Chapter 3: The Loud One, The Shy One, The Smart One

[Galahad Station]

Harry looked at all the different trains and swallowed, wondering if this was such a good idea. The one nice thing about the Dursleys, if one could claim there was anything nice about them, was the fact that Harry didn't have to make choices. Everything was set for him, sometimes quite rigidly so, and he was expected to follow what his Aunt and Uncle commanded of him. The reward for going against their instructions was quite painful and Harry had learned to follow their directions to a T… even if they still chose to hurt him for 'perceived' slights.

But he wasn't with the Dursleys anymore. Hagrid had taken him away and brought him to a wonderful new place with all new sights and sounds. It was magical and amazing and awe-inspiring… and yet also bewildering and terrifying for the small boy. And now Harry was standing in the middle of it and finding that everything, good and scary, were coming at him all at once.

The large man had brought Harry to the station and told him to wait for his train. When the boy had asked him where he was going Hagrid had told him that he had more work to do for Professor Dumbledore and that Harry would meet him again at Hogwarts.

Of course Hagrid hadn't taken into account that he was dealing with a rather sheltered 11 year old who had never been to a train station before, let alone RODE a train. Most children in Avalon by the age of 11 had learned how to take care of themselves and could get on trains or spend a day or two away from home without having issues. Avalon, unlike Little Surrey, held the notion that children did better exploring than they did being sheltered. Thus, Hagrid's choiced would not have been a bad one and any adult would have made it… though that did not help Harry, who was ill-prepared to make this journey by himself. That was why he now was looking about Galahad Station with wide eyes, his fingers grasping the straps of his backpack so tightly his knuckles were white.

There were just so many trains and so many destinations! Places like Tristan and Lucan and Tor and Dagonet… each one had their own schedule and their own train. Some had more than one! Harry had no idea which train would take him to Hogwarts. He didn't want to get on the wrong one and end up in an even stranger place… with stranger people and-

"Ompf!"

Harry fell back, nearly tumbling to the ground save for the strong hand that caught him. He trembled, waiting to be struck; Uncle Vernon had drilled it into his head to watch where he was going, lest he embarrass the family and make them look like clods.

"Hey now, you ok son?" Harry opened his eyes slowly and found himself looking at the kindest face he'd ever looked upon. The man before him was big, not as much as Uncle Vernon but not thin like Harry. But his face wasn't at all like his uncle's; this man was clean-shaven, with red hair and an open jovial way about him. He wore a worn jacket with a wild red and purple lining and a dress shirt that was clearly 20 years out of date. Harry remembered seeing a clown dressed like that at one of Dudley's birthday parties.

The boy nodded his head, remembering what his uncle had told him about talking to strangers. "They will hurt you and take you away to a horrible place. All you should be concerned with is this family."

"Son, are you ok?" the red-haired man asked again.

Harry blinked, a thought occurring to him: Hagrid had proven that his Uncle was wrong… about a lot of things. His uncle had lied about Pokémon and Harry's parents and… and maybe he had lied about strangers too. The boy glanced at the man and, for the first time since he could remember… disobeyed his uncle's orders.

"Yes… I'm just… lost," Harry said shyly.

The man knelt down and smiled, releasing the boy's shoulder. "Well, I'm guessing from your jacket that you are going to Hogwarts this year?" The boy shifted before finally nodding. "Well, my son is going for the first time too…and my other boys already go to the school." Standing up, he offered his hand to Harry. "If you want, I can take you to the train."

Harry, after several moments, took the man's hand and followed him as they made their way through the station. The boy found it easier to get about with an adult, as people that might have overlooked him and bumbled into him gave the man plenty of space to move about.

"What's your name, son?" the man asked.

"Harry."

"Well, nice to meet you, Harry. Is this your- I'm Arthur Weasley, by the way- is this your first time at the station?" Harry nodded. "Thought so… it can be a bit overwhelming, can't it?" The boy nodded again. "Well, let me give you some tips, ok? Those men in the blue uniforms are conductors… if you are ever lost again you go up to them. It is their job to help you." Turning left, Arthur led Harry down a hallway. "Hogwarts has its own train that is separate from all the rest, so you don't have to worry about pushing through the crowd. When you come here next year just go down this hallway and… well, you see, here we are!"

