Chapter 6: Hogwarts
A/N: Skip this if you don't want to read an analysis of the population of wizarding Britain that uses contradictory canon descriptions and statements from the author.
It was mentioned in cannon that there were 70 students in Gryffindor, which means 280 total Hogwarts students. Since J.K. Rowling has stated that the British Ministry of Magic (which governs all of GB and Ireland) pays for Hogwarts school expenses (a.k.a schooling is free) and Hogwarts is one of, if not, the best school of magic in the world, it makes sense that nearly every British (British describing all wizards/witches governed by the British Ministry of Magic) wizard/witch would attend.
At 280 Hogwarts students there are 40 students in each year (but Rowling also states the number of students attending Hogwarts is between 600-100 which is over double the estimation so this is unclear). Assuming average life expectancy for wizards is 100 years (rough estimate) and that 95% of British all wizards/witches attend Hogwarts you have that the population of the British wizarding community is roughly 4,210. The number seems a bit low considering the combined Muggle populations (of UK and Ireland) is over 70 million and since wizarding Britain seems to be one of, if not the, major power in the wizarding world.
This estimate is made even more confusing by Rowling saying she 'imagines' the population of wizarding Britain to be around 3000. However, she also states that the Quidditch World Cup has as many as a hundred thousand routinely attend finals. A hundred thousand attendees would mean the equivalent of either the entire population of 24 or 33 wizarding Britains depending on what estimate you use.
While no accurate estimate can be made given the seemingly conflicting information (you can also buy a unicorn hair core wand for the same exact price as a unicorn hair) ultimately, the infrastructure of the Ministry of Magic and the entertainment business (primarily the Quidditch World Cup and the Quidditch Premier League, which supports 12 British teams) leads me to assign a higher value to the population of wizarding Britain in this fanfic than Rowling does.
Population estimate for A Lost Child and The World Outside: The number of students per year in Harry's time (1990s) was roughly 85, hinting at a population of at least 8,500. However, taking on young wizards/witches as apprentices (often your own children) and waiving off Hogwarts schooling is also a common practice, accounting for another 1,000 of the British wizarding population. Day schools, located primarily in Ireland but not unpopular and Wales and not uncommon for paranoid or clingy parents, account for another 4,000 of the population. Immigrants and people the education population estimate doesn't account for account for another 1,500 or so and the post-war baby boom, another 1000, raises the population to a rough total of 16,000, which is still considerably less than .03% of the Muggle counterpart.
The next day was September 1st, the first day of Hogwarts. Myles had laid awake much of the night before, listening to Charles's snores below him and staring at the ceiling but he felt strangely well rested when he woke. He had expected to Flu to Hogwarts straight from Mrs. Elmer's but he was told that morning that wasn't, for reasons he didn't quite understand, possible.
Myles was sitting on the back porch in the early afternoon and watching a garden gnome burrowing in the backyard when he heard a pop from the other side of the house and the ringing of the doorbell. Wondering if this visitor might be the one to take him to Hogwarts he walked inside and saw that a witch stood in the doorway with Mrs. Elmer, exchanging greetings.
"And this is Myles?" The woman asked. She smiled civilly at him but the dark black scar that ran down her cheek and onto her neck ruined any disarming effect she had hoped it might have.
"Yes, professor. A wonderful child. Perfectly well behaved," Mrs. Elmer responded for Myles. The witch, evidently a professor, approached Myles.
"Hello, Myles. I'm Professor Ellesbury. We're to take the train to Hogwarts," Professor Ellesbury said to him. Myles found the tone of her voice, which made Myles feel as young as Charles, patronizing, though Mrs. Elmer was much the same. It briefly reminded him the way Mrs. Lenore had never treated him, or made him feel, like a child.
"Hello, Professor," Myles replied, trying to stop his eyes from falling to her scar. "What's a train?"
"Usually a Muggle contraption for transportation. The Hogwarts Express, which we'll be taking, is a magic train, however, one of a kind," Ellesbury explained. "Now fetch your possessions and we can leave. I am, and I apologize, running a bit late."
