Chapter 3 – The Train Ride

Connor was impatiently looking through the living room window at the street outside; he was waiting for Professor Potter.

"Don't worry, son, he'll come," said his dad, feeling his anticipation.

The evening before, to Connor surprise, he had found an owl waiting on the backyard bench.

"Mum," he had called. "There's something very strange in the backyard."

"What is it, sweetheart?" she had asked from the sink where she had been washing the dinner dishes.

"There's an owl on the bench."

"Oh!" she had said, drying her hand. "That must be a message from Professor Potter."

"What? A message?" he had asked, surprised his mum knew something about the magical world he was yet to find out.

"Yes, Connor. Would you please get me two treats from the bag in the pantry? They're right next to the cats' treats," she had said, opening the back door.

Connor had got the treats and followed her outside. She had slowly been approaching the owl which was patiently waiting with its leg extended in their direction. Sure enough, on its leg a message had been tied. His mum had taken it and extended her hand towards Connor, all the while keeping her eyes on the owl. Connor had put a few treats in her hand and she had offered them to the owl who had hooted softly before grabbing them in its beck. It had gulped the treats, hooted again and waited.

"Wow!" had simply said Connor. "What is it waiting for?"

"We must read the message," had said his mum. "Professor Potter may want an answer."

"How do you know all that?"

"Why, Professor Potter told me, of course," she had answered amused.

She had quickly broken the seal of the parchment and unrolled it.

"It's from Professor Potter, all right," she had said and read the note quickly. "He wants to visit tomorrow afternoon around two."

"Oh, mum! Please say yes," had begged Connor.

"Of course, sweetheart," had said his mum, ruffling his hair. "Let's reply to him so the owl can be on its way."

It was now one-thirty and Connor was sitting at the window waiting. He knew time wouldn't go faster by him looking at the street but he was too anxious to do anything else.

"Son, why don't you read me some of the Merlin book we got you for your birthday?" suggested his dad.

It was actually a good idea. Connor had begun reading to his father right after his visit to Diagon Alley, and both of them enjoyed it immensely.

Connor ran to his bedroom and came back a few moments later with his book. He sat on the sofa and looked for the page he had last read. Again, as he flipped through the pages, he had the uncanny impression the images moved, just like the book on King Arthur he had seen with his mum in Diagon Alley. He finally found the page and began to read.

The time passed by so quickly that the doorbell rang before he knew it. Surprised, Connor looked up at his dad.

"Go, son! Don't make the Professor wait," said his father with a chuckle.

Connor closed his book, put it on the coffee table and ran to the front door. As he opened it, Connor beamed with joy when he saw Professor Potter standing on the front stoop.

"Professor!" he exclaimed, and hugged him tightly. "You came!" he said, without letting go.

"Of course," said the Professor, returning Connor's hug. "I told you I would. How are things, Connor?" he asked once Connor let go of him.

"They're okay," answered Connor, letting the professor in. "But I really look forward to using my wand."

"I bet you do," said Harry, ruffling his hair and then following Connor to the living room.

"I brought you a little something," said the Professor, grabbing something from his pocket and sitting next to Connor on the sofa.

"Really?" asked Connor, his face lighting up at the idea of receiving a gift.

"Yes," answered the Professor, opening his hand.

Inside was a miniature trunk with numerous stickers which made it unique and pretty.

"Oh!" said Connor, not sure what else to say.

Harry put it on the ground and took his wand from his pocket.

"Engorgio," he said, pointing his wand at it.

To Connor's surprise, the trunk enlarged to become big enough to contain all of his school supplies and clothes.

"Wow!" said Connor, walking to it and opening it.

The brown trunk was new and decorated with stickers including a British flag, a 'I love London', and a Holyhead Harpies sticker.

"Ginny put the stickers on it," explained the Professor with a smile. "She thought it would be fun for you to have something a little different than the other kids. Besides, it makes it easier to recognise. Do you like it?"

"Yes!" said Connor. "I do!"

"Good! Let's go put it in your room."

