Chapter Text
“Come on, Sebastian!”
“Relax, I’m coming.”
Sebastian smiled at his twin sister’s enthusiasm. She was bouncing on her heels, stretching as tall as she could to get the best look at everything around them. The day had finally arrived– they were eleven years old, and it was time for them to attend their first year at Hogwarts.
The Hogwarts Express stood shining in all of its glory before them, puffing plumes of smoke high overhead. Living in Feldcroft, it felt silly coming all the way to London to board the train back to Scotland. Sebastian didn’t particularly mind. Aside from it being a Ministry-decreed requirement per wizarding safety laws, there was nothing quite like starting your first journey at Hogwarts than in the Hogwarts Express itself.
Solomon, their uncle, had a different opinion on the matter. He was an ex-auror, and he seemed to believe this should excuse them from abiding by the wizarding safety laws. He had paced the house grumbling for a while. Sebastian didn’t one hundred percent blame him. They didn’t have brooms or a vehicle; the only option left was getting to London by muggle transportation, something Solomon preferred to avoid.
Sebastian thought travelling with muggles would be exciting until about an hour into their journey. Muggles weren’t much different from your ordinary wizard, and their way of travel was so inconvenient compared to the wizarding world.
Platform nine and three-quarters was bustling with energy. As long as Sebastian had anticipated this, he couldn’t help being slightly intimidated by the much older and taller students. He knew if he felt this way Anne must have had it tenfold, and glancing at the twin in question he snorted in amusement– she was looking like a firework ready to spring into the atmosphere.
“Hurry along, now.” Solomon put a firm hand on either of their backs and pushed. The wheels of their trolleys squealed in protest. “The train will be leaving soon.”
Anne was suddenly looking very emotional. The Sallow twins had never been away from their uncle for long, and the reality of being at school for the next year seemed to be what was bringing her to tears. “Oh, Uncle Solomon…” She threw herself into his arms, whimpering. “I’ll miss you!”
“I’ll miss you too.” Solomon smiled warmly at Anne, then ruffled Sebastian’s hair. Sebastian huffed and ducked away. Solomon frowned but it vanished almost as soon as it came. “You two look after one another. Alright?”
Anne nodded tearfully and Sebastian scuffed his shoe on the concrete. He meant to look after Anne anyway.
Solomon watched them both for a long moment before reanimating. “Off you go.”
He pushed them again and Sebastian led the way to the train, Anne waving vigorously at the only family member they had left. “Goodbye, Uncle Solomon! Don’t forget to write to us!”
“Wonder which house we’ll be sorted into?” Sebastian said conversationally once they were in the train, walking along the windows to both avoid foot traffic and look for seats.
“I– I don’t know.” Anne stopped suddenly as if she was struck. “What if we aren’t sorted in the same house?”
Sebastian had the same thought, but he would never admit it. “Don’t be ridiculous, Anne.” He ducked past a burly sixth-year, pulling Anne by the wrist with him. “We have to be in the same house. We’re twins, aren’t we? Too much alike to be separated. I’d like to see them try and split us.”
The confidence he spoke with seemed to put her at ease, but there was still an anxious gleam in her eyes.
At last they found an empty compartment. Anne neatly set her luggage on the rack while Sebastian dumped everything under his seat. They sat comfortably across each other by the window, staring out at the train station as the last of the Hogwarts students got on board and families said their last goodbyes. Anne was looking frantically up and down the station.
“I don’t see Uncle Solomon,” she fretted, sitting up a bit straighter. “Do you see him anywhere?”
“No,” Sebastian said, staring at his robe where he played with a loose thread. “I bet we’ll be in Slytherin. They’re the most cunning, and the obvious superior house.”
This comment successfully diverted Anne. “What about Ravenclaw?” She suggested. “Only the cleverest get sorted into Ravenclaw.”
“Ravenclaw!” Sebastian exclaimed, feigning horror. “Being surrounded by books and logic? That’s too predictable.”
