Charisma "Chris" Dobbs pulled away from her family to find a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, eager and amazed that she made it there. Late, but there. As a 14-year-old, very nearly 15, she was one of the oldest students ever to receive a letter. For years, her family and their close wizarding community in their country village believed she was a squib. Even Chris believed she was never going to have anything to do with making magic herself.

Still, she didn't let it get her down. She was still the finest wandless potion-maker many of them had ever seen. Her options were limited as far as recipes, since so many required a spell or two in the brewing process, but once she figured it out, she never got them wrong.

When her letter arrived, it was five pages long, not including the supplies lists. Apparently one of the wizards reinforcing the magic of the magic children on record ate a bad whelk and missed a day. Her birthday. The Quill blotted once. Her name was illegible.

"Just as well," Chris said, as she explained this to her new friends, the selkie twins Gwendolyn and Dwyer Connolly, "cuz we all didn't think I could do magic anyway. I never did anything interesting until after the letter arrived."

"What did you do?" Gwen asked, fascinated.

"All our pots and pans floated around the room." Chris laughed nervously. "I didn't notice. I was too busy dancing and telling my sister I told her so. I'm the younger one. She graduated last year."

The train lurched and Dwyer reached up to keep their luggage in place.

The compartment door flew open and a tall boy about their age with ruffled black hair hurried to sit before he could be knocked down as the train got going.

"Hey all!" He beamed at all of them, offering his hand. "Filbin! You can call me Filbin. You guys are new? Damn, you're old to be new!" He elbowed Chris good-naturedly. "Except you. We all know your story. My folks know your uncle! He couldn't shut up about it to Dad. Brought it up at every party he went to all summer!" He looked at the Selkies. "What about you? You two part of the exchange program? I thought those were all showing up at the school, not the platform?"

Dwyer took an immediate shine to him, which was good considering they might have passed for brothers if Filbin weren't so tall and Dwyer didn't have freckles.

"Homeschooled!" Dwyer said, accepting the handshake by slapping his hand into Filbin's. "Dwyer Connolly. This is my twin sis, Gwen."

"Irish?" Filbin said. "Well, awesome! So, if you're not transfers and you're not a mess like Dobbs here, what's your story?"

Gwen smiled. "Mum's a Selkie. Dad's a wizard. Mum's people don't like schools much. They don't like sending their kids away from home even more than they don't like schools."

"But dad's people been coming to Hogwarts for generations," Dwyer explained. "So, they made a deal. We could come, but only when mum thought we were ready. Took her a few years, but here we are."

Filbin seemed thrilled to bits and rubbed his hands together. "This'll be great! Don't you worry, mates, I'll make sure you're all sorted with what you need. Oh, I mean sure you've got supplies and all, but I mean with knowing where to go and that. And what professors to avoid or warm up to. I know people all over the school, so no matter how you're sorted into houses I'll have somebody in there look after you."

Gwen beamed. "Oh, well that's fine! Dad was in Gryffindor, but he's had all kinds in his family. Mum never did go to school, so we haven't got our hearts set on anything, really."

"We'll see how it goes," Dwyer said. "I'm game for anything!"

Chris scooted up on the edge of her seat. "I hope you saved room! I've brought two months' allowance for the snacks cart! I'm in the mood to celebrate!"

At the Hogwarts platform, Chris and the twins parted ways with Filbin. As instructed, they congregated with the first years, standing head and shoulders above the small crowd.

A tall black man in professor's robes stood to the side. He spotted them and called out their names while the first years followed behind Hagrid like a flock of baby ducks.

"Good evening," he said. "My name is Professor Brasher. We're very glad to have you three with us. If you'll come with me, we'll follow along with the first years. But you'll be sorted with the transfer students. They'll be arriving at the school shortly. Come along."

Chris stuck close to the Twins. "Ooooo this'll be good. You know they send the first years across on boats. Bet you we'll get to go that way too."

"What schools are transferring students, Professor?" Dwyer asked, hurrying to keep up with the professor's long steps.

"We have several from Ilvermorny," he said. "Three from Mahoutokoro and one from Durmstrang." He looked up to see a bank of clouds gathering. "Ah. That'll be Mahoutokoro. Come along now, we don't want to keep them waiting."

Dwyer squinted into the clouds as they hurried. "Look! Look look! Do you see the sails?"

Gwen and Chris looked up too. The lighter clouds behind showed the silhouette of traditional sails and a low ship body sailing regally to rest on the lawns near the ink black lake.

"Durmstrang's here already," Chris pointed. The massive galleon waited on the lake, only very dimly lit at the windows.