"Professor, I was curious to know; what will I be learning at school?" asked Connor as they sat back on the sofa a few minutes later. "I mean, I read some of the books but I don't see how it all works."

"Don't worry, Connor," answered the Professor. "You're not going to be the only one. I was raised by Muggles too, remember? And I didn't know anything when I got to Hogwarts."

"Did other kids laugh at you?"

"No," answered the Professor with a chuckle. "I think even the wizard-born children didn't know a whole lot... well, at least most of them."

"So, what will I learn?"

"Well, you'll learn Transfiguration, which is transforming things or living beings into something else. I think you should have no problems there since you made your door disappear," said the Professor with a grin. "Then there are Charms which are spells you do to an object or a being, such as making them levitate.

"Then there is Defence Against the Dark Arts, which I teach and mostly consist of defensive spells so you can protect yourself, offensive spells so you can attack and also the identification of what can be dangerous and how.

"Then there is Astronomy, which are the stars, then History and Magic, and of course an introductory course on the magical world.

"There is also Potions, which is basically the recipe for all manners of magic potions and finally, there is Herbology, which is the study of magical plants."

"Really? No more Math, or English?" asked Connor.

"Oh! You'll still have those," said Professor Potter amused. "But not as much as if you were in a muggle school. The one we teach is only to make sure all students are on equal footing and to insure you have the necessary knowledge to take Arithmancy later, or to write a proper essay. You are not going to study Muggle authors and the likes; just the purest form of the subject matter, what is actually useful.

"You'll also have lessons in geography and magical politics, but not for some years to come for that last one. And of course, Hogwarts offers quite a few language classes now.

"You'll see; it's nothing like the muggle schools."

"Will he be able to function once he finishes?" asked his dad worried.

"Oh, yes!" said the Professor. "We all do."

"What if he wants to pursue a career in the normal world? What if he wants to go to a normal University?"

Connor wondered why he would ever want such a thing. The wizarding world was so much more interesting.

"I don't know if it has ever been done before, sir," answered the Professor, "but I would imagine it could be done. As for working in the Muggle world, that is entirely possible as there are wizards in numerous Muggle positions."

Professor Potter left later that afternoon, after retelling numerous stories of his years at Hogwarts. As he left, he promised to come and pick up Connor the morning of September 1 for his trip to the train station.

That night, as he went to bed, Connor took a long time to fall asleep as he replayed Professor Potter's stories in his mind. When he finally fell asleep, it was to dream of Hogwarts and all the wonderful things he hoped to see there.

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Connor woke up suddenly, quickly sat up in his bed, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

He had dreamt that his mum, his wonderful loving mum, was crying and his dad sat next to her, holding her hand, at a loss for what to say to make it better. Connor didn't quite understand what would had caused such a distress in her but tomorrow was the first of September and he feared she was crying because she missed him.

Connor dried his eyes again and once he had his crying under control, he rummaged in his chest of drawers for clothes. It was still early but there was no point going back to bed: Connor simply could not get the images of his crying mum out of his mind. He dressed slowly, still somewhat distressed, and went down the stairs. His mum was already gone to work and his dad was resting in his chair. Connor quietly went to the kitchen and made himself a toast and purred some orange juice. He sat at the table and slowly ate his breakfast, thinking about his mum and the time he would have to spend away from her. He loved his mum more than anybody in the world and he did not want to see her unhappy. There were poor, he knew, and she was working so hard to make their family work that she deserved to be happy when she was home.

Connor took a sip of his orange juice, and frowned, looking at the orange liquid in his glass. Since he had tasted pumpkin juice, he thought orange juice was not quite as good anymore. Pumpkin juice reminded him how much his mum had enjoyed Diagon Alley. She had genuinely liked everything about the wizarding world, not because he was a wizard but because she was, deep down at heart, a big kid who loved fantasy and magic. She had bought him the book about Merlin after all and had told him countless stories about wizards and witches, most of them of her own creation.

"Everybody needs a little bit of magic," she had always said.

Connor would miss her horribly and again, he wondered if he should leave.

