Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter, If I did I would probably be somewhere tropical sipping piña coladas rather than in a cold student flat.

CHAPTER SIX

THE TRAIN

As the summer drifted onwards Cassie spent time with her mother, knowing quite well that soon she would be at school and not seeing her for months on end. Cassie lived with her mother in a house near identical to that of the Dursleys. Her mother, however sweet, wasn't the smartest woman around, and spent most of her days shopping for clothes and baking. And so it was over this month that Harry and Cassie often found themselves in Cassie's room, with a plate of whatever her mum had baked that morning, poring over their new Hogwarts books. It was in one such book, A History of Magic, that Harry found a name for his new owl. Hedwig.

While Cassie failed to find any names she liked in her school books for her owl, and eventually settled on Archimedes, after the owl from the Disney movie Sword in the Stone.

On September first Cassie packed up her new school trunk, loaded it into her mums car and set off to Kings Cross station in London. After a quick hug and kiss to her mum she set off, ready to start her new life as a witch at Hogwarts.

Looking around Cassie caught a glimpse of harry standing around looking lost. "Harry" she called out, waving her arm in the air, "over here."
Harry walked over to her, pushing his trolley ahead of him, Hedwigs cage perched precariously on top of his trunk. "Hey Cas" he gave her a smile, "you have any idea where we are meant to go?"

Cassie shook her head, tears appearing in her blue eyes, "I always thought dad would be here with me" she fought not to dissolve completely into tears "I can't believe he couldn't make it."

Harry tried asking a guard for a train that left at 11 O'Clock, only to be told there wasn't one, and now Cassie was now trying hard not to panic. According to the large clock over the arrivals board, they had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and neither of them had any idea how to do it; they were stranded in the middle of a station with trunks they could hardly lift, pockets full of wizard money, and a two owl.

At that moment a group of people passed just behind him and Cassie's head turned as she caught a few words of what they were saying.

"— packed with Muggles, of course —"

They 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 like Cassie's in front of him — and they had an owl.

Heart hammering, Cassie turned to Harry, "Come on" she hissed, "we have to follow them."

They pushed their carts after them. When the family stopped and so did they, 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. Cassie watched, rapt with attention and careful not to blink in case she 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.

Harry looked as confused as she felt, "I think that's Mrs Weasely" Cassie whispered, "I heard she's really nice, you should ask her."

Taking Cassie's prompt they pushed their carts over. "Excuse me," Harry said to the plump woman.

"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. "The thing is — the thing is, We don't know how to —"

"How to get onto the platform?" she said kindly, and Cassie 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 now, both of you, go now before Ron."

"Er — okay," said Harry.

Cassie sent Harry a pleading look and he sighed. She watched as he took a deep breath and pushed his trolley towards the barrier, slowly picking up speed before... vanishing into the wall.

Cassie pushed her trolley around and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and pushed her trolley straight ahead, straight through the wall as if it were nothing. Opening her eyes she saw a scarlet steam engine waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock. Cassie looked behind her and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, Harry grinned at her, they had done it.

Watching harry stare open mouthed at the platforms going cassie spared it a quick glance. 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.

"Well I Suppose we should find some seats then" Cassie suggested, and together they pushed their carts off down the platform to find an empty carriage. They passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my toad again."

"Oh, Neville," Cassie 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.

They pressed on through the crowd until they found an empty compartment near the end of the train. Cassie took both owls into the compartment first and then they both started to shove and heave Harry's trunk toward the train door. Harry tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.

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

"Yes, please," Harry panted.

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

With the twins' help, both Harry and Cassie's trunks were at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.
"Thanks," Cassie smiled sweetly at the twins "very kind of you."

"Yea thanks," Harry agreed, 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 —?"

"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.

"What?" said Harry.

"Harry Potter." chorused the twins.

"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."
"But I thought you two were brother and sister" the first twin seemed somewhat confused.

"Neighbours actually" Cassie put in with a smirk

The two boys gawked at Harry and Cassie just sat back and watched as he turned red. Then, to both of their 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, the twins hopped off the train.

Harry sat down opposite Cassie, next to the window, and Cassie watched him peering out watching the red headed family on the platform, but hidden from their view. The 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 Cassie could see a red and gold 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?"

Cassie smirked at Harry as he quickly leaned back, making sure he was right out of veiw.

"You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is?"

"Who?"

"Harry Potter!"

Harry heard the little girl's voice.

"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please…"

"You've already seen him, Ginny, and the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"

"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there — like lightning."

"Poor dear — no wonder there weren't any parents, I did wondered. But he was ever so polite when he asked how to get onto the platform."

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

Their mother suddenly became very stern.

"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at 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 and Cassie watch as the boys' mother waved and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she too fell back and waved.

They watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Cassie felt a great leap of excitement. She was finally on her way, finally part of a world she had only ever been a visitor in before.

"We're going to Hogwarts" Cassie squealed, bouncing in her seat. "OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh"

Harry just smiled at her, and she knew he knew exactly how she felt.

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

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat next to Cassie. "Everywhere else is full."

Cassie and Harry both shook their heads and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry 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 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," 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 and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.

Cassie sighed theatrically. "Mention he's Harry Potter and everyone forgets i exist" she muttered glaring out the window "just fantastic." She turned to Ron and held out her hand "Cassiopeia Prokle"
Ron shook her hand before turning back to Harry.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" he blurted out.

Harry nodded.

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

He pointed at Harry's forehead.

Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.

"So that's where You-Know-Who —?"

"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."

"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.

"Well — I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."

"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry 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 Harry, 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." Cassie chipped in.

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

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

"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."

Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.

