Zarif found he was back in his own time when he left back in 1986, but he was turned back as a little boy in rags. He was at first taken to a church where the staff learned the caretaker of the orphanage had kicked him out for strange happenings that he seemingly couldn't have been a part of. Zarif was allowed to stay in the church that night, but near midnight, people showed up. They soon did something to the staff and came to him.

Zarif recognized what they were. These were wizards. They had come to investigate magical activity in a highly populated area of muggles. They were surprised to find that he was the cause. A little boy with magical abilities that had run wild.

Soon Zarif found himself whisked away to somewhere call the Ministry of Magic to be examined by medical witches and wizards. From the examination room, he could faintly hear those outside of it if he strained to hear. "I am sure of it. The child has magic and the Vengeactus syndrome."

"That explains the acting up at this level. But how did he get this?"

"I have someone trying to find the boy's relatives, it may be that he lives in an abusive home seeing what he was in."

"Well, we obviously can't put him there. How about one of our own orphanages if no one comes around?"

The two seemed to keep talking until a third voice is heard. "We solved the mystery of why he has that condition."

"And that is?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Trazax have been dead for nearly six years now. One of he who should not be named death eaters murdered them. Aurors arrived on the scene too late to save them but did manage to take the death eater down. The death eater though decided death over capture though. That boy was the only survivor of the incident."

"I see. Poor child must have been hit by some curse during it. We should probably inform Dumbledore about this. He will receive his letter in four years and should be notified of this condition."

"And set up something once he gets in."

"We also have information that his magic has also been running a bit wild and the superstitious muggle caretaker of his orphanage kicked him out because of it. He can't go back to there, so why don't we inform Dumbledore of that as well?"

"Why? It is not a matter anymore. We also have to place him somewhere."

"So when he comes to talk to someone about this, he will also mention that so he won't end up back with the muggles," one of them says with a bit of disgust in his tone.

"Alright. For one, let's start with the letter and go from there. Then we can worry about placing him somewhere."

Zarif, for the next four years, spent his life in a magical orphanage instead of a muggle one. He, for the most part, feigned ignorance to many magical things he knew and was taught by a kinder old witch about the history and how to read and write in English and not runic which he had learned from Merlin. Then, after his tenth birthday on June twenty-second on a random day in summer, he received his letter from Hogwarts like he had seen so many other older kids for the past few years. Always delivered by an owl before it flew off after giving the letter.

Like many of the orphans, Zarif was taken to Gringotts to get the money he would require for his school things. Using the Ministry run education for all funds needed to give orphans and muggle-borns the money they would need to buy school items for the first few years.

And it is Zarif's turn. "Name?" the goblin at the counter asks while going through some paperwork.

"Zarif Trazax," Zarif answers.

"Zarif Trazax…" the goblin wrote. "You shall receive enough funds to procure your supplies and needs. Try not to overspend. You won't be getting one knut more."

"Alright then everyone. It is time to go," the caretaker said before ushering all those going to Hogwarts that year out.

As they were walking, Zarif pulled out his list and read it in his mind once more.

'First-year students will require:

Uniform

Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)

One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear

One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times.

Books

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

Other Equipment

1 Wand

1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal vials

1 telescope

1 set of brass scales

Students may also bring an Owl, a Cat or a Toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

'It is a shame I don't have my wand anymore,' Zarif thinks as they started to go out to Diagon Alley. It took all day to go to the robes, hats, protective gloves, and winter cloak from Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Next was getting the books from a bookshop that was located next to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Seemingly selling second-hand books on the cheap. But good ones that everyone must have gone through in one year or another. Next was the potion supplies which they got from a shop called Apothecary. And finally, they came to the store that he was most excited for, Ollivanders. Here he would get his new wand.

Zarif waited for the rest to get their wands first. The first got a willow wand. It was eleven and three-quarters inches long. The second got a core of a dragon heartstring and was an english oak wand. The length is nine and one-half inches long. The third had a core of dragon heartstring it was a beechwood wand. It's length, it is just shy of eleven inches long. The fourth had a wand's core of unicorn hair and was a maple wand. The length is nine and one-half inches long.