But the memory of the taste of pumpkin juice reminded him how much he simply wanted to find a place where he belonged. There was no hiding it: he would never be accepted in a regular school. He may be tolerated but his dreams would always make him stand out, even if he kept them secret.

And in his dreams, Hogwarts had felt so right. He would be with other kids just like him, and if meeting Gregory and Guinevere was any indication, he would finally be able to make friends.

His longing to go conflicted with his love for his mum all day, making him quiet and withdrawn.

"Connor, sweetheart, what's wrong?" asked his mum while he was helping her clean up the table after dinner. "I thought you would be ecstatic to leave for school tomorrow."

"I am," he said unconvincingly, looking at the floor.

"Then why the long face?"

"I... I won't see you every day," he answered, looking up at her. "What if I miss you? What if you miss me?" he added, more forcefully. "I don't want you to miss me and be sad."

His mum pulled a chair from the table and sat on it. With a warm smile, she opened her arms and hugged him tightly.

"Sweetheart, of course I'll miss you," she said gently. "I love you and you're my baby so of course I'll miss you. But I won't be sad. You know why? Because every time I'll miss you, I'll think about the wonderful place you're in, and all the wonderful things you're learning.

"Connor, you're a very lucky boy. Think about all these other kids who don't get to go to Hogwarts. You're one of the very few lucky ones because you're special. The same special traits that make other kids nasty to you in regular schools make you able to discover this new and wonderful world. Do you see how lucky you are?"

"And you won't be sad?" asked Connor, thinking about his dream.

"No, my love," she answered. "I will be full of joy for you," she added and kissed the top of his head.

Their conversation had reassured Connor a little but he still could not get the picture of his mum crying out of his head.

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It was 9:45 the next morning when the doorbell rang announcing Professor Potter's arrival. His mum, who had requested to go to work late so she could see him off, opened the door and let the Professor in.

"Is our new student ready?" asked the Professor with a big smile.

"I'm ready!" said Connor, running to the entrance. "But, Professor Potter, the trunk is really, really heavy and we were wondering if you knew a way to make it lighter. If I read correctly, my Charms book had a spell – wingasium, wingadum or something like that – which makes objects lighter."

"You're right," said the Professor proudly. "The spell is Wingardium Leviosa. If you were already Sorted, I would give you points for creative thinking."

Connor smiled proudly. He wasn't sure what 'points' were and how they related to be 'Sorted' but the Professor's expression told him it was something to be proud of.

"Let's go get your trunk," said the Professor.

A few minutes later, the trunk was in the taxi boot, and both cats were in their cage, on the back seat. Connor then turned to his parents for a final goodbye.

"Mum, I'll miss you," he said, hugging her as hard as he could.

"I will miss you too, but don't be sad," she said, holding him against her. "And if you think I'm sad, remember what I told you."

"Okay."

Connor let go of his mum and hugged his dad.

"Dad, I'll miss you too," he said.

"Oh, I'll miss you too, son," said his dad. "But you'll send us letters, won't you? I seem to recall your mum saying something about owl post," he added in a playful tone.

"I will dad, I will."

Connor gave them each a final kiss and climbed in the back seat of the taxi where Professor Potter was already waiting for him. As they drove away, Connor thought about his mum again, and his dream of her crying. And for the hundredth time, he wondered if he was really doing the right thing.

"Connor, what's wrong?" asked Professor Potter, breaking the silence.

"I had a dream, Professor," said Connor.

He hadn't told his parents about his dream because he hadn't wanted to worry them.

"In it," he continued, "Mum was crying a lot, and Dad didn't know how to comfort her. I don't know why she was crying but I think it's because I was away at school and she missed me."

"Connor, do you think your Mum would rather you stayed home?" asked the Professor gently.

"No," answered Connor. "I think she's very happy for me," he said with a small smile, remembering again how she had enjoyed her trip to Diagon Alley.

"And that's absolutely right," confirmed Professor Potter. "So do you think she would want you to be sad about her being sad?"

"No," he answered. "Professor, do you think Ginny could check on her while we're at school?" he asked hopefully.

