Hey sup guys just chillin and updating, and aperantly I have gone totally button happy. But it's worth it. And to say this once...never mind that's a spoiler. I kid I kid. Hope the story is good. Enjoy.
Harry and Pikachu's last month with the Dursleys was fun to say the least. They knew Harry had a Pokemon or 'beast' but they never asked and Harry didn't bother telling them. True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn't stay in the same room, while Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't shut Harry in his cupboard, force him to do anything, or shout at him - in fact, they didn't speak to him at all.
Half terrified, half furious, they acted as though any chair with Harry in it were empty. Although this was an improvement in many ways, Harry decided to push his luck and acted like he was part of the family sit at dinners and watch the tely in the mornings and Pikachu had funmaking Dudley's food "disappear" when he had it close to his mouth.
He also learned how to use the watch like device. It was the Poke Dex Hagrid was talking about, it's name was Dex it also gave information on every Pokemon that they encounter. It would warm up and give a skechey holographic image of the Pokemon and the options of 'accept info or ignore'. It also gave information of the Pokemon on hand.
A week before school a Pokemon by the species name of Delibird delivered a letter and a parcel. The letter read:
Dear Mr. Harry Potter
We glad to deliver your first set of five Poke Balls for you to use after your first year at Hogwarts. Remember every First Year students are NOT allowed to catch Pokemon until they are finished with their first year.
Thank you and have a great term.
Deparment of Pokemon Management, Ministry of Magic
The box just had five Poke Balls nothing special.
Harry had also read and studied the books he got with Pikachu. He learned the theory and alsostrayed the wand movements with a pencil. But couldn't wait until he could battle, Pikachu also shared his enthusiasm by fist pounding with him. Every night before he went to sleep, Harry ticked off another day on the piece of paper he had pinned to the wall, counting down to September the first.
On the last day of August he thought he'd better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King's Cross station the next day, so he went down with Pikachu on his shoulder to the living room where they were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat to let them know he was there, and Dudley screamed and ran from the room.
Pikachu trying hard not to laugh at the pig of a boy run up the staircase.
"Er - Uncle Vernon?"
Uncle Vernon grunted to show he was listening.
"Er - I need to be at King's Cross tomorrow to - to go to Hogwarts."
Uncle Vernon grunted again.
"Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?"
Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.
"Thank you."
He was about to go back upstairs when Uncle Vernon actually spoke.
"Funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"
Harry didn't say anything.
"Where is this school, anyway?"
"I don't know," said Harry, realizing this for the first time. He pulled the ticket Hagrid had given him out of his pocket.
"I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock," he read.
His aunt and uncle stared.
"Platform what?"
"Nine and three-quarters."
"Don't talk rubbish," said Uncle Vernon. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."
"It's on my ticket."
"Barking," said Uncle Vernon, "howling mad, the lot of them. You'll see. You just wait. All right, we'll take you to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."
"Why are you going to London?" Harry asked, trying to keep things friendly.
"Taking Dudley to the hospital," growled Uncle Vernon. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."
He couldn't hold it, Pikachu laugh so hard he fell of Harry's shoulder to fall to the ground, only to be caught by his trainer who also gave a small laugh and ran to his room.
Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. He got up and pulled on his jeans and blue sweeter because he didn't want to walk into the station in his wizard's robes - he'd change on the train. He checked his Hogwarts list yet again to make sure he had everything he needed to have, he and Pikachu sneaked into the kitchen and knicked a full bottle of ketchup for Pikachu on the way there, they got back down to watch the tely waiting for the Dursleys to get up. Two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off.
They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.
"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"
He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.
"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing. Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on earth was he going to do? He'd have to ask someone.
He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. The guard had never heard of Hogwarts and when Harry couldn't even tell him what part of the country it was in, he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. Getting desperate, Harry asked for the train that left at eleven o'clock, but the guard said there wasn't one. In the end the guard strode away, muttering about time wasters. Harry was now trying hard not to panic.
According to the large clock over the arrivals board, he had fifthteen minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts and he had no idea how to do it; he was stranded in the middle of a station with a trunk he could hardly lift, a pocket full of wizard money, and a large yellow mouse no one could see. Or so they thought.
