In Principio
"Will you stop it? You're practically vibrating," a young man with well-kept, medium brown hair drawled with a roll of his pewter gray eyes. Next to him, a girl, several years younger but nearly as tall, shook her head fiercely, sending her long, light brown hair flying about her head as they walked together down the crowded cobblestone street.
"I can't help it, Marius, I'm excited!" she replied, her stormy blue eyes alight with glee, "I've been looking forward to this nearly all summer!"
"I know, Arti." Marius answered, his tone even and calm as though he were speaking as a parent, "But try to compose yourself. We have a reputation to uphold."
The girl nodded once and immediately settled, letting her gaze fall upon the crowd ahead of them, her expression one of poise and status. Marius had been right, like always; as Selwyns, the siblings had a reputation to adhere to, whether they wanted it or not. So, the girl adjusted herself, creating the appearance of a descendant of the Sacred Twenty-Eight as was expected, her emotions capped within her. As the pair strolled down the street, they were met with a few nods here and there, the occasional 'good morning' exchanged between passersby, until at last they came to a stop in front of a rather dusty looking shop.
The door and sign had been painted a deep red, but it had been some time since it was last done, as evidenced by the chipping paint and peeling gold lettering that read 'Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C.' In its only window, a single wand sat upon a worn-out, sun bleached, purple cushion as dust and cobwebs collected around it. To any Muggle that managed to find their way to this place, it would have been an eyesore, something that should have been demolished long ago; but this most certainly wasn't the Muggle world. Here, Ollivanders was the pinnacle of a young witch or wizard's life, the very cornerstone of their magical education started here.
And now it was her turn.
The girl couldn't fight back a grin as Marius opened the door to let her into the shop. The soft ringing of a rusted bell as they passed through the threshold brought forth an older gentleman from an array of hazardously stacked piles of narrow boxes, a knowing smile upon his aged face. As he approached the Selwyn siblings, the scent of resin and mothballs struck the girl's nose, making her face scrunch ever so slightly as the man set his hand out to shake Marius'.
"Ah, the Selwyn family is back again, I see," he remarked, "Always a pleasure to have you here. Now, who is it that is in need of my services?"
"That would be my sister, Mr. Ollivander." Marius answered, gesturing to the girl, "Artemis is off to Hogwarts in two weeks' time."
"Wonderful! If you'll just step over here, Miss Selwyn, and hold out your wand arm." Ollivander gestured to a corner of the room and pulled out his wand, summoning a measuring tape, notepad, and quill.
Artemis did as she was told, lifting her left arm up for the measuring tape to wrap around like a snake. As the tape took measurements, the quill scribbled them down until all but the length of her toes had been measured. When its work was done, the measuring tape returned to its place within the dusty desk at the center of the shop, while the notepad and quill flew into Ollivander's hands. He looked them over and nodded assuredly when he was done, before tossing the items back onto the desk and disappearing amongst the piles and rows of boxes.
Artemis and Marius stood quietly, waiting for the wandmaker to return, and after a few moments had passed (as did the sound of collapsing boxes a time or two), he made his way back to the siblings with a mass of nearly thirty boxes in his hands. Setting them down gently on the desk, he plucked one of the boxes from the middle of the pile and removed its lid.
"Let's give this a try, eh? Hornbeam, 10 and 3/4 inches, dragon heartstring, rather whippy," he handed the light-colored wand to Artemis, "Go on and give it a wave."
She did, sending a flurry of uncontrolled red sparks from the tip. Almost as soon as she had done it, Ollivander snatched the wand away and handed her another one.
"Pear wood, 11 and 1/2 inches, dragon heartstring, and unyielding."
Artemis didn't even have the opportunity to wave the wand before it had been taken from her and replaced with another. And another. And another. By the time they had gone through near half the pile, she couldn't shake the encroaching fear that she was never going to find her wand. Until Ollivander paused, holding up a wand with an arched brow as he examined it. He muttered something to himself that neither Marius nor Artemis could make out, before letting his watery eyes flick up toward the latter.
"Perhaps... this will be the one," he told her, slowly extending the wand toward her, "Beech wood is quite particular about its user."
Artemis sucked in a shaky breath as she reached out to take hold of the wand. As the wood grazed the pads of her fingertips, a rush of pleasant warmth coursed through her as though she were wrapped in her favorite blanket. The sweeping carvings across the length of the wood created the illusion of waves intermittently broken up by Ancient Runes throughout, and the each rested beneath a finger as she wrapped her hand around the wand. It was as if the wand had been made for her; this wand had chosen her.