Even with all the reassurance he was provided, he knew he would feel better knowing somebody was keeping an eye on his parents.

"When we get to school, let's send Ginny a letter and ask her," said the Professor with an amused smile.

"Okay," said Connor also smiling.

Once they arrived at King's Cross Station, a few minutes later, Professor Potter got a trolley and put Connor's trunk on it. Connor grabbed his cat cages and put them on the trunk. Connor was surprised to see how well behave his cats were. Both of them were curled at the bottom of their carrier, looking like they were sleeping. Connor had never owned any other cats in his life but he doubted all cats travelled that easily. Their behaviour only put credence to Professor Potter claim that his cats were in fact not just cats but half-kneazles, and magical.

Connor was about to push his trolley when he realised the Professor did not have one.

"Professor Potter, where is your trunk?" he asked. "You're not taking the train with me?"

"No Connor," he answered. "The train is a time for you to meet new people and make friends. I'll be at Hogwarts when you get there, don't worry."

After a short walk inside the station, they arrived on the platform between quays nine and ten. They stopped a few feet away from a wall and the Professor turned to him.

"This is where the entrance to our platform is," said the Professor, pointing at the brick wall. "To go to Platform nine and three-quarters, just walk straight at it. Just make sure nobody is looking at you first."

Connor looked at him as if he was pulling the mickey on him.

"Professor," he said hesitantly. "You are making fun of me, aren't you?"

No," answered the Professor very seriously. "Watch," he added, turning Connor around so he would face the wall.

At that moment, Connor saw an older student walk through the wall with his trolley and disappear.

"Wow!" said Connor. "My turn!" he exclaimed, anxious to try it.

"Sure," said Professor Potter, amused. "Just wait for this crowd to thin a little. And don't forget to look inconspicuous."

A few moments later, the platform was mostly empty and Connor walked through the wall. A moment later, he emerged on another platform. And few seconds later, Professor Potter appeared next to him.

"Wow!" said Connor. "That was bizarre!"

"Yes, it can be disconcerting," said the Professor. "Come."

They turned the corner and Connor saw it: a huge red locomotive puffing white smoke all over the platform.

"Wow!" said Connor again, stopping in his tracks.

"Let's find you a seat," suggested the Professor, taking over pushing the trolley.

As they walked through the crowd, Connor became increasingly aware of the stares, pointing and whispering of Professor Potter's name. While the situation had been noticeable in Diagon Alley a month earlier, it was even worse on the train platform that morning. All this curiosity made Connor nervous and he began to feel increasingly fidgety.

"Professor," he finally said when the unrequired attention became almost unbearable to him. "Why are they all looking at you again? I know what Professor Granger said but why, really?" he asked, nervously looking around.

"Tell you what," said Professor Potter, leaning down to look Connor in the eyes. "This weekend, come and have tea with me, and I will tell you all about it if you wish, okay?"

"Okay," answered Connor. "It's not bad, is it?" he quickly asked as if afraid it was.

"No," answered the Professor, laughing. "It's just a rather long story."

"Connor! Over here!" called someone further down the platform.

Connor looked up and saw Gregory with his mum and a young man who looked like he could be his bigger brother. He ran the few feet to the youth and shook his hand enthusiastically.

"Gregory! Hi! Nervous?"

"Yeah," answered Gregory. "You?"

"Yeah," answered Connor with a grin. "Professor Potter has been talking to me about the school some but I really don't know what to expect."

"Me neither," said Gregory. "And Ernie, my brother," he indicated with his head, "has been talking to me about it too. I'm curious to see which House I'll be in."

"House? That's how the students are divided, right? I think we'll be in the same one," said Connor, remembering he had been sitting next to Gregory at the table in his dream of Hogwarts.

"You know about the Houses then?"

"Well, some," answered Connor uncertain. "But I wouldn't mind if you remind me of them."
"Come on, children, in the train," said Mrs MacMillan with an indulgent smile.

Connor looked around for his luggage and spotted the empty trolley next to Professor Potter. He looked in the train and saw his half-kneazle cages on one of the seats. Quickly, he climbed the steps and sat on the seat across from Gregory.