He was referring to their parents, who were both professors when they were alive. Anne returned to the window. At that moment, an ear-piercing whistle spiked the air and the two clamped their hands over her ears. The Hogwarts Express was ready to leave.
“We’re moving!” Anne cried out, and she pressed her nose right against the window. “Where’s Uncle Solomon? Sebastian, help me find him!”
“Wasn’t the one goodbye enough?” Sebastian asked grumpily, but nonetheless complied. He scanned the crowd once and pointed. “There, between those two pillars.”
“Goodbye, Uncle Solomon!” Anne called, waving extravagantly. Somehow, Solomon spotted her and raised his hand in response. She beamed widely, though her bottom lip began to tremble. “I can hardly believe we won’t see him until the holidays… oh , Sebastian, I’m going to miss him…”
Sebastian studied her thoughtfully. It wasn’t that he hated his uncle, but he didn’t share the same affinity as his sister. In his opinion, Uncle Solomon could be unfairly strict with him, while Anne received much more special attention. He nudged her lightly. “You’ll be too busy at Hogwarts to miss him! I can’t wait to learn some spells. I’ll need to practise if I’m going to be an Auror one day.”
“An Auror?” Anne barked a laugh. “You couldn’t even catch the old goat back in Feldcroft!”
“I’ll have you know that goat is very spry for his age,” Sebastian defended, but Anne continued to laugh and he found himself joining her.
“Excuse me?”
The compartment door had been yanked open. A curly-haired boy with glasses too large for his face peered down his nose at the two, giving Sebastian the impression of a literal bookworm. “May I join you? Everywhere else is full.”
Sebastian exchanged glances with Anne before nodding. The boy came in, sitting right next to Sebastian and observing the both of them curiously.
“I’m Everett, by the way. Everett Clopton.” Everett said loudly. He held his hand out to Anne and shook hers vigorously, then did the same to Sebastian– Sebastian sent a weird look to his sister, who giggled silently. “I’m from Kenmare, Ireland. That’s home to the Kenmare Kestrels Quidditch team, you know. I’m sure you’re familiar with Quidditch? It’s a brilliant sport, if you ask me. Though flying itself is quite enjoyable anyway. So? Who do you support, then?”
When Everett paused to breathe, Sebastian realised he was waiting for a response. “Support?” He repeated uncomprehendingly.
“Your Quidditch team, of course! Well then? Which team do you support?”
Sebastian looked at Anne, who shrugged. Feldcroft was a small hamlet that didn’t get much news, much less did they have a home Quidditch team. “The Kestrels are alright, I suppose.”
“Ha! You’d be right to think so.” Everett remarked. “They’re the only respectable team, really. They get a lot of flack for reasons unfounded, I might add. Did you know their Captain is only twenty-two years old? Pretty rare to have someone so young in that position. Really I think it’s a good mark on the team…”
Sebastian sent Anne another disbelieving look, who was now biting her knuckles to mask her laughter. However after listening to Everett babble on for another ten minutes, even Anne was starting to show signs that his apparent habit for running his mouth wasn’t so amusing anymore.
The compartment door pulled open for a second time. “Anything from the trolley, dears?” Asked a middle-aged woman who smiled kindly at the three. Sebastian stood up at once.
“Yes.” He wasn’t able to withstand another minute of Quidditch statistics. He pretended to be fastidious in his selection, biding his time as long as he could, but it made no difference.
“Oh, do you collect the cards, too?” Everett asked in regard to the chocolate frogs in Sebastian’s hand. “I have over ten Quidditch players. Can you believe I haven’t found a single Kenmare Kestrel? It’s unbelievable how rare they are! Not that it isn’t well-deserved.”
Sebastian wanted to suggest they didn’t exist just to see how he would react. The students in the compartment next door filed out at the sight of the food trolley, where one of them in particular had overheard Everett’s comment.
“Don’t waste your time looking. But, if you must ogle over a Quidditch team, it might as well be Puddlemere United.”
