Hogwarts School
It was six in the morning and Max was wide awake. His school trunk was packed and waiting by the front door and he was waiting excitedly for his parents to wake up.
As Harriet had promised, his new owl had been waiting in the cage the next morning. It was a handsome barn owl, with mottled brown and orange wings, a white face and belly. He had decided to call him Mercury after the Roman messenger god. Mercury had brought a package with him, containing a note from Albus and a wizarding chess set. Albus had promised to play against him on the train, so Max had read up on chess strategies ever since. Mercury had already passed numerous messages between the two boys and had flown most evenings, catching himself small animals to eat.
This morning though, Mercury was safely locked in his cage, hooting softly when Max climbed out of bed and tiptoed to his cage. He stroked his feathers through the bars and poked an owl treat through the bars.
"Sorry boy," he whispered, "you'll be able to fly again when we get to school."
Mercury hooted again and ruffled his feathers before settling down. Max picked up the book he had been reading from his desk and lay back down on his bed, watching the moving illustrations of quidditch players performing spectacular moves.
XXXXXX
They arrived at Kings Cross Station at ten fifteen and loaded all of Max's luggage and Mercury's cage onto a trolley. When they got to the part of the station that housed platforms nine to eleven they spotted Harriet and her family waiting for them. Violet ran over to Lily and Ruby and they started chatting and giggling together.
"Excited?" Harriet asked him as they drew closer, Max nodded.
"He's only been up and dressed since about six this morning." laughed Dudley.
"Let's get onto the platform and we can get you all settled and your trunks stowed away." said Harriet, excitement visible on her face too. "Just walk straight at the wall there," she pointed at an unremarkable looking wall, "it helps to close your eyes the first time."
Dudley grasped Max's hand and gave it a squeeze. Together they jogged towards the wall, pushing Max's trolley ahead of them. Max waited to hit the brickwork, but it didn't happen. He opened his eyes to see a swirling cloud of steam billowing across a platform. A huge red steam train sat on the tracks. The platform was busy, with children calling to each other and running around, as parents fussed and helped with luggage. Max's face was beaming when he looked up at Dudley, who was wearing an astonished look. The others were appearing behind them and they moved up the platform. The twins waved to some of their friends and hurried off to see them.
"There's the Malfoy's." said Evan, pointing at a tall blonde man and red-haired woman with a blonde girl Violet's age and red-headed boy in Hogwarts robes. "Serpens must already be on the train."
Harriet waved and they walked to join them. The red-head grinned at Albus and Max.
"Ron and Hermione are running late," smirked the blonde man, "they were supposed to be leaving Bathilda and Alastor with Molly, but Alastor managed to get hold of Arthur's wand and flooded the kitchen."
"Constant vigilance is what they need with that boy." laughed Harriet. "Here they come!" she said pointing.
The red-head from the joke shop and bushy haired woman appeared on the platform with four children in tow and hurried towards them. The youngest child, a curly-hair brunette boy who seemed to be around five, was dragging at his mother's hand and crying to be allowed on the train. His mother wore the harassed and annoyed look familiar to any parent, but she gave a smile when she spotted their group. Holding her other hand was a slightly older girl with red-brown hair and a sulky look on her face. Behind them Ron was pushing a ladened trolley with a red-haired boy Violet and Lily's age holding on beside him.
"Where's Rose?" said Albus, looking worried.
A red-haired girl their age peered around Ron with a shy smile at Max. She clutched a big, fluffy, mishapen looking ginger cat.
"Hi Al," Rose said, "I guess this is your cousin Max you've been telling me about. Pleased to meet you." she shook his hand. "We should be getting on the train," she told them, in a slightly bossy tone, "we want to make sure we can all sit together."
"She's just like her mother." smirked Ron.
"I heard that Ronald." Hermione called over her shoulder.
"I meant smart and beautiful." Ron said, thinking quickly. When Hermione smiled and turned back to her conversation with the others. "And bossy and just slightly scary." he whispered so only Max and Albus could hear him.
Albus, Rose, Max and the other redhead loaded their trunks onto the train with help from the adults. Their parents hugged them all goodbye and gave them last minute instructions and encouragement, while the younger ones looked on enviously. The twins and a pale blonde boy in Gryffindor robes, who Max assumed was Serpens, joined them at the window as the train prepared to leave.
"Make sure you write!" called Hermione.
"Watch out for Filch." warned Ron.
"Pay attention in classes." said Evan.
"Enjoy yourself." Dianne said, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.
"Stay out of trouble," Harriet warned the twins as the train began to pull away, "and have a great time."
Young Alastor broke free from Hermione's grasp as the train puffed along the platform and chased after it crying.
"I wanna go to Hogwarts!" he hollered as Hermione caught hold of him.
The train picked up speed and they soon lost sight of the people on the platform.
"Come on," said Rose, holding tightly to the squirming cat, "lets find a compartment."
"We already found one," said Serpens, "come sit with us."
They followed Serpens and the twins to a compartment where a tawny owl sat in a cage hooting excitedly. The twins sprawled in a seat near the window and Serpens sat opposite them, below the owl cage. He threw a couple of owl treats in to calm the owl.
"Quiet down Godric, Tiddles won't hurt you." he said to the owl, and the ginger cat jumped up on the luggage rack beside the cage and curled up and went to sleep.
"Sit down then." said one of the twins, and Rose sat next to them while Albus, Max and the other boy sat beside Serpens, Max putting Mercury's cage on the luggage rack above him.
"You must be Max." said Serpens, shaking Max's hand. "I'm Serpens Malfoy and this is my little brother Orion." he gestured at the redhead who nodded shyly. "Mum said you're muggle-born, what's it like?"
"Not as good as all this," grinned Max, "I still can't get my head round it."
