Alek had never been to a public train station before, but even if he had, he was pretty sure the platform numbers didn't work in fractions. Yet, his ticket did say 'Platform 9 3/4', and as Mr. Perkins lead him to Platform 9, he didn't see anything between 9 and 10.
"Now gentlemen," Perkins said, turning to face Alek and Volger, "This bit is tricky, and I'm going to have to ask you to be understanding of our situation. You see you really are a unique case-"
"Yes, yes, we know," Volger interrupted, irritated at having had to push Alek's rather heavy trolley through the station.
Perkins grinned at Volger, whose stern expression did not change.
"While it was in our agreement that the Count would accompany his highness for his first year at Hogwarts, there are certain places where you will not be able to accompany Aleksander," Perkins said, his face sliding into an apologetic smile, "The first of which being the platform."
Volger straightened as if to protest, but was immediately interrupted by one of Perkin's men.
"It isn't a matter of us disallowing you to enter, its more that you physically cannot enter the gate," He said, pointing to the pillar of Platform 9. "The gateway is charmed to only allow wizards through, in case muggles accidentally bump or lean against it. The charm has held for generations, and it simply wouldn't do for us to dismember it for one man's entry."
Alek looked at the pillar, utterly confused.
"You mean the pillar?" he asked tentatively, and was surprised to have Perkins' hands on his shoulders.
"That's right your highness, you just run up to that pillar and you'll pass through as if it isn't there at all. Your escort on the other hand," he let go of Alek and faced a very outraged Volger, "Will have to be taken to the school grounds by other means."
With this one of Perkin's men snatched the trolley away from Volger and pushed it in front of Alek.
"Say your goodbyes here, Prince," the wizard said, "And then off you go. The train will be leaving soon. Time is of the essence."
Alek took the handlebar of the trolley and looked over his shoulder. Volger still looked as if he had something to say about this, but nodded sternly to Alek, as if allowing him to go forward. Alek turned to the pillar, trying to imagine a door or opening for him to cross through. It just didn't seem right to charge a mass of brick and expect to pass through it. But then, he supposed, that was exactly how he had passed through to the Port to get his supplies. He took a deep breath, and began to trot towards the gate. As he got closer, everything in his body told him to pull back and avoid the collision, but he stubbornly broke into a run, shutting his eyes against the impact.
The impact never came. Instead, he opened his eyes and found himself in a dense crowd of people. He looked above at the plaque that read "Platform 9/3"
"On you go lad," a man in uniform said, gesturing for him to move forward, "Lots of people coming in."
As Alek pushed forward, he noticed that most of the crowd was dressed in long robes of varying colors, like Perkins and his men had worn. Alek himself had been fitted for robes, which were tucked neatly inside his trunk alongside his other supplies, but he had not been sure if he was quite brave enough to wear them in public. But the people here seemed to have no issue with such attire. Adults and children, men and women, everyone here seemed to be dressed the same. All of a sudden Alek felt out of place in his pants and shirt, and wondered if he could find somewhere private to change. These thoughts were fleeting however, as he and his trolley was shoved forward into the masses.
This was the first time Alek had been alone. Surrounded by a large crowd, but without Volger or Perkins or anyone here he felt a sudden surge of panic. What was he to do? What if he did it wrong? Who was going to tell him where to go? He turned to see if any of the wizards who had accompanied him here had followed him through the gate, but was unable to spot a familiar face in the crowd. He took a deep breath. This was ridiculous. Alek couldn't just stand here, his trunk had to be loaded onto the train. With one last look to see if Perkins had come though, he took the handle of his trunk and lifted it up onto the train step. The weight of it surprised him, and once it was safely aboard he took a moment to catch his breath.
This was it then. Without ceremony or grandeur, here he was on the Hogwarts Express about to begin his education as a Wizard. As Alek shoved his trunk down the aisle looking for an empty compartment, a great excitement seemed to grow outside. Turning to look out the window, Alek saw that all the people who had previously been facing the train to say goodbye to their loved ones, had their backs turned. At the center of the sea of cloaks, Alek saw a small family pushing through the dumbstruck crowd. A tall man with curly blonde hair walked behind two boys who each pushed a trolley. Alek did not notice the boys behind him until they whispered in astonishment:
"There they are! That's him, Artemis Sharp!"