Myles's possessions consisted of the secondhand clothes he wore, his new and old wand, and a bag on the table that held his two other robes (the nicer one he'd gotten at Malkin's and the other secondhand robes). He grabbed the bag and told Professor Ellesbury he was ready, and a flash of pity momentarily colored Ellesbury's normally inexpressive face.
At the professor's insistence, Mrs. Elmer and Myles said their farewells and exchanged an awkward hug started by the widow. Myles felt that Mrs. Elmer was hugging him because it was what she felt she was supposed to do rather than out of any desire to do so.
"Have you ever Side-Apparated before?" Ellesbury asked, leading him towards the door. "It can be a… disgruntling experience, vomiting is not rare for one's first time."
And so it was with trepidation and a clenched stomach that Myles was folded into the black infinity of space and was pulled out on the other side through straw that was meant for stirring coffee. He had no sooner arrived in the world of color and three dimensional space than he was letting loose that morning's breakfast.
"Scourgify," Professor Ellesbury incanted, sending the vomit to… well, Myles had no idea where the scouring charm sent things. "Here we are, King's Crossing Station."
Myles looked around, finding his bearings amidst the bustling station. He stood on a nearly empty platform that experienced occasional pops that brought wizards and their children into existence. Before him was a crowd of families saying their farewells or, having already said their farewells, talking amongst themselves and waiting to watch the train depart.
"If you could move just off this platform here, I'll go fetch a drink to help with the - ahem - unfortunate taste in your mouth," Professor Ellesbury said and, after directing Myles forward and telling him to stay put, headed to the nearest vending stand.
Many of the wizards and witches in the crowd were dressed oddly, wearing, among other things, what Myles didn't know were called jeans and shirts. He saw the Potter family, mingled in with a large number of red-heads, dressed in this fashion, though he also saw the Malfoy twins, standing with their parents, were dressed normally in robes. And though Myles was noting their clothing, it was not what he was truly looking at.
He was watching the carefree smiles on the Potters' faces as they exchanged jokes, the Malfoys' more reserved but clearly caring behavior, he even spotted Lyla, who was itching to be off and away in search of adventure, pause for long enough to earnestly return the tight bear hug from her mother. With a queasiness that had nothing to do with the bile in his throat, Myles realized he didn't belong here.
"Here we are," Professor Ellesbury said, carrying a can of pop over to him. Myles had never tried pop before but, despite its deliciousness, he didn't really taste it. She paused, looking at him. "Are you alright, Myles?"
Myles nodded. He didn't feel like speaking.
"Well… do you want me to walk you to the train?"
Myles shook his head. He wanted a moment alone and Professor Ellesbury seemed to realize it.
"Alright, then. I'm going to get on the train. When the whistle blows twice that's the last call to get on board. Get on by then; I'll be checking the station to make sure you board," Professor Ellesbury explained. "Do you understand?"
Myles gave her another nod and, with a glance backwards, Professor Ellesbury walked off, disappearing into the crowd and leaving him standing there alone.
When he heard his name being called he could hardly believe it. Out of the crowd, which was quickly thinning as students boarded the train, walked Mrs. Lenore. Her left arm was bandaged and her back was held stiff as she walked, but otherwise looked no worse for wear. It had only been a few days since Myles had last seen her, but it felt like ages.
"I've been searching all over," Mrs. Lenore smiled down at him. It was not Professor Ellesbury's civil smile; it was a genuine one. "I was worried that I had missed you or that you weren't going to make it in time for the train."
"Are you alright?" Mrs. Lenore asked, lowering herself so she could look him in the eyes.
Myles, blinking hard, nodded. He hadn't spoken to Professor Ellesbury because he'd had no reason to, but now he didn't trust himself to speak.
"I'm sorry," He finally managed, looking down.
"Myles," Mrs. Lenore said firmly. "You are not to blame. There was nothing you could have done, those addicts attacked out of nowhere."