"So they are." Brasher lit his wand and waved it at the ship. An answering wave glowed from the bow. "Excellent. We'll pick theirs up once we're in the boats." He craned his neck around to see the Mahoutokoro students disembark, then looked around. "Now we're just waiting on Ilvermorny." He looked around and made a face. "Blast it all. Late again…"

They all jumped as there was a loud bang, quickly followed by two more, before a massive charter bus emblazoned with blue and cranberry red appeared in a flash. Going at over 40 mph, it churned up turf before it slowed down and turned about. Breaks squeaked and shocks settled the bulk of the bus with a mechanical sigh.

Dwyer grinned. "That any particular song?"

Brasher snorted watching the door open. "Their school song. Every year it's a new version."

A pudgy driver climbed down and smiled at the professor. "Good evening, sir," he said, shaking Brasher's hand. "Sorry about the lawn. We'll patch it before we leave. Misjudged the exit. Ron Wilson, bus driver. What do I do with the baggage?"

While he and Brasher discussed unloading, another woman disembarked, clearly an official, who stood at the door with a clipboard and list.

The first girl got off and Chris' jaw dropped. "They must do things very different over there…!"

The 7th year wore jeans and a shirt-and-tie print tee with the sleeves cut off, showing an overwhelmingly large tattoo from wrist to shoulder and all the way up the left side of her neck up to her black, pixie-cut hair.

The instructor, clearly with a measure of affectionate disdain, smacked the cheeky teenager upside the head. "We're not having casual Friday here, Miss Styles! Robes! Hear me? Go on!"

Dwyer chuckled. "Apparently not that different."

The two girls that unloaded after the first went back in made them question again. Both had unusual color to their hair, and when they all joined together to get to the boats it was clear they had unusual eyes.

"Heterochromia," the redhead explained. "We're twins, me and Ven. Pretty sure we had a metamorphagus down the family line somewhere."

"Didn't hand on the skills," Ven said, "but we did get some fun colors!"

While the Connollys happily pointed out common ground as twins, Chris stared at the other girl's tattoo.

"That's amazing!" she said. "All those flowers… it's beautiful!"

"You can call me Chess," she said, smiling. "Thanks. It's about the only thing stays the same with me. Those two are half-assed knockoffs, but I'm the real deal."

Chris suddenly found herself staring at … herself. But herself with a very cool tattoo. "WHOA!"

Chess laughed, still wearing Chris' face. "Neat parlor trick, right?" She shifted back to the look from the bus. "Not many of us around, but heard Hogwarts has a few. Be nice to be with a few more morphs!"

With the Japanese students, there were too many for one boat. Chess and Ven volunteered to share their boat while Gen stuck with the three younger ones and the Professor.

Brasher set the boat moving with a tap of his wand, but while the main body of little boats floated a straight path toward the castle, theirs veered off toward the Durmstrang boat. "One more pickup," he said, pulling up alongside.

One of the lifeboats swung out and lowered down next to them, containing a tall older student and a tiny girl wrapped up in an overlarge fur coat. Both seemed uncomfortable.

The older boy knelt down and spoke very kindly to the little girl. He wiped her eyes, kissed her cheek, and held her hand while Brasher held the other to help her board.

"Be happy, Elfie," the boy said in halting English. "You are stronger than you think." He looked up and called to the ship that began to bring him up. He looked at the professor and bowed curtly, with great respect.

Chris couldn't help but look at the little one watching him go up again. She spoke low to Dwyer. "She can't be part of the transfer program… She's too young."

"Looks like it might be a permanent transfer," he replied. "Y'know, coming to a new school but for keeps."

The professor, though firm and stiff in all his dealings on shore, softened immensely as he steadied the young one. "There, there, Miss Brandt. We're very happy to have you. And this isn't forever, remember? Winter break will be here before you know it and you can go home and visit. Things are very different here, you'll see. You'll have friends in no time."

The little one nodded and sat down, her face a pale picture of resigned terror.

Gen would have none of this. She touched the girl's knee. "Hey?" When she looked up, Gen smiled. "I don't like boats much. Think you can hold my hand so I'm not nervous?"

Elfie seemed to consider this. "You're lying," she said in perfect English, "but I'd like it if I could sit with you? You're brave, and nice."

Brasher chuckled and Gen grinned. "Come on, then. Just be careful or we'll tip."

Elfie settled on the seat by the older girl who held her close. "Yes. This is good."

"Know what'd be better?" Chris said. She dug in her pockets and took out a chocolate frog. "I have a couple left over from the train. Have one?"

Elfie stared and hesitated before taking it. She held it reverently, looking around at them as if seeing them for the first time. "Thank you…"

Gwen nudged Elfie's shoe with her toe. "Go on, then. It only works if you eat it!"

The little boat joined the tail end of the procession headed into the caves under the school. Elfie munched the chocolate, getting color back in her face. Chris looked around in total wonder and awe. Gen waved at her sister and Chess up ahead. Dwyer yelled once to make the cave echo and Gwen stomped his foot so the yelp echoed louder.

Brasher shook his head, sure at least some of the rowdy bunch would end up in his precious Hufflepuff House.