"Interesting," Ollivander observed as he studied the girl, "I certainly wasn't lying when I said that Beech wood is particular. This wand has sat in this shop for nearly fifty years until you came in. Beech wood, 12 inches, phoenix feather, quite pliable. I'm quite certain that you will accomplish incredible things, Miss Selwyn."
All Artemis could bring herself to do was nod as Ollivander plucked the wand away and placed it back in its box. Next to her, Marius pulled out a small handful of golden Galleons and counted them out, setting seven down on the desk. In a quick exchange, the wandmaker handed the wand box to the younger Selwyn and pocketed the coins, bidding the siblings farewell as they turned to re-enter the bustling streets.
"Here," Marius handed the remaining Galleons to his sister, "Go to Eeylops and pick out an owl. I'll gather the rest of your supplies and we will meet at Madam Malkin's for your robes half past the hour."
Artemis grinned and sped off, the Galleons jingling delightfully in the pocket of her navy velvet cloak. Eeylops was only a street over, so she wasted no time in trying to rush over to the owlery. Politely pushing through the crowd as she approached the menagerie, she eventually found herself brought to a grinding halt by a wall of people standing in line to enter Flourish & Blotts. Reaching forward, she gently tapped the nearest shoulder, seeing a girl with bushy brown hair and somewhat large front teeth. She looked at Artemis curiously as she nodded toward the bookshop.
"Is there any way I could cut through? I'm trying to get to the owlery."
The bushy-haired girl shrugged, "I'm afraid I don't know, given the crowd. It's my first time here; I'm not quite sure of where everything is."
'Ah,' Artemis thought to herself, 'a Muggle-born, no doubt.'
She smiled at the other girl and nodded in understanding, "No trouble, I'll just have to go around the block."
Artemis spun on her heel to walk away but was stopped by the bushy haired girl calling out to her.
"Wait! What's your name?"
"Artemis. Artemis Selwyn," she replied proudly without turning around. Before the girl could say anything further, Artemis had vanished, ducking around the street corner and made her way toward the dark little shop halfway down the street. Much like Ollivanders, Eeylops Owl Emporium was in need of a fresh coat of paint, though not nearly to the extent of the wand shop, as the white lettering overhead was still intact. Outside the shop, owls of all shapes and sizes sat in corresponding cages, either sound asleep or uttering soft hoots in desire of being set free. Artemis wasted no time stepping inside, the scent of owl feathers and dead mice plain in the air as she was met by a young, blonde-haired witch.
"Good morning, how may I assist you today?" she asked with an exaggeratedly friendly voice.
"I'm here to purchase an owl, obviously. A strong one that can carry packages." Artemis answered, looking around the shop at the various cages hung from the ceiling and against the faded green walls. The witch motioned for her to follow as she walked about the shop until she came to a stop in front of four large cages. Each cage possessed a different owl and each one of them seemed to have their own personality in some way.
"These are the largest owls we have currently: Great Grey, Snowy, Barred, and Eurasian Eagle. Take your time to look them over then come back to the counter when you've decided."
With a nod of confirmation, Artemis stepped toward the cages and began to get a good look at the owls as the blonde witch took off to help another customer. The Great Gray owl which sat on the far left, snoozed soundly within the confines of its cage, and, Artemis thought to herself, that if he had been capable, he would have been snoring. The Snowy owl had a red tag resting on one of the bars of its cage that read 'SOLD' in large white letters, so Artemis moved over to the Barred Owl who was fighting fiercely against the cage, trying to break loose. She sighed and shook her head as she moved to the final cage.
The Eagle owl sitting in the cage was indeed a handsome specimen, with tan, black, and brown feathers that were neatly preened and calculating, intelligent orange eyes. He met Artemis' eye curiously, tipping his head to the side as he leaned in closer to get a better look at her. She smiled widely and turned away to go to the counter, reaching into the pocket of her cloak to grab hold of the Galleons residing within. A balding man with wire-rimmed glasses stood behind the counter, watching with pale green eyes as the young Selwyn girl approached him.
"Can I help you, young lady?" he asked in a withered voice. She nodded and pointed back to the cage where the eagle owl was.
"I'd like to purchase that owl, please. And some treats as well."
She pulled out the handful of Galleons and set them on the table. The man chuckled lightly and nodded happily, reaching down below the countertop, to grab three orange boxes of Eeylops Premium Owl Treats.
