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It was September, so there was really no reason for it to be raining, but then again, it wasn't as if this sort of weather was frightfully uncommon in the Cotswolds. There was absolute pandemonium in the air however, as servants rushed this way and that. Harmony's grandmother was standing at the top of the stairs in that regal way that only she knew how to truly pull off, while still seeming stoic and majestic, waving her hand to direct the servants like a silent composer.
Really there wasn't the need for all this fuss, after all, Harmony was pretty sure that all eleven-year-old children in the Witching and Wizarding World were going through the same thing right now. But her grandmother did tend to overthink things a little.
"I wish I was going now" her younger brother Chanson, better known as Crash, sighed, "It's not fair, I'm basically old enough."
"Next year" Harmony told him with a small reassuring smile, she really was going to miss her younger brother this first year, but she at least knew that he would be joining her up at Hogwarts next year, being only nine-months younger than she was.
"What House do you think you're going to be in?" Crash continued to press eagerly, propping himself up on Harmony's trunk, just as a servant made to move it.
Brushing her brother away patiently, Harmony thought, "I don't know... I mean, grandmother was a Ravenclaw and grandfather was a Slytherin... Then mother and father were both in Slytherin." She shrugged, "I don't think it matters."
"Provided you aren't in Gryffindor" Crash giggled, repeating something they had often heard grandfather say, while grandmother simply tutted and glared at him.
The pale, dark haired girl smiled, but the truth was that she was very unsure about where she would best fit in. She wasn't like grandmother, quick witted and intelligent, but she also wasn't as sharp and driven like grandfather, she wasn't brave or someone anybody considered to be particularly kind or patient. It wasn't that she lacked all these qualities completely, but nothing really stood out to her either.
"We're all finished M'Lady." Harmony turned to see a servant bowing towards her grandmother, "Shall I call round the car?"
Grandmother sighed, and pulled a face as if she could think of nothing more terrible, "Very well, but see to it you don't get into any of those automobile accidents on the way."
Throughout her childhood Harmony and her brother had been exposed to very little from the Muggle World. It was how their grandparents wished it, afraid that its influence, coupled with the Muggle-born status of their father, would turn them into Squibs. Thankfully however, on her sixth birthday Harmony had managed somehow magically catch a vase in the hallway her brother had crashed into, just before it hit the floor and shattered.
Crash had also had his initial burst of magic, but being Crash he'd waited for the most inconvenient of times.
He'd snuck out of their family's estate to play with some of the Muggle children in the park, only to get so overexcited he sent the roundabout spinning uncontrollably, and made the swings swing without having to push them - the other children thought they'd witnessed a ghost, and were thankfully too young to be taken seriously, and naive enough to be convinced by Muggle adults that it had probably just been the wind - no need to involve the Obliviators from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.
They would both be going to Hogwarts, it was just that Harmony had to go first. So here she was, dressed in her Muggle clothes, a clean white shirt with a knee-length pale baby-blue corduroy skirt.
Her grandmother descended the stairs like a wise and elegant deer, draped in the feathers of an owl, and reached out an uncertain arm towards her granddaughter. She was of course just wearing her pure white silk robes, she would never demean herself by draping Muggle garments about her person.
"I'm sure you will do the family proud" she nodded stiffly, and her eyes looked a little damper than usual, "I remember your mother's first day, she was very excited, knocked everything over and then couldn't understand why we weren't taking the brooms." Harmony watched as her grandmother smiled fondly, she spoke so little of their mother, and even less of their father, so Harmony took advantage of these moments when she could.
"Did she like Hogwarts?"
Crash had also fallen very silent, listening attentively.
Their grandmother nodded, "The best days of her life," her voice shook a little, and then, quickly clearing her throat and adjusting herself again, grandmother straightened up and turned towards the open waiting doors. "Now, you send a message with Merlin the moment you reach Hogwarts, we've sent him ahead to ensure he will be there when you are, let us know what House your in and what sort of children your in a House with."
"Tell us about the feast too!" Crash enthused, "Write about what you had for dinner and if the Headmaster is nice and all that stuff."
Having promised her brother she would do just that, Harmony allowed them to walk her to the car parked and waiting outside.
"This Muggle transport" her grandmother huffed, "My grandmother used to ride in a beautiful carriage whenever she went anywhere, but unfortunately that now 'stands out too much' according to our illustrious Minister for Magic."
As little as Harmony knew about the Muggle World, she was pretty sure the Minister was right, she'd never seen a Horse and Carriage anywhere in the village where they lived.
"Well... goodbye dear," her grandmother reached out a stiff hand to pat her on the shoulder, as if uncertain as to what impact the physical contact might have, "I'm sorry your grandfather couldn't be here to see you off as well, but duty at the Ministry does call."
Harmony nodded, "I understand," and she truly did, grandfather often had business at the Ministry he needed to attend to, he always told them that a lot of departments heavily relied on his experience and connections. Harmony had always been impressed by this, and would never have dreamed from throwing something as childish as a tantrum to keep him away from it.
