Alchemy

Welcome to Hogwarts

'What the heck is a Platform 9 and 3/4?!' Dan whispered under his voice as he shrugged his backpack up his shoulders. In one hand, he had several bits of paper (instructions, his entry letter, a map), in the other, a duffel bag of his stuff. On the floor in front of him sat a covered bird cage. Within it was Dan's owl, who he'd named Annie Oakley, a Eurasian Eagle Owl that Dan got while at his old wizarding school.

Dan spun around in the middle of King's Cross Station, London. Having recently moved to London, Dan found that he needed to find a way to his new wizarding school.

Annie started hooting in response to something. Dan looked up as he heard a distant, similar hoot. He turned to the direction it came from. Dan made eye contact with another lad with a trolley full of stuff, his own at the front of the trolley. An owl the same as Annie, but slightly smaller, hooted at Dan's direction. Dan waved awkwardly.

The other lad walked over to Dan, pushing the trolley. His hair was brown and long and he wore a red and yellow striped scarf.

'Hey man. You look lost,' the other guy said to Dan.

'Uh, yeah, nice owl,' Dan pointed at the other owl. It hooted at Dan.

'You looking for the ever elusive 9 and 3/4?' Dan nodded. 'Follow me. I'm Chris by the way. Or Woody, which I prefer. My owl's called Adam.'

Adam hooted and Annie hooted back.

Dan stuffed the papers in his pocket and picked up Annie's travel cage.

Woody led Dan to a quiet area and raised an eyebrow at Dan. 'Watch carefully then copy me.'

Woody ran full speed at a wall.

'Dude! What the hell!' Dan yelled... only for Woody to disappear into the wall. 'Oh... great.'

Dan looked around. Nobody was around so he followed Woody, closed his eyes, braced for impact... then found himself being caught by Woody. Dan opened his eyes and Woody grinned at Dan.

'Welcome to Platform 9 and 3/4,' Woody said as he patted Dan on the back. The two owls hooted at each other again.

'I... what?' Dan spluttered. Dan, being a muggleborn, still got confused by a lot of magic. He always travelled with his pure-blood friend to his old school.

'Magic... uh. I never got your name.'

'D-Daniel. Dan.'

'Alright Dan. Let's get on the train.'

The train whistled and blew steam as the pair got onto the train and found a compartment to themselves.

The journey passed quickly. Dan talked about his old wizarding school, a small school in South Africa, and about moving to London. Woody talked about Hogwarts, and all its history (that he was surprised to hear Dan didn't really know).

When they finally arrived at Hogwarts, Dan stared at the building for a short while. 'I... don't really know where to go.'

'I'll take you to the head's office,' Woody replied.

Woody escorted me to the head's office and I waited there while Woody went to his dorm.

'Young master Smith?' He heard a voice and looked up and a middle aged man was smiling at Dan, and gestured for him to go into the office. . 'So, young Daniel. Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Dick Meredith, the new headmaster. Only started last year. Anyway. Today is about you, young Daniel.'

Dan shifted in his seat.

'I don't know much about how your old school operated, so I'll give you the same talk I give all non-purebloods. In recent years, we lifted the spell that prevents muggle-made inventions from working here. Well, on most things. Things like guns and chainsaws and the like don't work here still.'

Dan blinked at him, confused.

'Anyway. Purebloods are still a bit... behind, when it comes to technology. Your mobile phone will have wifi and signal, although it's a bit weak. Pens will work just fine. If any pureblood seems to be... amazed by your everyday things, don't take offence.'

Dan scratched the back of his neck.

'Anyway. We have houses here. You need to be sorted into one.'

Dan raised an eyebrow as Dick pulled an old hat from a cupboard. The hat was placed on Dan's head. The hat awoke and seemed deep in thought for a moment, before yelling 'HUFFLEPUFF' and making Dan jump.

'Pretty quick,' Dick said as he took the hat from Dan. Dan was gripping the arms of his chair in surprise. 'I'll take you to your dorm.'

The pair left the office. Dick looked at another boy waiting there, leaning against the wall. Green tie, white shirt unbuttoned at the top, black  trousers and sweater.

'Ah. Kyle. Hello. Here to talk about what you did at the end of last year?'

Kyle shrugged. 'I guess.'

'Can you take Dan here to the Hufflepuff dorms for me?'

Kyle looked up and down at Dan. '... I guess.'

Dan and Kyle walked off and Dick went back into his office.

'H-hi,' Dan said to Kyle.

'Alright? I'm Kyle. Apparently this place doesn't like students having fireworks, if you were wondering about the "last year"' Kyle made air quotes with his fingers, 'that Meredith was on about.' Kyle grinned at Dan. 'It was wicked cool.'

Kyle had escorted Dan to the Hufflepuff boys' dorm. He nodded at another boy, similar looking to him but shorter, and in the Hufflepuff colours.

Kyle nudged Dan and pointed towards the other boy. 'That's Charlie. Go talk to him, he'll help you out.'

Kyle waved Dan off and Charlie bounded up to greet Dan.

'Hey! I'm Charlie!' Charlie took Dan's duffel bag and took him to his dorm room. 'The headmaster said a transfer kid in my year possibly would need the spare bed in my dorm, I guess you are in our house, eh?'

Dan was a bit taken aback by the cheerfulness of Charlie, but quickly relaxed and smiled. The pair settled Dan into the dorm quickly and bantered about their lives for a few hours.