Chapter One

The Hogwarts Express

            "Mum! Where are my spell books!?" Dillan called down the hall, still frantically searching through piles of clothes and under his bedspread. Moments later, a woman dressed in deep burgundy robes entered Dillan's room, her auburn hair pinned in a bun on top her head.

            "Right here, dear," She handed a stack of books to him, the top one titled 'Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6 by Miranda Goshawk'.

            He tossed the books into his trunk, all the while combing his loose, chestnut hair flat to his head, "Thanks, Mum." He snapped his trunk closed and locked it. "I've got less than fifteen minutes to get to King's Cross Station!" He tossed his comb to his dresser top. "Let's go!"

            His mother bustled him downstairs, "I'm sorry, dear, but your brother will be taking you. I've got errands to run," she gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Have a good term, will you? And try to stay out of trouble this year?"

            Dillan walked outside waving, "Yeah! Bye, Mum!" He walked down the sidewalk tugging his trunk along, coming to a stop at a blue Ford Ranger.

            The driver inside poked his head out the passenger side window, his dark eyes dully looking up at Dillan. "Toss the trunk in the back and get in. I don't have all day to wait on you. Rápido."

            Dillan rolled his eyes as he pulled the tailgate down, pushed his trunk in, closed the tailgate, and got in the cab.

            "C'mon, Cam, let's go!" Dillan said anxiously.

            Cam shifted gears, for the truck was already running, and took off. "Startin' your sixth year, eh Dill?"

            Dillan nodded, "Yeah and I can't wait!"

            "I remember my sixth year at Hogwarts. It was a lot of fun," He rounded a corner with squealing tires, "What classes did you sign up for?" Cam turned on his CD player; Creed blasted instantly.

            "Er, Intermediate Transfiguration and Anatomical Study of Dragons are a couple. I don't remember them all," Dillan shrugged, looking out the window at the obstacles passing unusually fast. "Did you think your sixth year was hard, Cameron?"

            Cam shook his head, "Why no. It was a lot of fun since our O.W.L. testing was over. I didn't do so well, but Mum was still pleased. You scooped up top O.W.L.'s, didn't you? You'll have no problem this year."

            "Yeah, well, Dad didn't think so," Dillan sighed, his eyes falling down to the cluttered floor of the truck.

            "You know Dad's got a lot of things going on with the Council, Dill, it's hard to show how much he cares when he's got to decide the verdict of a warlock who's decapitated 20 Muggles. I know how hard it is and I only have a part time job with the Floo Regulation Panel. But I'm sure he's proud of ya." Cam said reassuringly, pushing back his charcoal black hair, which looked unwashed as it stuck out in every angle.

            "Thanks, Cam," Dillan smiled. They became silent the rest of the ride.

            "Well, here ya are," Cam said, coming to an abrupt stop in front of the station, the fuzzy dice around his rearview mirror dangling wildly. "Have fun, Dilly," he smiled.

            "Don't call me that. Adiós hermano," Dillan said, hopping out of the truck. After Dillan unloaded his trunk, Cam took off quick and Dillan could distinctly hear AC/DC blaring as Cam squealed around a corner and out of sight.

            Tugging the trunk along behind him, Dillan made his way into the crowded station, Muggles bumping past him in every direction. He stopped, looking at the supposedly solid barrier between platforms 9 and 10. It was the invisible platform 9 ¾ that he used to board for five years before. Dillan glanced at the clock upon the wall; it showed two minutes til the barrier closed.

            Pushing this trunk casually in front of him and glancing around inconspicuously, he walked toward the barrier and leaned against it. Suddenly, a new environment came into view.

            Along the train tracks sat the scarlet steam engine, Hogwarts Express, smoke billowing slowly from its pipes. Standing upon the platform were wizards and witches of all ages; some stood with their parents, others on their own as Dillan was.

            With no need to act inconspicuous here, Dillan strolled to the train, got aboard, and began searching for an empty compartment.

            As he passed each compartment, he glanced in noticing most being occupied. He walked by one, the door ajar, glimpsing a redhead boy, a girl with bushy, brown hair, and none other than Harry Potter, catching the scar on his forehead. Next to their compartment, a short boy with sandy colored hair had just finished changing into his school robes.

            "Hey, Terry!" Dillan greeted, walking in.

            "Hi, Dillan!" Terry waved.

            "Boo!!" someone shouted and then two figures jumped from out of the corner behind Dillan.

            "Hey Dill, what's up?" asked a girl, also in her school robes, with her long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail.

            "Hi, Chloe. Hey Evan." Dillan rounded on the second person that, with his thin, black framed glasses and neatly parted black hair to one side, looked like your average bookworm. "What're you doin'?"

            "Just brushing up on one of my classes," he stated. He was holding a thick, leather bound book in his arms, its embossed letters reading Inside the Beast: Anatomy of a Dragon by Draco Tolson. "I'm taking Anatomical Studies of Dragons this term, you know, so I thought I'd begin my reading before classes start."

            Chloe butted in, "Yeah, Evan, we know. You've only been announcing it since we got here."

            Dillan sat his trunk in one corner, the train now starting to take off with a rumble, "Me too, Ev." He looked over to the seats noticing a sky blue ball of feathers inflating and deflating as it breathed, sitting calmly, "Uh, what is that?"

            Chloe beamed, "That's Marshmallow! She's a Diricawl. Mum had to send an owl to Professor Dumbledore asking if I could bring her. Mum works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, so she explained to Dumbledore how harmless Marshmallow is, and he consented. Isn't she gorgeous?"

            "Yeah, I guess," Dillan said, looking sideways at the creature, "I've never heard of Diricawls before."