On the other side of the station was a young 11 soon to be 12 year old girl with very bushy brown hair, brown eyes, and large front who was excited to be going to Hogwarts to learn magic and learn more on Pokemon. Her name was Hermione Granger, she along with her very intelligent female Vulpix, a fox like Pokemon with red and brown fur and had siz tails that were curled up.
Hermione had spent since the beginning of the summer once she had got out of school they went to Diagon Ally with her parents, Dan and Emma Granger, to get her school supplies and her wand and the bonus of getting her Vulpix, they spent their time together studying and doing some fun stuff.
Right now ther were heading to go through the barrier to get platform nine and three-quarters that Professor McGonagall had showed them when she went to Diagon Ally.
"Daddy how long until the train is suppose to leave," she asked her father.
"In about ten minutes, I told your mother not to make you a big breakfast and look what that did." said the tall man with light brown hair and brown eyes.
"Well I'm sorry for wanting my little girl to have a nice breakfast for a long day." said the woman who looked like an older version of Hermione, except she had hazel eyes and no buck teeth.
"Mum, Dad can I go by myself to the barrier, I want to do this by my self." Hermione said, and her parents looked at her surprised and at eachother. They understood that kids have to grow up some time and this was Hermione's time to do it. They said their goodbyes and had a family hug and went their seperet ways.
While Hermione was looking to where were platforms nine and ten she saw a flash of yellow and lightning bolt shape tail. It was a pikachu with its trainer. It looked like they were lost, she looked at her Vulpix who had stoppedreading and looked up at her trainer and they nodded at each other as they understood that they would help the boy and his Pikachu if they were going to the same place.
I mean it's on the way to the barrier what bad can it be. She thought, as she was about tomeet someone she never thought she'd meet in person.
Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something you had to do, like tapping the third brick on the left to get into Diagon Alley. He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket inspector's stand between platforms nine and ten.
"Oh great, we come this far and we get lost I think I see a patern here, aww man!" Harry said with his head hanging and Pikachu chillin on top of it. "pika" was all Pikachu said while looking sad.
"Excuse me" said a soft voice with a hint of a bossy tone.
Harry pulled up his head and whirled around so fast that Pikachu fell of it and had to catch himself with Harry's hood and just hang around.
The bushy haired buck tooth girl was giggling, she was also holding a brown and red fur. Dex was warming up and Harry pulled up his sleeve and hit the ignore option to not be rude and looked up at the girl.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Are you going to Hogwarts too?"
"Yeah, first year and you?"
"Me too, I'm Hermione Granger, im from the north part of London, and this my Pokemon partner Vulpix." she said while holding out her hand.
Harry took it and said "I'm Harry Potter and this is Pikachu we live in the southeast of London," and Pikachu got himself back up and waved at them, Vulpix also said its name, as it looked like it was happy to meet them.
"Holy cricket your Harry Potter, the 'Boy Who Lived'.
"Yeah but I wouldn't believe what others say, even I can't remember what happend that night."
"Alright, I'll take your word for it. Do you need help finding the platform?"
"Yeah the person that took me to Diagon Ally kinda forgot to tell me where it's at." Harry was blushing of embarrassment for it.
"Come, follow me Harry a professor fromHogwarts showed me where it's at."
"Er - okay," said Harry.
He pushed his trolley around and started to walking with Hermione as she also was pushing her trolley as well. They didn't walk far before they stopped close to the pillar that had the numbers nine and ten. Harry had walked off from the original path.
"Its right there, in the middle. You have go throught it."
Harry and Pikachu gave each other a skeptical look and looked back at the pillar. It looked very solid.
"Look I'll show you how to do it." she grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the side of the pillar and told him to stay there, Pikachu sayed with the trolley and also watched.
"Don't be afraid or you will crash into it." she started to walk and broke into a run and Harry was waiting for a loud crash, but instead she practically disappeared right in the middle. Both Harry and Pikachu had their mouths opened and looking like a Magikarp out of water.(yeah I went there, what then!")
