Somewhere to Begin
Author's Notes: This is a pet project that probably no one else but me will read but I'm really enjoying writing it so I thought I would publish it. :-) This is a prequel to all of the rest of my stories and takes place at Hogwarts. It is focused on Cassius and Corbin but features appearances by Remus, Sirius, and other original characters that I have written about (Stevens, Jack, and Owen). There are specific references to Chapter 1 of "Collide" but I don't think you will miss much if you haven't read that.
Chapter 1 The First September
At the Welcoming Feast, after riding in boats with children two years younger than him, Corbin was sorted along with all the first years. He had hoped to be sorted into Gryffindor along with Jack, but he was sorted into Ravenclaw. He sat down at the long table and startled when food suddenly appeared.
As they were walking out of the hall, someone tapped Corbin on the shoulder. "I'm sorry you're not in Gryffindor," Jack shook his head sadly. "Not everyone can be so lucky, I guess."
"Watch it, Bartleby." A tall blond-haired boy said, a grin negating his low tone.
"Be sure and tell Professor Flitwick, that's your head of house, that you need a wand and books. He's really nice, he'll help you." Jack said, glancing at Stevens. "All right? And…I'll see you in class, or in the library or around. "
Corbin nodded "Thanks."
Bartleby shoved his way back through the students
"I'll take you to Flitwick's room, now if you want." The blond boy said. "I'm Stevens. Come on."
After stopping in to see Professor Flitwick, Stevens introduced Corbin to several other students who were on a team of a sport Corbin had never heard of.
He was put into a dorm room with three other boys, a black-haired boy, a blond boy, and a boy with white-blond hair. None of the boys introduced themselves to him and he didn't care.
Corbin curled up in his bed as two of the boys talked about their summers. He was sleeping in a castle with people who could do magic. It didn't feel magical at all.
The next morning at breakfast there was pumpkin juice and cereals he had never heard of. Then hundreds of owls flew through the hall dropping envelopes and packages to happy children. All the children sitting around Corbin had gotten letters or packages from their families. Corbin swallowed food that tasted like sawdust. His family wouldn't be sending him anything, he was an abomination.
He got up from breakfast and wandered through the castle until he found the library. He found a corner, where there was a curved window next to a table. He climbed onto the window ledge and looked down, he was higher than he thought, and his stomach turned. He rested his head against the window and looked out at the lake and the rolling hills. He
wondered how far he was from home.
"Ah, here you are," Professor Dumbledore's voice startled him. Corbin suddenly realized he had no idea if he was supposed to be somewhere.
"I'm so sorry, Professor, am I missing class? I didn't check my schedule."
"No, you will not be attending any classes. It's been decided that you will do a special course of study since you have two years to catch up on. You are a very bright student, I've every confidence in you that you will be able to do it by the end of the year. And, as it happens, there's another student who is also in need of a special course of study so you will have a study partner."
"But sir, I don't have any books and…" Corbin couldn't speak for a moment around the lump in his throat, his parents wouldn't give him any money for anything involving this school.
"You will be able to share books with Cassius. Professor Flitwick told me that you need a wand and your school uniform. The school has funds for those students who can't afford these things. Hagrid will take you to Diagon Alley, he's waiting for you in the entrance hall."
Hagrid was a towering giant - and Corbin was pretty sure that was actually possible in this strange new world he was living in.
Dumbledore introduced him to his professor who was translucent, and his study partner who, Corbin thought to himself with a laugh, was almost as pale. The boy, Cassius, was a third-year Ravenclaw like he was, Corbin recognized him from the dorms.
Professor Binns assigned them some reading and told them he'd meet them at tea time for a discussion on the material, then he left by floating through the stone wall. Having a professor that was a ghost was just insane, and Corbin desperately wished he could just be normal and go home.
Corbin looked at his new study partner who was looking back at him. He was very good looking...Corbin mentally swore at himself. He was not good looking, he just looked...like he looked. He had green eyes and a long straight nose. He was shorter than Corbin by a few inches - Corbin had been one of the tallest boys in his grade so that wasn't surprising - and his white-blond hair looked like it had been cut by someone who had never cut hair before. Corbin watched as the boy put his hand to his mouth and started biting his nails before stopping as suddenly as if he'd been slapped. Fantastic, thought Corbin, my new study partner is just as strange as the rest of this place.
"Are you a new student too?" Corbin asked, but Cassius just looked back at him without answering. "I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm the first wizard in my family, and my parents aren't happy about it - it's why I didn't come two years ago, only I kept making strange things happen and, well, here I am."
Cassius looked at him, and then looked at the stacks of books on the table. He searched through the piles for a moment and then picked a book up and handed it to Corbin. The book looked almost new and had gold lettering on it, "The History of Magic, Volume I".
"Thanks," Corbin smiled, interpreting the gesture to be friendly. "That will be a good place to start."
After a few weeks, Corbin felt like he was getting a handle on the castle where owls and ghosts swooped in during meals, where staircases moved as you were trying to find your way back to your room, and where his study partner never spoke a word.
"Hello," Corbin said, sitting down at their table in their classroom and opening one of his books. They met after every meal, even though Binns only met with them after breakfast and at teatime. It was nice not to have to haul around a book bag, they were able to keep their books there and the old-fashioned quills and ink and scrolls all the students used. Corbin missed his trusty number two pencils.
"How do you always get here before me? I know for sure you were still eating when I left the Great Hall just now." He didn't expect an answer anymore, but he paused just the same. "I finished my essay on chapter eight so I'm moving on to chapter nine. Professor Binns said we could sit in on Professor MacGonnagall's Introduction to Transfiguration class tomorrow. But I don't know - I felt a bit awkward about it - so I said I wouldn't go."
Corbin didn't like the thought of having to find a spot in a class of students who he didn't know and who would stare at him. Wizarding children had obviously never been taught that staring was impolite.
Corbin leaned over so he could see the page number of the book Cassius was on. "Oh, good, I've almost caught up to you. Binns said we could start doing the essays together if we wanted."
Cassius shoved his quill and inkpot towards Corbin almost comically fast.
"You'll have to talk if you want me to do the writing." Corbin looked at Cassius. It didn't seem like that would happen anytime soon. Jones acted like he and Cassius were friends but Corbin hadn't heard Cassius say a word to anyone. He was pretty sure the other boy was mute. And probably even 'special' as his gran used to say. Corbin had peeked at one of his essays the other day and it read as if written by a much younger student: poor grammar, poor spelling, and poor penmanship.