Clarie's remaining month with the Chambers was somehow half-enjoyable. Aunt Claudia only called her to clean up once or twice a week only. They didn't talk much to her, and whenever they were pissing her off she'd say, 'I want to have a bit more of practise on my tongue-tying curse. It can probably shut anyone up.'

As for her eagle owl, she decided to call her Artemis. Luckily Aunt Claudia didn't fuss around much, although Artemis had been bringing in dead mice and frog she caught.

She spent most of her time in her own room, reading, self-learning charms, jinxes and curses, but she didn't made much progress, with only able to make things in her room lifted up for a little while without touching them and fix some broken things like Madam Malkin did to her blouse, although, just minor stuff. The only true triumph was that she was able to perform a Tongue-tying curse, only that poor Artemis was her victim to try her curses on.

Once when she was cleaning up after supper in the pantry, she heard something from Aunt Claudia: "...getting more and more like James, I must say, the same little prankster..."

She suddenly stayed alert and couldn't refrain herself from peering over the door and eavesdropping the couple. The two, however, realised that and simply said, "Return to your work, Potter. And go back to your room straightaway afterwards."

It was the last day of August already before she realised. That night she decided to speak to the Chambers about getting to King's Cross station.

'Erm, Uncle Casper?' she started tentatively.

He grunted. Clarie assumed he was listening.

'I have to go to school by train at King's Cross station tomorrow. Can you give me a lift?'

He said nothing.

'Please?'

'Alright, then. And would you kindly ask your school whether you can stay there for the rest of the year, this house's been in a complete mess with packs of owls and owl droppings all over the roof.'

The next morning Clarie got so excited that she woke up at five o'clock. She put on her jeans and the blouse she wore to Diagon Alley, instead of the school robes in order not to make herself a fool in front of packs of muggles, and tied her long, deep red hair into her usual plait. Then she triple-checked her stuff, making sure that all her books and clothes are in her trunk, Artemis well-locked in her cage and her wand and ticket in her pocket.

For the first time she took a careful look of her ticket. It wrote that the Hogwarts Express departs on platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock.

She realised something was wrong when she stuffed her ticket back in her pocket. Platform nine and three-quarters? She thought. Where on earth is this ruddy platform?

She started cursing herself for being stupid not to take a look of it first. She thought of sending Artemis to Hagrid, but when she came back with a reply the Hogwarts Express had probably gone.

She strode in her room nervously, thinking of all possible ways to get herself on this unknown platform. But two hours later the Chambers has woken up and after another ten minutes, they got all the things packed on Uncle Casper's car, Clarie and Uncle Casper went to King's Cross station with Aunt Claudia staying behind.

'So,' Uncle Casper started after ten minutes of dead silence. 'Which platform are you going on?'

'Urm,' Clarie hesitated. 'Platform nine... platform ten... now don't ask me,' she said, rolling her eyes when she saw Uncle Casper's frowning face. 'The ticket says it's platform nine and three-quarters.'

Uncle Casper stepped on the brake so fiercely that the running car stopped instantly, and the driver behind hooted his car horn angrily. 'THERE'S NO SUCH STATION THERE!' Uncle Casper yelled. 'You – girl – stop talking nonsense or we'll drive straight back. I MEAN IT, POTTER!'

'Well, go on and give a try!' she said casually. 'I can manage a leg-locker curse now, but not really successful in removing it. Besides,' she smiled widely. 'What would Hagrid think if I don't arrive?'

Uncle Casper gulped hard. Clearly he was thinking of the extraordinary strength Hagrid had and their 'unusual' magical powers.

They reached King's Cross at half past ten. Uncle Casper dumped Clarie's trunk and Artemis with her cage on the entrance, which made him received a painful nib from an angry Artemis.

'So – platform nine and platform ten,' he pointed at two platforms with an uninjured finger, rubbing his injured finger furiously. 'Find your way to get on that ruddy platform.'

He returned to his car and drove off. Clarie loaded her stuff onto a trolley and started patrolling along platform nine and ten. She dared not to ask anyone, for she hated to make herself a fool. By nine forty-five she almost lost all hope, and she started to make approximate madly calculations on where the third quarter on platform nine was.

