Chapter 3: Platform Nine and Three Quarters

"Why can't we just apparate to Hogwarts with you," Hydra complained as Filius stood with them on the platform. "It seems illogical for us to take that long ride when you're about to just apparate to Hogwarts," she pointed out reasonably.

The twins weren't much shorter than Filius, and Loughness idly wondered if anyone who happened to be watching would assume they were his children. All their elf features were hidden with Kreacher's illusion charm, after all.

The twins' long black hair could to some, look similar enough to Filius's own black locks though his was peppered with the white of late middle age or whatever. Loughness couldn't help a flash of resentment that his own parents couldn't be here like everyone else's.

Sure it was because the sunlight would kill them, but still. If they hadn't gotten involved with Voldemort and his stupid cause in the first place, they wouldn't have to be vampires. They would still be mortal and that would make them half normal parents.

The fact they were both men, leaving the twins with no mother figure, made them weird enough to Loughness's mind. It was the other half of why they weren't normal. Normal wasn't always as impressive so he didn't really care. It was just something to throw in their faces when he wasn't getting something he wanted, because it worked at least half of the time.

It was annoying that all the drama that had hurt his family in the past, long before he was born, had to do with Voldemort, because Voldemort wasn't impressive at all. From all accounts as well as the pensieve memories of the parents, their former 'Dark Lord' was weird and spooky. It honestly astounded Loughness that anyone had actually wanted to follow him, but Hydra had pointed out that if a person told you what you wanted to hear, it made them automatically look better. That didn't impress him either, but he did see it as relatively valid.

"Your parents want you to have the normal Hogwarts experience, and that involves the train," Filius told Hydra almost apologetically. "If you are allowed to cut corners, those that you have to experience instead may feel all the sharper."

Hydra sighed. "I suppose you're right," she admitted reluctantly.

For his part, Loughness didn't mind the prospect of riding the train. It served food after all, and he was still a growing boy.

"Hey! You're the Black twins, right?" The voice calling out from just behind them had a slight Spanish accent. Loughness and Hydra turned nearly as one to see a tall dark haired boy with a slender build and intelligent, dark brown eyes. "My brother asked me to look out for you two," he explained when Loughness nodded. "I'm Guillermo Valdez. Romeo's brother. Hi, Professor Flitwick!"

Only when he addressed Filius did Loughness notice that Guillermo wore Ravenclaw robes.

"Hello Guillermo. Did you have a nice summer," Filius asked, giving him a friendly smile.

Guillermo sighed. "It was alright... Boring though. I'm glad to get back to school."

Filius looked pleased as he reached up to clap the taller boy on the shoulder. "Good for you!"

Romeo Valdez was an Auror in Spain. He was a friend of Blaise Zabini, and the twins had met him a few times due to the fact their Daddy Kreacher worked with Blaise in his shop, Enchanted Odds. Before the twins were even born, Blaise had asked Kreacher to work with him on the enchanted items he crafted.

He was fascinated to see what elf and human magic combined could create and the two had made a ton of gold over the years. They made anything from sleep pillows to wearable charms that hid magic from being detected. Blaise often had after hours parties at his shop, and Regulus and Kreacher had met Romeo at one of them.

"Why don't you go to school in Spain," Hydra asked Guillermo curiously. "I'm Hydra Black, by the way, and this is my brother, Loughness."

"Like the monster but with an old fashioned spelling," Loughness bragged proudly. Though the Black family tended to name their children for stars and constellations, Kreacher had wished his son to carry the name of something strange, powerful and illusive, thus the Loch Ness monster with a more archaic spelling. The star tradition bit lay in his middle name, Aldebaran.

"It's great to meet you both," Guillermo enthused sincerely, eyes regarding the twins with open interest and curiosity. "I don't go to school in Spain because my brother really hates it. It's where he got hurt...you know, during Voldemort's day."

Hydra and Loughness exchanged a glance, because they hadn't known.

"We aren't aware," Hydra said politely.

"Oh sorry..." Guillermo shrugged. "Some of the teachers at the Spanish magic school, El Lobo it's called, were Death Eaters and they were performing dark magic on some of the students in order to feed more power to Voldemort... I don't know much because Romeo really hates to talk about it, but he refuses to allow me to attend there simply because the Death Eater professors or whatever they were called weren't discovered for so long. He said he will never feel that anyone is safe at that school, so it's been Hogwarts for me."

"And we're happy to have you," Filius told him warmly.

"Would the two of you like to sit with me on the train," Guillermo asked and the twins nodded.

Loughness enjoyed the security of having someone to board with rather than he and Hydra having to wing it alone in a completely new situation. They could handle it, of course, being superior to all others and such, but it was just that they'd never had to do anything completely alone before, always having had support from adults or fellow mates. Their friends attended school elsewhere for various reasons, though, and Flitwick, their current supporting adult, was about to abandon them.

"Well now that you've got company, I'll leave you to your trip," Filius said, reaching to gently squeeze the shoulder of each twin.

"Thank you for bringing us, Professor," Loughness said politely, pleased with himself for remembering not to call the small man Filius as he was so accustomed to doing.

He traveled in social circles with the parents from time to time, so he'd known the twins from birth. "It was no trouble at all, and I'll see you at the sorting," he said, giving a cheerful wave before apparating away.

