Chapter Text
The went-by hot summer radiated from a boy, who just sat at one of the many coupes. A faint smell of dry air sensed from his muggle clothes and hair nearly covering him fully. His dark hair fell on his big glasses, while his own body sat crumpled in a corner, closer to a train’s wall, closer to a big window where each landscape's sights changed one after another, looking out in patient comfort at the lulling movement of a train.
Anyone who wanted to share a coupe with him would get hit with an unknown smell, a brief scent that wasn’t familiar to those who had never traveled far away. They would notice an unfamiliar smell of dirt, or rather even dust with something more clear and fresh like a field wind, but never mention it to him, only change their place to get rid of the unknown comfort of something unfamiliar to their surrounding.
Clark honestly didn’t really mind that people preferred to sit somewhere else with someone who they knew in their own comfort. Clark is used to that; he’s experienced. He notices himself that he does have a brief scent of Kansas dust, maybe even the smell of his parents’ farm, as well as his own hair and scalp tingling a little after his flight across the Atlantic Ocean to the station. The smell of ocean salt might be noticeable but only briefly if only someone would actually sniff his hair to point out that he probably wasn’t even that prepared for a school if he let himself run to a station and let his clothes get covered in a “muggle” way. It was honestly weird for Clark as to why wizards cared for being a part of the muggle world when, basically, living among them, with them, as them.
If Clark was a normal person, he was supposed to get startled, but he only smiles when he turns to an opening coupe door, where he meets with Jimmy’s wide smile and Lois’ comforting presence.
“Jimmy, Lois!” Clark does it as always. He stands from his place, gives big hugs to his friends, and invites them to get comfortable in their shared coupe.
“Clark! My boy!” Jimmy does it every time they meet—they share “a man hug” where they wrestle each other a little and then give slaps on the back. “How the heck did you get so massive?!”
Clark manages only to scoff at his words and deflate to try to occupy less space, feeling comfortable among his friends as he sinks down in his seat.
“It’s not even that bad. I didn’t even do anythin’ to get this big, just the old drill—wake up in the mornin’, do mornin’ chores, breakfast, and the rest of the day full of farm and house chores as well.“ He murmurs with a country accent. “I didn’t even want to get that big. If Imma keep going like that, it’ll be a problem for me in the future.”
“Don’t think it will be such a problem to you. Well, if only you’d get rid of this fake persona that you keep for some reason, Kent.” Lois replied from her opposite seat.
“I don’t think that is a bad thing at all! I mean, well,” Jimmy cackles to himself, “maybe now you will finally find yourself a girl.”
Clark feels a red flush on his face. “Thank you, pal, but I don’t think I’ll be a charmer.”
He sure would be a good charmer, only if he wanted to; otherwise, Clark Kent is not the type of boy who would do something like that. Or at least not at Hogwarts for sure.
After those dog summer days full of heat, fun, and freedom, Clark was back at his place. Clark, full of confidence in his school year and his friends, was going back to the place where he could feel himself a little less lonely about his nature.
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The Great Hall was probably one of the many favorite places Clark truly enjoyed in the territory of Hogwarts. It was definitely one of the places where he felt an actual magic streaming through each and every student and professor.
The Magic itself wasn’t unfamiliar for a boy who definitely was more special than any other human being. Clark didn’t know how it happened or if it even happened; maybe he was already like that when he was born into this world, and nevertheless he knows from actually an early age that what he is is not what the world can handle easily or nicely, peacefully. The strength he possessed was something that no ordinary child is supposed to have, neither his super ability to hear and see. He was something that not only Clark but also Martha and Jonathan Kent knew would create a ghetto in a world that already treats those who differ as something else.
So Clark did what he knew, what his own father and mother told him and whispered between each other—he hid himself from the world. He was not anymore an extraordinary child of Martha and Jonathan Kent but was a goofus nerdy student of a wizardry school, Hogwarts. It would be better if only he was not a wizard (surprisingly, which he wasn’t but was sensitive to it and had a chance actually manipulating it as a wizard), and yet there he was—after saving this nice sir through a tornado, after getting this very much British letter from across the Atlantic Ocean, after being officially a wizard-student according to the Wizardry System.
Alas, he tried not to think too much about it, catching up in his school-wizard life. Not when he was finally back in a Great Hall where familiar tables were awaiting students and newcomers.
It probably was too silly of Clark to get this excited about a school, but he could never deny that he truly enjoyed the exciting tingle in the air. The Magic sparked and sizzled; he could feel it on his skin as he looked sheepishly around, taking in new Hall decorations, familiar faces, and faces of the new children, who were pouring into the Hall. Each time these kids come in each year, Clark wonders if he was looking like that too. So excited, so proud, so roused. He wondered if it was noticeable to teachers how he looked over his peers’ shoulders when the Sorting Hat was brought out. He wondered and tried to remember if he even tried to restrain pouring happy emotions on his face when he realized that they were getting into their own houses. Well, Clark definitely could remember how a Sorting Hat whispered to him that if he kept being so excited, then everyone would realize that he was floating above the ground for the entirety of the time the Hat was on.