"That'll be 15 Galleons for the owl, 1 for the treats, 16 in total," he informed her as he went over to where the cage was sat. Artemis quickly counted out the coins pocketing the final four that she had just in time for the aging wizard to bring the cage over and set it on the counter.
"He's an excellent companion, young miss," he remarked, sliding the Galleons toward him and throwing them into the register, "A fine companion, indeed. He'll serve you well. Shall I have the treats sent home?"
"Please," Artemis replied, grabbing the cage by the ring on its top, "Send them to Selwyn Manor by care of our House-elf, Rumple."
The wizard nodded and pulled out his wand, "Of course, Miss Selwyn. Have a lovely day."
She thanked the old man and stepped out of the shop, her new owl in hand as she followed the cobblestone road to the left toward Madam Malkin's robe shop. All the while, she studied her new friend, pondering what name he might prefer as she reached the line of new and returning Hogwarts students that wound out the door. Amidst the chaos of Diagon Alley's hustle and bustle, she picked out Marius standing alone in the line just in front of the doorway and went to join him.
"How'd you get on?" he asked her once she was close enough to hear. She held up the cage proudly, showing off her new owl to her brother, who let out a small chuckle.
"Have you named him yet?"
She looked at the cage curiously for a moment, then finally settled on a name, "Crowley."
Marius clapped his sister on the back and grinned, pulling her into line and pulling Crowley's cage from her hand, "I'll hang on to him while you get fitted, once that's taken care of, we'll take the Floo home."
Artemis only nodded as they both stood patiently in line, waiting for nearly an hour before at last it was their turn. Madam Malkin herself was bustling about from student to student, cajoling her employees if they messed up a measurement, searching for more silver clasps, and the like until she at last caught sight of Marius and Artemis.
"Oh, bless my soul! Mr. and Miss Selwyn, what a pleasant sight! Tell me, how are your parents?" she asked as she ushered Artemis onto a small circular platform. Marius stepped to the side and set Crowley's cage down against the nearby wall.
"They're quite well, Madame Malkin." Marius answered, "They're currently on holiday in Japan, but they'll be back in time to see dear Artemis off to Hogwarts."
"Wonderful, wonderful!"
The stout, gray-haired witch whipped out her wand and made quick work of altering a set of plain black robes and a winter cloak for the younger Selwyn. As she worked, she muttered to herself about how much easier it was when the measurements were already on file and before Artemis or Marius could pick up a light conversation, Madame Malkin was finished.
"I'll have these sent to Selwyn Manor straight away. Now, off with you two. Take care!"
Before being given the opportunity to say farewell, both Selwyns were sent outside to be replaced by the next group. As they stepped outside, the sound of a familiar voice echoed out amongst the line of families waiting to be fitted.
"Honestly, Mother, I don't know why we're wasting our time waiting in this ridiculous line. Father would have made an appointment if-"
"Hush, Draco, you need to learn some patience."
Both of the Selwyns looked toward the voice and saw a mother and son with platinum blonde hair waiting in line outside the shop. Draco Malfoy and his mother, Narcissa, stood arrogantly waiting for their turn. Marius immediately wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders and guided her away toward the Leaky Cauldron.
"Don't tell Father," Marius whispered as they walked away, "But I hope that you won't be sorted into Slytherin House, if only to put some distance between you and that sniveling Draco Malfoy."
Artemis bit back a laugh. Of course, most of the Selwyn family throughout history had ended up in Slytherin, her father and brother included. But her mother had been a Hufflepuff and her great-great-paternal grandfather had even been a Ravenclaw. So, there was no shortage of potential regarding where she would be sorted. But she couldn't help but share her brother's sentiments; Draco Malfoy was a vile, arrogant, and entitled boy, any distance greater than a common room would be preferable.
Two weeks had come and gone faster than Artemis could have expected. After eleven years of waiting and waiting, she was finally standing on Platform 9 and 3/4, she was finally going to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With her trunk and owl already on board, Artemis stood in front of her mother, father, and brother with eager eyes as she hugged them all one final time before boarding the train.
"Study hard, my dear," her mother told her as she gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, "and don't forget to write!"
"Good luck, Arti." Marius grinned, "Hopefully Peeves doesn't give you a hard time."
