Serpent's Lair

Harry woke at five o'clock the next morning, and was too excited and nervous to go back to sleep. In just a few hours he'd be on a train on his way to Hogwarts, away from the Dursleys and his old life. He checked his Hogwarts list to make sure he had everything he needed, saw that his owl, Hedwig, was shut safely in her cage, and then paced the room, waiting for the Dursleys to get up. About two hours later, Harry's huge, heavy trunk had been loaded into the Dursleys' car, Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry, and they had set off.

They reached King's Cross station at quarter past ten. Uncle Vernon dumped Harry's trunk onto a cart and wheeled it into the station for him. Harry thought this was strangely kind until Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.

"Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine-- platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"

He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.

"Have a good term," said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing. Harry's mouth went rather dry. What on Earth was he going to do? He was starting to attract a lot of funny looks, because of Hedwig. He'd have to ask someone.

He stopped a passing guard, but didn't dare mention platform nine and three-quarters. He tried several tacks, including asking about the train bound for Hogwarts.

"Never heard of Hogwarts," the guard replied gruffly, "Where is it?"

"I... er--"

There was a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a girl about his age. She held a very large black cat in her arms, and she was dressed in Hogwarts robes.

"Er-- never mind. Thank you." With that, Harry turned and followed the girl to a bench in a corner of the station, trying to ignore the odd looks the two of them were receiving.

"Blaise. Blaise Zabini," she told him, holding out her hand. She spoke as if she were introducing herself as the Queen of England.

"Er-- Harry Potter," he said reluctantly.

Her eyes traveled predictably to his forehead, and her mouth fell open. "Harry Potter?" she whispered, with astonished delight. "The Harry Potter?"

"Er-- um-- yeah."

"Oh-- wow-- I mean, I knew you were coming to Hogwarts this year, but-- oh, wow-- Harry Potter."

"Ah," said Harry, not really knowing what else to say.

Blaise stared at him for a minute, then looked confused. "What's the matter?"

"Er-- nothing."

"I can show you how to get onto the platform. It'll open in about five minutes."

"Thanks."

"No problem. I'm glad somebody else is here. Mum had to drop me off early-- she had a show to go to. She's an artist. Can I call you Harry?"

"Sure."

"Okay, good. Wow-- can you believe we're finally going to Hogwarts? And-- you're Harry Potter!"

"Yes, I know that," Harry said, starting to get annoyed.

"Sorry. It's cool, though. I've heard about you all my life..."

"Your parents must be wizards then."

"Oh, yes. Classic Slytherin pureblood on my dad's side. Mum's family was all-wizard, too-- well, pretty much, anyway-- but they were mostly Ravenclaws."

"What's Ravenclaw?"

"You don't know? Oh, it's one of the Houses. There's four-- Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Everybody gets sorted into one of them. Hey-- it's ten thirty. The platform should be open now. Come on-- I can tell you more on the train."

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform. A number of people were milling about, most with baggage every bit as odd as Harry's. Blaise waved to a dark-haired girl who was standing in the shadows, and she came toward them, holding a book against her chest as if it were a ward against the crowd of strangers around her.

"Hi, Blaise," she said, smiling shyly.

"Hi Elizabeth. Harry, this is Elizabeth Moon, I met her at Diagon Alley, she's new too... Elizabeth... this is Harry Potter."

If she recognized the name, she didn't show it. "Hi. Nice to meet you," she said, offering her hand while still staring at the ground.

"Come on," Blaise said, grabbing Elizabeth's hand. "Let's get on the train."

They walked toward the doors of the train, past an older girl who was trying desperately to keep hold of a large newt, a tall boy with a green prefect badge, and a boy who was sorting through his bags while a woman looked on with a resigned air. "It's all right, I'll go back and get them, Gillian."

"No, no, I'm sure they're here somewhere..."

A small girl with cat ears was yelling at an older boy, who was smirking.. "But you like cats, Olivia."

Blaise started trying to push her cart up the stairs onto the train. Harry offered to help, but she brushed the offer aside, insisting that she was alright. Harry watched in alarm as Blaise's cat set off toward the girl with the newt. Blaise noticed a moment later, and set of after her cat, letting her cart roll back onto the platform. Returning with the cat, she declared that help might, perhaps, be acceptable. She handed the cat to Elizabeth and climbed up onto the train. She and Harry spent several moments trying to push and pull the cart onto the train, and then a tall, slim boy with extremely green eyes came up to them, followed by a rather sullen companion.

