In which our protagonists go on a train ride. New people are met, new enemies are made, and basically it's a train ride.
Jack Frost looked at his train ticket again. Surely he had read wrong. But no, the slip of paper was still labeled as Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Aster would probably know what to do, but he had been in a rush and Jack had insisted that he knew how to get on a train. Well, now he was paying the price.
Jack sighed, looking up at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. The absence of a 'platform nine and three quarters' was quite obvious. For a moment, Jack wondered if this wasn't all just some big joke. But he remembered very clearly the feeling he got when he had been chosen by his wand, the people, books, and everything else. He could clearly see, in his mind's eye, the wall outside the Leaky Cauldron shifting and morphing into a stone archway.
Suddenly, it hit him. Aster had used magic to get into Diagon Alley. Probably, you had to do something similar to get onto the platform. But he couldn't just pull out his wand and start tapping every brick in the station. That would take ages, if that was even the way to do it.
As Jack went back to worrying and glaring at the barrier, he caught a little snippet of conversation, "-off to Hogwarts, I can hardly believe it-" Jack didn't hear the rest, but it was enough. He turned his trolley and spotted three people walking towards the same barrier he had been glaring at just moments before.
Two of the people were adults, and Jack assumed they were the third person's parents. The girl in question was attracting quite a lot of stares, and it was easy to see why. Her golden hair was braided down her back, all the way to her ankles, even dragging slightly on the ground. Her parents looked a lot more normal than their daughter, both with brown hair that didn't seem to glow like the girl's did. They looked somewhat familiar for some reason, but Jack ignored the feeling. Instead, he watched them carefully, hoping to see the way onto the platform.
"So, what am I supposed to do?" The girl with the long hair asked her parents.
The woman who was presumably her mother smiled, "Just run through. We'll be right behind you."
Run through? Jack frowned. That didn't seem very magical.
"What?" The girl squeaked, "What do you mean, 'Run through'? What if I crash?"
Her father chuckled, "You won't, Rapunzel. It's been this way for generations. It's not going to suddenly change now. Just run through the wall, and we'll be right behind you."
The girl, Rapunzel, seemed to steel herself. Then she pushed her cart forward, and ran at the barrier. Just when Jack was sure she would crash, Rapunzel disappeared. Right through the wall. Jack blinked, sure he must have missed something. Then Rapunzel's parents strode over to the same barrier and glanced around, maybe checking that no one was watching. Then they walked through the wall.
Jack's brain couldn't quite process what he was seeing. Sure, he knew now that magic really was a real thing. He knew there were mermaids and dragons and flying horses, too. But up until now, it hadn't fully registered in his brain. He blinked, staring at the wall. So, he had to run through a brick wall to get onto a platform, where a train would apparently be waiting to bring him to magic school. Sure. Why not?
Jack positioned his trolley so that it was facing the barrier. He took a deep breath, thought, I'm an idiot, and ran at the barrier. He clenched his jaw, the sane part of him wondering what on earth he was doing.
Fortunately, magic wasn't just a big joke, and Jack didn't crash into a brick wall. He didn't even feel anything, just sliding effortlessly through it as if it were made of air. Then he was on a platform, and there was a bright scarlet steam engine labeled The Hogwarts Express. Jack grinned, not even sparing a thought about the muggle world he was leaving behind.
Unfortunately, getting his luggage onto the train was a task easier said than done. He was eventually rescued by an older student who used some charm or another to levitate it up for him. Jack grinned and thanked the person, and then went to find a compartment.
There were lots of compartments on the train, but not many were available. They were too crowded, or there were older students who didn't want to sit with a first-year, or there were only girls. Finally, though, Jack found a compartment that was occupied by only one person.
Jack slid the door open a bit and poked his head in, "Excuse me, but can I - Oh, hello Hiccup!" Jack grinned at the other boy, recognizing him from Diagon Alley.
Hiccup looked up at him in surprise. "Jack! I was wondering when I'd see you. Do you want to sit with me? It would be kinda boring, sitting all by myself."
"Actually, that's what I was gonna ask; everywhere else is taken," Jack opened the door the rest of the way before sitting down and shutting it, "So," Jack suddenly remembered a question he had been wanting answered for the past few weeks, "What exactly do wizards do for fun?"
Everything had gone perfect today, right up until Rapunzel was left to her own devices. She hadn't woken up late, so she'd had plenty of time to wash and dry and comb her hair, as well as braid it in an intricate way that made it several times shorter than it was normally. She and her parents had gotten to the station at a good time, so they weren't in a rush and they could avoid the biggest crowds. She had gotten on to the platform with no trouble at all, and her parents had levitated her trunk onto the train. They said goodbye and there were hugs, but Rapunzel's parents had responsibility, and soon they had to leave. Naturally, that's when things started going wrong.