Finally, it was Zarif's turn. "Hello Mr. Ollivander," Zarif greets.

"Hello there. Where shall we start with you?" the old man replied as he looks the new student over. "Hum," Ollivander says as, like all the others, the tape measure started to measure his dominant arm as well. Before he headed into the back. When he came back, the tape measure stopped and Ollivander brought out a wand. "Here you are. Redwood, unicorn hair, ten and one-half inches long, very rigid," Ollivander say presenting him the wand. "Give it a flick."

Zarif hums as he looks over the wand before aiming his wand randomly and flicks it. Only for a gust of wind to blow thru and blow every paper on the desk up into the air. "Sorry."

"That's quite alright. You would not believe how many people get that one," Ollivander says as he grabs some papers out of the air before walking to the shelves and browsing through it. Only to come back with another box. "Try this one. Sycamore, phoenix feather, just shy of eleven and three-quarters inches long, very flexible."

Zarif nods as he takes the wand out before flicking it randomly and then a bunch of boxes flew from the shelves to the floor. "Oh dear," Ollivander says as he goes to find another wand while Zarif packs up the two wands he had.

'Can I even get a new wand?' Zarif thinks as he remembers his first one.

"Here we go. Third time's the charm," Ollivander says bringing out another box and places it before him. "Pine, unicorn tail hair, a bit over eleven and one-half inches long, swishy."

Zarif nods as he takes out the wand and looks it over before flicking it and all the books on the table fell down.

"Alright then. Maybe not. Let's see now," Ollivander says as he walks off.

Zarif sighs as he packs up the wand and puts it on the side before picking up the books and papers.

"Don't need to do that," Ollivander says placing another wand before him. "Poplar, unicorn tail hair, nine and one-quarter inches long, flexible."

Zarif puts the books to the side before flicking this one and ends up breaking the lamp glass. Quickly placing it back in the box, he returns to collect the books and papers.

"Determined young man," Ollivander says smiling as he walks off to find another wand now.

Zarif shakes his head when the old man wasn't looking as he kept collecting. 'Maybe it is just one wand to a person.'

"Here. This one should do it," Ollivander says placing the box on the table and lets Zarif grab it as he places the collected books and papers on the table.

Many more wands were given to Zarif and each was snapped out of his hand nearly almost as quickly as he got them and they were piled into an empty chair, but instead of discouraging Ollivander seemed to get more excited. At one point he said, "Tricky customer I see." As he kept going until at last he brought out a darker wand. "Ebony, dragon heartstring, eleven inches long, somewhat rigid."

Taking the wand out of the box, he was about to flick it before stopping as a gust of wind came in and blew around him, ruffling up his clothes and hair. Zarif slowly blinks and looks at the wand as it didn't react as normal as the others.

"I think you might have found your wand," Ollivander says proudly of making a match.

Zarif was excited to have a wand once again, even if it wasn't his original one and he would have to fight through the pain his Vengeactus syndrome would give him everytime he tries to use the wand.

"I must say. You were the trickiest I have seen in the last decade," Ollivander seems to praise.

"Thank you," Zarif says a bit unsure as he paid for his wand.

Ollivander just smiles as Zarif leaves while looking over his new wand before slipping it into his pocket.

Soon the day came and Zarif and the four other orphan first years boarded the Hogwarts Express. Zarif split from the group seeing as most compartments could only seat about four and took up residence in the back.

Zarif lays back as he waits for the train to start at first then he withdrew his wand and tried like he had every day since he received his new wand and tried to cast the Avifors spell.

However, nothing seemed to happen still and even felt the wand jerk back in his hand, almost like the recoil is starting up again. 'It hurts, but I am getting there,' Zarif thinks gritting his teeth and tries it again.

A stream of magic was able to get up his wand before it shot back and sends his arm flying back into the seat and leaves him in striking pain. 'Dammit. Why is this harder than when I actually learned it?' Zarif thinks, the pain seemingly makes his determination stronger as he keeps trying it.