The steely voice matched the sharp expression on the girl’s face. She couldn’t have been any older than the current company, but she spoke as if she knew much more than any of them. “My grandfather played for them back in his prime, and my father played chaser for the Slytherin team. I’ll be next. Flying is in my family’s blood.”
Everett went as red as a tomato. “You’re not the only one who can fly, Imelda.” His voice squeaked at the end, making his face go even redder.
Imelda’s companions guffawed, but she remained stone-faced. “No. But I will be the most disciplined.” She spoke so confidently it was hard to not believe a word she said. “If you feel inclined to disagree, prove me wrong. One chocolate frog, please.” She exchanged a knut with the elder witch, then unwrapped the candy. “Mason Wright. Captain of the Appleby Arrows for ten years in a row.” She huffed in disinterest. “I’ve got three of him.”
Everett twitched as if fit to burst. Right as Imelda was leaving he blurted, “Can I have it? Mason Wright is the last one I need for my Appleby Arrows collection!”
“Is he?” Imelda regarded Everett, then the card, then Everett again. Sebastian expected her to refuse, but to his surprise she shrugged. “If you must.”
She let her hand fall flat. Everett eagerly reached forward, then Imelda retracted her arm.
“On second thought, I bet my cousin would trade me for it. He’s got a whole collection of famous witches and wizards– I’m sure I can score a good deal.”
Raising her eyebrows, Imelda disappeared into her compartment, her companions snorting after her mirthfully.
The encounter flustered Everett so much he didn’t speak another word about Quidditch. Sebastian couldn’t have been more grateful.
“Wicked timing, that was.” Sebastian sighed, relishing the quiet. Everett had excused himself to find the loo. “Finally we can talk in peace.”
“He certainly likes Quidditch.” Anne responded, taking a bite out of a cauldron cake. “I wish that girl wasn’t so harsh to him, though.”
“I thought it was brilliant. He won’t be talking our ears off now, won’t he? Merlin! I hope he isn’t sorted in our house!”
“Sebastian!” Anne half-admonished, half-laughed.
“I’m only saying what we’re both thinking.”
The townscape transformed into a series of trees and fields. Anne and Sebastian were discussing the Hogwarts houses again, debating which one they would be sorted into and what the common rooms might look like. They discussed what classes they were most looking forward to and what the first thing they would want to do in their free time would be, all while the sun rose higher and higher into the lengthening afternoon, and their sweets dwindled to empty wrappers and strewn chocolate frog cards.
“Imagine if Uncle Solomon knew how many of these we’ve been eating.” Sebastian boasted as he finished off the last of the pumpkin pasties. “He’d have a right fit, he would.”
“For good reason!” Anne piped. “I can’t wait to have a proper meal. I was so anxious this morning, I forgot to eat breakfast!” Her stomach growled and she sighed. “But, I suppose if sweets are all we have, they will have to do for now.”
“Coming right up.” Sebastian reached into his pocket only to find it empty. He searched the other one, turning it out. “All I have left is a chocolate frog.” He stared at it, then stood up. “I’ll get some more.”
“Don’t bother– that was the last of our pocket money.”
“Who said I’ll need pocket money?” Sebastian asked slyly. When Anne baulked, he continued quickly. “Trust me. I have a plan.”
Anne’s protests fell on deaf ears as he stepped out into the walkway. It was a stark contrast from that morning, where everyone had been bumping into one another and stepping on each other’s feet. Now it was completely vacant, including the food trolley. Where’s it gone?
He decided to try the left side of the train first. He would occasionally look through the compartment windows to get a look at his new classmates, wondering vaguely if he would ever get to know their names or if they would even end up being in the same house.
“...how did you do that?” A girl exclaimed.
“It’s a magic trick!” A boy around Sebastian’s age was saying, a handful of cards in his hands. “Well, muggle magic anyway. Amazing what they can come up with.”