"You have electric though, right?" said Serpens. "How do computers work?"
"I don't know really," said Max thoughtfully, "but then I suppose you don't know how everything in the magical world works do you?"
"By magic." said the twins together.
Serpens threw an owl treat at them from his pocket and laughed.
"What house do you think you will be in?" asked Rose, looking worried. "Mum thinks I could go to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, but Dad said as long as I'm not in Slytherin it's fine."
"What's wrong with Slytherin?" chorused the twins, indignantly.
"Nothing," said Rose, hurriedly, "what about you?" she asked Max.
"I don't really mind," said Max, "as long as I'm with Albus."
"Uncle Neville is head of Gryffindor," said Orion, in a quiet voice, "but Uncle Blaise is head of Slytherin. I wouldn't mind either of them."
"Uncle Ron will snort pumpkin juice out of his nose again if you're in Gryffindor too." grinned a twin. "I hope someone gets a photo this time."
XXXXXX
At about three that afternoon the food trolley came past their compartment. Between them they got a selection of almost everything on the trolley so that Max could try it. Max had tried Pumpkin Pasties, Licorice Wands, Chocolate Frogs and pepper imps. He had been really unlucky on his first taste of Bertie Bots Every Flavour Beans, he had got a rotten egg flavoured one and felt too ill to try anything else. He was still looking green twenty minutes later when the compartment door opened. Aspen Tosku stood in the doorway with three other students looming behind him.
"What do you want?" said Rose, with a glare.
"Not a nice way to speak to your superiors Weasley." sneered Aspen.
"You can't possibly mean yourself and these knuckle-heads." laughed Serpens. "You really should find yourself better minions if you want to intimidate anyone."
Tosku and his friends noticed the second years in the carriage, or realised they were outnumbered, and started to back out of the door.
"We'll see how brave you are without your bodyguards," he sneered at Albus, "see you in lessons."
"What an objectionable little tosser." said Orion, and they all laughed.
As the train journey went on the evening drew in and the lamps were lit in the carriages. Those who were not already wearing their robes changed into them. Max felt like his stomach was performing back flips. The train slowed as it pulled into Hogsmead Station and all the students started to gather up their belongings. They lifted their trunks to the platform and they heard a voice calling through the noise of the students.
"First years! This way please." said a giant of a man from the end of the platform. "Your trunks and pets will be brought up for you."
"He's massive!" said Max.
"That's Hagrid." Albus told him. "He's the grounds keeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Ruby was named after him, he was a big part of Mum's childhood."
"See you at the Sorting Ceremony." called the twins, jumping into a carriage with Serpens. "Don't fall in the lake!"
They left their trunks, Mercury's cage, and a spitting hissing Tiddles in his cat carrier, with the other luggage and approached the giant man, along with the other first years, all looking worried.
"C'mon first years, don't be shy." boomed the huge figure. "Four t' a boat."
"Hi Hagrid," said Albus cheerfully, "Mum sends her love."
"Bless my soul," chuckled Hagrid, "young Albus, I hope yer not gonna be as much mischief as them brothers of yours."
"Is that even possible?" smirked Orion.
"Oh hullo," smiled Hagrid, "Orion, good teh see yer, an' Rose too, and who is this?" he asked, peering down at Max.
"This is my cousin Max," said Albus, "Max Dursley meet Rubeus Hagrid."
Max reached up and shook the giant hand and Hagrid grinned down at him through his thick bushy beard.
"Dursley eh?" Hagrid smiled, "you tell yer dad I'm sorry for the tail."
"Tail?" said Max.
"Never mind." Hagrid said, hurriedly, and moved away to organise the first years into the boats.
Albus, Max, Rose and Orion clambered into a boat together and the boats set out together across the lake. The light of lamps reflected in the rippling surface of the water and cast everyone's faces in moving shadows. Outlined against the darkness ahead were thousands of lit windows as they neared the impressive castle. Max focused on the castle and saw the traces of magic criss-crossing the castle and grounds. It was a light show much more intense than any he had yet seen. He shook his head and allowed the lights to fade before he could get a headache. The boats glided silently towards a cliff-face, where a curtain of ivy parted to let them through into a wide, dark tunnel.
"We're actually under the castle right now." whispered Rose.
Max looked up at the high stone ceiling, seemingly gouged from the rock itself, and saw the ripple of lights reflecting from the water as they passed. The boats bumped gently against a wooden dock and stilled. Hagrid helped the first years out of the boats and led them up the stone steps to the front lawn of the grounds.
Enormous wooden doors stood in front of them, looking closed and forbidding. Hagrid rapped twice on the doors with his pink umbrella and they swang open, spilling warm golden light on the nervous students. Silhouetted against the light was a tall thin man with a long ponytail.
"Welcome first years!" he said, "I am Professor Weasley, Arithmancy professor and Deputy Headmaster, come inside. The Sorting Ceremony will commence shortly."
They stepped inside the entrance hall, lit with torches burning merrily on the walls, and stared in wonder at the suits of armour and moving portraits. Professor Weasley was tall and slim, with red hair and a heavily scarred face that would otherwise have been handsome. He wore a dragon's fang earring and long black robes with a deep red lining. He regarded the students seriously, a smile in his eyes but a serious face.
"You will be sorted in front of the rest of the school, into one of four houses. These houses will be your home while you are in this school, they each have their own common rooms and dormitories and their own rich history." Professor Weasley told them. "You will be able to earn house points for your house for your achievements and rule breaking will lead to losing points. The house at the end of the year with the most points will win the house cup. The four houses are Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The school should be ready for you now, I will show you in and then call you forward by name to be sorted."
Another set of double doors in front of them swang open to reveal the rest of the school at four long wooden tables. Every one of them was staring at the newcomers.