"This is so exciting," said Gregory, bouncing up and down.

The Conductor blew the whistle and Professor Potter closed the door. Connor looked further back in the compartment and saw another young girl who looked like a first year too.

"Connor, will you be all right?" asked the Professor, gaining back his attention.

"Oh, yes Professor!" he answered, beginning to feel the excitement of the new journey.

"Here," said the Professor, giving him some money through the open window. "Get something good from the trolley. But stay away from the Every Flavoured Beans; they can be quite nasty."

"Thank you, Professor!" said Connor, happily waving as the train department. "I'll see you at school!"

He waved at the platform until the train went around the bent, then pulled the window shut. He sat back down and looked at Gregory with a grin. He was about to say something when the door opened and Guinevere pocked her head in.

"Hi, Connor!" she said, and walked in, pulling her trunk behind her and holding her owl cage in her other hand.

Without asking, she put her trunk aside and sat on the bench next to him, putting her owl cage on the ground next to her.

"And who are you?" asked Gregory puzzled that she would come in and joined them without asking.

"I'm Guinevere," she answered. "And you?"

"Gregory," he answered.

"And you?" asked Connor to the girl in the corner who had been quiet all this time.
"Joanna," she answered shyly.

Both Gregory and Guinevere jumped, startled to find out there was somebody else in the compartment. The introductions were followed by a long uncomfortable silence during which Connor wondered what there were supposed to do during their train ride.

"Did your brother ever tell you what he did while on the train?" finally asked Connor to Gregory.

"Hang out with his friends," answered Gregory. "And you? Did Professor Potter tell you what he used to do?"

"No," answered Connor, looking down. "He only said it was a time to make some friends."
"Then let's do that," said Gregory, standing up resolutely.

He walked to the door and looked behind him at Connor who was still sitting.

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Where?" asked Connor.

"To go make some friends, of course," answered Gregory.

Connor was suddenly nervous at the idea. He remembered how he had approached Gregory at the Wheezes but this was not the same. With Gregory, he had seen, in his dream, they would be friends but those other students were complete strangers and Connor was afraid. He feared that, like at his other school, the other students would not like him and make fun of him. Nervously, he looked at Guinevere.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" prompted Gregory again, impatiently tapping his foot.

"Want to come?" he asked Guinevere to gain time.

"I rather read a little," she answered, picking a book from her pocket.

Connor then turned towards Joanna who simply shook her head.

Turning back to Gregory, Connor built up his courage and stood up. He quickly followed his friend into the corridor before he lost his nerve. Gregory walked all the way to the front of the first wagon of the train which was not divided by cabins but was instead composed of benches and tables. At one of the tables, four older students were playing a card game where the cards would sometime explode.

"What are they playing at?" asked Connor.

"Exploding Snap," answered Gregory. "It's a really popular game in the wizarding world."
"Do you play it?" asked Connor.

"Of course," answered Gregory, moving along to another table where two kids of about their age were sitting.

"Hi," said Gregory. "Are you first-years?" he asked.
"No, second," answered one of them. "Both those three over there are."

Gregory and Connor walked to the other three students who looked lost and insecure.

"Are you first-years?" asked Gregory.

They looked up surprised to be addressed by anybody.

"Yes," answered one of the girls. "We are."

She had an accent which Connor could not quite recognise.

"Hi!" said Gregory with a smile. "I'm Gregory and this is Connor."

"Hi," said Connor, waving his hand shyly.

"I am Ohanna," said the girl who had spoken to them.

She had long blond hair and deep blue eyes. Her face was round and her lips a dark reddish pink.

"I am Karoline," said the other girl.

She too had an accent. Her hair was light brown and her eyes were also blue. She also had a round face and her eyebrows were tick and her eyelashes very long.

"And I am Yuri," said the boy with an accent too.

He had dark brown hair and blue eyes.

"Nice to meet you," said Gregory. "We were just walking around trying to meet people. Want to join us?"

They stood up eagerly and followed them out of the wagon.