"Well, we have eleven minutes left. Might as well do it, on three alright." Pikachu nodded and got ready on the trolley. Harry got ready to push the trolley and started to count down.
"One... three!" he told himself and Pikachu.
He started to walk toward it. People jostled him on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry walked more quickly. He was going to smash right into that barrier and then he'd be in trouble - leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run - the barrier was coming nearer and nearer - he wouldn't be able to stop - the cart was out of control - he was a foot away Pikachu was flat on his belly and had his hands covering his eyes - he also closed his eyes ready for the crash -
It didn't come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts' Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it, He had done it. He also saw Hermione right beside the sign,waiting for him.
"You made it Harry," she said, beaming.
"Yeah, and yellow over here was great support," he said while pointing with his thumb at Pikachu, who just gotout of his previous position.
She giggled and said "Ok Harry I hope to see you later or hopefully in the same house bye," as she started to walk away. She then turned around and waved at both him and Pikachu. Harry looked around once more and said, "I'll say this once Pikachu, wicked" with a huge grin on his face.
Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while Pokemon of every shape and size were walking or flying and talking in their own sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.
The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats. Harry pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, "Gran, I've lost my poke ball again."
"Oh, Neville," he heard the old woman sigh.
A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.
"Give us a look, Lee, go on."
The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, pinkish goo like object.
Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot. Pikachu was enjoying it all.
"You know you can help right," Harry just glared at him and the mouse was scratching the back of his head, sheepishly.
"Want a hand?" It was a tall red-headed boy with his twin behide him.
"Yes, please," Harry panted.
"Oy, Fred! C'mere and help!"
With the twins' help, Harry's trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment. Pikachu finished by jumping on his shoulder.
"Thanks," said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.
"What's that?" said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry's lightning scar.
"Blimey," said the other twin. "Are you - ?"
"He is," said the first twin. "Aren't you?" he added to Harry.
"What?" said Harry.
"Harry Potter." chorused the twins.
"Oh, him," said Harry. "I mean, yes, I am."
The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train's open door.
"Fred? George? Are you there?"
"Coming, Mom."
With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.
Harry sat down next to the window where, half hidden, he and Pikachu could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying. Their mother had just taken out her handkerchief.
"Ron, you've got something on your nose."
The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.
"Mom - geroff" He wriggled free.
"Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?" said one of the twins.
"Shut up," said Ron.
"Where's Percy?" said their mother.
"He's coming now."
The oldest looking boy came striding into sight. He had changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny silver badge on his chest with the letter P on it.
"Can't stay long, Mother," he said. "I'm up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves-"
"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."
"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once-"
"Or twice-"
"A minute-"
"All summer-"
"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.
"How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?" said one of the twins.
"Because he's a prefect," said their mother fondly. "All right, dear, well, have a good term - send me a letter when you get there."
She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins.
"Now, you two - this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've - you've blown up a toilet or-"
"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."
"Great idea though, thanks, Mom."
"It's not funny. And look after Ron."
"Don't worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us."
"Shut up," said Ron again. He was about a foot shorter then the twins and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.
"Hey, Mom, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?"
Harry leaned back quickly so they couldn't see him looking. Pikachu was just hanging from the open window, looking around.
"You know that black-haired boy who went before us in the station? Know who he is?"
"Who?"
"Harry Potter!"
Harry heard the little girl's voice.
"Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, eh please..."
"No Ginny, the poor boy isn't something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? How do you know?"
"Asked him. Saw his scar. It's really there - like lightning, he also has a Pikachu." the yellow mouse fell onto Harry's lap.
"Poor dear - no wonder he was alone, I wondered."
"Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?"
Their mother suddenly became very stern.
"I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don't you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school."
"All right, keep your hair on."
A whistle sounded.
"Hurry up!" their mother said, and the three boys clambered onto the train. They leaned out of the window for her to kiss them good-bye, and their younger sister began to cry.
"Don't, Ginny, we'll send you loads of letters"
"We'll send you a Hogwarts' toilet seat."
"George!"
"Only joking, Mom."
