The Hogwarts Express
Harry's POV
I sat alone in the compartment of the Hogwarts Express, feeling strangely out of place. It took me a while to find Platform 9¾, and at first, I thought it was just some silly joke. But then I saw a big family of redheads walk straight through the wall between platforms 9 and 10. I followed them without hesitation, and now, here I was, on the Hogwarts Express, heading to the wizarding school that had been a part of my life for as long as I could remember.
The door to the compartment opened, and a dark-haired boy and a blonde girl stepped in, both looking a little lost but determined.
"Hi," the girl said, her voice friendly. "Mind if we sit here?"
"Uh, sure," I answered, surprised by how casual she seemed.
The girl smiled and extended her hand. "I'm Daphne. Daphne Greengrass."
I shook her hand, smiling back. "Harry Potter. Nice to meet you."
She and the boy both looked momentarily taken aback, but the boy recovered first, grinning as he held out his hand.
"I'm Blaise. Blaise Zabini. Nice to meet you, The Boy Who Lived and Defeated The Dark Lord."
I felt a twinge of annoyance but kept my expression neutral. "Nice to meet you too. And please, just call me Harry," I added, hoping they'd stop with the title.
Daphne and Blaise both sat down, and we quickly started chatting. The conversation flowed easily, covering everything from the journey to Hogwarts to the weather outside. It was a pleasant distraction, and for the first time that day, I felt a little more at ease.
The moment was interrupted when the door to our compartment swung open again, and in walked Draco Malfoy with two of his usual cronies. Draco’s eyes locked onto me immediately.
"Potter," he sneered, "ditch these losers and come sit with us. You don’t want to hang out with them."
"Shut up, Draco," Daphne snapped before I could even open my mouth. "He can sit wherever he wants."
Draco scoffed, looking at me like I was beneath him. "Yeah, that’s why I asked," he muttered, clearly not understanding what ‘asking’ really meant.
I forced a smile. "That wasn’t even a question, Malfoy. And no thanks. I’m good where I am. I’d rather not sit with a ferret."
Draco’s face turned an interesting shade of red, but he didn’t say anything else. "Whatever," he spat. "You’ve made your choice. I bet you’re in Gryffindor."
"Yeah, because Gryffindor is the best, right?" I shot back with a mockingly sweet smile.
He turned on his heel and stormed off with his friends, muttering under his breath.
"Rude," Daphne said, her voice filled with disdain.
"Stupid git," Blaise added, shaking his head.
"Idiot," I said with a chuckle.
We all burst into laughter, and the tension in the compartment seemed to dissipate. It was only a moment later when a new voice cut through the laughter.
"Hello, I’m Hermione," the girl said, her bushy brown hair bouncing as she stepped in. "I’m looking for Neville. He lost his toad. Have you seen him?"
"No, sorry," I answered, already feeling annoyed at the thought of looking for some guy’s toad. "Tell him he should take better care of his things."
Hermione frowned at my response, clearly not pleased. "You didn’t have to be rude about it," she said with a huff.
Before I could reply, she turned on her heel and left with one last glare in my direction.
"Well," I said, laughing, "I guess I made my first enemy."
Daphne and Blaise both laughed with me.
When we were finally finished laughing, we all changed into our robes. I couldn’t help but feel the excitement building as the train approached Hogwarts. It was finally happening. The start of my first year at the most famous wizarding school in the world.
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Hermione's POV
As I walked back to my compartment, I couldn’t shake the feeling of frustration. I had expected Harry Potter to be different. To be... I don’t know, nicer? I’d heard so much about him, but I hadn’t imagined that he would be the one to say something so rude.
I sat back down beside Neville, who was staring down at the floor, his face a mix of sadness and embarrassment.
"I’m sorry, Neville," I said, my voice soft. "I couldn’t find your toad."
Neville looked up, giving me a small, grateful smile. "It’s okay, Hermione. Thanks for looking for him."
Just as he spoke, I heard a small voice from below his seat.
"Trevor! There you are!" Neville exclaimed, relief flooding his face as he picked up the toad from the floor.
I blinked, a little surprised that I had missed it. It had been there all along, just under the seat. I felt a little foolish, but it didn’t matter. I was glad I had helped, even if it was just a little.
