At the orphanage, instead of reading books about math and science like they used to, Tom and Sophia worked on spells from their spellbooks. Eventually, they could levitate objects, transfigure matchsticks into needles, and had mastered all other spells from their spellbooks, seeing as they had over twelve hours to work on spells. They figured that it would be dangerous to practice making potions at a Muggle orphanage without being caught, but they read through the books to get an idea of various potions' contents. It's more fun than chemistry, Tom thought. He noticed that Sophia ignored her 'History of Magic' and 'One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' books.

"I hate history and biology," she explained simply. Instead, she spent longer on her other books, and he noticed her sneak out a few nights to look through the telescope she had bought.

"Magical telescopes are so cool!" she exclaimed when she saw that Tom noticed her outside one night.

Soon, it was the day that they were going to Hogwarts. Tom had all of his luggage packed, in which he brought his encyclopedias because they were the only things besides his magical items that he had in terms of luggage. He didn't trust the orphanage children to leave those precious books intact. He dragged his luggage and found Mrs. Cole, who would be driving Tom and Sophia to the train station. Sophia showed up ten long minutes later. He saw her and his jaw dropped. Her hair was straight. It was perfectly straight and smooth. How had she done that? She had also seemed to have taken extra care to scrub her face clean, and she looked...pretty. Tom quickly shook that thought away.

"Come on, Sophia. We're going to be late." Tom said.

"Sorry, Tom," Sophia replied. "Let's go." Mrs. Cole put their luggage in the trunk and drove them to the station. She helped them put their luggage on two different carts, and then left. "Okay," Sophia said. "So we find platforms nine and ten, and run between them." They found them. "Okay Tom, you first."

"Scared already, Sophia? Surely, you won't end up in Gryffindor," Tom smirked, and then ran into the brick wall. He came out on the other side, and saw a huge red train that said 'Hogwarts Express' at the front. Sophia followed a minute later. They got their luggage off the carts and, using 'Wingardium Leviosa', levitated their luggage onto the train's luggage compartment.

"Wow! You guys can do spells already?" a familiar voice rang out. Tom turned around. It was Emma, the girl from Madam Malkin's.

"Yes, Emma, we practiced," Sophia replied.

"You guys must be talented, Soph," the girl replied. "But you won't be able to get away with it when you go back over the summer. Once you go to school, you won't be able to do magic over the summer, especially around Muggles. There's something called the Trace that detects the use of magic in underage wizards. If they detect you guys doing magic, you get expelled. You weren't caught now because you hadn't been to school, so they'll count it as accidental magic." Emma finished.

"That's stupid," Tom retorted. "How are we supposed to remember what we learned, then?"

"I agree, Tom, but what can we do?" Emma sighed. "And Soph, what did you do to your hair? I like it!" Tom felt irritated at Sophia's nickname. Soph sounded stupid, while Sophia sounded more mature, older. I refuse to call her by some silly nickname, he grimaced. Sophia seemed to like her new nickname, though, probably for the exact opposite reasons.

"I straightened it. I found a charm in a book at Flourish and Blott's. It was 'rectum capillis'." Oh. So that's what she was writing down. I didn't think she was girly or vain, Tom thought. But I suppose she wanted to make a good first impression on the other kids here. That was smart. Tom looked mostly clean, which was the best you could hope for at the orphanage, but he knew he should make more of an effort to look sharp at Hogwarts. After all, people do tend to judge other's based on appearances, and I want to let everyone know that I'm the best, he thought confidently.

"Should we go find a compartment?" Tom asked. They went and found a compartment. He'd have time to talk to other's later, he knew, but right now, people only seemed to be sitting with those they knew.

"Sure!" Emma replied. Emma seemed overly cheerful, but kind. The Hogwarts Express started, and Tom looked out the window to see tearful parents waving to their children. He felt a pang of envy. I wish my parents were waving to me like that. He quickly shook that momentary thought away. But I don't need to be missed. It doesn't matter, and it would just create unnecessary pain. Besides, I don't need parents. I am perfectly capable on my own, and wishing otherwise is weakness. On the way, Tom and Sophia talked to Emma about the spells that they had learned. Tom was delighted to know that Emma hadn't looked through her books at all. If everyone is like her, then I'll be the top of the class easily. Even Sophia isn't as dedicated to her studies as I am. She does hate at least history and Herbology, and slacks off in it. Tom felt almost gleeful at the prospect. But then, to his dismay, Emma started talking about how she had been flying on her broomstick all summer, hoping to get on the Quidditch team, even though first years hadn't been let in for forty-six years, as Emma had put it. Even though Tom wasn't that interested in sports, it pained him to realize that there might be one thing that he wasn't good at, as useless as Tom may consider Quidditch to be. And flying just couldn't be learned out of a book.

"Wow! Quidditch sounds exciting!" Sophia said delightedly. "I can't wait until we learn how to fly! Maybe I might be relatively decent." Tom could see the hope and excitement in Sophia's face, a sharp contrast to his queasy dread. Then, a witch came pushing a cart full of an assortment of sweets. Tom looked hungrily, his stomach rumbling, and saw the same look on Sophia's face. They both knew, however, that they couldn't afford it. Emma, however, perked up and took out a jingling pouch that Tom assumed had money in it.

"Give me three Chocolate Frogs, a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, and three pastries please." The witch took out the various sweets and gave them to Emma.

"That'll be two galleons, eight sickles." Emma paid the woman, and she left. Emma gave one chocolate frog and one pastry to Tom and Sophia each, and opened the box of beans and split them between the three people. Well, maybe there are kinder people out there, Tom thought with some surprise. It just seems like the non-magical folk are mean, and then again, they don't understand magical people. They think we're freaks. But the magical folk, they are nice.

"Thanks, Emma," Sophia replied with a mouth full of beans. Tom smirked at Sophia's manners - or, rather, lack of them.

"You're welcome. Oh, and I should've warned you before, when they say Every Flavor, they mean every flavor. Once, I seem to have gotten an earwax flavored one." Just then, Sophia groaned.

"Ugh. I tasted something gross. Tasted like broccoli or something of the sort." Sophia said disgustedly. Tom ate his carefully and was happy to find that he didn't get any strange-flavored beans.

"Emma, are the Chocolate Frogs actual frogs?" Tom asked.

"No, of course not. They just look like frogs, and have a charm that makes them jump, so be careful. They've only got one good jump in them, though."

"Well, you can never tell with the wizarding world. I mean, Bertie Bott's beans are every flavored." Tom replied. The friends talked happily the whole way there. Before they knew it, it had started getting dark.

"We should change into our robes," Emma stated. Emma, Sophia, and Tom went to their respective bathrooms and changed. Then, the train stopped, and everyone started getting out.

"We're there!" Emma said excitedly. Tom couldn't wait to see Hogwarts in its full glory.