At ten o'clock on the morning of September 1st, I was at London's King's Cross Station with my parents. Pushing a cart stacked with a trunk packed full of textbooks and uniforms, we made our way through the station concourse.
Our destination was the third of the four pillars standing between Platforms Nine and Ten. That was Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the entrance to the Hogwarts Express.
Beyond the pillar stood a red steam train, stopped as it released clouds of vapor. The timetable read "Departs at 11:00," and the platform was crowded with students and their families, all reluctant to part.
"Ireina, there are three things I want you to promise me."
Before I boarded the Hogwarts Express, my mother spoke to me with an unusually serious expression.
"First, if you think you're in danger, run away. Second, don't think of yourself as someone special. Don't forget that you're the same as everyone else."
As she counted off each point on her fingers, I nodded in response.
"Third, come home at Christmas and show us your smiling, healthy face. Can you promise that?"
"Yes!"
When I answered loudly, my mother smiled happily. The problem was my father.
"Ireina… hic… we'll see each other again soon… sob…"
He clearly had not learned to let go. In the end, he even began shedding tears without regard for who might be watching, leaving my mother exasperated.
"Take care, Ireina."
"I'm off!"
And so, after parting from my parents, I boarded the train as the whistle sounded.
＊＊
"It's a bit late to say this now, but I really should have woken up earlier…"
Since I stayed with my parents until the very last moment, I had some trouble finding an empty compartment. When I finally managed to find an open seat, there was already someone there.
She was a girl with long, fluffy chestnut hair. Her front teeth were a little large, giving her a squirrel-like impression.
"Excuse me. Is this seat still available?"
"Yes, of course!"
"I see. Then I'll take you up on that."
When I sat down across from her, she looked at me with clear curiosity and spoke up.
"I'm Hermione Granger. You can call me Hermione."
"I'm Ireina."
After we introduced ourselves, the girl who had named herself Hermione leaned closer, her eyes shining with expectation.
"I only found out about magic recently. I was completely shocked when the letter arrived, but I was so happy!"
It seemed she had been desperate to talk to someone. I listened and nodded along as she excitedly told me about herself: that she was Muggle-born, that she loved studying, and that she had already read through all her textbooks.
"Oh, sorry. I've been doing all the talking. What about your parents?"
"They're both wizards, but I went to a regular local Muggle primary school."
When I mentioned that I was raised in the Muggle world, Hermione looked even happier.
In pure-blood families, there are quite a few people who know nothing about the Muggle world. Having someone for whom Muggle common sense applied must have reassured her.
As I continued answering her questions about the magical world, the compartment door suddenly opened. A round-faced, slightly chubby boy appeared, looking very nervous.
"Have you seen a toad? His name's Trevor. He keeps running away from me…"
"I haven't seen him. What about you, Hermione?"
When Hermione shook her head, the boy's shoulders slumped.
"He disappeared before we got on the train too. We found him pretty quickly then, but now he's gone again."
"Then let's look for him!"
When Hermione offered her help, the round-faced boy looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Of course!"
Hermione is a good girl. Helping others is a wonderful thing. Do your best.
"Well then."
While the two of them searched for the toad, I thought I would relax, eat the sweets I'd bought from the trolley earlier, and read a book.
As I was thinking that,
"Ireina, let's go too!"
Why?
When I turned to Hermione, her sparkling eyes clearly showed that she had not even considered the possibility that I might refuse. It was extremely hard to say no.
She seemed to be the type who could not leave someone in trouble alone, and for some reason, she appeared to think I was the same. As for the round-faced boy, he looked at me with tear-filled eyes, as if clinging to me.
"Sigh… I suppose it can't be helped."
To be honest, I would rather be reading than searching for a toad, but this was a good chance to earn some goodwill. After all, we would be classmates from now on.
"I'm Ireina. This is Hermione. What's your name?"
"I, I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom. Thank you, Ireina and Hermione!"
Neville Longbottom thanked us with a bright red face. Since it would be inefficient for all three of us to search in the same direction, I left Neville to Hermione and headed toward the rear carriages.
＊＊
"A toad… but what should I do if I find it?"
I had agreed to help on the spur of the moment, but now I was troubled. Finding it was one thing, but I would have to catch it afterward. And honestly, I really did not want to touch a toad with my bare hands.
"…I guess I'll have to put it in my hat or something. I can wash it properly later."
As I was thinking that, I heard a scream coming from the compartment in front of me. Before I realized it, I had opened the door.
"Are you all right!? That scream just now—"
Inside, five boys were in the middle of a full-blown scuffle. Sweets and wrappers were scattered everywhere, and a large-built boy was bleeding from his finger. Facing him was a red-haired boy holding a rat with blood around its mouth, which seemed to be the cause of the scream.