"Do you need help?" the green-eyed boy asked courteously. He and his silent companion helped them load on their luggage. "Phineas Rosier," the boy said. "My highly unsociable friend is Darrin Blackridge. I'm pleased to meet you, and he would be, were he capable of it. First years, I presume?"

"Yes, we are," Blaise answered. "I'm Blaise Zabini, this is Elizabeth Moon, and this--" she paused for effect "Is Harry Potter."

"Indeed." Phineas' eyes did not flicker to Harry's scar, but fixed on his face with intense interest. "Indeed." Harry shifted awkwardly. "I'll be seeing you three." Phineas inclined his head slightly. "In the mean time, I hope you find a fine welcome at Hogwarts."

The three of them went on into the train and found a compartment. Blaise turned to Elizabeth. "Do you want to stay with us, or did you want to go find Mandy and company?"

Elizabeth looked uncertain.

"Mandy did like you," Blaise said. "Unfortunately, she's friends with the most obnoxious girl in the whole wizarding world, otherwise me and Harry would come with you... and she's going for Ravenclaw, not Slytherin. You're welcome to stay here, too, of course, but the thing is, the houses are too divided up for friends in other houses to be much good, so if I do get into Slytherin, we'll probably practically never see each other, so you might be better off connecting with Mandy's gang now."

"Um..."

"Well, stay here for now, anyway. Mandy probably isn't here yet. I hope Pansy isn't with her. If she is and she's rude to you, just try to ignore it. She won't be in your house," Blaise sat down, and Elizabeth and Harry did likewise, and Blaise turned to Harry. "So anyway, I guess I should explain about the houses..." and then she was off again, talking at her usual breathless speed. "There's four houses. Slytherin's for the most ambitious, cunning, resourceful types. Ravenclaw's all about brains-- they're the smart, studious ones. Gryffindor's for brave, adventurous people-- father says it's for people who enjoy getting into trouble-- and Hufflepuff's... well, everybody else. Father puts it as if you've got brains and ambition you're in Slytherin, if you've got brains but not ambition you're in Ravenclaw. He says that Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are for people who don't have either, but Mum said that wasn't quite fair." She turned and stared out the window. "This is so exciting! We're going to Hogwarts!" Harry and Elizabeth were quiet, both lost in their own thoughts for the time being. They watched as more and more students entered the train. After a while, a girl with a long black pony tail and a red sweater peered inside their compartment.

"There you are, Elizabeth. We're sitting toward the back of the train-- want to join us?"

Blaise shifted a little, but continued to stare determinedly out the window. Elizabeth looked back and forth between her and the new girl. She had the appearance of one who sincerely wishes to sink through the floor, and Harry felt quite sorry for her. The girl in the red sweater stepped inside and picked up some of Elizabeth's luggage. "Come on," she said, setting off. Elizabeth followed, with an apologetic glance at Blaise.

As soon as the two were out of earshot, Blaise started in on a rather colorful speech, from which Harry gathered that the girl's name was Aliana and Blaise disliked her. Outside, people seemed to be getting done with boarding. Harry watched as a pair of red-haired twins carried their luggage toward the train. A short while later their heads appeared, as they leaned out a window to say goodbye to a red-haired woman, who Harry assumed was their mother, and a girl a year or two younger than Harry. The girl was crying, and the twins, from the look of it, were trying to cheer her up. Then the train pulled away, and Harry watched the girl, half-laughing, half-crying, running to keep up with the train, until it gathered too much speed, and she fell back and waved.

After a short time Blaise got over her gloom, and she and Harry started talking. She was curious about Harry, mostly; she asked what kind of magic he'd showed as a child, and was extremely indignant when she heard how the Dursleys had reacted. She asked if he remembered anything about being attacked by Voldemort, and then which house he expected to be in.

"I don't know. Probably Hufflepuff. I don't know anything about magic... I bet," he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, "I bet I'm the worst in the class."

"Don't be ridiculous! You're Harry Potter! You survived an attack from the most powerful Dark wizard of all time-- when you were just a year old-- I'll bet you've got all kinds of special powers--" There was a slightly demonic glint in her eyes. Harry moved back in his seat. She blinked, and suddenly came back to herself. "Anyway, you're not the only one from a Muggle background. And we're not allowed wands until we're ten years old anyway, so it's not all that much of a head start. Most of the Muggle-borns do fine-- Mum says you couldn't tell the difference after first year."

