Chapter 3: Changes

"All students are bound by school rules to arrive on September 1st using the Hogwarts express unless for emergency reasons, in which case the school is to be contacted. School rules furthermore dictate, that no student is to arrive at Hogwarts independently. (Hogwarts Charter §26-29)

A true prankster should, however, make sure to arrive at Hogwarts in stile, should he ever miss the express, which is of course impossible with a teacher escort.

Taking the Hogwarts express, however, is strongly recommended due to the wonderful chance to meet new friends, and catch up with old ones.

The scarlet red train leaves from King's Cross station in the centre of London at eleven am sharp. To prevent our fellow non-magical human beings from noticing large numbers of children leaving in an extravagant old-fashioned steam train each year, a hidden platform has been established between platforms nine and ten.

To reach the platform, one has to simply pass through the apparently solid stone barrier. First timers are recommended to run to avoid hesitating last moment, but not to close their eyes. Otherwise, collisions on the other side of the illusion are likely, and will lead to minor bodily harm.

In order to avoid looking absolutely ridiculous touching all stone barriers on and around platforms 9 and 10, it is generally recommended to simply sit and watch out for strange people, preferably with children, walking around. Wizards and Witches in general have no sense of fashion, and are easily spottable for the trained eye by their owls, robes and confusion. For those choosing to try their luck, it is useful to know that Muggles can not pass through, so the barrier a man is leaning against is not automatically excluded."

Extract from: 'The Prankster's True and Incomplete Guide to Magic and the Wizarding World' – 'Hogwarts – Location and Arrival'

Harry felt uncomfortable. His uncle had simply smiled ferally when he had mentioned platform 9 ¾, although his face had fallen when Harry had explained it was hidden behind a walk-through wall. Now, though, as the young wizard was sitting on a bench at the front of the platform, he began to feel weird. No completely strange people caught his eyes, and the security guard had squinted in his direction several times, already. In a few moments, Harry was sure, the man would come over and ask if he was lost, or worse, where his parents were.

"Well hello there, dear." the black haired boy jumped slightly, not having expected the high-pitched voice directly next to his left ear.

"You are not lost, dear, are you?" This time, Harry easily sensed something off with the same voice next to his other ear. As he turned around, he caught sight of two identical, male redheads standing directly behind him, bend over so their heads were next to his, both their faces scrunched up in distress as they manipulated their voices in a way, Harry was sure, that had to leave the throat permanently damaged.

"Hogwarts, dear?" Left asked, still high pitched.

"My twin and I could not help but notice you. Oh my, how adorable." Harry ducked hastily as Right reached forward to pinch his cheek, although he breathed in relieve. Wizards, finally, even if they seemed completely bonkers.

"I am, ah... will... ah... do, ah, Hogwarts, yes. Could you point out the platform for me." he stuttered.

"Oh, yes, of course, my dear. Hold Aunt Georgina's hand, and I will lead you right there." Left held out his hand. Before Harry had a chance to react, though, Right reached over and whacked him over the head, lightly.

"Sorry there. We just could not help ourselves. I'm Fred, and that over there is my lesser twin, George. Tag along, we just have to meet up with our family before we pass through. Mum will be looking for us, already, probably."

"Looking for me?" Harry questioned innocently, finally having caught on to the two brother's game, completely ignoring the other twin's protest at being called lesser. Immediately, George broke out in laughter as he saw his brother's astonished face. "Oh, you got him good there, buddy."

"Well, of course not. At least, I don't think so. You never know, I guess." Before Fred had a chance to continue, a loud female voice echoed through the wide station hall.

"Fred? George?" then, more quiet "Oh dear Merlin, what did those two do now?" At that moment, the voice's owner, a slightly plump, redheaded, middle-aged woman rounded around the pillar Harry was half-hiding behind, having chosen it for its privacy and the good view of the platforms 9 and 10 he had from there.

"Over here mum." Left, George shouted back as he waved wildly. "Just picking up a stray."