Crash grabbed her around the middle in a tight hug, "I'm going to miss you, so you have to write lots so I don't get bored."
Harmony laughed, patting her brother's messy head, "I will."
Really, she and Crash couldn't look more different. While both were pale, Harmony's skin seemed almost translucent when placed against her long smooth dark hair. Her crystal blue eyes were sharp and focused like her grandmother's, while Crash had taken a lot more after their father's family in terms of his looks - at least that was what Harmony suspected. He had a head of messy brown hair, with a quiff that always seemed to stick up at the back no matter what the servants or grandmother did, and rather than cold and blue, his eyes were a sunny forest green and tended to sparkle excitedly whenever he talked. Their appearances seemed to somewhat fit their natures though, Crash had always been the black-sheep of the family, bright and loud, excitable and active, while Harmony sat quietly in the library or study with a book, behaving, as grandmother said, like a good young Aquilock should.
Knowing she finally had to step into the car and be swept away from her childhood home, Harmony did so with trepidation and a deep breath. Focusing on her breathing and the steady beating of her heart as the door was closed behind her, and she found herself alone in the back of the Muggle-like car, heading for London where the Hogwarts Express would whisk her north.
Emotion swelled in Harmony's chest, and she did her best to suppress it, after all, what would grandmother say if she knew Harmony was crying now. She had to stay strong, this was her life from now on, there was no point getting upset about it. She'd make lots of friends and learn a lot, enough to make both her grandparents proud, and then, in a year's time Crash would join her.
Focusing on this, instead of the growing distance between herself and her home, Harmony looked out of the tinted windows of the car. She'd only been inside this vehicle a few times, grandmother hated it so they always travelled by Portkey or broom whenever possible. It wasn't often that Harmony was allowed to catch glimpses of the Muggle World.
As the car paused at a traffic light, she couldn't help but ponder the sight of a teenage boy setting out across the crossing. He had plastic cables coming out of his ears that joined together just under his chin before snaking the rest of the way down his torso and into his pocket. Was this some sort of Muggle Medical treatment? Perhaps the boy had something wrong with his ears or his brain?
The Motorway however, was always the most terrifying bit of these journeys. Harmony clenched herself tightly against her seat, eyes squeezed closed and breathing heavily as the car travelled at such colossal speed Harmony could hardly tell which direction they were travelling in anymore, and there were so many other cars moving just as fast, if not faster.
Grandmother had always said that Motorways were the most dangerous part of the Muggle World, with massive juggernauts that would take you out with one fell swoop if you were unlucky enough to find yourself driving alongside a particularly aggressive one.
The journey was an uncomfortable couple of hours until finally the car began to slow and they entered London. London however, was a marvel on its own.
Of course this wasn't Harmony's first trip to London, but the last time they'd come had been by Portkey about a month ago so that she could purchase her first year robes, books, equipment and wand. Ash with unicorn hair, eleven inches, the man who ran the shop had told her that this would be a very loyal wand and would most likely not work for anyone else, somehow that had given her comfort, as if her wand was somehow supporting and rooting for her no matter what struggles she may face.
The journey through the busy roads of London seemed to take almost as long as the journey here, but eventually the car pulled up into Kings Cross Station.
Glad to be out of the unpredictable Muggle machine, Harmony scrambled with the door and pushed her way out, taking a small quick series of breaths to relax herself while her driver got her trunk from the boot.
"Thank you" Harmony nodded, straightening her back as he deposited it beside her.
"Would you like me to take you to the train young miss?" The driver asked kindly, "I am sure the car will be fine for a few minutes."
But Harmony shook her head, she knew that the sooner she started this journey on her own feet the easier it would be once she was on the train.
"No thank you, I think I can make it here myself. Platform 9¾ right? Between Platforms Nine and Ten?"
The driver nodded, "There's a barrier, like a wall between the two, you simply have to run towards it with your trolley and it will open up for you."
Well that sounded simple enough.
The driver at least insisted on helping her get her trunk onto a trolley, before wishing her luck and heading back to the car, pulling a small owl out of his pocket, most likely to send back to grandmother to assure her they'd arrived safely.
Platform Nine-and-three-quarters. Harmony repeated the words over and over in her head to make sure she didn't forget as she made her way through the busy station, packed to the brim with Muggles, although, on occasion Harmony was sure she caught sight of somebody wheeling a trolley with an owl on it.
Finally finding the right sign post, Harmony followed the crowd of people heading in the direction of platforms nine and ten.
Upon drawing nearer it became far easier to spot her kind, particularly when she witnessed one girl simply vanishing, seemingly from mid-air, on a pillar just between the two Platforms. Blinking uncertainly, Harmony wheeled her trolley closer. It was easy, all she had to do was run between the two barriers, that was it.