At the moment she decided to give up a group of people passed by, and she caught a few words of what they were saying.

'- muggles everywhere, we'd better hurry - '

Clarie swung around. The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to five boys and a little girl, all with flaming red hair. Each of them was pushing a trolley with trunks on it, and one of them even got a rat.

Heart hammering, Clarie pushed her trolley with a ray of hope and followed the family.

The little group of people stopped at a ticket barrier between platform nine and platform ten. 'Hurry, Charlie, you go first or you'd be late,' the plump woman said hastily.

The boy, the eldest boy of the little crowd ran towards the ticket barrier with his trolley and suddenly, he vanished as if he was melted into it.

Clarie shook her head and focused hard – it really happened – but how could it be?

'Percy, hurry!' the plump woman urged. The second eldest brother strode towards it, and once again, he disappeared.

She couldn't believe her eyes. But she stepped forward and said, 'Excuse me, Madam, may I ask...'

'Hello, dear,' she said. 'First year in Hogwarts? Fred and George are new too.'

She pointed at a pair of twins, both not too tall and wide-built and looked at around Clarie's age.

'Sorry, but we're in a hurry, as you see, it's eleven fifty-five already,' the woman said. 'Maybe you can follow Fred and George, simply run towards and through the barrier. It's perfectly safe, dear.' She added when she saw the anxious look on Clarie.

'Remember to go through the third quarter -' the first twin said with a grin.

'George!' the woman shrieked.

'Or you'll bump if you go through the middle,' the second twin finished his brother's line.

'Really – boys – we'll be late!' the woman shouted. 'Go, now, the two of you – you can follow them, my dear.'

The twins vanished into the ticket barrier. She knew she had not much time left, and with a deep breath she started to run towards the barrier. When she was about to crash into the barrier she suddenly felt a twinge of fear to crash into solid wall, but then, as if running through a black tunnel, she ran into what looks like King's Cross station, but the sign there now read Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Hogwarts Express, with a scarlet steam engine train in the railways.

'All aboard!' a voice shouted. Quickly she unloaded the contents of her trolley and entered the train. The compartments at the front were already full, with people still crowding there and fighting for seats.

She passed through compartments, and only managed to find the last compartment had only the boy she met in Madam Malkin's standing on his seat, trying to force his trunk onto the luggage shelf.

'Here, I'll help you,' she said, as she entered the compartment with her luggage and owl. With great effort they managed to push the trunk into a corner, and Clarie's trunk to the other, both panting on their seats right on their seats opposite to each other.

'Aren't you the girl I met in Madam Malkin's?' the boy said, as he took a good look on Clarie.

'Excellent memory, I am,' she said.

The boy moved his head sideways as if he wanted to sneak a peek on Clarie's back.

'Urgh, you are such a dirty lust,' Clarie said, as if she could read his mind. 'There're no holes on my shirt. Madam Malkin mended it, remember?'

'That's right, I forgot,' he said with an embarrassing smile. 'By the way, did I mention you are the coolest girl I've ever seen?'

'Why?' Clarie said, quite astounded at the comment.

'Well, I suppose, girls seldom swear.'

'So that's the reason?' she almost laughed out. 'I hate to pretend I'm an affected, niminy-piminy chit.'

'Oh, I haven't introduced myself,' the boy said when trying to hold back a laugh. 'I'm Lee, Lee Jordan.'

'And I'm Clarie Potter. Nice to meet you.'

'Clarie Potter? Blimey, I almost thought you're Claire Potter. You have close names,' he commented.

'Actually about that... I think that's more than a typing mistake,' she said tentatively, hoping not to appear as too much of a boastful, arrogant kid, or any way stupid. 'The name really DID spell c-l-a-r-i-e, and it is read as Cla-rie.'

'Bloody hell,' Lee murmured. 'I never assumed that...'

'What?' Clarie said.

'I'd ever share the same compartment with Claire Potter. I mean, Clarie Potter.'

'Well, you are now.'

'And I never thought she's a swearing girl.'

'I appreciate your praise,' Clarie said, and they giggled.

'So,' Lee started. 'Did you go to Gambol and Japes' that day?'

