On September 1st, Celyn and two other Hunters, Sasha and Lyra, accompanied Harry to King's Cross Station. Artemis was unable to make it, as she had her duties at Olympus, while Zoe and Phoebe could not abandon their posts, so Celyn and the two Hunters volunteered. They loaded his trunk in the back of a rental car, while Harry held a cage containing a beautiful snowy white owl called Hedwig, a gift from Annabeth. It wasn't a long journey from their safe house, but the traffic was a nightmare, and Lyra was the only one who knew how to drive.

No one really questioned it, because Celyn was fairly good at Mist manipulation, and gave Lyra the appearance of an adult woman. The only hiccup was when another car almost swiped them off the road. The occupants of that car was a large round man with a walrus moustache and a ruddy red face.

Next to him was a woman with a horse-like face, and in the back seat was an 11-year-old lump of fat throwing a tantrum. The man honked furiously and bellowed something about 'bloody useless women drivers who were better off in the kitchen.'

Somehow, all four demigods managed to ignore the vitriol spewing from his mouth. However, they all had itchy trigger fingers, and Sasha could not resist subtly flicking a small piece of Celestial Bronze at one of the tyres, ensuring a slow puncture. Celyn leaned over to Lyra and whispered, "Make a note of the license plate. I can't wait to see Lady Artemis turn them into jackalopes."

Finally, the four reached the station by 10 AM, and they set about looking for Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Five minutes later, Celyn noticed something strange about a column between Platforms 9 and 10. She murmured to her companions, "Hmm… A clever bit of Mist-Manipulation. No doubt, it is Lady Hecate's work."

Then, she spun Harry around and hugged him before smoothing down his denim jacket and adjusting his baseball cap. Celyn said, "Okay Harry, promise us you will focus on your studies? Be good, and make sure you send Hedwig over with occasional letters. Oh, and another thing, Chiron wanted me to tell you that Annabeth wants you to keep in touch, and Lou Ellen wants to compare notes when you return. If you need anything, do not hesitate to Iris Message us. Headmaster Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall said that you can go to their offices to IM us."

He hugged her back, "Don't worry Celyn, I'll be in touch, and tell you girls all about it!"

Sasha playfully asked, "Also, see if you can try and get us some new recruits from magic school."

Lyra elbowed her, "Ignore her, Harry. Alright, let's go kiddo. You have your luggage? Hunting knives? Rings?"

He counted from his fingers, "Check… check… and check… Though, do I really need the weapons?"

Celyn shrugged, "As Naomi always said, 'Better to have them, and not need them, than to need them and not have them'. Just make sure you conceal them properly."

They were about to make a run for the pillar, when Harry spotted a lost-looking family. The family of three were led by a bushy-haired brunette, pushing a luggage cart, looking around. Harry eventually caught her eye and he went up to them. He spoke up, "Hey, I couldn't help noticing that you three looked a little lost."

Harry leaned in and whispered to the girl, "I'm assuming you're going to Hogwarts?"

The girl nodded excitedly and started rambling, "Yes! I've been reading all the books in preparation for Hog-".

He quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, earning him an indignant look. Harry hissed back, "Be careful! In the wizarding world, there is a Statute of Secrecy! We are in a public place, and if you shouted it out, you and your parents could get into trouble! When I was taken to Diagon Alley with my mother and some of my sisters, Headmaster Dumbledore told us about it. According to him, non-magicals who accidentally find out, have their minds wiped about the knowledge of magic. Why do you think I was whispering to you."

Her face paled, and when he removed his hand, she quietly stammered an apology. Harry shrugged and gestured them towards Celyn, Sasha and Lyra. Sasha spoke up, "Come on kiddo… you have to go, now! We'll see you at home later, either on Christmas or when the year ends."

With a nod in their direction and a wave goodbye, Harry charged at the wall, and promptly phased through it. A few seconds later, the girl also followed him. They eventually emerged on the other side of the magical barrier, and the first thing that greeted them was a massive red steam engine, with smoke billowing from its chimney. Just as they finished admiring the engine, there was a commotion behind them. Harry and the girl spun around to see a group of four red-headed boys coming through the barrier. One of them, the oldest, noticed their wide-eyed looks and spoke, "I take it you two are First-Years? Ron's a First-Year too. Why don't you three stick together and find a compartment, it'll do you good to make some friends. I'm Percy Weasley, I'm a Prefect."

The three of them quietly shuffled into an empty carriage, with Harry calling dibs on the window seat. Harry fished out a Rubik's Cube and began fiddling with it so that he could curb his ADHD tendencies. As he twisted and turned, he noticed a spot of dirt on the boy, Ron's nose, but decided to be polite and ignore it. However, the girl had no such reservations. She glanced at Ron as if he was a bug on her shoe, and spoke, "You've got dirt on your nose, you better wipe it off."