"His name's Scabbers 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 aff — 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 know Bill" Cassie said quietly, look at Ron, "or at least i think i do." Ron looked up at her in shock. "He looks after me when I go back to visit my dad in Egypt, Dads usually too busy to look after me himself, and figured if Bill had younger brothers and sisters then he could look after me"

Ron nodded, "Makes sense" he said thoughtfully, "I think he might have mentioned you last Christmas when he came to visit."

He still looked a little glum though so while Cassie sat staring out of the window absentmindedly Harry started telling him stories of his childhood, of the handmedowns and lack of presents and this seemed to cheer Ron up a little "…and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my 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 sounding a little confused, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn…I bet," his face fell a little, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."

"Sorry Harry but your gunna have to fight me for that title" Cassie grinned widely, "see my dad's a wizard and I don't know anything either. "

Ron glanced between them "neither of you will be. There are loads of people who come from Muggle families, they learn quick enough."

While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.

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, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, with Cassie close behind, pulling money from her pockets, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches.

Cassie who very rarely got wizard sweets was keen for whatever she could get her hands on, but harry seemed a little confused as he stared at the cart, before buying some of everything. Cassie quickly bought a pumpkin pastie for lunch, a cauldron cake, and some chocolate frogs before going back to sit down.

Ron stared as Harry brought all his goodies back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat, while Cassie just giggled at the look on his face.

"Hungry, are you?"

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

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.
"Take one of my chocolate frogs too" Cassie put in, "I bought way more than i can eat"

It was a nice feeling, sitting there as a group, Cassie thought, slowly eating their way through all Harry's 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?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.

"No," laughed Cassie, "of course not"
"But see what the card is." Ron chipped in "I'm missing Agrippa."

"What?" Harry looked incredibly confused

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know — Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect — famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."

Harry unwrapped his chocolate frog and stared at the card. "So this is Dumbledore!" he exclaimed.

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

Cassie bit the head off her own frog as she watched harry examine his card

"He's gone?" He seemed shocked by this revelation

"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her…do you want it? 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!"

"Dont worry Harry" Cassie beamed at him, "you will get used to it all in no time."

Harry stared at the cards, but Ron and Cassie were more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards.

Soon Cassie was bored with the frogs, and grabbed a box of Harrys Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans "what about these" she asked Ron.

"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned her. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor — you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once."

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

"Bleaaargh — see? Sprouts."

Cassie poured some beans into a chocolate frog box and looked at them thoughtfully before plucking out a yellow coloured bean, nibbling on a corner and shuddering "yucky" she winced, "sand" she started wiping at her tongue with her hand, "it's even gritty and stuff."

They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Cassie eventually tried other beans and managed to get chocolate, bread, rice, grass, steak and ketchup. Harry was even brave enough to try a funny gray one neither Ron nor Cassie would 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 three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.

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

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

"He'll turn up," said Harry.

"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.

"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 couple of girls with him. Both were already wearing there new Hogwarts robes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," said the first one. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth, the second with cappuccino coloured skin and wavy black hair hung back quietly, looking shy.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Cassie, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in Ron's 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 you?"

She said all this very fast.

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

"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.

"Cassiopeia Prokle" Cassie nodded in her direction.

"Harry Potter," said Harry.

"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."

"Am I?" Harry looked a little dazed.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either 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 quiet dark skinned girl and 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."

"What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.

"Gryffindor," 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."

"At least it's not your family tradition to be in Slytherin" Cassie grumbled.

"And 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 Harry, trying to take both Ron and Cassie's minds off houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway Ron?"

Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.

"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Egypt 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."

Cassies head jerked up from where she had been staring at the floor.

"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."

"No shit?" Cassie seemed surprised "wow who would have thought"

They sat in a sort of awkward uncertain silence for a while before Ron broke the silence. "So What are your Quidditch teams?" he asked.

"Mines the harpies" Cassie said with a grin, Ron nodded thoughtfully turning to look at Harry.

"Er — well I 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, while Cassie dozed against the window, when the compartment door slid open yet again startling Cassie back out of her light doze, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.

Three boys and one girl entered, and both Harry and Cassie recognized the middle girl and boy at once: it was the pale boy and girl from Madam Malkin's robe shop. The boy 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 Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes," said Harry.

Cassie looked nervously 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 my sister Amiera and that's Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy waved his hand carelessly, noticing where Cassie was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. 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, Potter. 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 I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, 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."

Cassie rolled her eyes at Amiera as both Harry and Ron stood up and glared at Malfoy.

"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 and Cassie Cringed a little, those boys were much bigger and it didn't seem like the best idea to get in a fight before they even made it to school.

"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 Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, the three boys disappeared at once but Amiera hung back "i'm so sorry" she murmured, "there's just no helping him" and with that she turned on her heal and left. Perhaps perhaps the boys had thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, but a second after Amiera walked out of the compartment, Hermione Granger walked 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 to both Cassie and Ron about their meeting in Diagon Alley.

"I've heard of his family," said Ron 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 Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"

"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?"

Cassie started rummaging in her trunk and pulled out a set of robes, waiting for the girl to move.

"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?"

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

Grabbing her robes from her bag Cassie Dashed off to find a bathroom while Harry and Ron changed in the compartment.

Just as Cassie made it back to the boys a voice rang out 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."

Cassies's stomach lurched with nerves and she could see both the boys were nervous too, Ron looked pale under his freckles and Harry was even more pale than usual, if that was even possible. They all crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and together they 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. Harry 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, Harry, Cassie?"

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 Cassie thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.

"Yeh'll 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 lake. 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 four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry, Cassie and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville, the toadless boy.

"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 harbour, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

"Oi, 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.