Ahead of her an older boy was strolling towards the barrier, with another boy who looked about her age at his side. "Stay close" the older boy was saying, "It can be scary the first time."
As they walked by Harmony made eye contact with the younger boy, a pale brown eyed boy, with a head of very neatly kept umber coloured hair. He too was dressed in Muggle clothes, although they looked far more clumsily organised than Harmony's own were. The eye contact was only momentary as the boy turned to the front again allowing a boy, who looked so similar in appearance they must be brothers, to pull him through the barrier.
"Okay" Harmony breathed, "My turn."
Moving as casually as she could towards the barrier, Harmony angled her trolley so that it lined up with the brick-work. Then, absolutely calmly she walked towards the barrier, only closing her eyes the moment the trolley was due to make impact, she even tensed her body, expecting the smack of bricks against metal. But no sound came, instead she kept walking.
Opening her eyes again Harmony found herself to be standing on a wide and open platform, filled with students and parents alike, alongside a giant ruby coloured steam train, the golden letters 'Hogwarts Express' emblazoned on its side. She was in the right place, and the train hadn't left yet.
Feeling much more confident she moved her trunk over to a small pile that had collected at one end. A magical force was lifting them from the ground and loading them onto the train, a spell Harmony had seen before, the servants sometimes used it when they were lifting things from the ground floor up the staircase.
As she'd already said her goodbyes, Harmony really had nothing else to do now beyond finding a seat on the train itself.
Passing by a few other first years, there was a small temptation to smile and say hello, but her shyness got the best of her at the last moment and she just carried on past onto the train itself, finding an empty compartment where she could compose herself before anybody else joined her.
It wasn't that Harmony considered herself to be an antisocial child, but it wasn't as if she'd interacted with that many children of her own age before. Really it had just been her and her brother in that large house, and while there were other children in the Village, they were Muggles and grandmother and grandfather preferred they didn't play with them.
She'd met a few other children at 'Pure-Blood' events that she and Crash were sometimes taken to, but as soon as their father's blood-status had become public knowledge, most of the other families had avoided them. They'd never been rude of course, grandmother would have had their throats for being so, but nobody really socialised with them either.
But this was a new chance. There would be children here who were half-blood, or even Pure-bloods that just didn't care so much about blood status, they would be wizards and witches too, meaning her grandparents wouldn't mind her being friends with them. She needed to make a good first impression.
Attempting to appear casual as she glanced out of the window, or adjusted her Muggle skirt, Harmony waited for other to join her in the compartment.
There were certainly people passing by, but nobody had actually slid open the door and entered yet. Was she doing something wrong?
She attempted changing her position a few times, and was about to do so again when the door finally opened. The boy she'd made eye contact with earlier on the platform entered, giving her a small nod of acknowledgement.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" The boy asked, running his fingers across the leather of the nearest seat as he glanced down at it awkwardly.
"Sure" Harmony nodded, hoping she didn't sound too eager as she shuffled slightly on her own seat. Watching as the boy slid the door closed beside him and sat down on the other side of the carriage nearest to the door. He continued to glance out of the window that showed the main corridor of the carriage, apparently he hadn't been planning on saying anything more to her.
And, while Harmony didn't want to seem too pushy, she knew if she didn't get up the courage now this would just be an uncomfortable silent trip to Hogwarts.
"My name's Harmony Aquilock" she introduced with a shy, but friendly smile, holding out her hand, "What's yours?"
The boy blinked at her, "From the Aquilock family?"
Harmony nodded, she hadn't known that somebody might have heard her family name, "I think so, I live with my grandparents, and that's my grandfather's family name."
The boy considered her a moment longer before taking her hand, "Nikolai Anson, everyone calls me Nik though."
She had to admit that she hadn't heard his family name before, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, after all, the ones with family name's she knew never talked to her anyway.
"So Nik" she began uncertainly, not sure how to follow this, "Which House are you hoping to be in?" It just seemed to be the easiest ice-breaker considering they were all heading to the same place where they would soon be permanently sorted into their Houses.
The boy shrugged, "My dad was in Gryffindor, and my older brother is too, I'm not sure that's really the place for me, but these things tend to run in families," he sighed and shrugged, "I suppose my mum was a Ravenclaw, so maybe I'll end up there. What about you? Slytherin I expect?"
Harmony opened her mouth, really she hadn't thought about it, at least not with that level of certainty. Sure it would be nice to follow in the footsteps of her family, but grandmother had been a Ravenclaw, so, just because she didn't want Nik to think she was that predictable she shook her head, "Actually Ravenclaw, that's the House my grandmother was in."
For a moment she thought she'd surprised him, but the look that had suggested this achievement quickly vanished. "Well I suppose that makes sense."
The carriage lulled into silence again, this was so much harder than Harmony had envisioned.
"You said your brother is already at Hogwarts?" She attempted to follow up with a question based on something Nik had said, this was a good way of making conversation right?