Harry looked about him in wonder. The hallway had opened up onto a platform full of students dressed as he was, all chatting and talking and hugging their parents goodbye. There were tight knots of older teens laughing, couples hugging each other and kissing and… Harry scrunched his nose up at that and turned away, watching instead as two older boys were giving commands to their Pokémon. Hagrid had explained a little about Pokémon battles but not enough for Harry to really understand what the teens were doing, other then having their plant-like beasts tackle each other.

"Arthur!" a heavy-set woman called out, waving her arms. "Arthur, where were you? You almost missed seeing the boys off!"

Arthur and Harry walked over, the man releasing the boy's hand only to gently reach around and pat him on the back the moment the boy attempted to dart away, fearing he was intruding on something. The heavy set woman concerned him a bit but clearly Mr. Weasley wasn't scared and she wasn't directing any anger at him.

"Sorry, Molly, but I found this guy wandering around all confused and I had to help him."

Molly tried to remain stern but Harry could see the smile slowly forming on her lips. She reminded Harry a bit of the nurse from the Pokecenter, only heavier and older. If ever there was an opposite of his aunt, it was Molly Weasley: heavy, friendly, quick to anger but just as quick to forgive and one that found it hard to hold a grudge. She was dressed in a simple shirt and jeans and Harry noticed she had a few pokeballs on her belt just like Hagrid.

"Well, it is a good thing you ran into him," Molly said. "Hello there…"

"Harry," the boy said.

"Harry," Molly said with a smile. "I'm Arthur's wife…" there was a squawk of protest behind her and the woman rolled her eyes, "and I'm in charge of our brood. GEORGE, FRED!"

Molly whipped around and Harry spied two red heads hurrying over, identical looks of angelic goodness upon their faces; of course, they were in fact identical twins so it wasn't that hard for them to share a look. They were a few years older than him and were dressed in similar clothing, though they had on red caps and their jackets were trimmed with red on the shoulders and cuffs. Emblazed on the left side of their jackets was a small emblem featuring a fiery red dog-like creature on a field of gold.

Behind them Harry could just make out another redhead, though this one had a look of utter annoyance and frustration on his face. He was also, strangely, standing ramrod straight while his right eye twitched.

"Oh yes, wonderful mother?" Fred asked.

"Did you two paralyze Percy?" Molly asked without preamble.

George let out a gasp. "How could you think we'd do such a thing, beautiful mother?"

"Wonderful mother," Fred corrected.

"Wonderfully beautiful mother!" George amended. "How could you assume for one moment that we would ever harm a hair on Percy's point little head?"

"He is our brother and you know how much we care about him!" Fred exclaimed.

"Indeed, good brother."

"Indeed indeed."

"Indeed indeed... indeed."

Molly merely glowered at them before grabbing them each by the ear. The twins yelped as she forced them to spin around. Harry stared in surprise; the twins' backpacks were opened and two small yellow Pokémon were poking out. Like the twins these two Pokémon resembled each other greatly, though one had red coloring on its ears and cheeks while the other had blue. The two mouse Pokémon were wiggling their fannies and smacking them, giggling as they did so.

"Ahem," Molly said sternly.

The two Pokémon blinked, realizing they were no longer facing Percy. They slowly turned and weakly smiled at Molly, giving her a wave.

"Min min?" Fred's Pokémon said.

"Plusle?" George's added.

Molly leaned in close, her nose touching Minun's. "Back... in... your... pokeballs." The two electric Pokémon nodded, quickly diving back in their balls. "The cost of the paralyze heal is coming out of your allowance, boys."

Fred and George nodded, hugging their mother and father and running to the train before Molly could decide on a worst punishment.

"Now then," Molly said, pulling out a spray bottle from her purse and spritzing it on Percy. Her son sputtered before brushing his jacket clean of invisible lint, adjusting the collar before giving his parents an overly formal goodbye. "Where is Ron?"

Arthur looked around, before spotting the boy. "Ron, Ginny!" Harry backed away when a red-haired boy his age and a younger girl with equally fiery hair hurried over from the magazine stand they have been browsing through. His time with Dudley and his friends had taught young Harry that kids his age tended to punch first and ask questions later. "Ron, this is Harry. This is his first year at Hogwart's too."

"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed, wiping his hand on his jeans before grasping Harry's and giving it a firm shake. Harry was still cringing a bit, wondering when the taunts and attacks would come, but Ron merely smiled and began to babble on happily about Hogwarts.

"Ron, come here," Molly said, kneeling down and giving her youngest son a hug. "Now, you go and learn a lot and make your father and me proud."