He whipped around in surprise at their closeness, but they seemed not to be paying much attention to Alek.
"D'you think he'll be signing autographs?"
"I don't know, mum said I was to leave them alone when I saw them."
The tall man smiled and waved to his audience, while the elder of his boys blushed and looked down. The younger held fast to his father's arm as he gazed at the train. His eyes glanced momentarily at the window Alek and his two companions were pinned to. He was blonde, like his father, with short hair combed flat over his head. The boy's expression was a mix of excitement and nerves, mirroring the way Alek felt deep in his stomach.
The crowd seemed to break its composure then, many began to dig for pieces of paper for the tall man to sign. As he was overwhelmed, his two sons lifted their trunks onto the train.
The boys behind Alek had rushed to the nearest exit to get their own paper's signed, and Alek resumed his search for an empty cart. He found one near the back of the train, far away from the hubbub outside. After closing the door firmly behind him, Alek immediately searched his trunk for his robes. He tugged them out hastily, spilling some of his leftover school allowance on the floor. Alek changed quickly then stooped to pick up the coins. He had made a mess of his trunk in his search, and was reminded of being berated by his tutors for the messes he often made when looking for things. Just as he had re-organized the trunk and was wondering how he was going to lift it up to the top compartment, he heard the door behind him slide open.
It was the boy from outside, his own trunk trailed behind him.
"Sorry," he said, "But the others are full."
Alek nodded, shoving his trunk off of the other seat.
"Do you need help?" the boy asked, coming over to help.
As they lifted both of their trunks up to the top compartment, Alek noted that the boy was considerably taller than he was.
After making sure the cargo was secure, the boy slumped into the seat across from Alek. A few minutes passed then, and the train lurched into movement.
"Already said goodbye to your ma then?" the boy asked with a friendly smile, "Jaspart and I were never too clingy either."
Alek nodded. He didn't quite know what he thought of the boy in front of him.
"Was that your father then?" he asked nervously, nodding his head to the outside.
"Aye," the boy said, looking down, "Da always gets swarmed in public. He'll be upset that we snuck off like that but Jaspart said it was the same last year too."
More awkward moments passed, neither of them knowing quite what to say.
"Why does he get 'swarmed' in public?" Alek finally managed.
The boy's head snapped up, confused. Then his expression softened into a relaxed, almost relieved, smile.
"You're muggleborn aren't you?" he asked bluntly.
Alek nodded slowly. There was that word 'muggle' again. Perkins had used it constantly in the week they had spent in London, and Alek hadn't decided if he was offended by it or not.
"Is your father a great wizard?" Alek tried to ask casually, wondering himself what exactly a 'great wizard' was.
The boy laughed.
"He's as good as any other, but he plays Quidditch for Britain."
Alek stared blankly at the boy.
"But of course you don't know what Quidditch is," the boy said, slapping himself on the forehead, "It's a wizard sport."
Alek nodded. So this boy's father was a celebrity then.
"You'll learn all about Quidditch when we get to Hogwarts," The boy assured him, "They have games all the time apparently."
"Deryn by the way," he said, sticking his hand out, "Deryn Sharp."
Alek looked at the hand, then tentatively shook it. Deryn seemed an odd name for a boy.
"Alek," he responded.
"Alek what?" Deryn asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"What do you mean 'Alek what?'" Alek asked confused, then remembered, "I don't have a last name if that us what you're asking about," he said.
Deryn's eyebrows shot up at this.
"No last name? Do people not have last names where you're from?" he asked.
Alek frowned. So the boy had noticed his accent.
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course they do. I am a noble, my title defines me." He said haughtily.
At this the boy's stare changed from interest to shock. He slapped his forehead again.
"I'm such a ninny- you're him, aren't you?" The boy's back stiffened now, adding an inch to his height.
At Alek's confused expression the boy laughed in amazement.
"That muggle prince whose been all over the papers!" Deryn said excitedly, then blushed, "Sorry, muggleborn prince. You're as wizard as I am witch now I suppose."
Alek almost glossed over the little detail, then turned a bright shade of red. So this was a girl he was speaking to. He felt all manner of stupid. Deryn took his embarrassment at having guessed her sex wrong as modesty, and tried a weak smile.
"Course' there's nothing wrong with being muggleborn. There are plenty of 'em on this train just like you," The girl shrugged, "Well not just like you but muggleborn all the same."
