Just then Nathan appeared out of the air, it seemed. "Ah, here you are. Hello, Hal! Hello - uhm... you."

He smiled at Piotr and just climbed into the carriage. "Did you guys hear about this fight between Gryffindors and Slytherins on the train? Damn, I missed it!"

Niki raised her eyebrows. Nathan had appeared, apparently out of thin air... Ah well. She climbed into the carriage and sat down next to him. "No, I didn't... I heard that two Ravenclaws got into a fight over who had memorised more Latin declensions and blew up a compartment."

Nathan laughed. "Weird! But typical Ravenclaw, isn't it? Did you have nice holidays, Hal? Anyway, Niki, who's this friend of yours?" He looked at Piotr. "I don't think we've met..."

Piotr yawned widely, not even bothering to cover his mouth. "Piotr Rachinov," he said, by way of introduction. "New this year."

His violet eyes assessed Nathan critically. "Don't tell me," he said, shifting his gaze sideways to Niki. "You're one of these Slytherin types as well?"

In the dim light of the carriage, it was hard to see, but Niki's face paled, then turned pinker. She nodded an affirmative.

Hal watched this little exchange with interest as he recovered from the initial shock of having to share a carriage with anyone at all. There he was, amongst all these people and Niki really the only one he had ever spoken to.

"There was a fight?" He asked, he had been busy trying not to be uncomfortable around Madison and not to wake his cousin to notice anything unusual on the Express but this intrigued him. It must be some other House, he had always thought that the Gryffindors were an odd lot.

"I'm Hal Ddraiggoch," he said extending a hand to Piotr nervously.

Piotr glanced down at Hal's hand, a faintly surprised expression on his pale face. Finally, almost reluctantly, and shook it - once.

Piotr's flesh was so cold to the touch it was almost clammy, and he let go fairly swiftly, returning his hands to the pockets of his robes. He said nothing, simply scrutinised Hal with his violet eyes that seemed to bore into whoever he was regarding at a particular time.

Finally, he sneered slightly and turned to look out the window. He had no desire to make 'friends'. He'd only lose them again, anyway. What was the point?

Nathan glared at Piotr. "We're not the friendly type, are we?" he said directly with his most amiable wide smiled. "Nathan Lagrand," he then introduced himself, "and indeed, yes, one of the Slytherin types, I hope you don't mind."

He looked at Niki and then at Hal. "Yes, seems there was a fight. Some 7th years, Slytherin and Gryffindor. Heard it from Frank Broomward, a Hufflepuff and not the most reliable source, but who knows? Doesn't seem entirely unlikely, does it? Too bad it wasn't 6th years, seems I missed some fun there... but maybe there's hope for more fun once we get to school."

Niki rolled her eyes. "I don't see how getting detention and points taken off our House is *fun*, but if that's what you like..."

Hal drew his hand back, and unconsciously began to rub it warm again. He silently cursed his Mother for insisting on good manners at all times, he wished he could just ignore them all, even Niki and Nathan, and enjoy the journey in his solitude.

His Mother had decided he should make an effort, 'best of a bad job' she had said. If he had to stay in Slytherin then at least make the contacts that everyone seemed to value, get something out of it to make up for the disadvantages his Mother perceived he had, namely not being an Evans. So, even if his grades weren't as good as his cousin's then at least he would be able to get ahead in later life through his 'contacts', it was a prospect that filled him with dread.

*********

Shinrei caught sight of one of her fellow Gryffindors, a boy who had been quite controversial last term for a wolf-to-sheep transfiguration trick played on Arcadia Fudge's familiar. She had not spoken to him personally but knew him by face.

She watched him enter a carriage and deemed it best if she and Jian ride into school with Gryffindors. Jian hadn't been Sorted yet, so she might as well accompany him to the castle.

"I believe we need to share a carriage with other people, Hupi-san," Shinrei told the Chinese boy. "It would be best if we ride to the castle with Gryffindors."

She walked to the waiting carriage, rapped at the door and opened it. With the Gryffindor boy was a Slytherin girl she had not met before.

"Konnichiwa," she greeted them with a bow. "Would you mind if we rode along with you? Hupi-san here--" she gestured to Jian beside her-- "is a new student. And I am Shinrei Hikari, of Gryffindor House."

Winifred forced a smile, realising she was surrounded by Gryffindors. "Hello. No problem if you sit in here. I'm Winifred Fanel, by the way," she said, being sure not to mention her house. It was probably best not to if she wanted to have a pleasant ride to the castle. She knew the type of sentiments people had toward her house and didn't want them to judge her based purely on her house affiliation, no matter how true the stereotype might be.

