A Shiny Tesla, Old Pals, and Station 9¾
Ahem. Dear servant, I must sincerely apologize for my second head's irresponsible extravagant behavior a mere few days prior. He is indeed, as I know him best, a very snobby drama queen. Back on track, I have come to intervene for I have an important matter to discuss.
My lord, anything for your pleasure.
Have you uncovered anything as of recent? Anything new, incredible, plan-changing?
Not much, my lord. Just this book. I have recovered it after it fell out of its master's bag.
Do NOT use words of such utter simplicity in front of ME!
Yes, master.
HAND ME THE BOOK!
Yes, master.
Hmmm...interesting...very intriguing...a sugar for the mind...but of no use whatsoever. Who does this filth belong to?
My old friend, sir.
The half-blood?
Yes, sir.
Hmph. Funny for you to say. I have just uncovered the initials written on a sewn page. Next time you check for secret writing, have a knife in hand.
Yes, sir.
Let's see...S.G.
S.G.?
Secret Guardian.
I thought it stands for-
SILENCE! DO NOT SPEAK OF THAT NAME!
I was talking about my friend, sir.
Then you may.
Do you think he is talented enough to join our ranks?
Have you forgotten, what happened between Voldemort and Severus Snape? Unlike that fool, we shall take careful action when selecting out nest array of allies. I want you to spy on this...pal of yours, and bring me any knowledge of significance. Understood?
Understood, sir.
Good, off you go.
The boy turns to leave.
And, Dest?
Yes?
"Secret Guardian" does not resonate in the way you supposed. Remember this. That boy has a labyrinth of a mind even I could not enter. It might take everything he has to join in the Dark Side.
Yes, sir.
"Get! Going! Grrr…" Goji's suitcase refused to budge from beneath his for poster bed. Ripple, his screech owl, was hooting noisily and bumping frantically around his cage, scattering feather and down everywhere.
"Shut up, you stupid animal!" It took all his effort not to thwack Ripple on the head, but still he could not manage to contain his might. Goji kicked at the golden cage, instantly silencing the agitated bird. He went back to heaving his suitcase out, which to his surprise, slid out with ease, causing him to land flat on his back.
As Goji sat on the ground rubbing his sore spine, Ripple let out a hooting sort of laugh, smugly ruffling his feathers as a sign of authority.
"Dumb bird." Goji grabbed Ripple's cage (to which the animal let out a cry of shock and protest) with his left hand and took his suitcase with his right, and staggered off to the hallway, where his cousins are awaiting for him.
"Seriously, what's keeping you?" Biollante sniggered after Goji had quite unceremoniously fallen onto her after tripping on a stair. "And how much stuff have you got in there, anyway?"
"Oh nothing-" Goji felt his face flush as many a pile of comics flowed gently out from under his bed.
Space stuck his head in the door and spotted a couple of titles. "He's got the Featherdew Chronicles, a biography of Harry Potter, no two, no FOUR, and a...uhh...a book on underwear making? Eew!"
"That's part of my research! For umm...a certain headmaster of Hogwarts…" Goji felt his cheeks burning now.
"Whatever. Never thought you're a fool for celebs!" Biollante smirked.
"What about your slip-up with Potter in the Leaky Cauldron, then?" Goji retorted, feeling solid ground.
"Shut up." With a wave of her emerald dress, Biollante stormed downstairs.
"Hey! Wait up! It's not like I said Gilderoy Lockhart!" Goji pelted after her, though only half-heartedly.
When his cousin disappeared from view, Goji backtracked so he was level with Spacey.
"Girls, am I right?"
"Uh huh." Evidently uncomfortable, Spacey backed away.
Goji shrugged and started on the stairs. On his first step, he heard a metallic clinking behind him that sounded suspiciously like a suit of armor laughing. He whipped around, and discovered that Eric had been indeed struggling to stifle his chortles. Goji kicked the steel being hard on the shins, to which the latter responded by gifting Goji a very sore foot.
Outside, Biollante had already packed all her belongings in an awaiting Tesla. The car was big and shiny, and colored an edgy black. Being a Pure-blood, goji had only seen such objects in wizarding fairy tales and nursery stories from mother to their children. Fortunately, he read enough Muggle Transports – Commute Without Your Mother Knowing! and Impress Your Wizarding Friends – Muggle Objects 101 to know how to go on a car ride. The trunk was open when he got there, but even if it wasn't Goji knew how to use keys.
Goji absent-mindedly tossed his case inside the car trunk, which landed upside-down. He also threw Ripple's cage inside, causing the gray feather ball to scream. However, the owl's howls of protest were nothing more than mosquito buzz to Goji, as he forced himself to tolerate the annoying animal's noises ever since he got it for his 10th birthday.
Ripple's cage tipped over dangerously on its edge, and teetered over, upside-down.
"Goji, that's a three hour car ride. That animal's going to squeal us to death." Biollante stuck her head out of the car window. She pointed at Ripple, who was now positively having a mental breakdown.
"Duh! He's spoilt. He's only getting what he deserves." Goji said, rolling his eyes.
"Hmm...and I wonder who spoilt him. Goji, he's your responsibility."
"You're only saying that because you have incurable mental health issues."
"Don't say that!"
And Goji had just now noticed that his cousin had been digging her nails onto Thornhide's belly. Thornhide was Biollante's ginger cat, and he was just reaching the peak of his lifespan.
"Fine. I'll only do it if you stop wasting your cat."
As if in understanding, Thornhide opened his eyes wide and put his paws together, pleading his master to let him go, which she eventually did.
Satisfied, Goji headed back to right Ripple's cage. In retaliation, the small animal bit Goji hard, causing blood to flow.