The Selwyn patriarch laughed, clasping his son's shoulder happily, "That poltergeist doesn't stand a chance against a Selwyn! Our dear Artemis will be the greatest witch Hogwarts has ever seen! Now, go on, find a seat on board."
With an excited wave, Artemis leapt onto the Hogwarts Express and began to scan the cars for an empty spot, finally settling upon one about halfway down the line. She quickly changed into her school robes to avoid being rushed and opened the carriage window to wave goodbye to her family. As they waved back, the train whistle blew and the train lurched forward, blowing steam over the platform and coating the families on it in a white plume of smoke. When the train finally left the station and her family was out of sight, Artemis shut the window and set herself down on the plush bench, setting her eyes on the London scene as it quickly transitioned into a verdant countryside.
After a few minutes of watching, a soft knock rapped against the door of the car before it slid open. A boy with messy black hair, green eyes, and wire-rimmed glasses stood in the doorway, wearing clothes that were two sizes too large for him.
"Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you, but can I sit here?" he asked, his voice quiet and nervous. Artemis nodded and gestured to the seat across from her. The boy smiled and walked in, taking the seat and looking out the window for a moment.
"I'm Artemis, by the way," she told him, "Artemis Selwyn."
The boy looked back at her, his smile still present, "Harry Potter."
Artemis froze in place. Could it really be? Was the Harry Potter actually sitting across from her? The boy almost seemed to read her mind and know of her doubts as he lifted the curtain of hair from his forehead and showed her a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt above his right eye.
"Merlin's beard, you are Harry Potter!" she exclaimed, her stormy eyes wide with admiration, "I can't believe you're actually talking to me! After all, you're the most famous wizard in our time."
"So everyone keeps telling me," he replied with a shrug, "I only found out about it a few weeks ago on my birthday."
"Well if you have any questions, feel free to ask." Artemis offered, leaning back in her seat, "I grew up in the magical world, so I might be able to help."
Harry thought on the offer for a moment or two, then nodded, "Would mind telling me what this test is that I've heard about? The one that sorts us into our houses? Everyone keeps saying something different."
"Oh, that? It's nothing to worry about," she replied with a wave of her hand, "All you have to do is sit on a stool while they place a hat on your head. The Sorting Hat can see into your head and decides what house would best suit you. My brother, Marius, told me it's a bit strange but it's nothing to be afraid of."
With that answer, Harry let out a heavy sigh of relief. Artemis guessed that he had been worrying about the sorting ever since he had first heard about it. But now that the stress of that was gone, the dark-haired boy was intrigued by everything else the wizarding world had to offer. Just as Artemis was about to discuss Chocolate Frog Trading Cards, another knock rapped against the door of the car.
Standing in the hallway was a gangly tall boy with fiery red hair. He slid the door open and stuck his head in, revealing a face splashed with freckles and a thin nose with a black splotch of dirt on it, and pointed to the empty seat next to Harry.
"Anyone sitting there? Everywhere else is full."
Both Artemis and Harry shook their heads and the red-haired boy immediately set himself down. Harry greeted him happily, clearly having met him before boarding the train. Once the boy had set himself down, he looked at Harry curiously then let his blue eyes move over to the window before the other boy could notice.
"Hey, Ron."
A pair of older red-headed boys appeared in the door, identical down to the mischievous grins on their faces.
"Listen," the one on the right said, "we're going down to the middle of the train; Lee Jordan's got a giant tarantula down there."
"Right," the boy, Ron, muttered, his eyes downcast. The boy on the left looked between Artemis and Harry and started to smirk, nudging his twin and nodding towards the two of them.
"Looks like ickle Ronniekins has made another new friend. Suppose we should formally introduce ourselves."
The boys stepped partially into the car and bowed dramatically, "Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later!"
Before Harry could even mutter a goodbye, the twins were gone, the door shut behind them. Ron shifted uncomfortably in his seat, even though his brothers were gone, and looked over at Artemis.
"Have we met before?" he asked her, "You look familiar."
Artemis studied Ron for a moment, then shook her head, "I don't believe so. But my family has been in The Daily Prophet on occasion. I'm Artemis Selwyn. My father is Decimus Selwyn, the head of the Improper Use of Magic Office."
"That's it! Your dad is always in the paper when a wizard gets arrested for illegal use of magic." Ron replied, before turning toward Harry, "So are you really Harry Potter?"
Harry nodded and Ron's eyes widened in awe. Glancing back at Artemis for confirmation, she nodded as well and Ron pointed up at Harry's forehead, "So, that's where You-Know-Who-"
"Yes," Harry interrupted, showing him the scar, "but I don't remember it."