Shinrei bowed and smiled her thanks at the girl. "Domo arigatou, Winifred-san," she said. "Thank you. It is an honour to meet you." "I trust your summer was well, Prytz-san," she said to Magnus as she climbed into the carriage and took a seat beside Winifred.

She then turned to Jian and gave him an encouraging nod to get inside the carriage. As if on cue, Makura, her owl, swooped down from the skies and straight into the carriage, settling on Shinrei's shoulder.

"Lady, gentlemen," Shinrei said, smiling at her owl's rather theatrical antics, "this is my familiar, Makura."

Having no other choice but to get inside the carriage, Jian climbed into the vehicle and closed the door behind him. He settled beside the blond boy and nodded at the two Hogwarts students he did not know.

"My name is Hupi Jian," he said. "I was sent here to study by my Order, The Mian-Ju-Tao brothers of Northern China. I am in Fourth Year."

Amy began to put her books and belongings back inside her bag, and proceeded off the train. Amy began to shiver as she walked across the wet grass. She also began to wonder what house she was going to be placed in and if she would make any new friends. Amy also climbed into the carriage with Winifred and the others in order to begin her journey to Hogwarts.

Peesey was sitting there a bit overwhelmed with all these people coming into the carriage. He sat there listening to everyone introducing themselves. "Er, hello!?" He said to the new faces. "I'm Peesemould Grunfuttock" he said with his hand outstretched ready for someone to shake it "I'm a forth year, too! In Slytherin" he said blindly.

Magnus greeted Shinrei carefully, smiling to the girl as he would to any. Even though she could be so aloof sometimes. Perhaps she wasn't allowed to like boys... shame for him... she wasn't bad looking... And then Amy opened the carriage door, and leapt in. Magnus instantly went into greet mode, giving Jian a hello, and pumping a full-blown raise-eyebrow and smile job to Amy. The ride was going to be interesting, after all, he thought to himself, as they set off for the castle.

Shinrei shook hands with the enthusiastic boy and introduced herself: "It is an honour to meet you. Shinrei Hikari, Fourth Year and of Gryffindor House." She leaned back in her seat and watched the flurry of introductions going on around her.

Amy greeted herself, and smiled at everyone while shaking their hands "Hi! My name is Amy, and I'm a fourth year. I believe I'm in Gryffindor,"

She said, especially smiling at Shinrei, hoping she would be in some of her classes.

Shinrei silently blessed all the people with her; at least, for the time being, they took her mind off the events that had taken place at the Hogwarts Express just this afternoon.

She watched Makura eye the people in the carriage appraisingly. With a rather arrogant hoot, her black owl flew out of the window. Her gaze followed the owl's flight. The sky was darkening and she could feel a slight chill in the air. It wasn't a very good way to start the school year with.

Winifred watched Shinrei's black owl as it entered and left the carriage. "That's a beautiful owl you've got there. What's his name?" she asked, trying to make pleasant conversation.

"Yes, that, erm, was, a lovely bird!" Peesey said watching it fly away.

Amy shook Jian's hand, and smiled at him nicely. After all, she was determined to make a great first impression. "I visited China once, with my aunt, it's a beautiful country!" Amy told Jian. "I'm a fourth year also, and I believe I'm in Gryffindor. Do you know what house you are in?" Amy asked.

Shinrei returned Amy's smile and inclined her head in a slight bow to her fellow Gryffindor. "It is an honour to have you join us, Amy-san." She turned to Peesemould and Winifred, her eyes darting out of the window, following Makura's flight.

"Yes...well, he used to belong to my...teacher back in Nippon." She did not know how to consider Kanjou anymore. Teacher seemed the simplest term to describe him by. "My owl's name is Makura. It stands for 'Darkness' in our native tongue. He does not favour cages and prefers to take flight and follow me where I travel."

********

Morticia sighed as she heard Branwen talk about Edryd and her mind immediately began to wonder as she recalled his looks and his skill on a broomstick. How much more could a girl want? She so much hoped he'd be able to play professional, because then there'd be posters and stickers with his face on it in the teen-witch-magazines...

She only snapped out of her daydreaming when she half-heard a slightly embarrassing conversation between Raphael and Sarah. "So, people, what's the castle like?" Raphael quickly asked, blushing intensely.

Seeing Glueclaws purring happily in his lap, she decided to be nice to him.

