1991-01 september

Ron slid open the door to the compartment which held only one occupant. He had no intention of asking for permission, he was the same kid that asked mum how to access the platform. He doesn't have friends here that are about to flood here. He reasoned. Probably a muggleborn.

He nodded to the spectacled boy before putting his trunk in place and flopping on the seat, pulling out his battered copy of The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, the first book in The Standard Book of Spells series, written by Miranda Goshawk.

The notes on it were a godsend, there were tips written only by Bill and Charlie, since Percy would never desrespect a book writing in it, and the twins probably never opened it. Ha! Ron smirked at the thought.

He had already read it, months before, along with the other textbooks he was sure wouldn't change once he started attending school. He would have loved practicing, but his parents didn't give him his wand until today. Charlie's wand. He corrected himself. It was very battered-looking, chipped in places and the unicorn hair nearly poked out from one end.

With a frown, Ron banished the thought of his second hand wand from his mind, going over what he already knew.

Charms differed from Transfiguring Spells in the following manner: a charm adds certain properties to an object or creature, whereas a transfiguring spell will change it into something utterly different.

The lesser charms are not very difficult to break and many of those that he was going to learn during his first years of education would start wearing off in a matter of days or even hours after he had casted them.

Dark charms were known as jinxes, hexes and curses, even if that book did not deal with such spells. Some charms would be ineffective on large creatures such as trolls, whose hides repel all but the more powerful spells.

The book listed the Wand-Lighting Charm, Softening Charm, Severing Charm, Fire-Making Spell, Unlocking Charm, Levitation Charm, Locking Spell and Mending Charm.

For each charm, the Standard Book of Spells Grade 1 explained incantation and wand movement, along with his history. Ron had diligently practiced all the motions and pronuntiations, using a stick as instead of a wand. He had also found himself interested in the history of each spell however.

For example, the mending charm was invented by Orabella Nuttley, an employee of the Improper Use of Magic Office in the British Ministry of Magic, in or before 1754. She used her charm to repair the Colosseum after it had been accidentally destroyed.

And Ron knew not only what the Colosseum was, but also what it looked like!

Since that brilliant day in july, Ron completed his chores in the mornings and spent almost every afternoon in the Ottery St. Catchpole's library. Books on mythology never ended, so he kept reading those, along with a few snippets here and there on the human mind. And a random topic from time to time. Even if those books were not easy to understand, the glossary had helped a lot. Along his reading of myths, Ron poured himself over History. It quickly became a fascinating subject, and he had red from the origin of the hunan race (as the muggle knew it) until 1990. Gotta love that encyclopedia. Some parts of it had been dry, but learning about samurais of japan and the atzec people of the Americas had been breathtaking. Ron had also read some of Curchill' speeches, along with a biography of Gandhi himself. From Nietzsche to Pitagora and Aristotele, Ronald read about a lot of phylosophers. Well, he mostly skimmed until he found something interesting.

For example The Phaedrus. It was presumably composed around 370 BC, about the same time as Plato's Republica and Symposium. Although ostensibly about the topic of love, the discussion in the dialogue revolved around the art of rhetoric and how it should be practiced, and dwelled on subjects as diverse as metempsychosis (the Greek tradition of reincarnation) anderotic love. He found himself bored halway through the first page, and had forced himself to finish it out of spite. Phylosophy really wasn't a tune he could always follow.

He never imagined that books could be so freeing. Ron had devoured White Fang, The Time Machine, The Jungle Book, 1984, Farhenheit 451, Dune, Stranger in a Strange Land. He hadn't understood all of the speeches of the last ones, but they had been a thrill to read nonetheless. He smiledy wistfully, thinking of the library he left home. But he was obviously excited to start Hogwarts.

After a while he noticed that the other kid kept glancing at him, it was annoying but he could hardly blame him, if Ronald was a muggleborn he would be courious too. He sighed, closing his battered book.

