A/N: Okay everyone! It's finally here! This is what we've all been waiting for! The Cullens on the Hogwarts Express! Review and tell me what house you think Bella should be in. Remember that Reviews help me write much faster even if it's constructive criticism or "good chapter." Also, some had asked me if the Cullens would be in this story and the answer is yes!

The Journey from Platform Nine and Three Quarters

Bella and Harry's last month with the Dursleys wasn't fun. True, Dudley was now so scared of them he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't force them into cupboard, force Make them do anything, or shout at them – in fact, they barley spoke to the children at all. Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Bella and Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, it did become a bit depressing after a while.

Bella and Harry stayed in their room, with there new owl. They had decided to call her Hedwig, a name Harry had found in A History of Magic. Their school books were very interesting. Bella and Harry laid on their bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. Sometime they would look up to share something interesting but other than that, they barely spoke. Every night before the children went to sleep, Bella and Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.

On the last day of August they thought they had better speak to their aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so they went down to the living room where the two adults and Dudley were watching a quiz show on television. Harry cleared his throat to let them know they was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.

"Er – Uncle Vernon?" Bella started knowing that they would be a bit nicer with her,

Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.

"Er – we need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to – to go to Hogwarts."

Uncle Vernon grunted again.

"Would it be all right if you gave us a lift?" Harry asked him.

Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.

"Thank you," they both replied. The children were about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.

"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"

Bella and Harry didn't say anything.

"Where is this school, anyway?"

"We don't know," said Bella, realizing this for the first time .She looked at Harry before pulling the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.

"We just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," Harry read out loud over her shoulder.

Their aunt and uncle stared.

"Platform what?"

"Nine and three-quarters."

"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."

"It's on the tickets."

"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."

"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.

"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."

With that, Harry head up the stairs with Bella following slowly behind him trying to stifle her laughter.

Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. Bella however was sleeping soundly. Harry took one last look at his sister before he got up and pulled on his jeans because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes – they'd change on the train. He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure they had everything he needed, saw that Hedwig was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry had woken Bella and their huge, heavy trunks had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Bella, and they had set off.

They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped the trunks onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for them. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.

"Well, there you are. Platform nine – platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"

He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.

"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry and Bella turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing.

"What on earth are we going to do now!" Bella asked him frantically. They were starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. They'd have to ask someone.

Bella stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though the was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Bella asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic unlike his sister who was starting to have a breakdown. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, they had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and they had no idea how to do it; they was stranded in the middle of a station with trunks they could hardly lift, pockets full of wizard money, and a large owl.

Hagrid must have forgotten to tell them something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. Harry wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.

At that moment a group of people passed just behind them and he caught a few words of what they were saying.

"– packed with Muggles, of course –"

Bella and Harry swung round. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trunk in front of him – and they had an owl.

"Did she just say–"

"Yep."

Hearts hammering, Bella and Harry pushed their cart after them. They stopped and so did Bella and Harry, just near enough to hear what they were saying.

"Now, what's the platform number?" said the boys' mother.

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped a small girl, also red-headed, who was holding her hand, "Mom, can't I go... "

"You're not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."

What looked like the oldest boy marched toward platforms nine and ten. Bella and Harry watched, careful not to blink in case they missed it – but just as the boy reached the dividing barrier between the two platforms, a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him and by the time the last backpack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.

"Fred, you next," the plump woman said.

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said the boy. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you tell I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said the boy, and off he went. His twin called after him to hurry up, and he must have done so, because a second later, he had gone – but how had he done it?

Now the third brother was walking briskly toward the barrier he was almost there – and then, quite suddenly, he wasn't anywhere.

There was nothing else for it.

"Excuse me," Bella said to the plump woman. Harry followed after her.

"Hello, dears," she said. "First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too."

She pointed at the last and youngest of her sons. He was tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose.

"Yes," said Harry.

"Um, The thing is – the thing is, We don't know how to –"

"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and they nodded.

"Not to worry," she said. "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron."

"Er – okay," said Harry.

He looked at Bella and let her go first. She pushed her trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.