"Are you from London?" asked Ohanna to Connor who was walking next to her.

"Yes," answered Connor. "You?"

"Manchester," she answered.

"You have an accent," remarked Connor. "Where is it from?"

"I was born in Armenia," she answered with a smile. "We moved to England about three years ago. My father got a position teaching Physics at the University."

"Oh! Your parents are also normal people?" asked Connor surprised.

"Yes," she answered. "So am I to understand yours are too?"

"Yes," answered Connor. "Were your parents surprised to find out you're a witch?"

"Of course," she answered with a chuckle. "My dad is a scientist. He still does not believe I am a witch. He thinks my powers have a scientific explanation."

"He might be right," confirmed another student, joining them. "And the explanation is actually genetic," he added. "Hi! My name is Dillon MacKnight. My father is a geneticist and my mum a Healer at St. Mungos. I'm a half-blood!" he added proudly.

"What's St. Mungos?" asked Ohanna.

"Oh! I see, you're muggle-born, right?" he asked. "Well, St. Mungo's is the hospital for wizards," he said without waiting for them to answer. "They treat all sorts of ailments there..."

And Dillon went on to explain what was treated at St. Mungo's. Connor found Dillon's explanation quite interesting but he wondered if the other boy ever took a breath.

"So my father is a genetic scientist and he thinks there are three genes which influence whether or not we are wizards," he concluded.

"Wow!" said Connor, his eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Hi!" said another boy, joining them. "I'm Rajiv," he introduced himself. "I'm a first year, too."

The boy had very dark brown hair and brown eyes. His skin was a rich brown colour and his face was elongated. He had very long and thick eyelashes and wore small round glasses.

"Hi!" said Connor, instantly liking the newcomer.

"I heard from the other wagon that you were looking for first years and I came," he said with a light accent.

Rajiv voice was soft and pleasant, and he had an easy smile which seemed to be permanently gracing his serene face.

Connor looked around and saw they had walked back to their compartment. There were now about twenty other students with them and Guinevere had joined some of them in conversation. From the other end of the train, some more students were arriving and joining them.

"Are your parents wizards?" asked Rajiv, pulling him back into the conversation.

"No," he answered. "They are both... Muggles."

The word sounded strange to Connor's ears but he figured he would get used to it.

"And you?" he asked Rajiv.

"Yes," he answered proudly. "Both of them are wizards. Do you know the House system?"

"Yes but I wouldn't mind if you would explain it again," answered Connor. "I have heard so much things about the wizarding world in the last few weeks that I am forgetting some."

As Rajiv began to describe the system, a few other students joined the conversation. By their questions, Connor figured they were probably muggle-born like him. Rajiv described each House and their particularities to his avid listeners, keeping each description positive and interesting.

"You're way too nice when you described the Slytherins!" said one of the newcomers who joined the group while Rajiv was talking.

"I believe in the beauty of people and things, not their flaws," answered Rajiv with a smile.

Connor wondered how this kid could sound so wise and philosophical at eleven. He thought about when he bought his wand and wondered what Mr Ollivander had said about Rajiv. His musings were interrupted by the arrival of the trolley.

"Make room for the trolley, dears," said an older lady, pushing the trolley through. "Anybody wants anything from the trolley?" she asked, stopping in the middle of the group of first-year students.

"I'd like two Chocolate Frogs, please," asked Rajiv.

"Chocolate Frogs?" asked Connor.

"Yes. They have cards of famous wizards inside and I collect them. Besides, the chocolate frog is also quite good," he explained.

Connor looked at how many coins Rajiv was paying for his frogs and taking the same amount off his pocket, bought himself two as well. While the other students placed their orders, most muggle-born going for Chocolate Frogs, Connor opened his. To his immense surprise, the frog leaped off of the package, and the students who had commented on the Slytherin House caught it amused.

"Be careful there!" he said, giving it back to Connor. "They do jump off."

"Really?" said Connor. "Are they alive?"

"Oh, no!" answered the youth. "They only have a spell on them. It'll last only a few minutes.

