September 15: Late Morning

"Perhaps," Albus said, "It would be best to start at the beginning."

"I'm sorry, Professor," the Tinker replied. "I cannot start at the beginning, because I do not know how I began. It is only recently that I have even begun to understand the concept of time."

Albus smiled in amusement, asking, "Then perhaps you could tell us what type of being you are?"

Gregory smiled back in amusement of his own. "Would you be angry, Professor, if I told you that I am not sure I understand the question? If you mean what am I made of, I am not made of anything. I am trying to be honest but the idea is still strange to me. Even though I have taken a physical form, the physical word still seems unreal to me. Perhaps a better answer would be to ask you to describe a thought." Gregory looked down at the floor, saying, "I'm not being very helpful, am I?"

"It isn't your fault, Gregory. I have very little practice asking these types of questions. We need to find a common thread, something we can both relate to. Let me try one more question before I yield the floor. Are you the only one of your kind."

"As far as I know, I am, Professor."

"No, he isn't," said Mam. "I wasn't sure, until Gregory said that the physical world seemed unreal, but the Department of Mysteries has records of similar, uhm, beings."

I looked up in total surprise. I know every kid thinks their parents know everything, but they don't always prove it. "Mam, Ye're amazing."

"Thank You, Owen Dugh. It is nice to know I'm appreciated."

"Excuse me, Mrs. O'Donnell," Gregory said, with a touch of excitement, "what do you know about me, and my brothers?"

Mam went into her lecture voice, "We do know that you have no form of existence in the physical world, unless you choose to. You are passive, as a rule, and you will not do anything on your own. Because you are so different from us, problems frequently arise when we try to interact. The results are frequently unexpected, and sometimes very dangerous.

The passive tendency that your kind shows is apparent when you take on a physical form. In this, you are consistent in forming yourselves as inanimate objects. With you, it was a wand case."

"Yes, that's right," Gregory said, "I was aware that you, humans, where manipulating the essence that is life by waving wands and staves. That was how I came by the idea."

"What a wonderful way to describe magic," intoned Mr. Olivander.

Mam continued after a pause, "There are others in our recorded history. The most famous one appeared as an oil lamp. The legends that grew up around that one gave you the name we use today. You are commonly know as Djinn.

"We have record of one that was a book, which could never be opened to the same page twice. Another one appeared as a rock, which when moved would always return to its original spot. There is one in our possession which is a perfect black orb which will always float five feet off the ground when it is not being held. When you touch it, it turns a particular shade of blue, and it is never the same shade for any two people."

"What an interesting idea," Gregory said, "to catalogue the beings you come into contact with."

"Is that what the orb is doing," Mam asked, surprised at the thought.

"Of course," Gregory said, laughing, "Isn't it obvious? I haven't done anything like that myself, but I have recorded first impressions."

Albus asked, "What do you mean, that you have recorded first impressions?"

"I can easily show you, Professor. This is Harry Potter.

I am always happy on September 1. I get to leave the Dursleys, and return to Hogwarts, to be with all of my friends. The Dursleys dropped me off in the usual manner, stopping long enough at Kings Cross Station for me to remove my trunk and Hedwig's cage, then taking off. I don't mind that they do that, I would be willing to walk from Privet Drive if I had to.

As I walked to Platform nine 3/4, I passed a station guard with a funny look on his face. I guessed that he came too close to finding out about the magical platform and someone placed a forgetfulness spell on him.

I spotted the Weasley family gathered around a small boy, in clean but well-worn clothes. I know what they are talking about. I had the same conversation four years ago when I first tried to find the Hogwarts Express. The boy is a new student, and muggle born, or I wouldn't have heard Mrs. Weasley explaining how to walk through the barrier.

"Haven't you had this conversation before, Mrs. Weasley," I asked as I walked up.

All the Weasleys greeted me warmly, and after saying hello to everyone, I introduce myself to the boy. "Gregory Edward Wyatt," he said with as much authority as he could muster, and shook my hand. I could tell that Gregory comes from a very poor family, but he doesn't let that diminish his spirits. I took a liking to him immediately. It was like he was a younger brother I never knew I had. The Weasleys then introduced themselves, with Ginny warning the boy about Fred and George. The twins took this in good form, though. Fred even gave Gregory a playful wink.

After we walked through the barrier, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley began to give Gregory the standard questions they asked their children, and anyone else who crossed their paths, me, for example. At first it was awkward when he had to admit that all he had were the clothes he was wearing, but then Ron had the stupidity to comment on it. The way Gregory reacted was funny, calling Ron, "Mr. Fancy Pants." Ron started to get mad, but I gave him a light slap on the back and reminded him that he deserved the retort. If I know Ron, he was beaming inside. After all, it was the first time anybody had ever accused him of being rich.