She started to walk toward it. People jostled her on their way to platforms nine and ten. Bella walked more quickly. She was going to smash right into that barrier and then she'd be in trouble – leaning forward on he cart, she broke into a run – the barrier was coming nearer and nearer – she wouldn't be able to stop – the cart was out of control – she was a foot away – she closed her eyes ready for the crash –

It didn't come... Bella kept on running... she opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven O'clock. Bella looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, and standing in it with the same confused, dazed sort of look that Bella wore, was Harry. They had done it.

Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.

The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry and Bella pushed their carts off down the platform in search of an empty seat. They passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."

"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.

A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.

"Give us a look, Lee, go on."

The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.

The Potter twins pressed on through the crowd until they found an empty compartment near the end of the train. Harry put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his and Bella's trunks toward the train door. He tried to lift them up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot. Bella stood there hopelessly knowing that if Harry couldn't lift the trunks, she certainly couldn't.

"Want a hand?" It was one of the red-haired twins they'd followed through the barrier.

"Yes, please," Harry panted.

"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"

With the twins' help, Bella and Harry's trunk were at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.

"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.

"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.

"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you–" started to asked and looked at Bella who was standing next to him.

"He is," said the first twin. "They both are, aren't you?" he added to Harry.

"Huh?" said Harry.

"What are we?" Bella asked them.

"Potters, "chorused the twins.

"Oh, them," said Harry. "I mean, yes, we are."

The two boys gawked at them, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.

"Fred? George? Are you there?"

"Coming, Mom."

With a last look at Harry and Bella, the Weasley twins hopped off the train.

Bella sat next to Harry in their compartment. He sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.

"Ron, you've got something on your nose."

The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.

"Mom – geroff" He wriggled free.

"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.

"Shut up," said Ron.

"Where's Percy?" said their mother.

"He's coming now."

The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.

"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves –"

"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."

"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once –"

"Or twice –"

"A minute –"

"All summer –"

"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.

"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.

"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term – send me an owl when you get there."

She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.

"Now, you two – this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've – you've blown up a toilet or –"

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."

"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."

"It's not funny. And look after Ron."

"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."

"Shut up," said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.

"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"

Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking.

"You know those kids we helped onto the platform? Know who they are?"

"Who?"

"Potters!"

Harry heard the little girl's voice.

"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see them, Mom, eh please..."

"You've already seen them, Ginny, and the poor children aren't something you goggle at in a zoo. Are they really, Fred? How do you know?"

"Asked them. Saw the scars. It's really there - like the sky."

"Poor dears - no wonder they were alone, I wondered. They were so polite when they asked how to get to the platform."

"Never mind that, do you think they remember what You-Know-Who looks like?"

Their mother suddenly became very stern.

"I forbid you to ask them, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though they need reminding of that on their first day of school."

"All right, keep your hair on."

A whistle sounded.

"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.

"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of owls."

"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat."

"George!"

"Only joking, Mom."

The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.

Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.

"I can't believe it!" Bella said breaking the silence.

"Which part?" Harry asked.

"All of it! We don't have to see the Dursleys for a whole year and we get to learn magic! I can't wait to see Dudley's face when we come back!"

"Me either! He'll probably think we'll turn him into a toad or something!" They both laughed at the thought of Dudley as a toad as it seemed to fit him quite well.

The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite the twins. "Everywhere else is full."

They both shook their heads and the boy sat down. He glanced at them and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.

"Hey, Ron."

The Weasley twins were back.

"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train – Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."

"Right," mumbled Ron.

"Harry, Bella," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."

"Bye," said Harry, Bella, and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.

"Are you really the Potters?" Ron blurted out.

Harry nodded and Bella gave a smile.

"Oh -well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got – you know… the scars?"

Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar and Bella lifted her sleeve. Ron's eyes went back and forth between the two scars. "So that's where You-Know-Who

"Yes," said Bella, "but we can't remember it."

"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.

"Well – I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else," said Harry.

"I remember someone screaming and pain." Bella added.

"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at them for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.

"Are all your family wizards?" asked Bella asked eagerly, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.

"Er – Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."

"So you must know loads of magic already."

The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.

"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "What are they like?"

"Horrible -well, not all of them. Our aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."

"Hey, what about me?" Bella asked offended.

"You're not that bad either, Bells." Harry smiled at his sister.

'It must be so cool to have that many brothers!" Bella commented excitedly.

"Five," said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left – Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."

