My time at the leaky cauldron went by quickly, I still had a few coins in my purse to spend in diagon alley. Everything I saw was so unique and interesting, I ended up with a bag of funny trinkets including a pocket sneakoscope, a revealer and a pack of exploding snap. Tom was very hospitable, and I enjoyed hearty meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner accompanied by an interesting drink called butter beer that instantly warms you up from the inside.

I spent my days poring over my school books, each riddled with foreign facts and terminology. Curses and spells intrigued me, so I memorised all I could even though I was warned by Hagrid that if I practice magic out of school I would be expelled, which certainly seemed liked being turned out of wizarding society altogether the way he had talked about it. I read about herbology and astronomy which both seemed interesting alone but when compared to transfiguration and potions the subjects looked a little dire. It was amazing what a narrow stick can do, with one word it could kill a man or create objects out of nothing (not food though, I memorised the five laws of transfiguration).

I wake with a start, the suns shining beautifully through the thin cotton curtains and then I remember its not summer at all, today is the first day of Autumn and my first day of school. I quickly get out of my warm bed covered in goose feather pillows and pull on one of my best dresses, its blue and simple but nice and fresh. I grab my toothbrush and hairbrush and run down the hall to the small bathroom, there I brush my teeth and tame my hair into a plait that runs down my back almost to my waist. My face stares back at me through the mirror, I see not the confused girl from under a year ago but an excited rosy face, even a small twinkle shone in my pitch-black eyes. After a final check that all my belongings and clothes are in my trunk I go down the stairs two at a time to breakfast. Hagrid would be picking me up shortly afterwards to catch the train at eleven. I then secure my wand in one pocket and my remaining two sickles and eleven knuts in another.

"Good-morning Tom" I call as I see him come around a corner holding a tray of breakfast.

"Veda, I hope your excited for school" He beamed.

"Too excited, I hope its as good as I'm told" I say.

"There's no way to describe the magic of Hogwarts, you won't be disappointed"

I settle down at a small table and quickly devour my eggs and bacon, I then chug my pumpkin juice, I am then met with an awkward period of around ten minutes where it is two early to grab my trunk and wait at the door, but I have nothing else to do. I give in after a few moments of quiet and walk back to my room to bring my trunk downstairs, I start my descent with the heavy trunk. Before I can stop myself, I slip and am tumbling down the stairs, I land with a thud on my trunk at the bottom of the stairs. At least ten heads have turned abruptly to my direction.

"you alright miss" Tom asked worriedly. I get up my foot hurts but not tremendously, I nod at him.

"what where trying to do" he says looking up at the narrow staircase I had tried to bring my trunk down.

"Bring my trunk down" I say "I guess I succeeded" giving him a grim smile.

"I would've down that" he says "with magic" he adds as an afterthought.

"right- yeah that was silly of me"

"Veda" a booming voice is heard around the corner, he emerges, its Hagrid.

"Oh, hi Hagrid" I say giving him a weak smile.

"yer alrigh'" he asks concerningly.

"Yeah, Yeah I'm fine" I say though my foot Is still hurting.

"Come on then, we've got a train ter catch"

We walk out of the leaky cauldron and onto the busy morning street. It has been a while since I've seen normal people in normal clothes and normal shops selling normal items. The street was a picture of normality except for Hagrid, his size attracted every pair of eyes most looking away quickly, but you could hear one or two kids asking their parents about him.

Kings cross was very close, thankfully as my trunk was heavy and bulky, my hands were being rubbed raw and small calluses were forming. We walk through the doors into a large hall with mounds of people I followed Hagrid to a small secluded inlet.

"Righ', I can't come with yer onto the platform, I don't have a ticke' yer see" he hands me a small golden ticket. "I'd best be goin', I'll see yer at Hogwarts Veda."

Hagrid leaves through the entrance, people jumping out of the way of him others staring at him from behind. I find a trolley and struggle to lift my monstrous trunk onto it. I then look at the ticket in my hand, it reads leaving at eleven o'clock on platform nine and three quarters, I squint at the small ticket making sure I've read it correctly no definitely 9 and ¾. Platform nine and ten are to the left so I set off towards the platform. When I get to platform nine I see no station between it and ten just a large brick wall, a small pudgy station master is leaning against the wall whistle in hand yelling at some boys to stop throwing pennies on the track.

"Excuse me" I ask timidly walking towards the man "Where is platform 9 and 3/4?"

"Platform 9 and 3/4, Whatever this joke is it ain't funny, you're not the first today, you got a ticket or not" he replies angrily his round face turning crimson.

I walk away feeling completely confused, how can I catch a train from a platform that doesn't exist and why didn't Hagrid tell me he really isn't the most helpful person I've met. I overhear distant conversations as I sit and inspect my ticket, but one catches my attention.

"Don't get on McGonagall's bad side even if you're sorted into Gryffindor she'll take points and give you plenty of detentions" a boys voice rang, I look up and see a rather tall teenage boy with a trunk and eagle in a cage.

"I'm not scared of her, Snape seems lethal" A younger boy around my age follows the older boy.