"I'm Ron Weasley." he introduced himself extending his hand.

The other kid stammered for an instant, before grabbing his hand: "Harry, Harry Potter."

Ron blinked, with his eyebrows climbing on his forehead. Unlikely. He thought. Upon a closer inspection however he realized that The Boy Who Lived hid the scar under a fringe!

"Wow." he muttered. "You're super famous." explained lamely.

"Yeah, but I didn't know it until a couple of weeks ago!"

From there on they talked a bit of their lives, and once the awkardness faded they chatted a bit more loosely. Ron talked a bit of the world he grew up in, also explaining about all the four houses. He wanted to know how it was like to live as a muggle, the things he saw in Ottery St. Chaphole had been mindblowing, and all the random things he read about in the small library often left him with more questions than answers, exchanging information looked like a good way to spend the time. And he couldn't focus properly with another one stealing glances at him.

"Well my whole family is in Gryffindor, they value bravery and rightousness above all else, Slytherin is the house of the ambitious and cunning, Hufflepuff is for loyalty, and Ravenclaw for the pursuit of knowledge. I grew up being told that the only house I could end up in was Gryffindor, since Ravenclaw only has bookworms, Slytherin produces dark wizards and Hufflepuff is for the ones that do not fit into the others. But then I read Hogwarts: a history. I don't know how much is true, I mean, the houses have been there for a millenium, surely they would have removed Slytherin if it kept producing only evil guys?"

Harry Potter was staring at him with wide eyes, thinking about what he had just been told.

"It makes sense, I think." replied the spectacled wizard.

"However the biggest chunck of Death Eaters came from Slytherin, everyone knows that, and their children will probably be sorted there."

Harry frowned heavily at that. "I still don't understand how this House thing works."

"Well the twins tried to make be believe that we had to fight a troll to be sorted, but that is their idea of a prank. But the idea is that you are sorted with people 'like' you. It's easier to make friends this way I think."

He was starting to nod when a curly haired girl barged in the compartment without knocking: "Did one of you see a toad? A kid lost it and I was helping looking for it."

Almost startled by the interruption, they both shook their heads in a negative answer. The girl seemed to take it as a request of an explanation, because she immediately started talking.

"I was trying to help but I don't know enough magic to do it with a spell, so I am doing it with the old fashioned way, you see. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard, I've learnt all our set books off by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough, I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?"

She said all this very fast.

"I'm Ron Weasley" Ron introduced himself, a bit dazed.

"Harry Potter" said Harry.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course, I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"Am I?" said Harry, a bewildered look on his face.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me." said Hermione. "Do either of you know what House you'll be in? I've been asking around and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best, I hear Dumbledore himself was one, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad ... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." Hermione said before leaving the compartment.

Ronald pinched his nose's bridge. "Nobody ever managed to give me a headache that fast before." he complained. They quietly exchanged in the school's uniform before sitting again.

Trying to get the conversation going once more, and hoping to find out how exactly muggles lived ( the visits at Ottery St. Chaphole often left him confused about a thing or another, and he could harly research everything in the small village's library), Ron spoke once more.

"Is it true that you grew up with muggles? What are they like?"

"Horrible. Well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I'd had three wizard brothers."

"Five." said Ron, unknowingly slipping into a gloomy tone. "I'm the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left: Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy's a Prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand and Scabbers is Percy's old rat. I don't know why I brought him with me..." Ron stopped himself, recognizing that he was whining, and that was something that he promised himself he wouldn't do. Like he had read in Ottery St. Chaphole's library 'to change the outside one must change the self'. "You met my sister, Ginny, at the platform, she once stole Fred's wand to throw a jinx at George. So I already know she's good at magic." He added, changing topic.

After a while, Harry was explaining to him how buses and trains worked when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the toadless boy or Hermione Granger this time.

Three boys entered and Harry had a look of recognition on his face when his eyes met with the pale kid in the middle. He was looking at Harry with an interested gleam in his eyes that annoyed Ron immediately.