"Avifors," Zarif says with clenched teeth and focusing very hard, then a small blue bird flew out of his wand and landed on the seat beside him.

Zarif sighs in relief as his muscled clenched up, taking the brunt of the hit before dropping his wand to his side and making the bird look to it in confusion before chirping. "I'm so glad I was able to make you…ow…"

Soon the door opened and in came what looked like a kid his age with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.

'Strange,' Zarif could only think as another boy around his age with redhead came in as well and shuts the door behind them.

Zarif sat there in silence as the redhead introduced himself as Ron and he talked to the other who he found out is Harry Potter. 'So you are the one who lived from the killing curse according to the caretaker,' Zarif thinks before speaking up. "Um…my name is Zarif," Zarif introduces, not to be rude.

"Nice to meet you…is that your pet?" Ron asks, pointing to the bird now pecking its wing.

"No, it's something I conjured with a spell I know. Avifors," Zarif says.

"Isn't that a hard spell you tend to learn in your last month?" Ron asks.

"I don't know. I am a first year," Zarif informs.

"You are?" Ron asks a bit surprised.

"Yeah. I only know it because someone showed me it before I got on the train," Zarif says as they felt a lurch and the train started to move. As it did, the compartment door opened to reveal two redheads who looked to be twins and kin to Ron.

"Hey, Ron. Listen, we're going down the middle of the train. Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there," one of them says making Ron a bit uncomfortable.

"Right," Ron says.

"Oh Harry, did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley," one of the twins introduced before the other turned to Ron. "So Ron, who is your other friend here?"

"Zarif," Zarif introduces himself.

"Oh George, someone's been practicing the Avifors spell," Fred says.

"That it does Fred. Who did it?" George asks.

"That would be me," Zarif says making the two smirk to one another.

"Well, we will be off. See you three," Fred says as George follows his lead without missing a beat.

"That was weird," Zarif says.

"Sometimes I wonder if they aren't connected in some way," Ron says.

"Are they always like that?" Zarif asks.

"Wait till they get up to their antics at school," Ron says.

The train ride started to pass in silence as the three boys talked only interrupted when a witch came by with a cart with snacks which Harry proceeded to buy a lot of everything and started digging into them, most likely from not eating that day Zarif suspected remembering all the times that was him. Harry proceeded to share them with Zarif and Ron while Ron told Harry about Quidditch and stuff only being interrupted by a boy who came by looking for his toad and later a girl helping him look for the toad who inquired what Ron was doing when he tried to cast a 'spell' that his brother Fred had taught him. The final time was when a blond-haired boy who Zarif learned was named Draco Malfoy came with two boys who Zarif thought were goons to him. The only reason something didn't happen though is the girl Hermione came back and informed them all that they were about to arrive and she suggested that they change into their school robes.

"Me first," Zarif says grabbing his school robes from his bag.

"Um…could you give us boys some privacy?" Ron asks as Draco and his friends had left now.

"You guys getting your robes or what?" Zarif asks.

The three boys quickly dressed in their robes and left their luggage in the compartment with Ron and Harry stuffing their pockets with the leftover snacks. The three then joined the crowd thronging the corridor. The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?" a huge man calls. Zarif was astonished he had never seen someone so big before.

"Yeah. Didn't realize you would be leading us Hagrid," Harry says somewhat surprised.

Hagrid only gives a sly smile at that before turning to everyone else coming off the train. "C'mon, follow me. Any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" Hagrid calls.

All the first years started following the huge man. Some slipping and stumbling what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of the group that it was doubtful if anyone could tell if it was from thick trees being there or not. Nobody was speaking and the only sounds came from the boy Neville who had lost his toad who only sniff once or twice.

"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," the man called over his shoulder, breaking the silence, "jus' round this bend here."

Then they all saw it. Hogwarts castle, perched atop a high mountain on the other side across a lake which they now saw they were heading to the docks of.

"No more'n four to a boat!" the man called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione. Zarif, seeing this, went to another random boat where he sat with a few others and a girl with short brown hair and a batch of it in the front was orange. Zarif tried to act like he hadn't started by taking the seat next to her as the other two didn't seem to keen on it.