"I'm Zosimus, by the way," he introduced himself. "But most people call me Zoïd."

"Hi! I'm Connor," said Connor.

He looked at his frog and wondered if he should put it in his mouth. Despite what Zoïd told him, he was afraid to hurt it. He looked up and saw both Zoïd and Rajiv taking a bit of their frogs. The spell instantly dissipated. Connor told himself that if the peaceful Rajiv was eating them it must not hurt them. Somehow, from what he had seen, Connor doubted Rajiv could ever hurt anyone, or anything.

Slowly he put the frog in his mouth and chewed. The frog stopped moving instantly. Rajiv was right: the chocolate was good.

"Who did you get?" asked Rajiv, pointing towards Connor's card which was still in the box.

"I've got... Dumbledore," answered Connor. "Who is he?"

Rajiv gave him a summary of who Dumbledore was.

"I've got Merlin, again," he answered. "I really wish I could get Harry Potter."

"My cousin caught a Harry Potter card," said one of the other students Connor was yet to meet. "They are incredibly rare, you know."

"Connor knows him, personally," said Gregory.

The first-year felt silent and turned towards Connor. After a few moments, half of the students began to ask questions at once, while the other half looked at the questioning students puzzled by their reaction.

"Who is Harry Potter?" Connor heard Ohanna ask.

"He's the greatest wizard of our time," said one student to Connor's left.

"He defeated You-Know-Who," said another one to the right.

"He's a hero," said another one.

"You... you know Harry Potter?" asked Dillon who had made his way through the crowd and now stood in front of Connor.

Connor looked at the youth worriedly but only saw curiosity in his expression, nothing threatening. Glad to finally have somebody to focus on, Connor kept his eyes on him.

"Yes," he answered. "He's the one who brought me my letter."

"He brought you your letter?" asked somebody to the left.

"How come? He's not a teacher," said another one to the right.

"Maybe he decided to become one," said another one.

"Of course he is!" affirmed a girl. "It was in the paper over the summer. Don't you all read?" she asked, making her way to Connor's side. "Hi! I'm Regina and I've read everything there is to read about Harry Potter. My family considers me the expert in the matter.

"So, he brought you your letter, didn't he?" she asked. "Well, I think he should have stayed with the Auror, if you ask me," she continued before Connor had a chance to answer. "His talents will be wasted at Hogwarts."

Connor did not understand half of what Regina was referring to and, to be very honest, he didn't care. All he wanted was for the attention to go away from him. It seemed Regina's comment had the desired effect. As she walked away, other students left with her debating the skills and values of Harry Potter.

"Sorry, mate," said Gregory, walking to him. "I didn't think they would turn on you like this."

"Oh, it's okay," said Connor, sounding relatively convincing for somebody who was still shaken by the attention he had received even if it wasn't the bad sort.

"I'm sorry, too," said Rajiv sadly. "I didn't realise my comment would bring this upon you."

"It's okay, Rajiv. You could not have known," said Connor, surprised to see Rajiv also felt responsible.

Somehow, Connor's comment did not seem to make Rajiv feel any better so Connor tried another tactic.

"Gregory, did you get Chocolate Frogs?" he asked.

"Yes," answered Gregory.

"Who's on your card?"

"I've got Ignatia Wildsmith," he answered.

"Who is that?" asked Connor.

"Oh! She invented the Floo Powder," said Rajiv, lighting up. "Do you know what the Floo Network is?"

"No," he answered.

Rajiv, smiling widely, began to explain what the Floo Network was to a crowd of muggle-born who drank in his every word with 'Ohs' and 'Ahs' at the right place. Connor had seen right: explaining things made Rajiv happy and he had seemed to forget about what happened earlier.

By the time a Prefect – a sixth year Ravenclaw named Nicola Vance – told them it was time to change into their school robes, Connor had met two dozen students from every background. Everybody had been very nice but his favourites were Gregory and Rajiv. While he got ready, he hoped Rajiv would be Sorted in the same House as he, even if he hadn't seen him sitting at the same table as he and Gregory in his dreams.

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