"Oww! I'll kick you like a football if you do that again!"
That settled it.
"Soccer ball." Came a voice from behind Goji. "Seriously, you English folk."
Spacey came and stuffed his luggage into the car (which consisted of only one small leather suitcase) and hopped in the window. Goji followed, but in a more...regular way.
Once they all got inside (the interior had been charmed to be more spacious), Spacey pulled out two boards from inside his jacked. One of them was made from wood. The other one clearly was a turn to modernization and consisted entirely of plastic.
"Welp, laddie! Full speed ahead, pardner, and try to hit as many fire hydrants as you can!" Goji called out to the driver. "And can we stop for pizza?"
Ever since Dagon's tendency to alarm the Muggle Police with his driving skills was discovered, he was never allowed to be in the same car as anyone under the ripe age of 20. In fact, Rozan almost made him make an Unbreakable Vow for driving dangerously.
The driver did not reply; not that Goji expected him to.
"Break the silence." Biollante jabbed Goji hard on the ribs.
"Oww…"
"Fair enough."
They sat in silence for most of the trip.
Spacey has inquired multiple times a game of Wizarding Chess (which he excelled at), Wizarding Monopoly (which he also excelled at), or even a simple game of 'I Spy', but both his cousins knew better. ("Ahem ahem. Shooler's mate." "It's Scholar's Mate!" "Whatever.")
Finally, the three young wizards arrived at King's Cross Station, all in desired time.
However, upon getting there they were greeted with an unusually high density of Muggles in colorful clothes.
"What, is it some Muggle day?" Goji squinted through the hot September sun. "I thought those all ended some time ago."
But the overcrowdiness still wielded benefits, and soon (after much squeezing, tripping, and stumbling) the three children found themselves inside the station without rousing suspicion.
Inside, however, was completely different story.
"Are you kidding me?! What is going on!"
Not a single soul in sight on Platforms 9 and 10.
Spacey grabbed both Goji and Biollante's sleeves and pulled them close.
"Listen, you idiots. I'm going to cast a shield spell that scatters light at the same time so we will not be seen. Invented it myself." Spacey paused, then added as both his cousins opened their mouths at the same time to pelt him with questions. "Don't bother asking me how."
They pulled away, and Goji took Spacey's suitcase.
Apparently, ever since the Covid epidemic trolleys were no longer in fashion. They were, however, still widely available no less than four years ago.
"Ready?"
To this Goji gave a nod.
"PROTEGO PHOTO-"
But the spell was intercepted.
A thin jet of purple shot through the air and broke Spacey's shield spell, vaporizing after the deed was done.
Spacey backed off, on his face for only the briefest seconds reflected a hint of alarm.
And recognition.
Confused, Goji considered asking what was wrong before something else caught his attention.
"Spacey! There's my best pal! Long time no see, that how they say it? Or d'you want me to hug you? Eh?" From seemingly thin air emerged a boy, scarlet hair smooth and straight, all hanging down. He had very yellow eyes that seemed to be glowing, and paced towards Spacey, one step ahead of the other.
Though little boys of eleven materializing out of thin air was very alarming, to most wizards the act was simply interesting.
Goji's mind reeled over all the spells that his mother had forbidden in the hallways (which he had to copy down twenty-two times for breaking most of them) and after five seconds decided he couldn't come up with the corresponding one.
"See that wall of blurred air over there? Actually that's just the oxygen that's manipulated but it has the same effect." The new boy shrugged. "So who're your new friends? I thought I was enough."
At the words 'friends' the boy's eyes glowed a bit more, grazing the air around them.
"Don't be a dumbass. They're my cousins, for goodness' sake! Stop acting like you own me."
"I...do...not. Own you. That fair? Good. How about I ruffle you hair?" And because Spacey took three steps back, "For old time's sake."
It was then Goji decided that letting a random stranger at a random train station ruffle his cousin's hair was quite enough and took necessary action.
"Hoooold up!" He shouted, putting himself between the two boys.
Geez, the height difference. Ugh. There you go, talking to yourself again. You insufferable loony. Okay, maybe I imagined it but did Space just give me a look of sympathy over there? For what, talking to myself? Like he an Occlumens!
"Stop it. Unless you know how to get us onto 9 ¾ without getting reported you are going to stay here and leave us alone. And keep off Space, you freak."
"Wow, your cousin's calling you 'Space'." The redhead sniggered, then added lazily, "Anyway, you askin' me to prove myself? Well sure."
With a look of complete mock concentration he pointed his wand at the barrier between Platforms nine and ten.
"Aero Muru." He said, and immediately changes began. The air around them suddenly started churning around, akin to large waves from the sea. As their surroundings blurred, (the action seemed to be accelerating) Goji felt his mind reeling too. Was it motion sickness? He didn't want to faint like that time in Diagon Alley.
He heard far-away voices calling his name, calling him to move on, and then, a huge force from behind, the shock reverberating and violent. He was being pushed forwards. By whom, or what, he didn't know, but he supposed it was Biollante. He was paralyzed, unable to move, the constriction was like drugs that Muggles take – intoxicating yet enjoyable at the same time, filling him with ethereal paradise, flashing and distorted multicolor and grey-white shadows from a dreamlike trance, overwhelmingly euphoric emotions…
Soon, my boy, but you won't be the first…
Ye-yeah… Somehow Goji wasn't afraid of this new voice. In his nearly unconscious state he welcomed the intruder into his mind.
Soon...he he he…
The voice banged around his skull, which already was throbbing with every heartbeat.
And those were the last things Goji heard before he woke, chilled and sweating.
"You okay?"
A Slytherin Sixth year.
Albus Severus Potter.