"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes." said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing either side of the pale boy they looked like bodyguards.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle" said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have sounded a lot like 'death eater'. Draco Malfoy looked at him, clearly mistaking his warning to Harry for a laugh.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford."

"And each one of us has more talent for magic in his pinky than the rest of your family put together, and yes, I am counting also the members that are currently enjoing their vacation in Azkaban." Replied quickly Ron, unruffled.

Malfoy turned slightly red at the answer, and his speechlessness was covered by the two gorillas on his sides crackng their knuckles. The pale kid choose to ignore Ron and looked once more to The Boy Who Lived.

"You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it. "I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks." he said coolly.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riff-raff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid and it'll rub off on you."

Both Harry and Ron stood up. Harry was sporting an heavy frown, while the Weasley ears started taking a red tinge.

"Say that again" Harry challenged.

"Or you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.

"Unless you get out now." threatened Harry, his frown deeper than before.

Malfoy grinned like Christmas came earlier: "But we don't feel like leaving, do we, boys?"

"Last chance." Ron interrupted them, his battered wand raised in front of him.

Malfoy scoffed, and was about to call his bluff when Ron kept talking. "Very well, but you asked for it. Pulsus."

For an instant, the air in front of Ron looked like it was somehow bending, and suddenly the three invasors were thrown out of the compartment. Without a word, Harry slid the door closed just in time for Ron to cast: "Colloportus" and with a squelching noise, the Locking Spell was in place. "Pull the curtains Harry, please." he instructed his bespectacled companion.

Once they were out of sight, Ron let himslef fall heavily on the seats, taking deep breaths and trying to regain some aspect of composure.

"Good teamwork." He panted.

Harry looked at him with wide eyes and an even wider smile. "That was awesome!" His expression became concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked, noticing the fatigue that had hit Ron.

"Yes, yes." He panted "I never tried spells before, I only practiced with a stick, you know? So I'm not used to it. I only need a minute. But for today I think I'm done with magic."

"Oh, well I can't wait to learn that." Harry insisted. "I was wondering... can I ask you something?"

"Mate, together, we just kicked Malfoy and his goons out, we're past the point in which we seek permission to ask questions." Ron laughed.

"Today you nominated the Death Eaters twice, were they Voldemort's..."

Ron gasped. Flailing his arms in front of his face.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Don't say his name!" Ron shouted, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people..." he continued with a tired sigh.

"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name." said Harry. "I just never knew you shouldn't. I've got loads to learn, and not only magic it seems." he added, voicing something that had been worrying him. "I bet I'm the worst in the class."

"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough." Ron reassured him. "I learned pulsus from a book that Charlie bought years ago, it's Curses and Counter-Curses by Vindictus Viridian." he explained. "And yes, Death Eaters were You-Know-Who's lackeys. It's not exactly a polite topic for a friendly conversation.

"Oh ok. Thank you. Hey, I remember I saw that book in Diagon Alley! Hagrid dragged me away from it."

From there on they kept talking friendly until, finally, they reached their destination. The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way towards 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 Ron heard a booming voice: "Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here! All right there, Harry?" Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads in the directionnof the green eyed wizard. "C'mon, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!" Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec." Hagrid called over his shoulder, 'jus' round this bend here." There was a loud "Oooooh!".

The narrow path had opened suddenly on to the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid 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.

"Everyone in?" shouted Hagrid, 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!" yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy which 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 harbour, where they clambered out on to rocks and pebbles.

"Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" asked Hagrid, 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 Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last on to 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?" Hagrid 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.

"The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall." said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The Entrance Hall was so big you could fitted easily at least half of the Burrow in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out enchanted to resemble the sky, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone foor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right, and 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. Ron bumped his elbow against a redhead girl, and mouthed a 'sorry' while his ears turned pink. The witch smiled, shooking her head. It wasn't a problem.