"Everyone in?" the man shouted, who had a boat to himself. "Right then, FORWARD!" And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass.

Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood. "Heads down!" the man called as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles. "Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" the man says, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them. "Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after the man's lamp, the girl he had road beside seemed a bit disgusted seeing his antics before they all started coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door. "Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" the man asks double checking before he raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.

The door swung open at once. A tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Zarif could already tell she was a very powerful and skilled witch.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," the man informs.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," McGonagall says before she pulled the door wide, letting them all inside. Inside, Zarif takes notice that the entire entrance hall alone was big enough to hold an average size house and was mostly made of marble with torches lining the walls.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Anyone who tried could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right the rest of the school must already be here, but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously. "Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall started to get everyone's attention. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting," McGonagall says finishing her little speech.

"I shall return when we are ready for you," Professor McGonagall informs after a pause before leaving one last instruction. "Please wait quietly." She then left the chamber.

Soon the chamber started chatting amongst themselves, mostly on what kind of test will be after someone mentioned there will be a test, starting to make many terrified expressions. Then several people behind him screamed. "What the…?!"

About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. Zarif, after seeing them, started to tune them out waiting. He never liked waiting with nothing to do. It always seemed to agitate him a bit.

Soon though they all heard, "Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall. "Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall instructed the first years, "and follow me."

All the first years soon walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Zarif was wondering what kind of enchantment or spell was used on the candle before seeing the ceiling was bewitched to look like the sky.

Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool, she put a pointed wizard's hat. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth and began to sing. Zarif was quite impressed to see an object like that give what seemed the ability to think and talk on its own, but when he had heard it boast it can see into their minds, he paled a bit, wondering if that included memories.

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again. Professor McGonagall now stepped forward, holding a long roll of parchment. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment's pause before the hat yelled out. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table.

"Bones, Susan!" McGonagall read.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!" McGonagall read.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted and the table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. Mandy Brocklehurst went to Ravenclaw too, but Lavender Brown became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers which Zarif noticed the twins he had met on the train giving cat calls at this one. Millicent Bulstrode then became a Slytherin. Seamus Finnigan, a sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor. Hermione almost ran to the stool when she was called and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. "GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat.

The sorting kept going on with Neville who was called. He was sorted into Gryffindor. Neville, so excited, ran off still wearing it and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it. The boy from the train who came with two thugs was Zarif learned his name was Draco Malfoy. The hat had barely touched the top of his hair when the hat cried, "Slytherin!" Zarif was unsure if that was a good or bad thing to have no need to be even considered.

Soon, one Zarif knew who would cause a stir. Harry was called and he watched him go up to the stool and waited with many around him whispering to one another and craning their heads to get a better view. Then it came a loud, "Gryffindor!" Zarif watched Harry run quickly to the Gryffindor table and the loudest cheer yet was heard and the twins started calling out, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

After a bit more, the sorting started up again after the house had calmed down. By now, the crowd of unsorted first years had thinned greatly, leaving only a few. Then the girl who had sat next to him moved when the name Merula Snyde was called. The girl walked up and sat on the stool with the hat on her for a bit before it called. "Slytherin!" To the applause from the Slytherin table. And then professor McGonagall called his name. "Trazax, Zarif."

Zarif took a deep breath as this was the moment of truth and walked up to the stool and sat on it just like everyone before he had. Then he heard the hat whispering in his ear as it fell over his eyes and ears. "Difficult, very difficult. You have a quite the inquisitive mind, your thirst for knowledge and a bit of power are there, but you also have a lot of courage and willingness to stand up for what you think is right."

Zarif waited for a good while as the hat seems to move itself to the left and right as if thinking for a bit before, what felt like about six minutes, it calls out, "Gryffindor!" the Gryffindor tabled cheered once more, though not as great as Harry's. The sorting soon ended with Ron having also been sorted into Gryffindor then a huge feast was summoned before them and they all ate happily before the dinner ended and the heads of the houses and prefects lead them all to their common room.