"Oh, I'm afraid of rats!" Bella said feeling squeamish. "Once our aunt and uncle thought that we had a small mouse problem and they had us set traps for them. Then the made us wake up at five o'clock every morning until we caught one. It turned it wasn't mice at all! It was a huge rat! And it tried to bite me! Uncle Vernon tried to make me kill it but I–"

"Bella," Harry interjected.

"Hmm?"

"Too much."

Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep. Bella was having trouble not screaming. "His name's Scabbers," Ron told them, "and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't affo – I mean, I got Scabbers instead."

Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.

"I need a little bit of air," Bella stated getting up and walking out of the compartment. She thought she might vomit or cry at the sight of another rat.

"You'll be back won't you?" Harry asked his sister.

"Yep." She said as she promptly exited. She had barley been out of the compartment for ten seconds before two people knocked into her.

"Sorry, I didn't see you." The girl said. She was short with pale skin and short spiky black hair. Her golden eyes were very interesting. Then Bella saw the boy next to her. Wow! He was cute! His bronze tousled waves of hair were perfectly messy. His cheekbones were the kinda that sculptures dream of. He was pale it worked for him. And he had the same eyes as the short girl. Even in his young age, he was hot!

Bella was stunned. She was unable to speak. Unable too keep her eyes off the boy who was giving her a strange look.

"I'm Alice!" the short girl broke the silence. She gave Bella a hug. And this is my brother Edward!" he gave Bella a shy smile and she blushed.

"I'm Bella Potter," said and the other two gasped. Crap! She thought. I was this close to making a semi-normal friend.

"The Bella Potter!" Alice and Edward asked in unison.

"One and only but please don't make a big deal out of it." They were quite for a while, just sitting in the floor.

"So why did you guys fall?" Bella asked. Stupid question, Bella. She thought to herself. But Alice seemed to have no problem answering.

"We didn't. Emmett pushed us."

"Who's Emmett?"

"He's our brother," answer the cute one Bella now knew as Edward. "He said our compartment was too cramped and kicked us out. Well Rosalie helped with that."

"Rose is our brother's 'friend'." Alice explained. "They met here last year and I swear they haven't been apart since."

"Would you like to sit with me in my compartment? It's only my brother and our new friend Ron."

Edward looked hesitant but Alice wasn't at all. "Sure! I'd love to meet them!" They three of them stood up with some difficulty and opened up the compartment to their right.

Harry told Ron all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. How terrible his 'family' was to him and Bella.

"... and until Hagrid told us, we didn't know anything about being wizards or even about our parents or Voldemort"

Ron gasped.

"What?" said Harry.

"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people –"

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry, I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? Bella and I, we've got loads to learn... I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class. Bells, she's always good at everything."

"You bet I am!" Bella said coming back in through the door way.

"You're back!" Harry said brightly.

"And I brought people!" Bella sat down next to Harry. Alice and Edward followed behind her, Edward taking a seat next to Ron and Alice next to Bella.

"Bells," Harry started. "You didn't just drag them here did you/"

"Of course not! I asked them if they wanted to sit with us after their brother kicked them out of the compartment to be with his girlfriend." Harry blushed feeling a little silly. Once they all introduced themselves the questions started up again.

"How old is your brother?" Harry asked them.

"He's a second year Gryffindor." Alice told them. She seemed confident. "Rosalie is second year as well her twin Jasper." She said the last name a bit dreamily but they all decided it was best to ignore it. Instead the Potters focused on something else.

"What does it mean to be in Gryffindor?" Bella asked.

"Fred and George are in that house." Ron told them "They're in trouble a lot and they're really fun. But Percy's in Gryffindor too and he's just an annoying prefect." This made Edward chuckle.

"I know what you mean! Emmett is big idiot and he's in Gryffindor. I guess the hat just chooses who it wants."

"What's the hat?"

"The hat is–"

"Alice," Edward looked at his sister. You're going to ruin all of the surprises and you've never even been to Hogwarts."

Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

Harry and Bella, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to their feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.

He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry – but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.

Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.

"Hungry, are you?"

"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.

"I want some!" Bella grabbed a handful of sweets and just started eating. Alice and Edward dug in as well.

Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef."

"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on –"

"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."

"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with everyone, eating their way through all the pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).

"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs.

"They're not really frogs, are they?" Bella asked concerned.

"No," said Edward.

"But see what the card is!" Ron told him. "I'm missing Agrippa."

