Beta: FlyingLovegood (I added something later so there might still be some mistakes)
A note before you read: Some details in this chapter may make it seem like there's reincarnation, but there isn't. Everything's just Merlin's memory acting up. He's not going to get it back anytime soon, though.
The platform was packed with people just like with the two platforms at the back that could no longer be seen. Yet the differences were significant. Most of the adults here dressed in robes, the same as the ones Edward had stashed away in his trunk. Their luggage could also easily be distinguished from that of the Muggles', what with the cages that contained owls and cats of all different colors. Most of the compartments were already full of students, many of whom were leaning out of their windows to talk to their families. Edward and Harry made their way along the length of the train, finally spotting an empty compartment towards the end. They shove their trunks in first through the train door and Harry climbed on after. He turned around and held out his hand, ready to pull Edward up when…
"Hey! Where are you going?"
Edward didn't answer him, nor did he turn back. The moment he was about to grasp Harry's hand, he caught a fleeting glimpse of someone passing behind him. Blond hair. Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, his body was paralyzed and he couldn't move. Thousands of images were flooding his mind, flashbacks from his forgotten past. A face that clearly showed annoyance, brows raised in exasperation, yet the pair of blue eyes beneath was full of affection. A huge room waiting to be cleaned, its size equaled its messiness. A thrown jug hitting the wall, missing its mark by several inches, yet mixed in the clanging sound that followed was laughter. Those memories went as quickly as they came, leaving nothing behind but an empty space. Edward desperately tried to recall them, but they slipped from his mind like water from cupped hands. Then, before he knew it, he had turned away from his companion and started chasing after that someone, ignoring Harry's call. He roughly pushed the people in his way aside; his eyes focused only on one spot ahead, his arm outstretched. Only a little bit more. Leaning his body forward, he jumped the last few steps. His hand made contact. He watched, as if in slow motion, as the person turned around to look at him.
… And he was immediately pulled back to earth. Staring at him was a boy with a pale, pointed face, wearing a wizard robe. He had an air of pure haughtiness about him and of course, nothing about this strange boy was even remotely familiar to Edward.
"What are you doing?" he spat, swiping Edward's hand away from his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Edward apologized "I thought you were someone I knew."
The boy took a step back away from Edward and his gaze seemed to have come to a rest on Edward's clothes. He wiped the hand that had touched Edward's on his robe and pursed his lips in disgust.
"Your eyes must be bad then, because there is no way someone like me could be caught near the like of you."
Having thrown those words in Edward's face, the boy strode away, leaving Edward dumbfounded on the platform. Shaking his head to regain some sense, he walked back to where Harry was, completely unable to comprehend why he had even chased that boy in the first place. As soon as he placed his foot in the compartment, the train started to move. He can see the back of Harry's head from where he was standing and on the opposite sit sat a boy with red hair. He made his way over and settled down in the space on Harry's left. His friend had looked up when he came into sight.
"Where were you?" Harry inquired
"I thought I saw something." Edward shrugged. He turned his attention to the red-haired boy who was looking at him curiously and put on the friendliest smile he could muster "Hi, I'm Edward Thompson."
The boy nodded "I'm Ron Weasley. Nice to meet you." He then gave Harry a glance "You know each other?"
"Yeah." Harry confirmed "We stayed together for a short while."
"Really?" The boy had turned his eyes back on Edward with enthusiasm "You got to stay with Harry Potter?"
"Eh, yes?" Edward answered, feeling a little confused at Ron's attitude.
"That's so cool! I mean, Harry's the most famous person in the magic world." Ron pointed at Harry, who Harry could see turning into a bright shade of red "And you got to stay with him!"
"Oh." Edward had completely forgotten that Harry was famous here. Being at the Dursley's where your very existence was ignored kind of erased the notion from his mind.
"Are all of yours family wizards?" Said Harry in an attempt to drive attention away from himself.
"I think so. I've got five brothers who went to Hogwarts before me."
"You must know a lot of magic then." Edward said in wonder.
"Not really. I haven't really been able to make any spell work, and most of them came from Fred and George so I doubt they are even spells at all. They just love to joke around with me."
Ron launched into a detailed description of some of the jokes that his twin brother had found highly amusing and him being the victim. The two other listened on earnestly, but Harry still had something on his mind. The mention of spells made Harry remember something he needed to make sure.
