1st Sept 1991
Hogwarts Express
"But enough of these academic matters. There will be time for that later." I said looking around. "I have a feeling we're going to be great friends. So, why don't we get to know each other a little bit better? I'll go first.
I am Benjamin Carter. Friends call me Ben. I live in Richmond. My dad's an Auror and my mom's a healer. I have a younger sister who'll be coming to Hogwarts next year. I enjoy flying on my broomstick and playing cricket. I'm passionate about music and learning magic." I finished and looked towards Hermione.
"I'm Hermione Granger. I live with my parents in Crawley. They're both dentists. Nobody in my family is magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard..." she finished in one breath.
"Of course", I humoured her and passed the baton to Harry.
"I'm Harry Potter. Er, I live in Surrey with my aunt and uncle, who are muggles and until a month ago when Hagrid showed up with my Hogwarts letter, I had no idea about magic." He looked a bit downcast.
"Don't worry, Harry. A lot of people come from muggle families, and unlike Hermione most of them aren't well prepared, and they learn soon enough. You'll be fine", I said, patting his shoulder. "And if there are any problems, we'll be there for you."
He looked up with a grateful smile. "Thanks", he said. "What's an Auror?"
"Aurors are magical law enforcement officers. Think of them as a cross between police detectives and MI6 Agents."
"Cool", he said, impressed. We turned to Neville.
"I'm Neville Longbottom", he said. "I live with my Grandmother at Hereford. Er, and I like working with magical plants in our greenhouse." He finished, looking shy.
"Wonderful. It seems we have a Herbology aficionado among ourselves. We'll be counting on you, Neville. And it goes without saying that if you need any help, all you have to do is ask." I reassured the nervous boy.
"Er, thanks", said Neville, looking a bit more confident.
"So, any idea which house you want to be in?" I asked them.
Before anyone could answer, the compartment door opened, and someone familiar walked in.
"There you are. What took you so long?" she said. I smiled at her usual impatient tone.
"Hello Daphne. Good to see you too." I greeted my old...friend? Close acquaintance, maybe? I don't know, it's hard to tell with her. "I made some new friends. Looks like you did too", I said, looking at the new girl beside her.
"This is Tracey. Tracey meet Benjamin." She introduced us.
"Hello", said Tracey.
"Pleasure", I replied, shaking her hand. "And this is Harry, Neville and Hermione", I said.
After the following round of 'hi's and 'hello's, I turned to Daphne. "So, why were you looking for me?"
She sat down on one of the remaining seats and Tracey took the other. "I hear congratulations are in order. The new one seems to be doing even better." she said with a smirk.
See, this is why I hesitate to call Daphne my friend. She loves to give me a hard time. Every conversation with her is like a game of chess. Damned Slytherin. Like telling me about the success of my newest book, which I already know by the way, in a compartment full of strangers.
Now I have to make a choice, whether to tell them and disclose my identity, or continue to be cryptic and make them unable to fully trust me, knowing I'm keeping things from them.
"Thank you, Daphne. But the success of my work was never in doubt", I confidently replied. I was not going to give her the satisfaction, oh no. Turning to my new friends, I explained, "Daphne is just talking about how my latest novel was doing. Her mom is my publisher, you see."
Hermione suddenly had stars in her eyes. "You are a novelist, really?" she said. "I don't remember reading anything by a Benjamin Carter, though."
"That's because he uses a pen-name", Daphne said, looking miffed that I hadn't taken the bait. "He uses the alias 'Richard Castle'."
Neville suddenly shot up from his seat. "You're 'Richard Castle'?! Author of 'The Librarian' series?" He asked with wide eyes. I nodded, and he looked like Christmas had come early. "I can't believe it! I am a huge fan of your books! I have read all three of them, back to back. In fact, I have them in my trunk." He looked at me again and seemed to take in my age. "You're not having me on, are you? Is it really you?"
"I assure you, it is indeed him", Daphne confirmed with a hmph. "My family owns 'White Knight Publications' after all, so you can take my, Daphne Greengrass' word for it."
I smiled at her powerplay. That's the ice-queen I know. "Thanks Daphne. And yes, I am a writer. I stared when I was 7, and till now I have published 3 books, and thankfully they've all done rather well."
"Rather well? They're the best!" Neville reiterated. Wow, looks like I have a diehard fan. And judging by Tracey's expression, she must've enjoyed my works as well.
"Thank you, Neville. Anyway, as I was saying, any idea which house you want to go to?" I asked again.
"Well, Gryffindor sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad." Hermione said.
Daphne gave Hermione a sweet smile. "You're right, Gryffindor is the best... for loudmouths and pranksters, you mean", she said, her smile turning to a smirk. "In the last six years, Gryffindor has consistently placed 3rd in the House rankings, and that too because of the points earned in Quidditch matches. So you can imagine the kind of intellect to be found there. Clearly, Slytherin is the best option. It's where all the movers and shakers of our society come from."