His ears glowed red in embarrassment and he took out a handkerchief and rubbed his nose vigorously. Eventually, the train moved off the platform and they were on their way. The three of them sat in an uncomfortable silence, with Harry still fixated on his Rubik's Cube, when he had a brainwave. He turned to the still unknown girl, multi-tasking.

"Hey, I'm sorry, but I don't think I got your name. I know Ron's because his brother mentioned it. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves to each other."

She flushed a little, "Sorry, I'm Hermione Granger."

"Ron Weasley"

He stopped fiddling and shook her hand, "Harry Potter, nice to meet you two."

Their jaws dropped, and Ron gasped, "Bloody hell! And have you really got… You know- the scar?"

Harry shrugged and took off his baseball cap, "Not much left of it, it's faded a lot."

Hermione queried, "Are you really? I know all about you, of course - I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century"

Harry grimaced, "I had a look at those books too. Only Modern Magical History is accurate, that I somehow defeated him and no one knows what exactly."

She looked scandalized, "But… but… books don't lie! The other books said that you used some high-level magic to defeat You-Know-Who!"

He snapped back, "I was a baby! What kind of magic would I be able to do at the age of one? Also, books aren't the only source of information. I have never given any sort of interview about the attack, because firstly, I do not remember everything, and secondly I hate being in the spotlight! I already had enough of it back at summer camp. Suppose someone wrote a book about you and described you as a girl with blonde hair, dark skin and a missing arm?"

She crossed her arms, looked at him haughtily and retorted, "But that's not how I look!"

He put his cap back on his head and fired back, "But it was written in a book, and by your logic, books don't lie. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that history is always written by the winners. Take World War 2, for example. Everyone now knows the atrocities of the Nazis. But what if the Germans won the war? They would have written history a lot differently."

The girl flinched at the sight of his emerald and silver eyes, which looked a little intimidating. She deflated, "You're right… I'm sorry"

He turned to Ron, "And Ron, from what my adopted mum told me, the scar was actually the remnants of a Dark Curse, but she quickly consulted some experts and had the curse removed."

Ron nodded, then asked, "What's World War 2?"

Naturally, Hermione and Harry gave him a Cliff's Notes explanation. Harry revealed that the war was just a cover for Grindelwald's own actions in the conflict. Obviously, he neglected to mention demigods, since that was something he didn't want getting out just yet.

After a few minutes of silence, there was a small knock on the compartment door. It slid open and a round-faced boy with dirty blond hair peeped in, "Sorry, but have you seen a toad at all? I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

Ron pulled out a fat sleeping rat, "Nope! There's only Scabbers here. Sorry, mate."

Harry got up, figuring that walking around would help him not be so fidgety. He queried "Do you need me to help you search?"

His face lit up with a grateful smile, "I'd love that, thanks!"

Harry and the boy walked along the train, peering into different compartments, but there was no sign of the critter. Some politely dismissed them, others were a little more rude, especially a boy with slick blond hair.

Just then, Harry had a thought, "Hey, have you checked the lavatories? Your toad must have been looking for some cool damp places."

They hurried to the lavatories, and as soon as he entered, Harry emitted a low croaking sound. This startled the boy, who gazed at him in wonder. Just then, there was an answering croak, coming from near the wash basin. Sure enough, right under a pipe was a brown toad with warts on its back. The boy cried blissfully, "Trevor! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Harry scooped up Trevor, opened a tap and held the toad under the running water. He advised, "He was a bit too dry, I'd suggest keeping him hydrated at frequent intervals."

He thanked Harry, then asked, "Is it alright if some of my friends join you in your compartment?"

Harry grinned, "Sure thing! I'd be glad to make more friends."

With that, they split up and Harry reunited with Ron and Hermione and resumed playing with the cube. Eventually, the boy turned up again, with two girls with him. One was a tall blonde girl with pigtails, and the other was shorter with copper red hair.

The boy was a little red-faced, "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Neville Longbottom."

He gestured to the blond and redhead, "And these are my friends, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones."

Harry put down the cube once again and stuck out his hand, "I'm Harry Potter, that's Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

Thankfully, they didn't make such a big deal, aside from brief wide-eyed looks. As they talked, Neville had a though, "Hey Harry, when you helped me search for Trevor, were you… croaking at him?"

Harry blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Yeah… about that… Apparently, I am a Zoolingualist."

At their blank looks, he explained, "I can talk to any animal and understand them."

Susan was impressed, "Wow! That's actually pretty rare! Though if I may make a suggestion, you should keep your ability on the down low. Especially when it comes to interacting with snakes. Magical Britain doesn't look too kindly on snake-speakers, since You-Know-Who could speak to snakes, and the Ministry considers Parseltongue as dark magic."

Hannah piped up, "Outside Britain, it isn't actually considered dark magic. I remember two years ago, my family and I took a vacation to Australia. At any wizarding tourist agency, Parseltongue was a compulsory requirement for tour guides."

Ron was confused, "Why?"