"Yeah, Ben, he's going into his fourth-year now, keeps going on about how hard OWLs are going to be, he's not even sitting any real exams until next year, I know, mum told me," at this Nik flushed slightly, "I mean..."
Harmony smiled, she didn't see anything odd about what he'd said, "I have a younger brother, he'll be starting at Hogwarts next year, his name is Crash... well Chanson, but we all call him Crash."
"Why's that?" Nik raised an eyebrow, but Harmony saw in his eye that he'd taken a guess.
"Well he's always been rather active, and we don't get outside much so he tended to bump into things and break them a lot," she chuckled a little at this, "he's a nice boy though, just gets carried away."
"I assume you didn't mix with Muggles too much then?" Nik asked, tilting his head now as if he were analysing Harmony, and she was surprised to find that she didn't mind too much, it was just nice to talk to someone.
"Not really, well, my brother sometimes sneaks out to play with the other children in the Village, I've never really been brave enough to do that though," she grinned sheepishly, "Our Grandparents had this idea that if we played with them too much we might turn into Squibs."
"Really?" Nik blinked, raising both eyebrows now in cool surprise, "I have never heard of that happening."
"They're a bit superstitious." Harmony flushed a little, she didn't want to speak badly of her grandparents, but she didn't want Nik to think she thought the same things.
Really things passed quite pleasantly after that.
Nik's mother was a half-blood and his father had been Muggle-born, it was an interesting combination, particularly considering his father's Muggle brother had also had a son a year younger than himself who had demonstrated the gift of magic.
Harmony told him in return all she knew about her family. She knew that her mother had a younger brother, but Harmony had never really met him, and her father had been an only child. It was far easier to talk about her grandparents, but even then Harmony wasn't really sure what it was that they did. Grandmother was around the house a lot, and grandfather sometimes went to do business at the Ministry.
The conversation kept them for the journey up though, and with a few sweets off the carriage, they were perfectly content up until the train pulled up into Hogsmead Station.
The boat ride across the lake was a fairly alarming procedure, so Harmony was grateful when Nik moved over in his selected boat as if he expected her to join him. However, Harmony had to say that she was grateful when it was all over and they were standing in a small hallway outside The Great Hall being briefed about 'The Sorting'.
They would step forward as their names were called in alphabetical order, and have the Sorting Hat placed on their heads. Once their House had been called then they would go and join their new tables. The Houses of course were Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Anxiously, Harmony followed the other thirty-nine students in through the doors as they were led inside, dropping her gaze as the students already sitting there turned around to stare at them. It felt a little bit like being on an embarrassing parade, and Harmony found herself self-consciously straightening the robes she'd changed into on the train.
Once everyone was in the room, the parade came to a halt and they stood, waiting, as the Headmaster welcomed them to Hogwarts. It sounded like their words were kind, but Harmony, like the others, was far too focused on what was to come next. An age seemed to pass, until finally...
"Anson, Nikolai."
That was him.
Harmony watched as the boy near to her, swallowed and took a hesitant step-forward. It only just occurred to her how lucky she was to not be the first 'A' on the register. Having to go and stand in front of all those people would be hard, but having to do it first, she would have fainted at the very suggestion.
However, she peered around the other students to watch in rapt curiosity. Her grandfather had told her all about the Sorting Hat, so she wasn't as surprised as some when it suddenly sprang into life. It seemed to ponder silently for a moment before declaring to the hall, "Slytherin!"
The Slytherin table of green and silver applauded loudly, while Harmony noticed the Gryffindor's looked rather sour. The rivalries between these two Houses was famous, she knew that.
But still, Nik was in Slytherin.
Suddenly, as her own name was called, Harmony felt in her heart she wanted to be nowhere else but Slytherin. After all, now that she looked around at the faces of all these strangers, she just wanted to be with someone she knew.
So as she took up the seat, the hat placed on her head, she fixed her eyes on the Slytherin table and hoped with all her might.
"You want to be in Slytherin?"
Harmony bit her lip as the hat spoke, grandfather said that it did that, but to rest assured that nobody else could hear it.
Nodding as much as she dared, the girl bit her lip, waiting for a reply.
"Following that boy I see... well I have to say it isn't completely unsuitable for you. I would have gone for Hufflepuff... but, yes, I know your family, you all tend to come into your own in that House... well then..."
Harmony waited, holding her breath as the hat declared, "Slytherin!"
Really there wasn't the need for all this fuss, after all, Harmony was pretty sure that all eleven-year-old children in the Witching and Wizarding World were going through the same thing right now. But her grandmother did tend to overthink things a little.
"I wish I was going now" her younger brother Chanson, better known as Crash, sighed, "It's not fair, I'm basically old enough."
"Next year" Harmony told him with a small reassuring smile, she really was going to miss her younger brother this first year, but she at least knew that he would be joining her up at Hogwarts next year, being only nine-months younger than she was.
"What House do you think you're going to be in?" Crash continued to press eagerly, propping himself up on Harmony's trunk, just as a servant made to move it.