Hermione looked scandalized and was ready to defend her views, so I mediated.
"Well, I suppose Gryffindor would be the best House for muggleborns. Apparently, they embrace muggleborns and half-bloods just to thumb their noses at traditionalist purebloods. Not that there is any hostility towards muggleborns from the other houses. Well, maybe except Slytherin." I said, crossing my hands.
"A lot of Slytherins followed You-know-who during the last war, and I'm sure some of their children will be among our peers, so I'd expect them to be hostile to muggleborns and probably to the boy-who-lived. Not all I hope, but it's to be expected." I looked at Daphne to see if she'd contradict me, but she didn't. "What about you, Harry?" I asked.
"I don't know. I suppose Gryffindor wouldn't be bad, but I don't know anything about magic. I expect I'll be in Hufflepuff." Harry said gloomily.
"Me too", echoed Neville.
"Nonsense", I said. "I don't believe either of you will be in Hufflepuff, even though there's nothing wrong with being one. After all, there have been more Ministers of Magic from Hufflepuff than any other house." I gave Daphne a challenging look, and she just shrugged. "I bet you'd both be in Gryffindor - House of the brave. After all, being brave doesn't mean the absence of fear. It means doing the right thing even when you're afraid."
Both of them looked at me appreciatively. "And what about you, smart guy? Which house do you want to be in?" asked Daphne.
"Well, that's a toughie", I said, putting my chin on my fist. "Every house has its ups and downs. Straight off, though I'm not going to Slytherin. Did you know that part of the Slytherin dorms are under the Black Lake? And that the Slytherin common room is right next to the potion's classroom? Hogwarts was established around 990 AD. Those wards haven't been updated in forever. All it would take is one explosive potions mishap. One moment you're peacefully taking a nap, the next you're drowning in your own bed because some imbecile couldn't follow basic instructions."
I sat there unashamedly as they all did a rather good impression of a gaping fish. Finally Daphne broke the silence. "You're a paranoid old man. You know that, right?"
"Hey! you'd be surprised how many people die 'accidentally' everyday." Call me crazy, but I'd seen all the 'Final Destination' movies. As someone who has already kicked the bucket once I'm not taking any chances, no sir.
"Moving on, Hufflepuffs pride themselves on tolerance, loyalty and teamwork. A good House if your primary concern is making friends. And it's right next to the kitchens, so anytime you want a free snack, you're in luck. Only downside is that the dorms are on the ground floor, and I like waking up with a view.
Next, Gryffindor, House of the brave, but mostly House of the loud. It is the most social of the houses and its parties are the best. The Gryffindor tower provides a breathtaking view of the surrounding areas. Unfortunately, I wasn't kidding when I said it's the house of the loud. The common room is often too distracting to read, and I like to read a lot.
And finally, Ravenclaw - House of wisdom, wit and intelligence. Just like Gryffindor, Ravenclaw tower houses the dorms and the windows offer excellent views. And since ravenclaws are more academically inclined, instead of combined dorm rooms, ravenclaws get individual quarters so they can study in peace.
Just imagine, not having to share a room with four other smelling, snoring, farting boys." At this both Harry and Neville looked embarrassed, while the girls pursued their lips trying not to laugh.
"But the biggest benefit of being a ravenclaw is that you'll have access to a small library in the common room itself. Something that no other House possesses." At this, Hermione's eyes lit up. "It's maintained by the Head of the House and contains reference materials to the relevant topics, so that the students don't have to run to the school library all the time. All in all, I believe it's Ravenclaw for me."
They spent some time processing the information. "How do you know all this?" Neville finally asked.
"My parents told me", I lied. "They wanted me to know exactly what my choices are."
"Did they tell you how we're going to be sorted?" He asked hopefully.
"Yep", again I lied. "It's a hat." Everyone just stared at me. "More specifically, it's Godric Gryffindor's hat. When the founders realised their time was near, they took Gryffindor's hat and enchanted it to sort the students in their stead.
At the sorting ceremony, the hat is placed on top of your head and it sorts you based on what it sees - bravery, loyalty, intellect, ambition. If there are more than one dominant traits, the hat will make suggestions, but it will always take the student's choice into account."
We went quiet for a while, simply watching the passing fields full of cows and sheep. Daphne and Tracey took their leave to go join their own cohort. Soon, there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling dimpled woman slid back our door and said, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"
All of us went out into the corridor. Mom had already packed me lunch, so I only bought some chocolate frogs for dessert. Neville bought some cauldron cake and a couple of chocolate frogs. Harry simply bought a little bit of everything. Hermione seemed like she couldn't decide whether it would be better to go hungry or risk the confectioners offered.
"It's alright, Hermione. Magical Healers can easily repair any kind of damage inside your mouth. In fact, you can even regrow any lost teeth overnight with the right potion." I assured her.