"Nothing at all?" Artemis asked. She had been wanting to ask about it ever since Harry had shown it to her, but thought it would be a sore subject to inquire about until now.
Harry shrugged honestly, "Well... I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."
Artemis knew what that green light was. She had heard her father speak about the Unforgivable Curses in the past; mostly through his work had he encountered them, but Harry didn't need to know that, not now at least. Ron, however, was absolutely fascinated by what little Harry could remember, letting out an awe-stricken 'wow'. He continued to stare at Harry until Artemis cleared her throat and he looked back toward the window with flushed cheeks.
Harry elected to change the subject quickly, looking between both of his new friends, "Is everyone in your family wizards?"
Artemis and Ron both nodded, the former explaining, "It's not very common to have magical parents and not have magic yourself. You're more likely to have muggle parents and possess magic than to have magic parents and not."
"Well, I think my Mum has a second cousin that's an accountant, but we don't talk about him much." Ron said with a shrug.
Harry smiled a bit at that, "So you two must already know loads of magic."
"Not really," Artemis admitted, "underage wizards are permitted to do a lot outside of school."
Harry nodded in understanding and turned toward Ron as he asked another question.
"I heard you went to live with Muggles. What are they like?"
Harry cringed a bit at the question, "Horrible, well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are though. Wish I had a wizard brother or two."
"Five." Ron corrected him. Both Artemis and Harry gaped at him as he suddenly appeared glum.
"I'm the sixth in my family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I've got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie are oldest- they've already left. Bill was Head Boy and Charlie was a Quidditch captain. Now Percy's a prefect, and Fred and George... they like to mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they're funny. Even if I do all that, it's no big deal since it's already been done. You never get anything new with five brothers either. I've got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat."
He shoved a hand inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a fat, sleeping gray rat, "His name's Scabbers and he's useless! He hardly ever wakes up. Percy got a new owl for becoming a prefect, and Mum and Dad couldn't aff- I mean, I got Scabbers."
Ron's entire face flushed pink, even to the tips of his ears. He looked up at Artemis shyly and noticed her newly tailored school robes, "Suppose you can't relate, eh?"
"If I tried to wear my brother's old robes, I'd be swimming in fabric," she answered, "Marius has been out of school for three years. We have an older sister too, Cassandra, but she's been living in France teaching at Beauxbaton's for the past six years. We were all born far enough apart that my parents had to purchase new supplies for each of us. But there's nothing wrong with not being able to afford an owl, Ron."
Harry agreed, telling them both about how awful living with his aunt and uncle was, how he had only ever had money of his own since his birthday, how he was stuck wearing his cousin's old clothes that were always too big for him. Ron perked up as he spoke, while Artemis felt her heart sink in her chest. She could only imagine what his life would have been like if he had grown up in the wizarding world.
"... and until Hagrid had told me, I didn't know a thing about being a wizard, or my parents, or Voldemort-"
Both Ron and Artemis let out loud, surprising gasps at the name that Harry uttered.
"What?"
"You... you said his name." Artemis stated, her voice filled with shock, "No one ever says his name."
Harry just shrugged, "I'm not trying to be brave or anything. I just never knew that you shouldn't. See what I mean? I have loads to learn! I bet... I bet I'll be worst in the class."
Ron shook his head, "You won't be. There's loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough."
Artemis glanced out the window and saw that the verdant countryside had quickly been replaced by pleasant farms and rolling hills as the train carried them north into Scotland. Judging by the sun, it was around half past noon when a portly witch with a bright, dimpled smile came past the car pushing a cart filled to the brim with sweets. She pushed the door open and beamed at the trio.
"Anything off the trolley, dears?"
Artemis stood and walked over to the cart, looking over everything for a moment, then glancing back at Harry and Ron, "How hungry are you lot?"
"Starving." Harry replied quickly. No doubt beneath the baggy clothes he was wearing, he was skin and bones. Artemis turned back to the cart and pulled out a pair of Galleons.
"Three Pumpkin Pasties, twelve Chocolate Frogs, three Cauldron Cakes, a Licorice Wand, and a box of Bertie Bott's, please."
The witch piled everything up and took the Galleons from Artemis' hand. With a thank you and farewell, the trolley was off to the next car, and the trio had a mountain of snacks to share. Ron had initially pulled out a packet of dry, corned beef sandwiches, but that now lay on the seat long forgotten as the three of them chatted through mouthfuls of pasty and cake.