'Nah, not a chance. Hagrid said it was too late when we finished buying my stuff,' Clarie said with a mournful look. 'I really wanted to go, it sounded fabulous from you.'

'It was!' Lee said, and he stood on his seat and dug his hands into his trunk and searched for something.

'There you go,' he threw something what looked like a firework onto Clarie's lap. 'Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start, No-Heat Fireworks. You can try to set it off.'

'Wet-start and no heat?' Clarie said, as she examined the firework carefully. 'Do you mean I have to spill water on it?'

'Ten points to Miss Potter for she got it right,' Lee laughed. Clarie pulled a water bottle out of her trunk and poured some onto the little firework stick.

The effect was immediate. The firework zoomed out of her hand and exploded with a 'BOOM!'. Then from the fireball of explosion a thousand smaller sparks with all kinds of colours appeared and zoomed around the compartment, each spark multiplied into a smaller one and joined the others and form different patterns, from a Father Christmas, to two moving little elves. Soon the compartment was filled with sparks, like stars hovering over their heads.

'Oh, no,' Lee said worriedly, as a few sparks were hitting the windows. 'We'd better open the window and let them go, or we'll be burned like roasted pigs, or they might blast the compartment apart.'

'Why not the door?' Clarie said happily, as she forced the door open. Immediately the sparks flew out of their compartment and zoomed everywhere, and they heard screams of people down in the corridor, and a few yelps of pain.

'Uh-oh,' Lee said, as they saw a few figures strode towards their compartment after three minutes when all sparks were cleared. 'We're in so much trouble.'

Four people came into their compartment. Clarie recognised them – they were four of the six red-haired brothers she met at the entrance to platform nine and three-quarters. 'You are first-years, right?' the one who seemed to be the eldest said. 'This time I'm not going to report to the teachers, but you mark my word that no more fireworks are allowed on the train.'

'No, Charlie, you should tell the teachers!' another boy argued. 'You're a prefect! You have the duty to do so!'

'Nib it, Perce, he's the one to decide, not you,' one of the twins said, nodding towards Charlie the prefect.

'Yeah, and you can give her as much detention to them as you like when you are one,' the other twin chanted.

'Though it's not very likely to happen - '

'Nor we'll let you give them detentions - '

'Unless you favour the teacher so much that they are willing to give you a badge.'

'Oh, shut up, you two,' the second boy said angrily, blushing and gave the twins a disgusted look.

'They've got a point anyway, Percy,' Charlie the prefect said, and Percy scowled even more. 'I'm the one to decide, and I think it's just first-years don't know the rules. Next time don't do it again.' He added warningly to Lee and Clarie.

The brothers left the compartment, though the twins stayed behind and sat on both sides by Clarie and Lee.

'That was close, huh?' the boy beside Clarie said, grinning from ear to ear.

'Well, we're lucky enough not to get expelled before we even arrived,' said Lee, with a big sigh of relief.

'We haven't even introduced ourselves. This is George and I'm Fred,' the twin right opposite to Clarie said.

'I'm Lee Jordan and this is Clarie Potter.'

The twins gasped.

'You mean... Claire Potter?' George said tentatively, taking a glance over Clarie from head to toe.

'Unless you're saying there's such a person with such similar names?' Fred laughed.

'Okay, I'm going to issue a clarification on the Daily Prophet- or whatever it's called some day: my name is truly, and undeniably called as Cla-rie Potter,' she said as she rolled her eyes, getting tired of people mispronouncing her name.

'Merlin's beard,' Fred murmured. 'For goodness's sake- we'll tell Perce! He'll never believe us but he shall see!'

'Oh, God, no! You two- stay here and if anyone of you dare to speak a single word of this...' she exclaimed.

'What? You'll do what?' George challenged.

She blushed. 'I'll cut your heart out, I swear...' she said through gritted teeth. She hated to look like an idiot. She'd stand out by playing cool, playing tricks on others, but not as a famous person for an incident she hated, or actually feared to mention, nor appearing as an idiot.

'Hullo, dears, anything off the trolley?'