And Clark tries to keep that thing in his mind when he sees those kids getting sorted as once he, Lois, and Jimmy did. He thinks that maybe he will not float away on his seat but definitely will hear and see how those juniors are going to get in their houses. Clark cheers hard and loud as he could, keeping his nerdy demeanor and a little hunched back. He definitely hears how those kids murmur to themselves as the Hat murmurs as well, deciding where to sort those future wizards and witches.
Among all of the kids’ and students’ heads, Clark felt a familiar stare from across the hall. He was already familiar with it; slightly yellow eyes pinged in a contrast of faces. Professor McGonagall was definitely giving him a stare that quickly made him realize that he was levitating. Again. With a barely noticeable pang, Clark fell down on a bench, nodding to a kind witch. After all, she helped him to cover his arse many times when his powers got out of hand (let’s not think about how he once was caught by her after curfew time because he couldn’t manage to get himself on the floor, so he crawled on a wall towards Gryffindor’s Common Room, or maybe the time when she also caught him breaking through an entire wall because he put too much pressure on his lean?). Clark definitely should get a little more points during this year as a ‘thank you’ for putting up with his nonsense.
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When Clark thought about how he missed Hogwarts, he definitely didn’t mean the school part of it, where he had to remember all those spells and charms, plants and potions, monsters, and… well, yes, monsters and defenses against them. It definitely was fun and cool and super exciting for Clark to get to know all those things (at the beginning at least), but having a short memory break before remembering the answer was not one of his proudest moments.
And all this whispering all day long was not helping him. Exciting whispers during classes where students exchanged their news over summertime, and even more whispers and talks, and rumors going on in the hallways, where Clark definitely didn’t want to know some of the things, especially a part where literally everybody was talking about some cool guy? Yeesh. Even though he was one of those students who talked during lessons with Jimmy and then told Jimmy himself during break that girls were whispering about him (he was just helping his friend to boost his confidence a little, really! “Rose, from Potion class, talked about your camera to the girls, Jimmy!”).
The day keeps rolling to an end, and only during dinner time is Clark horrified with the realization that he barely talked to his friends. Not that he always talks to them, but he definitely wanted to keep them company during their first day back at Hogwarts!…
“L-Lois! Hey!” Clark slightly raises his voice, waving his hand from his spot on a sofa. Just a moment ago, Lois stormed into the common room, and now she was going into the girls’ room, just stopping for a brief moment to wave back to Clark, indicating that she’ll come back.
No wonder Lane was hurrying back, because after a couple seconds of silence, the Common Room immediately got submerged in a wave of students coming back from their classes. Kent manages to catch out Jimmy in this horde and sat him on the spot next to him.
When the number of students reduces, and Clark is able to talk to Jimmy without shouting, he leans in, “D’ya wanna change from uniform? At least you won’t get stepped on.”
“Nah, I’m fine.” Olsen wipes his face with his palm, sinking into the comfortable sofa beneath him. “Have you seen Lois? Just hope she did manage to get in her room before her roommates; otherwise, we have to go for a search for her.”
“No need.” Lois claps her hand on Olsen’s shoulder. Now Clark sees why she was hurrying to get first in the room—the change out of uniform was definitely the favorite part for all students at the end of the day. “What are you talking about?” She falls next to Clark.
“We were just starting.”
“Oh yeah? Then how about we have a chitchat, because I’ve got something to tell.” She hides a yawn.
“Please then. Tell us how your summer went at least.”
“You will not believe this!” Lois starts off as usual. She actually does it quite often, Clark notices. Every time Lois brings up a gossip, a rumour, or even some conventionally funny stories, she says those words. “When I chose transfiguration classes, I didn’t mean to get in the same class table with Vicki! I was choosing accordingly to get as far away from her as I could, and instead I get to work with her on practicing transfiguration together while trying to help her pumpkin-head to remember last year's materials? No! Nuh-uh! For some reason, Professor McGonagall thinks that we could work out, quote, ‘For someone so full of spirit, needs a person of great courage in our field of work,’ unquote. Like—“ She sighs deeply, wiping her face with both hands.
“Lucky you, at least you don’t have to get your camera smashed every lesson and break by someone.” Jimmy grimaces and sighs. “I mean, I would much appreciate it if this damn school didn’t try to turn my camera into useless rubbish. No, but seriously, who— for Merlin’s sake—decided that muggle stuff is not supposed to work in the field of magic? Well, I mean, it's just a school, not a Ministry of Wizardry itself! There’s nothing interesting in that basic stuff! I just wanted to take some pictures to show my parents; there’s no need for blowing up my camera! Do you guys even know how much it cost?” He looks at them expectantly. Clark shakes his head, and Lois is not even bothered to reply.
“It ain't anything, you know! It is actually really expensive for the record, and, well, Hogwarts definitely isn’t repairing it or giving me another one!” Jimmy blows up with his accent and throws his hand in the air, gesticulating.
“Uhm, have you tried to use Reparo on it?” Clark suggests.
“I—uh, no… I don’t think it’s gonna work, you know, it’s like—it's muggle stuff!” He huffs.