"What?" asked Harry.

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know – Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect – famous witches and wizards." Alice told them.

"I've got about five hundred," Ron told them, "but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."

Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half- moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.

"So this is Dumbledore!" said Harry.

"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa – thanks

Harry turned over his card and read:

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS:

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.

Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.

"He's gone!" Bella exclaimed.

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," Edward snorted and Alice kicked him for his rudeness.

"He'll be back." Alice told them.

"No!" Ron exclaimed. "I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it?" he asked Bella and Harry. "You can start collecting."

Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.

"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."

"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "weird!"

Bella opened a container of Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans. "You want to be careful with those," Edward warned her.

"When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor – you know," Ron went on. "you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and mar- malade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he got a booger- flavored one once."

Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.

"Bleaaargh – see? Sprouts."

They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper.

The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.

There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy they had passed on platform nine and threequarters came in. He looked tearful.

"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"

When they all shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"He'll turn up," said Alice.

"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him..."

He left.

"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk."

The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap as Bella tried very hard not to look at it.

"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."

He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.

"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway

He had just raised his 'wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.

"Er – all right."

He cleared his throat.

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard – I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough – I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are all of you?"

She said all this very fast.

Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn't learned all the course books by heart either.

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Edward Mason."

"Alice Cullen."

"Harry Potter,"

"Bella Potter."

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course – I got a few extra books. For background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.

"We are?" said Bella, feeling dazed.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do any of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.

"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell – George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."

"Where all of your brothers in Gryffindor?" asked Bella.

"Yep," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."

"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"

"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.

"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Alice, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"

Harry and Bella had been wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.

"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles – someone tried to rob a high security vault."

They all stared at him.

"Really? What happened to them?"

"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."

Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You- Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.

"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.

"Holly head Harpies!" Alice stated.

"Bulgarian National Quidditch team!" Edward stated glad to be talking sports.

"Er – We don't know any," Harry confessed.

"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world –" And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.

Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.

"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that the Potters are in this compartment."

"Yes," said Bella. Harry was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigget. Draco Malfoy looked at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.

"I think Bella and I can tell who the wrong sort are for ourselves, thanks," he said coolly.

Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."

All the boys stood up. The girls sat their stunned. They couldn't believe he had the nerve.

"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.

"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him, Edward, or Ron.

"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."

Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.

Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle - Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbets finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.

"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.

I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No – I don't believe it – he's gone back to sleep-"

And so he had.

"You've met Malfoy before?"

Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.

"I've heard of his family," said Edward darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to look at the door and Hermione was back once again.

"Can we help you with something?" Ron asked.

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, scowling at her. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"

"All right – I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors," said Hermione in a sniffy voice. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know? Just there."

Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.

He, Edward, and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them. They took turns changing in the compartment so the girls would have some privacy.

A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time.

Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. Bella felt sick but the Cullens looked perfectly fine. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Bella shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Bella, Harry?"

Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.

"C'mon, follow me – any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

There was a loud "Oooooh!"

The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black take. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n five to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry, Bella, and Ron were followed into their boat by Edward and Alice. "Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. "Right then – FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.

"Heads down!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.

"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, Oak front door.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?"

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

A/N: Okay so I have a few announcements!

I lied to you all before. I'm going to start the potential for relationships in this book. Everyone will probably end up with their original pairing by the end of the series but I'm not so sure about that yet. However I can tell you all that there will be other people in their lives before they get to those couples. ( smiles deviously)

I have a few ideas about the Cullens. The first is that they can just be wizards. They second id that they are all half vampires which if why I gave Edward and Alice golden eyes and pale skin. The third is that they're kinda like Nessie. They grow until they look about 18 or 20 but at a normal human pace but are complete vampires.

Tell me what houses you want them to be in! I will not change Ron and Harry's Houses because it complicates the story way too much. But if you have a certain idea of what houses you want Alice, Bella, Edward, and … JACOB to be in, let me know. Review and tell me.

Review! I'll update faster! I love reviews! Tell me how you like it and share your ideas with me! I love that because you guys help me be a better writer and I get an idea of what you want top read!

And finally I just want to thank you guys for putting up with my lack updating. These chapters take me a while to write and I try to use as much from the books as possible. I love you guys for keeping up with this. Thank you so much!

~NessBellaLondon22