"You are presenting the Weasleys, son, so I expect you to work hard," Arthur said.

"So don't act like Fred and George!" Ginny called out, earning a laugh from Ron and a half-stern glance from her parents.

"Harry, is there anyone to see you off?" Arthur asked.

"No sir," Harry said, looking at his shoes. "My... my aunt and uncle kinda... they don't like..."

Harry never got to finish, as he suddenly found himself enveloped in a hug. "Everyone needs a hug before they go to Hogwarts," Molly said in his ear. "It's a tradition." He swallowed, tensing for just a moment, before mimicking her actions and hugging her back.

"Ron, this is Harry's first time taking a train, so why don't you help him out?"

"Cool!" Ron said, beaming at the thought of getting to play guide. He was use to having his brothers always outshining him and making him feel like he didn't know anything. A chance to guide his new friend made the red head giddy with delight. "Come on, Harry! I want to get a good compartment!"

Harry barely had time to wave goodbye to the Weasleys before Ron yanked him towards the train.

~MC~MC~MC~

Harry smiled as he stared out the window. The bullet train was racing along the countryside, making the scenery a blur as it blasted past trees and small towns on its way towards Hogwarts. The trip was supposed to take roughly 3 hours.

The first half of the trip had been, to Harry's surprise, quite fun. Ron's enthusiasm was contagious and though Harry didn't really get half of the things the boy was talking about he couldn't help but grin and nod and laugh at all Ron was talking about. Though the red head could tire even the most hyper of children with his boundless energy and excitement he was quite a fun traveling companion.

Ron had shown him all around the train. There was a dining car with a snack bar where students could grab treats (the boys had each selected a few cookies; to Harry they were the best food he'd ever eaten), several common area cars where students could mingle, an empty battle car (even if it hadn't been they couldn't enter till they were 14) and car full of computers for students (Harry hadn't understood what Ron had meant by 'switching up their team' but didn't want to press his new friend).

After the tour they had found a compartment in the rear of the train to call their own. Gorged on cookies, they'd swapped stories about their lives and Harry had marveled at Ron's description of his home. It turned out Mr. Weasley was the gym leader of Tor Town, which was just a few miles away from Galahad City.

"You mean he runs a gym?" Harry asked, turning away from the window. "Like with treadmills and stuff?" Harry remembered about a year ago Aunt Petunia had taken Dudley to a gym after his PE teacher had complained about the boy's weight. His cousin had lasted 2 days before telling his aunt he'd rather just go on his own without her hovering; Petunia had agreed, never realizing Dudley was taking the money she gave him and using it at a local arcade.

Ron raised an eyebrow at that. "What? No! Ain't you never heard of a gym before?" When Harry shook his head Ron huffed. "Have you been living under a rock or something?"

Harry slouched in his seat, shoulders slumped. He didn't like the way Ron was teasing him, as it reminded too much of the bullies he'd dealt with in the past.

Ron, seeing Harry growing upset, opened his mouth to apologize, only to be cut off by the door to their cabin being thrown up.

"Are you two jerks?" a bushy haired girl asked with a huff.

"Huh?" Harry said just as Ron rambled, "I was going to apologize!"

"Flora doesn't think they are jerks," a shy, pudgy who was standing behind the girl said. In his arms he was holding a squad green lizard-like Pokémon with a green bulb on its back. The boy idly stroked the Pokémon's head and the creature rumbled happily. "She thinks they are nice." The boy leaned around the girl and waved. "Hi Ron."

"Hey Neville!" Ron said, though not with his usual boisterous energy. "I would hope Flora would think I'm nice… I've given her enough treat over the years." He slid to the side and Neville sat down next to him, while the bushy-haired girl sat next to Harry. Ron wasn't thrilled with having a girl in his compartment (being at between the ages of 'Girls are icky!' and 'Girls are the greatest things ever!') but he knew his mother would have a field day if he was rude to her. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Hermione," Neville said. "I met her in the dining car." Hermione held out her hand and after a moment Ron shook his. "Where we met Draco." Ron scowled at that.

"You've dealt with the charming boy too?" Hermione said glibly.

"Unfortunately," Ron said. "I'm guessing he is the jerk in question?" Hermione nodded.

"This is Ron Weasley," Neville said. "His father is the Tor Town Gym Leader."

