Crossroads of Two Worlds

13- Intro To Wizardry... Is That In A Textbook?

I dragged my trunk onto the train and put my owl, (who I'd named Astra, the Greek word for lighting) where all the other cages were, and then began searching for a place to sit.

As I walked down the center aisle, I peeked into compartments to see how many people sat inside each one. In the middle of the train, I looked into a cabin, getting tired of finding no room. But when I peered into the cabin, I spotted someone I knew, sitting alone. Not James or Albus, but Rose, the girl I'd met in Diagon Alley. She was sitting with her back against the window and her crossed legs on the seat. She was reading a book called "Quidditch through the Ages." I decided that Maya would have liked Rose.

I knocked on the door and Rose looked up from her book in surprise. One facial expression changed into another as she smiled when she saw me.

I poked my head in, "Would you mind if I joined you?"

She smiled wider, "No not at all! Please do!"

I put my trunk on the overhead rack, trying to avoid flying to reach it. I'd have to quit using my demigod powers at Hogwarts.

I sat down opposite of Rose and when I was about to speak, I was cut off by a knock on the door.

It was Albus. He hadn't bothered to ask to come in, and I figured out why when Rose squealed and threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, grinning, "Could I join you ladies?"

Rose laughed, "Oh please Albus."

I stared, "You two know each other?"

They both replied, "We're cousins."

"Oh good, I'm glad you know each other, that might've been awkward."

They both laughed and Albus sat next to Rose after putting his things on the rack.

Albus's owl happened to be squawking at his still-purple feathers. I almost snorted when I realized that Albus probably hadn't put him with the other owls because he didn't want to embarrass his owl or himself. I laughed and pulled out my wand. I pointed it at the owl and spoke a counter curse. Merlin's feathers turned white and black, which must have been the original colors.

Albus looked at me, then at Merlin and sighed in relief, "Thank you! James would've never let up about that! But how did you know the counter curse?"

I grinned mischievously, "I like pranks, but I also like to know how to reverse them."

Albus's eyes widened in fear, "Not another prankster!"

I laughed, and then the train jolted and started moving.

5:00 PM

By the time the train rolled to a stop, I'd made good friends out of Albus and Rose. One of the things I'd been worried about was making friends. All the students at Hogwarts came from a different world than I did, and I feared that they would see that I was... different.

When we got off the train, someone elbowed me in the back and snarled, "Watch it first year."

I shrugged, used to getting beat up. I'd gained some muscle at Camp this summer and was now good enough at sword fighting so that when he hit me I had to fight against the instinct to draw my weapon and swing it towards his neck. I turned to look at the person who had hit me and saw a fourteen or fifteen year old boy wearing a green and silver tie. Rose had explained the four houses to me, so I knew that the boy was a member of Slytherin.

I could have had the boy on the ground begging for his life by now, but that might be the best first impression. Instead I smiled at him and slipped something into his pocket.