She replied, "As it turns out, Australia is home to the most species of deadly snakes and spiders. So, Parselmouths are needed to warn snakes to stay away from tourists. Meanwhile, they also have to compulsorily learn the Spider-Repelling Charm."

Ron shuddered, "I don't think I like Australia. I hate spiders! When I was younger, the twins transfigured my teddy bear into a spider. Ever since then, I have been scared of them."

Sometime later, the compartment door flew open again. The blond boy from earlier, swaggered in, flanked by two thuggish-looking boys, one of whom, was picking his nose. He took in the six of them, "Is it true? They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

Harry immediately got a bad vibe from the boy. He seemed to be exactly the type of male that his mother would turn into a jackalope. Having lived in the Hunt for a few years, he had seen his fair share of disrespectful males, many of whom, were turned into jackalopes and hunted.

He finally packed the cube in his trunk and replied, "That's me."

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," said the pale boy absently gesturing to his two companions, "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron choked down a snort, and Malfoy shot him a poisonous look, "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 took in the others, "Longbottom… I'm surprised they let you attend. I thought you were a filthy Squib."

Neville's hand twitched, and Hannah inched closer to him, getting ready to potentially restrain him.

Malfoy glanced at Susan and Hannah, "Bones… Abbott…"

He glossed over Hermione and turned back to Harry, holding out his hand. "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."

Harry took his hand, but didn't shake. Instead, he spoke in a low voice, "I appreciate the advice, but I'd rather make my own conclusions about whom I wish to associate with."

With that, he squeezed Malfoy's hand, hard, making the other boy wince a little. When Harry let go, he looked at his own hand, "Apologies… It seems I underestimated my own strength."

Malfoy wiggled his hand and glowered "I'd be careful if I were you, Potter. 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."

Harry's eyes narrowed, and Crabbe and Goyle instinctively flinched, as his eyes were pretty scary. He spoke menacingly, "Was that a threat, Mr Malfoy? I suggest you leave."

The boy sneered, "What if we don't want to?"

Harry noticed a still sleeping Scabbers in the corner of his eye. However, he didn't want to risk exposing his Zoo-linguistic skills, especially not in front of Malfoy.

Fortunately, he was saved when Percy Weasley suddenly appeared behind them, "Ahem… Is there a problem?"

Malfoy lingered briefly, before weighing his options and strategically retreated, muttering, "My father will hear about this!".

Percy peered at the six remaining kids, "We're getting close now, I'd suggest you all better get changed to your robes. Also, leave your luggage on the train, it'll be taken separately."

The three boys moved out of the compartment to allow the girls to change. When they were done, Harry and his new friends changed as well. Before long, the train slowed and eventually pulled into a station, where everyone disembarked. By then, it was fairly dark, but soon, there was a lit lamp in the distance and it was steadily getting bigger.

A voice called out, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry? C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Very soon, a very large man emerged, and introduced himself as Hagrid, Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts. Armed with just a lantern, he led everyone down a rocky path, which was a little slippery. An olive-skinned boy in front of him stumbled. He quickly reached out, grabbed the boy's shoulder and steadied him. The boy shot him grateful nod before continuing. Many others slipped, but Harry had his Hunter training to thank for being sure-footed.

Eventually, they reached a massive black lake. On the other side of the lake, perched atop a high mountain, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers, its windows sparkling in the starry sky.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry picked out a random boat, and was joined by a girl with honey blonde hair and aristocratic features. A sandy-haired boy joined him, along with a dark-skinned boy.

Ron, Neville and Hannah were in another boat with a girl who had a slightly upturned nose. Susan was with Hermione and a pair of Indian twin girls.

"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.

Harry was the first one out of his boat, and offered his hand to the girl. She hesitated slightly, before taking his hand and exiting. The two boys with him, disembarked on their own, after polite refusals of help. To the three's confusion, Harry doubled back to the lake, scooped up some water and went up to Neville, who was juggling his toad. After pouring the water on Trevor, the toad calmed down. Harry shot him a pointed look, and Neville flushed and mumbled an apology, "Sorry, I forgot."

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. Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door. Harry secretly wondered whether he was a reformed Laistrygonian.

The door swung open to reveal a tall witch with greying hair, clad in emerald-green robes. Judging from her stern appearance, she could have rivalled his mother in terms of intimidation.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid. "Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide open to reveal a massive entrance hall. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts. The ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

As though she had rehearsed it, she spoke, "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points, is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."

Hermione turned to Ron, "How exactly do they sort us into houses?"

He grunted, "Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

Suddenly, he got startled when several ghosts casually floated in talking among themselves. Several others behind him screamed, Next to him, Hannah also screamed and clutched the nearest hand, his own.

The ghost of a fat little monk said: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance -"

His companion retorted, "My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?"

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at them.

"About to be Sorted, I suppose? Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned.

One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told the first years, "and follow me."