"Wow," Hermione said in surprise. "He uses normal types, right?" Ron nodded his head, his head held a bit higher that someone was impressed that his dad was a gym leader. The Weasley family was seen as being a bit low of the food chain, as most gym-battling trainers started their journey in Tor Town. That meant Mr. Weasley tended to avoid using his stronger Pokémon and used younger and weaker ones; it gave the impression that the Weasley family were not that strong and were the lowest of the gym leading families. The fact that his mother and father did not flaunt their wealth (and donated much of it to needy families in Tor Town), and the belief was almost firmly held by most people in Avalon. It annoyed Ron to no end but there was little he could do about it.

"Glad someone knows about gyms," Ron groused, gesturing towards Harry. "Harry here doesn't know anything about them."

Harry nodded gently. "My aunt and uncle really… didn't believe in using Pokémon. I don't think they'd like me talking to you." Before the others could say anything Harry plastered a smile on his face. "But they aren't here, are they?"

The boys grinned while Hermione merely shook her head with good humor. "Well, you came to the right place!" Ron declared, wrapping an arm around Neville, who blushed and shrank away slightly. "Neville's gram and my dad are both gym leaders, so we can tell you a lot!"

"Are you two friends?" Hermione asked.

Neville looked down at Flora, scratching her under the chin and making her mumble in delight. "Well… all the gym leaders know each other, so my gram and Mr. Weasley-"

"Course we are!" Ron said, flashing Neville a smile, which the boy returned after a moment.

"So… what is a gym leader do?" Harry asked.

Ron smiled, squaring his shoulders as he began his lesson. "Every region has eight gym leaders in its major towns. Trainers challenge these gyms and earn badges, which allow them to go to Victory Road and challenge the Elite Four."

Harry's brow furrowed. "I thought we were going to go to school and learn about Pokémon. Hagrid didn't say anything about Gym battles."

"Er… yeah," Ron said, shifting a bit. "Well…"

Hermione huffed. "His aunt and uncle never taught him about Pokémon, Ron… of course he isn't going to know about Hogwarts and training and all that." Ignoring Ron's squawks that he was 'doing fine on his own', Hermione began to lecture. "When children turn 11, they are given several choices. Some decide to take their first Pokémon and travel the road, battling wild Pokémon and challenging gym leaders like Ron's dad. They are all really tough and a lot of trainers never even make it past their first few gyms." The red head's anger dissipated with Hermione's words about his father; unlike most she didn't sneer or laugh when talking about Arthur Weasley. "Another option is to apprentice under a gym leader. That means you have to use Pokémon that are the same type of the leader's Pokémon. They, in turn, teach you how to battle so that you can, when you are old enough, become a professional trainer or start a gym or dojo of your own."

Harry turned towards his red-headed friend. "So, if I were to apprentice under your dad, I'd have to use… uh…"

"Normal Pokémon," Ron said. "And if you worked with Madam Longbottom you'd learn to use grass Pokémon." Neville nodded in agreement, reaching into his bag and pulling out a squirt bottle filled with a strange purple liquid, which Flora happily began to suck on like a baby. Harry found it odd that Neville didn't keep Flora in her pokeball but thought better than to ask why; this was the longest he'd gone talking to children his own age without being hit or mocked and he didn't want to drive them away.

"Still other people don't even bother with gyms," Hermione said, noting the sour look Ron shared with Neville and ignoring it. Leave to Gym Kids to feel like Gyms were the only way to go. "Some do jobs like breeding Pokémon-"

"Gym leaders do that," Ron stated rather proudly. "That's how me and Neville got our Pokémon!"

"Yes," Hermione said, a touch annoyed, "but you don't HAVE to be a gym leader to be a breeder." Ron accepted this and allowed her to continue. "Others become doctors or nurses, sometimes officers..."

"My mom was a Pokémon Ranger," Neville said softly, hugging Flora a bit closer.

"Oh, and there are Pokémon Trackers like Johto Jack!" Ron said excitedly. "They go out in the wild and discover new Pokémon!"

"And some people don't even do jobs that are focused on Pokémon. Some are construction workers or bakers or farmers." She smiled. "My mom and dad are dentists."

"Ok," Harry said, digesting this info. "So… where does Hogwarts come into play?"