They are definitely going to Hogwarts, I'm sure, I walk my trolley over to them.

"Excuse me, do you know how to get to platform 9 and ¾" I inquire pointedly.

"First year at Hogwarts, your lucky I'm going into my seventh, I will miss the feasts, you walk straight at that wall there" He points at a thick brick wall, my surprise is obvious, and he laughs at my kindly. "You won't crash."

At that he runs straight at the wall between platform nine and ten and vanishes into nothingness.

"Wow, I've never actually seen it before" The younger boy says "Good luck" he grinned and just as quickly went through the wall. I look around for anybody who could see me, but this side of the station seemed rather empty. I grip my trolley handle tightly and break into a swift run at the red brick wall as I near I close my eyes and brace for impact before feeling a breeze of wind and then excited chattering and the sound of a steam engine horns.

I open my eyes to a world more colourful than diagon alley, witches and wizards adorn in brilliant cloaks kissing their children goodbye. Students climbing onto the train grasping owls, cats and some rather large toads. A whistle sounds as I notice a clock below a red sign reading 9 and ¾, I hurry over to the carriage and drag my trunk onto a rack taking out my robes to change into later. The aisle is narrow as I try to find a compartment that isn't full, sparks of light in the shape of butterflies come out of a compartment full of giggling girls. Finally, I find one at the very end of the carriage I sit down on the seat and pull out my wand, I flick it once some dull smoke comes out the end I flick it again this time saying wingardium leviosa a spell I read about, still nothing.

"Hello can I sit here" it's the younger boy from before, he's rather handsome with olive skin and a mop of curly brown hair, his eyes are like a hawk yellowy green in tint and rather alert, he had with him a beautiful brown bird with yellow beak and feet. I nod and he smiles a dimple in his left cheek.

"You're Muggle-born?" he asks.

"How did you know?"

"Your parents would have told you how to get onto the platform, but I'd of thought that whoever brought you to king's cross would've told you that, My names Phineas, Phineas Auberon Whitworth, most people call me Phin though"

"My names Veda Barret are your parents' wizards too?"

"Yeah we're not the bad sort though, well my mums' sides a bit fanatical but I have lots of half-blood cousins on Dad's side."

"What do you mean the bad sort, Hagrid told me about Voldemort-"

"You know, blood superiority, how some purebloods think all muggle-born's are dirt" he explained.

"No, I didn't know" I reply a little weakly, so now I'm going to be treated unequally even in the wizard world.

"Most people are half-bloods anyway, if we hadn't mixed with muggle's we would've died out" Phineas replies comfortingly "most people don't have anything against muggle-borns anyway"

The train jolted into action and Phineas' bird squawked in protest

"That's a nice bird, what is it" I ask

"Him! that's peaches, he's a peregrine falcon" Phineas replies reaching over to touch the bird through the cage, it snapped at his fingers drawing a small drop of blood. "He hates me, it's my oldest brothers bird he's left Hogwarts now, He's good at delivering letters fast I mean, he's a little reluctant, some-times I have to throw him out the window."

I laugh and he cracks up too.

"I wish I had a bird, I couldn't afford one. I'm an orphan well probably, I don't know who my parents were but McGonagall said I got my magic genes further up the line. Was that your brother, then one with you.?"

"Yeah that's Atticus he's nice when he's not doing homework sometimes he's snappy then. He's in seventh year basically finishing before I start."

"I'm really excited though, this is all new to me I met a couple professors, there's McGonagall she's strict I dunno if she's nice as well" I tell him.

"Yeah Atticus said she's stern but kind and head of Gryffindor" he rebounded.

"I met Snape too, he's a bit unfriendly" I say quietly.

"Atticus says he's a total git, though a bit off his usual sliminess last year, he hates Gryffindor's only likes Slytherins"

"what are Gryffindor and Slytherin?"

"Houses, every student gets sorted tonight. I don't know how might be like a personality test. Question 1 do you like muggle-born's, No, Slytherin!" Phineas bellows, I grin.

"if Slytherin's hate muggle born's I probably won't be there then."

"Never been a muggle-born in Slytherin, Salazar Slytherin hated them whole heartedly"

"What house is your family in?"

"Dad's a Gryffindor mum's a Slytherin that's her family's fault though, I don't think Slytherins are all bad just most of them are. Atticus is Gryffindor and my oldest brother Cygnus was a Hufflepuff, that's sort of like a neutral house" he finishes a little out of breath.

A light knocking is heard from the glass of our compartment's door, I see a rosy cheeked girl with wavy golden brown hair to her shoulders, she would have a pretty face if her eyebrows weren't furrowed and she looked very flustered.

"Do either of you know a certain Phineas Whitworth" she ordered angrily, I give Phineas a sideways look and he grimaces then stands.

"Yes"

"Where is he, I've been up and down so many carriages looking for him"

"That's me" he replies and the girls face relaxes a little.

"Well in that case I have something from your brother" She hands him a small vial "he said it was important." She looks back down the corridor then at our empty seats "Can I sit here?"

"Sure" I reply as Phineas takes the vial from the girl. "What is that?"