Rapunzel watched her parents vanish into the crowd, then turned to find a compartment. She reached up absent-mindedly to pet Pascal, but her hand only felt empty air. She froze, then started feeling around on her shoulders and in her hair and on top of her head. Pascal was nowhere to be found.
Rapunzel's panic grew steadily, and she tried to think back to this morning. Had she brought Pascal with her? She couldn't remember. She couldn't think of anything else to do, so she started opening compartment doors, frantically asking people if they'd seen a chameleon. Nobody had. She was just about to lose hope, opening one of the last compartments, when she caught a flash of green, which changed into purple and then vanished in a matter of seconds. She looked around wildly, trying to spot it again.
"What are you doing?" For the first time, Rapunzel noticed a girl who looked about her age, with a fiery mane of red hair and a thick Scottish accent.
"Merida!" Rapunzel cried out in relief, "Oh thank Merlin and Circe and every other wizard there ever was! I've lost Pascal! You've got to help me!"
"Pascal?" Merida gave her a blank look.
"Oh, that's right, you don't know," Rapunzel began to describe him, using frantic gestures to try and get her point across, "He's my chameleon. You know, small, scaly, likes to disappear?"
"Oh, him. He was here just a minute ago, hang on," Merida started patting her hair. Before she could find him, however, Pascal appeared in a vibrant shade of green on Rapunzel's shoulder.
"Pascal!" Rapunzel grabbed him and Merida stopped feeling around her head, "Why on earth would you do that to me?! I've been looking everywhere!" She continued to scold him. Pascal looked a bit bored.
"You know he can't understand you, right?" Merida said bluntly.
"Oh hush, of course he can," Rapunzel put the chameleon in question back on her shoulder and plopped down across from Merida, sweeping her long braid to one side. Now that she was calmed down, she noticed that Merida had a rather old and large book open in her lap, "What's that you're reading?"
Merida groaned loudly, "Something my mother wants me to read. I had absolutely nothing else to do besides read this dusty old poetry in an attempt to put myself to sleep. But," she slammed the book shut and chucked it aside, "Now that you're here, I have something much more interesting to do."
Rapunzel grinned, "Oh? Like what?"
Merida sat forward, "Ask you a gazillion questions about magic, of course!"
Rapunzel thought about this. Had she been a more self-doubting person, she might have been offended that Merida only seemed to want to talk to her because she'd grown up in the wizarding world. But she decided that this didn't bother her; she was already making a new friend. So she waved a hand nonchalantly. "Ask away."
Hiccup had just finished explaining things like Quidditch, gobstones, and wizard's chess to Jack when the compartment door slid open and a kindly looking woman popped her head in the compartment, "Anything off the cart, dears?"
Hiccup immediately stood, "Oh yes, please." He bought a small mountain of candy, then noticed Jack wasn't buying anything. "Aren't you hungry?"
Jack shrugged, "I don't have wizard money."
Hiccup's eyes widened as he remembered Jack was from the muggle world, "Wait, so you haven't tried any of this stuff!" Hiccup turned and caught the trolley lady just before the compartment shut. He doubled the mountain on the seat. Jack gaped at him.
"Here," Hiccup shoved a Chocolate Frog in Jack's face, "Try this. They move, so make sure it doesn't get away from you."
Jack opened it, and the frog immediately leaped away and out the door, which was still slightly ajar. Jack's mouth twitched. Hiccup shrugged and handed him another one. Just as Jack was about to open the second one, the heard a high-pitched shriek out in the corridor. Jack snorted, and Hiccup, realizing someone had just discovered the escapee, exploded with laughter.
Once they gained control of their giggles, Jack managed to eat the second frog after looking at his cards, Merlin and Ronald Weasley. He announced that they were delicious, but kind of unnerving with their wiggling about. Hiccup made him try Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Fizzing Whizbees, and a load of other stuff Hiccup deemed amazing.
They were in the middle of a discussion on the different types of trolls when the compartment door slid open again. This time, it was a girl with long, horribly messy hair. "Hello," She didn't sound overly friendly, "I'm Camicazi, who are you?"
"Ah," Hiccup frowned at her, unnerved at how familiar she seemed, "I'm Hiccup. Do-" He didn't get a chance to finish his question before he was interrupted.
"And you are?" Camicazi turned to Jack impatiently.
"Jack Frost," He stuck out his hand enthusiastically. Camicazi ignored it.
