September first arrived gray and drizzling, the kind of morning that made the orphanage walls seem even more cracked and faded. Darius sat on the edge of his narrow bed, his trunk packed beside him, Minerva perched quietly in her cage. The other children had barely glanced at his preparations—to them, he was simply leaving for another boarding school, nothing worth noting.
[Status Check:
Stamina - Good
Magical Energy - Moderate
Condition - Healthy
Wand Resonance - Stable]
The numbers had continued improving over the past weeks. His body felt solid, responsive. The constant ache that had been his companion for years remained just a memory.
"Kael!" The matron's voice cut through the morning quiet. "Your ride's here."
He shouldered his trunk and lifted Minerva's cage. At the door, the matron barely looked at him. "Don't cause trouble," she said, the same words she'd given every child who'd left before him.
"I won't," he replied, though they both knew she'd forgotten him before he'd even stepped outside.
McGonagall waited by a modest black car, her expression as crisp as her robes. "Good morning, Mr. Kael. Are you ready?"
"Yes, Professor."
The drive to London passed quietly. Darius watched the city wake up around them—commuters hurrying to catch buses, shopkeepers opening their doors, the ordinary rhythm of a world that had no idea magic existed parallel to it. The nano machine hummed softly, recording everything, but there was nothing unusual to analyze. Not yet.
King's Cross Station bustled with the controlled chaos of a weekday morning. McGonagall led him through the crowds with purposeful strides, past platforms nine and ten. Other children moved through the station with heavy trunks and caged owls—clearly not the only magical student traveling today.
"There," McGonagall pointed ahead.
Emma, Sarah, and Thomas stood in a cluster near a pillar, all looking slightly overwhelmed. Emma spotted him first, waving with relief.
"Darius! Thank god you're here. This place is mad."
Sarah clutched her trunk handle with white knuckles. "There are so many people. And look—" She nodded toward a family nearby where the parents were hugging a girl with a trunk similar to theirs. "More students."
Thomas was staring at a boy who walked past with what appeared to be a small dragon perched on his shoulder. "Is that thing real?"
"Everything's real now," Darius said, earning nervous laughs from the others.
McGonagall gathered them together. "Now then, you need to reach Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Do you see that barrier between platforms nine and ten?"
They looked. It was just a wall.
"That's... solid," Emma said uncertainly.
"To Muggle eyes, yes. But you must trust me. Run straight at it—don't be afraid, don't hesitate. If you're nervous, go fast. Who would like to go first?"
The four of them exchanged glances. No volunteers.
Darius stepped closer to the barrier, focusing on what the nano machine could tell him.
[Energy signature detected. Location: Barrier between platforms 9-10. Analysis... Analysis... Error. Unable to penetrate. Unknown interference pattern. Caution advised.]
He frowned. The nano machine had been analyzing magic successfully for weeks now, mapping spells and energy flows with increasing precision. But this... this was different. It was like staring at a wall of static.
"Darius?" Emma's voice was tight with nerves.
He looked back at his new friends—Emma biting her lip, Sarah gripping her trunk, Thomas trying to look braver than he felt. All of them waiting for someone to take the first step.
The nano machine's uncertainty sat heavy in his mind. For weeks, it had been his advantage, his way of understanding and preparing for the magical world. But now, facing something it couldn't analyze or predict, he had to choose: step back into the safety of the known, or trust in something beyond his control.
"I'll go first," he said.
McGonagall nodded approvingly. "Remember—don't hesitate."
Darius took a deep breath, tightened his grip on his trunk, and ran straight at the solid barrier.
[Warning: Collision imminent. No exit route detected. Energy field approaching—]
The sensation was like diving through cold water. For a heartbeat, the world dissolved into rushing energy that the nano machine couldn't categorize or understand. Then he stumbled onto a different platform entirely.
Platform Nine and Three-Quarters stretched before him, filled with families saying goodbye to children, trunks being loaded onto a magnificent scarlet steam engine. The Hogwarts Express.
[Location shift confirmed. Transportation method: Unknown. Analysis of transition: Impossible. Current environment: Magical railway platform.]
Within moments, the others came through—Emma first, eyes wide with amazement, then Sarah and Thomas in quick succession.