            Evan chimed in like a dictionary, "The Diricawl is what Muggles dubbed the 'Dodo bird'. Giving the fact that the Diricawl can vanish from one place and reappear in another in puff of feathers, the Muggles thought them to become extinct. So the Ministry didn't see any harm in changing this fact."

            Amazed, Dillan said, "All right."

            "Hey, Dill, I just met Harry Potter! C'mon I want to introduce you. He's real nice," Terry insisted and they walked to the neighboring compartment, Terry knocked on the wall to get their attention.

            "Oh, hello again Terry," said the bushy haired girl.

            "Hi, Hermione, I wanted you guys to meet my best friend Dillan Starr," he gestured to Dillan.

            "Hello," Harry Potter said holding out his hand.

            "Hi," Dillan replied, shaking it.

            Harry pointed to the redhead boy, who was clutching a rather small, perky owl in his hands, "That's Ron Weasley and she's Hermione Granger."

            Hermione asked, "What House are you in? We're Gryffindors."

            "Oh, I'm in Ravenclaw." Realizing he was still in his Muggle clothes, he said, "Hey, it was nice meeting you all but I have to go change into my robes."

            "All right," said Harry. "See you soon!"

            "Hope we have some classes together," Ron said, stuffing the overly excited, hooting owl into a cage.

            "Yeah," Terry smiled and he and Dillan went next door. Chloe and Evan were gone, though Marshmallow still sat curled up, asleep.

            "They were really nice," Dillan said, pulling his robes from his trunk and changing into them.

            Terry began rummaging through his trunk, "Told you."

            Just then Chloe and Evan reappeared carrying lots of sweets, which they dumped onto the seats. "Dig in," Evan said.

            Terry smiled, "Don't mind if I do!"

            Dillan removed his 12-inch wand from his trunk and placed it in his robe pocket, then grabbed a Cauldron Cake and sat to eat it.

            Terry sat next to him unwrapping a Pumpkin Pastry, "Are you trying out for the Quidditch team? There are three open positions since some seventh years left, both Beater positions and a Chaser. I'm not sure what position I want."

            Dillan nodded with a mouthful of Cauldron Cake, "Mmhm," he swallowed, "I'm goin' after a Beater position. What about you Evan? Chloe?"

            Evan looked up from his book, "What? Me? No, I don't find that sport intriguing at all." Terry chucked his Pumpkin Pastry at him. "Well, I don't," Evan stated innocently.

            Terry leaned over to Dillan and whispered, "Brains are all the same. They only fancy books, nothing more." Dillan laughed.

            Chloe was sitting beside Marshmallow, "I don't think I want to play Quidditch. I like the sport and all, just don't think I'd be good at it." She finished a Chocolate Frog, "Hey, I need to use the restroom. I'll be back in a few minutes." She got up and slid open the compartment door. Just as she stepped out she was pushed back in forcefully, "Hey!"

            "Watch it, girlie," said a drawling voice.

            Terry and Dillan got to their feet to see what happened.

            "What'd you do that for?" Chloe asked, frowning.

            "Simple…you got in my way."

            "You might want to apologize," Terry suggested, although his expression wasn't of kindness.

            "Who's going to make me?" the boy asked snobbishly.

            "I will."

            "Me, too. So move it Malfoy."

            Harry and Ron had emerged from their compartment, wands raised.

            Malfoy sneered, "Little Potter. Haven't had enough hero opportunities?" And with that, he strolled down the hall entering a compartment at the end.

            "Who—" Dillan began.

            "Come in," Harry insisted.

            "Evan," Chloe gestured for him. Then she, Evan, Terry, and Dillan went into the compartment with Ron and Harry. Hermione slid the door shut.

            They all sat. "Who was that?" Dillan finally asked.

            Ron's nose wrinkled in disgust, "Draco Malfoy, one annoying, smart-mouthed boy you just wanna to punch."

            Harry said, "He's been a real pain since our first year at Hogwarts. Haven't you had any classes with Slytherins?"

            "Of course, but I've never sat around him. Same goes with you guys, I never sat near you so I never got to meet you."

            "I see," Harry looked over to find Hermione and Evan deep in conversation over the Anatomical Studies of Dragons.

            "I'm taking the class, too!" Hermione exclaimed.

            "Great. Hope we have it the same day," Evan smiled. Then both their gazes fell into Inside the Beast: Anatomy of a Dragon and they began to mutter between themselves.

            Ron eyed them both.

            The train soon began to slow its pace, the whistle blowing.

            "Looks like we're there," Ron informed, peering out the window. "That didn't seem long at all."

            Chloe darted out of the compartment and returned momentarily with Marshmallow in one arm and pulling her trunk behind her with the other.

            Something out of the corner of Dillan's eye began to move amongst the trunks that were positioned against the wall. A large, ginger cat uncurled itself. It must have been sleeping between the trunks where no one could see it. Hermione scooped it up, "Come along, Crookshanks."

            Evan, Terry, and Dillan went to grab their trunks then returned to walk with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Chloe out of the train. Every student began filing out of the train into the Hogsmeade train station; the air was stale and the sky dusky. Dillan looked behind him to see Draco Malfoy accompanied by two bulky boys, who looked to have no common sense whatsoever from the way they were guffawing stupidly at whatever Malfoy was saying.

            Outside of the station stood many horseless carriages all aligned in a row.

            "This year is beginning off on a good foot," Harry said.

            "Sure is," said Dillan and everyone else agreed as they piled into a carriage, which set off up the street of Hogsmeade and onto the bumpy hill toward Hogwarts Castle.