Then she answered some of Harry's questions. She was an only child, and her parents were divorced. Her mother was an artist, and her father worked for the Ministry of Magic. She'd grown up around magic, and found the idea of living with out it almost inconceivable-- she kept asking questions like, "but how do you get from place to place in a hurry?" and being astounded at the answers. She flatly refused to believe in airplanes-- "You can't make a huge metal thing fly without magic"-- and was intrigued by vacuum cleaners and washing machines.

While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. Harry sat and watched the fields and lanes flick past, while Blaise alternately babbled and questioned. Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the cart, dears?"

Harry, who hadn't had any breakfast, leapt to his feet, and Blaise followed him out into the corridor. Harry had never had any money for candy with the Dursleys, and now that he had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry-- but the woman didn't have Mars Bars. What she did have were magical candies, the like of which he'd never seen before. Blaise seemed to know what she wanted, so he let her order first. Then, unable to pick and not wanting to miss anything, he bought samples of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and two bronze Knuts.

Harry and Blaise decided to pool their candy, and the two of them ate in companionable silence, occasionally interrupted by Blaise's telling him some interesting fact about the food he was eating.

"Those are chocolate frogs," Blaise informed him as he picked one up. "They aren't really frogs-- they're enchanted to jump like that. They've got cards in them. A lot of people collect them... mostly boys, I think. Do you want to keep the one you get?"

The cards were interesting enough, and Harry decided to start collecting.. Each featured a famous witch or wizard, and Harry ended up with Circe, Paracelsus, Dedalius, Merlin, and Dumbledore. Then Blaise offered him one of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans-- "careful though, they mean every flavor"-- and he choked in disgust on a sock-flavored bean before getting a strawberry one.

The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills. Harry gazed out the window, feeling very happy. Not only was he leaving the Dursleys to go to a magical school, he seemed to have already made a friend. Blaise might be a bit odd and overtalkative, but a friend was a friend, and he'd never had one before-- everyone at school had been too afraid of Dudley.

There was a knock on the door of their compartment and a round-faced boy came in, looking tearful.

"Sorry," he said, "but have you seen a toad at all?"

When they shook their heads, he wailed, "I've lost him! He keeps getting away from me!"

"He'll turn up," said Harry.

"Where did you see him last?" Blaise asked.

"He was in my compartment..."

"Is he magical at all?"

"Yes... I think so..."

"He'll probably be alright then. Don't worry too much. Do you have any idea how he could have gotten out?"

"Well... no, not really, the door was open..."

"Hm." Blaise contemplated for a few minutes. "Your best bet is probably just asking people if they've seen him, then. We'll make sure to get him back to you if we find him, okay?"

"Okay," he replied mournfully. "I hope I find him..."

He left.

"I hope he finds it alright," Blaise muttered, looking worried..

"How would it be magical?" Harry asked.

She shrugged. "Most wizard's pets are. They get interbred with other things, and, well... they're different."

Harry glanced at Hedwig.

"It's really hard to tell how, though," Blaise went on. "There aren't many who can talk, or who have really obvious powers. A lot of the time it doesn't show up until you need it. That's not true for everything, of course..."

Blaise went on talking, describing various wizards and their magical pets, and Harry listened with interest until the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy hair, and rather large front teeth..

"We haven't," Blaise answered.

"Alright, then." The bushy-haired girl turned to go. "We'd better go find Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." Then her eyes flickered to Harry's face, and to his scar. "Are you-- what's your name?"

"Um-- I'm Harry Potter."

"Are you really?" said the girl. "I'm Hermione Granger. I know all about you, of course-- I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."

"Am I?" said Harry, feeling dazed.

"Goodness, don't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. "Do either of you know what house you'll be in? I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad... Anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon."

And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.

"Gryffindor sounds like the best?" Blaise shook her head in disbelief. "I wonder what she's been reading."

"What house do you want to get into?"

"Slytherin. Definitely Slytherin. Ravenclaw would be alright, I guess, but I like to actually be part of things. I'd rather make history than memorize it."

"Isn't Slytherin the house that Vol-- I mean, You-Know-Who was in?"

"Well... yes, it was. Slytherin's a lot about ambition and determination, making sure you get what you want. It's not like it turns you evil, though. You-Know-Who was in Slytherin, but so was the man who organized the Ministry against him. And my father was in Slytherin too, and he helped fight against You-Know-Who. Slytherin is about becoming what you want to be. If you don't want to be a Dark wizard then there's nothing to worry about."