Hydra sighed, staring wistfully after him. "See? That was so bloody much faster than the ride is going to be," she complained with a frown of frustration.

"Speaking of," Loughness said, turning to Guillermo. "Your summer was so dull that you're happy to return to school? Are the classes that great, because our Daddy Regulus never mentioned as much. The place really must have undergone a change."

Guillermo grinned. "Probably not. I just look forward to seeing girls again. The older ones are really hot...you know, their bodies are beginning to develop and..."

He moved his hands out from his chest to express the concept of breasts, and Loughness's round blue eyes widened in understanding. "Ah...Now that sounds more reasonable."

As both boys laughed happily together, Hydra sighed and rolled her eyes. "Pigs."

Guillermo made a shameless snorting sound, causing Loughness to double over with laughter.

"Are we ever going to board," Hydra asked and Guillermo nodded.

"Yes, m-lady and I'll even carry your trunk for you." He grinned over at Loughness as he scooped up the trunk that sat at Hydra's feet. "Your sister is no fun."

"Not at all," Loughness agreed, grinning back. "She's that well behaved one who never gets in trouble." He made a gagging sound and Hydra jabbed him in the ribs.

"What year are you, Guillermo," she asked.

"This is my second," he replied as he led the way forward.

"Have you a lot of friends," Hydra asked as they boarded the train.

"Ummm... Not really I suppose," Guillermo admitted perhaps a bit uncomfortably. "I just usually prefer reading to talking to people I suppose."

"Oh we understand that," Hydra assured. "We have a few friends, though, and they also love books so they're worthy. They also have interesting things to say."

"Now that is indeed rare," Guillermo said. He paused to poke his head into various compartments, but always withdrew and moved on. "I'm hoping to find us an empty one," he explained. "Are your friends starting at Hogwarts this year as well?"

"No," Hydra said disappointedly. "One is a goblin, so not allowed at Hogwarts for whatever reason. He learns at the school for goblins under Gringotts. I'd not have minded going there at all, but the daddies say we need to learn our human magic," she added, lowering her voice so that no one around them could easily hear. "At least there, we'd not have to pretend not to be who we are and hide our true appearance, though."

"I always wondered who taught elves their magic as well," Guillermo whispered back. "I mean they're never in school either. I understand that elves and goblins have different ways of doing things, though, so I guess it's not practical for them to attend with human wizards even if it does feel like segregation because of everything else."

Hydra nodded. "True enough and I never thought about it that way before. I like it."

Guillermo grinned. "Good. I'm glad I could say something right."

Hydra frowned at him. "I'm not that bad. It's perfectly normal for girls not to want to hear boys being pigs about them is all."

"Okay tell me about the other friends, then," Guillermo said.

"One attends Durmstrang, because his mum is the headmistress and his dad teaches Transfigurations there," Loughness said.

"Oh that's the Dumbledore kid who's dad decided to fake his death when he got tired of people not appreciating him, right? At least that's what my brother said," Guillermo whispered.

"Basically," Hydra agreed. "There were other reasons at first, but once Voldemort was dead, Albus said he just didn't see a point in going back when everyone always blamed him for everything, willingly believed every lie Skeeter spun and never appreciated that he was one of the few to make efforts to stop Voldemort. Who can blame him really."

Guillermo nodded. "I agree."

"Hydra! Loughness!"

Both turned at the sound of the voice.

"And that's our third and final friend, but what she's doing here is a mystery," Hydra said, waving happily to Serpensortia Snape.

Her large green eyes glittered with satisfaction as she approached, giving them a smile. "Who are you," she asked Guillermo...or more like demanded. That was just Sortia's way, though.

"Romeo's brother... How did you get to come? I thought they were making you attend Beauxbatons," Hydra said in an excited rush.

"I promised to get myself expelled if they didn't just allow me to claim to be a Snape cousin and attend with you two," Serpensortia said, lifting her head of long dark hair in open triumph.

Loughness grinned widely. "Ha! You took a page from my threaten and throw a fit book, and it worked."

"Indeed," Sortia agreed. "Why are you lot taking so long to settle into a compartment," she asked after Guillermo poked his head into yet another and withdrew it upon not finding it empty.

"Because he wants an empty one," Hydra explained.

"Which is better for private conversation," Loughness added.

"Exactly," Guillermo nodded.

"Ah is that all?" Sortia moved around the twins, unceremoniously pushing Guillermo out of the way as she entered the compartment just ahead of them. An instant later she let out a shrill scream. "Ew! There's a big bug right there on the wall! This place is nasty! Ew! Ug!"

They were all nearly trampled as four girls and a boy practically ran them over to exit the compartment. Loughness swore as one of their trunks struck his shoulder and Guillermo chuckled. "That was a good swear!"

Loughness grinned, rubbing at his smarting shoulder. "My grandmother Walburga knows the best swears and curses," he bragged. "She taught me well."

"Get in here while it's still empty," Sortia called.

"Fine," Hydra said with a resigned sigh. "We can just kill the bugs before we put our bags down."

"There are no bugs. I lied," Sortia said with a satisfied smirk.

Guillermo grinned. "You shall be sorted into Slytherin for sure," he told her.

"I'd better," Sortia replied as she plopped her trunk under the first seat and sat herself down.