The train began to move. Harry saw the boys' mother waving and their sister, half laughing, half crying, running to keep up with the train until it gathered too much speed, then she fell back and waved.
Harry watched the girl and her mother disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn't know what he was going to - but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.
The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.
"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. "Everywhere else is full."
Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn't looked. Pikachu just rolled his eyes and Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.
"Hey, Ron."
The twins were back.
"Listen, we're going down the middle of the train - Lee Jordan's got a Ditto down there."
"Right," mumbled Ron.
"Harry," said the other twin, "did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then."
"Bye," said Harry and Ron. The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.
"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron blurted out.
Harry nodded.
"Oh - well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George's jokes," said Ron. "And have you really got - you know..."
He pointed at Harry's forehead.
Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared.
"So that's where You-Know-Who - ?"
"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."
"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.
"Well - I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."
"Wow," said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, Harry and pikachu were getting uncomfortable then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.
"Are all your family wizards?" asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.
"Er - Yes, I think so," said Ron. "I think Mom's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talk about him."
"So you must know loads of Pokemon and magic already."
The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.
"I heard you went to live with Muggles," said Ron. "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. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. "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 Percy's old rat, the only new thing I got was this Slakoth and the Poke Dex."
Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep, and a poke ball made it big and out poped a sloth looking Pokemon.
"His name's Scabbers and he's useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy gowls Noctowl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn't aff - I mean, I got Scabbers instead."
Ron's ears went pink. He seemed to think he'd said too much, because he went back to staring out of the window.
"You know, money isn't every thing. I don't even get new clothes, I get my cousin's hand-me-downs. Besides I have Pikachu here," Harry said while scratching Pikachu behind his ears. It 'cha'd' in content.
After all, he'd never had any money in his life until a month ago, and he told Ron so, all about having to wear Dudley's old clothes and never getting proper birthday presents. This seemed to cheer Ron up.
"... and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or trainer, even about my parents or Voldemort-"
Ron gasped.
"What?" said Harry.
"You said You-Know-Who's name!" said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. "I'd have thought you, of all people-"
"I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name," said Harry, "I just never knew you shouldn't. See what I mean? I've got loads to learn... I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst trainer in the class."
"You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."
While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past. Their Pokemon seem to be fast friends.
Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"
Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, but Ron's ears went pink again and he muttered that he'd brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.
He had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry - but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bettie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs. Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.
Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.
"Hungry, are you?"
"Starving," said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.
Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef.."
"Swap you for one of these," said Harry, holding up a pasty. "Go on-"
"You don't want this, it's all dry," said Ron. "She hasn't got much time," he added quickly, "you know, with five of us."
"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with besides Pikachu. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron and the Pokemon, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).
"What are these?" Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not really frogs, are they?" He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.
"No," said Ron. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."
"What?"
"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know - Chocolate Frogs have cards, inside them, you know, to collect - famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."
Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.
"So this is Dumbledore!" said Harry.
"Don't tell me you'd never heard of Dumbledore!" said Ron. "Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa - thanks-"
Harry turned over his card and read:
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS
Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, being the only pokemon trainer to catch the legendary Pokemon Moltres, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.
Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore's face had disappeared.
"He's gone!"
"Well, you can't expect him to hang around all day," said Ron. "He'll be back. No, I've got Morgana again and I've got about six of her... do you want it? You can start collecting."
Ron's eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.
"Help yourself," said Harry. "But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos."
"Do they? What, they don't move at all?" Ron sounded amazed. "Weird!"
Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn't keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the Druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"You want to be careful with those," Ron warned Harry. "When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor - you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once."
Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.
"Bleaaargh - see? Sprouts."
They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn't touch, which turned out to be pepper. Hmm spicy.
The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.
There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.
"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a pokeball with a machop inside at all?"
When they all shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"
"He'll turn up," said Harry.
"Yes," said the boy miserably. "Well, if you see him..."
He left.
"Don't know why he's so bothered," said Ron. "If I'd brought a machop I'd keep it close to my hip, literally. Those Pokemon get really strong, but can't find them where I live. Mind you, I brought Scabbers and Slaky, so I can't talk."