"Ron, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?" Ron stopped mid-story.
"Can you or your brothers use magic intentionally without a wand?"
"Magic like what?" Ron asked
"I don't know." Harry shrugged "Making thing fly or disappear, perhaps."
Edward turned to look at Harry.
"Nah," Ron shook his head "wandless magic is very advanced. If someone manages to do magic without wand, it's mostly on instinct. I can't make things fly even with my wand." He pulled out a battered wand from his pocket.
"I see." Harry sighed in relief. So it wasn't just him, after all. On the other hand, Edward's worries had just doubled.
"But why do you ask?" Ron's eyes then widened "You can do wandless magic?" he asked with awe in his voice.
"No, but Edward can."
Ron turned his gaze to Edward. The latter tangled his fingers nervously, but he was saved from having to answer by a clattering outside their door, which slid back to reveal a cart followed by a dimpled woman. She smiled at them.
"Anything of the cart, dear?"
Edward dug into his pocket and, feeling nothing asides from the mysterious orb which he had decided to carry around with him and of course, no money, so he just leaned back further in his seat. Ron blushed and mumbled something about having sandwich. Harry, however, leaped to his feet and came back moments later with candies laden in his arms, which he spread over the table when he reached it, making the other two stare.
"You're gonna eat all that?" Ron asked.
"I'm hungry." Harry just shrugged. He looked around at his two companions and handed each a Licorice Wand "Come on, you two help yourselves."
"My mom made me sandwiches." Ron shook his head. Then he dropped his voice just enough for himself to hear "Not really what I like, though."
"Go on, I insist." Harry said, still holding the candy to Ron, who finally took it after some reluctance. The three began to work their way through the small mount of sweets. Harry smiled inwardly. This was the first time he was actually able to share something, having had nothing and no one to share it with before.
"What card does it have?" Ron said as he saw Edward unwrap a Chocolate Frog.
"Eh?" Edward eyed Ron with confusion, but at that moment his hand hit something that indeed felt like a card, so he pulled it out.
"Chocolate Frogs have cards of famous witches and wizard inside them." Ron began to explain "I'm collecting them."
Edward glanced down at the card in his hand. A woman was looking back at him. She had an extremely beautiful and regal look, but then her face twisted in a sneer and all the above disappeared, leaving only a feeling of insanity. Edward shuddered involuntarily, feeling a chill going up his spine, thus he flipped the card so that the picture side was hidden and handed the card to Ron. Ron took a look at it.
"Morgana. I've got about six of her already. You keep it." He tried to return the card, but Edward shook his head so he put it down on the table instead. For some inexplicable reason, Edward didn't want to lay his eyes on that picture again. Harry was turning his attention away from the exchange when he glimpsed something poking out of Ron's shirt pocket.
"Is that a rat?"
"Oh, yeah. His name is Scabber." Ron pulled the gray rat out and put it on his lap "He just sleeps all day. I tried to turn him yellow yesterday, but the spell didn't work. Well, I guess I should expect that from something George gave me." He picked up the wand he had laid on the side of the table and waved it absent-mindedly, but suddenly stopped mid-way, as if remembering something. He then turned to Edward.
"You can do wandless magic, right?"
Edward sighed. He was hoping Ron would forget that. In a wordless response, he levitated several boxes of sweets on their table some meters into the air and swirled them around
"Wow." Ron gasped at the sight.
At that moment, the door of the compartment slid open and two identical older boys with the same red hair poked their heads in and Edward dropped the boxes in surprise.
"Ron, we're nearly there, so you two had better get ready." Then they caught sight of Edward and came inside.
"Oh, a new face?" the twin grinned "Fred and George Weasley, nice to meet you."
"I'm Edward Thompson." Edward smiled
"Guess we'll be seeing you at school. Hey Ron," the twin turned to their brother "want to see Lee's tarantula?" One of them was holding a box and they winked mischievously
"No! Put it away! Put it away!" Ron was holding his hand in front of himself protectively.
"Thought so." They made their way out of the compartment and waved "Bye, we've gotta run." The door slid shut behind them.
The three of them put on their robe. A voice echoed through the train: "We'll be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
The train slowed down and finally stopped. With one last apprehensive look at each other, Edward and Harry followed Ron down to the tiny dark platform, the first few steps to their new days ahead.