"Yes," Alek said, recovering a bit, "I suppose so."
"I heard you were escorted around London by the best Aurors in the business," Deryn said in a low voice, "Was it…weird to be around all those powerful wizards?"
Alek cocked an eyebrow.
"If you mean Daniel Perkins and his men it was a bit strange yes," he said.
Deryn looked taken aback.
"No not the barking ministry official I meant the Aurors," she said, "Tall men in dark robes, always shifting their eyes and stuff…" she looked as if she was going to slap herself again, "…Which you probably don't know about either. Aurors are dark wizard hunters. It said in the news the top seven in the industry were sent to bodyguard you, Evangeline's orders."
"Evangeline?" Alek asked, feeling as if he had heard the name before.
"She's the headmistress at Hogwarts," Deryn explained, "Tough as nails, everyone says, when she wants something, she gets it," the girl paused, then added, "Or someone in your case."
"Ah," Alek said simply, wondering how he felt about a female headmistress.
Deryn seemed to sense Alek's deteriorating mood, and tried to change the subject.
"So, what house do you think you'll be in?" She asked cheerily.
Alek felt she were doing it on purpose at this point. But he took the bait all the same.
"What do you mean what house?" and before Deryn could slap herself Alek added, "The boarding schools in Austria have dormitories, are they similar?"
"Well, yes and no," Deryn said, "Yes, your house determines where you sleep at night, but it's more than that. It's like… a team you're put on at the start of the year. And throughout the year the whole team is trying to earn points by being good students and helping out teachers and winning Quidditch games, and at the end of the year Evangeline counts up all the points and the winning house has a banquet in their honor." Deryn shrugged, "At least that's how everyone puts it."
"How many houses are there?" Alek asked, suddenly nervous. So this was a competitive school.
"Four," Deryn answered, "Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. I know I'll be in Ravenclaw. Everyone in my family's been in Ravenclaw three generations back."
Alek looked at her with surprise.
"Your entire family is made up of wizards?" he asked, "And they all went to Hogwarts?"
Deryn nodded, a smug look evident on her face.
"But don't worry. That kind of thing doesn't matter unless you want to be in Slytherin. Jaspart says lots of muggleborns got into Ravenclaw last year." The girl reached over to box Alek's shoulder, "Maybe we'll be housemates."
"Yes maybe," Alek said, a bit taken aback. He never had been on a team before, in fact this was the first non-relative he had ever spoken to who was the same age as him. What if he wasn't good at being on a team? In all his excitement at becoming Alek the Wizard, he hadn't realized just how different things were going to be from now on. This was a school full of students his own age, all of them trying to be the same thing he was trying to be.
Deryn sat back, apparently tired of talking, and looked out the window at a dark night sky. Alek studied her. Were all girls- witches like this? So boisterous and confident? The only girl he had known was one of his cousins, three years his elder. Anais had always been prim and stuck up, trying her best to be like her mother. This girl didn't seem to care what people thought of her, what with her rough way of speaking and her short boyish haircut.
"Deryn?" Alek asked, feeling like an idiot.
"Yes?" she said, not looking at him.
"Why is your hair so short? In Austria-" he took a deep breath, "In the muggle word girl's always wear their hair long."
Deryn laughed out loud at this, making Alek feel more the fool.
"Yes girls like long hair on this end too," Deryn admitted, then cocked her head to either side, cracking her neck, "But Da says I'll get the best wind resistance this way. Well he told Jaspart that anyway. Ma never let me cut my hair, but she finally allowed it this Summer, even though I'm not even allowed to join my house Quidditch team until my second year."
Deryn leaned in closer.
"I think she's just sore because she doesn't want me taking Jaspart's place on the team at school."
The girl chuckled and resumed looking out the window.
"Us first years still get flying lessons though, and you'll learn all about wind resistance and balance from the instructor.
"What kind of sport is this anyway?" Alek asked an amazed chuckle escaping his nervous mood. Flying? Wind resistance?
Deryn beamed and was about to answer when a voice sounded overhead.
"Attention students we will be reaching our destination shortly. Please prepare to exit the train in an orderly fashion. Do not attempt to carry your luggage, as it will be brought up for you."
A loud whistle sounded, hailing their arrival to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.