While Harry began to protest jestingly loudly at being compared to a rabid dog, feeling confusingly at ease with the two strangers, the woman turned and waved to somebody still hidden from Harry's view. Moments later, however, a balding, redheaded, gangly man, likely her husband, rounded the corner, followed immediately by an apparently endless stream of redheads invading Harry's small sanctuary.

"Well, I seem to have missed a nest, somewhere on the way." Harry muttered mindlessly, before looking up horrified. While most of the family was still too far away to hear him, the twins would have. George ignored his exclamation, though, although his lips twitched slightly, while Fred leaned down to whisper conspiratorially.

"You should see a family gathering. We are still missing my two eldest brothers, who already graduated from Hogwarts, and of course the whole extended family."

"There you two are. Come on, we have to hurry, or we'll miss the Express." The woman, who had finally reached them, scolded her sons, before turning to Harry. "Oh, hello dear, and who might you be? I do hope my two sons did not harass you, did they?" The last part was said with a steel in her voice that made even Harry wince, promising suffering for her sons.

Not wanting to sacrifice his two jesting friends, Harry schooled his face to be completely solemn. "No ma'am. Thank you. They merely found me and offered to take me along to the platform."

Harry could see the twins look of surprise, and threw them a wink over their mother's shoulder as she turned to look at them, astonished. Moments later, her attention was back on him. "A first year? Wonderful, dear. Just tag along with us. It's Ron's first year at Hogwarts, as well."

Harry bit back a laugh as he understood where the twins had gotten their inspiration for their overbearing women earlier from, leaning over as she turned to walk over to the rest of your family.

"Your voices were still too high, I think."

George grinned shamelessly. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you are talking about, but I will let you know that we are working on it."

As Fred gently pushed both of them forwards, finally causing Harry to realise that the rest of the family was already a few paces away, he began introducing his family.

"You already met mum, and the man is obviously our dad. The only girl and youngest is Ginny, then Ron, who will be your classmate, as well, and Percy came before us. He's Prefect in Gryffindor."

"Wow, that's high praise. No flaws at all? He looks a bit uptight, to me. I'm Harry, by the way." Harry fell back into their banter. He enjoyed the twins laid back jokes, and the ability to live up to what he knew his dad's legacy to be.

"A prefect, not perfect, is an older student with some minor supervising duties, really a boring job if you ask us. Nice to meet you, Harry. I think we will get along famously." George explained with a laugh.

"Right, I knew that." Harry deadpanned. He knew indeed. The school system and Hogwarts, as well as several key people had been described in the third chapter of his book.

As they reached a blank spot of wall, almost indistinguishable from all others, the father stopped, causing the rest of the small procession to come to a rest as well.

"Remember that bin over there. It's the only red one, even if the colour is so dark it appears almost as black as all the others, in the entire station, and marks the entrance. It can move, unfortunately, so it takes a good eye to spot." Fred explained, pointing to a small ton behind them. "Dad has years of practise, though."

As he explained, Fred's older brother turned his cart, checked to make sure nobody was watching, and moments later leisurely strolled through an apparently solid wall. Harry, despite knowing what to expect, was amazed. "This is so much more awesome then at Diagon Alley."

"Glad to please, come on." Following the rest of their family, the twins led Harry through the hidden portal. The large steam engine greeting them was more amazing then anything he had ever anticipated, shining scarlet red with the late morning sun reflecting of it's mighty tender.

On the platform appeared to be complete chaos. Countless adults with even more children were running, shouting, or sometimes even disappearing into thin air, while trying to secure a spot in one of the compartments. Harry's head swirled from side to side as he tried to take in the strange new world he had only glimpsed so far.

"Think you can take it from here, Harry?" Fred questioned. "Our friend Lee bragged to bring a tarantula, which we of course have to check out. As a firsty, you are probably going to want to get onboard and grab a seat before it fills up."

As Harry nodded and turned to go, George stopped him. "Hold on." Producing his wand from its holster, he tapped the trunk the small boy was pulling behind himself. "Reducio."

Fascinated, Harry watched as his trunk shrunk slightly until he could comfortably hold it, about as long as two books. Bending down, he anticipated to lift a large wait, and was deligated to find it almost weightless. "Thank you."

