Chapter 19 – First Steps into Magic

The train screeched to a halt as the misty twilight of the Scottish Highlands thickened outside the window. Jonathan Grace and Harry Potter stood, grabbing their trunks from the overhead rack as students began flooding out of the compartments. The crowd moved as one toward the open doors, chatter and excitement filling the air.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" came Hagrid's booming voice through the evening fog.

The towering man waved his lantern above the sea of heads. Harry and Jonathan exchanged a grin, pushing through the crowd toward him. Hagrid grinned when he spotted them.

"There yeh are! Happy birthday again, Harry," he said warmly, ruffling Harry's hair.

Harry smiled shyly, still not used to the warmth he'd been receiving lately. "Thanks, Hagrid."

They followed him down a winding path until the train station was far behind them. At the cliff's edge, a glittering lake stretched out beneath the stars, and a fleet of small boats bobbed gently on the shore.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called.

Jonathan and Harry climbed into one with Ron and a round-faced boy who nervously introduced himself as Neville. As they settled in, there was a commotion nearby. Jonathan turned his head just in time to see Draco Malfoy shove a younger boy—Dennis Creevey—who nearly fell into the water.

"Oi!" Jonathan snapped, instinctively flicking his hand.

A pulse of invisible force tugged at Malfoy's robes. Caught off guard, Draco stumbled backward—right into Crabbe and Goyle, who'd tried to catch him. All three toppled into the lake with a loud splash.

Gasps echoed across the boats, followed by a few giggles. The lake rippled—and moments later, the giant squid surfaced. With surprising gentleness, it plucked the drenched trio from the water and dropped them back into a boat with a splash and a sulky groan.

Harry leaned over to Jonathan, whispering, "Did you do that?"

Jonathan gave him a sly smile but didn't answer.

As they reached the far side of the lake, the outline of Hogwarts loomed above them. The castle was breathtaking—towers spiked into the sky, windows glowing with warm candlelight. Reflections shimmered across the water, and the sound of its bells echoed faintly in the distance.

Inside the massive oak doors, they were greeted by Professor McGonagall—stern, elegant, and composed. She gave a quick speech about the upcoming sorting ceremony before leaving them in a chamber just off the main hall.

Ghosts suddenly floated through the walls, startling several students. Harry jumped slightly, but Jonathan's eyes lit up with curiosity. He leaned toward Harry and muttered, "We should study ghosts later. There's something… off about how they exist."

When McGonagall returned, she led the students into the Great Hall. Floating candles lit the room, and the enchanted ceiling mirrored the darkening sky above. Four long tables were lined with students, while a fifth sat at the front for the teachers.

On a stool in the center sat an old, frayed hat.

One by one, the names were called.

"Potter, Harry."

The room hushed. Harry stepped forward nervously. The hat barely touched his head before it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Applause thundered from the Gryffindor table.

"Grace, Jonathan."

Jonathan walked confidently to the stool. The hat took a moment longer this time, muttering about curiosity and cleverness, but eventually declared, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Jonathan sat beside Harry, both boys grinning from ear to ear.

Eventually, the sorting ended, and the feast began. Dishes magically appeared on the table—roast beef, mashed potatoes, treacle tart, and more. It was easily the best meal Harry had ever had.

When the food finally vanished, they followed Percy Weasley up to the Gryffindor Tower. After giving the password ("Caput Draconis"), the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open, revealing the cozy common room.

Their dormitory room had five beds and rich red curtains—Harry, Jonathan, Ron, Neville, and Dean Thomas. As they entered, Jonathan looked around and noted thoughtfully, "Seamus must be in the other Gryffindor dormitory."

Harry yawned and dropped onto his bed. "I can't believe we're actually here."

Jonathan nodded. "Tomorrow, we start exploring."

❖ ❖ ❖

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the windows, gently waking the boys. Jonathan was up first, nudging Harry awake.

They got dressed, then headed toward the common room, where they bumped into Hermione Granger, already up and ready.

She blinked at them, surprised. "Oh. Morning."

"Want to explore with us?" Jonathan asked.

Hermione looked taken aback. "Really? Sure. I—I'd love to."

Together, the three explored from the seventh floor down toward the Great Hall, discovering classrooms with dusty cauldrons, storage rooms filled with broken broomsticks, and statues that whispered when you passed too closely.

They didn't go near anything too magical yet—no Room of Requirement, no vanishing staircases—but it was enough to ignite wonder in all of them.

After breakfast, Jonathan suggested they visit the library. Hermione's face lit up.

"I thought you'd never ask."

She dragged them down a long corridor and into a vast chamber of shelves and parchment. The scent of ink and old paper was comforting in an odd way.

Hermione selected a transfiguration textbook. Harry found a mid-level charms book with a moving cover titled Subtle Spellwork: A Primer for Young Minds. Jonathan gravitated toward a tome on Ancient Runes.

They sat at a corner table. Harry opened his book and began reading aloud, "Simple charm theory: Magic requires not just intention but form. The wand provides the form; the mind, the will."

He turned to Jonathan. "That lines up with how we've been doing things. Emotions guide it, but control comes from shaping it."

Hermione leaned in. "But that's not in any of the beginner books. How do you know that?"

Jonathan just smiled. "Experience."

As the two debated charms, Jonathan's attention drifted inward. In his mind, he saw layered diagrams—runes etched into stone, power channels forming a lattice of intent and design. He imagined a magical computer.

The ward stones could be the hardware. Runes, like binary bits—zeroes and ones—but expressed as symbols of power and thought.

But to create true magical software, the "hardware" needed memory. He thought of the Sorting Hat. If he could find a way to build a mind, maybe enchanted objects could store instructions, even learn. The challenge was that runes had to be physical. But what if he could invent metaphysical runes? Pure magical information?

He filed that thought away for later.

❖ ❖ ❖

By lunchtime, they returned to the Great Hall and found Ron and Neville already seated. Ron was halfway through a turkey leg.

"Blimey, I thought you lot got lost," he mumbled.

"We were in the library," Hermione said proudly.

Jonathan grinned. "We found some really useful stuff."

Soon after, Professor McGonagall arrived and handed out their class schedules. First day: Charms, then Transfiguration, then Double Potions with the Slytherins.

"Great," Ron muttered. "We've got Snape first thing."

"Who's Snape?" Harry asked.

"Head of Slytherin," Ron said. "Hates anyone not in his house. Especially Gryffindors."

Hermione frowned. "We should study in advance then."

Jonathan nodded. "Agreed. Let's read up on potions now."

They spent the afternoon in the common room. The potion book detailed simple brews like the Cure for Boils, explaining how snake fangs activated the base and how dried nettles balanced it out. Too much porcupine quill after heat, and the potion would explode.

By evening, their heads were full of theory and their minds buzzing with ideas.

They ended the day with a round of wizard chess—Jonathan beat Ron once before Ron obliterated him the second round—and then, stomachs full of roast lamb and pudding, they trudged off to bed.

Their first day at Hogwarts had begun—and it was only the beginning.