The rat was still snoozing on Ron's lap, and the Slakoth was eating a pumpkin pastry.
"Scabbers might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."
He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.
"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway-"
He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth. It was Hermione and Vulpix was in her pokeball.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," said Ron, but the girl wasn't listening, she was looking at Harry with a bright smile which he retuned.
"Hi Harry, Pikachu how are you?" she said
"We're fine and how are you?" said Harry.
"Great, oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."
She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.
"Er - all right."
He cleared his throat.
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,
Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."
He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.
"Are you sure that's a real spell?" said the girl. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. 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 learned all our course books 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.
Harry looked at Ron, and was trying not to laugh at the expression he had, like he had not even opened a book the whole summer. Harry at least read a few chapters in each book.
"I'm Ron Weasley," Ron muttered.
"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 in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville'sMachop. You two had better change and put your Pokemon back in their Pokemon, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."
And she left, taking the pokemonless boy with her.
"Whatever house I'm in, I hope she's not in it," said Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. "Stupid spell - George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud."
"She's not that bad. What house are your brothers in?" asked Harry.
"Gryffindor," said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. "Mom and Dad were in it, too. I don't know what they'll say if I'm not. I don't suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin."
"That's the house Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"
"Yeah," said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.
"You know, I think the ends of Scabbers' whiskers are a bit lighter," said Harry, trying to take Ron's mind off houses. "So what do your oldest brothers do now that they've left, anyway?"
Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he'd finished school.
"Charlie's in Romania studying dragons, and Bill's in Africa doing something for Gringotts," said Ron. "Did you hear about Gringotts? It's been all over the Daily Prophet, but I don't suppose you get that with the Muggles - someone tried to rob a high security vault."
Harry stared.
"Really? What happened to them?"
"Nothing, that's why it's such big news. They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard with a srong pokemon to get round Gringotts, but they don't think they took anything, that's what's odd. 'Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who's behind it."
Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying "Voldemort" without worrying.
"What's your Quidditch team?" Ron asked.
"Er - I don't know any." Harry confessed.
"What!" Ron looked dumbfounded. "Oh, you wait, it's the best game in the world - " And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he'd been to with his brothers and the broomstick he'd like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn't Neville the pokemonless boy, or Hermione this time.
Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: it was the pale boy from Madam Malkin's robe shop and had what Dex showed it was a Snivy standing right beside him with a sneer on its face. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he'd shown back in Diagon Alley.
"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 on 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 been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.
"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."
He turned back to Harry. "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. Pikachu also went to see the Snivy, who held out his tiny hand. Pikachu stood his ground.
"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," he said coolly.
Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.
"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 riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."
Both Harry and Ron stood up and Pikachu got on all fours and small sparks were comming off its cheeks. And Slakoth stood up slowly but looked as mad as Ron.
"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.
"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.
"Unless you get out now," said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.
"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."
Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.
Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle - Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they'd heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione had come in.
"What has been going on?" she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.
"I think he's been knocked out," Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. "No - I don't believe it - he's gone back to sleep."
And so he had.
"You've met Malfoy before?"
Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.
"I've heard of his family," said Ron darkly. "They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they'd been bewitched. My dad doesn't believe it. He says Malfoy's father didn't need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side." He turned to Hermione. "Can we help you with something?"
"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"
"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," said Ron, puting Scabbers back in his pocket. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"
"All right - Harry, I'll see you later, you too Pikachu," said Hermione as she turned to leave. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"
Ron started to rub his nose and try to get rid of it. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.
He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron's were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them. They also returned their Pokemon into their pokeballs.
A voice echoed through the train: "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Harry's stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.
The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry felt the cold night air it was soothing. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"
Hagrid's big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads.
"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 on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his pokemon, 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 onto 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 that 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 harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.
"Oy, you there! Is this your machop?" said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.
"Trevor!" cried Neville blissfully, returning the Pokemon. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid's lamp, coming out at last onto 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 Pokemon?"
Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door.
Woo hoo! I'm finished with this one. Shout out to Lydia-hood thanks for you opinions and It also got me thinking of some way to keep writing this story. Alright you guys enjoy and please review. Peace dudes.