George shrugged. "You only have to get it to the compartment, since the elves will do the unpacking, but I figured the corridors were small, and well..."

"As I said," Harry grinned. "Thank you. I was already dreading to lift this thing on board."

Still trying to look everywhere at once, the small boy happily strolled off to find a small compartment, while the two brothers were forcefully waved over by their friends.

"Lee, Oliver, Chasers, how are you all doing? Where is that spider we have been hearing so much about?" Fred grinned as he approached, causing the boy to proudly hold out a small cardboard box, and Angelina to smack his arm lightly.

"Ouch!" the victim cried theatrically while his brother briefly hugged the girls. "What was that for? He's getting a hug! I want a hug, too."

Oliver did not hesitate to step forward and envelop his younger teammate in his arms overbearingly. "You just had to ask, sweaty."

Fred pushed lightly to get the larger and stronger boy off of him, while looking at Angelina questioningly.

"He did not chauvinistically group us females to be one and the same." she explained, although her rolling eyes and slight grin made up for the sting of her words.

Fred sank down onto his knees in response. "Oh wonderful Angelina, amazing Katie, benevolent Alicia, will you three ever forgive me. I seldomly swear I did not mean to cause offence."

"So, who was the kid?" Lee asked after a moment, when it became clear the girls were going to let Fred kneel for a few more minutes. "You know, the small one you guys were talking to earlier."

"The one with the seeker's build." Oliver clarified unnecessarily, causing a round of laughter.

"Only you could be that obsessed, Ollie." George finally forced out between his last giggles. "That was Harry. We found him outside, trying to find the entrance. He seems to be OK, and has humour."

"So, can he play Quidditch?" Oliver demanded eagerly.

"We did not ask, but since he arrived from the Muggle side, I doubt he ever flew before. Besides, first years are not allowed to play, either way." Fred explained, well aware he was misleading his friends slightly.

"That was a good answer." Angelina wrinkled her nose slightly. "Oh, all right, you are forgiven. Stand up, you."

Fred did not hesitate to hop back to his feet. "Thank god, that floor is not exactly comfortable. Do I get a hug, now?"

"Well, if you insist." Lee stepped forward, his arms wide, causing his redhead friend to turn and run.

.

The exact ceremony of sorting is traditionally held a secret to maintain the surprise on arrival. Rest assured, though, that those coming to Hogwarts will not be forced to leave, or perform in a live threatening task on their first evening.

The sorting takes place directly before the opening dinner, in front of the entire school. The houses are, by their tables in the hall from left to right, Gryffindor, home of the brave and foolish, Hufflepuff, house of the loyal and shy, Ravenclaw, nest of the smart and bookish, and Slytherin, lair of the ambitious and ruthless.

Generally, the sorting is based on your traits first, but wishes can be taken into account when more then one house are suitable.

Extract from: 'The Prankster's True and Incomplete Guide to Magic and the Wizarding World' – 'Hogwarts – School, Castle, Home'

Harry watched the old walls around him in awe. He had spent the beginning of his train ride getting to know the twins younger brother, Ron, before wandering of and exploring the express, meeting a few of his other yearmates on the way. Most of them seemed to be nice enough, and Harry looked forward to making friends with them.

As he entered the hall, he could hear Hermione, a smart first-generation witch, inspecting the ceiling excitedly, as she explained it's function. "It is enchanted to look like the sky above."

Looking up as well, Harry had to admit the sight was impressive. Like outside earlier, the sky was clear, with the moon standing high already, and the first few stars just twinkling through the darkness of the night.

"Like the view from the Astronomy tower, to be more precise." he heard Ron correcting her carefully. "That's where all of Hogwarts' sky studies take place."

Harry did not need to turn to them to know what they would look like, having chatted with both of them on the train. Ron would be blushing, since a couple of people would be looking at him, while Hermione would have her mouth open slightly, as if to inhale the new information she had just been provided with.

Scanning the Great Hall, Harry found the long, white beard he had told to expect to signify the presence of the headmaster, before allowing his eyes to glide along the staff table. The senior staff, McGonagall to Dumbledor's right, followed by Snape, and Flitwick and Sprout on the left, were easy to identify. Quirrell, who he had met on his first outing in the magical world already, was there as well, but most of the other teachers seemed to be skipping the opening feast.