Gregory showed us that he did have a robe, stuffed inside his jacket, and that he had his wand. From the way Fred and George reacted, it must have been of high quality. I suspected Dumbledore had a hand in that. The boy's parents couldn't afford to buy such a good wand. Dumbledore probably made arrangements so that they didn't even know that they were supposed to pay for it. It's the type of thing he would do. I'd be willing to wager that when Gregory got to Hogwarts, there would be a trunk waiting for him, with everything he would need.

Gregory handled the questioning with the skill every child learns from dealing with parents. He even pulled out a five-pound note to show that he could buy some things. It was clear that he didn't know anything about wizardly currency, but I felt bad when Mrs. Weasley suggested talking to his parents. I wasn't the only one. Fred even asked his mother not to embarrass the boy. I couldn't help but reassure Mrs. Weasley that we would take care of him. At that, I put a reassuring hand on Gregory's shoulder, letting him know there was nothing to worry about. When Mr. Weasley gave his assurances as well, Mrs, Weasley then turned on the rest of us. It was another twenty minutes before they would let us go.

As we gathered our belongings, Gregory asked to help. I couldn't resist his good nature, and I offered to let him carry Hedwig's cage. From the look on his face I know I did the right thing. If his smile were any bigger, it would have gone completely around his head. Nor was I the only one to be impressed by his positive attitude. As I boarded the train, I glanced back and saw Fred with his arm on him. Fred was telling him he was going to do great when he got to the school. I found myself hoping he would be sorted into Gryffindor. He was exactly the kind of student we needed at Hogwarts.

In an instant, the first meeting between Harry and Gregory was in my mind. I could tell that everyone else had received those images as well. Before anyone could say anything, Gregory added, "and this is how Fred Weasley saw me

George is the first to notice him. He nudges me and I look over. The boy is a ragamuffin. I've seen people dressed like him before, mostly old guys, lost in the bottle. Last year one even asked us for money. Dad pulled out his wand and cast a sleep spell on him, and he just curled up in a corner. The thing was, I had never seen one this young. He looks to be nine or 10, with hair as long as Ginny's. He's clean enough, but his clothes are worn. One knee shows through a tear in his pants, his shirt is missing several buttons, and his jacket has no buttons at all.

There's a station guard coming up behind him. He glances back at the guard, then at us with a pleading look. He reminds me so much of Harry, I feel I have to do something. "Mom, I think that boy is trying to get to the platform." Mom looks up and then turns to Dad. "What do you think, Arthur?" "Let's find out," Dad says, and pulls out his wand. The guard stops where he is, smiles at us, and goes away.

When the boy comes over to thank us for our help, Mom asks him if he is going to school. He smiles and says he is but he doesn't know where to catch the train. When Mom tells him, he reacts the same way that Harry had. I am tempted to say something, but Harry beats me to it. Coming up behind the ragamuffin, he asks Mom, "Mrs. Weasley, haven't you had this conversation before?"

After a round of greetings, introductions are made. "Gregory Edward Wyatt," the boy says, as though he were the local lord, "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Weasley." "What a polite boy," Mom says, and, sure enough, the ragamuffin blushes right on cue. I nudge George, and blush slightly. He also blushes, to show me he is on top of it, too.

Mom makes the introductions and I go to shake hands, but Ginny warns him about me first. I swear she is worse than I was at her age, but she is the apple of Mom's eye and can do no wrong. Instead, I wink at the kid, to let him know I am onto his game. He is smooth, though, acting like nothing has happened. George just looks at me, and grins.

Mom and Dad send us across the barrier to Platform 9 3/4, making it a point that little Greggypoo crosses over with them. Then the kid does the Harry thing again, just standing there with his mouth open. "You're catching flies," Ginny says, pushing his mouth closed. He blushes, this time for real.

Now that we are on the platform, Mom and Dad begin to ask him questions. Dad asks him where his trunk is. He can't lie, so he has to say he doesn't have one. He uses a nice, humble sounding voice, too. I 'm starting to like this kid. "But where are your clothes?" Mom asks. "I'm wearing them," he says in just the right tone to make the folks feel sorry for him. Then Ron opens his mouth, "You're going to Hogwarts dressed like that?" I think the kid is going to lose it. "I'm sorry, I didn't have a chance to buy a new suit, Mr. Fancy Pants," he yells with a sneer. Ron has touched a nerve, and the kid has let himself show through. Harry helps by putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, saying, "You deserved that, Ron." I think maybe Harry knows, but George's look tells me it's just Harry being himself.