"Oh, it's great," she said. "It's huge and really old and some rooms just keep moving around, highly entertaining. And then there's the pictures and moving armours, of course, and other fun stuff. Each house has its own common room and dorms so that students only meet students from other houses during the day, but that's okay, you know, it's good to spend some time with people from your own house. The house is supposed to be some sort of a little family, after all."

Sarah nodded in agreement with what Morticia had said, "The Common Rooms are passworded to prevent members of other Houses from entering and that rule is kept very strictly. There is quite a tradition of competition between the Houses which sometimes gets ... well think of how it is when people support different teams in muggle sports. Some House members will always think it's like a betrayal to even talk to members of other Houses unless it's to make an insult."

This returned her to her previous worry about where Raphael might be sorted. She generally got on well with Slytherins because many of them knew that she had originally been sorted there and her placement in Ravenclaw had been an accommodation by the administration. Still that didn't mean she was allowed to enter the Slytherin common room and all her close friends were now in Ravenclaw because this naturally resulted from the amount of time spent in House on a daily basis.

************

Letter from Hades Lagrand to Albus Dumbledore:

Dear Albus,

Since it will be a considerate time until our next meeting, and since this has nothing to do at all with our school-partnership-program, I have decided to write to you on behalf of Nathan. As you know, he has finished Defence Against the Dark Arts last year and is doing very well in all the other subjects. I know that he is only in his sixth year but I don't think it is entirely unlikely for him to finish school the next summer. I trust you to give him your full support.

However, the problem with Nathan is that he is so easily distracted from his work. I would therefor like to ask you to advise him to keep his focus, which means most of all no new extra subjects. He is already taking a lot of subjects and I think it is all he can do to achieve his goal of graduating early.

Secondly, I am not sure whether it would be a good thing for him to join the Slytherin Quidditch team. As you know, I have been a professional player myself so this is not easy for me to say, but I think Quidditch would pre-occupy his mind and distract him from his studies. I know you will understand my worries and advice Nathan to his best. He is a very talented boy with a great future, after all.

I have had a serious conversation with Morticia before she left for school. However, in case she should be her usual troublesome self, please let me know so that I can take the appropriate measures. I have entrusted her with looking after her little sister Nimue, who is starting school this year as you know. I dearly hope it wasn't a mistake to put so much responsibility on her.

Finally, I would like to thank you for accepting young Drake Brixton in your school. The boy has had a very difficult life so far and it is good to know he has found shelter and guidance at last. You will find him shy, but very amiable once he has warmed up to people, and most of all you will find him unusually, I should say extremely, intelligent and gifted. He needs to be pushed a little but then the results of his work will doubtlessly amaze you.

I have written to Cornelius about Drake since I think it is important for a young wizard like him who is done with school to know how to Apparate. I have made a request to give Drake a special permission to learn this skill and hope to find assistance in you.

Thank you very kindly for your attention and never tiring care for our children's well being. I can assure you Nathan is already very fond of the school and doesn't miss his old school at all, which shows your capabilities as a headmaster. I dearly hope you will stay at Hogwarts until all my children are done with school.

Please say my greetings to Severus, I am awfully busy at the moment but I will soon take the nearest opportunity to pay him, and you, a visit.

Until then, I remain yours faithfully,

Hades Lagrand

*********

Dylan kept his head low throughout the transition from Diagon Alley to Kings Cross, and had found an empty spot on the train in which he curled up and slept. Summers home with his family were tiring if nothing else, and the familiar sensation of dread and perhaps a tinge of fear was descending. But, he realised as he stood near where the carriages were, surrounded by a throng of black-clad and high- spirited young witches and wizards, he was here now, and it was time to suck it up and deal.

Sighing softly, hands in his pockets and head bowed as usual, Dylan struck off and attempted to find a carriage that wasn't filled with Slytherins. The last thing he needed was to start the term off with a broken nose, like his second year.

********

One of Luis' eyebrows shot up involuntarily. He gave the boy, who still had not introduced himself, a very assessing, Snape-like once-over.

"Really? That sounds cool. Very cool, man. I was wondering who I could contact around here so we could smuggle in a Discman or two into old Hoggy-warts. I've been out of circulation for three years, but now I'd like to believe I'll be back for good. At least until I graduate."

Luis nodded as the other boy pointed out the empty carriage. "Lead the way, then. I'm with you."