Brushing her brother away patiently, Harmony thought, "I don't know... I mean, grandmother was a Ravenclaw and grandfather was a Slytherin... Then mother and father were both in Slytherin." She shrugged, "I don't think it matters."
"Provided you aren't in Gryffindor" Crash giggled, repeating something they had often heard grandfather say, while grandmother simply tutted and glared at him.
The pale, dark haired girl smiled, but the truth was that she was very unsure about where she would best fit in. She wasn't like grandmother, quick witted and intelligent, but she also wasn't as sharp and driven like grandfather, she wasn't brave or someone anybody considered to be particularly kind or patient. It wasn't that she lacked all these qualities completely, but nothing really stood out to her either.
"We're all finished M'Lady." Harmony turned to see a servant bowing towards her grandmother, "Shall I call round the car?"
Grandmother sighed, and pulled a face as if she could think of nothing more terrible, "Very well, but see to it you don't get into any of those automobile accidents on the way."
Throughout her childhood Harmony and her brother had been exposed to very little from the Muggle World. It was how their grandparents wished it, afraid that its influence, coupled with the Muggle-born status of their father, would turn them into Squibs. Thankfully however, on her sixth birthday Harmony had managed somehow magically catch a vase in the hallway her brother had crashed into, just before it hit the floor and shattered.
Crash had also had his initial burst of magic, but being Crash he'd waited for the most inconvenient of times.
He'd snuck out of their family's estate to play with some of the Muggle children in the park, only to get so overexcited he sent the roundabout spinning uncontrollably, and made the swings swing without having to push them - the other children thought they'd witnessed a ghost, and were thankfully too young to be taken seriously, and naive enough to be convinced by Muggle adults that it had probably just been the wind - no need to involve the Obliviators from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes.
They would both be going to Hogwarts, it was just that Harmony had to go first. So here she was, dressed in her Muggle clothes, a clean white shirt with a knee-length pale baby-blue corduroy skirt.
Her grandmother descended the stairs like a wise and elegant deer, draped in the feathers of an owl, and reached out an uncertain arm towards her granddaughter. She was of course just wearing her pure white silk robes, she would never demean herself by draping Muggle garments about her person.
"I'm sure you will do the family proud" she nodded stiffly, and her eyes looked a little damper than usual, "I remember your mother's first day, she was very excited, knocked everything over and then couldn't understand why we weren't taking the brooms." Harmony watched as her grandmother smiled fondly, she spoke so little of their mother, and even less of their father, so Harmony took advantage of these moments when she could.
"Did she like Hogwarts?"
Crash had also fallen very silent, listening attentively.
Their grandmother nodded, "The best days of her life," her voice shook a little, and then, quickly clearing her throat and adjusting herself again, grandmother straightened up and turned towards the open waiting doors. "Now, you send a message with Merlin the moment you reach Hogwarts, we've sent him ahead to ensure he will be there when you are, let us know what House your in and what sort of children your in a House with."
"Tell us about the feast too!" Crash enthused, "Write about what you had for dinner and if the Headmaster is nice and all that stuff."
Having promised her brother she would do just that, Harmony allowed them to walk her to the car parked and waiting outside.
"This Muggle transport" her grandmother huffed, "My grandmother used to ride in a beautiful carriage whenever she went anywhere, but unfortunately that now 'stands out too much' according to our illustrious Minister for Magic."
As little as Harmony knew about the Muggle World, she was pretty sure the Minister was right, she'd never seen a Horse and Carriage anywhere in the village where they lived.
"Well... goodbye dear," her grandmother reached out a stiff hand to pat her on the shoulder, as if uncertain as to what impact the physical contact might have, "I'm sorry your grandfather couldn't be here to see you off as well, but duty at the Ministry does call."
Harmony nodded, "I understand," and she truly did, grandfather often had business at the Ministry he needed to attend to, he always told them that a lot of departments heavily relied on his experience and connections. Harmony had always been impressed by this, and would never have dreamed from throwing something as childish as a tantrum to keep him away from it.
Crash grabbed her around the middle in a tight hug, "I'm going to miss you, so you have to write lots so I don't get bored."
Harmony laughed, patting her brother's messy head, "I will."
Really, she and Crash couldn't look more different. While both were pale, Harmony's skin seemed almost translucent when placed against her long smooth dark hair. Her crystal blue eyes were sharp and focused like her grandmother's, while Crash had taken a lot more after their father's family in terms of his looks - at least that was what Harmony suspected. He had a head of messy brown hair, with a quiff that always seemed to stick up at the back no matter what the servants or grandmother did, and rather than cold and blue, his eyes were a sunny forest green and tended to sparkle excitedly whenever he talked. Their appearances seemed to somewhat fit their natures though, Crash had always been the black-sheep of the family, bright and loud, excitable and active, while Harmony sat quietly in the library or study with a book, behaving, as grandmother said, like a good young Aquilock should.