Still, he now had Mom feeling Motherly, and that is one short stop from blowing your cover. George looks at me to ask what this kid's game is. I pull on my ear. The kid is clearly playing by his.

Of course, Mom asks about his robes, and the kid shows her the bulge in his jacket. Then Dad gets suspicious and asks about his wand. At this point, I figure the kid is a goner. No wand, no train ride, and it's obvious, now that he has seen it, little Greg wants to get on that train. Then the kid does what everyone expects him to do, everyone except me and George, that is, since we know better. He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a wand. I don't claim to be an expert, but it looks like it's made of Yew, about 11 inches long, with a core, most probably, of unicorn hair. I said I don't 'claim' to be an expert. The kid knows he's won the round and adds in a flourish, "It's the first thing I got."

Now, we go into Round Three. The kid has picked up that he played the pity card too much, so he shifts tactics. I expect him to go for embarrassment. That's what I would do, and George agrees. Mom and Dad ask about books and supplies. The kid says his folks will send him his stuff as soon as they can. Then, for a nice touch, he does a straight face and says, "Mom told me just to read off the other kid's books until then. And they gave me money in case I need to buy anything." He's won the game, but then he blows it by pulling out a fiver in muggle cash. He's dead in the water and doesn't know it. He doesn't know about wizardly currency.

And Mom drops the bomb. "Maybe we should talk to your parents," she says. The kid knows he goofed big time, but can't figure out why. But I know there's a chance to keep the game alive, Dad hasn't nodded yet. Once he does, it means he agrees with Mom. So I jump into action, "C'mon, Mom, You're embarrassing the kid." Dad stops and starts to rethink. Then Harry comes through again. "Don't worry, Mrs. Weasley," he tells Mom, "we'll take care of him." With that, he puts a brotherly hand on the kid's shoulder. It is so hard to believe that Harry hasn't got a clue about what is really going on.

Dad tells Mom that we will be fine, and tells us to owl him if there are any problems. That a joke, really, 'cause Dad knows that if there are any problems, owling him will be the last thing we'll do. The kid realizes he's won and thanks Mom for her concern. Smart move. Always back away from a crouching tiger, never run.

Mom's upset that she can't mother the kid to death, and takes it out on everyone else, including Harry. Everyone is happy, though. The kid even offers to help carry some stuff and Harry, good old Harry, lets him carry Hedwig's cage. Gregory is beaming. Ginny is watching him like a new found brother. We know she will back us up if we ask. Even Ron is happy. No one has ever insulted him for having money. As for me and George, we were going to smuggle a muggle into Hogwarts.

As we walked to the train, George collared the kid and asked, "How?" The kid knew we were asking about the wand and answered honestly, "found it." I put my arm on the kid's shoulder and told him, "Gregory, when we get to school, you are going to do great."

"Thank you, Gregory,' said Albus, hastily.

"Did I do anything wrong, Sir?" he asked.

"No, son," Albus added with a weak smile, "only something unexpected."

Molly Weasley said to Arthur, "He's your son, definitely."

I thought it was great. "Did ye get me first inpression?" I asked.

"No," he replied sadly, " your first reactions was at a distance, I only take first impressions of people when the impression is made at the time of initial physical contact. The only person in this room is Ginny Weasley. Would you like to see that.

"Yes," I said.

"No," said Ginny, just a little too late.

We were waiting for the coast to clear, so we could cross over to platform nine 3/4, when we noticed this boy approaching. And right behind him was this station guy ready to grab him. Dad sent the guy away with a spell, and the poor boy came over to thank us. And I do mean poor. His pants were torn at one knee and wearing thin at the other, his shirt and jacket were missing buttons, and his sneakers looked like they were ready to fall apart. And then he told Mom he's going to Hogwarts. My heart just about broke. I remembered hearing about the Dursleys. I could not believe anyone was worse off than Harry.

Of course we helped him get to the platform, but then Mom and Dad kept embarrassing the boy, Gregory, with questions. Then Ron insults him, and gets mad when Gregory insults him back. Harry told Ron he deserved it, but in a much nicer voice than I would have used. Finally, Mom lets us all go, and Gregory asked if he could help us. When Harry let him carry Hedwig's cage, his face lit up with a huge smile. My heart nearly broke a second time.

We found Hermione and Neville holding a compartment for us, and we put our things away. I noticed both of them staring at Gregory. "Guys," I said, "this is Gregory, he's a first year. Gregory, meet Hermione and Neville. They politely said hello and, to break the ice, Hermione said, "Your parents must be proud of you." Gregory gave a shy smile and offered to show Hermione a picture. I looked at the picture, as he passed it over, and saw a young, and well-dressed couple. Then I heard Gregory say, softly, "times were better then." I know I sound like a repetition spell, but I felt my heart break again.