Once Harry had gone through his Cauldron Cake and Pumpkin Pasty, he picked up a Chocolate Frog box and studied it warily, "What are these? They're not really frogs, are they?"
Ron shook his head, "No, but see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa."
"What?"
"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know. Chocolate Frogs have cards inside the box, you know, to collect: famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred of 'em, but I still haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy."
Artemis reached for her own Chocolate Frog as Harry unwrapped his and pulled out the card.
"So this is Dumbledore!" he exclaimed, holding up the portrait of the Hogwarts Headmaster. Ron nodded and gave him a look as though it were supposed to be obvious, even to Harry.
"Don't tell me you've never heard of Dumbledore!" the redhead exclaimed, grabbing a box as well. Artemis reached into her box and pulled out a card displaying a pretty woman with long black hair and a pointed calculating face holding a bucket of some sort of water plant. The back of the card read:
ELLADORA KETTERIDGE
1656 -1729
Witch that discovered the use of Gillyweed when she nearly suffocated after eating it and recovered only when she stuck her head in a bucket of water.
Artemis held the card out to Ron, "Have you got her yet?"
Ron nodded his head glumly as he threw down the card that he had pulled, "I've two of her and six Morganas! You want them, Harry? You could start your own collection."
Harry smiled widely and scooped up the cards as they continued to work their way through the pile of boxes. By the time they had gone through them all, Harry had added Circe, Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Gunnion, Merlin, Paracelsus, and Gifford Ollerton to his collection. As he set down his new Cliodna card and reached for the box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Artemis held up a hand in warning.
"Be careful with those, Harry. When they say every flavor, they mean it."
Harry glanced warily over at Ron, who nodded vigorously in agreement, "There's ordinary ones like peppermint and marmalade. But then you could also get spinach, or liver and tripe. George swore up and down he even got a booger-flavored one once."
Both he and Artemis reached cautiously into the box and pulled out a single bean. Ron took a hesitant bite out of the corner of his green bean and winced, "Ugh, sprouts!"
Artemis studied the pale orange bean in her palm, even giving it a sniff before taking a tiny nibble out of it. When the rush of flavor hit her tongue she smiled, "Peach cobbler."
Harry laughed and took hold of the box, pulling out a bean and passing the carton to Ron. As the box went around the car, they all had their fair share of gags and grins, ending with Artemis spitting out the toe jam flavored bean that she had mistaken for lemon. Outside the Hogwarts Express, the landscape shifted from rolling countryside to dark pine forests, winding rivers, and deep lochs.
A sudden knock on the door, turned the trio away from the window to a round-faced boy with tear-stained cheeks. He looked worriedly between the three of them and spluttered, "H-has anyone seen a t-toad?"
They all shook their heads. The boy started to weep.
"I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"
"I'm sure he'll turn up," Harry said kindly. The boy sniffed and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his sweater, nodding slightly.
"Yes... well, if you see him."
The door shut and the boy walked away.
"I don't see why he's so bothered," Ron snorted, looking down at the rat snoozing soundly in his lap, "If I'd brought a toad, I'd lose it as quick as possible. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk much."
The rat's foot twitched ever so slightly as it rolled over. Ron continued to ramble.
"He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference. I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work."
Ron reached into his jacket pocket, searching for his wand, "Here, I'll show you."
He produced a battered old wand with chips in a few places. At its tip, a few frayed strands of unicorn hair were nearly sticking out. Ron mumbled something to himself before clearing his throat and raising his wand, only to be interrupted by the opening of the car door. The round-faced boy was back, but he wasn't alone this time. Artemis immediately recognized the bushy-haired girl she had bumped into in Diagon Alley. She was also dressed in her new school robes and wore an exasperated look.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville here has lost his."
Her tone was a bit bossy and it was plain to see that Ron wasn't having any of it. He scowled at the girl and shook his head.
"We've already told him we haven't seen it," he said, but the girl wasn't paying attention to him, her deep brown eyes fixed on the wand in his hand.
"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it then."
She stepped further into the compartment and sat herself next to Artemis, watching intently. Ron blinked, a bit surprised by her adamancy, but he recollected himself and cleared his throat again.
"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow!"
He gave his wand a wave, but nothing happened. The still gray rat sleeping on his lap started to snore.