A new voice joined before anyone could reply on that. It was an old lady who was pushing a trolley with odds and ends on it, from candies to pastries and all kind of fabulous food you can imagine, judging by the fantastic smell.

Clarie can hardly pretend that she wasn't hungry anymore, especially with the treats in front of her. She couldn't resist the temptation, now when Aunt Claudia out of her reach to stop her from eating any sweet things, for Aunt Claudia, as a dentist, never allowed sugar-contained treats to appear in her house.

'We'd better get our lunch here, George,' Fred said, and the two of them left the compartment.

Lee and Clarie took a careful look at the trolley. Clarie wanted to buy as many kinder chocolate bars as she can afford, but the old lady had only Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Droobles Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice wands and a wide range of things she's never seen. Eager to try on every new treats she can get by, she bought a little of each kind and returned to her seat.

'You are going to be stuffed and not able to munch a thing at the feast tonight,' Lee warned, though stared at her little pile of food with admiration. He bought himself a Cauldron Cake only.

'Well, I like to try on new things,' Clarie said, as she took a big munch on her pasty. 'Here, you can eat some of these – I may not be able to finish them but I want a try on each one.'

'Having a feast, everyone?' Fred said, as the twins returned to the compartment.

'Somehow, you can call it a feast if you like,' Clarie said. 'Why aren't you guys having lunch with your brothers?'

'Nah, Percy went off pegging away with his boring books, and Charlie had to stay in the Prefects' compartment,' George said, as he unwrapped a damp, sandwich-like thing. 'Ugh, mom's got it all wet – how am I supposed to eat it?'

'Here, eat anything here you please – I'm not able to finish them all anyway,' Clarie said, handing them some Cauldron cakes. The twins' eyes glittered with delight.

'Thanks!' said Fred and he snatched a cake and some chocolate frogs. The sandwiches remained ignored for the rest of the afternoon.

'It's great to be able to buy whatever you want,' said Lee gloomily. 'My father seldom allowed treats.'

'Me neither. Aunt Claudia never let me touch anything sweet,' Clarie said. 'But she's beyond reach and she cannot stick her nose in my business now. I'm going to try on everything she restricts.'

The four kids stuffed themselves with all the sweets and goodies they can get by. Clarie opened a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans and she passed by a few tastes: toffee, chocolate, mint, steak, blood, cabbage, pepper, and was brave enough to take nibble a little bright red bean which turned out to be a chilli flavoured bean, giving her sensations of burning and heat on her tongue.

By the end a little heap of Chocolate Frogs were left. 'They aren't real frogs, are they?' Clarie asked carefully before she opened any of them.

'It's a charm only,' Fred said, picking a few packs carefully. 'It moves but you still can eat it. What people want most is only the cards of famous wizards and witches. You can start a collection now, we've got about two hundred.'

'Two hundred?' Lee said. 'I've got like seventy something so far only.'

Clarie took a pack and unwrap it. A little brown chocolate frog quavered, then suddenly leapt and jumped straightly into her mouth. 'Strike!' The twins chanted and chuckled. The frog tasted amazingly great, sweet and warmth it brought and cheered Clarie up.

She picked up the little card in the pack. On the card there was a picture of a thin, tiny woman withblack hair, which was unusually straight and uniform on her shoulder as a sheet of black, a long nose with icy blue eyes and wearing a smile which didn't reach her cold eyes. Beneath the photo was the name Jennifer Norton.

'Jennifer Norton?' Clarie said. 'Sounds familiar.'

'Strange that you know some names in this world more than we do, but she's quite famous, only died a few years back,' said Lee. 'Can I have a frog? I might get Lusper – thanks -'

Clarie turned over her card and it read:

Jennifer Norton (1935-1987)

Considered as the most famous Dark Magic historian and Auror at modern times, Norton revealed the deepest secrets of this criteria through a few of her famous books, Dark Arts: Your Deepest Fears and Foulest Creatures to be Seen. Though she made a great success on discovery on Dark Arts, these books were restricted and were grouped into level III dangerous books. She died on 8th March, 1987 at the age of 52.

She turned the card back but Norton's face disappeared.

'Hey, she disappeared!'

'Of course she does, dunghead, you 'spect her to remain all day round?'