"Welcome to Hogwarts" said Professor McGonagall. "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 honour. 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. I shall return when we are ready for you." explained Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber.

Suddenly something happened which made him jump about a foot in the air, several people around screamed.

"What the –?"

He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to each other and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance."

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost. I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first-years. Nobody answered. "New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them.

"About to be sorted, I suppose?" A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"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 told the first-years "and follow me."

They all walked out of the chamber, back across the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. It was beautiful and magnificent: it was lit by thousands and thousands of candles which were floating in mid-air 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. 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. This hat was patched and frayed and looked extremely dirty. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched.

A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began to sing:

Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

If you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

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 thestool 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.

"Hufflepuff!"shouted the hat.

The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.

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

"Boot, Terry!" "Ravenclaw!" The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them. "Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor and the table on the far left exploded with cheers, the twins were catcalling. "Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. "Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" "Hufflepuff!"' Sometimes the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. "Finnigan, Seamus" the 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.

"Granger, Hermione!" Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head. "Gryffindor!" shouted the hat. Ron groaned: "Let's hope we finish somewhete else, eh Harry?"

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted "Gryffindor!", Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag".

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed: "Slytherin!"

Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.

There weren't many people left now.

"Moon" ... "Nott" ... "Parkinson"... then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil." "Perks, Sally-Anne"

"Potter, Harry! "As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?" "The Harry Potter?"

Ron watched him walk up to the stool andplacing the hat over his head. It took at least three whole minutes, and then the hat exclaimed: "Slytherin!"

A wave of wispers swiped the Great Hall, and Ron noticed the lips of Professor McGonagall thinning in a straight line. It wasn't disapproval, but Ron knew that everybody expected Harry to be sorted in Gryffindor.

McGonagall lifted the hat from Harry's head, and Ron looked his eyes with him. He was pale, and looked almost scared. Ron took a deep breath, forced a smile on his face and started clapping, nodding to his friend. He seemed to take a deep breath, before walking to the Slytherin table. After the first couple of seconds, the applause grew, even if it was somewhat subdued if compared to the previous ones.

Soon after that akward situation, it came Ron's turn. He walked to the stool,sat, and let Professor McGonagall put the Hat over his head.

When the brim of the Hat covered his eyes, he fpund out that he cpuld no longer hear anything from the ouside. But soon a voice started whispering in his head.

"Oh, another Weasley, eh? So similar and yet so different. Courious indeed. Unwavering loyalty, and the wish to be recognized. Aaah, but that was true only until recently. Mmmh, I never sorted a Weasley quite like you... You found yourself swallowed by that little muggle library, uh? Just wait to see our Library then, you're in for a treat. Yes, I have decided, you'll be in... "Ravenclaw!" the last word was shouted for all to hear, and he recieved a warm welcome at his House table. Even if he had spotted his brothers pull strange faces. Well, the twins were mimicking being stabbed in the heart, while Percy was actually very surprised. He shrugged, not that he really cared.

He looked over the Slytherin table to see that Harry was already talking with another first year, and he took a deep, relieved breath. He had feared that they would hate Harry out of spite. Oh, someone did, he was sure. But at least he wasn't left to himself.

Ron started introducing himself with the other first years, only to notice that Albus Dumbledore had got to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleasedhim more than to see them all there.

"Welcome!" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Ron had heard tales of the Headmaster's crazyness, he would never doubt them again.

After the dinner, the Headmaster sent them to their respective dormitories, with a bunch of warnings that everyone seemed to think were absolutely normal. "An entire wing of the third floor forbidden? With death penality?" Ron asked bewildered. "Maybe we could research it!" Padma Patil quipped in.

"Let's first find away to do it without dying ok?" added Terry Boot.

"Well said, I started thinking I was the only one who really liked to stay alive." Ron answered. And Mandy added: "Let's focus on our subjects first, ok? At least we can die with good grades." They all laughed. Ravenclaw will do just fine, I think.