To change the subject, I began to talk about Hogwarts. Soon we were all telling stories about things that had happened at school. Harry and Hermione even told us about Norbert the Dragon and how, with Neville's help, they lost 150 House Points in one day.

We began to tell stories about Draco Malfoy and his failed attempts against Harry. We even got Gregory to laugh when we told him about the bouncing ferret. This ended when Fred and George came by saying they needed to borrow Gregory. They literally picked him up, and walked off with him. I waited an appropriate length of time and then excused myself. "You're going to follow them?" asked Ron. "Of course," I said, "they're up to something and I want to know what it is."

I followed the twins to their compartment. Being their sister, I listened at the door first, to try and get a hint of what was going on. Between Gregory, the Twins and Lee Jordan, I could guess who was saying what but the conversation made no sense.

"He's eleven. Tell him you're eleven."

"I am eleven."

"That's good. Just remember, if anybody asks, you are eleven."

"But I am eleven."

"Good. Good. Keep it up."

"I think he's got the hang of it."

"But, really, I am eleven. Why would I lie about that?"

"Because you have to be eleven to get into the school."

"Oh, I'm eleven then."

"I thought all Weasleys had red hair."

"I'm adopted."

"What's the plan?"

"Simple, we dress him up and put him in a boat."

"He still needs a hat."

"It's a long train ride."

This is when I opened the door and stepped in. "All right, what's going on?" I asked. "You better tell her, " Lee said. George grinned at me and said "Ginny, Gregory was just showing us what an amazing wizard he is. Did you know he is able to use any wand with the same skill that he can use his own?" "That's impossible," I said. Fred said he would prove it, and gave his wand to Gregory. "Try Petrificus Totalus," said George. The boy pointed the wand at Fred and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus." "See," said Fred, grinning at the obvious success of the spell. "Nothing happened," I told him. "That's right," Lee said. Then Gregory said, "want to see it again?" I started to speak, stopped, started again, stopped again. Lee and the twins began laughing

"He's a muggle," I said, figuring it out. Then I surprised all of us, especially myself. I grabbed the kid by his jacket and lifted him up until I was staring him in the eyes. "You made me feel sorry for you. You little rat. Where'd you steal the wand?" "Didn't," the kid said, scared, "found it." "Liar, you didn't find any wand," I said back to him, in a honey coated voice. "Tim did. My brother. He gave it to me. Honest." "And where is Tim, " I asked politely, "And you had better tell the truth, or your brother will be an only child." "Could you put me down first?" So I dropped the runt.

"I left Tim at the station," he told me, "but he shouldn't be there know. He knows the routine. If I didn't show up in an hour, he's to hold up at a place we've got near the library. We have a friend in the library who will take messages. I can call in the morning, and let him know where I end up." "Impressive," I heard George say. I knew that if I looked back I would see Fred and Lee nodding in agreement. I was impressed. I had to ask though, where Tim found the wand. Gregory answered, "He had it for a while. The first time I saw it was when he asked me if I wanted the box it came in. When I asked him where he found it, he said he didn't remember. He's only six." My jaw dropped when he told me Tim's age, but I didn't get a chance to say anything because of Lee. He wanted to know about the box. Gregory pulled out a long thin box, dark green, and covered in runes and carvings. He opened it up and showed us a pennywhistle. "Tim didn't want me to break this one," he said. "Are you any good?" Lee asked. Gregory picked up the pennywhistle, and asked, with a smile, "What would you like to hear?"

I held off on anymore questions when Gregory began playing, but Fred leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "Ginny, when you get a chance, could you get Ron's hat for us?"

After a pause, Molly said with a smile, "She takes after her mother, you know."

Mam looked at me, and said in her stern voice, "Owen, that was uncalled for. You've needlessly embarrassed Ginny. If you can't keep your mouth shut, then you can leave."

"But Mam..." I pleaded uselessly.

"You were here as a courtesy, because of everything you had been through. I'll talk to you later, but for now, GO."

"Your mother is right," Albus said. "While I did find what happened to be amusing, but due to Gregory's nature we must be careful."

That was it. I was banished from the best thing that ever happened to me. Now I would never find out why Gregory was a muggle and could do magic, or why he would forget about Timmy. I closed the door behind me as I left, then walked across the hallway and kicked the wall.

'Mam was right,' I thought as I leaned against the wall clutching my foot, 'I need to think before I act.'