Ollivander was correct when he said that the Wand had a mind of its own, its wishes and whatnot.
We were not allowed to perform magic outside of Hogwarts, Eileen had told both Lily and me on the day we bought our things. But she had told me in secret that I could practice my magic if Eileen was close enough.
The 'trace' as it is called is not a precise one. At best it can do is inform that there was magic being cast, not who cast it. So should Eileen be close when I cast a spell, nobody could tell whether it was me or Eileen who cast it. That was a loophole I was going to take full advantage of.
Term would begin in September, and there was quite a bit of time to that. I took to reading the books leading up to my leaving for school. A History of Magic and Magical Theory were two books I devoured, absorbing the material and learning it by heart like it was some religious text. It was history and theory on the workings of magic! How could I not?
A month and I was done with both books, which prompted me to move on to the next, namely one of the books with spells to cast.
The book I chose was The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, the Defense Against The Dark Arts book. Making sparks was easy, and Eileen was extremely excited to see me accomplish it on my first try in the old park where I always trained. The trouble began when I moved to the next spell, The Knockback Jinx.
The hand movement was simple, as was the pronunciation. The trouble was that my wand was making it tough for me to do the spell.
Ever since it came into my possession, I could feel its magic, humming against my hand, just waiting to be unleashed. Once it finally got the chance with an actual spell, it overwhelmed my magic and shot me back instead of the log that was my target. I broke my arm in doing so, but Eileen was able to mend it for me. Ollivander's words came to me then and I couldn't help but smile, couldn't help the excitement coursing through me. My wand would not just submit to my will, I had to make it do it. And to do that I needed to get stronger, dominate it with my magic instead of letting it dominate me with its magic.
Thus began my goal to strengthen my magic, relying on the training I did before I got my letter and the book on magic I bought. I used no spells, only relied on the exercises and battled for control. I was successful half the time.
September first came around quicker than I expected it to. The day was bright and sunny, yet the winds were chilly. The trees were changing colour and the fallen leaves were crisp. Autumn was arriving.
That morning Eileen whipped up a brilliant breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon and toast. It was more than what I ever had for breakfast in this house, more than what Tobias was willing to spend on. Yet the man said nothing, eating his breakfast in silence. He had been on the silent side since the day my letter arrived. Eileen had not erased that day's memory of him, so I was certain there was fear making him hold his tongue. It felt good to see the man cowed down. We left right after breakfast, Tobias staying back. It didn't matter to me much whether he came or not. Rather, I'm glad he wasn't going to come.
The train ride from Cokeworth to King's Cross with Eileen took around three to four hours, filled with small talk about Hogwarts and its surrounding places. Lily and her family had decided to go separately to the station. King's Cross Station was a grand muggle train station with ten platforms, none of which had the number on my ticket.
"Platform nine and three quarters?" I looked at Eileen with a raised brow. "Do you think they made a mistake on the ticket?"
"No, it's all in order" The woman smiled at me. "Let me give you a little history lesson. Minister for Magic Ottaline Gambol commandeered a muggle train to serve as a new mode of transport for Hogwarts Students. But it wasn't until Evangeline Orpington, another Minister, that the platform was made and the train was operational. And this platform" She took hold of my cart of luggage, put me in between it and her and dashed towards the brick wall between platforms nine and ten. My eyes widened in shock and even with me trying I could not stop her. So I closed my eyes and waited for us to crash.
Except neither of us did.
"Was named Platform Nine and Three-Quarters!"
When I opened my eyes I was suddenly no longer in King's Cross Station. I looked back at the wall and instead saw a wrought-iron archway with the words "Platform Nine and Three-Quarter" on it. Steam from the scarlet engine flooded the platform as owls and cats made noises. But the loudest were the students, and there were a lot of them.
"Magical isn't it?" Eileen was practically glowing, a glow I had not seen on her face ever before. Perhaps this was what she always looked like before Tobias happened.
"Yeah," I mumbled softly, "don't muggles accidentally stumble in?"
"They do" She took her hands off the cart and let me push, keeping her hands on my shoulder now, "they are obliviated and made to forget."
Obliviate was the spell that wizards used to erase memories. I knew that one from having seen Eileen perform it on Tobias.
"This is where I drop you off," Eileen said as we stopped right by the doors to the train. "Remember what I said? Follow the rules, but don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. And write me after the first week of class. The school has owls that students can use."