Clarie remained silent for a while. 'Sounds like she's bad, like a villain.'

'She is,' George said, as a matter-of-factly. 'I mean, she's from Slytherin and she lost her job as an Auror since her late thirties, for having too much close contact with Dark Arts. But you can't say she didn't contribute.'

'Slytherin?'

'Of course! You don't know – oh, sorry, I forgot you were raised by muggles,' Lee said. 'There are four houses in Hogwarts that students will be sorted into: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.'

'The clever and cunning ones go to Slytherin, which are where most people went bad belongs - ' Fred said.

'While Gryffindors resembles brave and courage - ' George followed.

'Ravenclaws are the wise ones – '

'And Hufflepuffs are kind, loyal and patient, but most people say they are dumb-headers.'

'Sounds like Gryffindor's the best, and I think Ravenclaw's quite good also,' Clarie said slowly. 'I hope I'm not in Slytherin or Hufflepuff, they don't sound good. Ahh, I'd say Voldemort - '

The twins gasped and Lee gave a weak shriek. Clarie realised her mistake immediately.

'Sorry – sorry - I didn't mean this!' she apologized quickly.

'You said his name!' the three said in unison.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean this... just I've got loads to learn, you see?' Clarie said. 'You see, I didn't mean it and I don't even know what I should avoid to say. I bet I'm going to be sorted into Hufflepuff if I'm any slower.'

'You won't, mate, lots of muggle-born children get sorted in good houses,' George said, and he gave her an encouraging pat on her shoulder.

'Yeah, and it still sounds cool that Clarie Potter dared to say You-Know-Who's name,' Fred said, grinning widely.

'Actually, do you remember how did You-Know-Who look like?' George asked with an air of interest.

Of course she remembered. That white, snake-like face was still haunting her dreams occasionally. 'Somehow. Anyway, so – You-Know-Who was in Slytherin, right?' Clarie said, trying to change the subject.

'Yep, everyone knows it, he's pure evil, my mom says,' Fred said.

Suddenly the door flung open. Two boys and a girl entered the compartment. To Clarie's annoyance, she knew the face of the boy in the middle. He was the boy she met in Flourish and Blotts.

'So, this is true then,' the middle boy said, with more mild interest than arrogance on his face this time. 'People outside said that Clarie Potter was in this compartment, and just set off a firework.'

Clarie's mind raced quickly. She never told anyone her name except from the four boys in the compartment. How on earth did they know?

'Right, and thanks so much for coming round for this little visit,' Clarie said coldly. 'I'd be pleased if you get out now. There's no muggles here for you to jinx.'

'Half-bloods and blood traitors are no better than filthy little mudbloods,' the boy sneered, throwing a disgusted look at the other people in the compartment. Lee, Fred and George shot him an angry look. 'Especially with your lack of taste and idea of what true good friends are.'

Anger rose in Clarie's heart. She stood up, pulled out her wand and pointed it at the pale boy. 'I'm warning you now,' she whispered, audible to everyone in the compartment. The boy turned even paler than he already was at sight of it. 'Do – not – insult – my – friends – in – here.'

The pale boy suddenly sniggered. 'I heard you were raised by muggles, Potter,' the boy said. 'And what are you going to do with this? Poke me?' The other two sniggered, and by then Clarie took a glance at them. The boy was large and must be wearing XXL size robes and looked stupid with little piggy eyes. The girl resembled as an Asian, probably Chinese or Japanese, and had choppy short hair with a little strand of fringe on the front dyed in a sky blue colour like Clarie's blouse. 'Don't act it, Potter. You can cast a spell, even when I can't do it now.'

He said the wrong thing. Just as he let the truth that he still can't do charm works. Clarie cried, 'Mimble Wimble!'

The effect was immediate. As if his tongue was tied up, the pale boy couldn't utter a sound and looked slightly purple. The compartment bursted into laughter as the girl tried to pull the pale boy's tongue and tried to fix it. The other boy, though, ran inside and tried to punch Clarie.

Clarie avoided the gigantic fist and pointed her wand at the large boy's throat. He froze immediately, but looked so stupid and surprised that he resembled a pig so much. 'I'm warning you,' she said warningly. 'Get out of the place or I'll hex all of you.'