The bushy-haired girl arched a brow, "Are you sure that's a real spell?"
Ron shrugged as she carried on.
"Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and they've 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 of 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 wasn't asking Artemis, she was looking intently at the boys. They looked at each other for a split second, then turned back toward her.
"I'm Ron Weasley."
"Harry Potter."
Hermione's eyes widened, "Are you really? I know all about you, of course; I got a few extra books for background reading. You're in Modern Magical History, The Rise And Fall of the Dark Arts, and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."
"Am I?" Harry asked bewilderedly.
"Harry's only just found out about his family," Artemis explained, "he's new to the wizarding world, just like you."
"Goodness, if it were me, I'd have found out everything I could." Hermione remarked, finally turning toward Artemis, "Do any 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 either... Anyway, I'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be arriving soon."
Hermione rose from her seat, and Artemis did the same, offering to help while Harry and Ron changed into their robes. With a quick wave, she snatched up a Licorice Wand and followed Hermione and Neville into the hall, searching every nook and cranny for the missing toad until the train came to a stop at small dark platform.
As Artemis joined the final wave of students exiting off the Hogwarts Express, she was greeted by a late evening sky and the scent of pine as older students flooded the platform. Toward the edge of the platform, a loud, booming voice called out, "Firs' years over here! Quickly now, firs' years!"
Artemis craned her neck to see a mountainous looking man smiling widely beneath a thick black beard, his dark eyes twinkling through a wild mane of coarse black hair. She caught sight of Harry and Ron walking over toward the giant and moved to follow them, bumping into Hermione Granger along the way.
"Oh, hello again," she said softly as the giant began to lead the crowd of first years down a small, winding, forest path, "Thank you for helping to look for Neville's toad. Most other students couldn't be bothered."
Artemis shrugged, glancing over at Neville who sniffed a couple of times and wiped his nose on his robe sleeve, "I would have wanted the help if it had been me."
Hermione smiled at her, a gesture that Artemis returned as the path ahead of them turned steep. After a few minutes spent in silence, the giant man at the front of the group called out, "Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' 'round this bend here."
A collective 'ooh' erupted through the crowd of first years as the rounded the corner and looked up. A massive dark lake sat still ahead of them leading to a high mountain on the opposing shore and upon that mountain, practically carved out of the rock, sat Hogwarts.
Everything that Marius had described to his sister about Hogwarts seemed to pale in comparison to seeing it for herself. Towers and turrets jutted out against the black sky, windows of stained-glass casting colors over the lake as the night grew darker. It was beautiful.
"No more'n four to a boat!" The giant instructed, jabbing a massive finger in the direction of a line of small boats sitting on the shore line. Artemis scanned the crowd for Harry and Ron, finding them clambering into a boat near the end of the line. She took hold of Hermione's sleeve and led her over to the boat, climbing in behind the boys just as the large man climbed into a boat of his own.
He looked around to make sure everyone had a place in a boat, and when he was satisfied, he looked toward the castle and said, "Right then. FORWARD!"
The boats pushed themselves off of the shore, gliding silently into the water and following behind the large man, whom Artemis had heard Harry call Hagrid. The name sounded vaguely familiar to her, mostly from stories shared by her brother. As the boats floated toward the castle, everyone fell silent, their eyes all fixed upon their new home, trying to capture every minute detail and commit it to memory before Hagrid shouted, "Heads down!"
Ahead of them, a curtain of green ivy hung from the cliff upon which Hogwarts stood. Not wanting to question the mountain of a man, everyone ducked their heads down. The boats pushed past the ivy and brought them into a small dark cavern behind the cliff face, carrying them along until they at last reached a rocky shore and came to a halt. Artemis waited a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim lit harbor, then slowly climbed out of the boat, offering Hermione a hand once she was firmly on the ground.
"Oy, you there. Is this your toad?" Hagrid asked, holding up a dark lump in his dinner plate sized hand.
Neville beamed and lunged forward to take hold of the toad, "Trevor!"
Hagrid happily handed the amphibian over and pulled out a lamp, lighting it up and basking the harbor in a pale orange glow. He led them up a small passageway that deposited them onto a grassy courtyard atop the cliff face. A shadow cast itself over them and upon quick investigation, it was discovered that they had come right to the castle's front doors. Hagrid brought them up the stone steps to the door and looked over everyone quickly.
"Everyone here? You, there, still got yer toad?"
Neville nodded and Hagrid smiled, turning back toward the door and knocking three times.