"I remember" I half smiled at the woman and shifted my sight to the entrance. But I found myself unable to board it. Of course, I knew why I was not able to board it. I turned back to Eileen.
"You can get a job somewhere while I'm gone," I said almost pleadingly. "Stay at the Leaky Cauldron too. They have rooms I heard the bar keep saying that when we were coming back from Diagon Alley all those months ago. You could live there, pay them by the month from when you get paid from your job. Stay away from Tobias."
Eileen's glow did not dim at all while I spoke, her smile only growing. She knelt in front of me and pulled me into a tight embrace. I found myself relaxing in her arms. I wasn't sure but I felt like this was our first proper hug.
"I will be fine, my sweet boy" Eileen whispered into my ear, pulled back and kissed me on the forehead. She played with my hair for a moment before standing up and straightening her dress. "Trust our mother, she's got this."
I did not feel confident about it, not even at her smile. But I let the topic drop. I said my goodbyes to the woman and boarded the train.
The carriage I boarded held compartments set off a corridor which buzzed with students. I entered the first empty one I could find and took my seat. Lily found me not long after and took the seat next to mine. She was nervous, excited but nervous. Eileen was standing with Mr and Mrs Evans, all three waving as we pulled out of the station. I saw Petunia as well, sullen and perhaps slightly sad as she watched us go by.
"We did it, Sev!" Lily said with a big smile, "We made it!"
"Of course we did. Didn't you hear Ollivander? We are destined for greatness. Hogwarts would be stupid to look over greatness" I replied with a grin, unable to contain my excitement.
The door to the compartment slid open and both of us turned to the door. A boy with messy black hair, hazel eyes and an indefinable air of having been well cared for and loved stood there, looking curiously at us. No, not us. He was looking at Lily.
"I'm going to take this seat" he pointed to the empty one opposite us and sat down without us inviting him, like he deserved that seat. Before either of us could comment on it, another boy walked in and just sat down beside the messy-haired boy without a word of greeting or otherwise. This one had black hair as well, medium in length and wavy with striking grey eyes. He had an air of casual elegance to him and a haughty look on his face.
"I can't wait till I get to Hogwarts" the messy black-haired one spoke up without prompt. "My father says the sorting ceremony is a funny one. Mother said I'd quite enjoy it!"
"My mother said it's dull and boring" the other boy said with a bored tone, but his eyes sparkled with excitement. "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"
"Gryffindor!" the boy with messy hair exclaimed with great pride, "Where dwell the brave at heart! Like my dad…" he then turned to us, or more specifically to Lily. "What about you? Where do you want to go?"
Lily shifted uneasily, suddenly the centre of attention of two strangers. "I- er- I'm not sure. But Ravenclaw sounds nice I suppose."
The boy with the wavy hair snorted.
"Ravenclaws are for nerds" he drawled. "All they do is read and read. Where's the fun in that?"
"Maybe some people like reading books," I cut in with a smile, a not-so-friendly smile "Maybe we shouldn't insult someone based on what they like?"
The boy looked like he swallowed a lemon.
"I'm only saying the truth" the boy schooled his features easily. "What about you? Where would you like to go?"
I thought for a moment.
"Gryffindors are brave, some say a little too brave for their own good, Ravenclaws are extremely brilliant and-"
"Things I just don't see in you" the boy cut in with a sharp grin. He meant to insult I just knew it.
"And how exactly do you know that?" I asked coolly. "Was it my clothes? My scrawny body? I'm sorry that I'm not from some rich family like you two are clearly."
The messy-haired one looked surprised to be pulled into it.
"I didn't mean-"
"I'm happy to be wherever as long as I'm away from my father" I cut the wavy-haired boy short. Beside me, Lily patted my hand and threw a comforting smile at me.
Conversation after that died out between the four of us for a while. The two boys talked between each other, occasionally bringing Lily into the mix. But Lily did not involve herself much. She did not appreciate the wavy-haired boy's comment or the fact that it brought up my father. She was well aware of the kind of man Tobias Snape was.
"My parents taught me magic when I was younger. So I would be ahead of the rest in our class" the wavy-haired boy boasted. He pulled his wand out and with a simple flick let out sparks from the tip. The messy-haired boy laughed while Lily jumped back with a squeak. The sparks came showering down in our direction. It was not like sparklers that would burn us should they touch us, but it was still annoying. I held up my hand and the wand flew into my grip.
That silenced and stunned both boys.
"How did you do that?!" the wavy-haired boy demanded to know.
"With magic" I answered with a coy smile.