Knowing she finally had to step into the car and be swept away from her childhood home, Harmony did so with trepidation and a deep breath. Focusing on her breathing and the steady beating of her heart as the door was closed behind her, and she found herself alone in the back of the Muggle-like car, heading for London where the Hogwarts Express would whisk her north.
Emotion swelled in Harmony's chest, and she did her best to suppress it, after all, what would grandmother say if she knew Harmony was crying now. She had to stay strong, this was her life from now on, there was no point getting upset about it. She'd make lots of friends and learn a lot, enough to make both her grandparents proud, and then, in a year's time Crash would join her.
Focusing on this, instead of the growing distance between herself and her home, Harmony looked out of the tinted windows of the car. She'd only been inside this vehicle a few times, grandmother hated it so they always travelled by Portkey or broom whenever possible. It wasn't often that Harmony was allowed to catch glimpses of the Muggle World.
As the car paused at a traffic light, she couldn't help but ponder the sight of a teenage boy setting out across the crossing. He had plastic cables coming out of his ears that joined together just under his chin before snaking the rest of the way down his torso and into his pocket. Was this some sort of Muggle Medical treatment? Perhaps the boy had something wrong with his ears or his brain?
The Motorway however, was always the most terrifying bit of these journeys. Harmony clenched herself tightly against her seat, eyes squeezed closed and breathing heavily as the car travelled at such colossal speed Harmony could hardly tell which direction they were travelling in anymore, and there were so many other cars moving just as fast, if not faster.
Grandmother had always said that Motorways were the most dangerous part of the Muggle World, with massive juggernauts that would take you out with one fell swoop if you were unlucky enough to find yourself driving alongside a particularly aggressive one.
The journey was an uncomfortable couple of hours until finally the car began to slow and they entered London. London however, was a marvel on its own.
Of course this wasn't Harmony's first trip to London, but the last time they'd come had been by Portkey about a month ago so that she could purchase her first year robes, books, equipment and wand. Ash with unicorn hair, eleven inches, the man who ran the shop had told her that this would be a very loyal wand and would most likely not work for anyone else, somehow that had given her comfort, as if her wand was somehow supporting and rooting for her no matter what struggles she may face.
The journey through the busy roads of London seemed to take almost as long as the journey here, but eventually the car pulled up into Kings Cross Station.
Glad to be out of the unpredictable Muggle machine, Harmony scrambled with the door and pushed her way out, taking a small quick series of breaths to relax herself while her driver got her trunk from the boot.
"Thank you" Harmony nodded, straightening her back as he deposited it beside her.
"Would you like me to take you to the train young miss?" The driver asked kindly, "I am sure the car will be fine for a few minutes."
But Harmony shook her head, she knew that the sooner she started this journey on her own feet the easier it would be once she was on the train.
"No thank you, I think I can make it here myself. Platform 9¾ right? Between Platforms Nine and Ten?"
The driver nodded, "There's a barrier, like a wall between the two, you simply have to run towards it with your trolley and it will open up for you."
Well that sounded simple enough.
The driver at least insisted on helping her get her trunk onto a trolley, before wishing her luck and heading back to the car, pulling a small owl out of his pocket, most likely to send back to grandmother to assure her they'd arrived safely.
Platform Nine-and-three-quarters. Harmony repeated the words over and over in her head to make sure she didn't forget as she made her way through the busy station, packed to the brim with Muggles, although, on occasion Harmony was sure she caught sight of somebody wheeling a trolley with an owl on it.
Finally finding the right sign post, Harmony followed the crowd of people heading in the direction of platforms nine and ten.
Upon drawing nearer it became far easier to spot her kind, particularly when she witnessed one girl simply vanishing, seemingly from mid-air, on a pillar just between the two Platforms. Blinking uncertainly, Harmony wheeled her trolley closer. It was easy, all she had to do was run between the two barriers, that was it.
Ahead of her an older boy was strolling towards the barrier, with another boy who looked about her age at his side. "Stay close" the older boy was saying, "It can be scary the first time."
As they walked by Harmony made eye contact with the younger boy, a pale brown eyed boy, with a head of very neatly kept umber coloured hair. He too was dressed in Muggle clothes, although they looked far more clumsily organised than Harmony's own were. The eye contact was only momentary as the boy turned to the front again allowing a boy, who looked so similar in appearance they must be brothers, to pull him through the barrier.
"Okay" Harmony breathed, "My turn."
Moving as casually as she could towards the barrier, Harmony angled her trolley so that it lined up with the brick-work. Then, absolutely calmly she walked towards the barrier, only closing her eyes the moment the trolley was due to make impact, she even tensed her body, expecting the smack of bricks against metal. But no sound came, instead she kept walking.
Opening her eyes again Harmony found herself to be standing on a wide and open platform, filled with students and parents alike, alongside a giant ruby coloured steam train, the golden letters 'Hogwarts Express' emblazoned on its side. She was in the right place, and the train hadn't left yet.