"They were after me," Myles went to say, but he was interrupted by the double whistle of the train Professor Ellesbury had mentioned.
"Listen, Myles," Mrs. Lenore reached out to organize his hair, hesitating halfway through the familiar motion before continuing it. Her eyes flicked away from Myles's eyes and back, as if she was nervous. "If you want to come back to the store and my home... there's a place for you. Just... just think about it."
Myles stood there in a state of shock as Mrs. Lenore pulled him into a quick hug. "Now, go! The train's about to leave!"
At Mrs. Lenore's urging he started towards the train, walking slowly at first but accelerating as he saw steam rising from the front of the train and he worried it might take off without him. Whistles sounded from the train again, this time three of them in quick succession, and Myles broke off into a full on run, pop spilling out of his can. He climbed aboard the train moments before the wheels began to turn, finding himself at the end of a long hallway.
Students came in and out of doors all along the hallway and Myles discovered small rooms lined each side of the hall for students to sit in during the train ride. All of the rooms, however, were full, or near enough to full that Myles didn't feel comfortable entering a small room with five strangers, many of whom were older and bigger than himself.
He didn't see a single compartment that held less than four people, and the few of those he had seen were occupied by older students. Eventually Myles reached the back of the train and realized he could just stand out in the hall, which he didn't mind. He leaned against the wall and sipped on his pop, discovering that the bubbly drink really was. "There's a place for you."
The compartment door in front of him opened and a face popped out, looking up and down the hallway.
"Myles? What are you doing out here?" The face asked and Myles, who hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings, looked up to see Lyla speaking to him. "And why is your sleeve wet?"
Myles glanced down at his sleeve, where pop had spilled when he was running, and stammered something vaguely resembling English.
"Well, get in here then," Lyla said, looking at him expectantly. Scruffy was perched precariously on her thin shoulder, giving Myles a distrusting look accented by the flare of black and red down his fur.
Myles walked into the compartment, making sure to give Scruffy a wide enough berth as he entered. Four other first-years looked up at him (he guessed they were first years by their age and a lack of colors he had seen on many of the older kids).
"No candy trolley yet. But this," Lyla said, pausing dramatically, as if to an inaudible drumroll, for no apparent reason. "Is Myles."
The four first years took turns introducing themselves: Alissa was a pretty girl with painted nails and neatly done hair who smiled at Lyla's dramatics, Cal was a pudgy boy that Myles thought seemed a bit nervous, Kory was a wide-eyed boy that looked at home in the odd fashion that Myles had noticed so many of wizards at the station wearing, and Sam was a dark-skinned boy with an easy, relaxed grin.
"Where's your trunk?" Sam asked.
Myles just shrugged, a motion that highlighted the bag slung around his shoulder. There was an awkward silence as he put the bag up with the rest of the luggage. Lyla, however, was not one to let awkward silences stand.
"I heard you fought dark wizards in the Lower Alley!" She exclaimed. "That you and Mrs. Lenore caught both of them and handed them over to the Auror."
None of the other first years believed that what Lyla had heard was anything other than rumor or fanciful imagination until Myles shook his head. "Mrs. Lenore fought. I ran."
"What a fight it must have been," Lyla continued excitedly. "I skived off chores to see the commotion that came afterwards. The street and houses were in shambles. I bet they were Death Eaters."
"No way. There aren't any Death Eaters anymore, just wannabes too late for their time," Sam said dismissively, though a few of the others looked uncomfortable at the mention of Death Eaters. "I'd know, my dad is in the MLE."
"Oh? And what about the manor raids?" Lyla asked. "Ten of the Wizengamont's own homes attacked. Who did those?"
"Ten?" Myles asked, his curiosity overcoming his shyness. "I thought it was at least twenty seven?"
"Where did you hear that?" Alisa asked.
"I was at the Ministry when it happened and a couple of red paper planes told it to the Aurors I was with," Myles explained. "The second floor was chaos."
"Hmm… The Daily Prophet only said ten," Alissa said, sounding unsure whether to trust Myles, a stranger, over the wizarding news.