"That was..." Thomas shook his head. "Completely impossible."
"Welcome to our new normal," Darius said, but he was grinning now. The nano machine might not understand it, but they'd made it through.
They boarded the train, finding an empty compartment halfway down. The Hogwarts Express was unlike any train Darius had ever seen—the seats were plush, the windows large and clear, and everything had an air of comfortable magic about it.
As the train pulled away from London, they settled in for the long journey to Scotland. The compartment filled with excited chatter from his companions, but Darius found himself listening to conversations from the corridor and nearby compartments.
"—heard there's a new Defense teacher this year—"
"—my brother says Snape still favors Slytherin terribly—"
"—wonder if we'll see any dragons in Care of Magical Creatures—"
[Conversation patterns analyzed. Educational structure confirmed. Faculty references cataloged. Social hierarchies detected.]
An older student with a prefect badge peeked into their compartment. "Everything alright in here? First years settling in well?"
"Yes, thank you," Emma replied politely.
The prefect smiled and moved on. A few minutes later, two older boys passed by, one with flaming red hair.
"First years?" the red-haired boy asked cheerfully. "I'm Charlie Weasley, sixth year. This is Marcus Flint, also sixth year. Fair warning—the Sorting can be a bit overwhelming, but don't worry about it too much."
Marcus, a stocky boy with dark hair, snorted. "Speak for yourself, Weasley. Some of us take House pride seriously."
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Ignore him. Slytherins think everything's a competition."
After they left, Sarah looked worried. "What did they mean about the Sorting being overwhelming?"
"McGonagall mentioned it briefly," Emma said. "Something about being sorted into Houses based on our characteristics."
Thomas leaned forward. "What kind of characteristics?"
Darius had been wondering the same thing. The nano machine had recorded fragments of conversations about Houses—Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin—but the sorting criteria remained unclear.
"I suppose we'll find out," he said.
The train journey continued through the afternoon. They shared sweets from the trolley witch—Chocolate Frogs that actually hopped, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans that lived up to their name in disturbing ways. Darius got spinach and immediately regretted his curiosity.
[Magical confectionery analyzed. Animation spells detected in chocolate products. Flavor enhancement charms identified. Educational value: Minimal.]
As evening approached, the landscape outside grew wilder, more remote. Mountains rose in the distance, and soon they were traveling through Scottish Highlands that looked like something from a fairy tale.
"We should probably change into our robes," Sarah suggested, pulling hers from her trunk.
They took turns changing, the reality of their situation settling in more completely. When Darius saw himself in the window's reflection—black robes, Hogwarts crest on his chest—something shifted inside him. He wasn't just pretending to be a wizard anymore. He was becoming one.
The train began to slow.
"Hogsmeade Station!" came a distant shout.
Through the window, Darius could see a small platform lit by lanterns. Students were already disembarking, their excited voices carrying through the evening air.
Emma grabbed his arm. "This is it. We're actually going to Hogwarts."
He looked at his friends—three other Muggle-born children who'd been thrown into this impossible world alongside him. Whatever came next, they'd face it together.
"First years! First years over here!"
The voice belonged to an enormous man with wild hair and a lantern that seemed too small for his massive hands. Students moved toward him like iron filings to a magnet.
Darius shouldered his trunk and followed his friends off the train. The night air was crisp with the promise of autumn, and somewhere ahead, beyond the dark waters of a lake he could just make out in the lamplight, stood Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
[Location: Hogsmeade Station. Destination confirmed: Hogwarts School. Status: First year student.]
[Assessment: Integration phase nearly complete. Educational phase beginning.]
[New objective: Successfully navigate House Sorting. Maintain cover. Begin magical education.]
The enormous man—Hagrid, someone called him—was gathering the first years together. "Right then, first years this way! Don't be shy, come on, follow me!"
Darius fell into step with Emma, Sarah, and Thomas, part of a group of nervous eleven-year-olds walking toward their new lives. Behind his carefully maintained expression of calm curiosity, he felt something he hadn't experienced in either of his lives: genuine excitement for what came next.
Whatever house the Sorting Hat placed him in, whatever challenges lay ahead, he was ready to stop being average. He was ready to begin.