A freckle-faced redhead was utterly fascinated. “Teach me how to do it!” He asked enthusiastically.
“A magician never reveals his secrets!” The boy boasted.
This is no good. Sebastian moved on to the next few compartments, hurrying forward on occasion when the students inside sent him inquiring looks. He paused at another one upon hearing hushed voices and peered through the glass.
“...did you see that blond boy? At the end of the train?”
“...sitting all alone… wonder what he’s doing over there?”
“I tried waving at him. He didn’t even look at me! Let him be by himself, I say…”
This isn’t it, either. Sebastian continued along, itching with anticipation, uncertain what exactly he was looking for but confident he would know the opportunity when he saw it.
“I’ll trade you… uh…”
“Go on, Duncan, make up your mind!”
“Yeah, come on, Duncan!”
“Alright, sorry… I’ll give you… a licorice wand for three knuts?”
By his voice, Duncan wasn’t too confident in his own haggling abilities, and judging the look on the other three students’ faces they weren’t convinced either. Sebastian approached the compartment door and found to his satisfaction that Duncan had a grand bag of sweets, much more than the Sallow twins could have afforded, and by the looks of it he wasn’t sharing it with anyone else…
This was the opportunity he was looking for. Sebastian glanced up and down the train aisle one more time, then stepped inside.
“Pardon me.” He said in his most affable voice. “Have any of you seen a toad hopping about? I’m afraid my sister has lost hers.”
Duncan and the three girl students sent brief glances around the floor and their seats. “No… I haven’t, anyway.” One of the girls said.
“What’s it look like?” Duncan asked.
“Well… it’s got warts and long legs for hopping.” Sebastian explained, and Duncan’s ears went red.
“I– I know that– I only meant–” Duncan turned on one of the girls, who was laughing. “Shut up, Constance!”
“You have to admit that was pretty funny–”
“No I don’t!”
As they argued, Sebastian retrieved his last chocolate frog from his pocket. Unravelling the paper without a sound, he released the enchanted treat to hop onto the floor, where it floundered for a moment before leaping onto the window.
“There– the window!” Sebastian exclaimed, and the students all whipped their heads around to look. Constance and the other girls squealed and leaned as far away from the frog as they could, whereas Duncan stared at it uselessly.
“Go on– grab it!” Sebastian said impatiently, and as if struck out of a reverie Duncan hurtled himself forward. He slammed against the window, missing the frog entirely, making it lose its balance and fall onto the seat by the girls. The girls screamed shrilly and fought each other to the door, where Sebastian made room for them to go around him, calmly pocketing a few handfuls of Duncan’s sweets.
Duncan finally recollected himself. “Where’d it go?” He slurred, watching his step warily.
“Not sure. You keep looking in here; I’ll check the corridor. If you don’t find it, consider it a job well done.” Duncan nodded, still dazed from the collision, and Sebastian walked out.
“As I said: coming right up.” Sebastian announced once he returned to his compartment, showing the stash to Anne.
Anne looked amazed but also concerned. “What was all that screaming in the hall about?”
“Let’s just say I owe Duncan one. Or ten.” Sebastian flopped back into his seat, offering the sweets to his sister. “Here. We’ll savour them this time.”
Anne decided she was too hungry to question him further and they ate in a comfortable companionship. They had gotten so used to it just being the two of them they were temporarily surprised when their compartment door was opened again.
“Blimey! You wouldn’t believe what I’ve just gone through!” Everett’s hair was a mess, his eyes bulging behind his glasses. “I was coming out of the loo, and there was a whole gang of girls waiting to ambush me! Screaming something about a loose toad, for some reason.” He shivered suddenly. “I really hate toads. I hope it doesn’t come into our compartment. What’s so funny?”
Sebastian shook his head. “Nothing,” he lied, smiling.
Everett looked at him suspiciously. His eyes then fell on their mountain of cauldron cakes. “Can I have some?”
The sweets weren’t technically Sebastian’s, so he let Everett indulge himself.