Thick plumes of steam billowed into the air, curling over the bustling crowd of Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The station rang with chatter, the hoots of restless owls, and the meows of cats weaving nimbly through legs and luggage.
Sitting with regal calm atop Vaughan's trunk was Fruity, his ginger cat, who eyed the other felines darting about with detached curiosity.
Harry had vanished somewhere into the crowd. Vaughan had seen him a moment ago, but now the boy was nowhere to be found. Not that Vaughan was worried, Harry had a talent for getting into strange situations. Instead of looking for him, Vaughan rose up on tiptoe to scan the crowd and soon spotted the unmistakable shock of red hair belonging to Fred and George Weasley. He pushed his way toward them.
"Where's Percy?" he asked as he reached the twins.
"Haven't seen him," Fred replied cheerfully. "Our noble Prefect of a brother is dreadfully busy these days. Blinked, and he vanished."
"Wait, Percy's a Prefect now?" George blinked, pretending to be surprised. "Why didn't I know that?"
"You do know that," Fred retorted.
George scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Did he mention it once? Twice?"
"No, no," Fred declared dramatically. "He's only mentioned it--"
Both twins chimed in at once: "All summer long!" They broke into cackling laughter.
At that precise moment, Percy swept into view, somehow already wearing a crisp new school robe and looking as stiff as a starched napkin. He straightened his posture and fixed his brothers with a disapproving stare.
"If I were you two," he sniffed, "and my older brother had been made a Prefect, I'd try not to make his life even more difficult."
Fred clutched his heart. "Sweet Merlin's beard, George, I'm terrified!"
George gasped, wide-eyed. "Did you hear that? He sounds like he's already the Headmaster!"
"You two!" Percy started, then sighed heavily and turned his back on them.
Instead, he strode over to Vaughan, giving an exaggerated flourish of his robes to ensure the gleaming silver 'P' badge on his chest caught the light.
"Vaughan, dear brother," he said pompously, "if you need anything at Hogwarts, just find me."
"I will, Percy," Vaughan said with a smile that managed to be both warm and vaguely amused.
At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived with Ginny and Ron in tow. It was nearly eleven o'clock, and the steam from the train was growing thicker, the Hogwarts Express was about to depart.
Molly Weasley bustled about, saying her goodbyes. She hugged Vaughan and Ron tightly, her eyes glistening.
"You two have never been so far from home before," she said, sniffling.
"Don't worry, Mum," Vaughan said, trying to sound sincere. "We're just going to school. Hogwarts is the safest place in the world..."
Well, he added mentally, it won't be for long.
"We'll write to you and Dad, promise! And Ginny too, of course."
He gave Ginny a tight hug. She had already dissolved into tears, clinging to the front of his robes with both fists.
"Vaughan, I don't want you to go!"
"But I have to, Ginny. I'm going to school. And next year, you can come too. Then we'll be together again."
It took a good few minutes to calm her down. Ron didn't say a word during the whole exchange, mainly because he was busy wiping his nose and trying not to cry himself.
After tearful waves and final hugs, Vaughan and Ron pushed their trunks onto the train and went off in search of an empty compartment.
They avoided the front cars, those were usually taken by older students, and Percy had been bragging all morning about the Prefects' special compartment up there.
So they headed to the rear of the train.
Eventually, they found an empty compartment just as the whistle blew. The train shuddered and began to move.
Ron rushed to the window, pressing his freckled face to the glass, hoping to catch one last glimpse of his parents.
But the platform was already cloaked in white steam. He could see only vague shapes and waving hands.
Disheartened, he slumped into his seat.
Vaughan raised his wand. With a practiced flick and a murmur of "Wingardium Leviosa," he lifted both their trunks and settled them neatly onto the luggage rack.
Seeing Ron's forlorn face, Vaughan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, round sweet.
"Here. Catch."
Ron blinked, startled. He caught the candy and began to unwrap it.
"Th-thanks, Vaughan..."
"Try again," Vaughan said mischievously, reaching over to ruffle Ron's already messy red hair. "Say 'thanks, big brother.'"
Ron yelped in protest, swatting at Vaughan's hand. "You wish!"
Just then, the compartment door slid open with a soft clack, revealing a skinny boy with a mop of jet-black hair and wide, green eyes. He looked as though he'd gotten lost in a windstorm and also, perhaps, his own thoughts.
"Um... is it okay if I sit here?" he asked nervously.
Harry Potter was having a very, very rough morning.
His aunt and uncle had unceremoniously dumped him at King's Cross and driven away, leaving him utterly lost until a kind red-haired woman had shown him how to reach Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
He'd somehow squeezed through the crowd and managed to get on the train, but finding a seat was another matter entirely.
Every compartment he passed was full.
He'd tried one near the front, only to be glared out by some older students wearing green ties and badges with snakes. That hadn't gone well.
Eventually, he had stumbled toward the back of the train... and that's when he saw them: two boys with brilliant red hair. He recognized them immediately.
They were part of the family that had helped him at the barrier. One of them, the taller one with dark amber eyes was, without a doubt, the most striking person Harry had ever seen. Even Aunt Petunia's favorite soap opera actors didn't compare.
But more than that, what had truly drawn Harry's attention was what he'd just seen: the older boy had levitated their luggage with his wand. Real magic.
Something had made Harry act on impulse. He knocked on the door and stepped inside, only to immediately regret it.
What if they didn't want a stranger interrupting them? What if they told him to go away?
He was used to keeping his head down and not making trouble.
To his surprise, the taller boy gave him a warm smile.
"Of course," Vaughan said. "Come in."
Harry gave a small, awkward nod and turned to drag his trunk, but before he could, a voice behind him muttered:
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Harry spun around just in time to see his trunk lift into the air, his snowy owl Hedwig flapping inside her cage in alarm.
Vaughan expertly guided the floating trunk onto the luggage rack and gently set Hedwig's cage down on the table near the window.
A large ginger cat was already seated there, eyeing Hedwig with cool disinterest before turning its attention to the mouse cage in the corner.
"Er... th-thanks," Harry stammered. "That was... brilliant."
"Don't mention it. Come on in," Vaughan said. "I'm Vaughan Weasley. This is my younger brother, Ron. And you're Harry Potter."
Harry, who had just taken a hesitant step into the compartment, froze mid-stride.
"Wait, how did you know?"
Vaughan pointed at his own forehead. "I saw your scar when we were outside on the platform."
Harry let out a quiet breath. So it wasn't some mind-reading spell, thank goodness.
But before he could respond, Ron suddenly leapt from his seat, eyes bulging.
"Wait, you're Harry Potter?! The Harry Potter?!"