Chapter One
“History is doomed to repeat itself”, isn’t that what they say? That’s the phrase people utter everytime something bad happens in the world. If only people knew how close to home that phrase is true.
/////
September 1st, a key date in most children’s lives.
The day that signals the start of school.
Whether you are muggle or wizard you dread the return to essays and classes and teachers. However, when you attend a school like Hogwarts, September 1st signals the start of nine months with no parents, friends everyday, being allowed to use magic, Quidditch, and every other exciting activity you can conjure between classes and homework.
Every year, hundreds of students flocked to King’s Cross in London, trying to remain inconspicuous with their large trunks and strange choices for pets as they hurtled through the red-brick wall separating Platform Nine and Ten.
For the older students, this was one of the least magical parts of going to Hogwarts, they would quickly say goodbye to their parents and would proceed to run off in order to get the best carriage on the train with their friends.
For the first years, the kids who had never been… well it usually took them a bit longer to make it all the way onto the train.
Many would come to standstill after running through the wall, half from shock that they didn’t just kill themselves, the other half from intimidation as they looked upon the boisterous crowd ahead of them.
After making a move out of the way of the masses, their parents would help them load their bags onto the train and begin to recite the spiel they practised last night in order to avoid crying on the platform. Most of it would go over the kids heads,
“Don’t forget to do your homework”- yeah as if, it’s school that’s kinda why we’re going there
“Just be yourself and you’ll make loads of friends” - not if you keep blubbering in front of everyone
“Always be kind to everyone, even if they seem a bit odd” - you just said you wanted me to make friends, this advice seems kinda of conflicting
“Don’t try to use magic for everything” - as if, once I learn the summoning spell I’m not leaving the couch ever again
“If you have any issues just write to us or go to a professor and they’ll help” - I’d rather die but thanks anyway.
Some things would sink in,
“We love you so much” - yeah I love you guys as well
“Don’t forget you can always come home” - good because there is no way I’m spending Christmas without Gran’s Yorkshire puddings
“We don’t care what house you get sorted into” -also good because I’m a bit worried that my fear of birds is going to be a major mark against me in terms of getting into Gryffindor.
And so the conductor would blow the whistle, signalling to the stragglers on the platform that it was time to go. One last hug would be given and then onto the train they would get. Some first years would know other kids, those who grew up in wizarding villages usually knew at least two other kids in the school, anyone who came from a bigger family usually had at least one sibling or cousin already on the train, but most would know no one. And so they would begin the awkward shuffle down the crowded train looking for hopefully some friendly looking first years with a few spare seats. They would sit in the corner until one of the kids would gather up enough courage to ask the first question “So… what’s everyone's name?” And from there it would go on, trading stories, finding out whether the people you sat with on the first day would be your best friends or your worst enemies.
/////
This year, 1919, was no different from the years before, perhaps slightly different in terms of the fact that King’s Cross was slightly less gloomy thanks to the end of the Great War less than a year previous, but for the wizarding community and the students of Hogwarts this was just like any other year.
Okay, there was a few less fathers and big brothers to be seen on the platform, but people did an admirable job of ignoring that absence, and sure the muggleborn families looked slightly worse for wear, the war had severely depleted a lot of families not just physically and emotionally but also monetarily, but still this was nothing new families of all different backgrounds had been attending Hogwarts for a long time now, and yes a few of the pureblood houses were missing some prominent figures, an out-break of Dragon pox had hit just last winter and had taken out a decent chunk of the more elite wizarding community.
But still it was a regular year at Hogwarts.
A year when Minerva McGonagall, Euphemia Rosier, Pomona Sprout, Fleamont Potter and Alphard Black were starting school.
A fairly mixed bunch, Fleamont Potter, Euphemia Rosier and Alphard Black all hailed from some of the more well-known pureblood families, although the Potter’s weren’t quite as renowned these days in certain circles due to Fleamont’s fathers most recent statement supporting a bill that would ban certain Muggle-baiting techniques still popular within certain circles composed mainly of his Wizengamot brethren.
Minerva McGonagall and Pomona Sprout both came from half-blood families, Minerva’s father was a Scottish muggle, who her mum had met while on holidays in Edinburgh. Pomona’s parents were both magic, however her mum’s family were all muggles, mainly from Galway, Ireland.
If you were to line the group up they would not look like the kind to become friends with each other.
Alphard Black’s family were known for being rather picky with who they associated with, the Rosier’s had achieved the same kind of reputation in recent years due to their close relations with the Blacks. While both being half-blood, Pomona and Minerva couldn’t be more different, Minerva’s mother’s active role in the healing community had led to a level respect for the McGonagalls that was usually reserved for more elite families, Pomona’s father worked at the Ministry in the records department and her mother worked in the local apothecary. Due to her mother’s strong Irish accent, Pomona had quite the mix going from an East London to a Galway accent within a few words of each other. Fleamont Potter’s grandfather had emigrated from Kerala, India when he was young leaving Fleamont one of the few Indian-English kids who was quite well known amongst certain pureblood circles.
All five had received their Hogwarts acceptance letters that summer with varying degrees of happiness however they were all now preparing to head off to Hogwarts.