On his left, Harry easily spotted the twins, now dressed strangely conservative in their school uniform, whispering back and forth furiously. Once their eyes met, both gave a nod, and one of them a slight wave of his hand. Judging from the colour of their tie, and the large scarlet and gold banner they were sitting under, Harry correctly guessed them to be in Gryffindor.

"Abbott, Hannah" Professor McGonagall's voice echoed through the suddenly silent hall. Apparently, she commanded the respect or at least the obedience of her students. Curiously, Harry watched the strawberry blond girl with her cutely bobbing pigtails sit down on an ordinary, slightly old stool, before the Professor placed the ancient artifact on her head.

From the slight jerking, and the energical nodding of her head, Harry guessed his future classmate to agree with whatever it was she was told. No matter what it was, though, Harry was sure she was having a conversation with the battered piece of headwear. 'Magic,' the boy finally decided, 'is a very strange thing.'

"Potter, Harry" His musings were cut short when his own name rang through the Great Hall. If possible, it seemed to become even quieter, before the students suddenly erupted into loud whispers. Even up at the teacher's table, Harry could see a sudden pique in interest, based on their sudden concentration and the way most of them leaned forwards, now.

From the other side of the hall, he could hear the overly energetic applause of the twins, and suddenly found himself very grateful for their disturbance. He did not really care to find out what it was his classmates were whispering about him.

Stepping past the remaining first years waiting to be sorted, Harry strangely found himself wondering how he could have missed over half of the ceremony lost in his own thoughts. 'Focus now, Harry, you are about to be sorted.' he rebuked himself moments later.

Thankfully, the sorting hat did not slide completely over his head like it had done for a few of his smaller yearmates. Apparently, the magic WT had cast was helping him out here, once again.

'Well, what do we have here?" Harry jumped at the sudden, foreign voice in his own head, before calming himself. 'Maybe this magic thing is not that great. This is actually really creepy.'

'I assure you, Mr. Potter, you have seen nothing, yet.' the head explained patiently. 'This world is full of wonders for you to explore. Let's get to the sorting, though.'

'How does that work?' Harry wondered, unsure whether or not the ancient artifact would hear his query.

'Just let me have a look around up here.' it explained. 'And then, I will decided where to sent you.

Oh my, you have potential, there is no doubt, but you do not strive for power. You seek knowledge, but not for power, or even for knowledge itself, but for your parents – to make your dead parents proud. In a strange way, that is extremely loyal.'

'Gryffindor. Please, Gryffindor.' Harry thought desperately.

'Gryffindor, eh?' The hat seemed confused. 'You are brave, no doubt, but why Gryffindor? Ah, I see, of course, to be close to your parents, and to find out more about them. You could strive in Hufflepuff. A lot of great people, there. No? Very well, by your wish, then.' "Gryffindor." The had finally shouted out lowed, causing the leftmost table to erupted into applause. Grinning wildly, Harry hurried over to take a seat opposite to the twins.

"Welcome, then, little lion, to the house of the brave and nobel." One of them, the same one that had waved earlier, greeted immediately.

.

"So, what do you think?" George asked his brother later that night.

"They should definitely serve more chicken during the welcoming feast." Fred answered immediately, before dodging his brothers swat. "Hey, I could have been serious."

"That answer was way to fast not to be prepared beforehand. You knew I would ask." George explained with a sigh. "Seriously, though."

"Of course I did. Well, I thought it was encouraging, so far." Fred explained. "He was a lot more confident then we anticipated, or even hoped. He is playful, jokes, and seems to be more at east."

"I was a bit surprised at how much he joked." George admitted finally. "I mean, he even joined in on joking about our family.

"Well, Percy is an easy target." his twin mused. "I thought it showed confidence – doing the jokes you think are funny, without caring about what others think."

"So, mischief managed, then?" George questioned happily.

"Well see what else happens, but yeah, mischief managed." Fred agreed.