravenclaw?"

"Oh, yes, those who prioritise learning and knowledge and such … Ah, here we are."

They'd arrived at a dark shop, with an ornate sign above it on which was painted the word 'Ollivander's', set far back from the street that seemed hardly big enough to fit both of them inside. Zoey was grateful to see a tiny Asian girl clutching a thin green box leaving as they arrived; she couldn't see any way they'd all have fit inside without bursting out of the grimy windows.

A wizened looking old man, presumably Mr Ollivander, appeared from a, previously impossible to see, back room and walked towards them. He seemed to recognise Rythian vaguely but clearly wasn't too happy to see him. Keeping his back firmly to the wall, he shook Zoey's hand and nodded stiffly towards her companion.

"First year?"

When Zoey nodded he almost smiled at her. Summoning a box similar to the one she'd seen the small girl carrying out of the shop, he beckoned for her to approach the counter.

"Now, you try that; just give it a little wave."

A stream of tiny purple sparkles flew out of it.

"Look Rythian! It's magic! I never ever want to stop!"Zoey kept on waving it excitedly; she thought that she might have heard a laugh from her serious companion.

Mr Ollivander cut in, clearly unwilling to have the nonsense continue much longer. "It's a good wand, Miss…?"

"Proasheck."

"Miss Proasheck. Alder wood with crushed mushroom stalks from Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest. It should serve you well."

Zoey took it up to the counter and paid for it with a handful of the coins from her pouch (the gold ones were called Galleons and those were the ones she needed for a wand according to Rythian), still bouncing up and down in glee.

Reminding her that she couldn't use it until they got to Hogwarts, Rythian stepped forwards, towards the shopkeeper. "Might I try now?"

Mr Ollivander nodded and brought down three wands that he indicated might be suitable, if relatively reluctantly. The first was thin and appeared to be made of some kind of wood that was almost smouldering. Rythian wouldn't even touch it. If Zoey hadn't been standing behind him, she was fairly sure he'd have backed away straight out of the shop. She smiled at the shop keeper and pointed to the other boxes.

"Are either of those going to do that? Only, I don't think he liked that one."

The wand maker looked thoughtful for a second and then reached for an old, dusty looking box from behind the counter. It didn't look as though anyone had touched it since it was made, let alone considered buying it.

"Perhaps this one then? If you can wield it, you'll be one of a very few number to whom it wouldn't do harm."

Rythian picked it out of the box and waved through the air with what seemed like no effort at all. A low rumbling noise came from the long stick and, in slightly less than the time it took for Zoey to blink, Rythian was on the other side of the room.

"Oh my- gosh!"

Mr Ollivander looked very thoughtful as he allowed Rythian to pay and ushered them to the door. As they left he nodded to Rythian in an almost friendly fashion.

"Nothing like your mother then, eh?

Zoey looked at him curiously but he shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. Honestly. Where do you want to go next?" His purple eyes seemed brighter since the mention of his mother, although his manner had become much more sombre and Zoey was unsure whether she liked this side of the new boy or not.

"Erm, robes maybe?"

"Fair enough. Let's go. It's this way."

Madam Malkin's wasn't so very far from the wand shop and they got there in no time at all, Zoey still asking endless questions about Hogwarts and anything to do with the wizarding world in general.

"So wait, there are unicorns?!" Again, the differences between her world and the one she'd found herself thrown into slapped her the face slightly. When, she thought to herself, you grow up being told all the wonderful things in books simply don't exist, it was bizarre to suddenly be surrounded by people to whom they were all utterly normal.

"Yes but- oh look Zoey, we're here. What a shame. We can carry on with this later, yes?"

"Fiiine."

They walked together into a slightly fussy looking shop where the poor lady in charge was being run ragged by a snotty blond boy accompanied by his doting mother. Madam Malkin (as Zoey assumed she was) looked extremely panicked as they entered until Rythian motioned that they'd sort themselves out.

He led Zoey towards a rack of black robes. "You get given your house badges when we're sorted, and your ties and all that, so don't worry about those"

Having selected robes for the both of them, they waited patiently while the rude boy before them decided that the shop didn't have exactly what he was looking for and swept out, his mother in tow. Poor Madam Malkin looked ready to drop and they did their best not to bother her too much, just paid and left, she didn't even look surprised by Rythian's eyes (and a lot of people had been noticing those) or the fact that Zoey couldn't quite stop herself from hopping up and down manically and hugging her wand box, whilst squeaking quietly.

"Is there anywhere else we have to go?"

"Books, I guess? Or pets?"

"Unicorns?"

"No. No unicorns, okay?"