Ron spoke up before Hermione could continue. "It gives us a leg up!" The boy was bouncing in his seat in delight. Even though he had known he was going to Hogwarts since he was old enough to understand what it was, it still filled him with delight that he was going to the famous school. His brothers had filled his head with tales of adventures and he wanted to have some of his own. "Instead of having to go on the road and train in the forests and stuff or apprenticing under gym leaders, we can go to Hogwarts and learn about Pokémon. They teach you everything and when you graduate you can instantly go and battle the Elite Four and enter major tournaments!"

Hermione shook her head. "Hogwarts does more than that!" She turned to Harry, rolling her eyes. "Hogwarts gives you a more rounded education. You'll be able to learn how to care for Pokémon and find them, how to create your own supplies-"

"And battle!" Ron said, rubbing his hands together. "Everybody knows Pokémon who are owned by trainers offer you better experience than wild Pokémon."

"And battle," Hermione said with a sigh. "But while some go there like Ron because they want to be professional trainers, others go so they can prepare for their jobs outside of school."

Neville nodded. "I'm going to take over the gym in Lucan City when I turn 18. That means I have to understand not just how the gym works but also how to raise Pokémon and manage the business."

"And I don't know what I want to do," Hermione said. "But I'm going to figure it out. I'm the first person in my family that is going to Hogwarts… my parents saved since I was a baby so I could go and I am going to make them proud."

"I'm sure you will," Harry said with a slight smile.

"What about you, mate?" Ron asked. "What are you going to do?" His brow furrowed. "For that matter, how are you able to afford Hogwarts?"

"Ron!" Hermione snapped. "That is so rude!"

"But it's a good question!" Ron complained. "His aunt and uncle hate Pokémon so I can't see them coughing up the pokedollars…"

Before the two of them could bicker further, the door to their cabin opened. The four turned and Harry noticed Hermione and Ron both become red-faced at the sight of the blond boy who was watching them coolly, his arms folded over his chest. He wore a jacket like theirs, though his looked to be made of a finer material and had several extra pockets. The boy looked at them and scoffed, a slight sneer forming on his lips.

"Well, I was wondering where to throw my trash away," the boy said, tossing a crumpled wrapped on the ground. Harry felt himself scowling; the blond reminded him a bit of his aunt.

"Buzz off, Malfoy," Ron said darkly.

"Or what… you'll sick your rat on me?" Draco asked, smirking.

"Maybe I will!" Ron snapped.

"As much fun as it would be for me to put you in your place-"

"Draco… please," Neville said, swallowing hard and fighting back his nerves. "Just… let it go."

Draco looked at Neville and shook his head in disgust. "Don't you have any pride, Longbottom? You are one of the old families and you are hanging around a Weasley and a No-Name…" Hermione grit her teeth and Harry wondered the comment was suppose to mean… though he understood it wasn't a nice nickname, "…and whoever this is."

"His name is 'Shove Off Malfoy'," Ron snapped. "So why don't you do just that?"

"Yet another display of the Weasley wit." Draco turned towards Harry. "You might want to rethink your friends, 'Shove Off'. How you are viewed by others depends on the company you keep. Surround yourself with trash…"

Before Harry could say anything a chime went off.

"Think about it," Draco said with a sniff. "Be friends with people that can show you great things… or slum it with the filth."

"What was that chime?" Harry asked as Draco quickly left the cabin doorway.

"We're here," Ron said, his good humor returning with Draco's exit. "We're at Hogwarts!"

Author's Notes: First off, thanks to everyone that has been reviewing. The more reviews I get the more I am motivated to crank out chapters.

So, we learn a bit more about this new world. We know of at least two Gym Leaders (Arthur Weasley and Madam Longbottom) and now know that Neville's first Pokemon is a Bulbasaur and that his family breeds them. Also, I was able to explain a bit more on how this world works via Gyms and Schools and such.

Some comments, based on reviews:

1) While magic is NOT a part of this world, some things will be... such as Pokemagnus.

2) Yes, there will be a sorting, but no Sorting Hat. How I do it will fit the Poke-Universe, though. Also, the classes and the House Mascots will change, but not the names

3) The reason I have not discussed Harry's parents and what happened to them is that I feel it would be strange to have Hagrid just blurt out what happened. Instead, it will take a bit longer... and serve as a meaningful chapter.

4) The reason Harry isn't recognized? No scar. Notice I never mentioned it... because it isn't there. The night Harry's parents died is different than canon... I have my own twist on it.

As always, suggestions are always welcomed. I have a pretty firm grasp at the moment on what Pokemon Hermione, Ron and Draco will have as their starters but suggestions for their classmates is always welcomed.