The Years of Riddle

Chapter Twenty-Four | Hogwarts, September 1959

Chapter Twenty-Four

Hogwarts, September 1959

         Silas watched his parents slowly disappear, becoming specks on the crowed platform. His eyes welled, there seemed to be something in his throat – and then someone said hello.

"My name is Arthur." A boy with the most ginger hair Silas had ever seen was standing nervously next to him; he was short and very skinny, with little wire framed glasses perched crookedly on his nose. "I don't know anyone."

"I'm Silas, and I don't know anyone either." The boys considered each other; they were both scrawny and scared. It seemed like a good pairing.

"Would you like to share a compartment?" asked Arthur, nudging his glasses back up his nose.

Silas nodded. "Sure." They found an empty compartment, and it didn't take long for them to find that they had much in common – both boys loved to read, were a little shy but enthusiastic about learning, and got overwhelmed in large social situations.

Arthur was telling Silas about his family. "My Mum got disowned for marrying my dad, 'cause he's a blood traitor –" he paused to nibble at a pumpkin pasty. "And I have two older brothers. They're both in Gryffindor, and my Dad was before that." He finished his pasty and moved on to a chocolate frog. "My mum was a Slytherin, mostly cause – this is what my Dad says – she's wicked crafty and smart. I can't get anything by her. What about your folks?"

"My Pa was in Ravenclaw, and my Ma –" he stopped, looked at his hands. "She's Muggle." Anthony had said to be careful whom he mentioned that to, only because there were some very old-world views at play in certain families. Arthur seemed very nice though, and his mother had married a blood-traitor. It must be okay. Silas hoped so, because he would very much like to be friends with Arthur.

"Is she really?" Arthur's blue eyes went wide behind his glasses. "I love Muggle stuff, my mum says its taking up too much space in my room, but I don't care. Do you have a telephone?"

Silas said yes, he did indeed, and then spent what was left of the train ride telling Arthur about all the Muggle contraptions in his home.

Soon fields became thick forests, and the train was pulling into Hogsmeade. Arthur and Silas nervously waited with the other students as a monstrously tall man, with a long and bushy beard, cheerfully instructed them about how to get into the boats.

"Watch out for the giant squid!" yelled an older student, who the tall man fondly petted atop the head.

"Don' be teasin' 'em now, Gideon."

"Nah, I wouldn't do that," the boy was a mess of limbs and vibrant red hair. "Hey, watch out for my sister – Molly, the little one."

"I'm not little!" a defiant voice called.

The boys turned to see a girl, who despite her outburst was indeed rather small. Her light brown eyes were bright, and her equally striking red hair was in two long plaits. Arthur gulped noisily.

"I wouldn't want to get in her way." He whispered, but not quietly enough – the girl whipped around, plaits spinning, and set her intense gaze on them.

"Smart." She commented, studying them. "I'm Molly Prewett, and they –" she pointed to Gideon and a boy who was no doubt his twin, "are my older brothers, Gideon and Fabian. Don't listen to them, not ever. They're wicked."

"Have fun, Mols!" shouted Fabian, jumping onto a carriage.

"Lick an acid pop!" she called back, clambering into a boat. She looked expectedly at the boys. "Are you coming?"