The three backed out and left the compartment, with the pale boy still making some screechy sound. 'That was fan-tas-tic!' Fred yelled

'Wait, slow it down,' George said. 'Did you know Rookwood?'

'Rookwood? So that's the stupid git's name?' Clarie said. 'Yeah, I met him once in Flourish and Blotts.'

'You really are in trouble now,' Lee said, sounding worried. 'You won't want to mess with Augustus Rookwood's son, Rookwood was an Unspeakable at the ministry. People respect them – well, most of them.'

'And he's got high social status,' Fred added darkly. 'Though he had a record of being accused as a Death Eater, but it was cleared. Still, Dad suspects him.'

'Death Eater?'

'Followers of You-Know-Who,' George said impatiently. 'Blimey, Clarie, what you know is really little.'

The sky was getting darker by the minute. Then the door flung open again and this time, Percy entered.

'Fred – George – you'd better change into your school robes now, we're almost there,' Percy said. He then turned to Clarie and held out his hand. 'So, you're Clarie Potter then, right? Pleasure to meet you, George told me that it was you here.'

George smiled, though packed with guilt. Clarie forced a smile and shook Percy's hand. 'C'mon, then, let's go, our trunks are in the other compartment!' George said and they ran out of the compartment. Clarie almost succeeded in kicking him. Percy then left the compartment and said, 'Nice to see you again, Potter!'

Clarie gave an angry grunt. 'We'd better change too, Clarie, if he said we're almost there,' Lee said, as he pulled out a set of robes out of his trunk. Clarie also took her uniform out and went to the washroom for a change.

After five minutes, she returned to her compartment and Fred, George and Lee had all changed into their robes. Then 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.'

People started to ruffle out of their compartments. Clarie murmured nervously, 'I wonder what house I'll be sorted in.'

'You are going to Gryffindor, I bet,' said Lee. 'You've got loads of guts to set off that firework here.'

'And you haven't mention her hexing Rookwood,' Fred said cheerfully.

'Well, then, do you guys have any idea of what houses will you be sorted in?' Clarie asked.

'Most likely we'll be in Gryffindor,' George said. 'Most of our family is in it, and often the whole family is in the same house.'

'I hope we are all in the same house,' Clarie said as the train finally slowed down and stopped. They shuffled down the train among crowds of people onto a small, dark platform. Clarie shivered in the chilly evening air. Then a familiar voice rang over the platform: 'Firs'-years over here! Firs'-years over here! Alright there, Clarie?'

Hagrid's big face beamed over the sea of heads, and waved at Clarie. Clarie hurried through the crowd with Lee and the twins and reached Hagrid with the other first-year students.

'C'mon, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years, follow me!'

The little group of people slipped and stumbled behind Hagrid. They went down a steep, narrow and dark path and when they reached the edge of a large, black lake, they saw Hogwarts, a gigantic castle resting on the top of a high mountain at the other side of the lake. 'Wow,' Clarie said under her breath, but no one took notice, as most people also 'ooh' and 'ahh' at the sight of the vast castle with many turrets and towers under the starry night sky.

'No more'n four in a boat!' Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats by the shore. Clarie stumbled into one of them with Lee, Fred and George.

'Everyone in?' shouted Hagrid, who occupied a whole boat for himself. 'Right then – FORWARD!'

As if listening to Hagrid's command, the fleet of little boats slid forward towards the castle across the lake, which was rather a bumpy journey with the unstable, wavy lake below. The castle grew larger and larger as they e=went closer to the shore.

'Heads down!' Hagrid shouted as the first few boats approached to a cliff and Clarie saw, to her surprise, they went through a curtain of ivy and through a dark tunnel, and finally stopped and students stepped out onto a harbour made of pebbles and rocks.

'Everyone on yer feet?' Hagrid said. 'Right then – off we go!'

They followed Hagrid out of a passageway onto smooth, damp grass under the shadow of the gigantic castle. Then within a minute's journey, the reached a big oak door after climbing a flight of stone steps.

'Everyone here? No one's missing?'

Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked thrice on the castle door.