5.) Leaving It All Behind
Donald spent the remaining weeks of the holidays reading his school books. He found them especially interesting although his father had told him they were not to be removed from his room incase a visiting neighbour spotted one.
Finally September the first arrived. Donald got up much earlier than usual to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything even though he had checked his trunk five times the night before. By eight Donald found himself sitting in his father's car, nervously twiddling his thumbs and finally at ten twenty the Dursleys had arrived at Kings Cross station.
"Now which platform does this train leave from?" Mrs. Dursley asked as she helped Donald get his heavy trunk out of the boot of the car.
"nine and three quarters." Donald answered glancing at his ticket. If Mr. Dursley had found the platform number strange he didn't say it. After a questioning look from his wife he muttered,
"Nothing much has changed then, that's the same platform my cousin used to catch the school train from but I have no idea how to get on."
Suddenly Donald spotted Mrs. Macmillan, the ministry woman who had visited with a short blond girl. Paula hurried over to her and the rest of the Dursleys followed.
"Hello Donald," Hannah greeted, "this is my daughter Claire. She will be in second year this year."
"How do we find the platform?" Mr. Dursley asked quietly, hoping any normal people hadn't heard there conversation.
"Oh you just walk straight through the wall between platforms nine and ten. You will have to say goodbye here though as muggles can't get through the barrier. After being smothered by his mother and shaking hands with his father Donald walked towards the brick wall with Claire. Despite what Mrs. Macmillan had told him the barrier still looked very solid and he was sure he was going to crash into it. Suddenly the wall just seemed to disappear and he found himself staring at a bright red train. Claire helped Donald get his trunk on board and then left to sit with her friends.
Donald walked down the corridor looking for somewhere to sit. He finally found a carriage with only one small boy. The boy had long blond hair and a rather squashed looking face, not unlike that of the bulldogs Great-Aunt Marge kept.
"Hi, Can I sit here?" Donald asked the boy,
"Suppose," the boy answered. He looked very nervous.
"My name's Donald Dursley,"
"Dursley, never heard it before. Are you muggleborn?" the boy asked.
Donald nodded, "My name's Martin Malfoy," the boy told Donald.
At that moment Donald spotted his cousin Matthew in the corridor outside. "Matthew," he called, "in here."
Matthew quickly entered and sat down. "This is Martin," Donald introduced the blond boy.
"Your Harry Potter's son, aren't you?" the Martin questioned. Matthew sighed, Donald expected he got that all the time.
"Yes," Matthew answered.
The three boys were soon engrossed in conversation. Martin new very little about muggles and how they lived and was extremely interested in what Donald had to say. "My parents don't like muggles or muggleborns much," Matin admitted when Donald asked about his family.
"So what houses do you think you'll be in?" Matthew asked the other two. Sighing he said, "I'll probably be in Griffindor, everyone expects me to, but I'd just like to be placed in some other house. If I'm in Griffindor I'll be constantly compared to my parents and sister, if I'm in another I'll be my own person."
"I know exactly what you mean," Martin grunted, "Both my parents families have been in Slytherin for centuries, my parents both expect me to be as well. If I'm not it wouldn't surprise me if they disown me."
"I really have no idea," Donald admitted. "I've read about the houses in Hogwarts – A Revised History and by the sound of it I'll most likely be in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. I suppose I'm more smart and cunning then brave and loyal."
A cheery woman dressed in bright pink robes chose that moment to wheel a trolley full of food into the carriage. The three boys all bought something ("but not too much," Martin has advised, "my father told me how great the opening feast is and we don't want to fill ourselves up.")
Finally the train began to slow and the boys opened their trunks ad pulled there new uniforms on. Donald felt strange wearing robes as he had never worn them before but both Matthew and Martin found this funny when he mentioned it, both of them having grown up wearing them for most of there lives.
The train stopped but before anyone could get up a female voice echoed through the carriages. 'We have reached Hogsmead station. Please leave you luggage onboard, it will be taken up to the castle separately. Please make your way, slowly and safely, out of the train.'
Donald, Matthew and Martin manoeuvred their bodies out of the train and headed towards a deep voice calling "First Years."
Spotting the owner of the voice Donald gasped, the man was about ten feet high with scraggly grey hair and a large grey beard. "That's Hagrid," Matthew whispered, "he's a friend of my Dad's and he's been over for dinner before. He is a bot strange but he's really friendly."
"Hello Matthew," Hagrid greeted when he saw him, "ANY MORE FIRST YEARS?" When he had finally got all the first years together, and the rest of the school had left in large horseless carriages, Hagrid told the students to follow them and he led the down a small, winding path. As they rounded a corner many of the first years, including Donald, gasped. A large castle loomed in the distance with many turrets and towers.
"Is that Hogwarts?" he asked Martin.
"I think so," the blond boy replied, "It looks bigger than it did in my parent's photos."
Hagrid let the students towards a dock, "four to a boat," he told them. Matthew, Martin and Donald were joined in a boat by a dark haired girl who introduced herself as Elizabeth Boot. Elizabeth seemed to enjoy talking and by the time their boat had reached a landing in a cave underneath the castle Donald knew that Elizabeth's father had been in Ravenclaw and her mother in Griffindor, that her older sister was in Slytherin and that her favourite colour was yellow. Her favourite food was lasagne and her favourite band was a wizarding group that Donald had never heard of called 'The Raging Hippogriffs'.
Hagrid led them up a wide staircase and knocked on a huge oak door. A very short, ancient looking, wrinkly man answered. "Welcome first years," he had a very squeaky voice that took Donald by surprise, "I am the Deputy Headmaster and Head of Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick. He led them along a passage way and up to a door even larger than the last.
"Through these doors lies the great hall. The rest of the school is waiting for you inside. In there each of you will be sorted into a house, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Griffindor. Each house has produced many excellent witches and wizards. Your house will be like your home while you reside in these walls. You will share your dormitories, common rooms and even classes with your housemates. I advise you to tidy yourselves while you wait for the Headmistress to call you in."
It was at this point Donald finally realised he had left his old life behind and was about to begin another.