It was only after that she gave in and bought some cauldron cake and a single chocolate frog. As we reentered the compartment, I stopped them from starting on the sweets, and retrieved a lunchbox and a flask from my trunk.
"Mom made me lunch and she packed in extra in case I made some friends. So I want you all to have some." saying so, I started handing out cheeseburgers and fries, alongwith some orange juice. Thanks to stasis charms, they were as good as freshly made.
We then started on the cakes and frogs. Harry was surprised by the moving pictures, and I explained about the developing potion. I also warned him about the literally 'every flavour' of Bertie Botts' Every flavour beans.
The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields were gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers and dark green hills.
"Ben?" Hermione's voice broke me out of the reverie. "Did your parents tell you anything else about Hogwarts? Something we should know?" she said, as I turned towards her.
"They did", I lied again. "First of all, be careful of the caretaker, Argus Filch. He hates the students and looks for any excuse to hand out detentions. Also watch out for his cat. Wherever it is, you can bet Filch will be there minutes later."
All of them were listening with rapt attention. I continued, "Next comes Peeves, the poltergeist. He can move stuff around and likes to have fun at the students' expense.
The other person you need to look out for is professor Snape. He is the potions teacher and also head of house Slytherin. Be very careful in his class because he doesn't tolerate ineptitude. If he catches you being inattentive, he will make life miserable for you. My advice is, at least for his class read a couple of chapters ahead, and pay attention to what he says."
It was quite funny the way they were hanging on to every word. Neville looked like he was about to take out quill and parchment and start jotting down points.
"Oh, and one more thing. Don't raise your hand in class."
"What?!" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Well, more specifically, don't raise your hand in class unless you're asking the teacher a question or they have clearly asked for a volunteer. Whenever the teacher first asks a question, he usually has someone specific that he plans on asking but is just giving the student a few seconds to prepare an answer.
Raising your hand everytime the teacher asks a question implies that your classmates are too dumb to know the answer if called upon. If you do that you will most likely be shunned by your classmates and treated as an outcast."
"Wow", she said. "I would never have considered it like that if you hadn't explained it to me. Before Hogwarts, the school I went to held classroom participation as a big part of the grade."
I almost laughed at the sheepish look on her face. "Hermione, Hogwarts isn't a school for gifted children. It is the ONLY school for ALL children in UK and Ireland. Its aim isn't to create great wizards and witches. No, its aim is to provide a reasonably skilled workforce for wizarding Britain. To that end, there is no skipping grades in school. There is no real benefit given to any student for reading ahead or doing better than others."
Before Hermione could explode, Neville interrupted, "But my Gran said students who do well are rewarded."
Hermione latched on to that and said, "That's right. 'Hogwarts: A History' says that each house has an hour-glass filled with gemstones which will fill out when points are given for achievements."
I smiled and answered back, "yes, and the house in first place at the end of the year gets the House Cup. Now tell me, what are the benefits of winning this empty cup? What advantage does that house gain over the second, third, and last place houses?"
Hermione frowned and seemed to be thinking furiously.
I gave her a few seconds before continuing, "Like I said, there is no REAL benefit to be gained. It's just a system of maintaining discipline through peer pressure."
A moment passed before Hermione said, "But you're already studying ahead."
"Of course", I said, looking directly at her. "I have been studying for years. I have already learnt and practiced all the spells up to 3rd year, and I plan on finishing the 4th year curriculum by Christmas."
Harry and Neville were looking at me as if I had grown two heads and was breathing fire. Hermione, meanwhile looked at me curiously and asked, "Why? You just said there is no benefit to be gained studying ahead. So, why go through the trouble?"
"Why? Isn't it obvious? Because I'm not happy with just being another cog in the machine. I am not content with being part of a system riddled with politics and bureaucracy. I mean, do you understand how incredible our existence is? Out of billions of people, we were given the power to shape reality by our will. And to waste that gift, as almost everyone does, it does not bear thinking. So, I am not going to settle for being a Shopkeeper or a Quidditch player or even the Minister of Magic. No, I am going to Hogwarts to learn every bit of magic I can get my hands on, and then I am going to continue on my journey." I finished my impassioned tirade.
Harry and Neville were again looking at me tongue-tied, partly shocked and partly impressed. Hermione looked at me closely and asked, "And what will be the next step of your journey?"
"Who knows", I gave her a mysterious smile. "Stick around and may be you'll find out."
After that we set in companionable silence for a while just watching the scenery pass by. Eventually it started getting dark. We could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. Hermione went outside the compartment to let us change. Thank goodness, the school uniform was the one depicted in the movies and not in the novels. Meaning, we had white shirt, black pants, black tie (to be colour-changed after sorting) grey sweater vest and a black cloak on which House Insignia will appear after sorting. No stupid robes. Yay!
Just before reaching Hogsmeade, a voice echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in 5 minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Soon the train slowed down and finally stopped. We made our way towards the door and out into a tiny dark platform.