"I dunno," Cal spoke up. "My father's always said the Prophet was rubbish."
"Err.," Kory hesitantly joined the conversation. "What's a Wizengamont?"
Lyla and Sam simultaneously jumped into an explanation, but it was Cal who got the point across. "They're like the Wizarding Parliament, but none of the members are voted on."
"Wait," Kory said. "You don't have a democratic government?"
"Sort of, I think. We vote on the Minister of Magic," Cal replied, who was the only one besides Kory that knew what 'democratic' meant.
"The point is," Lyla interjected. "Going after twenty seven Wizengamot members is a big deal and Death Eater is written all over it."
The discussion continued. Sam claimed that it was the Russian Ministry of Magic who had attacked the Wizengamot members and arguing it was only ten, not twenty seven, houses that had been attacked while Lyla remained convinced it was Death Eaters. Little headway had been made in resolving their disagreements before a knock came on their door, one that made all of the first-years look up at interest at the door and made Lyla jump out of her seat in excitement.
The knock came from a trolley outside the door, labeled the Honeydukes Express, which was covered in an assortment of candy in treats, most of which Myles didn't recognize.
"My mom gave me a sickle just for this," Lyla said excitedly, buying a mice pop and a few toffees from the wizard running the trolley while Sam bought a cream can and Cal ordered a couple of chocolate frogs. Alissa didn't order anything when it came to her, but after both Kory and Myles declined she changed her mind, buying everyone a Cauldron Cake.
Each of them thanked her, Myles and Kory more awkwardly than the rest. Seeing Alissa delicately tear pieces off of her Cauldron Cake made Myles feel cumbersome as he dug into his, though seeing Lyla tear recklessly through her own made him feel better.
The six of them sat comfortably for the rest of the train ride. With the exception of Lyla they were all strangers to Myles, but they didn't feel like it. Nor did it feel like it had with the other children in the Orphanage, to whom Livian and Myles were outcasts. It felt… good. They discussed, and argued about, which of the Houses at Hogwarts they wanted to be in, the Soul Brothers' newest track, and the best Quidditch team in the Quidditch Premier League (Alissa, who Myles had thought of cool-tempered and reserved, got into a heated argument with Sam over whether her favorite team, the Scottish Thistles, were better than the London Lions).
Myles didn't know about much of what they were talking about and he seldom spoke up but he enjoyed it nonetheless. He felt, not just good, but normal, like he might manage to fit in here. Kory and Cal, who wearing the odd fashion of clothing, left temporarily to change into their school robes as they neared Hogwarts.
With the castle approaching, their conversation turned towards the Sorting, which decided what House the first-years would be put into. The method of the Sorting, however, was a matter of some debate.
"I heard it's a boggart," Lyla said happily. "They have one set up in front of the professors and you have to confront it in front of the whole school."
"What's a boggart?" Kory asked, who, for some reason Myles hadn't yet discovered, knew as little about the world as he did.
"A household pest that takes the form of your worst fear," Sam explained. "They aren't dangerous, though every once and a while they'll give someone a heart attack."
"Let me get this clear," Kory said incredulously. "Your household pests are everyone's worst fear."
"Only one wizard or witch's worst fear at a time. But, yeah," Sam said. "You might be right, Lyla. What better to determine the character of a wizard than facing your worst fear." Kory turned pale and Lyla beamed, glad that Sam had finally agreed with her.
"It's not a boggart," Cal, who had been quiet most of the conversation, said. "It's a hat."
The general consensus of the compartment was that the Sorting being done by a hat was patently ridiculous, but Cal shook his head. "Rose Weasley found out and told me in the mail. Her cousin, Fred, was trying to trick her into believing she'd have to fight a troll for Sorting, but she snuck into his room and read a letter he was sending to his friend that mentioned the "Sorting Hat."
The six of them considered that, wondering how they would use a hat to Sort them into their Houses. Myles was realizing that what House you were in was a big deal. The earlier conversation had painted Slytherin a bad light and implied Hufflepuff was less than average (though he distrust that because Mrs. Lenore had been in Hufflepuff). Ravenclaw had been described as know it alls and intelligent while Gryffindor had been called brave and stupid.
