September first rolled around finding Staros and Carcerous making their way through a crowded train station looking for a platform that did not seem to exist.

"No wonder the first generation wizards have so many problems! How in the hell are we to find a platform in this mess with no guides?" Staros said for the third or fourth time. Carcerous sighed again, knowing full well that no answer was really required. He had already tried to locate this magical platform, but the entire area was blanketed with so many unfamiliar enchantments, a single one was difficult to make out. As Staros pushed the cart with his trunk on it, he wondered just how he was supposed to find this damnable platform. Seeing a constable, he decided to chance asking him.

"Sir, I seem to be having a bit of issue here. I am trying to find the eleven o'clock train from platform nine and three-quarters."

"Are you daft, boy? There's no such platform or train and you know it. You're with that other kid aren't you? Trying to make me a fool are you? Get on out of here before I haul you in."

A confused look on his face, Staros asked, "What other kid?"

"That one over there, sitting on the bench. Now off!"

Seeing a rather puny looking boy with wild black hair, broken glasses, and clothes that could only be described as ill-fitting in the broadest of terms, Staros said his thanks to the constable and made his way over to the bench.

"Excuse me, I was told you are also looking for a non-existent platform?"

The boy looked a little afraid as he answered, "Um, yes. Why? Do you know where platform nine and three-quarters is?" Bright emerald green eyes looked up and then away and down, not meeting Staros' own.

"Not a clue. How is a person supposed to find anything in this mess? Anyway, mind if I sit with you? Maybe we'll get lucky and someone who's been there before will pass by."

"Ok, sure," said the boy. "My name's Harry. This is my owl Hedwig."

Seeing that Harry already had a cart not quite even half full, Staros had Carcerous transfer his solitary trunk onto it and push his cart back to the loading area while Staros sat on the bench. Harry stared at Carcerous, likely never having seen an elf before.

"Hello, Harry, pleased to meet you. I am Staros Marcus, this here is Carcerous, my retainer. Don't worry about anyone seeing him, he's quite good at hiding from the mundanes."

"Mundanes?" Harry asked, shaking Staros' hand while giving Carcerous a slightly odd look.

"Oh, right. I believe you Brits call them muggles or something?"

"Brits? Are you from the continent or something?"

"Sorta. How do you guys put it? Across the pond actually. American and Californian born and raised. Spent some time in Japan with one of older brothers, but mostly just a lot of California. Now I'm here to reclaim my family's ancestral lands. So far, the promise is of lots of work, followed by annoyance, followed by more work."

"Wow."

About this time, a group of red headed children led by a dumpy woman of middling years walked by. "Packed with muggles, as always…"

Hearing this, Staros and Harry both swung around and looked more closely at the group.

Looking them over, there were four boys of various ages, one looking to about theirs, two of the boys appeared to be twins, and a girl a year or so younger. All the boys had carts loaded with trunks similar to their own and one boy had an owl cage. That seemed to cinch it as Harry and Staros looked at each other and nodded together in unspoken agreement. They gathered themselves and their belongings and moved towards the odd looking group.

"Excuse me, madam. We couldn't help but overhear and hoped you might know where the eleven o'clock train might be leaving from?" asked Staros as diplomatically as he possibly could think of without saying 'Hogwarts' to what might be just a regular, non-magical family.

"First time to Hogwarts, dearies?" the woman asked. "No worries, first time through the barrier to the platform is always a bit confusing. Just follow the boys. Percy, howabout you show them?"

The older boy nodded and set himself behind his cart. Then he began to push it up to a trotting speed right at the wall of one of the support pillars. Just as it appeared he was going to crash, he disappeared right into the wall!

"Wow!" said Harry.

"No wonder we couldn't find it," Staros said. "Thank you for pointing the way, ma'am."

"Oh, no worries, dear. Howabout you and your friend go on through next. Best if you give it a good run through the first time."

Nodding their heads, Staros and Harry pushed their cart over to line it up with the wall. Carcerous looked on unseen but a barely noticeable shake of Staros' head and he nodded back before disappearing himself. His master would want him to remain unnoticed for now. Once they were lined up, they looked at each other, nodded once, and began to push their cart as hard as they could. Getting into a slight run, they fast approached the wall with a little hope and not so little fear of the very solid looking barrier. Even though Staros had grown up in a magical family, he had never had to run himself into a wall like this and briefly wondered if it was all some kind of weird British joke, if they would crash into the wall and everyone would stand around laughing at the two gullible boys.

Just as it appeared they would hit the wall, Harry and Staros both winced a bit and screwed their eyes shut, both expecting any second to run smack into unyielding bricks. When they didn't, Harry opened his eyes first to find them exiting a short dark tunnel into a wide open platform previously unseen. Nudging Staros, they both looked around and realized that this was the impossible to find platform nine and three-quarters.

"We better move out of the way," Staros said, helping Harry push their cart towards the train on their left. "Wouldn't want anyone to run into us."

Harry and Staros pushed their cart over to the train and struggled to get both their trunks and Harry other couple of bags off the cart and onto the train.

"Oy, need some help there?" asked a boy. Turning around, they saw the twin fellows from earlier.

"Yes, please," said Harry. "By the way, could you thank your mum for us again. We would never have figured out how to get here on time otherwise."

"Sure, no…" started one boy.

"Worries, mate," finished the next. Obviously a twin thing.

"My name's George Weasley," said the first.

"And I'm his devilishly handsome brother, Fred," said the second.

"Staros Marcus. Thanks for the assist, guys."

"Harry Potter. My thanks too."

"Harry…"

"…Potter?"

"Really? Can we see it?"

"You know, the scar?"

Harry looked a bit confused and quite embarrassed by the sudden attention, but pulled his bangs out of the way to show a lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

"Sweet," the twins said together before waving and walking off to get their own things on board.

"Downright odd those two are," Staros said. "Anyways, let's get on board, put these trunks away, and get off our feet. Trip's supposed to be a while."

Looking relieved that no one else wanted to stare at him, Harry agreed and before long, the two were ensconced in a compartment chatting about what they had seen so far of the British wizarding world.