"Oh, but unicorns!"

"Books then."

Wandering back down the narrow alley, Zoey decided now was the time to ask Rythian about his accent and/or home. Also, why Mr Ollivander had been so suspicious of him. Once again, he brushed her off. He told her it wasn't relevant or important. By the time she had thought of any vaguely convincing arguments as to why it could be important, they'd reached the bookshop and Rythian made her be quiet so that they wouldn't disturb the other patrons. Quite frankly anything in that shop would have made her be quiet since it was full of books she had never seen before (and some of them seemed more like animals than books.) Edging slowly away from the things that bit, she headed towards the section marked 'First Years' in nice, friendly, large letters. Rythian quickly swooped in and attempted to pick up two of every book they were supposed to have whilst Zoey lingered behind flicking through anything that she could find that seemed vaguely magical.

"Wait, Jane Austen was a witch?"

"Well, yes, maybe, I didn't live in England when she did, I don't know. We don't live that long, you know, Zoey."

Rythian headed towards the desk with Zoey following him, repeatedly asking questions such as: "Wait, we're not immortal; I wanted to see the Space Age!", "Can we time travel…? and "What do you mean we don't live that long? How long do we live?"

Having completely ignored her, in a way that surprisingly didn't upset or annoy her, Rythian carried on into the street carrying both of their books.

"There's only one shop left and then we can go and get ice cream, if you want?"

"Is it magical ice cream?" Zoey was unsure how ice cream could be magical but so many usually perfectly normal things had been surprising or confusing her today that she thought it best to ask and, besides, who would want to miss out on the chance to eat magical ice cream?

Rythian's forehead crinkled as he took in her question and handed her her stack of books. "I don't know… How would you tell?"

She thought long and hard as they continued down the street, weaving their way through the crowds of children and their parents, but failed to come up with anything particularly plausible. "Where else do we need to go?"

"The potions shop, it's just here, see?"

Zoey did indeed see; it was simultaneously the most normal looking shop they'd been into so far and the least normal. Many of the items in it could have been non magical and provided you only glanced quickly through them, you wouldn't notice, for instance, the collection of cauldrons or way the scales shone slightly oddly in the light from the surprisingly clean window.

Rythian checked his list again and then gathered the objects they required as Zoey, once again, followed behind, picking up things she didn't recognise and asking Rythian to explain them to her.

"It says glass or crystal, which is better?"

"Erm, I have my father's crystal ones but I do not expect that first year potions would have any kind of reaction to either, really."

Nodding, she picked up the glass ones and, impressively, only nearly dropped them once on their way to the lady behind the till, who kindly pretended not to notice. Rythian merely raised his eyebrows at her.

"Oh shh, they're fine, see?"

"Fair enough. Now, is there anything else you want to see, or are you happy to head for ice cream?"

"The possibly magic ice cream?" Zoey grinned up at him, taking some bags from him in an attempt to balance him out as he seemed to be leaning slightly to the left.

"That's the one: Florean Fortescue's. It's over there, behind the broom shop, can you see it?"

They headed towards what had to be the smallest shop Zoey had seen all day, even compared to Ollivander's. However, unlike the wand shop, the ice cream parlour was painted brightly, well lit and extremely welcoming. Once inside, they were immediately shown to a little table in the window and Zoey noticed, once again, how much bigger the shop felt on the inside. She chuckled suddenly, wondering how Rythian would take being compared to a character from a muggle television program and decided she'd find out another day, the menu was just too enticing.

"You know, I think it must be magic ice cream, I've never seen so many flavours… What's popping candy ice cream like?"

Rythian glanced up from the menu he'd been reading and shrugged. "I've no idea, you could try it though, that normally helps people work out what things taste like."

Zoey stuck her tongue out at him and went back to her very important decisions.

Twenty minutes later they walked out of the pink door, Rythian perfectly tidy whilst Zoey's face was covered in a light dusting of pink sugar which made quiet popping noises whenever one of the few drops of rain beginning to fall from the grey sky hit her face. Stopping outside the wall back into the Leaky Cauldron, Rythian smiled at her and gestured towards the pub.

"This is you then?"

Zoey nodded, unsure of what the correct etiquette was. Did she hug him? She couldn't imagine how that would go down. Maybe shake his hand? Too formal. Urgh, people were difficult.

Thankfully, as she finished this train of thought, Tom called through the window to tell her that she'd better get in if she didn't want to be completely soaked.

"So, I will see you on the train, yes?" The boy with the strange purple eyes smiled slightly.

She nodded again, walking backwards towards the warmth of the tiny building. "I'll see you again soon!"