"This doesn't make us friends or anything, got it?" Camicazi glared at them, "This was my mum's idea; she said I should try to get to know everyone in my year, even the boys. But I don't think I should bother, I mean I'm obviously going to Gryffindor, but you both are going to Hufflepuff, probably. We'll only ever see each other during double classes, so I don't think I need to bother getting to know you. But, mum insisted. So anyway, goodbye." She shut the door and left.
Jack stared at the door, his hand still outstretched, "Um. What just happened?"
"You tell me. She seemed kind of familiar," Hiccup shrugged and went back to his food, "I probably just imagined it. She's right, though. I probably will be put in Hufflepuff." He suddenly looked quite glum.
Jack shrugged, putting his hand down and digging into a Cauldron Cake. "I'd rather be in Hufflepuff than Slytherin. The house for Death Eaters."
"Yeah. I heard Voldemort was in Slytherin," Hiccup shuddered, "Imagine being in the same house as the Dark Lord."
Jack nodded in agreement, "I'd take Hufflepuff any day over Slytherin."
Soon, they heard a voice announcing that they would be arriving soon, and they began to change into their Hogwarts robes. Finally, the train stopped completely and everyone began filing into the corridor, and out onto Hogsmeade Station.
Merida had spent the past hour or so drilling Rapunzel for information about the wizarding world. Rapunzel gladly gave answers, telling Merida all about Quidditch, dragons, her cousin's strange powers, predicting the future, the four Hogwarts houses, and on and on. At one point, the trolley witch stopped in, and Merida, her mother having converted some muggle money for her to bring in case it was needed, spent quite a bit of money on the different sweets. Her mother would definitely not have approved of the way she was 'stuffing her gob', and that made it all the more enjoyable.
Finally, the voice came telling them to be ready to get off and to leave their luggage on the train. Rapunzel and Merida changed into their robes, excitedly discussing which house they thought they would be put in and which ones seemed best. Rapunzel seemed convinced she would be in Ravenclaw, while Merida didn't know enough about it to decide. She thought Gryffindor sounded good, though, being the house of the brave.
Finally, the train pulled to a stop and the two girls pushed their way into the crowded corridor. They were swept along on a tide of students, finally emerging from the train. Rapunzel threw her braid across her shoulder like a scarf, maybe to keep other students from accidentally stepping on it, and they followed a very large man who held a lantern, calling the first-years to him.
The giant man, who towered over all the first-years, lead them down a separate path from the older students, and he called to them to say they would be getting their first view of the castle as they went around the bend. There were several gasps of awe as they caught sight of it, a huge stone building with towers that looked as if they were held up by magic. Well, Merida realized, It probably is, seeing as this is a school made for magic people.
Between them and the castle, there was a vast black lake, glittering under the cloudless, star-filled sky. The big man lead them further down the path to a dock, where there were dozens of boats. He announced that there could only be four people in each boat, and Merida and Rapunzel ended up with a chatty blonde girl and an egotistical boy who was built like a brick wall.
"Hello!" Said the blonde girl cheerfully. Merida noticed she spoke directly at her and Rapunzel, ignoring the boy, who was admiring his reflection on the water, "My name's Camicazi. Who are you?"
"I'm Merida, and this is Rapunzel," Rapunzel gave a little wave and a smile, "Do you have any clue who this egomaniac is?" Merida flicked a hand at the boy in question.
Camicazi wrinkled her nose, "That's Snotlout. I don't think you should care, he's not someone you should bother getting to know. Unless, of course, you want to use any information he might give you to avoid him," she added thoughtfully.
"Isn't this brilliant?" Rapunzel piped up, "Look at the castle. It looks so big. And the lake is so dark and it looks so deep. My dad has told me," She leaned forward, dropping to a whisper, "That there's a giant squid in the lake."
Camicazi perked up, "Really? Do you think we could catch it?"
Merida snorted, "Good luck with that. It's probably as big as a dragon."
Camicazi shrugged, "Could be. Not all dragons are huge, you know. Some are so small that you eat them with one bite. Not that anyone would want to." She shuddered, as if the very thought of it was too horrible to even consider.
Merida frowned, wondering how this girl could know so much about dragons, but the boats glided to a stop and the students began piling out, forcing Merida to follow suit.
The large group of first-years was lead up another path, until they came to a stop at a very large pair of oak doors. The giant man raised a fist the size of a boulder and knocked three times on the castle door.
A/N:I'm gonna try for weekly updates, but I don't know if that's even possible for me. I'll try.
Here's to hoping I actually finish this series!