"Oh my, in the middle of a fight? How youthful."
They certainly had a lot of energy. Well, that is how rambunctious boys their age tend to be.
"Malfoy tried to take our sweets!"
The red-haired boy exclaimed indignantly as he pointed at Draco Malfoy. When I looked at him, Malfoy merely shrugged, showing no sign of remorse.
"So what? We ran out of sweets, so I thought I'd take some. Then Weasley's rat bit Goyle's finger."
From the look of it, Malfoy was flanked by Goyle and another large-built boy, facing off against the red-haired boy called Weasley and another boy with round glasses. It was obvious without asking that they did not get along.
"I see. I understand the situation. Well then, please continue."
"Eh?"
There was no need for the three of them to stare blankly like that.
"Are you not going to continue?"
"Um… it's not really my place to say this, but you're not going to stop them?"
The bespectacled boy asked, looking confused.
"No, I'm not a teacher or anything like that. And besides, it's best for the people involved to resolve their own troubles."
And honestly, just watching from the sidelines seems rather entertaining.
"…You're absolutely serious about that last part, aren't you?"
Oh dear, did I let that slip?
"Well, since I happened to pass by, I suppose I can at least act as a referee. I'll make sure there's no cheating, so please continue your fight without worry."
At that moment, I realized the boy with glasses looked familiar. I felt as though I had seen him somewhere before.
"Excuse me, have we met somewhere before?"
It came out sounding like a textbook pickup line, but he seemed unsure himself. Just as I was wondering if I had mistaken him for someone else, Malfoy let out a sarcastic "Ah," as if he had figured it out.
"It's Potter. The famous Harry Potter, no less."
What a surprise.
The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter. He was so famous in the wizarding world that there was hardly anyone who did not know his name.
The Weasley and Malfoy families were also both well-known pure-blood lineages, so this was quite the gathering of VIPs. On top of that, the Weasley family had produced Gryffindors for generations, while the Malfoys were traditionally Slytherins, so it made sense that they did not get along.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"I'm Ireina. Ireina Celestieria."
I gave my full name, but unlike with Malfoy, neither of them reacted to my family name. Harry, having grown up in the Muggle world, was one thing, but the Weasleys were supposed to be a pure-blood family as well.
Well, unlike the Malfoys, perhaps the Weasleys were simply not very concerned with lineage. Then again, it might just be that Malfoy was unusual for caring so much about it at the age of eleven.
"Now that I think about it, I never caught your name. You're a Weasley, so…"
"Ronald Weasley. Ron's fine."
"Nice to meet you, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Now then, please continue."
Even after I prompted them to resume their fight, the introductions seemed to have cooled things down. Malfoy let out a sigh, looking awkward.
"No, forget it. Crabbe, Goyle, we're leaving."
＊＊
I watched the three of them file out, leaving just Harry, Ron, and me behind.
"I wonder why they backed off. With three of them, their chances of winning seemed pretty good."
"I don't think that was really the issue…"
Harry relaxed as well, looking tired. When you see him like this, even a famous person does not seem much different from an ordinary boy.
"By the way, you really are Harry Potter, right?"
"Yeah. Look."
When Harry brushed his hair aside, a lightning-shaped scar was visible on his forehead. I gazed at it with a bit of admiration, just as the rumors described, but perhaps embarrassed by the attention, Harry tried to cover it again with his hair.
"No, I'd like to look a little longer, so please don't hide it."
"It's kind of embarrassing if you stare that much…"
"Just a bit more. Ah, here it is."
I rummaged around in my robe until I found what I was looking for.
"A camera?"
"Since this is a rare opportunity, I thought I'd send a commemorative photo to my parents. If possible, a two-shot."
When I sat down beside him and leaned in close, Harry instinctively pulled back.
"Is this some kind of photography fee? Or image rights?"
"N-no, it's not like that!"
Ron watched Harry with a grin as his face turned red and he grew flustered. Noticing this, Harry scowled and threw a Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean at him. Honestly, what was that all about?
"Could you come a little closer? Yes, just like that. All right, cheese."
"C-cheese."
A light click echoed as the shutter snapped.
"Why cheese?"
"It's Muggle culture."
"You really know a lot about Muggles, Ireina."
"I grew up among them."
Now that I think about it, why cheese, anyway? I do not know myself.
"Well then, I'll see you both later."
After also getting Harry's autograph, I said goodbye to the two of them. I would send the photo to my parents by owl post later.
And so.
By the time Hermione found Neville's toad in one of the front carriages, it had already grown completely dark outside. I hurriedly changed into my uniform, and all that was left was to wait for the express to arrive.
Hogwarts was just around the corner.
(End of chapter)
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