Suddenly, the door opened again, and in walked a red-haired boy with freckles and a large spot of dirt on his nose. He looked a bit out of place, and I could tell he wasn’t having the best time.
"Hey," he said, shifting uncomfortably. "I was in another compartment, but they weren’t very friendly. Is it alright if I sit here?"
"Of course!" I said, smiling warmly at him. "You’re welcome to join us."
"Thanks," he said, sitting down beside me.
"You’ve got dirt on your nose," I pointed out helpfully.
He quickly wiped at it, but only succeeded in smearing it further.
"Yeah, it’s gone now," I said, trying not to laugh. "It’s not a big deal."
Neville gave me a strange look, but I ignored it. We were all about to meet Hogwarts, and I couldn’t wait to see what it was going to be like.
The moment I saw the dark towers of Hogwarts in the distance, I felt a rush of excitement. This was it. The beginning of my adventure.
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Harry's POV
I stood in front of the Sorting Hat, nerves fluttering in my stomach. The hat was placed on my head, and I immediately heard a voice in my mind.
"Hmm… difficult… very difficult… I see plenty of courage. A fair mind, yes... talent as well... oh, and a thirst to prove yourself… Very interesting… I think… SLYTHERIN!" The Sorting Hat shouted.
The entire hall fell silent. A ripple of disbelief seemed to run through the tables. Whispers quickly followed, and I could hear them clearly:
"Slytherin?"
"Potter in Slytherin? The Boy Who Lived?"
The shock was tangible, even the professors seemed surprised. I felt their eyes on me, but I ignored them. I had no desire to be put in any house other than where I belonged. I walked to the Slytherin table, my heart pounding, and sat next to Blaise and Daphne, both of whom were smiling at me.
"I’m so glad you’re in the same house!" Daphne said excitedly.
After the feast, the prefects—Felicity Queensbury and Wayne Haworth—led us to the Slytherin common room.
"Alright, welcome to Slytherin," Felicity said. "If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to come to us. Professor Snape is our Head of House, but he’ll be there for more serious matters. Now, girls, follow me. Boys, follow Wayne."
Blaise and I followed Wayne up to the boys’ dormitory, where we would share a room with three other boys.
"We have five to a room," Wayne explained as we entered. "Pick a bed, and remember, no switching unless it’s a real emergency."
Blaise and I chose a bed together, while the other boys picked theirs. The boys introduced themselves one by one.
"I’m Theodore Nott. Call me Theo," said a black-haired boy with a sly grin.
"Benjamin Ganders, but just Benjamin, not Ben," said a brown-haired boy, looking unphased by anything.
"I’m Matthew Tristram, but you can call me Matt," said another boy, jumping on the bed nearest him.
I smiled at my new roommates and then turned to Blaise. "Well, I’m Harry Potter, but you probably already knew that."
Blaise grinned. "And I’m Blaise, the one and only!" he declared proudly.
Everyone burst into laughter, and after we’d settled in, we decided to get some sleep.
It had been a long day, but tomorrow would be the beginning of everything. The first day at Hogwarts. I couldn’t wait.
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Ron's POV
I still couldn’t quite believe it—I was in Gryffindor! It felt surreal, like I was living in a dream. My whole family had been in Gryffindor, and now I was too. The idea of joining the same house as my older brothers, and knowing my mum would be so proud, was overwhelming in the best way. I took a deep breath as I sat down between Neville and Percy, trying to calm the excitement buzzing through me.
Hermione was sitting across from me, and I found myself watching her, trying to figure her out. She was smart, no doubt about that, but she also had a bit of a bossy streak. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it yet. Still, she seemed kind enough, and I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Despite the unfamiliarity of everything—being at Hogwarts, meeting new people, living in a castle with kids from all over the country—I felt a sense of relief. Neville, Hermione, and I were getting along just fine. We were already laughing and talking like old friends. I was grateful for that because, if I’m honest, I had been worried. I didn’t have a lot of money, and my robes were secondhand and a bit too short, thanks to all the hand-me-downs from my brothers. I’d thought that might make me an outcast, but to my surprise, no one seemed to care about that.
For the first time in a long while, I didn’t feel embarrassed or out of place. It was a strange but welcome feeling. Hogwarts was going to be different—better, even—and I couldn’t wait for everything to unfold.
I had a feeling this was going to be the start of something amazing.