Aunt Petunia was shaking.
Harry (worried): Are you alright, Auntie? You remember the way, right?
Aunt Petunia: Yes, I remember. I’m just redying myself. Alright, let’s go before the train leaves without you. It’s 10:48 and it leaves at 11.
About five minutes later, they were on platform 9 ¾, looking at the magnificent scarlet train. Petunia shook herself out of her stupor.
Aunt Petunia: Do you have everything, Harry?
Harry: I have everything.
Aunt Petunia: Show me.
Harry (pointing to his trolly): trunk, a bag of necessities, my owl, Evermore, and my snake, Castor.
Aunt Petunia: Very well. Get going, then.
As Harry walked in the direction he heard the train, he started to whisper to Castor for help.
Harry: Cas, I have no idea where I’m going. Can you help me?
Castor: Do you want me to tell you where to go? I can if it helps.
Harry: Yes, please. Thank you, Castor.
Castor: It’s nothing. I’ll do it all year so you can get to your classes on time if you want. I’ll help whenever you need it.
Castor directed Harry to the luggage car and talked him through what their surroundings looked like as they went. It was 10:57 by the time Harry was searching for a seat but all of the compartments were full, so far. Finally, they found a possible compartment.
Castor: Hold on, this one only has four people in it.
once and fumbled for the sliding door’s handle. He pulled it open a bit and poked his head in, only to hear a girl and a boy arguing. He cleared his throat to t find an empty compartment. Do you mind if I sit in here
A boy’s voice came from the right side of the compartment. It wasn’t the same boy who was arguing with the girl a moment ago, that’s for sure. No, this boy sounded far friendlier.
Friendly boy: Sure. There are only four of us in here anyway. Come on in. My name is Blaise Zabini, by the way. The girl and boy who were arguing are Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, and the quiet boy is Neville Longbottom. What’s your name?
Harry: I’m Harry Potter. Where should I sit?
Blaise: You can sit next to me. Those two will start arguing before we even get halfway to Hogwarts I bet, so I don’t recommend sitting next to either of them right now.
Noticing Harry’s hesitation, Castor stepped in.
Castor: two steps in, sit in the first seat on the right.
Blaise’s hearing must have been incredibly sharp because he immediately pinpointed Castor’s hissing and he was startled to see Castor wrapped around Harry’s neck like a scarf. He stared in awe and shock as Harry sat down next to him.
Blaise: Merlin’s underwear, is that a snake around your neck?!
Hermione: What?! But that’s dangerous! It could choke you to death or bite you! It shouldn’t be wrapped around your neck like that! How are you so calm about that?! You should get rid of it right away!
Harry giggled cutely.
Harry: Castor? Hurt me? That’s ridiculous. He’s the sweetest creature I’ve ever met. Besides, we’ve got our little thing going here, and I’d say it’s going very well so far.
Neville: What “little thing” do you mean?
Harry: I’m 100% blind and Castor leads me around.
Ronald: Tha’s crazy! How can a snake lead you around if it doesn’t have hands and can’t speak to you? It’s impossible!
Harry: Actually, we can talk to each other. Castor is magical and has the ability to create a mind-telepathy link. Along with that, I’m half-Veela and that means I have natural magic. In my case, that means two powers. One: The ability to see magical auras, and two: the ability to send out Veela charm, which makes people want to do anything I ask to please me. I have no control over the second one, though, so I have to be careful.
Blaise: Wow, that’s pretty cool. I wish I had some sort of power.
Ronald (to Harry): Great, so you have the power to make anyone do what you want. Fantastic. Mother will be hysterical when she hears that I shared a compartment with a Veela freak.
Hermione: Ronald Weasley! Don’t you dare be so rude!
Neville: I agree. That wasn’t nice at all, Ron.
Harry: No, don’t talk to him. You’ll just make his aura flare even more than it already has.
Blaise: His aura? What do you mean?
Neville: He mentioned being able to see auras, remember?
Harry: Yes. Ronald’s is dark red and practically burning with pure anger.
Hermione: Wow, that’s truly amazing! What’s my aura?
Harry: You have yellow for defensive, and white for mixed elements. It tells me which kind of magic you have the strongest affinity for.
Blaise: Cool! What’s mine?
Neville: And mine!
Harry: Neville’s is green for nature and plants and yellow for defensive. Blaise has three which is more unique than two from what I read in a book. He has teal for playful, yellow for defensive, and white for mixed elements.
Hermione: What does it mean to have mixed elements?
Harry: I’m pretty sure it means your magic can manifest in the form of spells that work with and contribute to the four elements, fire, water, earth, and air. I don’t know much except for what Professor McGonagall and Uncle Sev told me when they came to my house.
Blaise: Who’s “Uncle Sev”?
Ronald chose this moment to speak up again, just as snarky as before if not, more.
Ronald: Probably just some mudblood or squib in his family. Potter must be extra pathetic to even talk to a squib. And his poor “Uncle Sev”! Can you imagine being from a wizarding family but not having magic? I’d feel like a disgrace if I was like that or even knew someone who was a squib. I feel bad for Potter and his Uncle Sev. Their poor, boring families must be ashamed of them both!
No one had noticed but, Castor had uncoiled from Harry’s neck while Ronald was speaking and when Ronald was insulting Harry and Severus, he was becoming more and more furious. Hissing like a feral snake from the wild, Castor lunged at Ronald. But that wasn’t the only surprising part. No, that was when Castor, mid-lunge, transformed into a tattered, but fully clothed, human body.