Ch.7 Familiar faces and Strangers Pt. 1

I woke up early as usual and opened up the window to let the light in. Today was the day I board the train for Hogwarts. I could barely contain my excitement. While I was awake and excited. Cotton was sleepy and lazing around in her terrarium. Cotton wasn't a morning person like myself.

I let her be and started my morning routine as usual with some exercise. But today I decided to reel it back a little cause I have a long journey ahead of myself and I didn't want to exhaust myself. So after the light exercise. Breakfast was next on the list and I had a light breakfast of oats, fruits, and milk.

I packed my stuff in my boot. I put cotton's tank in the trunk, and it took up some space. I wondered if I should get a briefcase, like Newt had? But I quickly brushed those thoughts aside. Instead of wearing my robes in the train, I decided to wear it now.

After putting on my uniform. I checked myself in it and I looked good. I had to alter the shirt and trousers from before because they didn't fit well on my current body. I combed my hair in a slick back fashion, but I didn't make it like Draco's I adjusted my hair with my hands to get the look I desired.

After spending too much time in front of the mirror. I put cotton in my right sleeve and picked up my trunk and made my way to the station.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I arrived at the kings cross station half an hour early and found myself a trolley and put my boot on it, found myself in platform 9¾. I looked at the wall in front of me, and I walked through the wall and arrived at the other side of the wall. The railway station was exactly as it was described.

The train was standing, and soon they would start letting people board the train. I sat down on my boot and looked at the workers preparing the train for its journey. I waited and looked around the station, and it looked a little different from its counterpart. This one looked old but still well-kept.

After half an hour, they opened the doors to let people board the train. I closed my book and put it in my pocket and walked towards the train. I chose a compartment in the middle, closer to the head of the train. I picked up my trunk and got on the train.

I found myself a compartment and I put my trunk underneath my seat and sat down on a seat closer to the window. I got my book out of my pocket and started reading it again. I was reading "Easy spells to fool Muggles." It was an interesting book, it talked about spells to use to conceal the truth about the warding world from Muggles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a short while, people started to pour in. The empty and quite station was replaced by the hustle and bustle of the people. I saw parents coming to the station to send off their children to learn about magic and how to be a proper person, and the children who wore happy yet a sad face. I felt envious of them.

As I was looking over, families saying their goodbyes for now. I heard a voice that broke me from my stupor.

"Is this seat taken?" it was an oddly familiar voice. I turned to see who it was, and I found a fuzzy haired brunet, standing at the door with her trunk. It was Hermione.

I smiled and said, "No, please. Come on in." She nodded and dragged her trunk in the carriage. She sat down, and I smiled and said, "I am Jonathan Beeston."

She smiled and said, "Hermione Granger, it's a pleasure." She extended her hand and I smiled and shook her hand and surprisingly Cotton decided to make an entrance.

Hermione looked at Cotton and was petrified. I said, "Don't worry, she is fine." I let go of her hand and I petted Cotton, and I said, "Go inside and rest." She quietly went inside my sleeve.

Hermione saw that and asked curiously, "Does she bite?"

I chuckled and said, "Only if she wants to." She looked at me and I chuckled and said, "No need to worry, she is well-trained"

She sighed in relief and said, "I am not sure if you are allowed to bring her?"

I nodded and said, "Well, I have asked one professor about this and she was okay with me bringing her to the school." I looked at her and said, "There really is no need to be worried about it. As you saw she is very clingy."

That got a chuckle out of her and she nodded. I asked her "So Hermione are you excited about going to Hogwarts?"

She smiled and nodded and said, "Yes, I am quite excited about it so much so that I was barely able to get any sleep last night. A few weeks before I didn't even know that magic existed, it all feels to… magical." She looked at me and asked, "What about you?"

I smiled and said, "Honestly, I was very skeptic about it all at first. You give a letter to an orphan, promising a world full of magic and potential to be greater than what you are.

But all of my doubts and worries cleared up when I witnessed it with my own eyes. It was as you said… magical."

She looked at me with pity in her eyes and I chuckled and said, "Aww come on now you are making me blush."

She looked at me and tilted her head and I said, "I know I look good but come on have some decency." She and I laughed and she said, "I am sorry."

I smiled and said, "No need to say sorry. It's alright…" I asked her, "So where are you from?"

She smiled and said, "I was brought up here in London. My parents are dentists. They have their own clinic."

I asked, "How did they react to the witchy stuff like I can't really imagine it."

She nodded and said, "There were very accepting of me. When I got the letter and chose to accept learning witchcraft at Hogwarts, they supported me. I am very happy that they did."

I smiled, and she asked, "What about you?"

I shook my head and said, "The School told the Orphanage that I had been accepted at a boarding school up north, and I would get a scholarship and a wonderful learning opportunity and all that. They bought it and here I am. Honestly, I don't think it would have done me any good. Telling a bunch of god loving people that I can do magic and witchcraft."

She nodded and understood what I tried to say. She asked, "So, have you thought about which house you would want to go in to?"

I kinda had a strong feeling that the hat might put me in Slytherin seeing as Voldy was in that house and me also being an heir so, there was a high probability of that happening, but still. I shook my head and said, "Not really, I am just trying to keep my mind open. All the houses offer something unique."

"Well, I want to be in Gryffindor. Dumbledore himself was in Gryffindor. I can't imagine myself anywhere else." She said proudly.

I chuckled and said, "Although it is important as to which house you belong to , but it isn't the only factor that decides if you can be a great wizard or not. Each and every house has produced brilliant wizards. That's why I am thinking too hard about it."

She looked at me and nodded and said, "That's a very nice way of thinking, Jonathan."

I smiled and said, "You can call me Jon." As I said, so, the train started to move, and I said, "Looks like we are off."

After a while, we started to chat about the subjects that we were going to study. And I leaned that she had completely memorized the standard books of spells and magic theories. Her memory was astounding, but I don't think that was all, she has a passion and hunger for learning magic. No wonder she was so brilliant. I saw that she was excited to see someone who was equally interested in magic as her.

As we were talking, I heard a girl's voice, "Pardon me, but have you seen a toad? Neville has lost his toad."