“Have you tried, Jimmy?” Lois asks. Even from her place she can notice how Olsen stumbles in his own words and blushes. “Jimmy.”
“Listen! Listen, okay?” He throws his hands in the air again. “I was busy with some school stuff here and there, ya know—it ain’t my fault that the camera that I always keep with me gets busted when I just put my attention for a second to some insane news that we have a damn criminal in our walls!”
“Criminal?” Clark and Lois both perk up.
“Yuh-uh! A criminal in our walls!”
“Like an actual criminal person, you mean? I don’t think that I noticed anything suspicious for today, though. Clark unintentionally already pricks up his hearing, briefly listening in on students personal lives to catch at least some information about this situation.
“Are you sure that there is a criminal in school, Jimmy? There weren’t any news this morning about any breakouts, so—well, have you at least told one of the professors about it, maybe?” Lois gets interested in.
“I—well,” Jimmy mumbles, “I mean, that’s not quite true. I just heard it in the hallways, you know, guys.”
Clark and Lois both breathe with a sigh of relief.
“You idiot. You scared me!” Lane gives a punch to Jimmy’s shoulder and falls back in her place, sinking in her place into the soft pillows. “Next time try to add that you’re gossiping, Olsen.”
“That’s not gossip! That’s legitimately true information!”
Lois raises an eyebrow at his words.
“Y-yes, it was told by one of the students and not quite confirmed by anyone, but—“
Lois groans at her place.
“Jimmy,” she says firmly, “do not bring in gossip that has no fundamental evidence. For example, Cassia from Divination class flashed her panties to Rain’s boyfriend, who is a Ravenclaw’s current Seeker, and I know that because boys from Ravenclaw couldn’t stop thinking about it during Charms, and I was just trying to peek in Hawthorn’s mind to figure out his taste, but now I know the taste of all Ravenclaw boys!
“Now that is a gossip.” She deadpans.
“Cassia flashed Glyn her panties?” For some reason, Clark got shocked more at this part, rather than Lois trying to find out another guy’s taste.
“Clark.” Now Jimmy’s and Lois’s turn to shake their heads disapprovingly.
“Sorry, sorry.” He shakes off his own little nosy mind to concentrate his superhearing in their common room instead of sicking one of the people who they just gossiped about. “So, uhm, what about that dude? The Guy?”
“Pshh!” Jimmy shakes his head, “Nothin’ much. Just heard a bit here and there, as I understood only that this guy blew somethin’’ up and he got expelled, I think, and now he's back, I suspect? Don’t really know; I was too busy with my camera getting smashed into pieces, apparently.”
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Clark probably would be one of those people who tell you one thing and do another. He probably just gave advice that would help the person, rather than advice he would give himself; that’s just it—no hard feelings! … For one reason surely, Clark cannot give advice to anybody else saying, ‘Hey, if you don’t wanna wake up on your ceiling in the morning and get your roommates spooked, try tying your ankle to a bed’s leg!’ because that advice is literally not needed for other ordinary Hogwarts students. Sure, they may have woken up with their feet turned into goose flaps, but that is just because they messed up yesterday's potion, and now they got the consequences of their failed potion class.
Despite what his other roommates think, Clark keeps tying his ankle just for good measure. He definitely doesn’t want to explain to them why he calmly gets back on his bed in the morning instead of flopping around in the air, calling for help, and pulling himself by said rope.
Clark Kent was definitely a weirdo if you looked at him from the side. Big build, loser’s demeanor, thick unnerving glasses, and his stupid ability to stumble into a student or a wall while he keeps talking about the assignment that he tries to get right. At least, that’s what Clark himself tries to get in his persona.
Usually, Clark’s glasses go on his bedside table, and his body would barely fit in the bed’s frame if he wouldn’t crunch his back like a shrimp when sleeping. Yet he enjoys it. He pulls the blanket till it’s tucked under his chin, and he puts one foot on another to get himself comfortable enough to go to sleep; his ear would go into a pillow, and another ear would be covered with his palm or a part of his blanket to, at least, try to muffle sounds of a moving, living, and breathing Hogwarts while he sleeps.
Clark wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t try to listen in on his parents while he’s far away from them. Over the past years, Ma Kent has had at least a 5-10 minute talk with Clark in her calm, motherly voice, sharing with her boy how their day went, what they did today, what other news is in Smallville, etc. Only at those moments is Clark grateful to have his superhearing, even though he’ll never admit it out loud. And when the night gets quiet enough with calm heartbeats, brief sleepy breathing, and the quiet rumble of moving stairs, Clark thinks to himself that maybe this year won’t be as crazy as it was last year.He thinks that maybe he should concentrate a little more as exam years get closer, and he spent his whole summer helping Ma and Pa on a farm instead of reciting the spells and other stuff. You know how it is; you’re not a wizard every day when you live in a smallville and your parents are farmers. as exam years get closer, and he spent his whole summer helping Ma and Pa on a farm instead of reciting the spells and other stuff. You know how it is; you’re not a wizard every day when you live in a smallville and your parents are farmers.