"Medicine, I got injured magically when I was younger, and this is the only thing that helps" He downs the liquid in one go and swallows grimacing "tastes like onion"

"My names Paige Howard"

"Veda" I say.

"Phineas"

"I knew that much" she snorted.

"I'm really nervous about what house I'll be sorted into I hope I'm not Slytherin, they all end up going bad even if you start off nice" Paige says.

"Oi, My mum's a Slytherin" Phineas pipes in angrily.

"Are houses really that important, your sorted as a kid it can't really define the rest of your life" I say breathlessly.

"Oh but it really does" Paige buts in, she takes out her wand. "Watch this, I think I invented a spell when I was trying to use a location charm it didn't work". Phineas leans in as she pulls a small piece of paper out of her bag. "Charta Suey Cubilis" she points her creamy wand at the paper, and it instantly folds into a small swan.

"That's neat" I say and Phineas nods in agreement.

"I know, I think I mixed a laundry spell with a navigation spell, of course this is my first time using magic."

"Anything off the trolley dears" a small ancient looking witch pushes a trolley down the aisle and stops at our door.

"two chocolate frogs and a pack of fizzing wizzbees" Phineas says while searching for money in his pocket, he hands the witch four shiny silver sickles.

"One chocolate frog please and some droobles" Paige pays for her loot and the witch looks at me.

"Anything for you dear" the trolley witch trills at me.

"um- what do you recommend" I ask Paige and Phineas.

"Chocolate frogs are the best though I'm partial to fizzing wizzbees" Phineas replies.

"Yeah chocolate frogs are the best I collect the cards" Paige agrees.

"One frog please and um what are those" I ask pointing at some sweets that look like jelly beans.

"Bertie Botts Every flavour bean's" She replies smiling.

"Okay I'll get one of them too" I say handing her most of my remaining coins, she leaves our carriage and continues down the aisle.

"They can be good" Paige says pointing at the bean's "I haven't had one since I got a spoilt milk one, too scared I guess"

I open the cardboard box and take out a red one.

"That could be apple or something nice, but my brother once got a blood flavoured one" Phineas said grimacing. "Usually my lucks pretty good"

"Take some" I give the box to Phineas who passes it to Paige who reluctantly takes an orange one. We all put the beans in our mouth and chew cautiously, suddenly I taste an interesting floral taste, Phineas' face stays the same while a flush of relief passes over Paige's.

"I think I got Rose" I say uncertainly.

"Marmalade, I love marmalade especially on burnt toast, I always ask my Mum to burn my toast, she thinks I'm weird." Paige says thoughtfully, Phineas' mouth is still chewing.

"Yogurt" He finally says "Not the sweet vanilla kind, you know the sort of tangy type"

We each take a few more beans the worst being an egg yolk one I unfortunately came across, I then pick up my chocolate frog. When I open the packaging, a brown frog jumps up at my face I catch it in mid air before it goes rigid in my hand.

"Do I eat it- I mean it was just alive"

"It wasn't alive, it's just a charm that gives it life for a moment or two" Paige replies opening her frog keeping it down in the packet with one hand.

"I got Salazar Slytherin" Phineas announces excitedly holding up a shiny card "He founded Slytherin it also completes my founder's collection" he tells me.

"Xavier Rastrick" Paige says Gloomily "already got him"

"Can I have him" Phineas asks eagerly, and Paige chucks him the card. I look into my box and a card glints at the bottom, as I pick it up to closer inspect, the figure leaves.

"Herpo the foul" I read the bottom of the card.

"That one's a bit temperamental always leaving his picture" Phineas says his mouth full of chocolate.

"That explains where he's gone" I say mock dismally, Phineas smirks.

"You know we should probably change into our robes" Paige says "we'll probably be arriving soon, we've just past Sinners Point" She points out the window to a couple of wooden shacks creaking slightly in the breeze. We all put our robes over our muggle clothes.

"Whoa I really do look like a witch now" I amaze putting on my pointed hat.

At that moment a bunch of rowdy boys hurtle down the aisle the boy at front has hair the colour of fire and he is directing a sparkly violet orb with his wand, they are gone quickly carriage vibrating at their rampage. Then the pounding stops.

"Go on Bill" a boy further down encourages.

"Come on Bill, we didn't come to Hogwarts for nothing" another boy sounds. Suddenly a fizzing sound is heard and a small pop the light at the roof of our compartment turns violet, the three of us a bathed in the vibrant light.

"Blasted-" Paige stands up and slams the door open.

"Oh no, this looks bad" I stand up and try to pull Paige back but she strides forward and I crash into the door, she then addresses the boy by yelling at him and the lights are fixed quite suddenly. She comes back into the compartment with a humph.

"Sorry Howard" a boy yells from outside.

"Stupid, Stupid boys" she mutters while putting her wand back in her pocket. "They think they run this place"

"They probably will, judging by his hair he's likely a Weasley. Popular pure blood Gryffindor family, some may say funny" Phineas says, and quite suddenly the train stops. No view to see from the pitch-black sky.

"We're here" Paige exclaims.

"Finally" I add.