Feeling much more confident she moved her trunk over to a small pile that had collected at one end. A magical force was lifting them from the ground and loading them onto the train, a spell Harmony had seen before, the servants sometimes used it when they were lifting things from the ground floor up the staircase.
As she'd already said her goodbyes, Harmony really had nothing else to do now beyond finding a seat on the train itself.
Passing by a few other first years, there was a small temptation to smile and say hello, but her shyness got the best of her at the last moment and she just carried on past onto the train itself, finding an empty compartment where she could compose herself before anybody else joined her.
It wasn't that Harmony considered herself to be an antisocial child, but it wasn't as if she'd interacted with that many children of her own age before. Really it had just been her and her brother in that large house, and while there were other children in the Village, they were Muggles and grandmother and grandfather preferred they didn't play with them.
She'd met a few other children at 'Pure-Blood' events that she and Crash were sometimes taken to, but as soon as their father's blood-status had become public knowledge, most of the other families had avoided them. They'd never been rude of course, grandmother would have had their throats for being so, but nobody really socialised with them either.
But this was a new chance. There would be children here who were half-blood, or even Pure-bloods that just didn't care so much about blood status, they would be wizards and witches too, meaning her grandparents wouldn't mind her being friends with them. She needed to make a good first impression.
Attempting to appear casual as she glanced out of the window, or adjusted her Muggle skirt, Harmony waited for other to join her in the compartment.
There were certainly people passing by, but nobody had actually slid open the door and entered yet. Was she doing something wrong?
She attempted changing her position a few times, and was about to do so again when the door finally opened. The boy she'd made eye contact with earlier on the platform entered, giving her a small nod of acknowledgement.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" The boy asked, running his fingers across the leather of the nearest seat as he glanced down at it awkwardly.
"Sure" Harmony nodded, hoping she didn't sound too eager as she shuffled slightly on her own seat. Watching as the boy slid the door closed beside him and sat down on the other side of the carriage nearest to the door. He continued to glance out of the window that showed the main corridor of the carriage, apparently he hadn't been planning on saying anything more to her.
And, while Harmony didn't want to seem too pushy, she knew if she didn't get up the courage now this would just be an uncomfortable silent trip to Hogwarts.
"My name's Harmony Aquilock" she introduced with a shy, but friendly smile, holding out her hand, "What's yours?"
The boy blinked at her, "From the Aquilock family?"
Harmony nodded, she hadn't known that somebody might have heard her family name, "I think so, I live with my grandparents, and that's my grandfather's family name."
The boy considered her a moment longer before taking her hand, "Nikolai Anson, everyone calls me Nik though."
She had to admit that she hadn't heard his family name before, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, after all, the ones with family name's she knew never talked to her anyway.
"So Nik" she began uncertainly, not sure how to follow this, "Which House are you hoping to be in?" It just seemed to be the easiest ice-breaker considering they were all heading to the same place where they would soon be permanently sorted into their Houses.
The boy shrugged, "My dad was in Gryffindor, and my older brother is too, I'm not sure that's really the place for me, but these things tend to run in families," he sighed and shrugged, "I suppose my mum was a Ravenclaw, so maybe I'll end up there. What about you? Slytherin I expect?"
Harmony opened her mouth, really she hadn't thought about it, at least not with that level of certainty. Sure it would be nice to follow in the footsteps of her family, but grandmother had been a Ravenclaw, so, just because she didn't want Nik to think she was that predictable she shook her head, "Actually Ravenclaw, that's the House my grandmother was in."
For a moment she thought she'd surprised him, but the look that had suggested this achievement quickly vanished. "Well I suppose that makes sense."
The carriage lulled into silence again, this was so much harder than Harmony had envisioned.
"You said your brother is already at Hogwarts?" She attempted to follow up with a question based on something Nik had said, this was a good way of making conversation right?
"Yeah, Ben, he's going into his fourth-year now, keeps going on about how hard OWLs are going to be, he's not even sitting any real exams until next year, I know, mum told me," at this Nik flushed slightly, "I mean..."
Harmony smiled, she didn't see anything odd about what he'd said, "I have a younger brother, he'll be starting at Hogwarts next year, his name is Crash... well Chanson, but we all call him Crash."
"Why's that?" Nik raised an eyebrow, but Harmony saw in his eye that he'd taken a guess.
"Well he's always been rather active, and we don't get outside much so he tended to bump into things and break them a lot," she chuckled a little at this, "he's a nice boy though, just gets carried away."
"I assume you didn't mix with Muggles too much then?" Nik asked, tilting his head now as if he were analysing Harmony, and she was surprised to find that she didn't mind too much, it was just nice to talk to someone.
"Not really, well, my brother sometimes sneaks out to play with the other children in the Village, I've never really been brave enough to do that though," she grinned sheepishly, "Our Grandparents had this idea that if we played with them too much we might turn into Squibs."
