Chapter 21
I stood on platform 9 ¾ looking at the Hogwarts express, the train was simple looking, if not even a bit archaic in comparison to it's muggle counterparts.
But I didn't care how it looked, I cared about what it meant.
The train was a symbol for the start of my journey, a journey to magic even further beyond what I had learned up till now.
A journey to become the greatest Wizard to ever live.
I would have access to many useful books at Hogwarts, no way would I be able to read them all in seven short years.
I would have to find a way to take their knowledge with me when I left.
It was odd looking down at the crowd when boarding the express, and knowing so many of the people present.
If not by name, then by appearance. I had sold them their wands after all.
I found an empty compartment at the end of the train and started practicing some cantrips, no use in socializing before I was sorted.
To be honest, I was apprehensive about befriending anyone at all, they were children after all.
But some human contact at least, would be needed, maybe a professor?
Time passed. I exhausted my magic and started reading the potions book. I had decided early on that I would not try not to go beyond my yearmates in most subjects.
After all I had to sit at classes even if I knew the material. There was no reason to make my magical education any more boring than it had to be.
There were many interesting magicks available that were not actively taught in class.
Alchemy, healing, mind arts, enchanting, warding and many more.
I would have to decide what to focus on when I had a feeling for the library. No use in starting to study something but then have to stop because they didn't have any good books on the subject.
Someone knocked on the door and opened it, before I said anything even resembling a come in.
How rude.
"Have you seen a toad." Granger looked at me weirdly, as if she had seen me before but couldn't remember. Behind her a chubby blond was nervously shifting on his feet.
"You will have to be more specific I have seen a great many toads in my life." I looked at them expectantly.
"Well his name is Trevor." That was a very unhelpful description of the toads bodyform, colour and race but it would do.
I took out my wand. Just as expected, the only girl in the compartment had something to say about that.
"Are you going to do magic?" I gave her an exasperated look and just shook my head at her.
"Point me Trevor the toad."
The wand I had balanced precariously on my palm span until it settled into pointing in a specific direction.
I simply left, not waiting to see if the other two were following the sound of their frantic footsteps behind me they were.
I found Trevor hiding behind a trash dispenser in the boy's restroom.
Neville beamed as I gave him the slimy thing and thanked me.
Hermione on the other hand wanted to know how I had done the spell and was babbling about how it wasn't in any of the books she had bought.
I don't know why, but they followed me back to my compartment. Where I promptly took out my drawing book and started drawing the train.
I guess they now realized I didn't want to be disturbed, I didn't really want to befriend anyone outside my future house so I had decided to wait until then to start being social.
"We're almost there you should put on your robes." Grangers voice ripped me out of my concentration.
I thanked her and took down my trunk. The robes I had bought were a bit special.
The sleeves were almost twice as long as actually required, I had deduced that people would find it weird if I kept pulling my wand out of thin air everytime I cast a spell.
It was slightly against regulations but I was fairly certain no one would care.
I took up a boat with the toadless duo and a brown haired boy that introduced himself with a completely forgettable name.
The thoughts running in my head, as I was getting out of the boat were along the lines of, Goodbye side character B3 we hardly knew you.
And then I saw Hogwarts for the first time.
I breathed out and I breathed in, slowly.
I was fairly sure that if I hadn't done that I would have forgotten to do it at all. The castle was magnificent and when I exited the boat and finally felt it.
Well I almost started foaming at the mouth at how much magic there was in even the pier of this thing.
Over the last millenia thousands of people had cast magic in this place seven years a piece.
That had left a huge imprint. I wrestled with my magical sense and managed to shut it down just in time as the doors to the great hall opened and I was carried inside by the gaggle of children around me.
I stared at the sorting hat, I wasn't quite sure how it would manage to well, sort me. But I had a plan.
"Ronald Weasley." I went up when my name was called and legilimised the hat after sitting myself on the stool.
I didn't delve into it's mind as much as I simply hovered there.
"Interesting, Ambition so much ambition. And what is this, even more ambition." I heard some chuckling in my mind." A mind older than the body and a thirst for knowledge as large as the black lake."
"Not Slytherin please." I added before the hat could actually sort me.
The hat's voice was weird in a way that you couldn't really describe.
"Well alright, I guess your willingness to work hard and the loyalty to your goals also qualifies you for."
"HUFFLEPUFF." The hat was way to fast! I wanted to ask it some questions, the thing had been in the castle for a very long time maybe it knew some sort of secret library? But sadly the only question I managed to ask was.
"What's your name?"
"Alistair."
Hermione Granger was sitting with the Ravenclaws, weird.