Myles didn't think he knew much about people yet, but he found it hard to categorize the few people he knew into only one of four categories. Had Mrs. Lenore not been brave when she'd faced down the two wizards? Did her knowledge and ability as a Healer not qualify her for intelligence?
And Livian, Myles felt a rush of guilt realizing that he hadn't thought about her all day, her loyalty had run thicker than blood, she'd been the one to push their magic to its limits and start crafting makeshift wands, she'd never been afraid of the other children in the orphanage, and she'd had the ambition to dream of escape. Did she belong in any one house?
"I'll bet the hat reads your mind," Lyla said, after a brief silence where the others wondered how a hat could decide your House. "I still hope it's a boggart though."
The train slowed to a stop and they looked out the window to see where they were. Myles had hardly noticed the passing time, but it was nearly full dark outside and they couldn't make out many details from the well-lit compartment. A magic voice ran through the train as it stopped, telling them to leave their luggage in the train.
The six of them joined the line of students running to the exit, the commotion and noise cutting off conversation. Myles remembered traveling through the chaotic hallways of the Magical Law Enforcement Department and hesitated before entering the steady stream of students out the door.
His heartbeat began to beat faster out in the corridor but it wasn't as packed or panicked as it had been in the Ministry and he managed to calm himself with deep, steady breaths. A few minutes later he'd made it out into the refreshingly open and chill night air.
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" a giant with a lamp called out from the side of the platform. Myles followed Sam and Lyla, who were right ahead of him, over to him. He was bigger than any two, no three, men that Myles had seen combined. Just his shaggy gray-black beard was longer than Myles was tall. To someone who found even normal sized men to be huge after a life lived only seeing children (with the exception of the slightly built caretaker) the giant's size was nothing short of amazing.
Since they had been in one of the last compartments on the train they didn't have to wait long for the rest of the first years to join them. The giant gave a last call for first years and then led the crowd of young students away from the station, down a narrow stone path that could only fit one giant or three first-years walking side by side.
"Ther' she is. Yer firs' time seeing Hogwarts," the giant called as they reached a bend on the path. A grand castle lay on the opposite side of the lake; the moon lit the castle from above and it's perfect reflection on the night-black lake lit the castle from below, giving it an otherworldly glow. Somehow, Myles thought, in all the talk of Hogwarts, no one had mentioned it was a castle.
The path led to the lake, where a number of boats awaited them.
"Fou' to a boat," The giant shouted. "No mor', no less. Got jus' 'nough boats for yer."
They filled into the small boats in state of considerable disorder. Myles found himself sitting with Kory, a red-headed girl, and a strawberry blond boy. He vaguely remembered seeing the two of them at the train station, with the crowd of Potters and red-heads.
"Elias Weasely," the boy introduced himself after they had piled into the boat, holding his hand out to shake. He was a strikingly good-looking boy, with hair like fiery gold and nearly flawless skin.
Myles and Kory shook his hand and introduced themselves to Elias and the girl, Rose Weasley, who was clearly related to Elias but with bushy hair and freckled skin that contrasted with Elias's near flawless features. Myles remembered that Rose Weasley had been the one to tell Cal about the Sorting Hat.
"All full," the giant called before shouting a command. "FORWARD."
The boat glided through the water, moving them over the black moonlit lake so smoothly it felt surreal in the complete silence that hung over the first-years. The castle loomed overhead, which might have felt sinister but for the soft white glow the moon imbued onto it's walls.
The giant led them to dark tunnel that cut into the cliff on which the castle stood. It led to a shore of rock, which the boats slid up as if friction didn't exist.
All of the first-years climbed out of the boats and the giant, after checking that all of them were there, led them up a flight of stairs that marked the end of the cave. The stairs lead to a great wood door and the giant knocked. His fist rapped against the door gently but his strength was evidenced the resonating sound that emanated from the door.