"Really?" Nik blinked, raising both eyebrows now in cool surprise, "I have never heard of that happening."
"They're a bit superstitious." Harmony flushed a little, she didn't want to speak badly of her grandparents, but she didn't want Nik to think she thought the same things.
Really things passed quite pleasantly after that.
Nik's mother was a half-blood and his father had been Muggle-born, it was an interesting combination, particularly considering his father's Muggle brother had also had a son a year younger than himself who had demonstrated the gift of magic.
Harmony told him in return all she knew about her family. She knew that her mother had a younger brother, but Harmony had never really met him, and her father had been an only child. It was far easier to talk about her grandparents, but even then Harmony wasn't really sure what it was that they did. Grandmother was around the house a lot, and grandfather sometimes went to do business at the Ministry.
The conversation kept them for the journey up though, and with a few sweets off the carriage, they were perfectly content up until the train pulled up into Hogsmead Station.
The boat ride across the lake was a fairly alarming procedure, so Harmony was grateful when Nik moved over in his selected boat as if he expected her to join him. However, Harmony had to say that she was grateful when it was all over and they were standing in a small hallway outside The Great Hall being briefed about 'The Sorting'.
They would step forward as their names were called in alphabetical order, and have the Sorting Hat placed on their heads. Once their House had been called then they would go and join their new tables. The Houses of course were Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Anxiously, Harmony followed the other thirty-nine students in through the doors as they were led inside, dropping her gaze as the students already sitting there turned around to stare at them. It felt a little bit like being on an embarrassing parade, and Harmony found herself self-consciously straightening the robes she'd changed into on the train.
Once everyone was in the room, the parade came to a halt and they stood, waiting, as the Headmaster welcomed them to Hogwarts. It sounded like their words were kind, but Harmony, like the others, was far too focused on what was to come next. An age seemed to pass, until finally...
"Anson, Nikolai."
That was him.
Harmony watched as the boy near to her, swallowed and took a hesitant step-forward. It only just occurred to her how lucky she was to not be the first 'A' on the register. Having to go and stand in front of all those people would be hard, but having to do it first, she would have fainted at the very suggestion.
However, she peered around the other students to watch in rapt curiosity. Her grandfather had told her all about the Sorting Hat, so she wasn't as surprised as some when it suddenly sprang into life. It seemed to ponder silently for a moment before declaring to the hall, "Slytherin!"
The Slytherin table of green and silver applauded loudly, while Harmony noticed the Gryffindor's looked rather sour. The rivalries between these two Houses was famous, she knew that.
But still, Nik was in Slytherin.
Suddenly, as her own name was called, Harmony felt in her heart she wanted to be nowhere else but Slytherin. After all, now that she looked around at the faces of all these strangers, she just wanted to be with someone she knew.
So as she took up the seat, the hat placed on her head, she fixed her eyes on the Slytherin table and hoped with all her might.
"You want to be in Slytherin?"
Harmony bit her lip as the hat spoke, grandfather said that it did that, but to rest assured that nobody else could hear it.
Nodding as much as she dared, the girl bit her lip, waiting for a reply.
"Following that boy I see... well I have to say it isn't completely unsuitable for you. I would have gone for Hufflepuff... but, yes, I know your family, you all tend to come into your own in that House... well then..."
Harmony waited, holding her breath as the hat declared, "Slytherin!"
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Takes a breath. I'm so unused to writing Harry Potter AUs ;^_^ I hope I got this okay. Nikolai wasn't in it as much as I wanted - but I certainly feel should I ever want to revisit this Universe it's a good set-up for it, and I can probably just write fun little one-shots for bits and pieces.
Sort of part of an art-trade/long-awaited promise to BrinFreeze
Things kept vague, because it felt wrong to insert it into the timeline of the actual Harry Potter books, so I suppose it's an AU for even within that Universe.
Nikolai (c) BrinFreeze
Harmony (c) sparkeythehamster
Crash (c) LoveEccentric
Sort of part of an art-trade/long-awaited promise to BrinFreeze
Things kept vague, because it felt wrong to insert it into the timeline of the actual Harry Potter books, so I suppose it's an AU for even within that Universe.
Nikolai (c) BrinFreeze
Harmony (c) sparkeythehamster
Crash (c) LoveEccentric
© 2017 - 2024 sparkeythehamster
Comments7
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Thanks, Sparkey! I love it! A perfect start to their Hogwarts adventure~
Yeah I see what you mean when it comes to adding in the professors and stuff. I wouldn't feel comfortable writing characters that belonged to franchises. Perhaps if you write more of this au in the future the professors could also be Artemis characters ^u^
Thanks, Sparkey! I love it! A perfect start to their Hogwarts adventure~
Yeah I see what you mean when it comes to adding in the professors and stuff. I wouldn't feel comfortable writing characters that belonged to franchises. Perhaps if you write more of this au in the future the professors could also be Artemis characters ^u^