Drake sat down in the carriage and forced a nervous smile at Luis. "You know, I h-hate to disappoint you b-but electricity j-just d-doesn't work at H-hogwarts," he said, his smile widening into a grin. He took a small portable MD-player out of his pocket and winked at Luis. "T-too bad, really."

He put the player back and offered his hand. "I'm s-sorry. Drake Brixton. I t-take you're M-muggle-born or a-at least part M-muggle? C-cause it would be n-nice to talk to s-someone w-without explaining things e-every two seconds."

Luis returned Drake's grin and shook the other boy's hand enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it's too bad we can't bring in a boom box and hold those rave parties so popular in the Muggle cities," he agreed. "I just figured that being a teacher of some sort, you just might have an idea on how to bypass all the magical mumbo-jumbo. Maybe in time we /will/ find a way."

"My father was a Muggle through and through," Luis explained, trying hard to keep out the pain in his voice, "and my mother was a pureblood witch. Brazil was home but my father worked for a large Muggle business based in Mexico City. So you could say I was raised more or less like a Muggle kid, that is, until the Hogwarts letter managed to find its way to me."

Glad that he had made a pretty straightforward explanation, he leaned back in his seat and smiled. "So I guess you can talk freely, man."

Drake grinned with a lot of relief. "Great!" He rummaged his pockets and tossed a Snickers bar to Luis. "M-my best friend is a-as wizard as possible, th-that's quite o-o-often very annoying. I'm f-fully Muggle-born, y-you know? My parents s-still hate me for being a-an 'abnormality' as they c-call it..."

He shrugged. "Which i-is why I'm glad to be a-able to stay at school a-although I'm a-already done. Graduated in s-spring, f-from Durmstrang. B-but I'll be 17 s-soon so I'm not that q-quick really..."

Drake suddenly realised he was blathering and blushed. "S-sorry. I - I don't talk to people v-very often." He sighed and then groaned. "Oh, what a-am I thinking? I? A teacher? This w-will be the worst y-year ever!"

Luis caught the Snickers bar and looked it over with amusement. Been a while since he had these sorts of things. He was more of an M&Ms kind of guy, but he wasn't complaining.

"Thanks, man," he said, returning Drake's smile. For someone who had a teaching position, Drake wasn't very comfortable and confident.

He unpeeled the chocolate bar and bit into it. "Look at the bright side," he said consolingly, "at least you are advanced and maybe even older than some of those you'll be teaching."

"Me, I'm already seventeen and will be turning eighteen before the end of the school year. Now that's old and pretty funny to most people, considering I'm only in fourth year. Gonna be a square twenty-one before I get out. So you're lucky, Drake. Way lucky."

Drake laughed. "I g-guess," he said then, "and n-now that I've trapped y-you I'm a lot more c-c-confident. I m-mean, I know you now. Y-you have to be n-nice to me in class n-now." He winked at Luis.

"A-and don't feel bad a-about your age. I mean - t-to graduate at 16 i-isn't that much fun, really. Y-you always get c-called names and stuff, e-especially at Durmstrang... and l-look at me! I'm d-done with school, s-still underaged and don't know what to d-do with myself..."

Luis bit off the last of his Snickers bar and smacked his lips. "Ah. The gustatory, tooth-decay-causing wonders Muggles could create. I have to say you just made me realise how much I missed candy bars."

"You'll be fine, man. I'm sure you know a lot about what you're gonna be teaching, enough to answer students' questions every two seconds. Besides, someone who appreciates Muggle technology the way I do rates high on the scale of Cool-ness." He gave an imitation of an arrogant sneer and then chuckled. "If they think otherwise, that's their problem."

Drake laughed and looked outside as they approached the castle. "W-well, was a pleasure travelling w-with you," he said then, looking like he meant it indeed. "Th-thanks. You'll h-have some problems w-with Arcadia F-fudge, if I m-may say so. She's the s-snobbiest pureblood o-on this earth, s-so you'd better either s-stay away from h-her or give her a lesson about mudblood-v-values."

He grinned. "I w-wouldn't mind the latter a-alternative, you know..." The carriage stopped and Drake cautiously stepped outside.

Luis also stepped out of the carriage. He surveyed the throngs of students and turned to Drake.

"Good luck on your new job, man," he said. "As for this very diverting Miss Fudge, I'm sure she has her priorities as I have my own." Survival being at the top of my list, he added silently.

"It's been really fun travelling with you, too," he added with a grin, "Snickers bar and all. Look me up at Slytherin if ever you get the compulsion to throw a rave party. God knows this place needs more excitement. See you around."

With a thumbs-up sign and a wink, he left the assistant teacher's side and joined the rest of the students heading for the Entrance Hall.

*********

With the carriage now moving towards the castle, Sarah was so pleased that Raphael had changed the subject and spared her further blushes - especially once it was clear that Nathaniel was not asleep.

She smiled at his question about the castle completely missing the fact that Raphael had been embarrassed as well. Morticia then gave an excellent description of the wonders of the Castle.

"Look, nothing we can really tell you beats seeing it for yourselves." said Sarah. She caught Nathaniel's eye, thinking that in other circumstances she ... *banish that thought girl! He is your friend - they are both your friends! * A heart-to-heart with Branwen was definitely on the cards once safely away in the girls' dorm at Ravenclaw House.

"Nathaniel, come and change seats with me - you both need to see this for yourselves."

In a minute or so she knew they would turn the bend in the road and pass through the gates of Hogwarts. From that vantage point Nathaniel and Raphael would see the ancient, many turreted castle - blazing with light from a thousand torches in preparation for the arrival of the student body. A sight to fill the soul with a sense of wonder and enchantment.

The window drew him closer, with Sarah now sitting behind him as he stared out; he made a little space for her so that she too could see the castle. She - Raphael hadn't missed seeing just how much - she loved the castle.

It was so obvious in her words... in her speech... in how she loved the castle... A vague outline was lit up by a crash of lightning from far behind... the splattering of rain against the window, first having been slight, became suddenly heavy, crashing against the window in great sheets. Across the lake, he could see the dark musings of a forest, but for now his attention was on the huge looming castle outline in the distance. Turreted features. A twisting tower, in the gushing water and gloomy light looking organic and bulbous... a set of windows with black iron bars... patterns of leaves over the walls, some old vines, some new creeping plants... ... a place from his imagination.

The castle - looked - he knew that tower, that was where... no... didn't that battlement look familiar, though more so from the view of the forest...? What about the gates, no crack yet as they were one of the first carriages to hove into view, but soon to explode warmth and light out onto the grass before the entrance. He'd been here before. ... in a dream...? Some musing, months ago... not a dream... more like an echo of a dream... memories of the past... memories of the castle... imprecise, warped visions of the place deep at night, and dew on the windows flashing in the sunlight.

Raphael shook his head. He hadn't been here before. But... the castle was calling to him... speaking to him... whispering tales of rightness... learning... power... magic... a magic tamed by the walls and the wills within, responsibilities pounded into a soul, love gained... he turned, and saw Sarah sitting calmly.

And he knew. He had to pass the entrance... he had to be right for this school... because it called to him, because somehow, regardless of if it was right or correct or just, he needed this place. He needed the people in it... people like Nathaniel and Sarah... to teach him.

"To tame the dark," he whispered, a memory flashing into his head with the lightning. Darkness. That, perhaps, was what this school could protect him from: darkness. The darkness of the forests of his home - the darkness of the wood deep in the cracks of an old oak, deep in the cracks carved there as a testimony to evil - a darkness. His hands were shaking. His head ached, flashes of pain across it, above his right eye. His left hand had gone numb, dead. And yet... he had to move his left hand. He had to.

He reached deep into his left pocket, cracking the bones of his knuckles painlessly as the dead hand reached down... until his fingertips seemed to flame into life, burning suddenly. He grasped his hands around it, and pulled it out, and held it delicately in his right and left hand, covering it, suddenly afraid that it might be burning black.

"I'm ready," he told Sarah and Nathaniel quietly, so Morticia and Branwen couldn't hear. The carriage started slowing in the rain.

Nathaniel smiled his thanks to Sarah as they changed places, and watched the castle as it came into view. It definitely wasn't anything from a fairytale. In fact the only thing this castle was likely to say to a questing prince looking for Cinderella was 'Go away.' But he liked it.

It loomed and lurked and other ominous words like that, especially because he knew it was a school, but ... he liked it. The kitten curled on his lap, purring happily, but Raphael seemed less pleased about something.

"I'm ready." he all but whispered. "Hang on in there, kid, it can't be as bad as all that." Nathaniel replied, equally as softly, but deeply concerned for Raphael. Something odd was happening to the boy... It scared Nathaniel more than the school did, and the prospect of the Sorting Hat, and that was saying something. His left cheek was aching again and he lifted a hand to rub at it.

Then the carriage was pulling to a halt, and Nathaniel let himself be swept along with everyone else, never going far from either Raphael or Sarah.